YEAR’S FAVORITE PIX--

Chosing one’s favorite pictures from a year’s work is a mental wrestling match. Ultimately the shots selected were chosen to represent a wide varitey of subjects from close-ups to a subject more than 225,000 miles away—the Moon.

They also were chosen to represent a variety of shooting styles from the slow shutter speed effort on the tubas in a parade to another slow shutter speed shot just to achieve an image at all—deep in the cave.

The pictures have one thing in common. All were shot with available light.

The exposure data I provide with the pictures is automatically recorded by the camera and I simply pluck it from the image file with Adobe Photoshop Elements v4; my photo processing software.

Early in the year I upgraded to a 10 mega pixel digital single lens reflex camera; a Canon Rebel 400 XTi and equipped it with a Canon 17-85mm image stabilized lens. In December Santa arrived early with a 70-200 L IS USM f2.8 lens. I suspect you will see some of its work this time next year.

Meanwhile, thanks for enjoying my work—in no particular order:


The four-tuba section of the Clear Fork High School marching band was done with a 1.6 second exposure at f 13 and an ISO setting of 1600 while I was walking backward in front of them during the town’s Halloween Parade. The school’s mascot is a Colt and the outline of a horse’s head in the upper left of the image was a pure accident of the creative process.


The near-quarter Moon was shot at 1/125 second at f 10 with an ISO setting of 800. The camera body was attached to my Meade ETX 90 EC telescope which has a focal length of 1,200 mm. It has incredibly sharp optics and, incidently, is the world’s best selling telescope.



From space we go underground on a boat ride through Penn’s Cave near State College, PA. This exposure was done at ¼ second at f 3.5 with an ISO setting of 400. I was sitting on the transom of the boat and balanced my elbows on my knees to steady the camera. The image stabilization technology used in these lenses is outstanding.


This picture assumes a near-spiritual quality with the sunlight peaking over the crest of Ash Cave in the Hocking Hills and sparkling through the morning dampness to illuminate the tree. God provided this picture. I simply was there to record it. Photo data: 1/60 second at f 4 exposure with an ISO setting of 400.


My daughter-in-law Kate Wolf is enjoying Mansfield’s Carousel. This exposure was made at 1/20 second at f 5.6 at ISO 200. I swiveled my body at precisely the speed Kate was passing by. That rendered her in sharp composition while the background was blurred by the camera’s motion. Several test shots were done to determine the correct exposure and a shutter speed that produced a pleasing result.


This picture was made just after a freezing rain event. The black background was achieved by composing the fairly bright, ice-clad branch against the relatively dark trunk of an adjacent tree. 1/60 second, f 4 at ISO 400. I carry the camera set at ISO 400 and stray from that setting as lighting and composition requires.


My late bride’s favorite flower. The subdued light after a rain shower helps render the plant in a rich and fresh softness. Being fairly close, using a relatively wide aperature and longer focal length all lessen the depth of field and throw the background nicely out of focus. 1/100 second, f 5.6, ISO 400.

Sometimes a simple subject produces arresting results. I saw this water bejeweled leaf lying beside a path in the northeast woods. The cloudy bright sky backlit the leaf enhancing its texture and sparkle. A very close composition confines the viewer’s attention by eliminating extraneous detail—a technique that can hardly ever be used to excess. Even though shot close-up, an aperature of f 14 allowed sufficient depth of field to keep the leaf in focus. 1/100 second at ISO 200.

An exposure of 3/10 second rendered the moving water a silky blur as it tumbles over Fleming Falls at Camp Mowana. I liked the geometry of the composition. I enjoyed contemplating the eon it took the water to construct its carvings. I took pleasure in Nature’s artistry of dappling the scene with colorful leaves and a gentle accent from the green moss. F 20 and ISO 400.

This image was one of those spontaneous events that reveals the magic of its moment—a little girl intensely involved with her own holiday emotions; obvious even in the position of her tiny feet. I was sitting about 50 feet away with the good fortune of having my new 70-200 mm F 2.8 lens attached to the camera. The picture was done at a 112 mm equivalent focal length, 1/1250 sec, f 2.8, ISO 400.