POTD - Lamps And Long Exposures

Lamps And Long Exposures, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

Of friend of mine, Scott, who I work with at the camera shop and I went down to Old Town St. Charles which was Missouri's first state capital to do some night shooting on Main Street. The uneven cobblestone sidewalks and road make for great reflections and textures. I had some fun in this spot, not a lot of cars parked on the sides of the road and only a few passing by. That combined with the leading lamps all the way down the street, I was hooked on it for a little while. This exposure alone was an 81 second exposure to give you an idea of how dark this area was.

Please let me know what you all think, I'm really wanting to sharpen my night shooting and processing big time before I head to WDW in October. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Harmony On Main

Harmony On Main, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This is a shot that i snapped with my old 50mm f/1.8 last trip on the way out of the Magic Kingdom. I don't know why I haven't posted it yet. I like that certain bit of softness it has and I've always loved how this is tucked over in the corner. The more I think about our upcoming trip, the more I keep going through my shots from 2011. Can't wait to retake and try new shots that I know I can get now that I wouldn't know how to get last trip. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - A Blue Eyed Whoopee Trap

A Blue Eyed Whoopee Trap, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This is one of my nephews Colton. This is one of my shots from Easter that I was quite pleased with. All four of my nephews and their baby sister all were fortunate enough to get their mothers bright blue eyes. Which is great for me because of my wanting to shoot so many photos. I loved this one in particular because of his snappy little leather, and the fact that he looks as innocent as possible whilst blowing up a whoopee cushion. LoL. I can't deny loving those eyes though. Please let me know what you all think, as I'm trying my hardest to get better at composing, lighting, and exposing good portraits. Enjoy!

POTD - Teeny-Tiny Spring

Teeny-Tiny Spring, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This shot is from last week when I took a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 to Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT). These flowers were in a large bed off the path inside the temperate greenhouse. These things were extremely small, one of the small round clusters of blooms here was about as big around as a quarter. The colors varied from one another just enough and really stood out against the green. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Good Morning Station

Good Morning Station, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This is another shot that was completely washed out that I was able to semi save in Lightroom and Nik Software. I know it's not the best or most flattering shot, but I'm needing some Disney shots to throw in here and there since it's dreary here at home. It also makes trip planning for October that much more fun. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Frontier Duck

Frontier Duck, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

Another shot from our last WDW trip in February/March of 2011. I'm not really sure why I haven't posted this one yet. I think I just don't think about the characters in the park quite as much. Which I should, because they are a bunch of fun to shoot. I think it has something to do with the fact that we don't get down as often as we'd like. Only getting down every two to three years means that our days are really busy. Meeting characters has fallen to a pretty low point on our list. Grabbing a quick photo in between guests, like I did here, is something I need to raise on the list. Filling to frame has always been something I struggle with for some reason, but I think I pulled it off nicely here. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Soft Spring Pink

Soft Spring Pink, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

Yesterday I had the day off and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR that I borrowed from work. I of course had to run up to Missouri Botanical Garden to get some spring time shots. MOBOT did not disappoint as usual. The 70-200mm didn't hurt either. If anyone doesn't think a lens like this is worth the money, rent it at least. How consistently high the quality output is on that lens is outstanding. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Lines And Tiles

Lines And Tiles, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

Among a pretty long list of things to shoot or reshoot when I'm back in Disney, this area of Morocco in Epcot's World Showcase is up there. I've learned so much since way back in March 2011 that I know I can get a lot more right in camera this trip. I have a lot better understanding of distortion and how to correct or avoid said distortion. Plus just plain having a lot of practice between then and now. :) I cannot wait to be back in the world soaking up the no worries and snapping tons of photos. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Under The Dome

Under The Dome, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

For those of you who know me, I'm a sucker for a good greenhouse. I'm even more of a sucker for a good greenhouse inside Walt Disney World. The Land and in particular the Living With The Land attraction has always been one of my favorite attractions since I was younger. I've always loved the discovery aspects of the Disney parks on top of all the fun. This was definitely not a keeper, until I got to it in Nik Software and Lightroom 4, now it's a bit better. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Eyes That Glow

Eyes That Glow, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This is my niece Delaney. She is adorable, obviously. I noticed while shooting her and her four older brothers Easter Sunday that I don't post a whole lot of portraits. Mainly because I don't take a lot of portraits because I don't think I'm very good at it. I've been working to get better at lighting and portraiture and I'm very lucky that all four of my nephews and even little 1 year old Delaney don't mind their photos taken. This one really caught my eye because of her eyes, the really caught the flash and lit up like they always are. She was the perfect and most fun model I could've asked for, so that helped too. Please let me know what you all think, I could really use some good feedback here. Thanks in advance and of course enjoy!

POTD - Mid Morning Castle Detail

Mid Morning Castle Detail, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I've been going through my photos from our last WDW trip as we plan the next one. I purposely saved photos I wasn't super happy with because I knew not only would my processing skills improve, but I knew I'd also want something to post leading up to another Disney trip. Being late morning, the light was not flattering for these shots of the castle. I thought some details would be good, so here's what I got. This is a re-edit with use of my new Nik Software suite and Lightroom 4. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!