Sunday, September 28, 2008

Winnie, Short for Winchester

On August, 26th, I introduced our newest family member, Winnie. Well... over the last month, she became very hairy. Here she is after her first haircut.


Winnie (by john_brainard)

Winnie (by john_brainard)


Judging by the look on her face, she's not thrilled with this new hair style. I tried to convince her that it will grow back!

For those who are curious, check back later for a set up shot and a description of how I shot these.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Grace Christian Fellowship Church

I envision my future with photography to be in real estate. The challenge of lighting interiors and finding interesting exterior shots looks exciting to me. You can imagine my excitement when a friend from Church asked if I'd take some photos they can use for advertising. I didn't get any interior photos, just the exterior. Here are a few of the ones I chose to give them. Most of these are multiple exposures.


Grace Christian Fellowship (by john_brainard)

Grace Christian Fellowship (by john_brainard)

Grace Christian Fellowship (by john_brainard)

Grace Christian Fellowship (by john_brainard)


Feel free to check out their website.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Morning Fog

There was a heavy fog this morning in the valleys that I couldn't pass up shooting. I couldn't capture it the way I had hoped to, but I did manage to take a few photos that I do like. Next time, I'll try to find a different spot to shoot from, perhaps Sessions Hill Road.


Morning Fog (by john_brainard)

Morning Fog (by john_brainard)

Morning Fog (by john_brainard)

Morning Fog (by john_brainard)


Enjoy.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Moonlight on Sessions Hill Road

If you've been following my blog, you might recognize these trees as I have shot them before.

Sessions Hill Road and Vern King Road in Homer have some interesting features to shoot. I'm looking forward to some fall and winter trips up there for some photos. The colors should be great.


Sessions Hill Road at Night (by john_brainard)

Sessions Hill Road at Night (by john_brainard)


I shot these at ISO 400 as I don't really like the star trails too much. Unfortunately, there are small trails. Thankfully, UFRaw has noise removal built in and was able to get rid of a lot of sensor noise.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

After the Sun Set

I spent some time last night at Dwyer Park on Little York Lake taking photos. I'll go back as there were many more things I wanted to take photos of, including a large boat anchor in the main lawn of the theater. Even after having already spent some time taking photos, I couldn't pass up the sky that presented itself last night. It was rather dramatic as you can see below.


After the Sunset (by john_brainard)

After the Sunset (by john_brainard)

After the Sunset (by john_brainard)


These were taken not even a quarter of a mile from home.

Dwyer Park on Little York Lake

This is the first of what will likely be two parts. I have been itching to get out and take some photos for a while now. Unfortunately, things kept coming up over the last week or so that kept me from doing it. They have also kept me from getting caught up on processing my stuff. So, I'll be busy for a while going through photos and getting them uploaded.

I stopped last night on my way home from work at Dwyer Park on Little York Lake. I have been wanting to get there for a while now. Here are a few of the photos I took there.


Dwyer Park on Little York Lake (by john_brainard)

Dwyer Park on Little York Lake (by john_brainard)

Dwyer Park on Little York Lake (by john_brainard)


I hope you enjoy these photos. Feel free to leave any comments and critiques as that's how I learn.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Ross Park Zoo: Monkeys

I took my wife, two girls and my mom to Ross Park Zoo on Labor Day. I was hoping to get more pictures of animals while we were there, but most of them were in the shade. My Sigma 70-300mm lens just doesn't cut it for taking pictures hand held. Hopefully, next year I'll be able to add a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to my camera bag.

This is my favorite photo of the day.
Ross Park Zoo (by john_brainard)

I had this guy sticking his tongue out at me! It was hilarious. Unfortunately he wouldn't do it for the camera.

Ross Park Zoo (by john_brainard)

Ross Park Zoo (by john_brainard)


Keep an eye out for part two. I took a couple pictures in the aviary and some in the display donated by Time Warner. Go ahead and guess what's in the Time Warner display.

Feel free to offer suggestions on how I could have taken these photos better.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Nifty Fifty: Catching Up

My wife has been pretty sick from a bacterial infection and some un-named virus. It has been beating up on her bad enough that I have had to work from home as much as I can. Being that I recently acquired a flash, I had to take advantage of a photo opportunity. This is what I have been looking at the last few days.

Working At Home (by john_brainard)

This is my toy fund jar. I collect all the change and put it in here. When I have enough, I go out and buy a new toy!

Toy Fund Jar (by john_brainard)

I still have a ton of photos to catch up on. I still have photos from our recent trip to the zoo to post. Keep an eye out for those. Unfortunately, not too many of them turned out good.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Early Morning Walk with the Dog

My wife and I just got a puppy. She's great to have around, but she is very much like having a baby in the house. She wakes up in the middle of the night two or three times to go to the bathroom. The other morning, I took her out and saw the sky and the stars. I knew I had to shoot them. So, I brought Winnie back inside and grabbed my camera. These were taken around 5:30 in the morning. I don't recall getting much sleep the rest of the "night".

Early Morning At The Pond (by john_brainard)

Early Morning At The Pond (by john_brainard)

Early Morning At The Pond (by john_brainard)

I am way behind on processing my pictures. We went to the zoo on Labor Day and I managed to get some shots that I like. Unfortunately, my wife has been sick, so I haven't had the time to work on photos. We spent a couple of evenings in the emergency room while they tried figuring out what was wrong with her. She's mostly fine now, but fighting a virus. We are hoping and praying that it's gone by the weekend. Keep checking back for some zoo pictures, more of the dog and I think I might have some photos for my nifty fifty project.