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Foggy Morning at Monson Lake State Park

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were able to get away by ourselves for a weekend away. It was a chance for us to spend some time as Steve & Becky, and not Mom and Dad. It was a great weekend but also a bit weird. Prior to this, it had been a few years since we did this and this time we were able to leave our children home by themselves, which was totally weird. It was hard for us to fathom that our kids were now old enough. Our plan, initially, was to camp for the weekend so that we could see Monson Lake State Park, which isn’t very big at all, and then take … Read MoreFoggy Morning at Monson Lake State Park

Macro: Life in the Garden

I was admiring my pepper plants earlier this week and noticed this little guy just hanging out. I wasn’t sure if he’d hold still for me while I got the macro lens on my camera and I wasn’t sure if he’d hold still while I got down there with him to try and take a picture of him. I was really trying to get him head on but it just didn’t work out that way. I also noticed, as I was editing the photo, the motion blur in his leg. I need to work on getting my shutter speed faster. Overall, though, I’m still enjoying the moments of practice that I get with the lens.

Macro Madness, Part 2

I have to say, I’m really enjoying the macro lens. There is definitely an art to it. I’ve been practicing with it, trying to get better with it. I’ve discovered that there are two things I REALLY want to photograph with it: insects and water droplets. I’ve been practicing with the water droplets. It’s proving to be a really difficult thing to do and I can see the appeal with going with a high-speed trigger and droplet setup. I’m trying to avoid that for now and see what I can capture on my own. A shutter release cable was my most recent purchase to help with this but it’s still proving to be quite difficult. Insects are the other thing … Read MoreMacro Madness, Part 2

Macro Madness

So, I’ve acquired a new lens – the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. I’ve really wanted to get into true, genuine macro photography for awhile now and you can only do so much with all-around lenses. I’m discovering that there is a genuine art to this type of photography but I’m enjoying the challenge of learning it. It’s definitely harder than I thought it’d be. So far, it’s just been me putzing around my yard, but I’m looking forward to getting out more and seeing what I can find hiding in the unseen world…

Foggy Morning at Many Point Scout Camp, Ponsford, MN

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Scout camp with Alanzo’s scout troop. We had so much fun last year so we were looking forward to this year. Unfortunately, the first couple of days were very rainy. So rainy, in fact, that we had a minor river running through our campsite from the main road until our scoutmaster was able to divert it away from our campsite. Two of our tents flooded. Once the rain stopped, our spirits lifted – the adults at least. The rain didn’t dampen the spirts of the boys and they enjoyed themselves nonetheless. I took very little pictures this year. Much of what the boys did was similar to last year – cooking, … Read MoreFoggy Morning at Many Point Scout Camp, Ponsford, MN

Isa & the Ocean (2013)

Back in 2013, we visited the west coast again so that we could lay Grandpa Ladd to rest in Newport, Oregon. Afterwards, we drove north to Lincoln City before heading back to Gervais. We had a chance to chill out on the beach, play some frisbee, and frolic in the water. I managed to snag a picture of my daughter, Isa, as she played…