I'm Moving

The time has come for me to move on to a new blogging platform. While blogspot has been great for me in the past, I felt that I needed a little more ability to set my template, I wanted more access to logging, and a little more control over the server. From now on, my blog will be hosted at blog.journeyoflight.com. If you follow my blog regularly, go ahead and join the new blog as a subscriber. I will no longer be updating derrald.blogspot.com. I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

ConnectIT Ad

Recently, I've been venturing outside of my norm and taking photographs of some really different subjects. The other day I photographed some jeans for a ConnectIT ad. The jeans work really well into the marketing message of the company. It was an enjoyable experience and I always like to stretch myself photographically when possible. I still like doing the nature bit, but this project was pretty cool.

Balancing Family, Life, and Photography

Canada Goose Profile

One of the things that I have found since becoming a father, is that it is can be difficult to find the time to capture images as I once did. In the past, I could leave and take photographs on a whim - I would look at the weather patterns, scout locations, and simply go if the conditions were right. Recently, I find that it just isn't that easy anymore - nor do I find myself as compelled previously. It's not that I don't have the same desire to photograph the world as I once did, it's just that there are times that I find myself in a field waiting for a sunset and I'd rather be home with my wife and daughter. My favorite times to photograph are when my daughter is with me and she is exploring the world, and I follow this exploration through my lens. This photograph is one such example. She loves to go see the ducks at Schramm State Recreation Area, and as such my collection of duck/bird photographs has increased considerably. By the way, she still thinks that Geese are ducks, although occasionally she will say "Geese!" to both geese and ducks. I try not to confuse her too much.

Our vacations have changed as well. We try to stick closer to home, and I've modified my schedule somewhat. I will still go out before sunrise to try and get that glorious morning shot, but the middle of my day is spent with activities with my family. I will still take photographs, but I really enjoy seeing how my daughter is reacting to her environment and the sights around her. I feel that my photography has evolved since she has come into the world - for the better. As I have said before, she has given me a new view of the world - I see things that before I may have passed over.

I will still continue to travel and photograph and I hope that as my daughter grows she will join me on these adventures. Who knows, maybe some day she'll pick up a camera and follow her daddy. All I know is that my life has changed and that I enjoy sharing the world with her. I continue to check out sunrises and sunsets, just sometimes it will be without a camera and with my daughter.

Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/125 sec.

Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

DeSoto Show, Postcards, and Screen Savers

Today is the first day of my show at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. This is going to run until the end of May, if you get an opportunity to visit this beautiful refuge be sure to take in a few (39) photographs as well. In addition to the show, I have produced 2 postcard designs and a screen saver that will be sold in the gift shop. These are nice 5x7 cards as shown above.

Directions and more information on DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is available at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/desoto/

After the Rain

Today's image was taken the same day as yesterday's, just a little after. I moved to the right of the road and continued to use the widest angle to accentuate the length of the road.

The sun had just set and the clouds were picking up an intense magenta hue. I really wanted to show the sky as well, so I came close to cutting the image in half with the horizon, but cut the sky back a bit so it wasn't quite 50% of the image.

Technical Details:

Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 1.6 sec., 3-stop Singh-Ray 2-stop Hard ND Grad

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Early Spring Rain

A couple of days ago I returned to Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge after a soft spring rain to capture the clouds as they moved off from the storm. I always love the effects of this weather - the smell in the air, the reflecting puddles, and of course the light that can be captured right after a good rain. Here, a road that bisects part of the plain at the refuge had just been plowed and the rain left several nice puddles in the texture of the mud. I wanted to capture the road with the sky to give the full effect of the weather on this landscape so I used a vertical composition to elongate the road and accentuate the feel of the distance.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, .4 sec., Singh-Ray 2-stop hard ND grad
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Gentle Meander - Outdoor Photographer

Yesterday I received my April issue of Outdoor Photographer and within its covers is an article I wrote with my photograph "Gentle Meander". It is a piece on Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge near Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska. In the next couple of days I will post a couple of new images from this park.

This article can also be read online at: http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/locations/north-america/favorite-places-boyer-chute-national-wildlife-refuge-fort-calhoun-nebraska.html

Muskrat Profile

Squaw Creek has many muskrat huts throughout the refuge. It is not unusual to see many of these guys working away, eating, or just swimming around. They are a little skittish and don't like it when you get out of your car. I managed to capture a few of them, but when you approach they tend to dive under the water and never come back up. In this case, this guy was close to shore and I was able to stick half my body out of the window to get a tighter shot. When I finally did open the door, he took off. I don't like startling these guys too much so I moved on. I never really knew that much about muskrats before taking this guys photo so I did a bit of research. Here's a tidbit of what I found out (wikipedia - it's probably accurate - right?)

Muskrats are found over most of Canada and the United States and a small part of northern Mexico. They always inhabit wetlands, areas in or near salt and fresh-water marshlands, rivers, lakes, or ponds. They are not found in the state of Florida where the round-tailed muskrat, or Florida water rat.

Muskrats continue to thrive in most of their native habitat and in areas where they have been introduced. While much wetland habitat has been eliminated due to human activity, new muskrat habitat has been created by the construction of canals or irrigation channels and the muskrat remains common and wide-spread.

Muskrats are most active at night or near dawn and dusk. They feed on cattails and other aquatic vegetation. They do not store food for the winter, but sometimes eat the insides of their lodges or steal food that beavers have stored. Plant materials make up about 95 percent of their diets, but they also eat small animals such as freshwater mussels, frogs, crayfish, fish, and small turtles.

For this image I utilized a Nik plug-in called "Vienza". It allows spot changes to saturation, contast, and brightness. I was a little skeptical about this product as I figured I could always mask the object in photoshop and apply whatever I needed to the mask, but I find that this plug-in helps cut down on the work. I am sure at this point, I am only scratching the surface of what it can do, but here it helped me apply a bit more saturation to the muskat, raise the brightess on the facial area, and increase the contrast slightly for a little more pop.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1/4tc, f/7.1, 1/1000 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Togetherness

I made it down to Squaw Creek again for another trip on the way through to Kansas City. On one of the trips around the lake, I captured these two Canada geese hanging out on a muskrat hut. They just watched as I took their photo, content to be together. I felt the black and white treatment here was the best to isolate the subjects.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/8, 1/1600 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Coot on the Run

I wanted to get some up close shots of the Snow Geese at Squaw Creek, but every time I got fairly close, they decided to up and run away. So, I tried my hand at the American Coots. I got a little close, and when they go they almost look like little road runners before they take off.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/8000 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Tornado of Birds

Another type of image I wanted to capture from the visit to Squaw Creek was a wide-angle view of all the birds. In this photograph, some of the birds are discernible, while the majority exist only as a large black wave in the background. This really exemplifies the shear magnitude of this flock of geese on the lake.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Snow Goose Abstract

For today's image, I wanted to shoot directly into the flock of snow geese in such a way, that unless you knew that they were birds, you might not be able to ascertain what exactly the photograph was. Here, I waited until they were really stirred up by something and then shot several directly into the storm of birds. It appears as an abstract with black and white and small touches of blue.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Ready.... Set.... Go!

A few days ago I mentioned that I made it down to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge for the snow geese migration. It was quite an experience, one that is hard to describe without being there. Today's image is just a minute selection of the birds that were hanging out on the lake. Here, the they are defined and you can actually see individual birds. In the next couple of days I will post some that simply look like an abstract painting. I wanted to post this image first so that you could get an idea of what a snow goose actually looks like if you haven't seen one.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 300 f/4l, f/4, 1/2500 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Little Blue Jay

I made a trek down to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge yesterday since they had over one million snow geese and 150 bald eagles. Recently, I rebuilt my computer to install the latest version of Photoshop and I haven't had an opportunity to color profile my monitor again, so I will have a lot of work when that is done. In the meantime, I found this blue jay photograph that I took on one of my circles around the lake.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/2000 sec.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

Bashful

A couple of weeks ago I managed to capture this image of a duck at Scramm State Recreation Area. While I like the color version of this image, the thing that really drew me into this photograph was the composition. To accentuate the composition, I decided to remove the color. I used a new plugin, Nik Silver Efex Pro to do the conversion. This is the first time I have used that utility and I found that I liked the results and the ease at which I was able to do it. It definitely opened some good Black and White possibilities for me.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/1600 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Bark Abstract

Some images lend themselves to abstraction. There is some debate in the photographic community of what constitutes an abstract photograph. Some believe it needs to not be recognizable, while others say it must simply be patterns and shapes that can lend itself to imagination. Frankly, I am in the latter. If you can recognize it, yet still enjoy it for the patterns, shapes, and colors without it relying on the subject I believe that an abstract photograph can succeed. Today's image is that of tree bark with some moss for color. It could have also been an image of cliffs and valleys from high above the earth, or broken rocks on a shore.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/9, 1/80 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska/Iowa

Flying High

Today's image was taken a couple of weeks ago when I went to DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge to capture some sunset images. The sunset fizzled, but there were plenty of geese flying around overhead and I captured this when they flew directly over me. The pattern this creates in the sky is always different and always fascinates me.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l+1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/400 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa/Nebraska

A Brief Glimpse of Spring

Last week the highs were in the 60s and the birds were out chirping. I couldn't help but go capture a couple of images of the robins as they scurried around in the warm sun.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/640 sec.
OPPD Arboretum, Omaha, Nebraska

Tonight the Storm Comes

This photograph was taken last weekend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, while the last bit of sun was just touching the upper clouds. This is the storm coming across the plains that brought the snow that I photographed in downtown Omaha. It came fast and pelted some cold snow across the lake making the walk back to my car nice and icy cold.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/16, .6 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Focus on Feather

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on a beautiful almost 60 degree day in February. I drove around and managed to see several hawks, a bald eagle, and numerous geese. I also got out and hiked a bit and came across this feather. I found a fallen tree that had begun decomposing and I liked the pattern in the wood. I laid the feather across the grain in such a way that the pattern of the feature was perpendicular for some visual interest. The dappled light created by the trees added a nice effect on the composition as well.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM lens, f/32, 1/25 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

A Lonely Omaha Street

Today's image was taken the same night as the previous 3. I had wanted to get some snow flying through this photo, and while it was lightly snowing, it had let up pretty much by this point. I felt this image worked best in black and white with a sepia tone. I plan on returning here when it is snowing heavier and a little earlier so I can capture a bit of light behind the buildings.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 24mm, f/16, 30 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti 3

This is the final image from the "Illumina Confetti" images. The snow was beginning to let up a bit in this one, but there was still enough to create the confetti feel. I am planning on going back down to the Qwest Center to get some more images of this creative display later in the year. It is a very nice addition to the city and I look forward to photographing it again. Look for the new images in my blog when I do return.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/6.3, 1/40 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti 2

This is the next is the series of photographs that I captured at the "Illumina" display. The snow is really flying in this one, causing white streaks throughout the photograph - another confetti party feel.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/6.3, 1/25 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti

There have been a couple of images I have envisaged for downtown Omaha that involve large flakes of snow. Just after sunset, the snow began to fly while I was photographing north at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, so I hightailed it back to Omaha to get some shots. I ended up at the Qwest center where there is a striking display entitled "Illumina" by Matthew Placzek. The snow came down like confetti, enforcing the "party" feeling. Over the next couple of days I will be posting more images from this evening.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 21mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Where's Rocky?

A few years ago my wife and I took a two week trip to Glacier and Banff. It was a spectacular vacation and we saw an assortment of landscapes, weather, and creatures. We decided to take a short hike near a lake in Glacier where we saw a moose on the other side of the water. He started to move across the lake. Well, I hadn't brought my camera and the car wasn't far, so I rushed back to grab my gear. When I returned, I couldn't find my wife or the moose anywhere. After a short time, my wife appeared and proceeded to tell me that not only did the moose not stop, but he sped up towards her. She decided to head into the forest and wait for me. I'm not sure what would have happened if she had stayed, but I am sure that she did the right thing.

Over time, I have found that one of the hardest large animals to photograph is the moose. All in all, I have seen maybe 5 or 6 in the wild, and they are usually shy and hide within minutes of me spotting them. They are a powerful, magnificent creature that can charge at a moment's notice (obviously), so I tend to keep a pretty good distance when I do see them. This particular photograph was taken on my trip to Canada a couple of years ago. Hiding in the trees and just a bit off the road, this moose was eating the low foliage around her. She managed to stay for a few shots.

Technical Details:
Canon 20d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, 1/200 sec.
Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Current and Upcoming Events

I will be having an showing at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge's visitor center from April 1 until May 30, 2009. This is the second year for this event and I look forward to displaying about 30-35 framed images from my various collections. Some favorites and recent photographs will be exhibited. For more details and directions, visit the refuge website at http://midwest.fws.gov/desoto.

I have recently expanded the number of offerings on my webstore at Hamilton Color Labs. I will provide any image and size print requested, however, this website expedites the processing of some of the more popular images and sizes. It is also the featured gallery for the time being. Please visit the store at http://www.hamiltoncolorlab.com/cgi-bin/IFC/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Photography/Journey_of_Light.

A Wintry Day in May II

Taken the same day as the previous post, this is Mt. Cephron in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. I have obviously been in a black and white mood recently, as the winter tends to bring a monotone contrast to the landscape. Less than 2 hours after this photograph was taken, all of the snow on the grasses and trees had melted leaving behind a wet, damp mountain scene.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 17-40 f/4l @ 35mm, f/16, 1/25 sec.
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

A Wintry Day in May

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days trekking through Alberta on my own. I went during the last couple days of May and the first week of June and on one of those mornings I arose to some heavy snowfall. I decided to wait it out and so I went back inside to the warmth for a good couple of hours until the snow slowed. Later, I ventured out to the beautiful wintry landscape. The snow was especially wet and sticking to everything. I only took a few photographs in these conditions, but what came out was some images that were very conducive to being converted to black and white.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/11, 1/50 sec.
Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Slowed Flow

Today's image was taken on a rainy, overcast day during my last trip to Alberta, Canada. Overcast days are optimal for capturing the movement of the water and slowing it to a silky flow. I felt that this technique gave this photo a feeling of a bit of motion, instead of a "snapshot of time" where everything is completely frozen. Through this I hope that this allows you to be drawn into the composition more, rather than being just a viewer.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 17-40 f/4l @ 27mm, f/18, 10 sec.
Alberta, Canada

Chirping in the Sunlight

As I was returning the other morning when I ventured out to photograph the Platte River at sunrise, I heard an incessant chirping from a nearby tree. There I found a little red cardinal that was welcoming the day. Not wanting to disturb him for too long, I took only a couple of shots and then continued on.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/500 sec.
Near the Platte River Connection Bridge, Nebraska

Frozen Platte River Sunrise

For some time now, I have envisaged a composition with the warmth of the sun rising over the almost frozen Platte River. Yesterday, I ventured down to the Platte River Connection bridge, a pedestrian bridge near South Bend, Nebraska, because I knew that the sun would rise just above Platte River State park from this vantage point. I had hoped that there would be some interesting designs in the ice to add interest to the composition. I was a little disappointed by the lack of clouds, but the river looked about how I imagined it. I hope to venture that way again before the major spring thaw to see what ice patterns may emerge on the Platte River.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/13, 1/6 sec., 3-stop hard ND Singh-Ray Grad
Platte River, near South Bend, Nebraska

Tag, You're It!

As a nature, landscape, and wildlife photographer, I have to be aware of the natural world around me. As such, I have learned things about weather, moon phases, migratory patterns, and species than I ever thought I would ever learn, a nice side reward of what I do.

A year and a half ago, my baby daughter was born. As most parents probably know, as she grows I find that I look at the world differently, things that I might have passed over before fascinates her and now they fascinate me. I love taking her outside to explore her world. One of her favorite activities is going to see animals of any kind. As I have said before, there are almost always ducks or geese at Schramm State Recreation Area at any time throughout the year. They get feed by the passer-byers often and we have found ourselves saving up old bread to feed to them when we visit. We have been a few times recently, and when it warms up I expect to be there again.

Because of my evolving view of the world, I felt the title was appropriate for these two ducks. Looking at the world like a child might.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/800 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Individuality

Today brought us a winter weather advisory warning which made it a good day to look around for some abstract compositions near some warmth. This capture was the result of wet, blowing snow on a glass door that melted upon contact and then remained in this pattern. I was fascinated by the randomness and how some of the droplets merged to become larger droplets, while most others remained small and individual.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM, f/3.2, 1/160 sec.

More From the 50D

On the Hunt

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., ISO 800


Today I went to the arboretum to give the 50d another try. There was a woodpecker there when I had my G10 and I wanted to see if I could get some good up close shots. In the past I would have used my 20d, but that would not have allowed for much cropping at 8 megapixels. The woodpecker was there, but I didn't get a good angle, like I had last visit, plus I was crunched for time so I focused on the squirrels busily hunting for their hidden nuts. After a walker startled these guys, they carefully came back to their position, where I was waiting with my camera.


Munch, Munch
Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., ISO 800

Platte River Ice Jam

During this time every year the Platte River tends to freeze up and thaw several times. This creates several ice jams on the river which create a matrix of interesting ice pattens throughout the river channel. I went down by Schramm State Recreation Area to capture some of these patterns and channels of the water as it flows through the ice.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 34mm, f/14, .3 sec
Schramm State Recreation Area

Platte River Sunrise

Today's image is one that I shot last August and have processed a few different times. Previously, I really didn't feel like the image evoked anything in me and so I left it in the archive. After I went back to it and processed it again, I felt like the image was closer to what I experienced that morning when I climbed the Platte River State Park tower and captured the rising sun hitting the fog across the Platte. It was a quiet, chilly morning with some birds chirping. It was a very calm way to start the day.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 140mm, f/16, 1.3 sec.
Platte River State Park, Nebraska

Reaching Out: Revisited

A couple of posts back I mentioned how many of my images have a "life". Essentially, some are never quite finished for me. Tonight's image is one such example. In a blog post on March 2, 2008 found here, I mentioned going back through some old photos and finding one that I liked the intricate details. Well, after reviewing that same image, yet again I felt I could add a little more to the photograph. One processing technique I use, especially with images with high contrast of color is a method called the "Orton effect". Essentially, this effect takes an out of focus image and sandwiches with an in focus image to create a somewhat dreamy version of reality. It was originally used with slide film, but a technique still exists for digital. For more information, visit this tutorial on Orton imagery: http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0106/dw0106-1.html.

Technical Details:

Canon 5d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/11, 1/5 sec., Orton
Alberta, Canada

Candid Duck!

Once again I found myself at Schramm testing a new camera while my wife and daughter fed the ducks. I got some cute video on the G10. Anyway, here's the story with the new camera. Due to some unfortunate circumstances with my old 20d which only had a little less than 30,000 shots taken with it - died, two days before the repair plan was to expire. No, I did not hasten it's death, it just happened to have never really been repaired from the previous 4 times I had it in (not a fun experience, mind you). They finally gave up trying to fix and gave me a 50d. I won't say who, but let's say it's a big multi-national chain store that specializes in electronics.

Whenever a new Canon camera comes out (or probably any manufacturer for that matter), there is always fierce arguments on message boards about which is the better camera - the old or the new. And these always include what the poster would have done differently, or how Canon should have done B instead of A, or how Canon is genius. The 50d was no different, and actually received more pounding than any other recently released DSLR. Canonrumors.com even put it as the worst DSLR release of the year (really, that bad?). The price has fallen from $1,300 to $1,050 in less than 3 months (could be the economy too - but that is rarely to blame, I guess) For the most part I don't care. I read because I want to know what's new, but I always reserve judgement until I have it in my hands.

Here's what I think about the 50d after about 100 shots -no, not a thorough evaluation by any means. I like it. There I said it, I like it. The detail is better. The ISO performance? I think better, although I no longer have my 20d to compare, but then again I do have some old photos (30,000?) to look through, and my gut feeling. The features? Live View, Autofocus Adjust, better frame rate, spot metering (yep the 20d didn't have it) etc. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 20d, but the 50d is definitely a step up.

Oh, and the autofocus, better than the 5d Mark II. There was some discussion on this one and it's true. I hate to say it, but it's true, the autofocus on the outside points is faster on the 50d. I guess the posters were right about one thing.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/400 sec., ISO 3200 - Noise Ninja used (barely)
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Frozen Patterns

Recently, I had been wanting a camera that was portable, but still had some of the main features I wanted in a camera, namely the RAW format and a flash shoe. I also wanted something with a video function, that way I could easily bring it to family functions without lugging some big gear. I settled on the G10 after looking at the G9 for sometime and deciding it had the best mix of funcationality and portability. Overall, I have found that the G10 is a fun camera to shoot. It's nice to just pull it out and snap a quick shot. On a fairly cold day last week I decided to take it to the OPPD arboretum and just walk around with it and see what I could capture. During this time of year crazy ice patterns emerge from the bottom of a little ravine. I got down and used the macro mode, all hand-held. I found the image stabilization of the camera really helped. I also found that the nearly 15 megapixels made for some really detailed images. The big drawback, however, is the noise at higher ISOs. After shooting with a Canon 5d Mark II, I really found the noise objectionable at anything more than 200, and even then that could be pushing it. If you stay in the 80 or 100 range the photographs are simply sharp and beautiful for a "pocket" camera. It has very seldom left my side in the past couple of weeks and I look forward to capturing some more spur of the moment type shots.

Technical Details:
Canon G10, 6.1mm, f/4, 1/250 sec.
Desaturated with a cyan-blue tint (more like how I saw the ice)

Beaver Hut Sunrise

Today's image is the first of the new year. Before sunrise on New Year's Day I ventured out to near Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge at a little lake called Nathan's Lake. When I arrived I found several beaver huts where the inhabitants I am sure were in deep hibernation. Nothing like starting a new year with a beautiful sunrise!

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 21mm, f/13, 1 sec.
3-stop hard Singh-Ray ND Grad Filter