Monday, December 13, 2010

Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree

Last year, Ava didn't pay much attention to the Christmas tree. This year, she is totally amazed by the fact that we have a tree in our living room with lights and ornaments on it. I took a bunch of candid shots while Ava was exploring the tree when we first put it up. This was my favorite of the bunch, mainly due to how the light worked out (this is all natural light (and the lights from tree).

One interesting thing that happened in this one is that I had a cheap UV filter on my lens (I normally keep it on for protection). The filter, though, in scenes like this (and birthday candles) creates light reflections that typically ruin the picture. Here, in my eye, they kind of add to the "magical" quality of the photo (you can see the reflections around Ava's face).

PS - I deleted the Gingerbread House picture. The picture looked fine on my macbook screen, but when I looked at it on my calibrated screen, I was horrified to see that the dark background wasn't so dark and some cloning that I did looked terrible. That will teach me to edit on my laptop. :.)

Monday, December 6, 2010

I could go for some sun right now...

I was looking for some warmer weather and I found a lit bit of it on one of my hard drives.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

A Long Walk in the Forest

A Long Walk in the Forest

I took this shot this past summer when I was hiking early one morning in the Adirondack mountains. I've posted the original, unprocessed shot in the comments section. While nice, the original shot was a little bit boring for my tastes. So, with this one, I used some photoshop techniques that I had been reading about to spice things up.

Here's a link to my write-up on how I did this: www.flickr.com/photos/lighthack/5231832863/

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Birthday Girl


The Birthday Girl, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Happy Birthday Ava!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Quick Catch


Quick Catch, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Actually, it was a slow catch. This was a picture that I took a long time ago while the car was just sitting in the driveway. I saw a tutorial about making a car look like it was moving, so I figured that I would give it a shot. Basically, I used a radial blur on the wheels and a motion blur on everything but the car. That's about it. I also added the lens flare for a little pizzaz. Kind of cheesy, but I had fun figuring out how to do it.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Lights, Camera...


Lights, Camera..., originally uploaded by lighthack.

Just playing around a bit with the lights.

SB-600 behind me to the left 45 degrees, SB-600 behind me to the right 45 degrees (you can see both of these in the picture),and a tiny bit of on camera flash for some front fill. Totally mangled in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Smiles


Smiles, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Dusting off the Strobes


Dusting off the Strobes, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Talking to a friend of mine about flashes/strobes and lighting has inspired me to dust off my strobes and to start taking some pictures. This was a quick shot of me to see if I could still remember how to work these things (and because I need a new Facebook picture).

SB-600 through a 24"x24" softbox camera right and high; SB-600, bare, behind me camera left.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Red Hat


Red Hat, originally uploaded by lighthack.

After hating this hat last year, yesterday Ava decided that she just had to wear it and she couldn't part with it (no matter if we were inside or outside). I didn't mind, I thought that it made for a colorful opportunity for a picture (if you know me, I think anything makes a great picture opportunity).

Monday, November 1, 2010

Cheerleader


Cheerleader, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Ava having fun at her Halloween party.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Silly


Silly, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

In a Crowd


In a Crowd, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Another shot from the Taste of Roswell festival.

Profile


Profile, originally uploaded by lighthack.

I took this at a street festival yesterday as Ava was watching other little kids dance (it took her a few minutes to get into it -- once she did, she was quite the little dancer).

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Camping


Camping, originally uploaded by lighthack.

I took this one a while back while I was camping in the Adirondacks with my family. I saw it on my hard drive today and decided that I really liked it. I like it because there is so much going on: Victoria is listening to music and watching me take her picture, Emily is probably making fun of Lang cooking, Pooh Pa is relaxing with a beer, Brian is laughing (maybe at Emily?) and Lang is cooking dinner over the fire. A good time captured.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ava


Ava, originally uploaded by lighthack.

Just trying to get back into working on some pictures after a busy couple of weeks. I hope that everyone is doing well.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Breaking Through (223 of 365)


Breaking Through (223 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

This is uploaded straight from my iPhone. I took this on my way home from work while I was sitting at a traffic light. I used the dark strip at the top of my windshield as a ND/blue filter for the effect. I thought about uploading it to my computer to get rid of the wires, but I kind of like doing one straight from the camera every now and then without any processing.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Frozen (222 of 365)


Frozen (222 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

This is another shot from Barnsley Gardens.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Table for Three (221 of 365)


Table for Three (221 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

This is another shot from the ruins at Barnsley Gardens. As I was walking through the place, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the long shadows of the evening sun for this shot.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Barnsley Manor (220 of 365)


Barnsley Manor (220 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

Jodi and I took a trip to Barnsley Gardens (Adairsville, GA) for the weekend. This is a shot of the ruins of Barnsley Manor that sits on the grounds.

Rest & Relaxation (219 of 365)


Rest & Relaxation (219 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Taking Off (218 of 365)


Taking Off (218 of 365), originally uploaded by lighthack.

This one is the opposite of my "Swimming on Glass" shot.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Just Hangin Around (215 of 365)

For this shot, I broke out my flashes for the first time in a long time. I really like this Slinky Puppy, so I figured that I would work him into another shot.

I used a SB-600 through a 24"x24" softbox to the left of the dog.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Bright Eyes (214 of 365)

Bright Eyes (214 of 365)
This is another shot of my niece, Riley. For some reason, when I was looking through my photos, I kept on coming back to this one - I really love how her eyes jump off the screen and look right at you.

Happy (213 of 365)

Happy (213 of 365)

I took this this morning when we were outside blowing bubbles. I love the smile in this one. And, she's wearing my favorite shirt.

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Conductor (211 of 365)

The Conductor (211 of 365)

How could I resist taking a shot of this guy? I normally don't ask strangers if I can take their pictures, but, like I said, I couldn't resist with this guy -- big smile, big personality, lots of character. He reminded me of a character straight out of Harry Potter or something like that.

Trey (210 of 365)

Trey (210 of 365)

Finishing out my series of photos focusing on my nieces and nephews...last, but not least, here is my nephew Trey.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Sean Patrick (209 of 365)

Sean Patrick (209 of 365)

As you have probably figured out, I'm working my way through my nieces and nephews. This is my youngest nephew, Sean Patrick. Check out those eyes!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Colleen (208 of 365)

Colleen (208 of 365)

This is Colleen, the youngest of my nieces.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Walking the Dog (207 of 365)

Walking the Dog (207 of 365)

Ava has been a big fan of the Slinky Dog from Toy Story lately (when she watches the movie, all she talks about is the "puppy"). I saw one of these in the Disney Store the other day and I couldn't resist buying it for her. When she opened it up, she walked it around the house for nearly an hour straight.

I think I went a little overboard processing this one (at full size, the eyes have been sharpened too much), but I didn't have time to redo it, so here it is.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Pooh Pa & Sean (206 of 365)

Pooh Pa & Sean (206 of 365)

I couldn't resist posting this one -- it makes me smile every time I look at it.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Waiting on the Shot (205 of 365)

Waiting on the Shot (205 of 365)

This is my oldest niece on my side of the family, Emily.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Grrrr (204 of 365)

Grrrr (204 of 365)

This is my other niece Riley. She was growling at me like a monster from Monster's Inc. in this shot.

Watching the World Go By (203 of 365)

Watching the World Go By (203 of 365)

This is my niece, Victoria, on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad in Old Forge, NY.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Rocks (202 of 365)

Rocks (202 of 365)

Peaceful (201 of 365)

Peaceful (201 of 365)

Camping in the Adirondaks (200 of 365)

Camping in the Adirondaks (200 of 365)

I've been camping since last week, so I've got a bunch of photos, but I didn't have a computer. I'll be playing catch-up this week to get them all posted so I can get back on track.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

More Clouds (199 of 365)

More Clouds (199 of 365)

I didn't have the right lens for doing a moon shot, but I that didn't stop me from trying.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Sky & Wires (198 of 365)

Sky & Wires (198 of 365)

This is another iPhone shot of clouds. For some reason, it has been storming in the afternoons around here lately and, when I'm driving home from work, the clouds are really impressive. I took this one when I was stopped at a traffic light.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Pac-Man Fever (197 of 365)

Pac-Man Fever (197 of 365)

Well...actually Ms. Pac-Man Fever. :.)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Bubble Tree (196 of 365)

Bubble Tree (196 of 365)

I took this yesterday when we were out blowing bubble with Ava. I really love the greens and the colors in the bubble. I could do without the reflection of the house in the bubble, but oh well. :.)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

(193 of 365)

(193 of 365)

Just a quick snap today. This one made me smile. The headband is another of the great www.lovelyknits.com creations.

King & Queen (192 of 365)

King & Queen (192 of 365)

I've always liked the "king & queen" idea behind this group of buildings, so I decided to snap a picture of them with my phone as I drove by them. I thought that the clouds were a nice bonus.

No...give me a nice smile. (191 of 365)

No...give me a nice smile. (191 of 365)

This is a random picture that I took of Ava. I was trying to get a nice picture of her with her beautiful hat from www.lovelyknits.com, but she would only give me her "funny" smile. Stana from Lovely Knits sent me this hat a while back so I could get some pictures of Ava in it, but Ava has been less than cooperative. :.)