Picture This!

Nolan Family Portrait

2011-12-04T09:37:00.000-06:00

Here is a family portrait I took last week for the winner of my loyal customer contest. This session was a lot of fun for me because I know them personally and everyone seemed relaxed. This is one of my favorites from the set. Yes, those are real smiles on everyone's faces. The kids kept me and the other adults laughing most of the time.

Just another fun day making memories!

Tennessee Christmas Portrait

2011-12-03T09:13:00.000-06:00

Some friends of mine have moved to a town in Tennessee awhile back and had a great idea for a Christmas card. While visiting them over the Thanksgiving holiday's I was asked to make a portrait for their cards.

We drove around for a bit and then spotted this great looking old barn with some tobacco hanging in it. 15 minutes later we were walking to our vehicles with some really great shots. I took a lot of pics for them and found it to be a very difficult decision on which one to use.

The Christmas card had this picture and a handwritten caption that read "We's fitten in."

Change For A Dollar

2011-12-01T08:38:00.000-06:00

This time of year inspires people to do great things for the under privileged and people in need. This video is very inspiring and worth watching.

The opening shot shows a homeless guy holding a sign that says change. At the end of the movie it has taken on another meaning.

And The Winners Are...

2011-11-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Christa was the lucky Facebook winner!

Dana was the winner of a $25.00 photo credit!

I present you with the winners of this years contest. Christa won the Facebook fan appreciation drawing for a roll of free personalised stamps and Dana won a $25.00 gift certificate in the customer appreciation drawing for her recent order from my photo hosting website.

Thanks goes out to everyone who participated this year and my customers!

Royal Cuties

2011-10-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well this will be the last of the Halloween pics for the year. Just had to include these little cuties in the collection. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. I will be looking forward to Thanksgiving and hopefully to more great photo oppurntunities.

One Scary Gremlin

2011-10-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

Aptly named due to them being a scary little creature I think that AMC holds some sort of record for the ugliest cars ever mass produced. Although the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" has never been more true than when one comes face to face with such a design failure.

In my opinion ( I often say this phrase with a real serious look on my face with a strong confident voice so that it would appear that my opinion really does count) the AMC Pacer was the ultimate in ugly. I dont have a photo or I would insert it here. I could go on and on about the multiple failures of AMC but that's not what this post is about.

It may sound as if I hate them but that's not the case at all. The Javelin is one of my favorite muscle cars. I had a friend that owned an AMX that would raise the front tires upon the initial launch from the starting line! That car was very fast and pristine.

OK, back to what this is really about. You will probably be disappointed when you reach the end but what else are you going to do at work? Work? That comes later. Lets see where this is headed shall we?

So my family and I are driving home from a wonderful lunch at a seafood restaurant located in Gadsden AL when this old Gremlin is spotted for sale. I forgot to mention for the past year or so I've been telling my 15 year old daughter that she would be driving an AMC Gremlin when she turned 16. In hindsight I see that joke was wasted on her because she had not ever seen one.

After hanging a U Turn in the middle of the 4 lane hwy, the SUV that provided our transportation was producing some dust due to the speed in which I was attempting to control while whipping into a gravel parking lot filled with less than desirable vehicles from the 60's.

After almost stopping completely I was jumping out and running to the rear of my vehicle to grab a camera. I went into some sort of picture taking frenzy! Uncontrollable and wild! Well I may be exaggerating a bit but you get the idea. After making a small scene we were on the road again. I tried to sell it but was shot down with every positive I could think of.

The phrase my daughter would say after every positive sentence I would use was "Dad! That thing is ugly!"

Pocahontas Versace

2011-10-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

Ashley is showing off her Pocahotas wear by Versace. Elegant yet comfortable. This was part of the sport collection that was discontinued in 2008 due to "counterfacting." Don't worry if you are not familiar with this word I wasn't either. The trick to pulling off this outfit is not to over accessorize.

Did you notice the boots also double as those leg warmers made poplar back in the eighties by such greats as Richard Simmons, Flashdance and most of the girls in gym class during the 81"-82" school year.

Boy-Z Rider

2011-10-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

Funny, yet sad at the same time.

This photo of a young man riding what appears to be a chicken created by the now legendary Tomoyuki Tanaka has me rolling on the floor laughing!

Well after that thought passes I have another even more strange thought about this "easy rider" of the poultry. If you follow the link it will take you to the Easy Rider trailer from 1969 starring Fonda, Hopper & Nicholson. The movie in which "A man went looking for America... and couldn't find it."

How about the tag line "Boy-Z went looking for a Publix store...and found it."

Read the bag people!

Hippi Thing

2011-10-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this blog in hopes of learning something...let me apologize right now. You will not even come close to educating yourself in the next week or so by reading here. I really have abandoned the idea of education awhile back when one of my friends suggested not doing that camera crap and just put up pretty pictures.

I can't say that all of the pictures are pretty but I did take a little advice to heart. Now I try to find a picture that I like and write something informative underneath. Sometimes it's funny (I hope) and other times when writing down one sentence when there is just nothing that pops into my mind. I try to step it up and post something that is educational occasionally just so my intellectual readers (which happens to be the vast majority of you) might get the idea that I am somewhat of a thinker and philosopher.

Bahahahahaha! That's hilarious even when I say it!

I thought that the picture above expressed what just very well could be the best quote of all time.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.- Dr. Seuss

Peace.

Two Of The Best

2011-10-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

Jessica & Hunter as Mary Poppins and Bert

This has to be in the top 5 best costumes ever. It doesn't hurt that they both look good in hats. Seriously, the picture doesn't do them justice. Everyone that saw them said the same thing...Wow!

I wonder what they will do this year?

A Great Scare

2011-10-22T19:04:00.000-05:00

Or touched by an angel. Both titles would fit here so I chose the one that fits this months theme of "Spooky." I was asked to photograph everyone who would sit for 5 seconds and have their photo taken so that when the fall festival was over we could hand them a print as they walked out.

This was not a small task for anyone involved. I would shoot as fast and as many folks as possible and then pass off a CF card to a runner who then shuffled it to the poor guy who was running the printer. This continued for the better part of 2 hours. Lots of people had their picture taken that evening.

The printer guy would print out these photos then try and find a place so that they would lie flat until they were dry. After the teenagers would get bored they would return for more pictures. Some would swap costumes and several would want to bust a pose for the camera. There was a lesson learned here for me, some children are not going to sit still...PERIOD!

Instead of getting upset or standing there until the parent goes into some sort of fit trying to get the child to sit still and smile, I would just start snapping pics. Some turned out good and others not so good. This was a good one.

You have to admit that the little elephant looks terrified.

Pumpkin Cleaning How To

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

As Jeff demonstarates here, you just got to get in there and "giter done."

The Real BatGirl

2011-10-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

Ashley!

This years winner will indeed be campaigning for world peace!

You just gotta love Batgirl!

Will The Real Batgirl Please Step Forward

2011-10-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

After hosting the Batgirl tryouts this year the winner will be posted tomorrow. Any idea who it could be?

The winner was chosen after competing in several categories. The winner had to win 3 of the 5 in order to win the coveted costume.

1) Apply eye makeup with only a flashlight while singing her favorite song out loud.

2) Have the ability to bake brownies so good you want to be a do-gooder.

3) Be able to dress out in a bikini before the 3rd ring of the doorbell.

4) Aid an individual at the makeup counter by assisting in the selection of the proper tone of base .

5) Must apply lip gloss evenly while texting friends and studying for an upcoming biology test.

The bonus came as a question; If you could have one wish granted what would it be? All the contestants gave the standard "Miss Congeniality" answer.

The competition from our three competitors was very strong this year. It was very hard to choose a clear winner but here she is!

Thank You Miss...

The winner will be announced in tomorrows post

Hometown Abby

2011-10-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have decided to throw up a few pics of Halloween costumes that I like. This is a friends daughter dressed as one of my favorite NCIS characters. This is the first time I've seen anyone dressed as Abby.

Thumbs up for Bay!

Another Giveaway

2011-10-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

It's that time again! Contest Time!! Shocking isn't. In order to celebrate my 300th post I will be having a contest. The winner will receive...(long pause for effect) something really cool!

Like what you ask? How about your face or favorite photo on a roll of stamps! That's right, your face on a real stamp! I will be giving away 1 roll of twenty $.44 cent stamps with a picture of your choosing right there for the whole world or 20 of your favorite peeps to see. You would be the envy of everyone at Christmas time or at least the twenty that you mailed a Christmas card.

Shane please tell us what's the catch. No catch. Really. Here is what you need to do to qualify for the giveaway:

1) Leave a comment here.

2)Go to Facebook and like my page Shane Bates Photography.

Rules explained here; Leave a comment on the blog get one entry. Leave a comment on my lame Facebook page and get 1 entry. Do both and you get three chances to win. Simple huh? I don't care what the comment says just as long as my 85 year old grandmother could read it in church next Sunday in front of the preacher and her Sunday school class. If for some reason you're unable to contain your comments to a "G" rating (and you know who you are) I will add your name to the hat but your comment will not be posted. No, the @%&# symbols aren't fooling anyone so don't even waste your time. The most important rule is that I rule. My word is final so let's do this without any unnecessary whining people.

If you have purchased any photos or products from me this past year (2011) your name will automatically be entered in a separate drawing for a $25.00 dollar credit (just in time for Christmas) good toward any thing offered on my photo hosting website.

Both contests will be drawn on November 12, 2011.

Good Luck!

Halloween On A Stick

2011-10-10T20:14:00.001-05:00

The photo is ok but you just gotta love the title!

Moon

2011-10-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a really cool photo of the moon with some clouds and a purplish hue around it but just couldn't seem to be outside when it happened. This picture is my backup plan. Sure you have seen moon pictures before but none quite as special as this.

Why Is this one special you ask? It's not really. I assume that most people stop reading after the first sentence if at all, so I thought that I would fill this paragraph with a bunch of words to make it seem as if I have written a lot of intelligent words that make me seem smarter than I really am.

Clever don't you think?

Spooky Spider

2011-10-08T12:29:00.000-05:00

To me there is not much of anything creepier than a spider. Arachnophobia is defined as "An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders." That's not me. There is nothing abnormal about it. If my strong dislike for them (notice I did not use the word hate) is persistent, then so be it.

Symptom's according to http://phobias.about.com/

If you have arachnophobia, you will probably go out of your way to ensure that you do not come in to contact with a spider. If you find a spider in your home, you may react in one of two ways: either screaming and running away or freezing in place. You may be unable to kill or trap the spider yourself, relying on a friend or family member to rescue you from the situation. If you are alone, you may actually leave the house rather than deal with the spider.

Eventually you may find yourself limiting your activities in an effort to avoid spiders. Hiking and camping trips may be difficult or impossible for you. You may even dread visiting the zoo or participating in sports that involve being outside in a field.

Causes of Arachnophobia

Experts are still uncertain what causes arachnophobia. There a few theories, though. One of the most common theories was put forth by evolutionary psychologists. This view suggests that arachnophobia was a survival technique for our ancestors. Since most spiders are venomous, although most do not pose a threat to humans, a fear of spiders may have made humans more likely to survive and reproduce.

I am calling NOT on this one! I believe it's caused by the fact that people don't like the scary idea of a spider crawling inside their ear while sleeping. I have heard that the average person will swallow up to 8 spiders in their lifetime while asleep. I can't confirm this but let me say that this is a scary estimate. Should I pass away in my sleep please check my throat for a cause of death. I may have woke up when one of those garden spiders was headed into my esophagus and caused cardiac arrest!

Cure of Arachnophobia

I don't think there is one but I will tell you what some scared people have told me. Stomp or mash everyone of them! Period! This only applies to the one's in the home not outside. They are quite useful for catching bugs and such near the outside lights. That's where I found this guy hanging. Nope I did not remove of mash him. Just watched on several occasions as he would wrap up an unsuspecting victim in a cocoon and then suck the life out of it a day later.

Nope! Not in my house!

Treating Arachnophobia

Like all specific phobias, arachnophobia is most commonly treated through therapy, particularly *cognitive-behavioral techniques. Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications may also be used. Some newer research has shown that virtual reality therapy, in which the sufferer is exposed to virtual representations of spiders, may work as well as the older technique of gradually exposing the client to live spiders.

Yeah right! What do you think would happen if you tossed a spider on someone who had this phobia? They would kill you as well as the 8 legged monster! Heed my warning, don't ever do this. I learned the hard way in third grade.

Can't remember her name but I remember the pain!

*A type of therapy commonly used to treat phobias. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on stopping the negative automatic thoughts that are associated with the feared object or situation, replacing them with more rational thoughts instead.

Scarecrows

2011-10-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Peyton & Christina dressed for success.

My friend Wendy had a great idea for Halloween costumes. It also helps that she is a fabulous face painter! After seeing these two everyone wants to do something with face painting. Wendy sets up a booth at Homestead Hollow every year in October and November. There is almost always a line waiting for her artistic ability. I was really surprised when she told me how many canvas and birthday parties that she does.

They can be seen this weekend sitting at the entrance of Homestead Hollow holding a sign and in front of them there a sign that reads "tips for brains". This seems to be a poplar photo attraction as well.

I copied this from her FB page. "Doodles by W is party or event service. We do face painting or paint your own canvas for parties, events, clubs, or organizations. We come to you! In-class field trips where we come to your class for projects are available. Discounts for schools."

Contact info can be found here.

Glowing Mummy Love

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson doing an inspection of the big glowing pumpkin.

Shelby Says Grrr!!!

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

"Git your hand outa my Halloween candy uncle Shane! Grrrr!!!"

Surgery In 1920

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Dr Fred Kimsey (L). His nephews, Dr. A.J. Guinn (C) and Dr. W. Windum Kimsey (R)

In keeping with the theme for this month I would say that this picture is quite scary. Doctors performing surgery around 1920. The room looks like something from a saw movie.

In case you are wondering how I came to have this just keep reading. If not stop here do something constructive or productive with the 1.5 minutes you have kept from wasting by continuing to read this gibberish.

While on vacation to Ducktown Tennessee we stayed at The Company House Bed and Breakfast, they had some old photographs hanging on the walls. I took a picture of this one and pretty much forgot about it until this morning when scrolling through some old files looking for another creepy picture to use.

Two of them are not wearing gloves and the one that is appears to be holding some sort of bone saw. My favorite thing in the picture has to be the overhead light.

Scary huh?

Forgotten Cemetery In Courtland Alabama

2011-10-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had gotten off of work around 5:00 pm and decided to take the long way back to my hotel in Decatur AL. I turned on the GPS unit and took a left headed due East. After driving for about 30 minutes on a tar and gravel road at 20-30 mph I spotted a wide spot in the road. Not really so wide as different. One little patch of woods surrounded by fields. Really large fields at that.

I pulled to the side and decided to dig a bottle of water out from my little cooler. While standing there I noticed what appeared to be an old road bed that ran from the right side of the road right through the woods. After a closer look I found it to cross the road I was on. At some point the farmers fields had completely overtaken everything for miles except these woods.

I walked across the road and spotted a 3 foot tall concrete block wall than ran the entire perimeter of the grounds. The foliage or ground cover had taken over the old road bed completely at this point. I recognised a little walkway that led to the gated entrance. As you can tell from the first photo the gate had a logging chain and a pad lock installed. You got to do something to keep those pesky trespassers out.

I'm not really up on cemeteries but these old headstones were unlike any I've ever seen. Typically there would be a close up of a couple with the dates visible but the ground cover was 4-6 inches deep and I didn't bring my snake proof boots! Next time I'm in the area they will be in my vehicle.

This place looked really creepy and abandoned with the 30-40 year old trees growing around the grave sights. Just ideal for the month of October.

Creepy Shane

2011-10-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

The photo above is the first one of it's type that I've used on my blog. It was taken with an IPhone. My daughter Ashley asked " hey dad will you stop right there and look this way?" Wow! That's really cool and creepy at the same time.

With this being the first day of October I thought that a theme was in order. You guessed it, Halloween! I know I should be more creative but I just don't have it in me right now. OK, so now you know that most or some...maybe a few pics added this month will be of the spooky persuasion.

I decided to start with this one because it will be my facebook profile pic for the month of October. Unless I happen to get a better one.

Here is a teaser for you. This month I will start a reader appreciation contest. What that means is you will (if you decide to participate) do something really simple to qualify for a super prize package! Sorry, it won't that super but it will be good. Details to follow.

One other thing I would like to add is for the readers who also purchased photos from me in 2011 will also qualify in a drawing that will be held in December. Ummm, maybe January. Still trying to decide. Most everyone that made purchases are local so I might offer up a quick shoot or free pics or a wall cling! So to sum this up, If you spent money with me this year you could be the lucky person who will get a nice prize and a "thank you for doing business with me" shout out!

Details to follow!

Feeder Fun & Flybys

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

There is a certain intrigue that comes from watching Hummingbirds fly around that can't be explained. They are very noisy when hovering 6 inches from your ear. They can fly backwards and are very fast as well as territorial. I have 2 feeders hanging in the backyard. Every afternoon there will be two or three of the little guys doing battle. When they split and fly off, it's only a hundred feet away or less. When an opponent suddenly appears near the feeders "whoosh!" here comes one at mach speed to defend it's highly prized sugar water mixture!

My family has two cats. One is eleven years old and the other is two years old. Both will sleep on the deck with the little birds buzzing around less than five feet from them and not move a muscle. Why? Am I feeding them to much or will the little sugar-water sucking monsters peck their eyes out and leave them for dead on the patio? Are the cats are just avoiding the confrontation because they have learned of these flying creatures from watching their less fortunate siblings?

These birds are down right mean. Who knew? I didn't...

Free flybys at my house when you wear a red hat.

Deere & Turfgrass

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've told my wife on several occasions that mowing the lawn for her was relaxation while for me it's a sinus infection waiting to happen. I was reading about turfgrass and it's upkeep when a thought hit me. I Googled "grass cutting therapy''. The results were about the treatment of your lawn not the mind.

Surely some university has received a $60,000 grant to do research or a study on the effects of grass clippings, gas fumes and noise levels that are above 105 decibels will have on a person. Wouldn't you agree?

Let's see here. I know that if you cut the grass to low it leaves it prone to disease, the gas fumes will kill brain cells and hearing loss begins after being exposed to 85 db. Some would argue that there is a hole in the ozone layer caused by hairspray, under arm deodorant and gas fumes. My opinion on this matter is as follows.

I don't believe that there is a hole in the Ozone layer. If there was NASA would be taking full advantage of this because those tiles on the space shuttle are burning up to fast upon reentry.
Hairspray, spray deodorant and gas fumes...Can't live without all three.
Sustained noise levels of 85 db and above will cause permanent hearing loss. That's why I wear ear plugs while cutting grass and driving my wife through a major city.
Gas fumes will kill brain cells. Let's face it you can't really spare too many more.

As you can see in the photo's above we have the latest in patient in the "Deere for Sanity" quest. She has been asking for the last 2 years for me to teach her how to cut grass. 4 weeks ago I pointed at a tree across the road and told her to drive straight to it and then turn around and come back. After that I instructed her on the function of the knobs and levers respectively.

Last week she jumped on the Deere and mowed her little out. After completing the yard she was telling me the exciting story of how much fun it had been to cut grass and empty the bagger all by herself! I didn't show her how to do that nor anyone else as far as I know. She is a natural at lawn maintenance just like her stress free mother.

I can't wait until she wants to have the weed eating experience.

Plane In A Pasture

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

While driving a back country road in the middle of nowhere Alabama I spot a bumper and part of a taillight peeking out from under an old deteriorating tarpaulin. It's a forgotten classic muscle car owned by a young man who had his heart broken in it and just could not bear to drive it or part with it.

A Barrett Jackson dream come true! I've got to see what's under there. An old man stops on the road next to me in what appears to be a 1951 Chevy pickup.

"Hi, how are you?" I ask.
"Howdy." He says then pauses before delivering this classic from my childhood. " I am doing fine as frogs hair. Bout yourself?"
"Can't complain...would do much good." I say while trying not to sound like a city slicker. You know how them folks talk in them big cities like Cullman, Oneonta or Blountsville.
"Who owns that barn up there?" I ask.
"Well, I do son." he says in a scratchy voice.
"Is that a car under that tarp?" I ask while trying to hold back a huge grin.
"Yep."
"Reckon what a fellor would have to do to lay eyes on it?"
"I am going that way if you'd like to take a look see."
"I'd love too, you sure it ain't to much trouble."
"Nay, ain't no trouble at all."

A few minutes later we are pulling the cover off and there in the dusty old barn is a 1969 Chevy Camaro convertible pace car! 913 original miles! After talking for awhile he tells me that he can't stand to look at it any longer and wants someone to get rid of it for him.

"I'm your man! How much you want for her?" I ask while trying not to shake and squeal like a little school girl.
"I paid $3600.00 back in 69' so I would like to get at least half of that back." He says.

Fast forward to later that afternoon! After paying him $1800.00, we loaded it up on the trailer and I drove home as fast as humanly possible.

I live happily ever after!

The story above is exactly that, a story. Really it's an all to frequent dream of mine that will not ever come true. While I do drive country roads quite a bit for that reason I very rarely ever see a classic car in a barn. Mostly tractor's and junk. The airplane pictured above is the exception.

I drove past this and turned around for a closer look. After surveying the surrounding area I found myself wondering how the pilot was able to take off on such a short runway. By runway I mean a short patch of grass in a field.

An airplane in a barn is not what you would expect to find in the chicken house district of Blount county.

Homework & Hotwings

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

This kid loves her some hot wings! She hates homework! So on occasion I will stop and pickup a box of 10 for her. This seems to be the only way that she can cope with what is commonly referred to as a love-hate relationship. Loves school and hates stinking homework. Heck, I do too!

Whats the flavor of choice you ask: Tongue Torch (Hot)!

When In Doubt, Pinky Out!

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ashley and Steven demonstrate the correct pinkie angle when sipping a refreshing glass of your beverage of choice.

This is statement is so much better if you say it with a British accent. Try it out...see what I mean?

Farm Pond Sunset

2011-09-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

Another picture from a favorite fishing spot.

Windmill

2011-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was driving a country road in Blount County, Alabama when I passed this windmill. I got excited and started shooting some pictures before noticing that it was merely yard art instead of a working mill. The turbine was rotating fast due to about 10 mph winds but there was not a rod or shaft inside the structure.

The windmill is approximately 30 feet tall. Although it appears to only have one function the owner has apparently maintained it well. Oh...the function is to just sit there spinning and causing photographers to pull of the roadside and get laughed at by passing farmers on tractors and teenagers who wear their flat billed, bedazzled hats sideways.

Still looks cool though.

Melvern On Watch

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Standing guard over em' PBR's in that there cooler.

Steve-O Unleashed

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

It was somewhere around 100°F in the direct sunlight when this was taken. My nephew Steven had just unleashed a racquet full of fury on another unsuspecting victim of the game... he was later heard telling the depressed and beaten down youth to "Hate the game...not the playa!"

A Quik Thank You

2011-09-21T00:22:00.003-05:00

My childhood is filled with many memories. Most of them are good. The one's that aren't I keep suppressed by laughter, hobbies and chocolate. Which brings me to the photo above. I started drinking milk with Nestle Quik chocolate powder as far back as I can remember. Somewhere around 4 or 5 years of age.

That got me to thinking...How much of that chocolate flavored sugar powder have I consumed in the past 39 years? My first thought was a 1bunch! I had a few minutes so I did a little math and this is what I have estimated my consumption to be: 1,504 ounces or 94 lbs. I really believe that I'm on the Conservative side here.

When my children were young and started drinking it I had a plastic Quik Bunny (...wished they would bring it back) container from years ago that I would keep filling up. At breakfast they would ask for some "choklat raddit" to drink.

The only thing that has changed is instead of the little containers I go to the warehouse food club and purchase it in a really large round container.

I don't drink it to much anymore but I still love that stuff and so does my dentist!

1) A bunch is defined here in the south as a whole lot or more than one man should consume!

Looking Ahead

2011-09-20T23:44:00.002-05:00

This little cold snap got me to thinking about last winter and things to come. Looking forward to some cooler weather but the snow...not so much! I thought that this photo might jog some memories from last year and serve as a reminder to start searching for a couple of plastic sleds and cut some firewood.

Old Meets New

2011-09-19T08:09:00.000-05:00

I could not decide on a subject for this photo so it's only fair to highlight both. Pictured here are a couple of power plants. One from 1965 and one from 2010. The GTO creates horsepower and the wind turbine creates wattage. I think that a few stats are in order here.

1965 Pontiac GTO Hurst edition.

The 389 Tri-Power engine was rated 360 hp at 5,200 rpm. The Tri-Power engine had slightly less torque than the base engine 424 lb·ft at 3,600 rpm versus 431 lb·ft at 3,200 rpm. This vehicle was also offered with a 400 block engine.

1965 GTO with Tri-Power, close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, power steering, metallic brakes, rally wheels, 4.11 limited-slip differential, and Rally Gauge Cluster had a total sticker price of $3,643.79.

0–60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds, the standing quarter mile in 14.5 seconds with a trap speed of 100 miles per hour and an observed top speed of 114 miles per hour at the engine's 6,000 rpm redline.
Total weight of the vehicle was around 3600 lbs.

More than 75,000 were sold that year.

The two bladed wind turbine.

A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger.

If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or pumping water, the device is called a windmill or wind pump. Today's wind turbines are manufactured in a range of vertical and horizontal axis types.

The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging or auxiliary power on sailing boats; while large grid-connected arrays of turbines are becoming an increasingly large source of commercial electric power.

The wind turbine pictured above is actually a wind generator, as it's used to charge batteries in a school were it can be converted to AC power consumed therefore eliminating the purchase of power from the local co-op.

To sum this up I would say that one uses a lot of power in the name of fun and the other produces power in the name of education.

Making The Right Decision

2011-09-18T23:17:00.003-05:00

The inspiration for my blog today comes from a well respected individual with whom I have the great fortune of calling him my friend and Pastor. This is a guy who has been there and done that. He is currently inspiring over 500 people a week at our church. Pretty snazzy wardrobe for a preacher, huh. It seems to me over the past 2 month's, he has really hit home with the various sermon series.
Today's sermon was very interesting, not to say that they are not all inspiring, but this one seemed to have spoken directly to me.

I really wished that this would have been offered up to me 20 years ago. I'll sum it up for you in my words. The topic was on making decisions. The 3 things to keep in mind when making decisions:

1)Seize the moment/act now
2)Don't let culture influence your decision/this speaks volumes for tattoo's and piercings
3)God has a plan for your life/Although it seems unclear at times

This question needs to be asked before making any decision in your life:

"In light of my past experiences, my currant circumstances, and my future plans, what is the wise thing to do?"

This makes a lot of sense to me. In the past I would make decisions based on the probable outcome of a given situation without relying on past experiences. I guess that is sign of immaturity. Call what you will, but that's how it got done.

As I have gained some experience over the past few years (not to be confused with wisdom) the decision making process has evolved into something more complex. Yes, I talk things over with my wife. It doesn't always go my way, but nonetheless it is put on the table for discussion. Someone told me one time that "if I had a question about life and wanted to talk about it with a preacher, I already knew the answer". Hmmm...I guess I did. With the help of this question I don't foresee any bothersome questions in the future for my Pastor.

You are probably wondering what this has to do with photography. Well, here is the connection. I took this great picture and really wanted use it. Today's sermon motivated me to do that. I hope that your next decision can be made after thinking about this question. I know mine will.

God Bless You

I wrote this in Feb 2009 and saved in my drafts. I ran across it today and thought it needed to be published.

Happy Birthday Christina!

2011-09-17T12:05:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe that today is my youngest daughters birthday. I was sitting here looking through a very large collection of photographs from the day she was born until today. Man, kids sure do grow up fast. I was going to tell the story about the time prior to her birth and nothing really comes to mind. So, I will give you what I can remember.

Rewind to September 17, 1998:

SHANE WE HAVE TO GO NOW!

Flying down the interstate at 95 mph and Sonya in a loud stern voice saying "Faster, drive Faster!"

Standing in the delivery room 4 hours later and the nurse saying "please wait on the Dr. to get in here Ms. Bates. Don't push!"

"I CAN'T HELP IT!" Sonya says loudly during a contraction.

"Please wait on the doctor, stop pushing and relax." The nurse says in a somewhat calm voice.

"This baby is coming out now, I can't help it!" Says my beautiful bride.

"O MY! You are crowning! I am going to get the doctor!" The nurse says frantically.

Enter the doctor:

"WHOA!, he we go! Push for me." he says with sort of a smile on his face.

About thirty seconds later he's holding a skinny little girl baby and asks if I would like to cut the cord.

It was apparent after a short while that she was not like most babies. Yes she was super cute with a whole head of hair and yes, she smiled and laughed a lot but it was something else...she was very strong willed and slightly hard headed for such a young age.

The only time that she would be still was when she was asleep and even then she was twitching and kicking. So much energy to get rid everyday. I thought that Sonya and I would loose our minds the first years of her life. Then we figured out that if we could wear her down during the day she would sleep well at night!

Even though she enjoyed playing rough she was a loving child. Christina would jump up on the couch and sit with me for a little while then would want to wrestle. I don't know that there was another kid that enjoyed playing with baby dolls more than her. At the age of 6 she wanted lots of kids. 24 to be exact! As she has gotten older the kid count has dropped dramatically. She is currently wanting 2 kids, both boys.

Cristina has always been good at sports. Her batting average was always high in softball and she was a good infielder. One year just before time to sign up she told us that she did not want to play softball anymore. When we asked why she told us that she didn't like to stand in the field because it was boring. She only wanted to bat. "Can I play but only bat?" she asked.

We moved on to soccer. After 3 years I was finally learning the game a little and she said soccer was out. When I asked why this was her response. "There's a lot of running and I don't want to run so much." Ok...

Basketball and tennis are the preferred sports now and that seems to be a good fit for everyone.

Here we are today, 13 years later and I still can't believe how fast time has passed. I think that most parents if not all try to instill love and caring in their children. Christina accepts this and embrace it in her own way. When she see's someone whom she likes they are in for a super hug from her no matter who or where you are at!

Happy Birthday Baby!

I love You!

Cycling Fun

2011-07-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

While visiting Harrison Lake State Park in Ohio I was talked into renting a few 3 wheeled bicycles for the kids to ride. Hmmm...3 wheeled...bicycle...bi means 2 right? Ok I guess that they should be called adult tricycles. They are a lot of fun to ride or race but a might tricky when it comes to steering. I don't think they will ever replace a bicycle but they are fun nonetheless.

Another Senior Portrait

2011-06-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is another one of my favorites that no one seems to like. It contains several different factors that caused it to become a favorite.

Old meets new: Turn of the century brick pavers meet stainless steel.

Pedestrian standing beneath the "no pedestrians" signs.

A wide shot instead of a close up.

Senior Portraits

2011-06-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

The photo's above are from a set I shot for a friend. I have only included my favorites here because it's my blog and I can do that. These were shot in downtown Birmingham. You can tell by the background that the area we were shooting in was not really an upscale portion of the city.

I shot all of the typical senior poses and the client liked them well enough although these above didn't make his short list they offer an insight to what could be considered my vision or style. I really don't know what my style is exactly but many of my favorite pics are similar to these.

Hardscapes, lines and a variety of textures make for a successful session.

Ashley's Rose

2011-06-07T20:30:00.000-05:00

I downloaded a CF card full of pics and saw several that I had not taken. At some point my daughter Ashley had stepped out side with my camera to photograph a single rose. What a great surprise to find this hidden amongst a lot of family and friend's portraits.

The Alabama Theatre

2011-06-01T08:29:00.000-05:00

This is a shot of the Alabama Theater located in downtown Birmingham. There is a lot of history behind those old glass doors. When you step inside it's literally like stepping back in time. I absolutely hate crowds but it's worth it when visiting.

The Alabama Theatre Pipe Organ is Wurlitzer Opus 1783. Its basic design included 4 manuals (keyboards), 20 ranks (sets of pipes), 8 sets of tuned percussion units, and all the sound effects needed to accompany silent movies. Eight additional ranks of pipes have been added to expand the tonal capabilities of the organ, making a total of 28 ranks (2008 pipes).

In 1998, the Theatre underwent a complete front door to back door restoration. The work was done by EverGreene Studios from New York City. In 8 months, the theatre went from its look of faded grandeur to a sparkling 1927 look with all the gold leaf paint either replaced or cleaned.

The Alabama Theatre was built in 1927 by Paramount Studios as an Alabama showcase for Paramount films. It was used primarily as a movie palace for 55 years, with the exception of the annual Miss Alabama pageant and the weekly Mickey Mouse Club. In 1987, the owners of the facility declared bankruptcy and the theatre was purchased by Birmingham Landmarks Inc., a non-profit corporation. Double click on the photo above for a larger view.

All of the information posted here can be found at
www.alabamatheatre.com/

Superstar!

2011-05-27T12:28:00.001-05:00

This has to be one of my favorites from the set. There is a girl in the back taking photographs and I just got lucky with this one. The girls on the left seem to be surprised as well. The facial expressions sell the shot!

When the graduates walked stage left for a shot from someone on the floor I would try and time it so that their flash would light my subject. Yes, it actually worked several times. I was somewhere around 70 feet from the stage so to have a flash right next to the stage was great!

Good Luck Class Of 2011!

Coondog Cemetery

2011-05-04T23:51:00.003-05:00

If you need a proper resting place for your best coonhound this would be it. There are 200 or so hounds buried here since 1937. The grave markers come in all sizes and shapes. Some are hand carved from old stone and tree stumps to the finest granite that is professionally engraved.

A man named Key Underwood started this as a tribute or a special resting place for his coon hound. His dog was named Troop. With a hammer and screwdriver Underwood carved out a headstone from an old rock found in a nearby fireplace. His monument still stands there today.

When columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson interviewed Underwood in 1985, he told her that a woman from California wrote him wanting to know why he didn’t allow other kinds of dogs to be buried at the coon dog cemetery.

“You must not know much about coon hunters and their dogs, if you think we would contaminate this burial place with poodles and lap dogs,” he responded.

To qualify for burial in this unique cemetery it has been said that three requirements must be met:

The owner must claim their pet is an authentic coon dog.

A witness must declare the deceased is a coon dog.

A member of the local coonhunter's organization must be allowed to view the coonhound and declare it as such.

If you think this sounds like a good idea and are interested you will need to keep this in mind:

"We have stipulations on this thing," says Janice Williams, the secretary/treasurer of the Friends of the Coondog Cemetery, and caretaker of the Coon Dog Cemetery. "A dog can't run no deer, possum -- nothing like that. He's got to be a straight coon dog, and he's got to be full hound. Couldn't be a mixed up breed dog, a house dog."

Each Labor Day, the Tennessee Valley Coon Hunter’s Association host a celebration at the cemetery. Entertainment includes music, dancing, food and a liar's contest. Time: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

You can find the Coon Dog Cemetery 7 miles west of Tuscumbia on U.S. Hwy 72. Turn left on Alabama Hwy 247, and travel approximately 12 miles. Then turn right, and follow the signs.

My First Time Near An F4!

2011-05-01T22:38:00.003-05:00

04-27-2011

This date marks one of the most scariest days I have ever witnessed. After leaving a job in Cherokee AL I drove HWY 157 to Cullman. Little did I know that there was a huge wall cloud already in place. A few minutes later came the hail and violent winds. I look to my immediate right and spot a huge funnel cloud and then the tornado as it is syphoning up everything in it's path and spewing it out of the top!

The tornado crossed HWY 157 about a 1/4 mile behind me and followed HWY 69 NE. Way to close for comfort. With the roads and hills in that area it was very hard to determine a path to safety. After driving East over 90 MPH for 2-3 minutes I assumed the danger was over. After all the tornado was traveling NE. I pulled to the side of the road and grabbed my point and shoot camera for a couple of shots.

By now there must have been 2 miles between it and myself. Too far for a good shot yet too close to stop shaking. This was the storm that tore up downtown Cullman and continued on the ground for another 50 or so miles.

Please see the following:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1023 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2011

…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM MARSHALL COUNTY…

…UPDATED INFORMATION TO INCLUDE CULLMAN AND MORGAN COUNTY WITH THIS
TORNADO…

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE IN MARSHALL COUNTY HAS BEEN
COMPLETED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE. IT HAS BEEN
DETERMINED THAT THIS DAMAGE PATH WAS AN EXTENSION OF A LONG TRACK
TORNADO THAT WENT ACROSS MUCH OF CULLMAN AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST MORGAN
COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON /APRIL 27/.

DESPITE THIS TORNADO BEING ONE CONTINUOUS PATH FROM SOUTHWEST CULLMAN COUNTY TO NORTHWEST MARSHALL COUNTY…THIS INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE BROKEN INTO 3 SEGMENTS /FOR EACH COUNTY/.

SEGMENT #1: CULLMAN COUNTY

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/27/11
* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 175 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4
* PATH LENGTH: 28 MILES (ESTIMATED)
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE
* FATALITIES: UNKNOWN
* INJURIES: UNKNOWN
* SUMMARY: A POTENTIALLY LONG-TRACK TORNADO WENT SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS CULLMAN COUNTY. SOME LIGHT DAMAGE OCCURRED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF SMITH LAKE ALONG COUNTY ROAD (CR) 310. MORE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO THE NORTHEAST ALONG CR 222 AND ALONG CR 436 NEAR GRANDVIEW…WHERE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED TO SEVERAL RESIDENCES AND NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK NORTHEAST TOWARD THE TOWN OF CULLMAN WHERE SOME OF THE WORST DAMAGE OCCURRED JUST NORTHEAST OF HIGHWAY 31 AND 278. SEVERAL SMALL RETAIL BUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED ALONG WITH NEAR TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A LARGE CHURCH. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ITS TRACK NORTHEAST CROSSING HIGHWAY 157 THEN CREATING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 69 BETWEEN SIMCOE AND PLEASANT VIEW. JUST NORTH OF FAIRVIEW ALONG CR 1559 AND CR 1564…TWO HOMES WERE DESTROYED WITH SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF THE HOMES NOT FOUND. FURTHER NORTHEAST ALONG CR 1589…MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OLD (EARLY 1900S) HOMES AND NUMEROUS HARDWOOD TREES WERE DEBARKED. OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF CULLMAN… SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED IN A 1/4-1/2 MILE WIDE CORRIDOR NORTH OF HIGHWAY 69…BETWEEN FAIRVIEW AND THE CULLMAN/MORGAN COUNTY LINE.

SEGMENT #2: MORGAN COUNTY

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/27/11
* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 185 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4
* PATH LENGTH: 3 MILES (ESTIMATED)
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE
* FATALITIES: 0
* INJURIES: UNKNOWN
* SUMMARY: THE TORNADO CROSSED OUT OF CULLMAN COUNTY BRIEFLY INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST MORGAN COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF HULACO. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED BETWEEN HYATT BOTTOM ROAD AND BLOCKER ROAD…JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 67. SEVERAL CINDER BLOCK AND OLD CONSTRUCTION HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED AND SHEARED TOWARD THE BASE.

SEGMENT #3: MARSHALL COUNTY

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/27/10
* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 190 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4
* PATH LENGTH: 16 MILES (ESTIMATED)
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE
* FATALITIES: 5
* INJURIES: UNKNOWN
* SUMMARY: SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FROM A LONG TRACK TORNADO CONTINUED INTO NORTHWEST MARSHALL COUNTY. THE WORST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM THE MORGAN/MARSHALL COUNTY LINE…ALONG HOG JAW ROAD… NORTHEAST TO HIGHWAY 231 /ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF ARAB/.

ALONG HOG JAW ROAD…A LARGE STORAGE SHED WITH FARM EQUIPMENT WAS DESTROYED WITH SOME OF THE LARGE MACHINERY TOSSED 10 TO 20 YARDS AROUND THE SHED. MOUNT OAK AND FRONTIER ROAD WERE HARDEST HIT WHERE A CINDER BLOCK/CEMENT HOME WAS NEARLY WIPED CLEAN. DEBRIS FROM THIS HOME WAS THROWN ABOUT 50-100 YARDS AWAY. A TRAILER WAS MISSING AND A METAL BOLTED GARAGE WAS WIPED CLEAN OF ITS FOUNDATION.

ALONG FRONTIER ROAD…A LARGE BRICK HOME WAS NEARLY WIPED CLEAN OFF ITS FOUNDATION WITH SEVERAL LARGE TREES RIPPED OUT OF THE GROUND AND MISSING. FURTHER NORTHEAST ALONG THE PATH…ALONG WALNUT RIDGE…A ONE-STORY HOME WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH THE ROOF MISSING AND A TRAILER THAT WAS TOSSED INTO A TREE. SEVERAL CONCRETE POWER POLES WERE BENT OVER AS THE TORNADO CROSSED HWY 231…SOME BENT AT THE BASE. ON THE EAST SIDE OF HWY 231…A JET PEP GAS STATION BUILDING WAS COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED AND TWO GAS PUMPS WERE RIPPED FROM THE GROUND AND MISSING. THE CANOPY OVER THE PUMPS REMAINED MOSTLY INTACT.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TOWARD UNION GROVE. THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE WEAKENED SOMEWHAT BUT SEVERAL HOMES HAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WHERE THE TOP STORIES AND ROOFS WERE DESTROYED ALONG WITH SOME EXTERNAL WALLS COLLAPSED. ALONG COUNTY ROAD 240…A DOUBLE WIDE MANUFACTURED HOME WAS DESTROYED AND LARGE GARAGE COLLAPSED BUT THE WELL-BUILT ROOF REMAINED INTACT.

THE TORNADO THEN SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED AS IT CROSSED THE TENNESSEE RIVER. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER…THE TORNADO SNAPPED AND UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES AS IT CROSSED WALKER ROAD AND JUST ACROSS HWY 431 BEFORE FINALLY LIFTING JUST NORTHEAST OF 431.

I feel truly blessed to be sitting here in the comfort of my own home writing this for everyone to read.

Springtime Yardwork

2011-04-16T00:20:00.000-05:00

My little helper has a helper of her own. Christina and Molly hard at work.

The Sallie Howard Memorial Baptist Church

2011-03-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe but here it is. A church that is built around a rock. It's really pretty amazing when viewed from the inside. At first sight you cant even tell that there is a rock in the rear of the building.

After a friend suggested a visit I just couldn't resist a chance to see it with my own eyes. Although I have visited another church built in a rock near Sedona AZ, this one has a more down home feel about it.

The second most interesting thing about this church are the door hinges. They are sorta creepy in a religious kinda way. I have installed quite a few doors in my time but never with hinges like these. In retrospect they do add quite a bit of character to the door.

I poked around and found some really good info on the church as well as the founder. I will add the link so that inquiring minds can save a little time. If you find yourself in the area stop in and see it for yourself. I drove past it twice because I was looking for the boulder which is difficult to see from the road.

This is a nice place to stop and sit-a-spell.

Howards Chapel

Milford W. Howard Memorial

2011-03-29T21:28:00.001-05:00

A good friend of mine had told me about this little church in the Mentone area and said it was a must see. He was right, it' definitely worth seeing and the story behind this memorial is pretty interesting too.

According to Wikipedia:Howard was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Populist in 1894. He was reelected in 1896 but did not seek another term in 1898. Howard returned to his hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama to practice law. He moved to California in 1918 to pursue literary efforts, and worked briefly in the silent movie business. In 1934, he was one of the editors of The Awakener. Following his death in Los Angeles, his cremated remains were interred, along with those of his first wife, in a large rock, into which the Sallie Howard Chapel, a memorial to his first wife near Mentone, Alabama, was built.

Photo's of the church in the next post.

Yonder Sign

2011-03-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

Thither: to or toward that place.

Yon: yonder

Yonder (Merriam Webster): at or in that indicated more or less distant place usually within sight.

Hither: to this place.

Yonder (my country friend at the paper mill): Anywhere in the direction that one is a pointing or talking about. I cant resist, here is an example: When them hawgs commenced to piling out of them there trails a headed this-a-way, I climbed all the way up yonder! That's how I come to have treebark underneath my toenails!

And now you know...

Sunshine on a Stick

2011-03-24T21:30:00.000-05:00

I saw this and could not resist snapping a few pics. There were 40-50 of these blooming all along the paved path. I take hundreds of pictures of flowers and plants every year. I just choose not to bore you with them all. Every now and then one will get thrown on here just as a reminder to stop and smell the flora.

Although I haven't the faintest idea what type of flower this is, it makes no difference. There are very few things that I photograph that don't spark an interest to investigate all things associated with the particular subject. I suppose the research is what I enjoy more times than not. Flowers and common plant life are let's just say I can take them or leave them.

Sure I love that they brightened a garden or walking path or remote trail along a small creek but I don't care to learn about them. I merely enjoy the beauty that they broadcast and take plant life for face value.

A horticulturalist I'm not. Merely a flora spectator.

BBQ Lottery

2011-03-20T21:29:00.002-05:00

At first I thought that this was a large BBQ grill. With the odd shape and thick metal it would seem to fit the bill. Then after a closer inspection I changed my mind. Just look at the large crank on the side. That's for rolling all of those balls around and the padlock on the front insures that someone doesn't tamper with or remove any balls.

This may be the only multi-tasking grill known to man. I'm really not sure exactly what it is but it's bullet proof!

Catch A Falling Star

2011-03-12T00:31:00.000-06:00

The sun was almost set when when this this streak of light appeared. This was the actual color of the trail, no post processing needed.

Local Flooding

2011-03-09T18:55:00.000-06:00

I took these a couple of weeks ago on HWY 11 between Springville and Ashville AL. Every couple of years the creek rises into the surrounding pastures. This year I decided to shoot with my tripod instead of just pulling over and firing off several shots before making a quick exit.

Three things happened while I was on the bridge doing this. Several vehicles passed with their horns blowing. I was able to achieve some great shots in the less than ideal lighting situation. I was able to slow down and enjoy myself.

What would be considered a good indication that your yard has received to much rain? Ducks! Yes, the ducks that appear in the last picture are not locals!

Puppy Love

2011-03-02T01:09:00.001-06:00

Watching as my daughter runs around playing with her new puppy takes me back to when I was her age and begging for a dog. My parents finally succumbed to the pathetic whining and endless groveling for a dog.

The next day we were off to the pound. The whole family fell in love with what appeared to be a German Shepard and Collie mix. All the way home we tried to decide on a name and then mom or dad came up with the keeper. What about "Sugar". Well let's see, she's sweet and cuddly and she loved licking our faces or in dog speak "giving sugar".

I don't think an 11 year old boy could ask for anything better. The dog would follow my brothers and I everywhere. When the bikes got parked and we ran in for a drink or lunch, she would sleep with her nose between the spokes or her head would lay against a tire. There was no leaving this dog behind.

When she had puppies it was magical. We got to bring all them into the house for 3-4 weeks and watch as they grew right before our eye's. Eventually all of the puppies found new homes except one, "Sugar Plum". My dads favorite out of the litter. It was the runt and was always hungry. I think that's why the old man took a liking to it.

I have had many dogs since and none of them could compare to Sugar. I hope that's the feeling that Christina will be left with when she's all grown up and has a few kids begging for a dog that they promise to feed, water and take care of forever. I really hope I live long enough to say "every kid needs a dog, especially an ankle biter that will treat your home as their potty and live to be 19 1/2 years old!"

ATV Sunset

2011-02-28T19:30:00.002-06:00

I spotted the line of clouds during the sunset and thought this would make for a good screen saver. After taking several pictures I noticed something about the undisturbed layer of thin ice upon 2 inches of snow. It wasn't undisturbed after all.

One set of ATV tracks ran through this field. No return tracks and the one's that were there went completely out of sight after about 400 yards. I wonder where they could have came from or been going. I drove along side this field until I lost the tracks in a ravine. I was really hoping to capture some pictures with riders in them. A little late this time.

I suppose it adds a little something to the photo.

Giant Snowdrift

2011-02-22T16:19:00.000-06:00

It's true that the south has gotten a lot of snow this year, just look at this house buried under a huge snow drift. Almost unbelievable isn't? It should be, this house is built underground!

At first glance you are thinking why didn't he just go all the way underground and not have that exposed roof. That would just mean that there is that much more grass to mow! Just think how easy the gutters are to clean.

Yep, someone was thinking ahead.

Golden Pole Barns

2011-02-21T16:23:00.000-06:00

While driving around looking for the next great blog post and picture, these barns caught my eye. Just a couple of old pole barns but the way that the evening sun cast a golden glow on them was just to much to pass up.

One of the first pole barns that I recall seeing or walking in was located in Trussville, AL. My family lived on a small farm that grew produce. The best I can recall it was between 60-70 acres and supported 4 separate families. I had no idea what a sharecropper was at the time but that's what we were.

A typical day on the little farm started with a bowl of grits with sugar and butter. After breakfast around daylight it was off to the barn. Everyone would meet there and have coffee. After 15-20 minutes of shooting the bull everyone would disburse and start the day. My dad was over logistics at the time.

Let me define logistics in the mid-seventies. After he and another fellow would load the delivery truck with produce (the truck was a 1965 fleet side Chevy, maroon with a white stripe) he would head to town. Two doors down from the Western Auto was the ice house. This was a building chock full of amazement for a 7 year old boy who didn't know what air conditioning or a freezer was.

Dad would back the truck up to the building and get out for a "1. quick visit" with the older black gentleman who would always ask if we needed some coffee with a voice that sounded like a lifelong smoker of Pall Mall's. Quintessential coolness that could only be delivered by an old black man who loved his family, friends and my father. Long before the greeting "2.SUP", there was "3. Morning, ya'll care for some coffee to warm up yore ol'bones?" I was taught how to respect someone and how to earn the respect of others at an early age.

While dad was enjoying a cup of hot coffee I would walk behind Leu (yes, that's what my dad called him) as he prepared the large blocks of ice. First we would walk into the cold storage room with a huge pair of ice tongs. I would pick out a good'n as he would say, 4 feet tall and 12 inches square the best I can recall. Then he would drag it outside and lift it into a trough that was attached to what appeared to be a limb chipper or shredder.

The ice trough was on an incline and when the shredder was started the ice block would slide into the blades by gravity. There was a chute attached and he would let me spread the ice over the produce by swinging the chute from side to side. After the block of ice was gone it was off to every grocery store within 30 miles or so.

We would back the truck up to the loading dock, get out and ask the produce manager how much he wanted. Reach into the ice and pull out bundle after bundle of greens and then go stock the case with them. It didn't get any fresher than that! After all of the deliveries were made it was back to the pole barn by lunch. After lunch it was back to work until 5:00 or 6:00 pm.

One summer afternoon I can remember riding my bike past the barn and everyone was standing in front of the long sinks that were filled with water and greens. An assembly line you might say. Load them in and pass them down. Into the next sink and pass them down. Until they were completely void of any contaminants.

There was an old am radio hanging by a piece of rope. I have heard a lot of classic country music come out of that thing although at the time it wasn't classic it was current. The one song that I can vividly recall while standing barefooted in the middle of a dirt road with my old trusty Schwinn bicycle between my legs was John Denver singing "Thank God I'm A Country Boy".

I remember how the long shadows were created by the late afternoon golden sunlight. The sunshine glistened off of the tractor and old pickups parked in and around the barn. I can almost smell the dusty road and diesel fuel that lingered in the air. The five different conversations going on at one time along with an abundance of laughter while everyone worked is something I hope not to ever forget.

1. With my father there was no such thing!

2. Greeting used by teens that means "what's up my homey's".

3.This phrase translates to " good morning ya'll, care for some coffee to warm your old bones?".

Ice Mountain Sunset

2011-02-18T16:28:00.000-06:00

I set out one afternoon to get a few sunset pics that contained snow that had recently fallen. Driving across a mountain near my home This opportunity presented itself. When I stepped from the vehicle all that I could think of was how the next few photos would look as my desktop background.

Yes, they made for some really great backgrounds!

When The Snow Comes

2011-01-15T13:52:00.001-06:00

Redneck kids riding a "Spring Air Pillow Top" sled.

Sonya is having fun in the driveway.

Jeff during a massive crash going somewhere around 30 mph.

I caught this photo of my sister "Ginger" prior to her wipe out.

To receive 4-6 inches of snow here in Alabama is not typical for us. This year we have had 2 snows and are secretly wishing for another. Although the roads are shutdown and every store is sold completely out of bread and milk it's still fun.

The sledding day pictured above was great. The little hill on the road to my house proved to be the spot for the neighbor kids and adults to gather and challenge one another in distance as well as agility.

As you can see above the kids won out!

World's Best Snowcones

2011-01-13T22:31:00.001-06:00

The above photos are what happens when 2 kids go out in 5" of snow with the intention to fill plastic cups with snow in order to have real snow cones. I asked both of them if the real thing was better than the ice shaving machine that we have and the unanimous decision was the real snow made the BEST snow cones in the world!

Yes, it's that good!

Sweet Annies Grocery And Deli

2011-01-06T00:49:00.000-06:00

This must see destination located in beautiful downtown Massey AL. Uhmm... downtown is a stretch, downtown is actually pictured above. This place has a nice down home feel to it, somewhat Mayberryish. The only thing missing is a "do drop in" sign.

On The Menu This Year: Sushi

2011-01-01T21:48:00.000-06:00

This would be my family's first attempt at making Sushi. No, it's not pretty but boy did it taste great. I know at this point several of my regular (by that I mean friends who feel sorry for me) readers are thinking I've lost my mind. Stay with me a few more minutes here. I will attempt to make this an interesting topic.

I will start by telling you what you are seeing in the picture above. On the far left is sliced Ginger root. The green stuff to the right of that is Wasabi paste. That is Japanese horseradish ground up and turned into a paste. The expression "A little dab will do ya" is key here. This stuff will blow your head off!

Next is the actual Sushi itself. The outside layer is nori or seaweed. Then there is rice and in the center is cucumber, avocado and salmon. It may not sound or even look that appealing (in my picture anyway) but you have got to try it once before throwing the idea totally out of the window.

In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegary rice as a way of making it last. The nori (seaweed) was added later as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky. Sticky just might be an understatement for this rice.

We made more last night and used tuna also. After looking back I really wished I would have gotten my camera out and snapped a few shots. It looks a lot better than the one I have included here. Who knows I might even do a second post on this stuff.

Try something new this year!

New Years "Show"

2011-01-01T13:52:00.002-06:00

The guys working at ground zero. It's amazing that no one has gotten hurt.

Unfortunately there was a tree in my first vantage point.

The ground crew making it happen

This is my favorite photo while under the trees.

After moving away from the tree's I managed to get this shot.

This year my family and I received an invitation to "The Show." Several friends in town get together every year and participate in a New Years Fireworks celebration that is pretty darn good to say the least.

The rain had the show postponed. It was scheduled for 8:00 PM but it was raining at that time. After reviewing the weather channel "The Show" was to start shortly before midnight.

After setting my tripod up on the lower deck and taking about 100 pictures I decided to look at one. Ugggghhh...(add the adjective of your choice here) TREE LIMB!!!! I was unable to see them in the total dark but when you added that big flash behind them, well it was disappointing.

I hustled down the steps and out to the yard. The big one's were being sent up and my tripod was not even setup. After fumbling with the camera settings and then trying to lock on the the point where the explosions were happening it was almost over.

I managed to get a couple of keepers but it was a very good learning experience for me. Fireworks are pretty when viewed from afar not while standing 40 yards from the launch site. Your neck hurts from looking straight up for thirty minutes.

Here is a little secret about taking photo's of fireworks that most people don't know. When there is 3 or 4 pretty bursts in the picture they, more than likely were taken as singles then added together into one shot. I posted one that has several bursts in it and didn't do any post work at all. Just got lucky.

The shot's that I liked this year were of the ground crew. I especially liked it when one of the sky bombs fell over and exploded on the ground. I had a shot of it as I was running backwards. The shot was awful but the moment was very exciting!

There is talk of adding a sound track next year.

Happy New Year!

Streaking West On Main

2010-12-27T09:02:00.002-06:00

I set my tripod up in front of a furniture store and directed my lens toward the west in hopes of getting those perfect headlight streaks and star bursts around all of the lights.

The top photo was achieved by selecting a faster shutter speed and what you would typically see when shooting in auto mode. The second one was taken after I slowed the shutter speed down and lengthened the exposure to 5 seconds. That's why the headlights or tailights leave cool looking streaks. There is a term called painting with light and it looks something like this. Different but the same.

I think that this little experiment was a success and a failure at the same time, here's why: The success came after looking at all of the photos in a set and finding that most were pretty good, meaning no camera shake issues. This is important when shooting in low light or dark places. The failure was the actual location I chose for the light streaks.

note to self: don't attempt streaking in a congested traffic light area.

A White Christmas In Alabama

2010-12-25T22:06:00.004-06:00

Around 8:00 am this morning it started to snow, somewhat. One of those that will usually last about an hour and cover all of the deck furniture with a light dusting of the pretty white stuff. Around lunch it appeared that there may be a reason to rush out and purchase every gallon of milk and every loaf of bread in this county.

I may need to elaborate for those readers who aren't familiar with the snow days in Bama. If there is a threat of a "light dusting," The whole state will be void of milk and bread.

The local news stated that this was the first white Christmas on record. 1 inch or greater accumulation, so I'm told. I can remember playing in 3-4 inches of snow in 1976. I always thought that it was on Christmas day but at nine years of age I could have been mistaken.

What a great Christmas Day we had. My best calculation was 2 inches of snow. How did I arrive at this number you ask? I walked out on my deck, jammed my index finger (up to the second knuckle which happens to be 2") into the fresh snow that had fallen onto my glass table.

The Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T21:45:00.000-06:00

The kid pictured above once asked me in a frightened voice "Is Santa coming into our house, at night, while I'm sleeping?"

My reply, "Uhhh...yes but he will be dropping off gifts under the tree."

In her scared little voice she asked "Can he leave them on the front steps?"

Mountain Star Mall

2010-12-18T06:26:00.000-06:00

After thinking about this photograph awhile I decided that it's appeal was slightly different than most. It reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting or from that era anyway. I took the liberty of adding a a link to Mr. Rockwell's autobiography. It's short and worth reading.

Although I wasn't able to make it in the store before it closed it looked quite interesting.

Grand Opening

2010-12-15T18:04:00.000-06:00

The temperature was around 30°F and dropping on the evening I decided to set up for this shot on Main Street in Rogersville TN. At first it seemed that everything was going my way and the triple exposure would turn out nicely. Camera and tripod in place I proceeded to make my final adjustments and hit the shutter button.

Just a minute... it seems that someone left the gate open and every vehicle in town was caught at the red light in front of me! I need 60 seconds to get this series of shots off and after more than ten minutes there was a break in traffic.

It wasn't until after the photographs were taken did I notice that their first day in business started at 11:00am that very same day. If they are still there next year I will drop off a print and grab a few more shots.

Springville Christmas Parade

2010-12-11T22:10:00.001-06:00

Group picture of the regulars every year with the addition of a couple of new friends.

Here is my take on the Christmas parade this year. Lots of floats and fire trucks but the big news is the addition of "Carny's"! I suppose someone decided that the otherwise dull event could stand some new excitement. I thought of a great Christmas title for a movie "Christmas With The Carny's"

I could go on and on with this but I will just sit back and keep it to my self. This has to be a first for a parade. I've seen cute kids selling hot chocolate and people making and selling funnel cakes but peddling cotton candy, plastic light sabre's and plastic guitars may be over the top.

It was a pretty good parade overall and I took a lot of picture's but I was more into socialising this year and the pics show it. Had a great time and some good hot chocolate while enjoying the company of my many friends. If you are 16 years old or less let me rephrase the last sentence for you. Hanging with my besties is the bomb-diggity!

OK, just so you don't leave thinking "the only thing I learned was Shane is quite sarcastic and judgemental these days, someone needs to pray for that boy!" Here is a fun fact for you. The word carny is thought to have become popularized around 1931 in North America, when it was first used to describe "one who works at a carnival." The word carnival, originally meaning a "time of merrymaking before Lent," came into use circa 1549.

Now you are smarter than when you first arrived here.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:30:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you are wondering about the turkey pictured above, it was delicious!

Indiana Round Bales

2010-11-06T10:50:00.006-05:00

The sun had just started to peek over the horizon with it's soft light hitting the freshly cut fields. This is absolutely the best time of the Day to photograph something outside in the Midwest. During my recent trip to Indiana I spotted what appeared to be a really nasty looking hay bale.

I then pulled off of the road for a closer look. Hay? No, it looks like corn stalks...It is corn stalks! I suppose a roll of corn stalks during a hay shortage caused by a widespread drought is not such a bad idea. The use of a what is considered a waste product, to feed livestock is a great idea.

Corn stalks and drought damaged corn are viable alternative feeds for cattle due to the poor pasture conditions and short hay supply, producers will need to seek this kind of feed alternative to make it through the winter.

I could not resist stopping the last afternoon I was there and taking a few photographs. Corn bales... Definitely a first for me.

Pumpkin Tracks

2010-10-23T23:12:00.003-05:00

This is the result of a successful pumpkin carving and a minor stumble at the top of the stairs.

Vacation Photo Book

2010-10-09T06:33:00.006-05:00

One year from the last self published book of genius comes another master piece of print. No I am not talking about a novel but a photo book for all ages. 362 days after my first attempt at a book comes this idea.

Do you remember the photo albums with the plastic sheet covering a picture? When you finally decided to take aunt Jenny out and have a copy of her printed and the photo was stuck to the (protective) plastic, ugghh!

I have several of these on my coffee table. Is it still called a coffee table? I try and stay in the loop but... Gotta stay focused here... Oh yea, I had the bright idea of putting all of the pictures from my vacations (which currently live in my hard drive) into a book so that my friends (not my real friends...you guys are the one's that read this) come over they can flip through and see a bunch of photo's with out getting finger prints all over them.

Now that I think about it, I really didn't come up with this idea. My friend Penny does this for her family and it's great. I dropped my daughter off for a scrapbooking session and one of the ladies told me that she enjoys "digital scrapbooking". I don't know if this qualifies as scrapping but it's close, unless you have a masculinity issue's in which caseit's nothing like scrapping.

There are several companies that do this including Shutterfly, Snapfish and Blurb. I choose to use Blurb because of the quality and the wide range of page layout options.

I found a review of photobooks online. It's really informative. At least with a photobook all of those pics hiding in your hard drive and on the SD cards can finally be seen by someone other than yourself.

Give it a try, you may find it to be fun.

"ScareCrutch"

2010-09-21T06:57:00.004-05:00

I would like to introduce the latest in fall fashion. Yes, it's a "ScareCrutch". Once this thing catches on everyone will have to have one to guard their peppers and other home grown commodities.

Flyby

2010-09-02T19:09:00.003-05:00

While parked at a scenic overlook I noticed a professional photographer setting up for "the" sunset photo. How could I tell he was a professional? He was traveling in an suv with several hi-end tripods, 3 Nikon camera's and a rather large assortment of lenses.

I actually saw this guy several times during the day and each time he had an intense look on his face. What does this have to do with a picture of a Raven? Hold tight I'm getting there.

After watching him drag most of his gear from the vehicle this Raven swooshed in and started walking around his setup. The man and his assistant reached very slowly into the back of the car and popped up with a camera that was not attached to a tripod.

It was amazing to watch this bird darting in and out of the legs of those tripods. When the assistant offered up a snack the camera guy was slipping around the front of the car trying for a decent shot when all of the sudden the camera shy bird decided it was time to make an exit.

I am sitting in my rental car watching and giggling when the Raven decided to do a flyby. I snatched my camera up to the window and managed to grab several shots as it passed by.

Yea I know it's just a common Raven but somehow I felt it was an accomplishment nonetheless. After stepping out of my car and taking several pictures while hand holding my camera, we were off to the next destination.

One of those days when being a tourist armed with a camera was alright by me.

Airport With A View

2010-08-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

I had a local in Sedona tell me that a photo opportunity awaited near the airport. He was right, this place has a heck of a view. Believe it or not, I was not the only photographer there.

I cropped most of the homes out of this shot so that the focus would be on the mountains. Believe me when I say that there was hundreds of them covering the valley's and draws. It's still a surprise at how many people live in the desert.

Oh, by the way, the first sentence is a joke. There are no locals in Sedona Arizona, just transplants.

Route 66 Visited

2010-08-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

This was taken in downtown Flagstaff Arizona. After sitting in traffic for 30 minutes due to some street improvements going on I stepped out of the car and started snapping a few pictures. I guess I got a few strange looks but it was worth it.

I was really trying to get the vintage sign in the shot and as it turned out the "Route 66" street sign was a bonus.

Modern Day Marvel

2010-08-24T18:30:00.005-05:00

This is taking multi-tasking a little to far. You would think for the $2.00 service fee that they would have equipped this modern day marvel with something other than some "John Wayne" toilet paper.

No Water Needed

2010-08-23T17:30:00.002-05:00

This photo was taken in the Arizona desert. After looking at it for awhile I decided that there was something that just wasn't right. I know you are probably thinking that the boat on top of the little SUV is strange or maybe that it has no motor or trolling motor attached. That's not it either.

He removed the spare tire and mounting rack. I started wondering if there might be a flood headed our way and a spare tire would be the least of our worries.

Mountains With A Large Crop

2010-08-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

While driving into Flagstaff this mountain range popped into view. Time to pull the rental over into a ditch and shoot some scenery. Words can hardly do these justice. The mountains not my photo.

After leaving 98°F temperature in Phoenix, the 66°F weather in Flagstaff was very nice. We are talking about a 2 hour drive due North! That is real snow up there. I probably need to get out of the south more often.

After looking at this photo it was decided that a heavy crop would be best to give you a feeling of the vastness of them. Yes I had to contend with power lines, passing cars and trucks, a couple of farm houses and one unattractive barn.

The large crop did away with most of those things and left a photograph worthy of my wall. With a camera that is capable of a 15mp or higher capture, you should be able to shoot wide and crop heavily in the post process, while maintaining enough clarity and detail for a great print.

Downtowner Motel

2010-08-18T13:46:00.002-05:00

After seeing this nostalgic sign high in the sky above Flagstaff, AZ. I just had to grab a couple of shots. There is something that really draws me to these old things and I can't quite put my finger on it.

I've heard them called "landscape litter" and "sky trash". But either way they are fun to photograph. One of the toughest things to do is take a clean photograph inside a city. By that I mean one that doesn't have power lines and such in it.

So the next time you find yourself passing through Flagstaff, look for this old sign. I doubt that the newly renovated inn has a room for $5.00 but pictures are free!

The Long Road To Somewhere

2010-08-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

This photo is a 6 picture stitch. That is when a person combines several photo's together into one. I have done this before with 3 shots of Vegas. That entry can be found here.

Most folks who practice this use a tripod. I highly recommend one also. Unfortunately mine was unable to attend this particular spot in the road. So, to try and get the best possible rest I could find I was forced to set my camera on top of the car and rotate it after every shot.

I know what you are thinking. "That actually works?" Yes, yes it does. Now keep this in mind, when you transfer all of these pics to ___________ (insert favorite stitching program here)there more than likely will be a lot of loss due to the alignment process. After that you will need to crop and make your final color adjustments.

This file in it's original form is a 882MB tiff file. Way to large for downloading to a blog. Due to the shape of the photograph after reducing the quality suffers a great deal, but it looks really good on my screen in a jpg file.

If you have not tried this there are several free downloads and one is made by Microsoft. The 2 that I've tried work really well. This one was made by using CS4. No excuses, just try it!

Amicacola Falls

2010-08-15T20:52:00.010-05:00

Appalachian Trail behind the visitors center

The upper parking deck

There is around 200 steps below this sign

Shot from the brige around the half way point

Shot from the very bottom of the falls

This was not my first visit to North Georgia but it was the most memorable. The weather was nice as well everyone we bumped into. A great place for a landscape or outdoor photog to visit.

I will give you a brief rundown on the smallish state park. Well on second thought I will just post a link where you can read the interesting history of the park and also find it's exact location.

The falls are 729 feet tall. There is a bridge that allows some great photo opportunities. I started my decent from the upper parking deck. When I made it all the way to the bottom of the falls my thighs had a minor burning sensation. The climb back to the top was anything but pleasant!
Who would have thought that walking 6" steps could hurt so badly?

The sign at the bridge states that there is 425 steps. I counted just over 600 to the lowest point of the falls. I will offer this advise for the casual hiker or the middle aged guy who "thinks" that the sign is a joke. On the drive up the mountain you will pass a sign that reads "3/10's mile to the bridge". Swallow your foolish pride and walk the paved path!

My family and I started the long climb to the top as a group. Less than half way up my wife turns to me and says she's worried about the kids running up to the top without us. 5 minutes later the kids yell from the top wanting to know if we are OK. After completing the ascent the kids(who have gotten bored from waiting so long) had to ask if there old man was feeling up to walking the 300 yards to the car.

This may very well be the first time they have ever seen me red faced without showing signs of anger. After an hour or so I was just slightly pink and feeling much better.

Located directly behind the visitors center is the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. If you decide to start here wear some light clothes and good boots.

Outside The Bun

2010-08-14T23:08:00.005-05:00

This is what makes an 11 year old different from us mature adults. They have the abilaty to think outside the bun!

Me: Hey, why did you do that? LOL!

Kid: Uh... because?

Me: Because... why?

Kid snickering: Because.

Me: No, really why would you do that?

Kid: I didn't want to open my sandwich up.

This was the conversation, really. I asked if I could take his picture and he held the sandwich up over his face until I walked away. I may have embarrassed him unintentionally but I just had to know why.

I've heard that there is something to be learned from everyone. I guess I learned that at 11 years old you really don't need a reason to do something. This would make a nice segue into a cute story from my childhood days but on second thought I will save it for another post.

Calm Before The Storm

2010-08-14T22:44:00.003-05:00

Early morning jitters have set in and the mental preparation will soon be tested. After standing for a second or two taking in the vast facility, these three set on a 10 hour test of endurance and self worth.

Summertime Spit Take

2010-06-02T20:00:00.006-05:00

This was the result after finding a deceased frog in the skimmer!

Who doesn't like a good spit take?

Experienced Trail Guide For Hire

2010-05-16T19:24:00.003-05:00

We arrived at a pivotal point on the trail in which the wrong decision could eventually lead to dehydration or worse yet, having to hike an additional mile. That was the moment when our trail guide stepped up and provided the group with her superb wisdom obtained from hours of trail experience. Although she has studied the Native American ways "reading sign" took on a whole new meaning.

Attitude, Got It!

2010-05-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Do you know the difference between a whiner and a winner!? ATTITUDE! Now suck it up and get back out there! Yeah, Yeah, the bleeding should stop soon. The grass will aid in the clotting, get out there NOW!

Pontoon Heaven

2010-05-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 24-105mm "L" lens, 1/60 sec, f/4.0, ISO 160

Pontoon heaven does exist!

Amazing Sunset In Big Canoe Georgia

2010-05-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 24-105mm "L" lens, 1/200 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100

This image was captured in the Georgia mountains near Big Canoe. I managed to take about 6 good shots before the sun disappeared behind the ridge. The way that the sunlight spread across the clouds was a challenge to photograph. More times than not the picture in your camera isn't exactly what you saw at that magic moment.

After some photo manipulation the results are to my liking. This was done by bracketing 3 photographs with different exposures and later combining all of them to pick up the details that are typically lost with just one exposure. Most DSLR's are capable of bracketing.

I get mixed reviews with this type of image. Some think that a picture should be as it was taken and others stare into it wondering what makes it so different. Personally I enjoy seeing the added detail in the shadows. Camera sensors are not able to adjust like our eyes can to enable details in dark area's. With bracketing you can lighten the shadows to obtain a surreal look and feel to the image.

That's how I like my sunset's.

Fly Over

2010-05-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 24-105mm "L" lens, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100

I know, I know, another bird shot. Seems I have redirected my mushroom fetish toward any species of flight. Ran across this one and it reminded me of a song. I searched the Internet for a song that was about "flying like a hawk". May be someone needs to write one.

The Hawk was flying about 50 foot above me in circles. My lens zoomed all the way out and this was the best I could come up with. Maybe next time I will have time to pop on a 200mm lens and get in a little closer.

I hope you are enjoying the haunting sounds of Millers synthesizer while reading this and thinking "man I will never get this song out of my head!"

AI Servo When On The Go

2010-05-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Seriously, when ever I ask this kid to smile or hold still for just a minute so that I can get a good shot, this is what happens! She is the reason I learned how to shoot on the run in AI Servo mode. What this means is that your camera will track the subject while maintaining focus, theoretically. After several weeks of owning an DSLR camera I finally broke down and read the owners manual. That was eye opening for a guy who had only owned a point and shoot and never read that manual either.

Almost every camera is equipped with this mode for shooting action shots. On the selective dial if your camera is so equipped there will be a symbol of a golfer or a little man running indicating sports or action. Instead of the a golfer they should put a little kid on there. Keep this in mind though. The flash typically wont fire in this mode.

I hope you have better luck than I did!

3 In The Evening

2010-05-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 70-200mm "L" lens, 1/640 sec, f/9.0, ISO 100

While looking through several hundred photo's from a recent trip I came across this one. I had actually forgotten about it. There are a couple of reasons that this one was chosen to post. First off I like that the wing position on the geese are all different. Second is the saturated sky during sunset.

I once read a blog post written by a very famous wildlife photographer who stated that photographing birds in flight was extremely hard to do. After several years of trying to accomplish this, I have come to the conclusion that he might just be right!

Most waterfowl (this is what I typically photograph) have extremely good vision and don't enjoy having a guy toting a camera trying to slip up on them. They have so many natural enemies it makes it very difficult to approach them within my camera range. By that I mean my lack of a 500-600mm zoom lens. Oh sure I've shopped for one. I considered making a purchase last week but decided that I would be better off with a used bass boat instead.

So for now all you guys get to see are the one's that see me first.

True Love

2010-04-30T19:26:00.005-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 24-105mm "L" lens, 1/60 sec, f/4.0, ISO 200

How do you know that this is true love? When your girlfriend defaces private property as a means to express her undying love for you.

When I first saw this I thought that she misspelled the actors name who had passed away month's earlier. After a brief chuckle I reverted back to the original thought of true love. Well for a couple of weeks anyway. To be 15 again!

Let's take this moment to reflect on this wonderful age.

Your parents pay for everything! Enough said!

Every act of creation is first an act of destruction. Pablo Picasso

Here's to you Heath Leder's ex girlfriend, the Picasso of the paint pen!

Cabelas, The World's Foremost Outfitter, Here?

2010-04-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken with my old P&S that I keep in my backpack for just this kind of occasion

OK, I am looking at my visitors on the FEEDJIT live counter located in the sidebar and noticed 2 hits from Sydney Nebraska. Isn't that the home of the outdoor superstore "Cabela's" which happens to be my favorite outdoor store. They landed on my site via the "Gander Mountain Pose" post. Is someone checking out the competition or may be looking for a male model that is capable of busting out a rugged pose at the drop of the hat.

The post was a joke guy's! Really, I don't even shop there, much. Besides their male models look to be a little feminine to me. Although I feel the most comfortable behind a camera and would be happy to do a few product shot's for you, I wouldn't be above busting a pose while wearing some your best apparel and top of the line gear. I could always use new clothing and outdoor supplies. I would make an FR1088 GLX Classic G.Loomis fly rod and a set of waders look good. Especially if I were allowed to take ownership upon my departure.

Looking for a manly model who's not afraid to wear clothing that doesn't really match in the outdoors or a photographer who will work for gear or gift certificate's, drop a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP.

If the person from Sydney was just an average someone who stumbled upon this gem of a blog, thanks for stopping by and come again. If you happen to know someone in the corporate office, be a pal and pass along this message.

My First Digital Pictures

2010-04-26T05:30:00.001-05:00

Armed with my first digital camera a Sony point and shoot with an amazing 5 mp capability, I set out to archive my life in digital prints. It was given to me as a Christmas gift from my wife in 2004. It was truly an amazing feat of technology. No more dropping off film and hoping for good pictures, now I could look at the 1.5 inch screen and make an adjustment.

I was hooked! There were a few issues that had to be worked out though. First one was what to do with all of those cool picture's that I was taking. Yep, just downloaded all of them onto my PC and hoped for the best. Second was how to view and edit them. I knew nothing about software or image editing and had no one that I could ask. The learning curve was more like winding uphill road while riding shooter. You get the picture.

It was a long slow process downloading the picture's onto my PC and sometimes I would spend way to much time trying to find the folder that they were downloaded to. I quickly filled up the 80 gig hard drive, yes! you read that right! After the crash there was a major upgrade for the old girl and I was back to practicing my new favorite hobby.

I still use this camera on occasion and it really does perform well for what it is, a 6 year old point and shoot that cost $700.00 in 2004. Oh, that included the case, and an extra memory stick. The salesman told my wife that the 256MB stick was the biggest they offered at the time. I can fill up a 4GB card while doing one session now!

Taking A Breather

2010-04-25T08:33:00.004-05:00

Canon 50D, Canon 70-200mm "L" lens, 1/100 sec, f/4.0, ISO 3200

I saw this gentleman taking a break at half-time and it appears that he was balancing his check book using his phone. The evening was overcast and pretty dark. The park lights were on and I just couldn't resist taking this as an experiment while shooting 3200 ISO.

When I shoot sporting events in the evenings I limit the ISO speed to 1600. Typically anything higher gets really grainy after cropping. On this evening I was in a hurry and forgot my monopod! _______(insert your favorite word of distress here), Hand holding in low light shooting sports is just about a waste of time for me. Every shot will have motion blur due to the slow shutter speeds needed to have the correct exposure.

When using a higher ISO speed you can get the shutter speed up. In the case above I jumped to 3200 just to check the quality of a hand held shot on a still object. This guy made an interesting object. Not a bad picture for what I had to work with. Equipment not the model.

Now for the real test. After shooting several pics of the players the shutter speed was not quite where it needed to be. I changed the setting to 6400 and hoped for the best. My shutter speed was hovering around 250 at this point and stopping the action was no longer a problem.

Although the quality was not great after doing a crop I was just happy to have the shots. I believe that if a monopod was used while shooting a high ISO speed most of the pictures would have been good not great.

The Gander Mountain Pose

2010-04-23T21:46:00.003-05:00

Anytime someone says to me "hey let me take your picture!" this is what happens!

Sorry, I just wanted to post a simple picture and a small caption and this is what I came up with. I hope you like it Scott!