Whenever I get a new filter, lens or anything for my camera, I’m like a kid on Christmas Day. There’s no way I can wait to get out and use it. So yesterday, my friend David and I headed back out to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge to go see just what kind of shots I could get with this new-to-me Sigma 400mm lens. I was a little saddened that many of the wildlife I had seen just a week prior were nowhere to be found, but there was almost about 20 times as many cars as the previous Sunday. We went later in the afternoon so we would be there for sunset. The shots were not as sharp as I had wanted them to, but I was excited to get closer up with some of the...
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So last Saturday, I participated in my first World Wide Photo Walk as a leader in Springfield, GA. I had thought maybe only 2 or 3 people would register, but was ecstatic to have 22 people join the walk. For two hours, we walked around the courthouse, living history site, and old jail. The weather was perfect, and being a short time and close to home, my son was able to join me for the day, which I always...
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Last Sunday, we took a family trip out to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge. It was my first trip in years, and was more scenic than I had remembered. It was my first time using an old Sears 60 to 300 mm lens for the Pentax K. There is definitely room for improvement, but I was so enthralled with the place I’m planning to go back tomorrow with my new Sigma 400 mm...
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Since my son was almost 3 months old, he’s slept through the night. It was a Godsend, not having to worry about being up at 4 am anymore. But thanks to photography, I’m seeing that hour again these days. Last week, one of the guys in my photography group suggested a sunrise shoot out on Tybee Island. Of course, he’d be just getting off work, so he’d be wide awake. I, on the other hand, would have to be up at 4:45 am to make the trek from the country to the beach. I set my alarm, and saw almost every hour that night as I worried I would oversleep. I couldn’t wait to get up and go shoot before work. There is an awesome feeling of having the beach to yourself. I took the time to play with some of my filters and explore with lenses I don’t normally use. After two hours, it took every bit of willpower I had to leave and go in to work. I had forgotten how spoiled I had been growing up on the island and going for runs there before work all those years ago. Sometimes the most breathtaking landscapes are closer to us than we...
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I take for granted some times just all the natural beauty and photographic subjects readily available to me. Just over 20 years ago, my parents bought a marina and started dolphin tours. Of course, I wasn’t doing photography back then as I didn’t even own a camera. But since we were out on the boat for a beautiful Sunday afternoon benefit for my animal rescue group, I figured the time was just right for trying out the digital cam. The weather was beautiful, though I had to work a little bit to hold my camera steady as the boat rocked. But I got some great shots that I may never get again. Special thanks to my friend and captain, Jason Donnelly, who set up a couple of the shots for me, knowing how badly I wanted to get...
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The only time I have ever been to North Carolina was for flight changes in Charlotte (which, by the way, is a really nice airport). So I was incredibly excited to be heading up there for five days of hiking in the Asheville area, and even more excited to see a white squirrel, as I had read about them on the Brevard website before our trip. Being from a small town, I sincerely appreciate traveling to other small towns. Unlike Savannah where everything is open and ready for tourists right at 10 am (or earlier) and open later, Brevard seemed to take its time waking up and getting going. We were at the visitors center before they even opened our first morning there. As the shop keepers started showing up one by one, we made our way down the street, peeking at local art works (I have to always scout others’ photography) and antiques. We came up to the White Squirrel Shoppe, and of course, had to stop in. As with all the other shops, we were cheerfully greeted with “good morning!” as if Mary Poppins had trained them herself. The young lady noticed my camera around my neck (hard to miss me in “tourist” mode), and asked if I had spotted a white squirrel yet. I held up the stuffed one I was going to purchase my son and said “this is it.” She smirked and gave me two locations where I would be “sure to find one.” So that became the goal of my trip: I refused to leave the area without catching a squirrel on camera. Three days into our trip (and many groans from my sweetheart about repeatedly stopping so I could snap off a few shots), we were trying to kill some time before going back to the campground (seems everything in the small town closes between 5 and 6, something we are not accustomed to in Savannah). We decided to visit this small park we had passed a day earlier. I was going to leave my camera in the car and just sit on a bench and enjoy the North Carolina breeze. Sure enough, we get the doors locked and I squealed: “Quick, give me the keys!” By...
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