I Need To Be Awesome (No...I'm not having delusions of grandeur...)

But Awesome in the 500px way. In order to go awesome from your basic 500px account; you have to cough up $50.00 per person and in that way you get access to multiple "collections" that you can create and in essence create your own simplified "webspace" on the World Wide Web. For an HTML troglodyte such as myself, this is a godsend. Right now as a basic member, I have to catalog all my images into one "portfolio" folder and let it play through. Whereas if I went "AWESOME"...I'd be able to allow my website visitors to go and select the "collection" they want to see, whether it be wildlife or landscapes or aviation...etc, etc, etc.



Why do I need to be AWESOME...well...my friends Megan Lorenz, Jamie Douglas, and Misty Dawn Seidel have all become AWESOME since they can really rock a lens and well...why should I be left out? Right?! ~evil grin~

How To Go Awesome on 500px. Look for FalconRose Photography to go AWESOME in the next year.

My Favorite Park...in the Whole Wide World...

...and that's because it's within a reasonable walking distance from my home. I just pack up my daughter in the stroller and grab my gear and away we go.











During the week there isn't a whole lot of people wandering the park and that's when I like to go there. It allows me to get up close and interactive with the ducks and that gets me some great shots. I have to say I just love this park because of it's ambience and the peace it seems to generate.

I also have a few more shots taken yesterday up at 500px. You can go to my gallery at FalconRose Photography at 500px

Another Trip To Green Timbers

We did another trip to Green Timbers Urban Forest. Unfortunately, I found the direct sunlight did some harsh things to the photos. And it'll probably take Adobe Lightroom to edit most of the photos (which I don't have at the moment)


"I'm just taking a rest". - A dragonfly just rests on a plant for a few moments before flying off.


A raven sits in a tree watching all that surrounds him.

An eclipse mallard duck whips the water into a frenzy.


"I'm trying to hide; Is it working?" An eclipse mallard duck tries to make herself less noticeable by trying to hide behind weeds. I'm not really sure it's working too well.

Memory Card Snafu

Yesterday, my middle son and my daughter went over to Green Timbers Urban Forest armed with the intent to go photograph some ducks. We get there, and see a beautiful sight of ducks everywhere paddling around, splashing and generally making wonderful photographic opportunities everywhere.

To top it all off, I see a Great Blue Heron floating in the air...soaring majestically on a north west direction over the treetops, well within camera range. It was an absolutely awe-inspiring sight. And well...it was a sight that could have been preserved for posterity...

except for one thing:

I FORGOT MY MEMORY CARD!!!

So folks, remember, you can't shoot anything if you don't have your memory card in your camera. Make sure that you check your card slot in your camera before you leave the house. Make sure that your memory card is in the slot before you even set a toe out of your front door.

Now as a result of this snafu, the only place where the memory of this majestic Great Blue Heron flying is preserved is in my own memory. Well...that taught me a lesson.

Stormi and Mt. Baker

Stormi on the bus ride to Willowbrook Mall.


Mt. Baker from Willowbrook Mall.

Just two shots today, but those two were well worth taking.

50mm f/1.8 - Sharpness Assessment

Though primarily considered a portrait lens(it is not a preferred portrait lens to quite a few photographers - it's more of an environmental portrait lens where you put more of the environment in the photo and leave the people at a distance for esthetics), I find that I use mine for anything but portraiture. There have been people complaining about the fact that the f/1.8 is rather soft wide-open. Frankly any lens is soft wide-open. You're letting in a lot of light and you're going to sacrifice image quality for speed, but nothing that can't be sharpened via post-processing.

Doing a portrait of my shooting buddy Toothy here. you'll find the shots (both full-size and crop in both shots) at both f/1.8 (wide open) and at the sweet-spot (the tipping point between sharpness and speed) of f/8 for this lens.


Full size shot at f/1.8


cropped in shot (100% at f/1.8)


Full size shot at f/8 (the 50mm f/1.8's sweetspot)


cropped in shot (100% at f/8)

So as you can see, there is a noticeable difference in image quality between wide-open and the lens' sweet spot. However it isn't much really to worry about.

Where you are going to be shooting wide-open is usually a portrait shot in dim light and then you are more than likely going to be going for an ethereal glow as opposed to a straight out studio shot portrait in terms of sharpness. If you need it any sharper, then go studio lights and stop down to f/8 or post-process in Adobe Lightroom or Portrait Professional.

The main reason why the 50mm is not preferred as a portrait lens is as follows: (once again using Toothy as the model)


Toothy at 50mm (notice how Toothy's face is rather flat, wide and unappealing... - OK a shark isn't all that appealing any way you look at it, but hey...if you really want to make a shark's face scary, use a 50mm)


Toothy at approximately 105mm (notice how Toothy has suddenly looked like he dropped a few pounds and is now looking like a svelte shark?) - shot with a 70-300mm f.3.5-4.5 lens.

That's the effect of a wide angle versus a telephoto on portraiture.

Don't ask me to do portraiture with models. I'd rather be slathered with honey and fed to a hungry grizzly.

You Know You're Addicted To Photography When:

1. You have $300,00 in your bank account and you debate on whether to get decent running shoes and replacement t-shirts (because your shoes are falling off your feet and people hand you money every time you step out) or get yourself that new 35mm f/1.8 lens.
2. You'd forgo eating just to nail that perfect shot...
3. You hand your camera bag to your buddy who works in construction; he just about staggers...and comments "What the hell do you have in that bag???"
4. You look at either the Nikkor Lens Catalog or Canon Lens Catalog and almost drown in a puddle of your own drool.  
5. At work your right hand feels funny because your camera isn't in it. (unless you're a photographer in your day job and then everything just feels fine). 
6. People wonder if you're OK in the head because you're looking at an object from different angles trying to find the right angle and background to take a shot.  
7. You walk out of the camera store without buying anything and have withdrawal symptoms.  
8. When you start talking in acronyms.  "Well, you got your 70-300 VR hooked up to your D300s and your MC-62 goes in right there. Then you hook her up to the Man 200PL14; snap'er into the 488RC2 then hook'er up to the 190XB and there ya go.  That way yer D300s don't shake.  Got it?" and other photography addicts understand you. 
9. When a typical PNW (raining like hell) morning doesn't faze you and you still step out with camera bag in hand (and come back with pictures). 
10. You got a "stuffed animal" shooting buddy in your camera bag.
11. You talk to your shooting buddy.
12. Your shooting buddy talks back. 
13. You have arguments with your shooting buddy about which f/stop to use.
14. You can bolt down a Big Mac, Large Fries and a Coke in 5 minutes flat because you want to get back to your camera and not miss any more photography opportunities. 
15. Your kids run when they see you bring out the camera.   
16. You dream about that big Nikon AF-S 600mm lens, you can feel it in your hand...you're caressing it...when all of a sudden you trip and fall...and break that lens...and you wake up in a cold sweat thinking about how you're going to replace that lens...and you realize it was all a dream but instead of being relieved, you feel depressed. 
17. The local camera shop clerks roll their eyes when you walk into the store, knowing you're coming in to kick tires again. 
18. And they actually die of shock when you turn around and buy a camera from them. 

(more to come)

August 30th, 2011 - A outing to Strawberry Hills Shopping Center

"Hey...I'm WALKIN' HERE!!!"

A crow strutting his way across the street near the Scottsdale Exchange. He nearly got hit by a car but that didn't faze him. Acted like he owned the street.


Red Rosebushes in the Chevron gas station parking lot

Just a small post, but didn't want to leave the post count total for the month of August at 13 (I'm superstitious!).

Thanks Darrell...for your article...on lens acquisition...

My friend and digital photography author, Darrell Young has a great blog. Darrell Young Blogspot Blog. And in that blog it touches one of the best (and worst) parts of photography: the acquisition of lenses. Darrell's article: Lenses: Pleasure and the Pain of Being A Photographer I just have one thing to say...and that's whenever I take a look at the Nikon Lens catalog I end up like Pavlov's dog and all sense flies out the window. It's the same thing when I'm at the camera store looking at the big cardboard boxes containing the metal CT-602 case along with the coveted Nikon AF-S 600mm f4 VRII IF-ED lens packaged so lovingly inside...they usually end up handing me a mop and bucket to clean up my own drool puddle I have made on the floor.

Yes. I need that lens. I want that lens...and I covet that lens. I would forsake having a car for the rest of my life if I could run my fingers across that lens and know that I could take it home. And make everyone jealous for miles around who hasn't got one. Yeah. I got Nikon Lens Acquisition Syndrome BAD. Of course when that lens comes home. The next one will be the Nikon AF-S VRII 200-400mm f/4 G IF-ED. By that time, unless I've won the lottery, my desire for lenses will be sated. And if by some fluke (lightning hit-potential surpassing chance) that I do win the Lotto Max. I'll probably walk into Nikon Richmond and say "Hell...give me one of everything in that catalog." Uh...maybe 2 of each may be the better bet. Since my wife is giving me the "death stare".


"Maybe if I put this picture on the wall and look at it everyday...and..."

So yes, as Darrell says. "Nobody said reading my blog was inexpensive..." Yep...because I got that feeling in the marrow of my bones...that 600mm f/4 lens "will be mine...oh yes...it will be mine..."

Sunsets aren't cliche...

At least not to me. I've always enjoyed shooting sunsets. I'm hoping that one of these days, I will be able to get some Graduated ND filters to help bring out those colors.