Day 99: Jonathan & friends

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When you come to the edge of all the light you have known,
and are about to step out into darkness, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen -- there will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.
--from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Camera info: Taken at Lake Overholser. 70-200mm lens at 155mm. 1/2500 sec at f/3.2. ISO 100.

Day 98: Funeral home calendars

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The church my family went to when we lived in Pennsylvania was also attended by Burt Vondell, the city's funeral home owner. I remember that each Christmas he would hand out calendars as an advertisement for the funeral home. It was a nice gesture although in a town with only one funeral home it was entirely unnecessary. Anyway, it was inevitable that when turning to the September page on the calendar there would be a photo of a New England church steeple framed by trees boasting firey reds, oranges and yellows. Today's photo is in homage to those great calendars.

I came upon this scene when checking out a future photo op. A friend recommended going to Westminster Presyterian Church at night to take a photo of this bell tower lit up and jutting into the night sky. I will undoubtedly return for that photo, but with the beautiful fall colors we are experiencing in Oklahoma this year I couldn't pass up a daytime shot as well.

Camera info: 24-70mm lens at 70mm. 1/250 sec at f/9.0. ISO 100.

Day 97: 3rd time's a charm

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After 2 previous attempts to get together for family photos, the 3rd time all the elements came together and I had the privilege of photographing the Escoe family. In the spirit of the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, I consider it one of the greatest blessings of this year for our family to have become better friends with the Escoes.

If you visit Kristie's Blog you discover the story of a family that has endured much but has persevered and thrived in the midst of adverse circumstances. I really like what was captured in today's photo because to me it tells a bit of the story of this remarkable family. They've traveled a road with an uncertain destination but through faith, love and humor their bond has remained strong.

Camera info: 70-200mm lens at 120mm. 1/30 sec at f/4.0. ISO 100.

Day 96: A Terrrrrrrrrrific Day!

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Ever since my daughter was about 2, we have enjoyed many trips to the wonderful Oklahoma City Zoo. My favorite animal has always been the tiger and I always insist that we go to see that exhibit whenever we go to the zoo. Unfortunately our zoo has just one tiger and his favorite daytime activity is sleeping. So in all the times I've been there with my camera, I have only had one other opportunity to photograph this guy actually up and walking around. The other time, I didn't have my camera set up right and I got nothing usable. Yesterday, I went to the zoo on my lunch hour and this time I was ready.

One of the features of our zoo that makes it tough on us photographers is that the enclosures around all the cat exhibits have wire mesh between the public and the animals. Now there are some exceptions where they have glass viewing areas, but the glass is so thick that it too creates distortion in photographs. I most often opt to shoot thru the mesh and to do so you have to use a long lens and you also have to have the areas of the subject that you want to be sharpest peeking thru one of the holes in the mesh.

If you look at today's photo, you'll notice a lighter and less sharp part of the photo across the left shoulder of the tiger. This was caused by the mesh. In many of the photos I took, it was directly across the face. Here's an example. You'll also notice that the mesh gives it blue tint in the areas affected.

Anyway, it was a great day. The weather was perfect. The tiger was up and moving. And I was by myself so I could be patient and wait for the tiger to strike a good pose.

Camera info: 70-200mm lens at 180mm. 1/80 sec at f/3.2. ISO 100.

Day 95: Fall Faces

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I suspect that there are many more scarecrows in the U.S. created for decorative purposes than there are ones fashioned to actually scare away crows. If you are really, really, really bored, here's a link where you can read about the efficacy of scarecrows. If you happen to be one of my students, you can earn 10 extra credit points by turning in a one-page critique of the study's data analysis. If your not one of my students, you can earn a place in the dweeb hall of fame by doing the same.

Camera info: 70-200mm lens at 150mm. 1/200 sec at f/3.2. ISO 100.

Day 94: Where'd my light go?

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After several days of the weather not cooperating, we finally got a beautiful day to take photos of our friends the Escoe family. Sunday at 5:30 was going to be the perfect time with the perfect weather. Unfortunately, we forgot about the end of daylight savings time and the fact that the perfect light would be gone by 5:30. Anyway, with the few minutes of good light I had left I snapped a few of their oldest, Brayden. Let's hope for good weather Wednesday and perhaps we'll see the whole family on here.

Camera info: 70-200mm lens at 150mm. 1/200 sec at f/3.2. ISO 400.

Day 93: What the alien sees

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I'm very fond of infrared photography. And while I lack the equipment to do infrared, similar effects can be generated in the digital darkroom. Today's photo was taken on the campus of SNU. I used some black and white and then color tinting treatments in Lightroom.

Camera info: 17-35mm lens at 17mm. 1/250 sec at f/6.3. ISO 100.