Beyond focal infinity!

It's beginning to become more clear every day. I'm soaking up all kinds of skills recently. I've been researching time lapse, night photography, star trails, and astrophotography. I'm still not the best walker, but this post-surgery experience has been super! I can't really get in the "photographers groove" being unable to squat, bend my knee, crouch, and get in all those other crazy, yet necessary positions needed for the best shot. After seeing some amazing work by Ben Canales, who is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite photographers. I just HAD to get out there and get my hands on some night photography! Busted out the 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye and I was out the back door!

Here are the top shots from my brief backyard session tonight:

@ f/4 - 20 sec - ISO 2500

@ f/2.8 - 2.6 sec - ISO 2500

@ f/4 - 58 sec - ISO 2500

@ f/5 - 19 sec - ISO 2500

@ f/4 - 4 sec - ISO 2500

A little moisture after the storm...

We had a little rainfall a few days back, and there was a nice deep orange sunset afterwards. My step dad wasn't having the best of days at work. (Bad weather and being a walking mail carrier isn't the same as peanut butter is to jelly.)

He text my mom and said that this sunset might make up for the rest of the day...

Anyone who enjoys taking pictures just KNOWS this is when you rush to the nearest camera and get out the door ASAP!

I unfortunately didn't have my gear on me, but he had his Coolpix P80 out in the living room.
So I popped off a few shots for him, and obviously got carried away playing with the lights of the passing traffic.

Blurry Jeep and lily pad frog statue:

Headlights and the shutter speed of light:

This was the same night we got some super eerie fog as well!!!


Planes, trains, and automobiles:

Train tracks with a dash of light:

The first and last thing we saw of the nuclear train disaster:

Bed, Breaking Bad, and a shortage of Blogging...

As some of you may know I was having some problems with a bone growth on my fibula in my left leg, (seen here!) and I really feel like I've missed the Christmas timing for posting a Christmas blog...

I was expecting to be on crutches for 2-3 weeks with my leg bent, and not putting any weight on it, and was VERY, VERY please to find myself walking unassisted the same day as my surgery! The recovery process has been great, and I've been bedded up with my super awesome girlfriend, getting engulfed in the TV series, Breaking Bad.

We just started season 3, after finishing our Spaghetti lunch leftovers for dinner. Before we started up, I browsed around and processed a picture of some oil rigs glaringly bright lights and traffic on an intensely foggy night. I just HAD to get some pictures of this fog, and didn't have my gear on me. I captured this with my step dads Nikon P80. It's a bit on the grainy side, but I like it!

Let me know what you all think!

Pre "Christmas post" post.

 

Giving you all a "behind the viewfinder" perspective of me shooting the 

Christmas tree at my house with my 10.5mm fisheye I received from my beyond

amazing girlfriend as a slightly early Christmas present!

As you can see, I am also using another new piece of equipment. 

Her brother got me a "GorillaPod Focus" flexible tripod with the Ballhead X mount 

from, Joby! This thing really is a Gorilla. Capable of firmly supporting 11.1 pounds!!!

90° tilt and all 360°s of panning action!!! This was a very pleasant surprise!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, 

I'll be sure to get some pictures up by tomorrow evening!

Got a little "link crazy" with this post. CHECK OUT ALL THE HYPERLINKS!!!

Sun and the kitchen sink

New addition to my lenses!

This is actually the first lens I have ever purchased. I bought my D7000 with the 18-105mm included, and the manual lenses I have were given to me from my uncle, along with his Nikon FE.

So this is my first hard earned addition! Well, hard earned is sort of a misconception. It is really an early Christmas present from my wonderful girly. She found a Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye on Craigslist for a price we couldn't resist! We thought there was a scratch dead center on the lens, but I brought my MBP along with the coolest free app from the app store installed, "Sofortbild". It is a "tethered shooting" app.


I can have my DSLR attached to my laptop via USB, and instantaneously see the pictures as I pop them off! I can also control the camera through my camera! Check out that link for more details on this awesome app!!! It is currently a totally free app! Get it while it's hot!!!


BACK TO THE SCRATCH! So we managed to talk down the price a bit because of this scratch, even though Sofortbild showed no imperfections on the picture.

A few days later I tried to get a few shots of my best buds dog, Kaiser. 

 His wet doggie nose bumped my lens. I had to get that gunk off ASAP.......


Me: "WHOA, that wasn't a scratch!!!"
Jessica: "What?
Me: "I was cleaning off Kaisers wet nose stuff, and the "scratch" is GONE!!!"
Both: ":))))))))))))"


I am SO happy it wasn't a scratch, I'm still not certain what it could have been, but I'm not complaining! It makes my mind SO much clearer knowing when I take pictures of people, they won't be staring into a lens imperfection.


I've still got plenty to learn about taking pictures with a fisheye, but I'll have it down soon and get some festive fish eye Christmas pictures up for you to enjoy!

Maybe some pictures of some kitchen action. Holiday cookies and treats in the making!

KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE NUTELLA JESSICA!

Buddhism near Burleson

I am shocked. 

I have lived in this town for almost a decade, and I have NEVER seen the 

"Quang Chieu Zen Monastery" on Rendon Road,  just off of 1187. 

WHY is this not more well known? 

I am very very anxious to visit this place! 

Visitation is greatly encouraged, but it's starting to get pretty chilly outside!

You can all expect a spring time blog entry about this place as soon as the new season begins!