Big Light

2013/08/282013/08/27 ruminator

Young Son needed a portrait for his college profile. I guess some of the teachers there actually use the images to get to know/recognize their students. That’s a good thing.

So, he engaged the dadbeast to do the shoot. I like natural light and I like big light, so I use a big window whenever I can. The slider was the perfect source yesterday evening. So, I had him stand back a few feet. I put the Konica 85/1.8 on my Sony NEX-5N, made an adjustment to the white balance, and made the shot. I can’t get the white balance right with this smoke, so I made an adjustment in post-processing.

I’m pleased with the result. I love informal portraits with big light.

Thoughtful

2013/08/092013/08/05 ruminator

While listening to Jimmy and his friend reminisce about old times, I noticed this young man a few chairs away. He was engrossed in whatever he was doing and made a nice subject.

The Smoking Hand

2013/08/082013/08/05 ruminator

Last Saturday the Girl and I went to Reno again. Although we didn’t make the Hot August Nights event, I still enjoyed my time with Jimmy and made a few decent captures.

Firey Pair

2013/08/072025/08/07 ruminator

Just before I ran of our gas, this pair of dancers came on-stage to do their thing. I gave up on the 55-210 zoom and put the Sony 50/1.8 prime on the camera. It doesn’t give me to close-in frame that I like, but it was what I had and I used it.

Fire Dancer

2013/08/062013/08/05 ruminator

As Saturday evening wore on (and grew darker), the fire dancers came out. This was really fun, although the crowd made it more difficult to get good images. Also, I found the limit of my Sony 55-210 zoom. It doesn’t do so well as the light fades. Still, I managed a few good frames.

Hula Hoop Dancer

2013/08/052013/08/05 ruminator

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was in Reno to spend time with a friend. That evening I found myself at the Controlled Burn. The shows were wonderful and this image captured this beautiful young dancer who favors the Hula Hoop. She is a professional by any standard.

Hula-Hoop Dancers

2013/08/022025/08/02 ruminator

Last Saturday we wandered around the Controlled Burn event. The early part of the show featured a group of dancers working with hula-hoops. They made for some interesting images. I think the light was good enough that I was working within the sweet spot of the Sony 55-210mm zoom I had mounted on the NEX-5N. The images are decent, although not as sharp as I’d like. Still, it was a fun event and I’m glad I was there to witness it.

First of August

2013/08/012013/08/01 ruminator

One of the “interesting” things from Saturday evening was this fire sculpture. As I approached the Controlled Burn event from the south (I had to park a few blocks away), I noticed the flames. As we got closer, I hear one of the blossoms “bloom.” The sound was quite pronounced.

As we passed, the Girl moved to my side opposite the flowers. When the bloom bloomed, she shied away. She didn’t like the sound and maybe didn’t like the feel of the heat. It was both funny and pitiful.

The sculpture fascinated me and I came back once I found Jimmy. We spent a few minutes trying to capture the bloom. I came away with a few frames, of which this is one of the better. I probably had the wrong lens on my NEX at the time, but I was too lazy to spend the time changing it.

July is gone and now we are into August. The year is passing quickly. This is the beginning of 31 Days of Geocaching, and I think I’m going to see if I can do the streak. I’ll want to pick relatively easy finds for work days, but can spend a little more time on the weekends looking for some of the more challenging finds. Plus, Older Son and DiL will be here for ten days in August and I’m spending some of my leave to be with them. They like to find geocaches, so it will be fun.

Gear Drop

2013/07/312013/07/31 ruminator

Last Saturday I was in Reno to have coffee with Jimmy and we walked the river area in downtown Reno. On warm weekends, there are always plenty of people about and some of them make interesting subjects for photography. The play of light on this young woman and her bright orange bag caught my attention.

Dessert

2013/07/302026/07/30 ruminator

This afternoon I stopped by the Farmer’s Market before heading home. Tuesday evening is FM day in Minden. I bought some fresh peaches, some fresh strawberries, and a couple of ears of fresh corn. After supper I worked up the strawberries while watching the last bit of XWP¹.

Now I have dessert. It doesn’t get much better than this. Mom’s strawberry pie might be better and I’d drive a thousand miles to have some. But this is pretty-damned-good.

The lens is a new-to-me Konica Hexanon 57mm f1.2 shot wide open under my desk lamp. It’s not bad for a 50-year old lens.

¹XWP = Xena, Warrior Princess

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Category: photography