Morning Hike

This morning the boys and I set out to one of my favorite destination, Veterans Acres. It's been seen on these pages before, most specifically when I photographed graffiti rock. Speaking of which, graffiti rock has changed once again. Now it says "I poop" complete with evidence. Yeah, not so cool. But such is the nature of graffiti rock.

We walked all over, checking out the pine forest, walking around the pond and checking out lily pads, and picking every dandelion we found. It was so nice to slow down and move at their pace. Sometimes I can't help but try to move them along a little quicker. After all, my oldest son doesn't do anything fast. But this time, I moved like they chose. And it was awesome.

I took many pictures, but I thought this one might be the best. Once again, I wish I had a polarizing filter. I need to stop whining and just pony up. I have several shots of the boys bent over the water. However, the reflections just aren't doing it. A polarizer would have changed the entire photo. Oh well. Here's what you get instead.

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 24.0mm
Shutter 1/250
Aperture f/2.8
ISO 100
Natural Light

I love shooting elevated like this. You almost always immediately de-clutter the background. And when you combine it with a wide aperture, you get a nice fade to blur and a sharp focus on the eyes, assuming your focus is good. Mine is actually a little off on this shot. It may not read that way on the screen but trust me it's off.

Mine connection is pretty obvious. Brandi (and J and Sere) all have shots of their kids. So do I.

***

Moving on, I feel compelled to share my two cents on Melissa's question. I agree with everything Brandi said. I would only add two things. When you are buying a DSLR, it's important to realize that you are buying a commitment. If photography becomes a passion, you will want more lenses, flash heads, and eventually a better body (wait, who doesn't want a better body?!?! :)). So your decision to buy Canon, Nikon, or Sony could have long lasting effects.

Secondly, the latest craze is hi-def video recording. Is this important to you? Will you ever use it? Here is the way I look at it.

Canon is my choice and the reason is simple. For years and years, Canon made the best lenses. And if there is one thing that will impact your photos more than anything else, it's the glass with which you choose to shoot. Were I starting today, I would have to admit that lenses for Nikon have closed the gap. I would even go as far as saying Nikon makes some lenses that are better than the Canon equivalent. The same is also true in reverse. There are still lenses that Canon makes that are better than Nikon. As for Sony, I just don't know enough to speak on the quality of glass they offer. What it boils down to is that at this point, I don't think lenses should be a determinant in buying a system. Whereas handling is something that should absolutely factor into your decision. Get your hands on several models and find a comfortable fit. Brandi's recommended models are great. The Canon equivalent is probably the Rebel T3. For a bit more money you could get the T3i, giving you 50% more pixels (not overly important but nice if you're going to crop) and other upgrades. For crazy in depth reviews check dpreview. They go WAY in depth on most models.

As to my second point, HD video is becoming increasingly popular. I myself haven't play much with it because my dslr just doesn't do it. If that's something you think is really important, I would suggest you check out the Sony line. They have a new technology that allows for light to pass through the reflector in front of the camera's sensor and this allows for continuous focus and live view. It's cutting edge stuff and easily ahead of Nikon or Canon when it comes to usability. Sony is a relative new comer to the dslr world but they are huge and product support has proven the point. I wouldn't be afraid to go the Sony route if indeed it feels right for you.

Okay, I've said enough. Good luck with your shopping and come back again if you have any other questions.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Scott

My Smiling Fireman

This is Brandon, my "terrible-twos-all-boy" bundle of mischief. He's the sweetest little guy and yet lately, I'm thinking more like he's the son of Satan! Sometimes they just know how to push your buttons (can I get an amen parents?). Today was one of those days. From the word go Brandon was pushing buttons at the speed of a court recorder. But then I said to him "want to help me take a picture?" and he immediately turned into a professional model. Seriously, I'm thinking of calling Baby Gap. What kid does this? I literally said "let's get your fireman hat and some nice smiles for Daddy." And that's exactly what he did! So once again I'm forced to admit that he's a pretty awesome kid. And let me point out that he's got his head completely craned back because his daddy can't take a normal shot (what of it?). Typical of good models, he didn't complain.
Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, focal length at 42
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/60
ISO 400
Natural light from window

My connection is fairly obvious in that I connected with the fire theme. The funny thing is that Brandon insists on wearing it backwards, which is hysterical when you see it. Talk about your over-sized brims! Furthermore, my connection is that Brandon never failed to put a smile on Scott's face when we'd visit. Like the music he loved so much, Brandon made Scott happy. He has that ability, just like Scott did, to make people smile.

I'm sitting here wondering if it's appropriate to still mention Scott on this blog and I realized the biggest thing I've learned from Scott and Brandi is that thoughts, emotions, and feelings are not something to be ashamed of. The very things that make us human are the most beautiful. Our joys and happiness are great. But so too are sorrow and pain. We all have these emotions and when it's shared, it's beautiful. So I'm mentioning Scott because I'm still thinking about him and the time we spent together. I love thinking about the jokes we shared. I love that every time I saw Scott he complimented me on my 2 boys. I love that I was able to make him his favorite dessert. I simply love that I got to know him in the short time we spent together.

When I look at Brandon I will be reminded of Scott for a long time. They were buds. And frankly, I have to keep an eye on Brandi - I think she wants to steal him! All kidding aside, I know our audience is by and large either friends of the Witts directly or has read Brandi's blog. So you'll understand that we chicks and dude are wrestling with last weeks events. Bear with us and we'll be back to our normal antics in no time. Until then, here's to you Scott. You will always be remembered fondly by this dude and his little hellion.

Scott

More Dreaming

I had all kinds of intentions to do something awesome tonight. I'm not even going to tell you what I was going to do because I'm going to try again tomorrow. But owing to the fact that Armageddon is happening outside my 4 walls and snow is literally piling up in my attic, I've had to ditch the idea for the time being. As you can imagine, my attention is demanded elsewhere.

I LOVED Amanda's photo for so many reasons. There is the subject, who is of course breathtaking. Then there is the really different and creative perspective. And finally, she used low-key lighting, which is just fantastic. Amanda is either experienced enough to have done this on purpose, which is awesome, or she just has photographic instincts that kick ass, which is even awesomer (yes I said awesomer...so sue me!). So I must say once more, thank you Amanda. We are blessed with some pretty awesome contributors.

Amanda truly inspired me and I'm ticked off that I'm falling back on my archives once again. It's just unavoidable at this point so I'll just get over it. I chose this pic as a sort of connection and opposite. This is Brandon, my youngest son, at the tender age of 12 days. The light source is a window with defused sunlight. The blanket acted well enough as a reflector and white balance reference. I take no credit for the smile.

I see similarities in the light source and the subject matter. The differences include the background (white vs. black) and the perspective.

Canon 30D
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L (it's too bad Nikon doesn't have an "L" like catagory)
Iso 200
Shutter 1/125
Aperture f/5.0
Natural Light

One thing I'm thankful for when I dive into the archives is the chance to see some of the photos I've taken. After all, that's sort of the point. I find I don't do that often enough. What do you all do with the photos you've taken?

Good luck to the 100 million of you that are weathering this storm! And now to dig out more snow from my attic!!!

Hoping to be here tomorrow,

Scott