Getting excited again about the new...

China town in DC.  Yup, this is where it was decided to test the audio equipment for an upcoming gig I'm preparing for.  It was windy outside and cold.  All the more reason to bring the entire family.  

You can see my wife, son and daughter (Maddy is strapped to mom) in the image below.  They were in the distance testing the audio abilities of my microphone.  For my upcoming video recording, I'm going to be recording a speaker in a quiet conference room on new technology.  It only makes sense I test everything on the streets in a windy road.  

Lessons learned. 

-Audio out (monitor) port on camera works.  

-When it's cold, it motivates you to move faster.

-Chinese food in China town is pretty good.

I'm getting excited about the new challenges ahead.  Cheers!

Getting Out

It's always good to change the routine.  Stepping outside the comfort zone is something I really enjoy.  This was one of those occasions.  During a routine photo shoot of the B-17 Bomber, I found out there was a single seat available for the last flight of the day.  Well of course I took the opportunity!  Who would turn this down?

It was a perfect day to fly this aircraft.  It was 68 degrees at the altitude we were flying.  With the 'windows' open throughout the airframe, we were awash in noise, cool breezes and excitement.  Again, outside the comfort zone, I pushed my camera out of the small hole in the back of the aircraft.  You can see this in the first picture in the post.  From this vantage point, I captured this shot of the large tail this aircraft has.  If I could have brought a GoPro with a staff, this would have been that opportunity to get some awesome footage!

Without a doubt, the best view and picture on the plane was the seat in the nose. It really gave a view unlike any plane I had ever been on.  I wish current commercial aircraft had these seats and views available!

Here is the picture as it came out of the camera.  Below, I edited the picture to make it reappear as if it were captured in a more dramatic time during an official mission.









It is here I start to think about the different lives people have led.  It was a different time all those years ago when they created a plane with one purpose.  That purpose required people within individual contributions.  Two men contributed their efforts by sitting here, navigating this plane and witnessing first hand it's purpose.






I'm thankful of the brave men and women who have contributed before I so that I may enjoy such a beautiful day out flying.

Early Morning with the Daffodils

Sneaking out early before work to shoot is a really nice way to start a Friday.  What's even better is when these flowers weren't the primary objective.  

My friend invited me along on a trip on the Potomac.  He wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms from within the Tidal Basin.  He had a boat, and the Tidal Basin had water in it.  Made sense.  Made even more sense when we reviewed on the map.  But upon arrival, we were blocked by something the map didn't show.  Oh well.  We'll just cruise up and down the Potomac and enjoy the weather. 

While preparing for the boat trip, I was lost in this small field of daffodils.  Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I set out to take a few pictures.  Pictured here is the GoPro, with my usual setup for creating timelapses.   I captured the picture below in an attempt to show the extensive size of the daffodil field.  Be fooled, as this field is merely 20 yards long. 
  

 Here's to good friends who know when to change the routine and help me see new things, cheers!

Cherry Blossoms at the Nations Capitol

Waking up at 5am to go do a new photo shoot is incredibly energizing.  I woke up several times before 5 with anticipation of it being 5.  

I also wanted to include the different things I find myself doing getting ready for a shoot.  Being as I get excited, I have to write things down, or I'll forget something.

I'm pretty good at creating the list, but sometimes I'll forget to check things off after I do them.  A minor clerical error at this time, but I'm going to work on this.

The next big step is to label a map and roughly plan my shots.  Thanks to The Photographer's Ephemeris App I was able to learn the orientation of the sunrise.  This gave me a visual on a map to plan my shots around.  I marked it on my notebook so I could have a quick reference.

Also in this section is the rough list of gear I wanted to bring.  Like I mentioned previously, I usually write it down, pack it, and forget to mark it off.

Along with calling my shots, I try to think ahead in logistical ways.  Especially in terms of food and bathrooms.  These are those few things you want AND need.

When I find I have a free moment, but I don't want to move, or get a new shot, I like to write down notes before I forget.  The information at the beginning of this post was pulled from the notes page listed here.  It's also my future planning tool when I bring my family.  If I know it takes me 20 minutes alone, it's going to take at least 35 minutes with 2 kids, a wife, the stroller, bags, etc...












I also write down lessons learned for setting up the next shot.  For example, with the sunrise coming from behind the memorial, the Cherry Blossoms were underexposed.  If I were to shoot with the sun behind me, I would have missed the memorial.  As usual, it's all about location, location, location.

I setup two extra cameras to do timelapse sets.  This was pulled  from the GoPro Black Edition controlled by my iPod touch.   This is the same configuration I mentioned previously in this post.



Happy Friday and Mannr Cheers!
-Billy

Experimenting

I've been wanting to experiment with Black and White for some time.  This was that experiment.  Perhaps I should say the first of many.  I like this image as so much focus is drawn to the eyes.

I took this picture in the backyard right after dinner.  Eli only lets me see him through the view finder for a sheer second before he resumes whatever fascinating thing he was doing before.  This split second I feel I connected with him through this image.

Like a cowbell.

As promised, here is another shot of some creek in Annandale you don't care about.  But what I took away from this shot was that I was outside, enjoying the crisp coolness of the evening.  Perhaps this isn't the most awe inspiring photograph ever.  But it did teach me something.

I learned tonight that I enjoy the pursuit of the shot almost as much as the shot itself.

I utilized a neutral density filter to get more 'time' out of this shot than the previous night's exposure.  This was a single stop and makes me want more neutral density.  Like a cowbell.

Getting Started

I was out with my son this evening on a walk through the wooded area behind our house.  This is a simple snapshot of the creek.  It's also showing the reflection of the trees above.  This little image caught my eye.  Now I'm thinking of how I can recapture this image in different ways.  Here's hoping the weather cooperates for the next few days...

I've been honing my skills with my new setup.  Camera bag, or as I call it, my workspace, up front.  My backpack, with all the other, less needed, but still important stuff, in the back. The other function of the backpack is to counter the weight of my workspace up front.  This is great, as I can remain balanced as I chase my son through the zoo.

Here's a picture of a rare site at the zoo.  A dump truck exhibit.  Eli was captivated by the dump truck moving around and doing it's thing.  It was moving dirt, as Eli would say.

While moving through the tiger exhibit, and chasing Eli, we saw the tigers moving about.  I had to switch from wide angle to telephoto as fast as I could to capture this fleeting moment.  Thanks to my workspace configuration, I was able to do so.

I really enjoy the eyes in this image.  Curious and not threatening.  I still want to get closer and tighter.  Until then, I'll just have to be patient.  Like a tiger.

Little Adventure Training

Recently I embarked on an adventure with my family.  The adventure was the DC Metro.  We were to take a few stops into the big city and get out at the museums.  The trip was a great ride for my 3 year old son.  He loves trains and it was a lot of fun for him to be on the metro as we moved through the city.

What I wanted to capture in this blog was the configuration I used to keep up with my son, as well as carry everything needed for the trip.  I also wanted to cover how this made me flexible and allowed for me to capture all of the moments that were spectacular during the little adventure.

 The requirements were that I keep up with my wife and my son.  My wife, being 6 months pregnant, couldn't really carry anything.  Eli is three.  He doesn't really carry anything either.  To accomplish this, I wore a Osprey pack, augmented with a Kata camera bag.

Heavy stuff in the back, with camera readily available up front.  My wife, acting as the second shooter, aka 'grabber from the back pack', would augment my shots by helping me setup the GoPro for stationary shots looking at the whole group.  This worked very well, as it kept my primary camera in my hands as well as involved with the action.  I would then control the GoPro from the iPod touch I attached to my arm.  This remote started, stopped and changed settings on the GoPro via WIFI signals.  This was critical, again, to keep control as well as stay focused on the action.


Below is a quick shot I took while being on the move and keeping up with my family.  It's just a shot to capture the sunset as it was setting opposite museum.  I took another shot, referenced here on my facebook.

The lessons I learned this evening were that of travel light and travel fast. This enabled me to focus on the important adventure of Eli's first Metro trip.  I was in the action when needed, and just a step away for a quick shot when ready.  I am going to model the rest of my shooting from this light and fast capability.  

Many thanks to the Canon 70d, GoPro 3 Black, Osprey Momentum and, most of all, Kata LightTri 318.  Our little adventure was spectacular.  Here's a shot of us on the ride home.  Many cheers!

More Learning

Nikon D600 w/ f2.8 24-70 Lens.

Anyone who frequents my blog for pictures will understand that this isn't my normal camera.  A new friend of mine enticed me with this wonderful camera in an attempt to make me cross over.  It was during this occasion that I learned several new things.

1. Nikons are fun to shoot with (too)!  This isn't a way of saying Canons are not fun, but Nikons are fun as well.  I really enjoyed using this camera.  I do admit, I was at a handicap to use the camera.  The control mechanisms and interfaces were different than my Canon bodies.  It did take me a while to find the controls I wanted, but it didn't hamper the overall experience.

2. I really like the 24-70mm range.  My friend was cool to let me borrow a his full frame camera.  But to throw in such an awesome lens, it becomes clear that he was really trying to show me something.  (Was that enough lens puns in one sentence?)  To clearly illustrate my point, here is my son at the grocery store.

At the grocery store, and with the wide ability of this lens, I was able to set him apart from his surroundings.  I really enjoy this little picture as it's how I often see my son.  He's entirely in focus and almost jumping off of his surroundings.

3. There is someone in the world that trusts me enough to let me borrow their camera without hesitation.  Yes, he's a Nikon-shooter, but I can accept that.  Most importantly, and I seriously mean this, I feel really good to know that I have a friend that trusts me.  

Cheers!

What happened to 2013...?

So I missed an entire year in regards to my blog.

Quick updates:
-Moved from Hawaii to Virginia.  Closer to family, friends and the four seasons.
-Started a new job.  Been there almost a month and it's still challenging.
-Sold the 5D mk II.  Got the 70D for the autofocus during video ability.  Better for filming Eli while he's growing so fast.
-Found out I'm going to be a dad again.  This time to a daughter.  Already planning to buy another full frame DSLR to capture every moment.

 Below is a picture of bay bridge in San Francisco.  I was there on business (ref. new job) and got up early to walk out and get this shot.  One of the last few scenery shots with the old 5D (ref. sold it).