Here are some shots from our last bike riding excursion at Caumsett State Park in New York. 

Click on the photos to see them on Flickr

I’m completely stuck on photographing flowers lately.  Word of advice: Do not go to the Old Westbury Gardens on a scorching hot summer day.  It will not be fun.

This first one I decided to title Neglect.

EXIF: ISO 200 | 50mm | f/2.8 | 1/4000sec

Father and Son. There are actually two versions of the following photo: the first one is cropped and has been converted to black and white with selective coloring (which I know some people absolutely detest), and the other is, well, not, lol.

EXIF: ISO 200 | 50mm | f/2.2 | 1/1250sec

White Rose.

EXIF: ISO 200 | 50mm | f/2.2 | 1/1600sec

The following photos don’t have titles, neither do I know what their names are.  A botanist I surely am not!

EXIF: ISO 200 | 50mm | f/2.2 | 1/1250sec

EXIF: ISO 200 | 50mm | f/2.2 | 1/1250sec

Why flowerworks instead of fireworks?  Well, just scroll down and you’ll see.

Happy Fourth of July!

Note: I wish that I had either been farther away from the fireworks and not right under them or that I had a super wide angle or even fisheye lens.  Oh well.  From my vantage point, I was able to capture some interesting shots with the long exposures, but I was unable to capture both the horizon and the fireworks..  Some of the photos I took remind me more of light art than fireworks.  Next time though, I’d like to capture the glowing scenery under the fireworks… I’ll have to plan a little better in the future so that I can get those shots that I really want.

EXIF data is posted beneath each photo.

ISO 200  |  28mm  |  f/13  |  4.0sec

ISO 200  |  28mm  |  f/16  |  5.0sec

ISO 200  |  28mm  |  f/13  |  2.0sec

It’s the Fourth of July weekend, and that means awesome events, good food, mega sales and FIREWORKS!  If those beautiful fireworks shots have eluded you till now, check out the following tips courtesy of Samsung to ensure that you get some screensaver worthy shots tomorrow night.

• Turn on Image Stabilization and Use a Tripod! – When it comes to shooting fireworks, or any low-light scene, don’t go it alone. No matter how advanced your camera may be there is no better image stabilization than a tripod. If you don’t have access to a tripod, try using any surface to steady your camera, whether it be a tree, fencepost, chair, etc. Because you’ll be using longer shutter speeds, you must keep your camera perfectly still in order to capture crisp, clear images free of any blur caused by camera shake.
• Setting Your Camera’s Shutter Speed –if you have a digital camera which offers a manual shooting mode, you have the ability to adjust your shutter speed.
• Shutter speed plays a crucial role in photographing fireworks. Depending on the look that you want, your shutter speeds can vary anywhere from one to 10 seconds. Longer shutter speeds will allow you to shoot one or multiple explosions from start to finish, capturing the full bursts and light trails; however, just because it’s dark, don’t use too long a shutter speed as you’ll risk over-exposing the image.
• Setting Your Camera’s Aperture – Again, if your digital camera offers a manual shooting mode, you can manually configure your camera’s aperture setting. When it comes to setting your camera’s aperture it’s important to remember that while the nighttime sky is dark, the light that fireworks give off is fairly bright. The aperture that you can set will depend on your digital camera, but estimate using an aperture anywhere between F8 – F16. Practice makes perfect as there is no clearly defined rule when it comes to setting shutter speed and aperture. Experiment early on with the first few bursts to make sure you have the appropriate settings and to adjust where needed.
• Setting the ISO – You should also manually adjust your camera’s ISO setting. Your camera’s ISO refers to its sensitivity to light. Typically, in a lower light setting, you would want to boost your camera’s ISO, but due to the bright light given off by the fireworks, you’ll want to stick to a lower value. Try setting your camera to the lowest ISO possible. An ISO of 100 or 200 should yield good results and provide a clean image.
• If you’re using a point-and-shoot camera without a manual mode, you can still take great photos of fireworks.
  Dial up your digital camera’s scene mode menu and search for a scene mode called “fireworks.” Most of Samsung’s point-and-shoot digital cameras feature the “fireworks” scene mode. Selecting the “fireworks” scene mode will automatically adjust your camera’s settings to capture the best image possible. But remember; still try to use a tripod or other surface to steady your camera.
• And last but not least, the most important tip to keep in mind is to have fun. This is your chance to express yourself and be creative, so play around with framing the shot both vertically and horizontally. A digital camera gives you the ability to take a preview shot to see if you’ve dialed up the appropriate settings and better yet, allows you to delete those that didn’t turn out so well.
• A larger memory card will also allow you to fire as many shots as you can, improving your chances of capturing some really spectacular photos.

Also, you can check out the following links for other great photography tips and ideas for the Fourth of July.

• How to Paint Your Photo with Sparklers (Photojojo.com)
• How to Photograph Fireworks (Digital-Photography-School.com)

Yesterday the family and I enjoyed a relaxing and beautiful breezy afternoon at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NYC. 

We went in the middle of the afternoon, so although the day was absolutely gorgeous, I was stuck with the harsh, blinding afternoon light that photographers are less than enthusiastic about.  So in order to take full advantage of the flower taking opportunities presented at the world renowned New York Botanical Gardens, I decided to try a few “flower in the sky” silhouette photos.

Armed with my trusty 50mm f/1.8, I got low low low and shot upwards.  My only peeve is that I wasn’t using a macro lens!  (which is on my photography wishlist!)

It’s the second official week of summer, and I know that all you snap happy mamas are going to be snapping away happily this weekend during the Fourth of July and the festivities that come with this happy holiday.  After you all upload, catalog, tag, edit and export your photos, be sure to check out York Photo Labs when you’ve decided which ones you want printed.  They’re running a few awesome deals, and if you aren’t a member yet, you get 40 free prints to start with.

The following coupon codes expire on July 20, 2010:

• $4 Off Shipping On Photo Prints! $4 off shipping on 100 or more prints. Use Code: SHIP100SAVE4 at check out. Exp. 07-20-2010.
• 60 Photo Prints for 60% off – Now Just $1.92! + 40 Free Prints. Use code: HOTDEAL at check out. S&H not included. Exp. 07-20-2010.
• 6¢ Photo Prints – Unlimited! + 40 Free Prints. Use Code: PRINTS4SIX at check out. S&H not included. Exp. 07-20-2010

York Photo promo codes and deals that have no set expiration date:

• 40 Free Photo Prints – Plus up to 100 Prints For Just 4¢ Each! Use Code: YGP44 at check out. New customers only, S&H not included. One time use.
• $10 Off Your Order of $25 or More at York Photo! Use Code: 25FOR15 at checkout. S&H not included.
• Free Shipping on Photo Print or Poster Orders of $8 or more. Enter Code: SHIP4FREE at check out. Plus your 1st 40 prints are free.
• $4 off Shipping! On orders of 80 or more 4×6/4xD photo prints. Online Only, One time use. USE Code: 4OFF8T
• Free Shipping on Photo Print or Poster Orders of $8 or more. Enter Code: SHIP4FREE at check out. Plus your 1st 40 prints are free.

Both my boys absolutely love the beach!  Unfortunately, it’s getting harder and harder to get my older son, who’s going to be entering preschool in September, to let me take photos of him.  Sigh, well at least my toddler isn’t camera shy

The following photos were both taken in Aperture priority mode and then processed minimally in Lightroom to add a bit of fill and to remove spots. (Awesome things the ocean spray does to camera glass, eh?)  For the second shot, I only wish I had kept his entire hand in the frame!  Considering how fast he is though, I consider myself lucky to have gotten the shot at all.

ISO 400 | 28mm | f/9 | 1/640sec

ISO 400 | 28mm | f/9 | 1/800sec

I was so hyped up when I first started the whole 365 day photo project, but then I missed a day.  I felt so guilty!  Seriously, not to sound like an overdramatic hormonal diva, but I truly and honestly felt like I failed at something so royally important.  Because of this, that and the other thing, I failed to capture an image on Jan 28, less than a mere month into my yearlong goal.  Wahhhh!

Well, there’s always next year, right? 

“Mommy put down the camera, and pick me up!”

My son likes to go to Grandma’s house and fill up little baggies with coins he "finds" in Grandpa’s spare change jar so he can take them home and put them in his piggy bank.