sunset (without the family)...

Was out in the field behind our backyard fence trying to take some test shots for a family photo at sunset.  I was taking most of my pictures with the sun behind my back trying to see how the golden light was reflecting off from the trees.  When I was done, I turned around and took a few shots of the sunset trying to get the Zeiss 35mm lens to flare on the M8 camera.  The flare seemed to partially work, got the starbust, and a little image artifact of the aperture blades.  I processed the image in Color Efex Pro and used a graduated neutral density filter to increase the orange from the top down.  I know this is opposite of a true sunset, but it seems to create an eerie feeling.  I had the aperture nearly wide open and most of the silhouettes are out of focus, but with silhouettes this doesn't seem to matter.  Looking forward to the family photo...

clean vs grunge...

Bought a strap for my Leica M8 camera a last week.  Ordered it from gordyscamerastraps.com and I would have to say that it is a great strap for a very reasonable price.  Used my E-P2 camera to take a picture using just window light and a gray background (the E-P2 is my go-to camera for shots like this).  Added some slight basic edits in Aperture.  Really liked how clean and sharp the picture was.  Today I downloaded the App Snapseed on my iPhone.  It is an App created by NIK and it seems to do the edits without degrading the picture.  The edit with Snapseed appears to be just the opposite of the original clean/sharp image.  It gives the M8 the nostalgic look that breathes Leica.  Not for sure which I really like better...  Maybe both...

the sign...

I have travelled I-30 from Greenville to DFW Airport more times than I can count. Almost every time that I make this trip, I see things that I wish I had time to stop and photograph.  If you know me, you would know that I always have my camera with me (at a minimum, my iPhone), so that is never the reason.  Usually the reason is that I am running late.  Every time that I pass this sign on the way home, I think about stopping.  Has the looks of an interesting area.  But I never seem to have time.  A few weeks ago I decided that it was time to stop.  I saw the sign and took the exit.  Realized almost immediately that the only thing interesting about the area was the sign.  It was on the edge of a riverbed and the grass was almost as tall as my Land Rover.  Because of the area, I wasn't about to get out of the car so I just crossed my fingers and headed towards the sign.  My worst fears were finding out that someone lived under the bridge (and didn't want me there) or running over a dead body in the tall grass.  Well, all of the fears disappeared when I got positioned and started taking pictures.  The sun was low, the light was golden and the sky was blue.  All of the "signs" were pointing to a great picture...