Happy Mother's Day from 3C1D!!!

What a freakin' fantastic day! Are y'all outside having a blast? I know we are! And that's how I got this shot:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/4000
ISO 400
Sunlight

After a morning spent gorging on brunch and sharing our presents for my bride, we all headed out to "Kick Ass Park" (aka Deicke park). It's truly a mansion of a playground, complete with the longest metal slide I've ever seen. Now my youngest son Brandon is a bulldozer of a boy, with very little fear. Ethan (pictured) meanwhile likes to really consider the risks before plunging down a slide. Once he saw Brandon flying down the polished metal, there was no stopping my E-man. Funny what a little sibling rivalry will do.

One thing I noticed as the boys slid over and over was how the metal was acting as a reflector for the sunlight. Normally, you would avoid underlighting like this at all cost, unless you're going for a special effect. But with my boys and the spirit of the day, added to the reflected face of my first born, I just couldn't help snapping off tons of photos.

A little hint for those of you that might try this. Switch over to manual focus and pick a spot on the slide. When the model begins their slide, you will already be prefocused on that spot, allowing for a sharp image. You only get one shot per slide, but atleast you have a decent chance.

Moving on, the latest winner of WW is Kristen! Kristen, if you're reading this, email us at 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com and we'll set you up with further instructions. Alright, I'm going outside. It might start raining for another month and I have to stock up on sunlight. Happy Mother's Day to the 3 chicks and to all you readers!

Peace!

Scott

Take What You Get

Okay, so all this talk of reflection and I had to give one more take on it. This time I went completely abstract and experimental. And, as is so often the case, I'm posting something completely different than I originally intended - love this pursuit of ours! Here's my post:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Shutter 5 Seconds
Aperture f/5.0
ISO 800
Exposure Compensation -1 stop

The experiment is that I used a fish eye on a 100mm Macro lens. It was awful. I mean REALLY awful. All I got was a really close up and clear view at how the optics on the adapter just aren't that great. It literally became the subject. So much for that idea!

Then I noticed how cool the reflections off the front of the fish eye looked and set about trying to capture it. What followed went something like this: "Good God why didn't I buy a tripod yet!!!???" This was followed by "Good God why didn't I wear boots!!!???" And finally, "Good God I should have worn snow pants!!!" Instead I used body contortion, a leather protector, and came to terms with the fact that I was going to get wet. Oh well. My butt is starting to thaw out - I think I'll live.

You'll notice I underexposed a full stop. The purpose is to ensure the pin points of light remain pin points of light instead of a bloody mess of halos and bleed. If you haven't found the exposure compensation on your camera, find it now. It's a great friend.

In terms of post process, I sharpened a bit, fixed contrast, cropped in a little, and cooled the color temperature a touch. That's all I got for now folks. Now to knock the rest of the frost off my cheeks!

Happy Merry!

Scott