Next week I will share with you my best photos of 2010. This week I want to share with you what I feel is my best (ie., favorite) photo from my visits to Walt Disney World over the last year. It is not surprising the photo is from my favorite park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and from a show full of fast cars and explosions, Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.
The Hero car jumps thru fire in the finale of the Light, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1600s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV -0.3, 92mm, cropped.
A room full of people enjoying a family Christmas party reflected in an ornament. Nikon D700/50mm, 1/40s, f/4.5, ISO 640, EV 0, bounce flash at -1.0 power.
It was a weekend of Christmas parties. The last one I enjoyed was in a home decorated with Christmas trees in every room and many Santa figurines found throughout including the bathrooms. The ornament photo not only shows some of the people at the party but the effect of bouncing a flash off a ceiling thereby creating a large even light source.
Santa Clause figurine. Nikon D700/50mm, 1/40s, f/2.8, ISO 640, EV 0, bounce flash at -1.0 power.
I used my Nifty-Fifty, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, to control the depth of field and create Christmas light bokeh behind one of the Santa Clause figures in the party host’s home.
The home features a large holiday miniature village with a hockey game going on. Nikon D700/50mm, 1/25s, f/11, ISO 3600, EV 0.
Any miniature holiday village with a hockey game going on is going to get photographed by me. 🙂 The two spectators must be pleased as the Home team is winning.
Christmastime in Syracuse. Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/3.5, ISO 450, EV +1.0, 18mm focal length.
Now the snow really has a reason, it decorates the season
The photo which leads off this post was taken on December 20, 2007 in Clinton Square showing the ice skating rink Syracuse (NY) Parks and Recreation runs each year. I wanted to recreate this scene this year to share with you but the rink was closed the night I was shooting due to being buried in three feet of snow. As all good photographers will do, I found other scenes to share with you.
A Christmas wreath outside of 250 Clinton Street in downtown Syracuse, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/40s, f/4, ISO 6400, EV +1.0, 40mm focal length.
For 2010, Syracuse’s Christmas tree in Clinton Square is using the energy saving LED lights for the first time. Looks much different than the one from 2007.
Clinton Square Christmas tree in downtown Syracuse, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/16, ISO 800, EV +1.0, 62mm focal length, tripod, HDR image.
The quote above is from a beautiful Christmas song written and performed by the Trash Site Blues Band which first recorded it in 1985. Here’s a video of the song.
Earlier this year, Brenda Tharp wrote about Taking Risks as she took part in a creative assignment where you purposely took a photo out of focus. I even commented on how tough I thought getting a good one would be. Brenda’s out of focus photo was excellent.
As I looked through my viewfinder down Salina Street in Syracuse, New York on a cold and wintery evening. I saw an unfocused scene and I remembered Brenda’s post. I loosened the ball head on my tripod and re-composed and put my lens in manual focus. This is the result.
Winter weather on Salina Street in Syracuse, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/2s, f/16, ISO 800, EV +1.0, 300mm focal length.
I still need to keep practicing and I need to do that panning photo I mentioned in the comment. It’s a start!
The Baldwinsville Bees Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team opened up the season with two wins and winning the Robert T. Conklin Memorial Tournament. I was there for the championship game against the Clarance Red Devils which B’ville won 6 to 1.
Baldwinsville Bees' Kevin Cullen (10) puts in the first goal against the Clarance Red Devils in the Robert T. Conklin Memorial Tournament finals at the Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Baldwinsville won 5 to 1. Nikon D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 3600, EV +1.3, 125mm focal length.
This was the first time I photographed a game with the Nikon D700 SLR camera coupled with the Nikon MB-D10 battery grip and Nikon 70-200VR lens. I was a little rusty but quickly got into the flow of the game which was dominated by the Bees. The 9 frames per second (fps) the battery grip gives the camera was a big improvement over the 3 fps of the Nikon D70 I used last year. The ability of the camera to use ISOs two to four times over the D70 gave better exposures and faster processing of the images. What used to take 6 hours of processing only took an hour.
Baldwinsville Bees Parker Ferrigan (18) shoots on goal. Nikon D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 2800, EV +1.3, 120mm focal length.
Throughout the season, I will be getting sport portraits of each of the Baldwinsville players like this one of Parker Ferrigan. Don’t worry, I will capture lots of action shots, too! Look for photos in the Baldwinsville Messenger weekly newspaper.
Baldwinsville's Matt Zandri (22) checks a Clarance Red Devils player in the Robert T. Conklin Memorial Tournament finals at the Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena. Nikon D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 7200, EV +1.3, 200mm focal length.
to my personal journal through my viewfinder. A place where I leave the world behind and try to find the spirit of what I am seeing.
Feel free to look around at all the posts and pages. If you'd like to borrow a photo(s) for your non-commercial blog or website, be my guest. Please, do not alter the photo(s) and be sure to link back to this blog with a prominent photo credit(s). Thank you and I'm thrilled you dropped in!
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