OJ Photography

Fusbol Girl - Faces of Brazil

2012-01-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

This shy, young lady seemed to really enjoy herself at youth camp this past summer. Here she's enjoying some friendly competition at the fusbol table.

QuickTip - Batch Renaming in Mac OSX

2011-12-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

Batch renaming files should be one of the easiest operations to perform in the Mac file system, yet it is seemingly a non-existent feature. Thankfully, there is an easy way to enable this service.

It really is quite easy to do via Mac's "Automator" App that comes with every Mac.

To start, open the Automator App and select "Service" on the initial pop-up choice list.

After this, you can add any number of automated services. For our project, in the left-hand column under "library" choose "Files and Folders." Now a second column will appear with more choices. From this list, drag and drop "Get selected Finder Items" to the main workspace. Follow this with the "Rename Finder Items" option.

Rather than try to walk you through each step, let me show you a screen shot of the options you should change:

By clicking "Show this action when the workflow runs" you will be able to make any changes in a pop-up dialogue when you run the action.

Hit "save" and enter the title, "rename."

That's all!

Now, in finder, navigate to a folder of photos that you would like to batch-rename. Select the desired photos and right click on them. At the bottom of the context menu you will see a new option, "Rename" select that, enter your new file name, and your finished!

What about you, have you found an easier way to perform this action?

Stopping By . . .

2011-10-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here in Brasil, we have been treated to so many new birds of all kinds! This Swallow-Tailed Hummingbird is just one of the many interesting birds whose visits we have been enjoying recently.

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Quote of the Day:
"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
- Chinese Proverb

High Key Portrait from the Archives - Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Linking this WW with:

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Quote of the Day:
Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.
- Winston Churchill

Lucas - Faces of Brazil

2011-08-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

This boy is one of our neighbors here on our street. Although he came to our Vacation Bible School, he does not usually attend our church and I don't believe that he regularly goes to any church.

One of the blessings of living in where we do is that we are constantly surrounded by our mission-field. The idea of communicating with our neighbors like Lucas, is a huge motivational force for me to learn the language quickly.

Friendly Camper - Faces of Brazil - Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

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Quote of the Day:

If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age.
- George Burns

The Brasilian Pastime - Futebol

2011-06-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Anywhere you go here in Brasil, you'll see kids playing futebol (soccer). The amazing thing is to watch them play without shoes in the unpaved road or in a rocky field! I wouldn't last a minute; I'm bad enough even when wearing shoes. Everyone here has grown up playing like this and so they can control the ball as deftly with their feet as most people could with their hands!

I have played with them some - fun but humiliating!

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Quote of the Day:
The Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, and the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.
- Anson Dorrance (Head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina. ...Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championships. - wikipedia)

J. P. - Faces of Brazil

2011-06-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

With our recent move to Brazil, I have not been able to post many photos. However, now I have a whole new array of subjects for photography.

This little boy is the son of a couple who go to our church here. We had an outdoor church fellowship yesterday and this guy was having a lot of fun playing in the dusty parking lot along with all the other kids. He is fully Brazilian, though his natural blond highlights are not common for people in this area. He is about the age of our son and so they get to play together after church.

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Quote of the Day:
Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, their lack of good fortunes or the quirks of fate. Everyone has within them the power to say, "This I am today, that I shall become tomorrow." The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds.
- Louis L'Amour (1908 - 1988)

Untimely Knight

2011-06-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is a scheduled post. It was written quite some time back, but I knew that with our move to Brazil, South America, my time for putting up new pictures would be quite limited.

Many of the kids in our neighborhood in NC just got new "Swords" and so you can only imagine the fierce battles that have been taking place. Here I got to capture one of the young "knights."

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Quote of the Day:

If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.
- Calvin (Bill Watterson)

Summer Weather is Here! - Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

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Quote of the Day:
“If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you.”
- Groucho Marx

I Heart Wind!

2011-04-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

Actually, I don't love the wind, but this week's theme at "i ♥ faces" is "wind" and we've had plenty of that this week here in North Carolina. However, the wind does make for some interesting portrait shots!

-----------------------Quote of the Day: Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.

— Louis L'Amour

Cowboy Hat - Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

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Quote of the Day:
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
-- Albert Einstein

Unique Family Portrait - Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday. To see other's wordless wednesday posts go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a rich widow.
- Evan Esar

Sincere - I Heart Faces

2011-04-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is the daughter of a close friend of mine. We were talking about my camera and so I fired this "sample shot" and I loved the way it turned out. Sometimes the best shots are those you're not prepared for.
One thing I appreciate this young lady is her love for Christ and her simple transparency.

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Quote of the Day:
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.”
- Marcel Proust

Looking In - Before and After

2011-03-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

This is a before and after of a recent photo of mine. As shown in the graphic, I used three textures by Shadow House Creation. I shoot RAW and then use Adobe Camera Raw with Photoshop Elements 9 for Mac.
For this photo I also used a B/W gradient map, boosting contrast. Then I used a slight warming gradient map on his skin, leaving the background a slightly cooler tone.

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Quote of the Day:

“Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.”
- Louis L'Amour

Little Girl's Sunny Portrait

2011-03-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

As I had my son at the park with some of our church friends' kids, I got to take a short series of pictures of this little girl. It was full sun and windy, but we had a great time!

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Quote of the Day:
Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas.
- Paula Poundstone

I Heart a Slice of Life

2011-03-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

This week the theme at "i ♥ faces"is "A Slice of Life." This picture is a good snapshot of a slice of my son's life. He just loves playing in the park; I think he'd live in the park if we'd let him!

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Quote of the Day:

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
- Mark Twain

A Day at the Park and a Train Ride!

2011-03-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today I took my son to the local park. This is the largest park in the area, and Johnathan had the time of his life!

There is one huge area which is divided up in three play areas for various age groups, and then a large swing-set as well!

He turned out to be quite a little dare-devil!

His favorite part was the train that takes passengers on a track around the entire park. He has always been fascinated by trains and he was just transfixed by this "real" passenger train.

Finally I broke down and let him take a ride! Ok, so that was actually the whole purpose of going to this park. It was all a surprise to him, and it was very rewarding for me to see how much he enjoyed it!

And we rode off into the sunset . . . Or however that goes!

Sugar Doughnuts! - Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

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Quote of the Day:

It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept.

- Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)

Sunset Kiss - I Heart Sun Flare

2011-03-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

This week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "Sun Flare." I love sun flare and and I love taking photos with sun flare in them.
Now, before you go and re-calibrate your monitor; yes, this photo is very defocused. I know it's a bit different style for me, but I like the way this one turned out. I think it's ok to take a shot like this as long as you meant to do it!

UPDATE: Thank you all so much! This photo earned 2nd place in Angie & Amy's pick for this contest!

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Quote of the Day:

I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'

- Jay Leno

Jumping Girl Montage

2011-03-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

I've posted a few photos of this girl already, but I thought I'd finish out with a montage of fun shots. We set up an area where she could jump while I took her mid-air portraits. We both had a great time!

Have a fun day!

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Quote of the Day:
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
- Emo Philips

Little L - Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:

When you are eight years old, nothing is any of your business.
- Lenny Bruce

I Heart Daydreaming!

2011-03-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

This week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "People's Choice" meaning that we get to choose our favorite photo to enter. I liked this one of this young girl. You may remember her, as I posted another photo of her a while back which you can see here.

-----------------------Quote of the Day: There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. - Mary Wilson Little

Just a Drop of Water . . . Macro Photography

2011-03-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Macro Water Drops!

I've wanted to tackle this type of photography for quite some time and finally got a little time for it recently. Basically, it is a macro shot of a drop of water hitting a pool of water. If you are satisfied with that explanation, then there is no reason to read on, just enjoy the photos.

The Setup: If you want the whole explanation of how I got these shots, here goes. I set a clear pan on a piece of bright red paper and filled it with water. Then I put another bright red paper eighteen inches above the pan and had a flash aimed at the paper from above. Finally, I used a bright blue background with another flash aimed at it. In this way, the water would reflect blue on the horizontal planes, and red on the vertical planes. These are not photoshopped, except that I converted them from Raw to Jpeg with Adobe Camera Raw with high contrast and clarity, also boosting the vibrancy and saturation. My camera sensor is needs to be cleaned so I did clone out some dust spots. Several shots are cropped slightly to realign the center.

   Technical: Shot with a Nikon 135mm F 2.8 with 60mm Extension Tube achieving Macro magnification. 1/200, F5.6, ISO 100. Strobist: YN560 strobe at 1:64 power on background and a Smith Victor slave flash 1:1 on the top color paper.

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Quote of the Day:
   "No one can "get" an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process."
   — Louis L'Amour

I Heart Toes!

2011-02-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

This week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "anything but a face." This photo of our daughter is from the archives, but I thought it would be great for this theme.

----------------------Quote of the day:   Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.   - Mark Twain

   All generalizations are false, including this one.
   - Mark Twain

How Right They Are! - Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Spinning at the Park

2011-02-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

This little girl had so much fun spinning in circles while I was trying to photograph her!

Unfortunately, just looking at this picture, or watching her going around, and around, and around, just makes me sick to my stomach. And so here is a shot of her that I like much better!

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Quote of the Day:
You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play.
- Warren Beatty

Sunset Portraits

2011-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight I took my son out to do some sunset portraits!

We started about half an hour before sunset, but it got dark fast!

He is quite a goof ball and doesn't need too much coaching for his poses. The hardest part is getting him to stay in one spot long enough to take a few photos. I'd take a few photos and then the moment I'd step over to adjust a flash, or change a setting on my camera, he'd be gone!

And one of his cheesy poses!

If you're interested in the Strobist information, here was my setup:
   All manual settings - ISO 800, F 5.6 - 8, 1/80 - 125
   Yongnuo 560 Speedlight - high and to the camera's left - Full Power shot through an Umbrella with a 1/2 CTO gel. Fired optically by the other flash.
   Cobra 240 Speedlight - On camera Right, even with my son - 1/2 power, full CTO Gel, triggered by Youngnuo RF602 radio triggers.

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Quote of the Day:
   “Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
   - Louis L'Amour

Don't Touch My M-n-M's - Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

Don't Touch My M&M's! - Wordless Wednesday

   Nikon D80; 50mm; 1/80; F 6.3; ISO800; Strobe Left bounced; Strobe Right-High bare

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:
   The future ain't what it used to be.
   - Yogi Berra

Watching the Big Game

2011-02-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Our family has always enjoyed curling up on the couch to watch a good football game together. There's just nothing more relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, than to drift off to a little nap while watching the game. This time, our daughter got the game to herself, and I must say that she looks quite relaxed!

   We sure hate to see the end of the football season! (Hopefully, our teams will do better next year!)

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Quote of the Day:
   A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.
   - Sir Winston Churchill

Two Years Old!

2011-02-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

My son just turned two! I can't believe how fast the time has flown! He is growing into such a handsome little man!
The day before his second birthday, I asked for just a few minutes of his precious time (he's so busy, you know) to take a few pictures to mark the historic date. Here is what I got:

So much fun!

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Quote of the Day:
“To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder.”
- Louis L'Amour

Baby Girl - Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:

Only a man who has learned much can fully appreciate his [own] ignorance.

Louis L'Amour

I Heart a Winter Wonderland

2011-01-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

This week we had the biggest snow fall that I remember having in North Carolina since 2003! Contrary to the title of this post, I really don't care for snow at all!

I did take Johnathan out to play in it for a little bit. He calls the snow, "bubbles" and enjoyed playing in it. I thought these photos would be perfect for this week's theme, "Winter Wonderland" over at "i ♥ faces"

And here are a few more, not to be included in the "i heart faces" competition, but just for the fun of it!

And here he you can almost hear him saying, "Come on Dad, hurry up and take the picture! I'm Cold!"

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Quote of the Day:
Imitation is the sincerest form of television.
- Fred Allen

Nikon Gifts - I Heart Smiles

2011-01-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

With some new camera gear my sister has plenty to smile about this year! With this weeks theme at "i ♥ faces" being, "smile" this was the first picture I thought of! There is a lot to smile about when you own a Nikon!

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Quote of the Day:

If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age.

- George Burns

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Thought of the Day:

If airports are so safe, why do they call the airport a terminal?

Staying Warm - Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

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Quote of the Day:

Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
- Unknown

Little K - I Heart Faces 2010

2010-12-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

I had a great time photographing all the kids at our Christmas gathering. This little girl is my wife's cousin's daughter and she had fun "hiding" from the camera while still wanting to have her photo taken. I'll try to post a lot more photos soon!

Entered in the photo contest at "i ♥ faces" as the "Best Face of 2010." Please go to their website to see more entries!

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Quote of the Day:

   “Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy."
   ~ Gretta Brooker Palmer

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Thought of the Day:

   "If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out."

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Remember, that Baby in the manger is The Creator and The Promised Messiah who came to be your Savior! He is now our Advocate in Heaven and will return as the Triumphant King!

Merry Christmas!

And have a great day with family!

Ok, if you thought my son looks a little young in these photos, you're right. We haven't opened our gifts yet this year so I decided to put up a few from last year.

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday - Blowing Dandelions!

2010-12-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Ellie-Mae Portrait

2010-12-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

When you hear the name, "Ellie-Mae" this is probably not the face that you expect to see. This is our neighbor's Pug and I just had to take her picture for this week's theme at "i ♥ faces."

She really is a great dog!

-----------------------Quote of the Day:
A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat.
- Louis L'Amour

Fall Portraits - Missionary Couple

2010-12-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time getting to know this couple. They have been in Brazil for a number of years and so we were able to pick their brains for a lot of information to help us in the preparations for our move there.

They were also so easy to photograph. Their love for each other is so evident, not only in these photos, but also their conduct with each other.

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Quote of the Day:
We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin

Ready or Not - Here Comes Winter!

2010-12-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

I am not ready for the cold weather - but it seems to be coming anyway! I guess that's another reason why God is moving us to Brazil; no more winters!

I took this picture of my nephew with my Nikkor 135mm F2.8; which must be used fully manually on all Nikon DSLR's. But it is such a sharp, crisp lens!

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Quote of the Day:

Someday we'll look back on this moment and plow into a parked car.

- Evan Davis

Young Boy

2010-11-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

I took a whole set of photos of this young boy. He had the most amazing eyes and we had a great time of fun and photos!

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Quote of the Day:
Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.
- Otto von Bismarck

Playing with Farm Animals

2010-11-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

I took this photo about six weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting it. We sure had fun taking these, perhaps I'll post more photos from this set in the future.

My Baby Girl

2010-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

My little baby girl is only a few days old in these photos. It seems she is changing everyday, so I may post more photos soon!

Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Colors - Mt Pisgah, NC

2010-11-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

We were able to go on a scenic drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville, NC down to Mount Pisgah. We had hoped to be there to see the best of the changing leaves and fall colors - we were not disappointed in the least!!!

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Quote of the Day:
A mistake is definite evidence that someone tried to do something!
- Dr. Danny Whetstone

Cell Phone Girl - Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

Just Me and My Doll

2010-10-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Old Fashioned Girl - Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:
It is a great ability to be able to conceal one's ability.
- Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I Heart Pink!

2010-10-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our daughter was born this week! Of course I have been busily taking hundreds of photos. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this week's theme over at "i ♥ faces" is "Pink"! I've been seeing a lot of pink this week!

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Quote of the Day:

“When love motivates the heart, there is no need for a list.”

- Nathan Deatrick

Getting Grandma at the Airport - PhotoStory

2010-10-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday we had the great adventure of picking up Johnathan’s Grandma (my Mother-in-Law, whom I love) and two of his Aunts from the airport. He was so excited! This was his first trip to the airport and he absolutely loved it!
Of course, he has often seen airplanes in the sky, but he’d never seen them taking off and landing this closely!

We were sure to arrive at the airport about forty-five minutes before grandma's plane arrived, so that we could go to "Overlook Park" and watch the planes!

Preparing for take off

And landing

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Joyful - Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:
Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, their lack of good fortunes or the quirks of fate. Everyone has within them the power to say, "This I am today, that I shall become tomorrow." The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds.
- Louis L'Amour (1908 - 1988)

Fall Roundup - Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays click here and here.

Macro Insects - Extension Tubes

2010-09-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

   Because today was such a nice day, and because it's been a long time since I've shot Macro photos, I decided to get out my Extension Tubes to convert my 200mm F2.8 lens into a Macro Lens. I use an inexpensive set of extension tubes that mounts between my camera body and the lens.
   As Wikipedia puts it, "The tube contains no optical elements; its sole purpose is to move the lens farther from the image plane. The farther away the lens is, the closer the focus, the greater the magnification . . ." For these shots I used about 60mm of extension resulting in considerable magnification and enjoyed experimenting with the different insects I found.
   Here are several samples from my shots today.

   I had a great time and was glad I took a few minutes to deviate from my standard photography style!

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Quote of the Day:

   I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
   - Noel Coward

My Doughnut Buddy

2010-09-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than enjoying a nice, Hot-n-Ready glazed doughnut, is sharing that experience with my little boy. I think he likes doughnuts almost as much as I do! I got him this hat from Krispy Kreme several days ago when we had several doughnuts there and he's been wearing the hat almost ever since!

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Quote of the Day:

Adventure is nothing but a romantic name name for trouble.

- Louis L'Amour

I Heart Smirks

2010-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at "i ♥ faces" is "Smirk." I recently took this photo and loved it but didn't know how to classify it. Then I realized that it would be perfect for this week's theme.

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Quote of the Day:
“To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder.”
- Louis L'Amour

Portrait from the Archives

2010-09-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

I've been cleaning the dust off my hard drive and getting things into shape. This cute little girl is my friends daughter, and when I ran across this picture I'd taken a year ago or so I just had to post it here for you.

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Quote of the Day:

Everybody hates me because I'm so universally liked.
- Peter de Vries

Visit to Boston - Photostory

2010-09-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

We recently had the opportunity visit a church and my cousins near Boston, MA. We enjoyed our time there so much and had a great time visiting downtown Boston!
On Friday night we went to the Quincy Market for supper!

The Quincy Market was built in 1826 to provide additional shopping space as an indoor pavilion for vendor stalls. The massive building was named in honor of Mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction and had it built, amazingly, without any tax or debt! (How politicians were different back then!) src: wikipedia

Quincy market as it appeared in 1830:

Today, the market has changed from grocery to gourmet/fast-food stalls. Both sides of the corridor are filled with the best food vendors in Boston! There are so many different choices here - absolutely amazing! I had the clam chowder and it was excellent!

Once you finally decide what you'd like to eat, the center dome of the Market provides an wonderful atmosphere to enjoy your meal!

Looking back outside, there are many new shops to visit.

And even the old-fashioned Farmer's Market!

As, it becomes darker, the beautiful Custom's House Tower stands at nearly 500ft and is viewable throughout the entire area.

Of course, no trip to Boston would be complete without a visit to the Boston Harbor!

We enjoyed our visit to Boston so much! I would definitely give it a hearty recommendation!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Summer Refreshment - Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

To see more Wordless Wednesdays click here and here.

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Quote of the Day:

When you are eight years old, nothing is any of your business.
- Lenny Bruce

Loving Summer! - Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

More wordless wednesdays here and here.

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Quote of the Day:

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.
- Aldous Huxley

I Heart Sunglasses!

2010-08-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

This week the challenge over at "i ♥ faces" is "Sunglasses."

Big G's Deli - Best Restaurant in Winslow Maine

2010-08-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

This week I had a great time as I went out to eat with some friends at Big G's Deli in Winslow, Maine!

You could easily drive right by this little restaurant if you weren't looking for it, but oh, what you'd be missing out on!

It's set up as a classic Deli with friendly staff and so many choices of Sandwiches. Their Claim-to-Fame is their freshly made, huge, gigantic, bread that they use to make their sandwiches!

I know this photo looks like an optical illusion, but it's not! The sandwiches really are this big! But, not only are the sandwiches enormous, the flavor is incredible! The fresh bread combine with the best ingredients to make a meal that is so good, you'll wish you could actually eat the entire sandwich!

After you have your Sandwich (or half-sandwich) and French Fries or Onion Rings (which were also the best I've had in a long, long time; make sure to order a gigantic whoopie pie or cinnamon roll! Again, so large you could split it four ways!

This is really a great place to take the entire family or spend time with friends!

But, be sure to keep your children close by your side, as warned by this sign posted near the counter!

What great food and a great experience! If you are ever driving on I-95 through Maine, I'd definitely recommend that you stop in at Big G's Deli in Winslow, Maine!

Ready for a New Day! - Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

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If living conditions don't stop improving in this country, we're going to run out of humble beginnings for our great men.
- Russell P. Askue

Brianna - Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

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Quote of the Day:
"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities."
- Aldous Huxley

Maranatha VBS 2010

2010-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

My home church just had their Vacation Bible School! I was able to get some time to take photos during the activity time! The kids had a great time and I loved capturing all the excitement on their faces!

Hosted by Cecily and Caitlin

A Boy and His Props

2010-07-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

Give a boy time in front of a camera and freedom to pick his own props and here's what you get! This is actually my Sister's son and we had a great time!

Yellow Flower

2010-07-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at Digital Photography School is "Yellow." These bright flowers were staring at me just outside our door. So this week I thought I'd stray from my usual style of Portrait Photography and post a portrait of this flower for this theme.

Sweet Shot Tuesday - Jay

2010-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've tried linking up with My3Boybarians.com and their Sweet Shot Tuesday. As their website states it, Sweet Shot Tuesday is "a photo linky blog hop that encourages photographers to link up their best shot of the week. Each Tuesday a new linky will be created so you can link to your favorite photo." I just had to post another Portrait of Jay. I had such a great time taking his photo and wanted to share one more photo of him.

Johnathan at the Piano

2010-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Our son Johnathan just loves music! He especially loves it when he is the one making the ~~noise~~ music! Anytime he gets a chance he will sit up on the piano bench and "play" away!

We can't wait until he's old enough to learn to really play!

Shhhh - Before and After

2010-07-08T07:47:00.001-07:00

I really worked hard to rescue this photo and I think it turned out so well that I hate to show you the original. I was using my fully-manual 200mm f2.8 and somehow completely over exposed this shot. Also, he was standing next to a red truck that cast this awful red glow on the left side of his face. Still, I wanted to see what could be done for the photo so here’s what I did:

    1. Applied a Black/White gradient map
    2. Adjusted the Levels, bringing up the blacks and lowering the mid-tones
    3. Very lightly dodged the highlights and burned the Shadows to further increase the shadows in specific areas
    4. Applied a very light warming filter
    5. Flattened and saved – Done!

Little Girl and Her Catch

2010-06-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

I just had to post another photo of this little girl. She is always so much fun to photograph!

Wordless Wednesday – LegoMan

2010-06-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Taking a Break - Playing Ball

2010-06-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Old Farm Windmill - Before/After

2010-06-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my Uncle John's windmill on his farm. I remember climbing to the top of this windmill when.I was just a kid! I recently visited them and was able to take a few pictures around the farm.

After:

Before:

Adjusted Saturation to around 50%
Adjusted Hue's to add warmth
ShadowHouse's Ruffed Up 10" - Multiply - 50%
Pareerica's Scratched Caramel Overlay Mode - 90%
Terry's Texture 3 - Multiply - 62% Opacity
Terry's Texture 3 - Darken Mode - 100% Opacity twice
and GhostBones' texture "Lost" - Overlay Mode - 57% Opacity

Wordless Wednesday - Johnathan and His Donut

2010-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my photoblog for any length of time, you'll know that I've never posted anything for "Wordless Wednesday." The reason I never have is that those who do, never actually leave the post wordless and so the whole thing seems pointless. Anyway, I've decided to give "Wordless Wednesday" a shot - and it looks like I too have already blown it! Oh Well!

Quote of the Day:

The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time.
- Willie Tyler

Fix-it-Friday #59 - Out-of-Bounds

2010-06-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

This past week's photo for "Fix-it-Friday" was a great photo but I decided to go with a little bit of a different twist on it. I think it turned out all right, and I had a lot of fun with it.

My "Out-of-Bounds" edit:

And here is the original:

Besides the obvious rotation, crop and Out-of-Bounds effect; I also ran CoffeeShop's "Perfect Portrait" action and Pioneer Woman's "Lovely" action in PSE7.

Go to the "i heart faces" to see more edits on this photo!

Antique Cars - Can You Identify Them?

2010-06-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting a few photos I've taken of old/antique cars. Unfortunately I can't name the make, year, and model of all these cars - can you?

(1. Saw this car in Southern California.

(2. This one was in a 4th of July Parade in Lattimore, NC.

(3. Antique car in Papillion, NE.

(4. Great old truck in Custer, SD

(5. This great little Car in Lincoln, NE. Roll over the photo for a hint.

(6. Neat old car at the NC welcome center on I-40

Would love to see your comments about the identity of any of these cars!

I Heart Babies!

2010-06-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

This week at "i ♥ faces" the theme is "Babies." I've always liked this early photo of our son and so I thought I'd post it this week.

Be sure to check out all the other great photos of Babies at the "i heart faces" website!

Devil's Tower - Wyoming

2010-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

After visiting Mt. Rushmore, we headed on through Wyoming. Just West of Sundance, WY we were able to visit Devil's Tower, a massive volcanic rock rising 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche river. Devil's Tower was proclaimed the first National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. It really is quite impressive!

It was also interesting to pass a large Prairie-Dog settlement on the way up to the tower.

And, one last look back!

From here, we dropped down and thoroughly enjoyed our drive through Colorado!

Driving Further West - Mt Rushmore - PhotoStory

2010-06-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

After our visit to Carhenge in Alliance, NE, we headed on up to South Dakota and the amazing Black Hills. We were able to visit Mt. Rushmore and were amazed by both the size of this landmark and the effort it took to etch these faces into the granite mountain.

As you first enter the park, there is this long walkway between the flags of all the States of the Union.

Then you come out to a full view of the majestic Monument.

I also applied some textures to the above photo and really loved the effect. See it here.

As you leave, make sure you take one more look as you drive around the mountain and you'll get to see the profile of Washington's face!

From here we headed on to Wyoming and Devil's Tower!

Hosted by Cecilyand Krista

Mt. Rushmore - Before/After

2010-05-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

I usually do not like to process my photos this heavily but for some reason, I liked the effect I got with this photo.

Here is the SOOC (straight out of camera) version:

I used PS Elements 7.

- Opened the image in RAW and made corrections for exposure, contrast, vibrance and clarity.
- Applied two textures from ShadowHouse Creations:
   - "Ruffed up 7" in Hard Light mode at 75% opacity
   - "Tone Texture 4" in Linear Light mode at 100% opacity
   - Slightly masked out a little texture on the faces of the monument
- Slightly adjusted Saturation for the individual color channels
- Flattened, resized for Web, and converted to Jpeg

And here is a side-by-side comparison:

I Heart Bare Feet

2010-05-30T21:04:00.001-07:00

This week at "i ♥ faces" the theme is "Bare Feet." Johnathan loves playing outside barefooted!

Be sure to check out all the other great photos of Bare Feet at the "i heart faces" website!

This week "i heart faces" is working in conjunction with Soles4Souls Charity Organization.

The Toys at Grandad's

2010-05-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Johnathan had a great time playing with these "antique" toys at his great-grandparent's house in Oklahoma.
I remember playing with these round, stackable building toys, but I don't know what they are called. Do any of you remember what they are called and, even better, where I could buy some?

I Heart Faces and Flowers

2010-05-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at "i ♥ faces" is "Faces and Flowers." I just had to enter this photo of Johnathan playing peek-a-boo in the flower garden. I also ran CoffeeShop's "Butterscotch Vintage" and vignette action on it.

Be sure to check out all the other great photos of Faces and Flowers at the "i heart faces" website!

Progression of a Sneeze - PhotoStory

2010-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

I was able to capture the progression/evolution of one of Johnathan's sneezes the other day. I love the satisfied look at the end!

Aaah - Aaaaah . . .

CHOOO!!!

Whew!

Aaaah!

Fix-it-Friday #54

2010-05-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

This week's "Fix-it-Friday" photo was a fun one!

Here is the Original:

Here is what I did:

1. Healed the scabs on his chin and cloned out the fence on the bottom right.
2. Duplicated background and set to Screen Mode - Masked out the highlights
3. Used Easy.Filter's SmartCurve for a Slight S-Curve Adjustment Layer to increase light and contrast
4. Sharpened his eyes, hair, mouth, and tie
5. Added Textures:
ShadowHouse's Latte - Soft Light @ 100% opacity
ShadowHouse's Poster1 - Multiply @ 90% opacity - Masked out select areas

6. High Pass overlay on Eyes and Mouth.

Then I used my edited photo and:
7. Added a High-Contrast B/W Gradient Map
8. Added a warm grey layer in Color Mode

Then, for my final edit, I went for a higher contrast look. I took this B/W photo and:
9. Duplicated the Color background layer, moved it to the top in Color mode 100% opacity.

Which edit do you like best?

Go to the "i heart faces" to see more edits on this photo!

I Heart Mother's Day

2010-05-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

As you could expect, this week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "Celebrating Moms." I am so proud of my wife; she is such a wonderful mother to our son! Be sure to see my whole Mother's Day Post. I took this photo of my wife and infant son in the hospital soon after his birth.

Be sure to check out all the other great photos celebrating mothers at the "i heart faces" website!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to My Wonderful Wife! Since our son, Johnathan, can't write yet, I had to write this post on his behalf!

What an "adventurous" time it was as we were expecting our son! We knew so many changes were about to take place, yet, we could never have imagined all the joy this new baby would bring to us. Throughout the pregnancy, Tracy's loving motherhood expressed itself in the way she cared for the baby she carried. Changing her lifestyle and diet were only a few of the things she did to protect her unborn baby.

Immediately after Johnathan's birth, Tracy cherished every moment she had to hold our new son!

What a Precious Baby God Brought into our lives!

No baby ever had a better, more loving mother than Johnathan does!

As he continues to grow, he knows that his mother will always take time for him.

And now, as she caries his sibling, Johnathan wants his mother to know that he loves her with all his heart and is so thankful that he has the best mother in the world!

Tracy, we love you so much! You are the best mother (and wife) in the world!

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

2010-05-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

This week we went to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Yes, that is the real name of this beautiful little town that sits right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean! Yes, the water really was that blue; we were absolutely amazed by the rich blue colors of the ocean here! Carmel Beach is an amazingly beautiful coastline just south of Pebble Beach and we would definitely love to go back when we have more time to enjoy it!

Portraits of a . . . Chicken?

2010-04-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

I've stooped to a whole new low! Portraits of Chickens! I can't believe it either, but I thought it would be fun to post a few photos of these chickens owned by some friends of ours in rural California. We had such a fun time!

I Heart Collages - Window Reflections

2010-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

This week at "i ♥ faces" the theme is "collage." I put together these three recent photos of Johnathan. He was starting to feel cooped up in the house and was looking out at the falling snow in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We had a nice warm fire going but all he wanted was to go out and play in the snow.

He didn't get to go out this time but later he went out and had a great time in the snow!

Head on over to the "i heart faces" website to see more "collage" photos!

South America - All the Children of the World

2010-04-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

You know the song, "Jesus loves the little children, All the Children of the World . . ." That is the inspiration for my new series of Flickr photos (from other photographers) called "All the Children of the World." The idea is to collect a photo of one child representing each country in a particular region. Obviously, there are many sub-cultures in every country and the photo I pick may or may not accurately represent the features of the majority of children from that country. It should be interesting to see just how diverse our world is; yet, the Love of Christ goes out to all the world!
This first series of photos features kids from South America!

Argentina:

Argentina Boy, originally uploaded by Phil @ Delfryn Design.

Bolivia:

Bolivian kid smiling, originally uploaded by mmac72.

Brazil:

Brasília e Seus Contrastes, originally uploaded by Levistrauss.

Chile:

ALI-MONADO, originally uploaded by naranjetin.

Columbia:

Colombian school boy, originally uploaded by natejames325.

Ecuador:

Boy with Parrot, Ecuador, originally uploaded by anst89.

French Guiana:

3 | Timide | Shy, originally uploaded by Erick Loitière.

Guyana:

Just a boy. Guyana, originally uploaded by IRINA SURGUND.

Peru:

Peruvian girl child.. (On Explore; 2 / 07 / 2009 ), originally uploaded by nature photographer..

Paraguay:

Brilliant smile!, originally uploaded by yryvu_py.

Suriname:

THE EYES OF AIDA, originally uploaded by h.nijssen5 IN SURINAME NOW.

Uruguay:

Tomás, originally uploaded by Remco Douma.

Venezuela:

A boy in Choroní, Venezuela, originally uploaded by Peter Buitelaar.

I hope you enjoyed this visit to South America!

All photos copyright (C) to their respective owners; used by consent.

Titus Portraits

2010-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

I had the great privilege of photographing this incredibly cute little two year old. I shot these at his house where they have almost a large eastern-facing window and glass door which let in tremendous light in their warmly decorated living room.

We had such a great time!

A Drive through Colorado

2010-03-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

After visiting Devil's Tower in Wyoming. We were able to enjoy a scenic drive through Colorado! We came down from Wyoming to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. So many amazing sights! I've often seen the Rockies from the east side, but this was my first time to see them from the western side!

The Rocky Mountains are truly incredible and are well worth the drive!

Carhenge

2010-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

   Many of you may be familiar with Stonehenge that "pre-historic . . . circular setting of large standing stones"
in Wiltshire, England. Well, we recently visited Carhenge, a modern-day replica that was built, not with large stones, but with vintage automobiles! Carhenge, located near Alliance, Nebraska was built by Jim Reinders in 1987. In 2009, TripAdvisor named Carhenge the No. 2 Wackiest Attraction in the United States; coming in a close second to the Toilet Seat museum in San Antonio which boasts a collection of more than 800 toilet seats, but has no bathroom!

   As you stand and gaze up at the many cars at Carhenge, now firmly planted in the Nebraska plains, you are forced to consider the possibility that this great work of art may, in reality, be nothing more than the most redneck tourist attraction ever! Yes, we were not sorry we made the trip, although it was only a few miles off of our planned route anyway. We did pity the thought, though, of those who might travel hundreds of miles to see this great sight, only to arrive and find that it truly is as simple as a bunch of cars half buried in the Nebraska prairie.

   Yes, these cars now stand tall on the high plains as a monument to what one man can do to make the most red-neck tourist attraction in the world! Definitely a must-see!

   From here we drove on to Mt. Rushmore.

I Heart Angles

2010-03-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

This week at "i ♥ faces" the theme is "angles." I really like the angle of this photo. Yes, I know you can't see her entire face, but the perfect eye-lashes and the angle of the gaze perfect the photo!

Head on over to the "i heart faces" website to see more "angle" photos!

Featured on Shutterfly

2010-03-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Johnathan is being featured by Shutterfly! If you're not familiar with Shutterfly, you really should check them out. They specialize in all types of photo prints, books, posters, and gifts.

Recently, Tracy made a photobook about Johnathan (see it here) and soon afterward we were contacted by a Shutterfly representative asking permission to use Johnathan's photos for advertisement purposes. Encouraged by a generous in-store credit, we decided to give them permission. He is featured on the products home page and a number of times on the "Baby Boy's 1st Birthday" page.

These designs are copyright by shutterfly.

Silhouette

2010-02-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

A silhouette of a great young farmer.

Check out other great "Sky" photos at the You Capture website!

Summer in February

2010-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

The other day it was so nice here in North Carolina that I just had to get outside and take a few photos of the kids playing at the church playground. I am definitely ready for the warmer weather!

I Heart Hands on Fun!

2010-02-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

This week at "i ♥ faces" the theme is "hands on fun." Of course the first thing I thought of was our recent celebration of Johnathan's first Birthday. Now that's hands-on fun!

Join in and see other photos at the "i heart faces" website!

Fun in the Snow

2010-02-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

We also had a lot of fun in the snow!