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...