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

Thumbs Up Dude!

My connection is pretty week. Sometimes, it's just going to be. And I'm officially over it! Because of Brandi's black and white conversion, I had a tailor made excuse should I need a bailout connection. So here you go, Ethan playing soccer converted to black and white.

Canon 30D
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Aperture f/5.0
Shutter 1/800
ISO 100
Natural Light

I also chose this shot because I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to get the perfect shot when a shot that is "good enough" is actually more important. I say more important because the corollary for feeling pressured to do it perfect is a tendency to not take the shot at all! Case in point, today was Ethan's last day of soccer for the season and I had yet to shoot a single picture. That's just plain stupid.

I titled this "Thumbs Up Dude" because this is something I do with both of my boys. In this case, Ethan had just kicked the ball and turned to give me the thumbs up. It's just precious and I was lucky enough to capture it on film (uh...I mean digital). Thank God I wasn't fussing around with my camera too much. It's not a perfect technical shot, and yet it's perfect for me.

Never let perfection get in your way!

Scott

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

So Brandi unwittingly led me to my happy place - macro photography! Of course if you've check more than one of my posts, you already know that. I'm so happy for B and her new equipment. And her new lens kicks ass.

For my shot, I just drove over to the Fox River to see what I could see. I had designs on shooting more of a landspace with flowing water blurred in the foreground. Alas, the blessed sun was in full force and there I was without a nuetral density or polarizing filter. Turns out I really needed the polarizer for this shot too. Guess who's shopping tomorrow?

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
Aperture f/4.5
Shutter 1/320
ISO 100
Sunlight

The lens I used is Canon's version of the exact same lens Brandi used. They are both just kick ass, hardly take off your camera glass. Ordinarily I would have used my dedicated macro but for the sake of a connection I chose to leave this one in place. Plus, Brandi is absolutely right. You can pretty much do macro with these lenses.

Alright, time for an early bedtime. Get out and enjoy the sunshine this weekend!

Scott

Sweet Home...

Dan is so good at capturing Chicago and providing real insight to the history and breadth of the Windy City. I can't speak for you all but I really enjoy it every time Dan graces these pages.

Seeing his shot I had no choice but to post my version of The Bean. Everyone (and I mean everyone) has a shot of the The Bean. And perhaps mine isn't all that special. But I like it and so here I post!

One of the things I like most is that you have to search just a little bit to find me. All too often it's the shooter that is the subject. My aim (pun intended) was to really let the reflection of the city be the subject and for the impulse to find me become secondary. Did I pull it off?


Canon 30D
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L @ 24mm
Aperture f/13
Shutter 1/160
ISO 100

One of the biggest challenges when shooting in this type of light is achieving the depth of field. When you have so much light, a large aperture is often out of the question simply because you can't achieve a high enough shutter speed combined with the large aperture. For this shot is wasn't a problem because I wanted a large depth of field. However, I ended up seeing exactly every spot of dust my poor little camera sports. And believe me, there are many. Such is the trade-off with a small aperture. So the editing was a bit intensive.

That's it from this wannabe. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and thanks so much Dan for joining us.

Scott

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

Wordless Wednesday with Scott

The poster (that's me) will post a picture and its settings. No other verbiage is allowed. The commenter's (that's you) will guess in the comments section below how my picture associates with yesterdays (Tuesday's) picture. It can be a setting. It can be a play on words. It can be a theme. In every photo there are numerous ties, thus creating no right or wrong answer. Just make a comment below and you will be entered into our drawing to be our next guest photographer.

What if I am not good enough to be a guest photographer?

You are good enough. We love all kinds of photographers! That's what makes this so much fun. We believe that everybody has a unique view of this world and we want to see it through the lens of your camera. Any camera goes, camera phone, point and shoot, film camera that has its photos turned into jpgs., high end professional grade cameras, any and all of them! So make a guess and have some fun!

How does this all work?

The contest will go on until my (Scott's) next post. I will use random.org to choose the winner and post the story behind my picture and what the connection is, along with my photo for that day. All you have to do, as our chosen winner, is email us your picture before 10pm on your post day. Usually on a Sunday, but we are flexible. The photo has to be yours, has to tie into the picture from the day before, and 3C1D has to be authorized to use it. Just remember to keep checking back with us to make sure you get the post about who has won.

Only one guess per person. Have fun!

Ready! Set!! Go!!!

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/2 Sec
ISO 100
Kitchen lighting

You Are The Sunshine of my Life

Brandi's picture of Katie got me thinking about what really matters in my life. It's been easy to get down lately, what with a complete and total lack of sunshine on top of lots of crap life has thrown at me. But I still have my family and my 2 boys, the sunshine of my life.

Canon 30D
Canon 24-70,, f/2.8L set at 35mm
Aperture f/8.0
Shutter 1/125, 1/320, 1/800
ISO 400
Natural Light

This is a shed on my way to work that I've admired for several years. I just love the striated wood and the fact it's on the brink of collapsing at any given moment.

This morning the sun was actually shining and I thought it the perfect moment to stop and see what I could come up with. I took several different shots but this one speaks to me. It's unfortunate I couldn't bring the sun a bit more under control and avoid blowing it out completely. It seems it's a by-product of HDR, which of course I employed here. And then there's the fact it is a great-big, super-bright, burning ball of gas. So maybe that's why it's blown out.

In answer to why I don't have a face, I'll only say that if there is a man on the moon, then there should be a man (or woman) on the sun! I was trying to find this individual and instead got a really cool shed!

Sure it Feels Like Spring!

So I saw Mamalu's guest post and I immediately thought how easy it would be to follow, owing to my penchant for photographing flowers. Piece of cake! But the more I thought about it, the more I thought I should try to do something else. So of course I dipped into the archives for this shot:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 51.0mm
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/500
ISO 100
Natural Light

This unequivocally a photo from last autumn. My connection is that although it's "supposed" to be spring, it feels more like fall. Weak, I know. But I've got about 137 things to do before bedtime tonight and, well, I suck, and this drew the short straw. All the same, I love this photo. It's Ethan looking quite sweet and vulnerable. I did the conversion using Digital Photo Professional and I probably should have used PSE. Maybe I'll give that a try later.

Moving on, I have a little business to tend. My latest WW post was indeed connected by water. I happen to race sailboats (no I don't own it) and I've been dying to somehow work that into photography. It's not easy when you're racing! Anyway, this photo gave me a chance to try out light painting. I set-up the scene in a completely dark room (my basement) and then set the exposure to 10 seconds. While the shutter was open, I illuminated the scene piece by piece using a hand held flash light. It was a ton of fun. You can choose what to spot light just by spend more time with the flashlight on said item. Give it a try!

As for the winning guess, I could say I used random.org, but the truth is that I'm choosing Sara, only because she's never graced these pages. I know Sara - she's a good friend. And we love us some Amanda and Mamalu. But I thought we'd give Sara a shot (pun absolutely intended!). Sara, email us at 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com and we'll work it out! Hope you're all having a great week!

Scott

Wordless Wednesday with Scott

Rules

The poster (that's me) will post a picture and its settings. No other verbiage is allowed. The commenter's (that's you) will guess in the comments section below how my picture associates with yesterdays (Tuesday's) picture. It can be a setting. It can be a play on words. It can be a theme. In every photo there are numerous ties, thus creating no right or wrong answer. Just make a comment below and you will be entered into our drawing to be our next guest photographer.

What if I am not good enough to be a guest photographer?

You are good enough. We love all kinds of photographers! That's what makes this so much fun. We believe that everybody has a unique view of this world and we want to see it through the lens of your camera. Any camera goes, camera phone, point and shoot, film camera that has its photos turned into jpgs., high end professional grade cameras, any and all of them! So make a guess and have some fun!

How does this all work?

The contest will go on until my (Scott's) next post. I will use random.org to choose the winner and post the story behind my picture and what the connection is, along with my photo for that day. All you have to do, as our chosen winner, is email us your picture before 10pm on your post day. Usually on a Sunday, but we are flexible. The photo has to be yours, has to tie into the picture from the day before, and 3C1D has to be authorized to use it. Just remember to keep checking back with us to make sure you get the post about who has won.

Only one guess per person. Have fun!

Ready! Set!! Go!!!

Canon 30D
Canon EF-18-55m f/3.5-5.6 at 21.0mm
Aperture f/9.0
Shutter 10 Seconds
ISO 100
Flashlight - used for light painting.

Foot Fetish Anyone?

My original plan for following Brandi was to get a close-up of a broom. Low and behold, it's about as disgusting as you'd imagine. The dust and dirt just don't need to be seen that close. While I was shooting the broom, I noticed this image just out of the frame and decided it was kismet. So I repositioned (meaning my aim was moved about an inch - no lie!) and shot this guy:



Canon 30D
Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/10, 1/4, and 0.6
ISO 100
Ambient Lighting

Any guess where this guy is? I love that I could make it seem a bit 3D by focusing on the front foot while tilting the surface of the image. You gotta love messing with the viewer.

Anyway, I also chose to do this using HDR. I was hoping to get more detail. In all honesty, I don't think it was necessary for this image. But it never hurts to throw crap at the wall and see what sticks.

My connection is fairly obvious - this guy is walking out of the frame, similar to B's sweeper. I wish I had more time to experiment. Isn't that always the case?

Time to put B to bed - duty calls. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Scott

Distorted Tastes

Today I spent the day outside as much as possible. I started right after E's school day by going to the "kick ass park" in Huntley. If you spend any time with me and my boys, you know of what I speak. A friend of mine and I together corralled 6 kids, fed and watered them, and then tempted each with a Sour Patch Kid. The one caveat was that I got to take their picture when they tasted the candy. Here's the best one:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L at 70mm
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/250
ISO 100
Pop-up flash and sunlight

I was forced to use flash owing to the shade provided by the picnic shelter and the full sunlight in the background. It was the only way to properly expose B's face and still have a background short of completely blown out. Oh, I promise B actually liked these little devils. He asked for another one immediately. So call off DCFS already! All in all, it was a great time and the kids couldn't have been happier. Sunlight does that.

Lastly, I too shoot in RAW and my story is eerily similar to Brandi's (nothing new there really). In fact, I look back at some of my JPEG shots and wish over and over that I'd shot in RAW. Oh well. No sense crying now. Hope your week is going well!

Scott

More Underlighting

I knew immediately after seeing B's post that I was going to play with underlighting. It's actually something I really enjoy doing and I've been thinking about trying again. So thanks Brandi! I needed a push.

For this shot, I traced the glass on some black paper, cut out the shape, and placed the glass over the hole on a glass table. From below, I held a flashlight with LED bulbs and shot using a tripod and the timer setting. It's not really the ideal set-up but I liked it.

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 70mm
Aperture f/10.0
Shutter 1/2
ISO 100
Underlight from flashlight

I was hoping for more bubbles but owing to the tonic being a little flat, bubble were scarce. It's probably a good thing. Bubbles would have blurred unless I really upped the ISO and shutter speed.

Now I'm off to drink this Gin and Tonic. You probably all think I'm an alcoholic! Naw, I just drink because it makes good pictures! It's supposed to be warm this weekend (they even say 80!) so I know I'll be out. Will you? Happy Friday - crap, I was supposed to do a face. Oh well, too late now!

Scott

PS - I didn't use my Macro!

Roy G Biv

First, a round of applause for Brandi, who once again joins our insanity. You were missed my friend and we're thrilled you're back!

Second, taxes suck! I would have put a bit more effort into this photo if I didn't forget my tax appointment tomorrow evening. See, I have a procrastination thing going and, well, taxes and root canals are pretty much on even footing in terms of things I like to avoid. The only thing higher really is an IRS audit. So...I did my taxes and I'm ready for tomorrows appointment. As a result, this photo is more concept than success:


Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Aperture f/2.8 (Connection baby!)
Shutter 1/13
ISO 100
Incandescent lighting (read: too lazy to set-up anything else)

My connection to Brandi's is two-fold: I matched her aperture setting and this is a music CD by a friend of mine. I happen to know several of Brandi's friends jam on guitar as does this particular friend of mine. Shameless plug for him, here's his website. And here's Don playing the title track:


I hope you enjoyed is. And now, I'm off to drown my sorrows with whatever I can find in the liquor cabinet!

Peace!

Scott

Texture Fever

It turns out I have a fever too. I can't seem to shake my attachment to macro and specifically the textures that appear when I hold the camera to my eye. So you've been bombarded with macro macro macro and texture texture texture when I post. So with no further adieu, I give you more texture:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8
Aperture f/10.0
Shutter 1/10
ISO 200
Natural Light

My tie-in is simply the texture. The strawberries scream knobbly bumpy texture. I promise I'll start shaking it up soon. I can feel the outdoor photography floating closer. Until then, bear with this macro loving, texture craving freak!

Peace,

Scott

Centered

First things first. Amanda, you're our winner from the last WW. I put your name (and only your name) into the randomizer and you came up! Congrats! Let us know when you want to post and we'll accommodate.

Moving on, aside from asking myself what is was that Jay'me photographed, I noticed immediately the centered framing. I had several ideas but when lunch came around, I was washing some blueberries and low and behold, the sun was putting on a show once more.


Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8
Aperture f/16.0
Shutter 1/6, 1/15, 1/40
ISO 100
Processed with Photomatix
Sunlight

I'm back in the saddle with HDR! WooHoo!!! Let me tell you, those with good computers (I count myself among them now), you can run Photomatix without fear of crashing or taking too long. What a joy! It's an entirely new experience for me!

I chose to do HDR because there really was a lack of contract and this is one thing HDR can improve. The tie-in is simply the centered "dot" if you will.

Okay, gotta take care of some kiddos. Have a great weekend everyone!

Scott

Green for Me Please

Jay'me served up another softball! Just to be sure, I mean that as a compliment. I simply LOVE green and water - and she gave me both! Rock on chicka!

This is a picture of a head of cabbage. I had just washed it and the the sun coming through the window just looked too cool to not photograph. I was particularly drawn to the magnifying effect the droplets have. The only thing I didn't do was set-up my tripod. It was magic hour and I didn't think it had enough time.

Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 (yes, that's all I've been using lately. Whatcha gonna do about it?!?!)
Aperture f/8.0
Shutter 1/400
ISO 400
Sunlight

I actually tried to go outside this afternoon to shoot outdoors (what a novel idea!) but I forgot it was still winter and was completely unprepared for the cold. I took one shot and high tailed it for the warmth of my Subaru. Funny how 37 degrees feels SO much colder after you've had a sniff of 65. What the Hell!

Anyway, were I to do this over, I would use an even smaller aperture, employ my tripod, and set the ISO speed to 100. All of which would have improved the quality, mostly in regards to noise and sharpness. Oh well. I know where I can get cabbage so maybe some other day. For now, I'm content with this.

Get your guesses in for WW! There's still time!

Scott

Hoping Spring is Springing!

I am posting this to say I'm ready for Spring! Plus I want to motivate a friend of mine - you know who you are. This is a gerber daisy, as I'm sure many of you know. It might be my favorite flower. They are extraordinary blooms, and when you look through a macro it's even more apparent.

Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Aperture f/14.0
Shutter 1/60
ISO 800
Sunlight

You'll notice the rather small aperture. The idea was to get a good solid depth of field with such a close-up picture. Owing to the small aperture I was forced to drive up the ISO a bit. I found however that when the subject has this much going on the noise is really difficult to notice, especially on the screen. It's there but it doesn't detract like it might from a crystal blue skyline.

So let's give a toast to spring! Here here! And more 60 degree days please.

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

For Scott and Brandi

Scott was all about his girls. He loved his family deeply and that was what was most important to him. Brandi is all about enjoying the moments in life, those precious moments with loved ones that keep you sane through lifes cruelty and frustration and sadness. It's the little moments piled one on top of another, captured in our case a lot of the time on our camera, but also those that aren't, that make life bearable and wonderful and worth living. It is in that spirit of these two wonderful people that I am posting this picture. In this case it's not the greatest picture I've taken, but it portrays one of those precious, special moments in life.


It was taken with my Nikon D90 but I am not going to post the settings because to be honest I had it on full auto mode. I'm sorry, I shudder as I write this, but it's the God's honest truth.

I had come up to visit Brandi and Scott and while I was up there I was able to visit with my family. Now I have all boys at my house so girly things like painting toenails and that sort of thing I just don't get to do very often. My wonderful sis-in-law and brother have two adorable girls that she is willing to share with me sometimes so I can do those girly things. In this case, we all sat around chatting, laughing, loving and painting each others toes and fingernails. I was able to paint my niece's toes the color you see here (the top toes in the picture) and on her hands she had one hand a bright purple color and on her other hand a bright blue color. It was one of those precious moments in time that make life worth the pain of living it.

You will be soo missed Scott.

A Tribute of Sorts

We here at 3C1D are a family. We're definitely a little dysfunctional but we share a common interest. And more importantly we are joined through friendship and love of life. Tonight, we are hurting. As Brandi mentioned, her husband is battling a terminal illness. Today he lost his fight and has passed away. The world is a little more gray now and I find myself at a complete loss. He was an uncommonly good person, a fantastic father, a loving husband, and an extremely loyal friend. We will all miss him a great deal.

If you care to offer condolences for Brandi, you can certainly leave them here. But you can also visit Brandi's personal blog here and read more about the extraordinary Witt family and all that they've been through.

Brandi, you are an amazing woman. And you have an incredible family. We are thankful that you've chosen to share your family with us and we're better for it. I've decided to post one of yours tonight. It's already been seen here on 3C1D but it just feels right. I hope that's okay.


Scott, we'll miss you buddy. More than you know.