Day 213 – Working with hyperfocal distance

I’ve just become familiar with the concept of hyperfocal distance, so I’m experimenting. I didn’t have a full grasp on the concept when I shot these today, though, so I need to keep working on it!  Plus, I found a nifty iPhone app to help me.

ISO 100, f/22, 1/30s, 28mm

ISO 100, f/25, 1/25s, 44mm

ISO 100, f/22, 1/25s, 28mm

Day 211 – Sunday in the backyard

I’m making an effort to work with my tripod more, so I took it out into the backyard this afternoon. It was wickedly hot so I quickly retreated to the shade of the deck. While there I set up my camera to focus on an area the dogs like to play on: the roof of their dog house. Buddy was too smart to do anything but lay in the shade but, happily, I managed to catch this shot of Nina as she was about to leap off the roof of the dog house.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Purple

Posting a flower would have been too obvious for this week’s photo challenge, so I searched through my files and found this shot from last March.

Moonrise over industrial park. Reno, Nevada –  © Carissa Snedeker, 2012

Day 210 – This and That

On the good side, the Olympics are fun to watch. On the bad side, Dad is back in the hospital and what’s going on is pretty scary.  I don’t know if I’ll be hopping a plane soon or not.

Anyway, I played with my new toy in the backyard this morning using the silver reflector and diffuser panel to provide fill light against some pretty bright backgrounds.  I used my flash to fill in what otherwise would have been dark shadows cast by the morning sun.

Sweetie left his work gloves in the wheelbarrow and a windstorm blew them out into the yard. We think Nina did this.

Grape leaves against the sky.  I love that I didn’t blow out the sky and that the grape leaves in the shade were perfectly exposed.

Buddy is a bit camera-shy sometimes. He’ll sit still, but he doesn’t like to look at me when I’m holding the camera to my face.

Day 209 – A new toy

There was a photographer (Bruce Press) at TAM using this interesting bounce device and I was so fascinated, I had to ask him about it. Bruce told me how it throws 80% of the flash straight up and only directs 20% onto the subject. Very nice for indoor event photography.  I just had to get myself one and it arrived today.

And of course, I had to test it out. But not too much. After all, the Opening Ceremonies are on, and I love, love, love the Summer Olympics.

No harsh shadows, pretty nice. I can’t wait to work with this some more.  Like, maybe shooting some people for a change!  But tonight, it’s the critters again.   Not bad for on-camera flash.

Gotta go. They’re about to light the torch.

Awaiting moderation


Sigh. I changed my screen name from bluelyon to my real name, Carissa. Everything else is the same…blog name, email address, and yet I am relegated to moderation jail.  I know this is just a quirk of the WordPress system, and it will cease eventually, but it still bugs me and I just had to vent.