Happy 4th of July

I shot this photo last week. A train was blocking one of the main roads here in Fort Valley. This happens so often that most folks don’t even notice what kind of freight
the train is hauling. We just sit and complain to ourselves as we wait to resume our
travel.

This train was loaded with Bradley Fighting Vehicles, probably from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team. The group has been shipping gear to Fort Irwin, California for a stay at the National Training Center before deploying to Iraq in three months.

Here I sit being impatient and a bit grumpy about being delayed on a not so important errand and I realize how the guys who drive and ride these vehicles have delayed a big chunk of their lives to serve this country. Now they are about to go into harm’s way for me and a bunch of other folks who don’t do a lot to thank them for the sacrifices made by our military and their families.

So, this weekend while you are cooking out and enjoying the holiday with your friends and families, remember those who have helped pay of our 233 years of independence. Say thank you, and say a prayer for their safe return.

Happy 4th of July.

Twins

I spent this past Saturday photographing Georgia Peach Festival events in Fort Valley. I started out with the 5K race at 7:30 that morning. I could have slept a bit later but I thought the race began at 7.
During the day I had the opportunity to photograph two sets of twins. That is kinda unusual, especially in a small town like Fort Valley. Really odd that I photographed both within minutes of each other.
Yvonne and Yvette Lee were first. They are shown above. I love their hats, and the way they almost mirror each other.
I photographed them and walked about twenty feet to where the second set were eating a peach. They are Acie and Abby Forbus. Actually Acie was eating the peach while his sister was enjoying a bottle of water.
I like both photos. The second one is not so obviously twins, but I think it works.

Historic Photos

I love old photos. At this point in my life/career, I have shot lots of them. We did a special section for our Peach Festival this week. The current Peach Festival has been going on for about 20 years or so, and is in June. It is a celebration of the peach. The original festival was the Peach Blossom Fesrtival and was held in March, celebrating the beautiful blooms.

We wanted to run some photos from the original festivals, so I dug through the archives at the Thomas Library here in Fort Valley and found a bunch from the first festival-1922.
Some wonderful images. The ones with a credit listed Rembrandt Studio of Fort Valley as the photographer.

The photos are still in pretty good shape, and whoever did the printing really knew their craft. Wonderful tones. The festival featured a very lavish pageant that had over 200 participants. The top photo is of Persian Dancers, the second photo is the festival King and Queen, and the bottom photo is a group of Roman soldiers.
I have always hoped that one day someone will look at my photos and learn a little bit about life in Middle Georgia during my years of documentation.

A New Camera

I have been trying to decide what new camera to buy for the last six months. Using the Nikon D3 my last few months at the Telegraph sure spoiled me. It is a great camera, but I could not justify the money. Same for the D700. I would like to have a full frame DSLR, maybe one day.

I had my mind made up for the D300 and was saving my pennies for the purchase. Then along comes the D90. At first I didn’t pay too much attention to it, but I began to read more about this little gem, then ran into several folks who are shooting with one. They all rave as do the magazines.

Well. I got mine Monday evening. Wow. What a sweet little camera. So far every thing I have hear is true. It works at 6400 ISO, the color is really clean coming out, doing a lot less Photoshop so far. The live view could be a handy tool as well.
I have only done a short little video to say I did it. The quality is pretty good.
Only problem was with my old card reader. It wouldn’t recognize the new SDHC card.
The photo above is from the first assignment I did with it.
We all have our priorities, and for what I am doing now, this little jewel is perfect.
Way to go, Nikon.

And by the way, less than 800 bucks refurbished from B&H.

Splashes

Saturday evening as I was leaving the Wizard of Oz in downtown Fort Valley, I walked by one of several fountains on Main Street. The surface of the water caught my attention. The light was just right, and as the water flowed into the lower bowl the splashes were quite eye-catching. I didn’t have my macro lens with me, but I got as tight as I could with my 70-200.

What looked cool at the first glance turned into Wow through the long lens. The surface of the water was constant chaos, covered with eruptions. Spray fling through the air.

This turned out fairly well, but I want to go back with my macro and a tripod. These were done with a high shutter speed to freeze the drops and splashes. I wanted to capture the crown effect of the splash. Next time will do some slower shutter speeds to see what happens. I will let you all know how it turns out.

Off To See The Wizard

Saturday evening I photographed a children's play. They were doing The Wizard Of Oz. The background was the Yellow Brick Road and really overpowered the stage. I had been shooting tight and opening up to capture the young actor's faces. From the moment the play began, I knew I had to shoot the above image. Probably won't make the paper because it doesn't show
the kids' faces, but is my favorite image from the shoot.

Hope you like it.