Into the Forest

Yesterday the clouds and fog covered the ridgetop all day. Luckily there was a short break in the clouds at around four-thirty. It didn't clear enough to see the sunset but it did allow this beautiful diffused light to fill the forest. I was immediately drawn into seeing the repeating pattern of the tree trunks. I grabbed my camera and went out into the forest and photographed them. It was so refreshing to be out and about in the outdoors. Here are my three favorite images.God's blessings upon your day, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens. AV mode,ISO 1600, F stops and shutter speeds varied.Camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

Old Santa

Yep, it's still foggy and cloudy outside with a big storm on the way! We have been preparing for the Christmas by putting up the tree and setting out Christmas knick-knacks all in preparation for celebration of Christ's birth. One of the decorations we often but not always set out is a small collection of Santas. This morning I decided to photograph the most interesting Santa of the bunch by putting it on a stand with some red Christmas lights behind it. I used a short telephoto lens made for portraits at its widest lens opening so that the lights would be rendered as big out of focus red dots. I tried a variety of lighting situations but this is the one I liked the best. Now it's back to work outside securing things that might blow away in the storm. Have a blessed day, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 85mm lens. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 1.8 at 1/40th of a sec. Camera was supported by a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559

When It Rains

We have been praying for rain and out prayers have been answered! The forecast is for rain through next week with a brief break tomorrow. The fungi are loving all this moisture and are popping up everywhere. My photography has been limited to brief dashes outdoors during short breaks in the weather and whatever indoor ideas I can find or create like playing around with some light painting. What I really want is a downpour because I have an idea for an image I have had planned out for sometime now. Hopefully I can roll that image out for you to see really soon. In other news Friday night three bears came for a visit during the heavy rain. The dog started barking and I went to the upstairs deck to find out what was going on. Before I could reach the deck I heard a horrible bawling from outside below the deck. I stepped out and saw a bear running toward the house. I yelled it turned and ran the other way. I went back inside and grabbed my flashlight. When I went back out I spotted two bear cubs in the fir tree out front. Momma was in the background phlumping that she wasn't happy. I'm not sure why the bear was bawling but I'm sure not going out into the pouring rain and dark to find out. On Saturday I walked out and found that they had bent over the metal poles holding up my bird feeders so they could eat the bird seed. We had really small acorn crop in early fall so I think the bears are really hungry with winter coming on. God's love to all, chris Images created with a Canon 7D, Fungi used a Canon 100-400 IS lens. Settings used. ISO 400 F11.0 at 1/250th of a sec. The light painting was done with a Canon EFs-10-22mm lens ISO 400 f 11.0 at a 30 second exposure. The camera was supported with a Manfrotto 055 PROBX tripod and a 3055 heavy duty Bogen ballhead.

Rhymes With Orange

Small storms have been arriving off of the ocean now for almost a week with a few breaks like yesterday afternoon when the sky partially cleared for about an hour. This made for some great "Angels Breath" (crepuscular rays) coming through the trees. Today it is pretty dreary out with the rain forecast at 100 percent. I have plenty of indoor work to do so it's not a problem. There is always images to sort and file along with the general domestic chores to keep the house functioning. Here is some angels breath and an image of some orange slices and an orange from yesterday afternoon. I guess now it's not true that there isn't anything to that rumor that "orange" rhymes with no other word. Orange rhymes with Mount Blorenge in Wales. It also rhymes with sporange. Sporange is the sac which hold the spores on the underside of plants like ferns. "Silver" has the same rumor going for it, but it rhymes with chilver the name for a ewe lamb.God's blessings upon your day. Orange image created with a Canon 7D set on manual with a Canon 28-105 lens @ 75mm. Exposure was ISO 400, F20.0 at 1/160th of a sec. Four Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/64th power were used to light the image. The angels breath images were created with a Canon EFS 10-22mm lens. The camera was in AV mode, ISO 400, F16.0 at 1/200th of a sec. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055PROBX Tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

Because It's Fun

The stormy weather continues so I stayed inside this morning. What creative thing could I do on a rainy day? I know water drops have been overdone but it is so much fun. I set up some flashes and had a great time. First I did some red drops and then I switched to green. I got some really nice ones but nothing spectacular. Then I made the decision to increase the flow rate to see if I could get some water drops to collide in mid air. I'm so glad I did because I got one that is just fantastic. Take a look and see if you agree. God bless and have a wonderful day, chris Image created with a Canon 7D with a 100mm macro lens and two Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/64th power. Camera settings used were. Manual mode,ISO 400, F 16.0 at 1/100th of a sec. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055PROBX Tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

Inside Endeavors

Last night the wind just howled. The yard was covered in debris this morning. There were leaves, needles, twigs and sadly the remnants of the new knothole feeder I just put up. It looks like I'll have to search out some more mossy bark and build a new one. I went downtown to work out and buy groceries. What an amazing difference in the weather. At my house on top of the ridge the wind was blowing and it was cold. When I arrived downtown it was calm and warm. When I got back home I made a quick set up to do some smoke photography. I did some red smoke and some blue. My favorite was some blue smoke that looked a lot like a pregnant woman that was just beautiful. What do you see? God's love an mercies to all, chrisAll images were created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. Camera was set to manual mode. Exposures varied. Lighting used was a snooted Alien Bee 1600 studio flash from the side.

Indoor Pursuits

Yesterday's weather forecast for today was partly cloudy. They got the cloudy part right! It is pretty dreary out. We can praise the Lord for the rain. I got out of bed early made breakfast and then created a new set up for the birds in the yard. It will take them awhile to figure it out as it is a new knothole set up in the mossy piece of bark. Hopefully I'll get a short weather break and give it a try over the next few days. Meanwhile I will just have to keep myself happy with some indoor pursuits. This morning I made some water and oil images with a macro lens which is always fun as the number of color combinations is endless. Here are just a few along with the view to the east this morning from my bedroom window. Have a great day and God bless, chris Image created with a canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. Camera settings varied, ISO 400, AV mode