Better Off Here

- "Better off here than across the street claims" the neon sign at Payne's Biker Bar in Leesburg Virginia. The "across the street" is the Loudoun County Courthouse. Canon G11, 1/320 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

It's a NEW PC!

- Yep after six years of service I'm finally replacing my old XP computer. I'm building the new PC from the ground up to be photographer's killer machine. I thought seriously about building a "Hackintosh" but decided to stay with Windows. Got my inspiration for the new PC from the Image Science blog. The new PC specs:

Intel Core i7-920 processor
12 GB RAM
OCZ 240 GB SSD SATA II Windows System Disk
OCZ 120 GB SSD SATA III Lightroom and Photoshop Cache/Scratch Disk
WD 600 GB VeloRaptor, 10,000 RPM SATA III for programs and catalogs
WD 2 TB Caviar Black for data and photo files
Blu-ray writer & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
16x max. DVD-ROM
Windows 7 Pro

The photo is 12 GB of RAM installed, yes its a freaking beautiful sight. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, LED Litepanel for extra light.

Anchors Away

- A goofy picture of my parts drawer full of plastic wall anchors. The Brits call these "wall plugs". So there you have it, another random photo and a little of useless trivia courtesy of CIOPhoto.com. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

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.