Photo Of The Day 01/18/09 - Mia & a 50mm, 1.4

Camera:  Pentax K20 50mm prime lens  ISO 800 Aperture f/1.7 Exposure 1/30 Lighting:  Light from 60 bulb on camera right with some added backlighting from window

If you listen to the podcast, This Week In Photography (TWIP), you know they recommend everyone get a fast 50mm lens.  I got mine this past summer.  If you read my original POTD post you know that I chose it to be the only lens I use for my POTD photos.  I thought the fact that it is a prime lens and I can only zoom by moving my feet would make me work a little harder to compose a good photo and hopefully help me improve by adding that restriction.  We shall see at the end of the year.

Continue reading after the break for more details.

I also knew that having an aperture of 1.4 on this lens would be a huge help and offer a lot of flexibility.  This photo of Mia is a great example of that.  This photo was taken indoors, the only light is what you see coming in the window behind Mia and a 60 bulb to the camera right.  Yes, I cranked up the ISO to 800, but that is not out of a typical range and because of the shake reduction built into my Pentax K20D, I am able to hand hold the camera at 1/30 of a second shutter speed.  But being able to have the aperture wide open, letting in bucket fulls of light really adds a ton of possibilities.  And I did not even have the aperture at 1.4, I dropped it down to 1.7.  Probably not a huge difference, but I think it helps with sharpness a tad.

Because I am a visual learner, I added some images to help demonstrate the difference in aperture.  The first lens sports an aperture of 3.5, still somewhat big.  But compare that to my 50mm wide open at 1.4.  I think the difference is apparent.  Just imagine how much more light can pass through the 50mm.

Of course with such a wide open aperture comes other added complexities, such as a smaller depth of field for focusing, but we will get into that on another day.

See the rest of my Photo Of The Day posts here or just look at the photos on Flickr

Thanks for reading my ramblings, and here is another photo of Mia, just because she is so darn cute!

Photo Of The Day 01/17/09 - Bundled up for ice cream

In October 2008 the Vaughn girls, Olivia and Mia's best friends and neighbors moved to Wenatchee, Washington.  We have been able to keep in touch with Jaeda & Britt through the magic of technology with Skype, email, and such.  However, there is nothing like actual playing together.  Especially for young children.  This weekend their mom had to come in town for work and she brought the girls for a surprise visit.  Well it was not a surprise for Jennifer and me, fortunately.

For the rest of the story and more photos, continue reading after the break.

When the girls showed up, Mia and I were the only ones home.  Mia is sooo cool.  When Jaeda and Britt came in she was very smooth.  She was happy to see them, but acted like she just saw them last week and would see them next week.  While we waited for Olivia to come home, Mia talked Jaeda & Britt into playing a little Mario Kart - Wii.

Olivia, was much more explosive.  She did the typical scream, jump, hug and yell.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.

Since Debra came to St. Louis for work, we got the girls for the whole day!  We only hoped it would be enough time.  The day started with typical talking, playing and catching up.  There was a lot of Nintendo DS playing by the older girls, while the younger ones went out to swing.  I only had my BlackBerry and that camera sucks, so I went with my newest fascination, BlackBerry flipping.

After lunch we had to get out of the house.  We looked into bowling and ice skating, but the timing did not workout.  Instead we decided to go to walk to a park and then to the Loop to rent a movie.  It was a little chilly, so we had to bundle up, but nothing could stop the girls from showing their affection for each other.  I was able to grab a photo of Mia and Britt walking together, holding hands.  Olivia and Jaeda were also snuggled close together with their arms locked, singing, talking and laughing.  Unfortunately, they did not want to have their picture taken.  It is really too bad, because it was the sweetest thing I have seen in quite a long time.  Two friends, really enjoying their time together.  Fortunately at the park, they let me get a couple photos.

After about an hour at the park we walked the rest of the way to the Loop to rent a movie.  Somehow the girls talked me into getting ice cream.  Sure, why not?  Ice cream is great when it is 40 degrees.  It was a good thing though, because that is when I got my favorite photo of the day.  Little Britt enjoying her ice cream, all bundled up.  I think the colors are great with the red background, although I think the composition could be a little more interessting if Britt was moved to the right side of the photo.  Probably something I can use cropping to improve.

Camera:  Pentax K20 50mm prime lens  ISO 400 Aperture f/2.4 Exposure 1/45

Lighting:  A giant window behind the camera with the store's lighting

See the rest of my Photo Of The Day posts here or just look at the photos on Flickr.  Or see all of my Flickr photos.

Photo Of The Day 01/15/09 - Mia Underwater

I have missed the past three days due to life.  I was not sure about today until I was helping Mia with her bath and she wanted to get her hair wet all by herself, a common theme with Mia.   She wanted to know if it was ok that she kept her eyes closed, because she did not like water in them.

Nothing else fancy about the photo, it pretty much is what it is.  I did a bit of color correction and other minor adjustments in Lightroom.

Camera:  Pentax K20 50mm prime lens  ISO 400 Aperture f/2.0 Exposure 1/30

Lighting:  Tungsten light fixture bouncing off yellow walls & white tiles.

See the rest of my Photo Of The Day posts here or just look at the photos on Flickr

Life gets in the way...

Unfortunately being a dad has gotten in the way of shooting. I have not been able to make the time in the evening to make any photographs. Plus at work I have been so busy that I don't have tome to stop and make any photographs. Life is getting in the way. I don't expect to have time today either, but I think I might take my camera, just in case. Yesterday on the way to a meeting I saw a bunch of geese that would have been a pretty cool subject, but I did not have my camera. Lesson learned.

Photo Of The Day 01/04/09

My choice today is not so much because it is a great photo, but because my dog rarely stays still long enough to get a good photo.  Today, however, while at the park Lily saw a family leaving their house and getting into a car.  She stopped and watched.  The funny think is the house was about 100 yards away.  Oh well, she was still.

Camera:  Pentax K20 50mm prime lens  ISO 200 Aperture f/2  Exposure 1/3000

I was not sure I was going to get a good photo today while we were out walking because it was so cold.  Once at the park I got a couple of the wall at the playground.  I like the simplicity and texture of the small square, and thought the corner would make a good photograph, but just did not get it.  On the way home, I saw the light coming through the Dutch elm tree that is over our yard.  Some day I will figure out a formula that makes the sun coming through a tree a good shot.  Just not today.  Below are my "Runner Up" shots.  Did I make the right choice?

Tomorrow I have a plan for a set up photo.  Time to play with my lights.