We started into the weekend with a list of chores to do around the house that have been nagging at us for months. We indeed did get a few things done over the course of the weekend such as: remodel a bathroom, till and plant the garden, dig and cement a post for a basketball hoop, mow our jungle of a yard, fit in a Monday afternoon softball practice, and a few other small chores. But the most memorable part of our weekend was the time we spent together exploring and hiking at the Palisades State Park. The girls have been wanting to go see it for a while now, and there really was no better time like the present.

Robo-Elvis has a mini-cassette recorder that plays “Hound Dog.”

When asked what Robo-Elvis’ occupation? Lounge Singer. Teacher’s Lounge Singer.

Great work, Maddie!

As I was working in Photoshop on minor adjustments, this idea popped into my head. Could be a good image for a milk campaign.

Nothing too extraordinary about this shot… It was captured with the camera on my cell phone. Of course, THE event that I SHOULD have had my high-performance camera… It was in the car. Nice.

Ironically, I do like the low-res quality of the shot. The lights become the important element in the shot. Everything else is just a blur. It’s also interesting how the light is blown out in the middle of the ring. You can’t tell, but there’s a guy juggling flaming torches. It was a great circus this year.

This is a shot of Truck 7 at the Tea Volunteer Fire Department. The image is a composite of 9 separate shots. The only light used to light the truck in each shot was a hand-held flashlight. Interesting effect…

I got some new software today, to process HDR Photos. This is the result of an image accidentally getting placed in the HDR-mix. It resulted in an interesting image that I’d call a “Happy Accident.”

While out for lunch today I stumbled across this unique perspective.

Last night was the annual school carnival fund raising event. Lots of fun! Of course, we partook in the tradition of the circular musical walk for baked goods. My oldest daughter, Maddie won a strawberry cake. The other tradition of school carnivals is the guarantee that before you leave the event, your pockets will be filled with Tootsie Rolls, cheap little toys, erasers, and pencils: All the spoils of winning the ring toss, duck pond, fishing wall, “Plinko,” and other wonderful games the quality of which can only be found at local school carnivals. It’s nice to see that some traditions haven’t changed. I remember these same games and little plastic prizes when I was a kid. My youngest, Gracie was on a mission to collect all the colors of gel frogs available; she ended up with four. These little guys look pretty neat with the sun shining in behind them on the kitchen counter. Thanks to Gracie for the inspiring frogs!

I’m working at home this afternoon, trying to get some photo work done for a few clients. It’s nice and quiet, and I am getting a lot done. But my work buddy, Scout seems to want to go out and come in every 5 minutes. (I think he’s trying to tell me that it’s too nice to be sitting inside behind the computer. Perhaps he’s right…) This got me thinking… I set up my camera and shot this using a long timer. After a long pause without seeing me through the window, I wondered what he’d do. It’s kind of funny to see Scout’s expression when he doesn’t think he’s being watched.

Falling down on the job? Lacking Energy? Perhaps a few of these guys are in desperate need of 5-Hour Energy.

“Working together we can achieve great things!”

It’s interesting to note how many green things are just lying around… These are all things I found in the studio. For the most part, these are all tools of the trade. So, I guess you could say that we are a green operation… (Yeah, that’s a pretty lame joke, I know.)

For many people, signs of Spring include birds, green grass, and warm sun. For others, the site of chrome is more than enough to know that Spring is here!

A shot of kids doing the Hokey Pokey at the K-5 dance I attended with my oldest daughter. The back-light effect from the DJ and the motion of the kids is pretty cool.

Neon signs are designed to stand out against a dark backdrop. What’s behind the neon tubing is rarely seen. A look deeper into this image, past the bright orange neon, reveals an interesting view of the supporting cast.

This is a unique view of a lamp in the office. From this view it seems as though the light bulbs are in the wrong place.

A 30 second glimpse of time can reveal a lot. This image was shot using a 30 second exposure and a red L.E.D.

Thanks to my buddy Craig for inspiring this one. There are a few ideas yet to explore here. I’ll probably be posting more of these sparkler shots in the near future.