Self Portrait at Town Fork Creek WaterShed

Self Portrait at Town Fork Creek WaterShed, originally uploaded by jp_42.

This photo was taken on a recent trip home to North Carolina. It was my second trip home this summer, the first of which to say good bye to my grandmother, this one to attend her funeral and spend a few days with my family. I lived less than a 1/8 of a mile during early childhood from this spot, so this was a very significant place to me. You may not see it but in the distance (slight right in the background) there is a beautiful egret of which I had been taking pictures earlier. I wanted a photo to convey the emotional significance and weight of that morning and a given moment. With my camera set on timer for 10s I had my son walk into the photo with me...

Awe

Sunrise #2, originally uploaded by jp_42.

I took this photo the first time that I had ventured to Adler Planetarium to see the sun rise and take some photos. I had seen the sun come up maybe a couple times before while on Lake Shore early in the morning. However, there is just no substitute for being there. I was there maybe an hour before the sun came up, and was just in awe at the colors and hues that fill the sky as the sunset gets closer. Being late fall the temp at this time was around 38 degrees give or take. It is interesting that the winds can be completely calm at the time leading up to the sunrise, and then the wind comes in and wow will your face feel the wind burn later! The funny thing was that I was so overwhelmed with trying to get some good photos. This being my first time there, I had not explored the beach yet so I was just at the wall, which is absolutely beautiful but does not offer much in respect to foreground. The birds were everywhere that morning and the sun coming up adds a nice backlight creating interesting silhouettes. A slower shutter speed allowed me to capture a nice little blur from the flutter of the lower bird's wings. I fell in love with that area that morning and now I just cannot get enough of it...

Toes

Toes, originally uploaded by jp_42.

Summer time brings the backyard pool, one of Joey's favorite things...I always have my camera out and I was looking to get a great angle. If I had some foresight I would have had the pool turned so i had the right light without that awful caution tag on the pool, but I still love the pic. He is my favorite subject and always willing to let Daddy get a picture...

BelmontHarbor Black and White

BelmontHarbor Black and White, originally uploaded by jp_42.

Took a walk down to the lake front on a cool October Sunday afternoon. I was taking photos of the birds when I walked past the boats and saw this view. It was cloudy looking towards the city and created this wonderful view. Interestingly when I arrived at the lake front looking north it was a clear blue sky. Hand held shot with Nikon D50 180-135 lens.