4th of July - Indianapolis

July 4th, 2013 Indianapolis, Indiana.

I have never successfully photographed fireworks before, though I have tried exactly twice (once by land and once by sea and I doubt you could tell the difference between those photographed on land and those shot from that heaving boat). So today I read a "How To" article on the web and set out to accomplish a couple nice photos for you guys. Here they are. Enjoy! For those of you who might like to read that wonderful article on how to photograph fireworks - this link's for you! Photograph Fireworks.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Photos shot at ISO L1.0 (equiv ISO 100),  f/6.3,  focal length 95-100mm (142-150mm equiv), exposure time 4-5 seconds, manual focus (set to infinity and fine focused), tripod mounted, wireless remote shutter release and VR (vibration reduction) off. 

Macro Fun

Waited patiently as the gnats, flies and mosquitoes treated me like an all you can eat buffet trying to get both of these micro-bugs in the frame and in focus. I had no idea a macro lens would be this much fun!

Nikon D300|Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro Lens

Raspberry Leaf

Raspberry leaf June 2013.

  Nikon D300|Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro Lens

Goldfinch - Wings

An American Goldfinch (female) flits to another plant for seed.

June 2013

Nikon D300|Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS

Eastern Bluebird

An Eastern Bluebird (male) on barbed wire.

June 2013

Nikon D300|Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS

Dragonfly - Eagle Creek Park

A dragonfly on a rock. Eagle Creek Park Indianapolis, May 2013.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Brown Thrasher - Selective Color

A Brown Thrasher in a Maple Tree outside my window. I just happened to be playing with  "selective color" mode on my partner's Nikon D5100 camera at the time he landed. Selective Color mode allows you to essentially shoot a photo in black and white plus your choice of color(s) ( not sure how many colors you can select - maybe as many as you want). I just chose a couple of greens off of a Mt. Dew box before whimsically shooting this bird. Would have been truly interesting to have had only yellow selected at the time as the Brown Thrasher has yellow eyes. If you want to learn how to use this creative effect in your photos - watch the step by step Youtube video. 

Nikon D5100|Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II 

Indianapolis Skyline

Indianapolis skyline shot from west end of canal.

Indianapolis skyline shot from the lawn of White River State Park.

Indianapolis skyline shot from the west bank of the White River.

Nikon D300|Nikon AF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6G DX VR

Pink Tulips

One of my favorites from a recent trip to Chicago.

Canon EOS 50D| Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro.

New Macro Lens

Just having some fun around the yard with my new macro lens.To give you an idea of scale, the full diameter of the pink flower is 1 inch (including the part that is not visible in image), the length of one petal is just under 1/2 inch and the bee is roughly 3/16 - 1/4 of an inch in length (body only, not wing span).

Nikon D300|Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro Lens