Monday, January 30, 2012

Ruby Tuesday

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I was in Austin, TX this past week on business.  I was driving to dinner one evening when it dawned on me that I did not have a photo ready for this Ruby Tuesday.  What to do, what to do.  When I pulled into the parking lot of Chili's, there was my Ruby Tuesday photo staring back at me!  As you probably know by now, I almost always have a small point & shoot camera with me.  So...I pointed and shooted!  Happy Ruby Tuesday all.
Tomorrow is Wordless Wednesday and I have a collection of pics that I have themed "Whimsy".  Come back tomorrow to find out why!  As always Friday will bring a Skywatch photo and a little inspirational music to end your week.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Skywatch Friday

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A New Day

We've had several days with great sunrises and sunsets recently.  I don't have space to show them all, but I can keep them in the archives until I need them.  There are days with there isn't much color in the sky.  Life is like that.  There are days when we seem to be filled with excitement, things are happening and people from everywhere color our lives.  Other days, life seems to be a little boring and not as filled with life as we would like.  Maybe it's on those days that we should reflect on all that God has done in our lives and just how much color our Creator brings to our very soul.  Without Him, our lives are truly void of color and purpose.  Thank you Lord for all that you bring into my life and for walking with me each day.
This week, the inspirational song comes from one of my favorite Southern Gospel groups, The Booth Brothers.  For all of the things that God has done in my life, I just have to stand and "Testify".  Enjoy.
 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

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Grandfather circa 1920

Monday, January 23, 2012

Ruby Tuesday

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This winter I bought a bird feeder holder that attaches to the railing on the back deck of the house.  Now, the bird feeder is considerably closer to the window than ever before.  It took a week or two for the birds to get comfortable with the location in such close proximity to the house, but now they don't seem to mind at all.  However, all of my photography must be done through the window, since they are not fond of me being outside when they are feeding.  


I have also begun experimenting with capturing the birds in flight, rather than waiting on them to land on the feeder and just photograph them sitting still with a piece of food in their beaks.  So far, so good.  It takes a little more practice to anticipate when one will leave the trees in the back yard and make their way to this feeder, but the results are worth it, don't ya think?


Another thing that helps is a camera that will capture multiple frames.  I am shooting with a Nikon D7000 DSLR that will capture up to six frames per second.  I am shooting around 1/500th of a second.  Even though the feeder is only about fifteen feet from the window, I am still using a telephoto lens.  These images were captured using a Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 lens.  The top to photos were captured at a setting of about f4.0, which is the reason for the darker background.  The last capture is at f2.8, which lets more light into the frame and is the reason that the background is a lighter gray.  I have three telephoto lenses.  My primary lens is a Tamron 18-270mm.  It is on my camera most of the time because it has the widest telephoto range and works well in a variety of situations.  The Tamron 70-200mm is a great lens for lower light situations like Friday night high-school football, indoor basketball and other locations where you need the lower f-stop.  My final telephoto lens is a Sigma 50-500mm lens that allows me to reach out at touch someone.  It is great for wildlife captures, soccer matches, etc.  Why do I use third-party lenses instead of Nikon?  Cost!  I don't earn a living from photography and I can't afford the Nikon lenses.  The third-party lenses are typically 1/2-1/3 the cost of the major lenses.  I bought the Sigma lens a couple of years ago on Ebay and it was a steal! 
Now that I am semi-retired I will have more time to enjoy this hobby and get more serious about capturing quality images.  I participate in meme's like Ruby Tuesday because they give me a reason to practice photographing various images and they force me to notice specific opportunities in the world around me.  Ruby Tuesday and Skywatch Friday are my favorite meme's and I have been participating in both of them for over two years.  If you like photography, I would encourage you to find opportunities like the blog meme's to practice and perfect your skills.  You don't have to have a DSLR to capture good images.  Many of my favorite Skywatch photos were taken with a little Canon point&shoot camera that I carry with me nearly everywhere I go.  The most important thing is take photos and lots of them.  Have a great week.  See you tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday and again on Friday for Skywatch.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Skywatch Friday

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Colorful New Day

One thing that I like about Skywatch is that God does all of the work.  I just have to point the camera and capture the image.  Every day is a new day with a new opportunity to capture the sky.  It may be crystal clear and blue, or it may be filled with a rainbow of colors.  There may be puffy white clouds or the sky may be filled with the promise of rain, or snow, but it is never the same from one day to the next.  Whether we realize it or not, our lives are much the same way.  God has done all of the work to order our steps, all we have to do is follow His plan.  Each day should move us closer to Him.  Sadly most of us never bother to determine what God would have us do.  We just wake up each morning take control of our own lives and wonder why we run it off in the ditch so often.  I am as guilty as the next person of not consulting my Creator each day regarding my life.  I really need to be better about including Him in my morning.
My choice for an inspirational song today comes from one of the most popular contemporary groups.  It speaks to the responsibility of Christians in this world and most particularly,  Christian men.  We were created to make a difference in this world.  We were given the responsibility to be the spiritual leaders in our families.  For the most part we have either delegated that authority to someone else or ignored it all together.  Why?  Well it takes courage to be the spiritual leader. We were made to be "Courageous".  Enjoy.




Have a blessed week-end.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

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Autumn Rose

Ruby Tuesday

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Snack Time
 We had our first dusting of snow two weeks ago and our first really cold temperatures.  That combination brought birds to the feeders continuously.  Finches and Cardinals abound, but these Woodpeckers are much less common.  This feeder is actually a little small for him. As you can see, he has to wrap himself around the base in order to feed.  Still, the nut and berry seed blend is worth the effort and he will make several trips during the day.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Skywatch Friday

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Rainbow Sky
There are mornings when I wake up and look out of the window, I know that the sunrise is going to be special.  I hurry to get dressed and make my way to one of several of my favorite locations to photograph the beginning of a new day.  I am never disappointed.  This sunrise was captured just prior to the new year.
For some reason, last week's inspirational video didn't get uploaded correctly and I was not in a position to make the corrections.  In fact, my wife and I were in Arlington, Texas for the Cotton Bowl game.  So,  I will try this again.  Choirs are among my favorite means of praising the Lord and the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir is among the best in the business.  So, here they are with "Days of Elijah".  Enjoy.

 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

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Morning Sun

Monday, January 9, 2012

Ruby Tuesday

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This past week-end my wife and I traveled to Dallas (Arlington), TX to see the 2012 Cotton Bowl game between the Kansas State Wildcats and the Arkansas Razorbacks.  We had a great time.  One of the fun things to do at any major event is to people watch, and it is especially fun at college football games.  Since the Razorbacks are red and white, I have selected a few examples of Hog fans at the game.

 Okay, this isn't a Hog fan, this is "Tusk", the Razorback Mascot.  I don't know if he got into the stadium or not.
 The iconic headgear of a true Razorback fan is a Hawg Hat.  This is one of the newer designs.  By the way, you should probably know by now that I have no idea who these people are.  They just happen to be random photos that I took outside of the stadium, prior to the game.

 The ladies seemed to be the most colorful and decorative in their attire...however,

  the students tend to get a little more creative with their hairstyles.  But, my favorite Hawg fan of all is this young man.
WOOOooooooooo, PIG!  SOOooie!!! RAZORBACKS!!!
Oh yes, the Razorback beat the Wildcats 29-16.  Great game.
Happy Ruby Tuesday all. 




Thursday, January 5, 2012

Skywatch Friday and More

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December Sunrise

I took a week of vacation between Christmas and New Years Day.  One morning I looked out the window and knew there was going to be a great sunrise.  So, I grabbed the camera, jumped in the car, and drove a couple of miles to one of my favorite places to capture sunrises and sunsets.  I was not disappointed.

While you are reading this, my wife and I will be in Dallas (Arlington), TX for the Cotton Bowl.  We have never been to a major college bowl game before, so this should be some serious fun.  I am an OU alumni, but we live in Arkansas.  That means that on Friday night I will be wearing Crimson (just like OU), and calling the the HOGS!!!!  WOooooooo  PIG!  Soooie.  RAZORBACKS!

My first inspirational song for the new year will come from one of the finest church choirs in the country, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.  As those of you know, who follow this blog, I LOVE Southern Gospel music.  I love quartets.  But I also love great choirs, and "Brooklyn Tab" is the best!  There is something special about a hundred voices praising the Lord.  Enjoy.


Have a blessed week-end.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Wordless Wedesday

Camouflaged 

There is a ravine behind our house and deer can be seen there quite often.  This doe has been living in the area for at least the past 4 years.  How do I know?  If you look closely you will notice that she is carrying her left front leg.  I have no idea how she has survived on three legs for this long.  The wooded areas, not far from our home are filled with deer hunters in November.  Somehow this little lady has managed to "dodge a bullet".  Even more impressive is the fact that there are bobcats and coyotes in the area and a less than agile doe would seem to be an opportunity for them to take her down.  Still, she finds a way to keep on keepin' on!  I have all of the respect in the world for this little survivor.
 

Monday, January 2, 2012

Ruby Tuesday

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Our friend, Mary the Teach, at Work of the Poet  has announced that she will no longer be hosting Ruby Tuesday.  It is a sad day for me.  Ruby Tuesday was the first meme that I participated in and the one that rekindled my interest in photography as a serious hobby.  Thank you for that Mary.  As a result, I now participate in Wordless Wednesday and Skywatch Friday.  I suppose I will have to find another meme to occupy my Tuesday's.  These meme's force me to look for specific photo opportunities and capture images based on that subject.  I am going to miss Ruby Tuesday, but life does go on and I understand Mary's desire to move on with her blog.  Again, thank you Mary for hosting a great meme.  Thank you fellow bloggers for capturing some wonderful images for me to view and thank you for visiting my humble outpost in the blogosphere.

Nut and Berry Blend

I bought a new bird feeder hanger a week ago.  The base attaches to the rail on our deck and the arm swings out over the yard.  Since I put the "Nut and Berry" blend of seed in it the birds have finally found the new food source and are starting to come on a regular basis.