Cowabunga!

- My grandson Robert jumping into his new pool. I often tell people that you can make a great photograph with almost any camera. However action pictures like this really benefit from good photo gear. The Canon 7D was set to high speed shooting mode at 8 frames per second and the camera's fast 19 point auto-focus helped to ensure a sharp photo. The zoom lens was was also big and fast. This is the fourth of seven frames captured during one second of action. The result was exactly the picture I was looking for. Canon 7D, 1/1250 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200, 70mm focal length.

67 Years Later

- Sixty-seven years ago today my father's unit, Company C of the 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, United Sate Army went ashore at Normandy France to take part in the invasion of Europe during WWII. My father was 17 years old at the time and would celebrate his 18th birthday five weeks later on August 15th near Rennes France after fighting through the hedgerows. By the following Spring he was a hardened combat veteran wounded five times and earning two Bronze Stars. He fought through the longest single battle in U S Army history in the Hürtgen Forest between Belgium and Germany. This photo of the Washington Monument taken from the Wold War II Memorial is dedicated SFC Edward H. Sullivan, a member of the "Greatest Generation". Canon 7D, 1/800 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 400, 70mm focal length.

Red, White and Blue

- Fourth of July calls for cookouts and a pool party. We had both at my son Brian's house this afternoon. Click on the pool party link to see more pictures of a splashing good time. Thanks to Cindy for being such a good foot model. Canon 7D, 1/5000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200 zoom at 135mm.

Glass Burst

A ridged glass panel gives off a nice star burst pattern of colors. Canon G11, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Katydid

- I noticed this tiny katydid on one of my Stargazer lily blooms this evening. It was very small, about a 1/4 inch in length. The 100mm macro did a nice job of capturing the image. Canon 40D, 1/200 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro focused at 1:1, handheld with image stabilization on. A little extra light provided by an LED Litepanel.

Think Pink

- Think Pink and support finding a cure for breast cancer. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 55mm focal length.

National Mall Sunset

- Looking west from the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington DC towards the Lincoln Memorial shortly after sunset. The 30 minutes after sunset there is a very special time called "Civil Twilight" when there is still some light in the sky. The sky starts to turn a deep blue or purple in color. This special time is very short lived but cherished by photographers for city scenes. Canon 7D, 5 seconds @ f/22, ISO 100, 70mm focal length and mounted on a tripod.