Daniel Fire-Cloud

- I have long had an interest in old cemeteries and for the past five years I've been fulfilling photo requests for the Find a Grave website. Today I had occasion to stop by the small cemetery on the campus of Hampton University for a photo request but I was unable to locate the grave I was looking for. I did however spend some time walking among the graves of Native Americans who were students at what was then Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The "Indian School" existed from1878 through 1923 and many young Native American men and women from western tribes attended the school. Some like Daniel Fire-Cloud a Sioux from South Dakota died while attending school. His grave is marked by a traditional stone and a more fitting massive cedar tree. Canon G11, 1/125 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200, converted to black and white in Lightroom 3 using the Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin.

Lashes

- Lashes to die for. My grandson Robert carefully studying the route back to Grammy's house after his first day of preschool. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Tonal Range

- When making black and white photos I look to capture images with a wide tonal range, from pure black to pure white with shades of gray in between providing the shape, depth and texture to the image. This unusal white flower provides a nice image for black and white conversion. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/10, ISO 100mm macro lens.

The Eyes Have It

- It hard to win a starring contest when your adversary has compound eyes. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/5, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Bare Bulb

The lowly much maligned incandescent light bulb is scheduled to be phased out in the US by 2014 due to its relatively high energy consumption. Much more efficient compact florescent and LED light bubs are targeted as replacements. There's just something much more attractive and warm about the old incandescent. When placed in clear globes and used in groups they can produce a stunning effect. Image this fixture with compact florescent bulbs - yuk! Canon G11, 1/4 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800.

1 Down 2 to Go

- One down and two to go on tonight's wine flight at Back Bay Gourmet in Virginia Beach, VA. These are three wines from McLaren Vale in South Australia. Number 1, gone by the time this photo was taken, was Coriole Chenin Blanc. Number 2 wins for the best name Vinaceous Snake Charmer Shiraz and number three the Coriole Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon had the most amazing aroma. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800 in macro mode.

Fear Factor

- I know a lot of people have arachnophobia and fear spiders of any kind. I hope this photo doesn't creep anybody out or cause a panic attack. When I got into macro photography I began to see the beauty in spider webs and appreciate the spiders themselves. Spiders are good subjects for macro work because they generally remain very still as long at the web is not disturbed. This large spider builds its web just outside of our back door. One must remember at night to look for her and the web before taking too many steps outside. Canon40D, 1/15 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.