Think About The Presentation

When I am out shooting pictures I typically am thinking about what I intend to do with the pictures, what my presentation will be. Are they part of a generic picture gallery containing similar pictures from various sources and time frames (for example, flowers) or are the pictures intended to be in their own picture gallery? I have a post that speaks to how I go about taking my pictures, and the methodology that I use. If you care to read the article click here. As I have mentioned I like to have a point of view that starts with GPS, and then drops down to a picture giving you an idea of what the surroundings look like. During a recent trip to Canada I went to the Gerrard India Bazaar located in Toronto. It is a series of shops that stretch along a single street for a few blocks. Pointing the camera straight down the road wasn't all that interesting. There really wasn't a single shot that looked good through the lens. Looking around I suddenly got my inspiration from a phone pole. The street names were on the pole. That caught my attention because the street signs mark the area for the bazaar, and the signs had a lot of character.When taking a picture like this you have  lot of liberty on how you can present it. You can really punch it up a notch and bring out the character of the signs and utility pole.

The "street signs" picture is the first photo in the Indian Bazaar photo album. Not only is it fitting, but I will remember where it is located the next time my wife and I visit Toronto.

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Perigee Moon Picture

Over the years I have pointed my camera to the night sky to capture a picture of the moon. It always looks so great in the motion picture world. Unfortunately not so easy to capture in real life. I was a kid in the sixties following the space program and the Moon had special interest to me. So finally last year I decided that I want to take a good picture of the moon. It was a Super Moon and what better time to take a picture.

So I put the 70-300mm lens on my Nikon D90, went onto my deck, setup my tripod and took pictures at various exposure times. My best shot was at 1/4000 second at f5.6 and ISO 200. Then some Photoshop work to get a cleaner picture.

 The Moon is about 31,069 miles, closer to Earth and therefore is bigger and brighter than the usual full moon.

Lisbon Falls South Africa

There is something about waterfalls that always fascinated me and Lisbon Falls in South Africa is no exception. I remember seeing waterfalls on TV when I was a child and wondering where all the water was coming from. Fortunately I have seen a lot of waterfalls since I was a kid and all of them still have plenty of water still pouring over them. I visited the Lisbon Falls in 2009 and took a few pictures. The height of the falls is about 295 feet (90 meters). It is located in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Get out and see the world!

Want to know more about my first trip to South Africa? Click on this link.

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Mapped location of Lisbon Falls can be found below.

 

Summer in Ohio means Car Show Time

The summer season is here in Ohio and time for me to get my camera ready for some great shots of car shows around the North East Ohio area.  Here is one of my favorite pics from last year. A 1929 Ford,  taken in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, August 22, 2011.

Car shows are best enjoyed with your friends. Rich and Tom bring a wealth of knowledge about the various models years they love the best. There is always something to learn from them and the local history of cars and their owners.

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Cuyahoga Falls Ohio Car Show

Riverfront Mall Cruise-In

Me, Rich and Tom decided to head out to the Monday night car show at the Riverfront Mall in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. A really great evening and we walked around and looked at all the cars in a great setting. Click on the picture and checkout some of the 128 pictures from the show. Something for everyone. Maybe you will find your car.

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Mixing Photography With Our Subaru Car Purchases

I like photography and cars, and the two mix very well! So naturally when I buy a car I take my camera along to get a few pics (it is never going to look better than brand new and never driven). I decided I wanted to buy a 2012 Subaru so my search started in November. My wife is from South Africa where there is no snow and Ohio weather was quite a shock to her. The first time she slid in the snow I got the panic call! Once she drove a Subaru she actually started to get out of the house more during the winter. With AWD she found freedom from the snow covered streets.

I debated back and forth about buying another Outback or perhaps trying out a Forester, which I was planning on buying when I bought the Outback. The big benefit with the Forester is that my wife would be more likely to drive it, she has an Impreza Outback Sport which is the perfect car for her. The Outback is just too big for her liking. The local Subaru dealer is Waikem Subaru located in Massillon, Ohio. Low pressure environment and when I walk in the door I am greeted by everyone. However, the biggest plus is that they put up with my picture taking. I have taken a lot of pictures at Waikem Subaru and never get hassled by anyone. The guys in the service department put up with me too.I decided on a 2012 Forester and when it came in, my sales consultant Rick Spieth even offered to take a picture of the car on the truck before it was unloaded. When I picked up the Forester it was a very busy end-of-year day and  sales consultant Rick Ballas jumped in to help out. So in my photo collection are a couple of hundred photos of cars taken at the dealership, along with several pictures of the employees.

I take a lot of pictures of my cars, and I have found that very helpful. In the winter of 2010 I discovered that my rear washer fluid sprayer was damaged on our 2007 Subaru Impreza Wagon. I thought the damage had been done at the airport or perhaps during a recent visit to the shop for an oil change. By looking at my pictures I was able to see the damage was actually there months before I had noticed it. I figured the damage probably came from a car wash with the hanging material that drags along top of the car. With digital, all it cost me is the disk space it resides on. You never know what picture you have that will turnout to be of value to you.

Feel free to leave a comment below about your car buying experiences. When did you buy your first car? When did you buy your first brand spanking new car?

And remember, get out there and take a few pictures. It couldn't hurt!

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