One of the unfortunates of living in Northern Indiana this time a year is the consistent grey skies, rain, and snow. I can’t count how many times a week I hear people comment about how they wish they were somewhere sunny. Recently, I visited Florida and many of the locals stated the exact opposite. They get tired of the daily blue skies and would like more overcast days.
I caught this couple relaxing on the beach. Obviously, they weren’t there to swim or sun bathe.
Approximately 20 years ago my family vacationed in Washington D.C. My greatest memories of that vacation was visiting Arlington National Cemetery. Even though I was only about 10 years old, I knew of President John F. Kennedy very well and I can still remember the impact it had when I walked up to his grave and saw the eternal flame. I also remember watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I was very intrigued how “in sync” the guards were (remember I was only 10).
Recently, I traveled back to Arlington National Cemetery and many of those memories returned. Although saddened to visit the graves of those who sacrificed their lives for our country, I believe it’s necessary for us to visit and pay our respects.
I get so amazed watching my baby girl. It seems like every day she reaches new milestones. Recently, we were staying at a hotel and she was sitting in bed (she can’t do it herself yet) watching the Backyardigans. She gets very excited when we turn them on. I was able to catch her excitement in these pictures.
Over Thanksgiving we flew to Tampa Florida to visit my wife’s mother. One afternoon we ate at a local seafood restaurant and after we were finished we decided to go for a walk. We were in a harbor with a bunch of fishing boats that were used to find sponges. This picture was taken of a gentlemen selling sponges (I was amazed how many they had stacked up again this building).
Every time I come back to Des Moines, I always have to travel out to this railroad bridge in Booneville. For some reason I never get bored taking pictures of it.
Previously, I shot a HDR but I thought I would post a single shot I took this weekend using my Leica 35mm.
It can be interesting what you can capture, just holding your camera at the hip and clicking the shutter. With the Leica M9 you can set your lens focus (using zone focus) distance and can easily capture sharp pictures (this can be done with any camera with manual focus). It’s also a great way to capture people unexpectedly.
As I was walking in Chicago, I saw these 2 people sitting and smoking cigarettes. By shooting at the hip, I was able to capture them at their level, which allowed for a better composition.
I’ve noticed on a few occasions that I have posted the same pictures more than once. This wasn’t done purposely. I’ve posted more than 130 pictures in the past 7 months and it’s very easy to repost pictures if you don’t file them accordingly. Tonight, I spent over an hour going through and individually applying keywords (tags) to each of my “blogged” pictures so that I can easily check them off in the future.
This past Thanksgiving weekend my wife, baby girl, and I spend time with her mother and family in Tampa Florida. We had a great time and really enjoyed the 75 degree and blue sky weather. Unfortunately, immediately when we landed back in Fort Wayne, it was back to 30 degree weather and rain. Yesterday, that rain changed to snow and we had our first snow fall of the year.
Last winter, I was driving by an entrance to a country club near my home and really liked the trees and the light snow fall on the pavement. I stopped and snapped this picture.
Taking pictures of people in their normal environment, un-candid can be exciting. Personally, I think these pictures have much more meaning and can remind you of a time in your life that was very comparable.
I caught this couple on the subway system in Washington D.C. I really liked how he was showing her affection. I really liked the fact they were by themselves because it gave me a better opportunity of catching them in this moment.
I have to admit, even though everyone warns you how bringing a child into this world will change your life, you have to experience it to believe it. It has been a phenomenal 6 months. Yes, there are those sleepless nights but that is easily forgotten when she looks at you with those big blue eyes and smiles.
I still remember when we brought her home and I decided to start this picture series. She was so small, only woke to eat, and didn’t move. Now, she’s almost crawling and we can’t get her to sit still. This picture series is actually getting more challenging because she wants to scoot off the couch each time. Fortunately, she is always smiling and it never takes more than a few shots to get the one I want.
This time we took pictures of her laying down and sitting up and both were good but I think this one of her sitting is by far the best.
P.S. Go through the slideshow to see her previous pictures in the series.
The next month is going to be difficult for me to continue posting regularly because of work and travel. I hope to post at least 3-4 times a week.
Here’s a picture I took last year in Des Moines. I really liked how the light was hitting the chairs and I like the geometric shapes within the chairs.
