One Step Closer to a Good Moon Shot

This is actually surprising, considering it's just my little digital camera on maximum zoom, with a bit of adjustment in the shutter speed. It will be nice (one day) to have a telescope that I can attach the camera too for much better space shots.

Shiny Happy People

Don't you just love it when kids enter the phase when their smiles are natural and not the result of, ummm, natural gas? It's difficult to juggle baby and camera, so it's a bit blurred -- but the happy love is still there!

One of the Great Things About Virginia Interstate Highways...

... is the view! This is along Interstate 81, on our way home from this most recent visit to Southwest Virginia.

Dusk

I'm still fooling with lighting settings and shutter speeds, but I thought this shot of a street lamp at dusk taken through the branches of a tree too good to pass up.

Doorway into the Past

Taken at the Booker T. Washington National Monument.....

More Spring Color!

Yes, a two post day! The weather today was absolutely magnificent (82 degrees and very sunny), and I saw lots of Springtime color everywhere I looked. I like the one above because of the contrast of the yellow tint of the bush, the small purple flowers behind, and the wooden fence even behind that. Another glimpse from my in-laws' back yard.

Below, one of the many blossoms found on one of their Bradford pear trees.

A Day for Reflection

I noticed quite a few things being reflected today as I was looking for some interesting shots. Above, a shot of a beautiful flower (type unknown) reflected in a mirror at my in-laws' house.

Below, I was trying to catch one of the bumblebees flying around my in-laws' patio, and snapped what at first I thought to be a lousy shot. When I loaded it on the computer, however, I saw that the bee had been reflected in its shadow on the pavement.

The One Campaign

This isn't a recent picture; in fact, it's about five years old. However, I joined the One Campaign today and somehow thought this picture was appropriate.....

Spring is Here (Almost?!?)

I walked out the front door of our house this morning and discovered that our two days of warm weather has resulted in little wonders like this.

Addendum: I found out that this is a crocus.....

Out and About in Old Town

We took some friends to visit our church while we were out and about enjoying the weather, and I carried the camera along to practice the black-and-white shots I love. The shot above is one of the windows near the altar (I really wanted to get the shutter, candle, and outside lamppost together), and the one below is the box pew used by George Washington and his family when they were parishioners in the late 1700s.

A Day in the Park

Regardless of the fact that it was going to be short-lived, today's Spring-like weather was a great opportunity for the family to get out for a bit. The four of us took a stroll to a nearby park, and A got this picture of MB and me sitting by the "creek" (or as close to a real creek as you can get in this area) and talking about things.

Trying Something New

I spent some time outdoors tonight trying to master different shutter speeds and exposure settings. Most of my time was spent practicing on the lamp post in our front yard, and this was the best out of that set. It's quite unusual -- almost a disembodied light sitting in front of our house.

A Bit of Local History

Each day as we're taking MB to her daycare center, we drive by an old Civil War-era tavern that we've never really taken the time to look at. Today, after dropping her off, I decided to have a closer look; it's a really attractive old building, but it doesn't look as if it's used for much today. I thought a sepia tone for this photo would make it appear even more authentic, but I didn't think to take the picture on that setting, and my photo software doesn't offer it as an option. Black and white will have to do on this.....

A Second Post with No Commentary

ALMOST THERE -- almost there -- zzzzz.....

MB went down to the den to take a nap, and my wife claims that she actually made it onto the couch before passing out. When I found her, however, it looked as if she ran out of steam and feel asleep while trying to climb up; I've never seen someone sleep half-on and half-off the sofa before.

My Own Personal Food Taster

The cake was all ready -- and as you can tell from looking at the front of it, it was only up to someone of small stature and young age to stick a hand in and see if it was good to go.

Capitol Hill - Random Shots

I was back in D.C. today for some meetings and interviews, and while walking from one location to another I experimented with some black-and-white photography. The shot above is of a Catholic Church on the Senate side of Capitol Hill, and the shot below if of one of the stone eagles supporting a sizeable bench near the Library of Congress.