View 239: Field Jam

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

Field Jam – A party in a field with family and friends and lots of music, food and drink.

My cousin Gary from Denver and his Brother-In-Law Doc manned the grill during Field Jam hosted by Gary's brother, Billy.

My cousin Gary from Denver and his Brother-In-Law Doc manned the grill during Field Jam hosted by Gary’s brother, Billy.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 200, EV 0, 24mm focal length, fill flash.

I attended my cousins Ana and Billy’s annual Field Jam party over the weekend.  I had a lot of fun seeing family and friends I had not seen in a long time and catching up with everyone while not at a funeral or wedding.

Celebrating the return of a son and a birthday at Field Jam.

Field Jam was also a celebration of the return of cousin Billy Jr. from Afghanistan and his 30th Birthday.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 1600, EV 0, 30mm focal length, fill flash.

Along with enjoying everyone’s company and the band, we got to celebrate the return from Afghanistan of Billy Jr., my cousin Billy’s son, and his 30th Birthday at Field Jam. Should have turned down my flash here but his Captain Morgan pose was saved!

As the party continued into the night, some of my cousins insisted on group photos. Red Solo Cups and red cheeks supplied the rosey glow to my subjects. 🙂

A family grouping at Field Jam.

Cousins Pam, Cheryl, Ana and Lori with sisters Dottie and Pearl at Field Jam. Dottie is the Mother of Pam and Cheryl and Dottie and Pearl are Lori’s Aunt. Dottie is Ana’s Mother-In-Law and cousins to the rest by marriage. Got that?
Nikon D700/24-85mm, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 1600, EV 0, 24mm focal length, fill flash.

Already planning on going to next year’s Field Jam!

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Disney Panoramic Views

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

When I reviewed the Nassau Forts and Junkanoo Discovery Tour over at AllEars.net, the one thing I wished I had was more time at Fort Fincastle. The panoramic you see below is the result of being rushed. I took these four photos quickly and, as I was reviewing them, was told we were moving on. I knew they would not create the panoramic image I had in mind. The wide angle shot in the review link is much better. Next time I did a panoramic set of photos, I made sure I had more time.

Panoramic view from the top of Fort Fincastle on Nassau in the Bahamas.

Panoramic view from the top of Fort Fincastle on Nassau in the Bahamas.
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The next panoramic of Castaway Cay was planned. I knew about the Lookout Tower from my first visit to Castaway Cay. I had visions of a beautiful Caribbean blue sky with sunshine gleaming off the Disney Dream on the horizon. That vision was dashed with the weather but I still wanted the panoramic. I did a couple of things wrong here. First, I did not set my camera to full manual so that the exposure would be the same in each of the photos. As you can see, the photo used for the Disney Dream is a bit underexposed in comparison to the other four photos. Second, you can see a duplicate clearing on the left side. The panoramic stitching software I used did not properly line up the edges. I should have fixed that before saving the panoramic. Also, should have read my Pano-Magic post first, eh?

Panoramic view from the top of Lookout Tower on Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.

Panoramic view from the top of Lookout Tower on Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.
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The last one I want to show you I am very proud of. During the Streets of America photowalk, the group got a backstage tour of the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show. The panoramic image of the garage took four photos and I was so very careful to overlap them enough so the panoramic stitching software could do its magic. This time I made sure my camera was in manual mode to keep the exposure the same. I was told by the stunt drivers giving the tour, they can strip down and totally rebuild any of the vehicles used during the shows in there.

Panoramic view of the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show Garage.

Panoramic view of the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show Garage.
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Many photo editing programs today can perform the stitching needed to create panoramic images. Check to see if yours does. If not, there are many quality stand alone programs suited to the task. I used a Mac app from Echo One called Double Take.  Of course, the better you plan and produce the photos for the panoramic, the better your results will be. Right, Scott?

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Motion

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

In the Motion Assignment post, I mentioned how things which move are all around us.  Sometimes they show up right in your own town.

Budweiser Clydesdales moving along the shore of the Seneca River in Baldwinsville, New York.

Budweiser Clydesdales moving along the shore of the Seneca River in Baldwinsville, New York.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/50s, f/18, ISO 200, EV 0, 16mm focal length.

The Syracuse Nationals gave me another opportunity to look for things in motion.  Not as easy as you might think as most of the cars are on display and motionless.  Unless you get there in time to see a few of the late comers showing up.

An orange coupe hot rod entering the New York State Fairgrounds for the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.

An orange coupe hot rod entering the New York State Fairgrounds for the 2012 Syracuse Nationals Car Show.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/22, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length.

Cruising the vendor tables, I came upon these battery operated toys moving and spinning about.

Toys move and spin at a vendors booth at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.

Toys move and spin at a vendors booth at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/3s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 38mm focal length.

The monster trucks had a tough time getting traction in the dirt and mud in front of the Grandstands at the New York State Fairgrounds during a game of Tug-O-War.

Monster trucks spin their wheels in a game of Tug-O-War at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show in front of the Grandstand of the New York State Fairgrounds.

Monster trucks spin their wheels in a game of Tug-O-War during the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show in front of the Grandstand at the New York State Fairgrounds.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/20s, f/9, ISO 200, EV 0, 219mm focal length, cropped.

This is my submission for the assignment.  Click here so see how others tackled showing Motion in a still image.

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View 238: The Nationals

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

Around Syracuse, one only has to ask if you are going to The Nationals to know they are referring to the annual Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Show.  The week leading up to the huge show has central New York invaded by hot rods, muscle cars, classic cars, custom cars as well as the same kinds of trucks.  With thousands of car owners and tens of thousands of visitors coming to view the cars, it is a huge boost to the local economy.

Over the years, I have featured photos from the Nationals several times.  The challenge is to present them here in a fresh and interesting way each time.  Sure keeps me thinking as I walk amongst a gear heads version of heaven.

Contrasting Hot Rod Vanity License Plates.

Contrasting Hot Rod Vanity License Plates.

Vanity license plates is one way for a Hot Rodder to add personality to his or her ride. They give the exclamation point to an already head turning vehicle.  When I saw the next vanity plate, I just knew I had to share it with you.

The Pepsi Wagon vanity license plate at the Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Show in Syracuse, New York.

The Pepsi Wagon vanity license plate at the Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Show in Syracuse, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/13, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, HDR Image.

Another way to keep the creative juices going is to change up what you usually do.  I changed to the Tokina 11-16mm Wide Angle lens to see the cars in a different way.  First, you have to get much closer to the subjects with a wide lens.  Second, you have to be aware of keeping the lens perpendicular with your subject to control the distortions these lenses can create.

A highly customized 2006 Dodge Magnum at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.

A highly customized 2006 Dodge Magnum in front of the Horticulture building at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show at the New York State Fairgrounds.
Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 200, EV 0, 16mm focal length.

For the first time I stayed for the show at the New York State Fairgrounds’ Grandstand the Nationals include with the price of admission.  The evening card featured flame throwing cars.  Now, I ask you, is that something a guy would pass up? 😀 I could feel the heat from over 200 feet (60 meters) away.

Flame throwing cars shooting flames fifty feet into the air at the Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Show.

Flame throwing cars shooting flames fifty feet into the air at the Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Show in front of the New York State Fairgrounds Grandstand.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 150mm focal length.

After sunset the lights were turned on and we were treated to the features of lawn mower racing.  Yes, you read that right.  Somewhere, Tim Allen from Home Improvement must be smiling.

Supermodified lawn mowers race at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.

Supermodified lawn mowers race on the dirt track in front of the Grandstands at the 13th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show at the New York State Fairgrounds after sunset.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 3200, EV -0.6, 28mm focal length.

Hope you enjoyed this year’s article on the Syracuse Nationals show.  The cars and the people who own them brighten up the whole area each year.

On a personal note, it sure was nice to be shooting with the Nikon D700 again. The difference in colors, sharpness, ISO capabilities and dynamic range jumps off my screen after working with the older Nikon D70 images the last few weeks.

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How I Photo Blog

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

I have been asked a few times over the past year how I keep up with my blog and all the social networks I contribute to. I will get to the social networks in a bit. First, I want to explain how I go about producing my blog each week.

I create three posts each week on Views Infinitum. Mondays is the weekly View post. I have been doing them from the beginning when I only posted once a week for a 52 week photo project. Each week I posted a photo or photo essay about something I recently photographed. A view of the world through my camera lens if you will. You can see all the views by clicking the Weekly Views category in the sidebar.

When I first started, coming up with new photos every week was not easy. Sometimes I would wake on Sunday mornings trying to come up with an idea. This went on for about three months until I decided on a couple of things. First, I started carrying my camera

View 10: Let's Make Noise!

View 10: Let’s Make Noise!
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with me as much as possible. Every family outing and trip became a photo opportunity. Second, I began checking local papers and websites for events I could photograph.

Once I coupled such research with my interests in nature, travel and sports photography, it was easy to find people, things, places and events almost every week. Vacations during the first year slowed down my weekly posts as hotels the first couple of years did not have Internet access. Today, it is easy to blog while I am on the road or schedule posts ahead of time. Scheduling posts was something I now take full advantage of and saves me lots of time. Depending on how ambitious I get when I am writing up blogs. I might do a whole week in one sitting.

I added Wednesdays to my blogging schedule during my second year. The posts are sometimes a continuation of my weekly view post or whatever I wished to blog about. Maybe a Disney post or two.

Towards the end of my second year of blogging, I borrowed a fellow blogger’s idea to ask my readers to join in on photography assignments which I run six times a year. This month the assignment is on motion photography. Click the link to see a few of the

View 128: Catching Some Waves

View 128: Catching Some Waves
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submissions people have already left. Assignments take up three Wednesday posts in the month’s I run them.

As I started my third year of blogging, I added Fridays which are about photography subjects, reviews of equipment and books, tips, suggestions, links, guest posts and the occasional Disney post here and there. 🙂

To keep track of these posts, I have tried various things from notes on paper to spreadsheets. Last year I started using Trello. A kind of online To Do List tracker. I have a list for post ideas, planned posts, scheduled posts, published posts and special projects. The special projects are my own self assignments which eventually become a blog post or posts. Helps a lot when I am needing a little inspiration.

View 186: Summer Weekend

View 186: Summer Weekend
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Here is how it works.  This weekend is the Syracuse Nationals Hot Rod Car show.  I have blogged about this show a couple of times in the past.  That gives me a challenge to photograph and show something new on Monday.  Wednesday will be my submission to the Motion assignment.  Friday will be a post about panoramics which might have a Disney photo or two.  See? Not hard at all.

To promote my blog, I use social media starting with all my blogmates you see listed under my Favorites. I also post my blog links on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, flickr and a few photography forums. Over the years, several of you have become frequent visitors with a nice stream of new comers who I hope decide to return. Thank you all for your support the last four and a half years.

As the title says, this is how I photo blog.  There are as many ways as there are bloggers. I invite you to visit my Favorite blogs and you will find people who blog everyday to those who blog infrequently.  They are all very talented people who share themselves in photographs and words.

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