This Old Hat

I'm not sure what possessed me but this morning I photographed my hat! I'll start off by saying my Mom hates this hat. I purchased it on a whim years ago from "Gotta Hava Hat" in Humboldt County. I love it and it's a great hat especially now that chill of winter has arrived. Though I will say that I use it on foggy days in the summer as well. It's perfect for photography because it doesn't have a bill that gets in the way like a baseball cap when you attempt to put your eye up to the viewfinder of the camera. Additionally it can be scrunched down into a little ball and put into a coat pocket. Try that with a baseball cap! In a pinch I have used it to support my camera on the window sill of my pick up. One of the hat's best features is that in the photoblind I can lean forward onto my camera and take a cat nap on its pillowy thick brim. It's starting to get a little frazzled but I hope to keep it for many adventures to come. What's your favorite piece of attire for the outdoors? God's love and blessings to all, chris image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 45mm, ISO 800,F20.0 at 1/8th of a sec. Camera was supported on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead.

Couple of Cloudy Day Birds

Last night I put up a new feeder and a perch. This morning the dog woke me up at a quarter until five. What's up with that? I tried to go back to sleep with little success. I tossed and turned and then got up and watched a cloudy sunrise. When it got light enough to photograph I went out and sat in the photoblind. There were Chestnut Backed Chickadees and Steller's Jays my normal winter visitors coming into the feeder. I had a wonderful time and so did the birds. Here are my favorite images from this morning. God bless, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens

Another Steller's Day

Before the sun rose this morning I set out a new bird feeder and a piece of bark for a perch. Later on sitting in my photoblind the Steller's Jays came for black sunflower seeds almost non stop. There was one short break and during that time a lone Chestnut Backed Chickadee made a very brief appearance that was almost to quick to follow. I ended up making a lot of nice Steller's images but this one hands down was my favorite. May you have a blessed afternoon and evening. chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 220mm. Camera settings used- AV mode, ISO 800,F 5.6 at 1/100th of a sec. Cmaer was supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead.

My Lovely Little Chickadee

Here along the edge of the Pacific Coast in Northern California we have the Chestnut Backed Chickadees. They are gregarious fun little birds. In winter they are probably the most common bird coming to my bird feeders. I just love'em. Last week I set out to photograph them taking off from the perch next to the feeder. This image was my favorite. God's love and blessings to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens at 275mm on a Manfrotto 055 PROBX tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead. camera settings used. Manual mode, ISO 1600,F10.0 at 1/160th of a sec. Four canon 540EZ flashes were used at 1/64th power.

Playing Tourist

Many times living in a beautiful place we take it for granted and don't really enjoy what we have. That happens in our spiritual lives as well. We often forget the gift we have been given and don't utilize and appreciate it. Coming back from Humboldt County Lenore and I decided to take the Avenue of the Giants. It parallels Highway 101 so you still get to where you are going just as in life. The major difference is that it goes at a much slower, quieter pace and you really get to enjoy the most amazing sights up close and personal along the way. There are massive Redwood Groves, giant ferns and the meandering Eel River close by to keep you company. Plus there are plenty of pull outs for you to pull over and enjoy it which we did. Slow down and experience the beautiful gifts that God has given you and have a wonderful day. God's blessings, chris

Random Images From the Wedding

I have done a couple of weddings for relatives as a favor but it is not something that I enjoy doing. I get asked fairly frequently to photograph weddings. It always surprises people when I tell them that I don't do weddings and that there are a lot of photographers that don't. It's a specialized skill and I admire photographers that shoot them. It's a lot of fun to photograph at a wedding and not be the wedding photographer and have the pressure of having to get that image. I'll leave that up to the wedding photographers. Many of them are really good at what they do. So if you are looking for a wedding photographer go check out the work of Emily Matheson https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emily-Matheson-Photography/130566483673569 In the mean time enjoy some of my random images from the wedding. God bless, chris

North to Humboldt County

This last weekend we traveled one county to the north of us to the little mill town of Scotia California for a friends wedding. The wedding was held at the beautiful Scotia Inn. After we left the reception Lenore and I headed out to the front of the inn to photograph it. Very few cars were driving by for me to include in my composition so I had Lenore drive by in my pick up which was just perfect. Enjoy the image and God bless, chris Image created with a Canon 50D and a Canon EF-S10-22mm lens at 17mm. Camera settings used were. Manual mode ISO 400, F 29.0 at 13 seconds. Camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055X PROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead.