wilco is paying attention...

It is amazing what treats can do for some dogs (actually most dogs).  Found out a good way to take pictures of Wilco.  Had Maci stand beside me with a handful of treats and give him one after every picture.  It was a win-win situation.  He got the treats and I got the picture.  Converted the image to black and white with a small sepia tint in Silver Efex Pro and used Aperture to burn in a little around the edges of Wilco to make him stand out.  Just trying to get some use out of the 75mm lens.

school girl...

Ok, this time I didn't buy a new lens, I rented one.  So I have six days to take as many pictures as I can with a 75mm lens for my Leica camera before I have to return it.  As soon as Sadi came in from school, I had her go to the back yard so I could take a few pictures while it was still light outside.  She definitely had the "school girl" look with her glasses and the blue and white pinstriped shirt.  The bokeh that the lens produces is very nice.  If you look real close you will see that her face in in focus, but the tip of her nose is out of focus.  At f/2.5, the lens has a thin focus plane.  I love this!  Looking forward to the next 5 days...

small steps...

Here lately I have been teaching too many Sunday School lessons to just keep on ignoring needs all around me...  That is how I felt today.  If you know me, especially if you go to my Sunday School class, you would know that I don't do well with approaching people in need.  My famous line to a lady who approached me one night at a local restaurant was "no thank you".  Why would you say "no thank you" to a person approaching you with a need!  Was she trying to sell me something?  No!  She was just asking or maybe even crying for help.  And my response was "no thank you"...

I still am not at a point where I can stop and "give" to every person sitting on the side of the road or standing on the corner asking for help.  But today I did something...  Thanks to a great friend who showed me, by example, how to take time out of my supposedly busy life and stop to see if there is a way to be a small part in meeting someone's needs.  If nothing else, I got to listen to this guy's story and meet a need both in his life and in mine.  After talking to him for a while, I couldn't resist.  I asked him if I could take a picture.  To me this picture represents my small step in looking for ways to share more of what I have when I see people that need it.

a lasting memory...

Sure seems like this picture was taken a long time ago...  Was looking at some of the pictures that we have around the house.  This is one that the girls and I took in May of 2004.  We snapped it downtown on the Saturday before Mother's day and had it printed and framed for them to give to Sherri for Mother's Day.  I would have to say that it has lasted longer than the box of chocolate covered strawberries that probably came with it...

view from a bridge...

Would have to say that taking pictures of landscapes is not one of my favorite things to do.  When I see landscapes, I usually am in a hurry and I always seem to think that I will come back some other day to get the picture.  Unfortunately, that day never seems to come.  Also, it is all about being in the right place during the right time of day.  The best pictures are at sunrise and sunset.  Sunrise is not necessarily my cup of tea (because I would rather be drinking coffee and watch the sunrise) and sunset seems to always get here before I get to where I want to be.  Sherri told me about this river (South Sulfur) passing under highway 224 going from Commerce to Greenville.  Passed it several times, but just never noticed anything special.  Was coming back from Commerce on Saturday and thought I better at least try to get something worth keeping (mainly to let Sherri know that I was listening to her).  The light wasn't perfect, but it seemed to be good enough to get a picture.  Had to increase the contrast and saturation a little bit to darken the highlights.  The sky directly above the trees was washed out.  Almost appeared to be a haze in the sky.

wilco all grown up...

There once was a time when Wilco was easy to photograph.  Those days are long gone.  Now that he has more personality, I have ideas on some photographs that I want of him.  Well, all that I can say is these ideas are just a progress in work.  Along with that personality, came alot of speed and hyperactivity.  The photo below is the "it'll do for now version"...  He looks so calm and innocent.  This was truly a very short "moment in time"...

leaving summer behind...

Shot some macro photos today for an upcoming photo contest.  Fired off quite a few shots before I finally took this one.  Knew it was a keeper when I took it.  Wish it would have been the first one instead of the last...  Struggled alot with finding a good background.  After Sherri saw all of the things that I had set up and was using as the background, she pointed to a plate in the kitchen and said "why don't you just use this".  At first, I wasn't going to even try it because I knew how she would rub it in if I used that photo for the contest.  After I showed her the photo on the computer, I could already hear her gloating.  Oh well, look at it this way, we make a good team!!!

another sign...

For the most part, I will let this one speak for itself...  

Taken in Childress America at the old farmer's co-op.  Adjusted the color in Color Efex Pro.

sign...

This is a sign that is downtown Greenville.  Everybody that lives in Greenville has seen it.  However, it is hard to take a good picture of this sign.  There is an awning and power lines around it that clutter the picture.  While I was out taking pictures of buildings, I tried to get creative with this angle.  Took this one with the Leica M8 camera and boosted the color and contrast in Aperture and Color Efex Pro.  I think the white clouds add a great balance to the picture.