Orchids

- White orchids illuminated by indirect window light and a small lamp which adds the gold highlights. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 400.

Decoration Day

- Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, which was first observed by Freedmen in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865 to remember the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Today Memorial Day is a time for us to remember and honor all of those who have fallen in the service of our freedom. Hampton National Cemetery was created in 1862 by the Union Army to bury Civil War dead. While most were Union casualties there are several hundred Confederate dead buried there as well. Today almost 30,000 veterans rest here from all conflicts of the past 150 years. The cemetery also holds the graves of 29 German sailors killed during the sinking of the U-85 just off Oregon Inlet North Carolina in April 1942. Canon 40D, 1/1600 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length.

Glass Block

- Glass blocks have returned as an architectural detail. This block is picking up red from the brick wall opposite with green from trees located off to the right. The colors change as the light and your angle of view changes. The shapes and colors create a wonderful and always different view. Canon 40D, 1/1600 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Tea Geeks

- Our son Michael is home this week and since he's a tea geek we visited the new Teavana store at MacArthur Center in Norfolk Virginia. This is a 50/50 blend of Jasmine Pearls & Strawberry Lemonade basically green tea and herbal tea. It makes a great summer iced tea which I'm enjoying while I do this blog post. Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens with LED litepanel.

Mixed Messages

Mixed messages on the doorway of this flower shop in Virginia Beach Virginia. Open - closed, Roses 12.99/doz - no soliciting. Droid X camera phone, 1/520 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, no flash.

Distortion

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This image is looking out a window through a piece of hand blown art glass. I like the way the glass distorts the colors and lines. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

The Tide 406

The Tide 406 awaits service in the new Rail Operations Faculty near I-264 and Brambleton Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. This service track contains a pit for under car access and a mezzanine for accessing the top of the light rail car where most of the systems are located. The Tide has nine Siemens S70 rail cars similar to those in use in Charlotte NC and Houston TX. Canon G11, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800.

Simple Flower

- This pretty little flower was in a planter adjacent to the sidewalk in the Freemason neighborhood in Norfolk Virginia. Using the macro lens I was able to just bring the flower into focus and the shadows allowed the background to fade away. I was happy for the effect even with the mid-day sun. Canon 7D, 1/1000 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 200, 100mm macro lens.

Lights

- Photography is the art and science of capturing light. As such I can never resist taking a picture of a cool light fixture and many end up in black and white. If you like cool lights click on the "Cool Lights" label at the bottom of this post to see other posts from the past two and half years. Canon G11, 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, under exposed 1 -1/2 stops and converted to black and white.

Daisy Prism

- Caught a picture of these daisies with the point and shoot camera using a prism adapter I got last year on a visit to New York. It's a pretty simple devise with a multi prism plastic lens mounted on a piece of cardboard cut out and printed to look like a Leica M range-finder. It's a close as I'll every get to a Leica. Canon G11, 1/2000 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400.

Festival Time

- Went to the Spring Stockley Gardens Arts Festival in Norfolk Virginia today. I love this time of year when there are festivals and outdoor activities every weekend. Canon G11, 1/1250 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400 with a point and shoot prism adapter held in front of the lens.

Birthday Boy

- Sherlock is one year old today. He had his favorite breakfast of "Mack & Jack" to celebrate. Happy Birthday big guy! Canon 7D, 1/25 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm lens. LED Litepanel.

Paper Lantern

- I captured a picture of this great paper lantern at Nana Sushi in Norfolk Virginia. High wattage Paper lanterns are prized by photographers for the soft edgeless light they produce and are often used in film making. In photography they are called "China Balls". Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

Son of a Carpenter

- This was my one of my father's many folding rulers. He could unfold and measure with one hand while holding something with the other. I still use this ruler all of the time and each time I think of my dad. He was a proud son of a carpenter and so am I. Canon 7D, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

From Here - Go Anywhere

- The new Student Center at the Norfolk Campus of Tidewater Community College opens next week. I started my college studies as a 17 year old at the Virginia Beach Campus of the then new Tidewater Community College. It wasn't much when I started classes in a temporary campus in WWII wooden army barracks. TCC set me on a path to complete an associates degree then on to ODU for my bachelor's degree. Just as I have grown and been successful, so has TCC now with 47,000 students and four major campuses in Southeastern Virginia. I'm proud to be an alumni and was honored when asked to be a founding member of the TCC Alumni Association Board. From here, you truly can go anywhere. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 50mm focal length.

Garden Walk

- We did the Full Moon Garden Walk tonight at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens with our friend Margaret. The cloud cover obscured the moon but it was still a nice evening for a stroll through the amazing gardens. As always I learned a lot from Perry Mathewes our guide. I managed to capture a few photos in spite of the low light and steady breeze like this columbine. Canon G11, 1/100 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, in macro mode.

HRVA Photowalk

- Today I attended the second Hampton Roads Virginia Photowalk. We began at the Pagoda Garden in the Freemason neighborhood near downtown Norfolk where I photographed this yellow iris at the edge of the Koi pond. We had 33 photographers along for the mile and half walk through Freemason and along Granby Street ending up at Town Point Park on the Elizabeth River. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 100, 100mm macro lens.

Mums the Word

- A bight green spider mum is part of a flower bouquet that has been in our den for about two weeks. I am amazed at long they have lasted. Canon 40D, 1/25 0sec @ F/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Table Set

- More salt and pepper shakers and some cool reflections in the table light. Canon G11, 1/3 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200 in macro mode.

The "new" Luna Maya

- Had dinner tonight at the new Luna Maya on Colley Avenue in the Ghent section of Norfolk, Virginia. The new space is five times larger than the old location and it was still packed with a 30 minute wait at 8:00 PM. The Bolivian inspired food was great as always and the vibe was amazing. This is Norfolk's new "in place" to be. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 800.

Geek Dryer

- The new dryer for the laundry room finally arrived today. Unfortunately the shippers loaded the wrong washer on the delivery truck, idiots! But the dryer is awesome it even has a color LCD display, how fricking geek is that? Downside - the manual is about an inch thick but that's Cindy's problem, due to incidents in the past, I'm barred from doing laundry. Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm.

Garden Envy

- Made my first rip to Anderson-Wright Rooms & Gardens at 622 High Street in downtown Portsmouth, Virginia. This is the gorgeous interior courtyard. If you love gardens and landscape design, this is must place to visit. Canon G11, 1/50 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200.

Buds

- The Knockout Roses I planted in the Fall of '09 are really doing well this Spring. I was a little worried in January and February as the harsh cold seemed to be doing them in. But they bounced back great with more blooms than ever. Canon 40D, 1/320 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro late afternoon shade helped out a bit by the LED Litepanel.

Shadow Puppet

My four-year old grandson Robert was busy making shadow puppets as the morning sun was streaming in through the kitchen. I only got off two shots with camera and this one is a keeper. Canon G11, 1/1250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200 converted to black and white in Silver Efex Pro.

Espresso Brown

- Why is that colors these days have a first and last name? When was the last time you saw a can paint or fabric color just called brown? So yesterday I was took a picture getting ready to make an espresso, tonight it is the finished cup. This is espresso brown or Mr. Brown to those who are more formal. Canon 40D, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens, LED litepanel.

Espresso?

- Can I interest you in an espresso? Well is not a "real" espresso but its pretty darn close for a home version. Made myself an espresso with my Nespresso machine tonight to enjoy with a little strawberry sorbet. Very nice. This picture was taken just before pushing the button to begin the magic. Canon 40D, 1/10 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

The State Flower

- The Dogwood is the official state flower and tree of the Commonwealth of Virginia. So why is Virginia officially called a Commonwealth rather than a state? Fiction author Clive Cussler once lamented it was because "Virginia considers itself too good to be just a state". Virginia has used the old traditional English term since before the founding of the United States. There are three other U.S. states that refer to themselves as a Commonwealth - Kentucky, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The term implies a political community founded for the common good. As I watch Virgina's strange politics, I often wonder what has happened to the "common good". Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens, LED Litepanel.

Rear-view Mirror

- Well technically its a side-view mirror. Looking back on the rush hour traffic waiting behind me to make a left turn from Park Avenue onto Brambelton Avenue to get on I-264 East in Norfolk Virginia. Notice the two cars in the blind-spot mirror can't be seen in the standard mirror - that's why they call it a blind spot. That little mirror has saved me more than once. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Lavender

- Lavender is the color of femininity and my bride of 36 years loves tulips. So it was lavender tulips with some baby's breath, pink roses and stargazer lilies for today's anniversary flowers. Canon 40D, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro, Litepanel LED.

New Pez!

- As regular followers of my blog know, I collect PEZ dispensers. Since I have several hundred it is a rare treat to get a new one, especially when its a gift. My grandson Robert brought me this new style Disney Dalmatian dispenser last week. So this picture and blog post is a big thank to Robert for expanding grandpa's wall of PEZ. He and I have a good arrangement, I get the PEZ dispensers he gets the PEZ candy.

This photo is a good example of shallow depth of field and bokeh. You will notice that his nose and right eye are in sharp focus at f/4.0 but the left eye which is just a few millimeters farther away is beginning to fall out of the shallow field of sharp focus. The background is completely out of focus with the soft highlights known as bokeh. Canon 40D, 1/50 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens, room light.

Ice Cold Tea

- A glass of ice cold tea a southern tradition. We had dinner tonight at the No Frill Grill in Norfolk, Virginia and sat on the open patio. It was a glorious evening and the late afternoon sun was nicely illuminating Cindy's ice tea. She was kind of enough to wait for me to take the picture, actually five, before having a drink. I really appreciate the way she suffers for my art. Droid X camera phone in macro mode, no flash.