May 2013 winners from St. Mary's County Camera Club

Here are my winners from May.  You might have seen the first place winner before, my Pink Mist photo from February.  On rare occasions the water gets misty and creates a lovely mood.  There was frost on the ground too.  The photo was taken around 7am.  As most serious photographers know, the best times of day to photograph are early in the day within an hour or so of sunrise and close to sunset.  Photographing in the middle of the day often creates harsh short shadows that tend to be less complimentary to a subject and make the image look flat.

I also received an honorable mention for this unique photo of  weeping cherry blossoms.  I have tried taking cherry blossom photos from all different angles and even held a branch over the water last year.  I thought this shot was unique, shooting straight up from beneath the buds.  I particularly liked the way the blurry flowers framed the subject with a nice curve.  It was taken in my yard at around 5:40pm.

Spring Colors and Reflections

In May, we spent a weekend looking at spring flowers enjoying the beautiful weather.    These are some of my favorites.  I got the dark background on the pink columbine and bluebells by using the Nikon R1C1 Wireless Close-up Flash System.  I have 3 mini flashes that light the flower and I use a fairly small aperture f/22 – f/29.  It’s kind of complicated.  (It’s also fun to use, because most people haven’t seen one before and it creates a little attention at times.)

 

I saw the lovely reflection from nearby azaleas and had to act quickly when some geese swam by.  I couldn’t decide which photo I prefer.  In some ways the green reflection is better because it doesn’t distract from the goose.  The pink reflection on the other hand, is quite unique and vibrant.  Which picture do you like better?

A Visit to the SMAWL Animal Fair

I attended the SMAWL (St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League) Animal Fair at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on Saturday May 11th and had fun photographing lots of adorable dogs.  I keep practicing my pet photography whenever I get a chance.  Here is a sampling of some of my favorite photos.  Please feel free to name your dog or the dog breed if you see it.

 

 

 

 

 

I know the dog watching the bee is Daisy and the dog posing in front of a green bush is Snookie, a lovely Sheltie.  Both dogs were exceptionally well trained and good at tricks.

 

 

 

I apologize to the lady in the “woofing it down” contest with her dog (if she doesn’t like the photo).  I thought it was so much fun that they were helping each other eat.  I hope she has a good sense of humor!

Meeting New Canine Friends at the Dog Park

I visited the local dog park today to practice photographing dogs in a variety of situations.  I had a blast.  The dogs were full of energy and having lots of fun.  The dogs loved playing tug of war with a a knotted rope and splashing in the water.  I met some nice people too.

Most of the photos were taken in shade without flash in the late afternoon creating nice soft shadows.  I used knee pads and stayed low to the ground so I would be on their level. 

Here's a few of the better images.  Bailey (below), a beagle mix, was staying close to her owner.

Nala, a Pit Bull King (or Cane) Corso mix puppy was full of energy, most of the time.

Dex and Nala were having fun playing tug of war.

Casey's favorite activity at the dog park was playing in the water.

St. Maries Musica Performance at Historic St. Mary's City

We enjoyed a special concert by St. Maries Musica, a excellent local acapella group at the rebuilt Brick Chapel in Historic St. Mary's City on Friday April 26th.  The chapel was filled to capacity for this intimate concert.  I especially loved "Going Home" based on a portion of "The New World Symphony" by Antonin Dvorak. 

The concert was directed by Krystal McCoy.  Here is Krystal smiling at the choir after one of their songs.

 We were rewarded with a lovely sunset at the end of the program.

Their next public concert is at Patuxent Presbyterian Church Concert: 23421 Kingston Creek Road, California, MD 20619 on May 6th at 7PM.

I've been very busy lately.

I finally posted a little album of photos of the Cherry Blossoms in April 2013 in Washington DC on my Calm Reflections Photography Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CalmReflectionsPhotography.  Please check it out!  I was practicing some unique techniques, panoramas and focus stacking in Photoshop.

I want to share two of my recent favorite photos.  Neither of them won the April competition at our local camera club, but I liked them.  Maybe you will too!

The pier photo was taken on an early special morning in February when the mist was lovely and the sky became pink.

The squirrel was outside my window.  He/She was running up and down a maple tree looking for nuts.  He almost looks like he is smiling.

Happy Easter!

I tried to make an Easter dog portrait with DJ for Easter cards. I have some bunny ears, but they were just too big for cute little DJ, my Chihuahua friend. I made due with an Easter basket, flowers and Easter eggs.