365 Project

Starting today I’m beginning a 365 Project: 1 photo per day for 365 days. I’m starting this project to help me as a photographer and also to document a year in my life. The plan at this point is to take multiple pictures everyday, upload them to my Flickr Page weekly, and choose the best 7 to post here on Sundays. I’ll give the usual details about the photos, this time including date taken, and write a brief summary of the week and how the project is going. I’m excited to see my skills develop as a photographer over the course of this year. I hope to hear feedback on the photos in the comments section, so check back each Sunday from now on to see new photos.

GLP Announcement

I’m happy to announce that I have been accepted to the Graduate Licensure Program at the University of Kansas. Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about and there are others who are very surprised by this. Whether you are in the former or the latter group, here are some details.

The Graduate Licensure Program takes students with bachelor degrees and puts them through a program of education which will end in licensure for K-12 education in their area. For me, this means that at the end of the program I’ll be licensed to teach K-12 Spanish.

So, starting August 20th I’ll be attending graduate school full time at KU and keeping my current Desktop Technician job at The World Company full time. It is probably pretty close to committing social suicide, but I think I’m ready for it. I’m looking forward to being a student again and to see where life will take me over the course of the next 2-3 years as I go back to class and then move on to teaching.

Here’s hoping the ride will be adventurous and well worth it.

Upcoming project

One thing I love about my wife is that she continually inspires my photography. The other day I was talking with her about how I should be out taking photos but I didn’t really know what I wanted to photograph. We both are dog lovers (we have two of our own) and by the end of the conversation we had our great idea. My next photography project will be a series of photos of everyday objects as seen from the perspective of a dog. They’ll include fire hydrants, patches of grass, human ankles, etc. and they’ll be titled in ways that a dog would recognize it, perhaps with a fun modern twist.

A quick call to my veterinarian informed me that dogs see the world in color, however the colors are duller than what we see as humans. I’m willing to take suggestions from you, my readers, about whether I should process the digital photos in such a way that the colors are dull or if I should make them more hyper-realistic to express the joy of a dog. Also, if you have any suggestions for subject matter and or titles, please leave a comment. I hope to take the first couple photos this weekend so I can get started on this project. Watch for updates on Twitter and Facebook or check back here for future posts.

River to Well

A group of my friends have been dreaming up a project to help bring fresh clean water to Limpopo, South Africa. The project has been named River to Well and it is a photo contest. Being that this weblog is highlighting photography (albeit all of my own), I thought this would be a perfect place to get the word out. This contest is available to photographers at all levels (amateurs, students, professionals) and all entry fees will go directly to building a well to bring fresh, clean water to Limpopo. If you consider yourself a photographer or would like to donate directly to the cause, please visit the website for River to Well to find out more information.

Lawrence Sites

I went out with a couple friends 2 weeks ago to shoot photos around Lawrence and I’m pleased with the results. The last two photos posted here use an off camera flash for dynamic lighting. This is a new technique for me that I’m trying to grasp to further my knowledge and understanding of photography. If you are interested in learning about creative and dynamic lighting, I highly recommend the blog Strobist. The flash I used here is a Nikon SB-600 with a Sto-Fen Omnibounce Diffuser.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/2.5 | ISO 200 | 1/160 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/2.5 | ISO 200 | 1/250 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/200 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/60 exp. | Off camera flash used

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/60 exp. | off camera flash used

Zoo

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend my wife and I traveled to Omaha to visit my family and during our stay we visited the Henry Doorly Zoo. I particularly enjoyed the following photos from our visit to the zoo.

Nikon D50 | 105mm | f/2.8 | ISO 400 | 1/60 exp. | external flash used

Nikon D50 | 200mm | f/5.6 | ISO 400 | 1/60 exp. | external flash used

Nikon D50 | 200mm | f/5.6 | ISO 400 | 1/60 exp. | external flash used

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 400 | 1/400 exp.

Nikon D50 | 155mm | f/3.5 | ISO 400 | 1/400 exp.

Nikon D50 | 200mm | f/2.8 | ISO 400 | 1/640 exp.

Peony

As I mentioned in the last post I have a multitude of plants growing in my backyard. The last post was all about the Iris so this one is all about the Peony. I really like this plant because the sprouts start out looking like giant asparagus shoots, and then they open up, develop richly colored green leaves and then form tiny little flower buds. These buds have a waxy covering on them and right before they are about to bloom you can witness a bunch of small ants crawling on the surface of the buds. Being that we view ants as pests, may wish to get rid of these ants from the peony blossoms, but they provide a very crucial role in the survival of the peony flowers. They consume the waxy covering from the blossoms which enable the flowers to open up and display the beauty that has been hidden. So without further ado, here are two of my favorite photos of the peony bushes and flowers that I took last Friday.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/3.5 | ISO 200 | 1/320 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/3.5 | ISO 200 | 1/500 exp.

Iris

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/3.5 | ISO 200 | 1/800 exp.

As I mentioned in a previous post I love spring and how new life pops up all over. In my back yard I’ve been blessed with Iris, Peony, Spearmint, and a large number of other plants that have kind of taken over. Not that I’m complaining, it is quite the beautiful display. This post is all about the Iris.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/3.5 | ISO 200 | 1/320 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/800 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/500 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/2000 exp.

Spring

Every spring I am fascinated with the new life that pops up everywhere. I love to see the progression of bare trees to trees teeming with life as leaves sprout from branches. Watching flower buds crawl up from the ground to one day bloom into a stunning and beautiful display is very inspiring. These two pictures really capture what I love most about spring. I love seeing how something so miniscule as a bud on a tree can become something so beautiful. I took both of these pictures in my parents’ back yard in Grand Island, NE.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/3200 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/1600 exp.

Amelia

I hope I don’t make my wife hate me with this post, but I absolutely love the pictures that I recently took of her when we were in North Carolina. Love you, sweetie!

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/320 exp.

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/320 exp.

And finally, expressing the same smile she’s had since she was a child….

Nikon D50 | 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 200 | 1/400 exp.