Shot to Death

"Temple Spires" - Kirk
It took me two additional weeks to get this, but I really liked the results.

"Checking his list" - Aaron
Santa is signing a receipt, but it looks like he is checking his list one last time.
f/4, 1/60 sec, iso-400, 27mm, external flash

"The Mississippi River Gage at Vicksburg" - Cary
I've shot the bridges over the river more times and from more angles than I can count but I've never ventured under the bridges. It was much easier to get there than I thought it would be. The gage (there are actually several) read 32.4 feet on Tuesday. In April 2008, it was 51.0 - 6th highest on record.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 35mm, 1/2500 sec @ f/3.7, ISO 100

Southern Shots
Next Week's Challenge:
30 December 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "New"
Due: 6 January 2010

I guess the Shot to Death Challenge didn't work out for many of us. I am headed off now to try and get some images since the weather is finally cooperating. This week's challenge may be a bit generic given the time of year, but then again if it was not for this time of year I wouldn't think of it.

-Kirk

Bonus Pics:

"The Bridges from Above" - Cary
Another angle I'd never shot was the I-20 bridge from the Washington Street overpass.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 45mm, 1/800 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

"The Highway 80 & Railroad Bridge" - Cary
The older and more frequently hit bridge of the pair crossing the Mississippi at Vicksburg. It looks even more interesting from below, I thought.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 12mm, 1/400 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

Unexpected Focus

"Festival of Lights" - Matt

Never seen the Washington Temple at Christmas time. It was spectacular.

f/4.8, 1/3sec, 38mm

"winning isn't everything" - Kirk
46 mm, 1/3 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

"Nativity Donkey" - Cary
There's an interesting story behind this nativity set which we own that involves a young child, a jewelry store and an unexpected nativity set purchase, complete with a freshly broken wise man. The donkey can tell you all about it.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 29mm, 1/60 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100, bounce flash

Next Week's Challenge:

Southern Shots
16 December 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Shot to Death"
Due: 23 December 2009

Sorry for the late post. I was having a hard time deciding on a topic for this next week. For this next week you can either find someone shot to death, or more likely, find a landmark location that has been seen, viewed a million times before. But instead of taking the same old picture, find something interesting about it and take it from a new perspective.

-Kirk

Bonus Pics:

Illuminated Subject

"Window Shopping" - Mike
There are some neat shops downtown with Christmas stuff that are lit up at night. I had fun taking pictures of the kids looking in them, though it was a little tricky to take a picture without them moving too much and getting all blurry as a result.
18 mm, f/3.5, 1/15 sec., ISO 800

"Zoomed Christmas Lights" - Cary

I saw this Christmas light display in a city park in Charleston, SC the other night as I walked to a restaurant with a group. I went back last night (in the rain) to take some shots. I tried this "zoom" technique with Christmas lights last year and I liked the results. I like how the tall "tree" (it was just lights - no real tree), the lit palmetto and the church steeple combined together for an interesting effect in this shot.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ changing focal lengths, 1 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

"There He Is" - Matt

Where's Waldo? Caleb could tell you without searching - I think he has each page of this, his favorite book, memorized. I, on the other hand, kept losing Waldo in the dark and had a hard time re-finding him with just a flashlight.

f/22, 20sec, 32mm

Next Week's Challenge:

Southern Shots
9 December 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Unexpected Focus"
Due: 16 December 2009

So I was looking through my photos this past week and saw an image that I really liked. It probably was an oops shot because the main subject, Ella, was out of focus but what was in the center of the frame, a lollipop, was in focus. At first glance I was ready to toss the shot, but the more I looked at it the more I liked the fact that Ella was not the tack sharp subject of the image. So for this week I thought we could try to do something similar but on purpose. Find an interesting composition where the expected subject is out of focus and the complimentary subjects are in focus. This may be close to what Cary had us do with the Bokeh challenge, and if it is, so what? Go have fun anyway.

-Kirk

Bonus Pics:

Still Water

"Wet Leaf" - Lisa

"Reflected Morning Light" - Cary

My brother's place in East Texas has a small reservoir that is often calm and misty in the mornings at this time of year. I waited for the sun to light up the leaves and give the reflection more color. The floating leaves added a nice element to the scene. If you want to see some "redneck fun" we had at this lake a bit later that day, visit this web page.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 19mm, 1/25 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

"Reflections of Fall" - Aaron

I just happened to take this picture while I was out hiking with my sons before Thanksgiving only to come home and find out this week's subject is about using water. I liked how the yellow leaves reflecting in the water contrast with the red leaves on the ground.

1/128th sec., f/5, 96mm, ISO-1000

"Cypress Solitude" - Mike
Lena wanted to see the cypress trees down near the river, which was very convenient for this weeks photo challenge. The sun was beginning to go down, so the colors are cooler. I liked how the green leaves really stood out on this tree.
70 mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec., ISO 800

Next Week's Challenge:

Southern Shots
25 November 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Illuminated Subject"
Due: 8 December 2009

Sorry all for the late subject, it has been kind of busy around here the last week, such that I didn't get a chance to get out and get any pictures. The idea for this week is to take a picture where the main light in your subject is also the main subject. Some ideas for this are here

-Kirk

Bonus Pics:

"Don't Forget to Look Up" - Cary

While I was waiting for the sunlight to make it all the way down to the framing leaves in my picture above, I happened to look up and see this. Sometimes good pictures get missed because we're just not looking the right way.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 12 mm, 1/200sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100

"Bonfire Buddies" - Cary

My brother has three girls and these are the two oldest. Unlike my boys, they gladly pose for pictures. We had a bonfire Friday night, complete with s'mores. The fire's glow and dancing sparks made for interesting silhouettes, I thought - especially after my brother took some with his iPhone (yes, this was my professor-of-photography brother taking pictures with a cell phone). "The best camera is the one you have with you", it has been said.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 51mm, 3/5 sec @ f/4, ISO 400

Three Techniques

"Military Park Cemetery" - Cary

This ginko tree in the Military Park Cemetery is usually a great subject for fall color but this year's wet, wet fall didn't bring out the yellows like it normally does. However, the large trunk and branches still made for a good 'lit from behind' subject I thought. Other techniques in this shot include 'rule of thirds' and 'magic hour' composition. As a point of interest, it was right after this shot that I discovered the housing of the articulating LCD screen on my camera was coming apart. It was a very long week without my camera while it was fixed.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 27 mm, 1/80 sec @ f/8, ISO 100 and broken LCD

"My Mother" - Lisa

Lines; Depth of Field; Mostly Monochramatic

"Reception Flowers" - Aaron

I saw these flowers at the Marriott last week and I thought I'd use them for this assignment. I guess I was trying too hard because I was trying not to use lens effects but just strict compositional elements. So my elements are symmetry, rule of thirds, and leading lines. Depth of field, clearly, is at play as well. I bet you could rotate it clockwise and make a good face and flower monster out of it, too.

f/4.5, 1/15 sec, ISO-640, 29mm

"give me an 'A'" - Kirk
Leading lines, wide depth of field, long exposure. I was hoping to show more motion on the A-string, but I guess you get what you get.
40mm, f/22, 4.0sec

"Forrest Mushroom" - Mike
Rule of Thirds, Shallow Depth of Field, Macro
This might qualify for leading lines as well. Saw this neat mushroom while camping with the Boy Scouts.
55 mm, f/9, 1/40 sec., ISO 200


"Flying Away" - Matt
Deep depth of field, long exposure, leading lines. This one's composition turned out how I wanted, but lacked on the lighting side. I ended up with a pretty grainy picture. Still, I thought it was a fun idea.
24mm, f/27, 1.5sec

Bonus Pics:

"Balconies at Night" - Aaron

There were lots of good pictures to be had while I was in Memphis last week.

"Giant Slinky" - Aaron

This is the bridge over the Mississippi, viewed from the conference facility.

"A Good Day to be a Chicken" - Cary

At this time of year it pays to not be a turkey. My brother has some very colorful chickens at his place in Texas. My kids had a great time trying to catch them. I was happy to have my camera fixed and back in my possession.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 60mm, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100 and repaired LCD (yea!)

Next Week's Challenge:

Southern Shots
25 November 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Still Water"
Due: 1 December 2009

Find a body of water, man made, self made, or natural and get an interesting shot. I suppose you could say a water drop would be "still" but my thought here is to use the body of water more like a mirror.

-Kirk

Emotion Without Faces

"Doh!" - Cary

These items were on the counter when I noticed that with a little re-arranging.... By the way, these items are sitting on a piece of tile from our new kitchen floor which is what Angie and I have been doing over the past several days and is the reason for my late post.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 19mm, 1/60 sec @ f/8, bounce flash (off ceiling)

"Click" - Matt
It's funny how many faces you start seeing when you pay attention.
38mm, f/6.7, 4sec

"mr. froggy comes to town" - Kirk
I have always made fun of this purse of Melena's but when I decided what the challenge would be this week I knew I wanted to try and use it if possible.
35mm, 1/5 sec, f/5.0

"Hooray for Toothbrushes!" - Mike
45 mm, f/16, 1/5 sec., ISO 800


"Me Hungry!" - Aaron
F/5.7, 1/64 sec, 55mm, ISO-1600

Next Week's Challenge:
Southern Shots
11 November 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Three Techniques"
Due: 18 November 2009

Focus on tacking an image that uses three of the rules of composition, rule of thirds, leading lines, shallow depth of field, etc. Make sure you state which techniques you use in your image.

Bonus Pics:

"Tired Truck" - Cary

Saw this "tired face" truck during the week when looking for faces. It looks like it's getting a well deserved rest.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 23mm, 1/40 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

"Ginko Yellow" - Cary

I love fall color and it's finally arriving here in Vicksburg, a few trees at a time. Ginkos are almost Aspen-like in their yellow-ness. They look great against a deep blue sky.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 16mm, 1/125 sec @ f/8, ISO 100, Cir. Polarizer

"Maple Orange" - Cary

This maple is always a reliable subject for fall color. I drive past it every time I leave my house so I try to time my shot for best color, light and sky.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 17mm, 1/320 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

"Fall Leaves" - Aaron

These pretty trees were at Wal-Mart.

f/5.0, 131mm, 1/200 sec, iso-100

"Mums in the Morning" - Aaron

1/320 sec, f/5.7, 250mm, iso-100

Rule of Thirds

"Ghostly Pumpkin" - Aaron

This pumpkin was carved by the young men/young women in our ward. It was supposed to be delivered to one of the older single ladies in the ward (Sis. Cochran) but she was out of town for Halloween. I took this picture before I tossed it since it was going bad. I hope she likes the picture of her pumpkin!

47mm, f/5.6, 5 sec, ISO-500

"Here I Am" - Matt

I came back from Indiana on Wednesday, and didn't have time to get this up. Not quite thirds, but close enough.

1/90sec, 50mm, f/2

"Old Oil Can" - Mike
This is one of the more interesting items I have found in my new "magic" attic, also known as the Room of Requirement. Most of the time if we need something we go look in the attic and sure enough what we need is there, courtesy of the previous owners.
55 mm, 1/3 sec., f/5.6, ISO 800

"Daddy-Daughter date" - Melena
We took Ella to a Halloween display this past weekend. I was hoping to get a picture while we were out. While going through my shots I was adjusting all of the shots taken and realized that this shot was the best of the bunch. I had to crop it down to make it fit the category, but I think it makes a stronger composition as shown.
18mm, 1/125 sec, f /5.6, ISO 200

"1/3 Cup" - Cary
I think I might be interpreting these themes incorrectly. By the way, no fair posting such great fall color, Lisa - we've still got lots of green leaves here.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 20mm, 1/60 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 100, bounce flash



"Refection of Fall " By Lisa
I had to saturate this photo a tiny bit to get it to look like what I was seeing when I took this picture. Why is it that a camera cannot capture exactly what the eye sees? I even had my settings set on VIVID.

Next Week's Challenge:
Southern Shots
4 November 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Emotion without faces"
Due: 11 November 2009

I thought of calling this faces without faces, but decided to make it more open. I saw a really neat commercial that used stills of different everyday objects forming happy and sad faces. I thought it would be fun to try and recreate something similar for our challenge.

Bonus Pics:

"Yellow Morning" - Cary

One morning last week, the sun and a fog bank were battling for supremacy and the result was very yellow. Shortly after this picture was taken the fog bank won the battle and turned everything grey... but then lost the war.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 60mm, 1/640 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

"Blue, Green, and Yellow" - Aaron

I thought this would be a fun abstract picture. I had my son swing some glow sticks around while I took a long-shutter picture.

2 sec, f/5.7, 47mm, ISO-1600

Free Study

"Fall Foiliage" - Mike
I liked how this red leaf stood out from the brown ones and the gray rock.
45 mm, f/5.3, 1/50 sec., ISO 400

fall colors - Kirk
Last week we went for a drive up the canyon to see some fall colors. Lucky we did it when we did because the canyons are now covered in snow.
55mm, f/5.6, 1/20sec

"Fall" - Matt

Not really what I wanted, but oh well. If anyone knows how to set-up so that there are no shadows on the white background, I (and Kirk, I think) would be grateful.
50mm, f/4, 1/4sec

"Mighty Silky Mississippi" - Cary
I've been wanting to take a "silky water" picture of the bridges over the Mississippi at Vicksburg for a while now. Just needed to have it finally stop raining and clear up at the right time of day for it to work.
>E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 12mm, 30 sec @ f/11, ISO 100

"Double Exposure" - Lisa

Matt taught me how to do this with my new camera. Unfortunately, I didn't have live people around to practice on so this will have to do. I may try it again with one of my kids and add it on the bonus section later if it is worthy enough.

Next Week's Challenge:
Southern Shots
28 October 2009 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Rule of Thirds"
Due: 4 November 2009

It has been a while since we have focused on composition techniques. I thought it might be fun to go back and remind ourselves of a few basics.

Bonus Pics:

"Bridge Lights" - Cary

I liked how the lights from the bridge reflected in the water in a long exposure.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 19mm, 25 sec @ f/11, ISO 100