I hope that your labor Day is Photogenic!

Happy Labor Day!  I am adding a couple of photos to my recent post about our recent adventure in the Texas Hill Country.  One of the biggest thrills about traveling is getting home and reviewing the pictures.  Sometimes you realize that you might have had more fun than you remembered.

I took this photo in the Cave with No Name near Boerne, Texas...a Natural Historic Landmark.  The cave was first entered in 1935 and has been an attraction since 1939.  I find that caves are very difficult to photograph.  Usually, the stalactites and stalagmites show on the monitor as dull pieces of rock with very little vibrance. I like this particular shot due to the water in the foreground.  I spent a lot of time with this image and finished it in Nik Color Efex Pro.  When I was done I saved my work as a preset for the next time that I have a challenge in a cave.  This photo was taken with my Olympus OMD-EM5 with the Olympus 12-50mm lens.  I used the Olympus FL600 Flash as well.

Near the end of our time in the Hill Country we toured all of the famous missions in San Antonio with the exception of The Alamo which we had done before.  Four missions are operated by the National Parks Service including this one, Mission Concepcion.  The church was founded in 1716.  I think that the black and white treatment gives this historic place authenticity.  This image was made with the same Olympus equipment as above sans flash and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

More later....

Photos from Church Shoot

Wednesday I went on a photo shoot with 5 other photographers to shoot the interior of Peace Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Florida.

I decided to take along my 8 mm Rokinon Fisheye lens on my Nikon D7000  for the majority of the shoot.  I recently purchased this lens for opportunities just like this.  I decided to buy this lens as opposed to the much more expensive Nikon lens since I knew that I would rarely use this lens.  But, it is certainly the perfect lens for church interiors.  It allows the photographer to get everything in the photo from the base of the alter all the way up to the interesting wooden rafters. I converted this to monochrome in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

The stained glass in this church is spectacular.  Much of it has been donated by local congregants.  

New York Trip

My my...Time gets away from you when you are having fun!  Since my last writing Lynn and I spent a week in northwestern New York state near Lake Ontario.  The daughter-in-law of friends of ours was seriously injured recently in a head-on collision nearby in Hilton, New York.  I was asked to emcee and photograph a benefit called "Diane's Miracle"  that was held in Diane's honor.  We were happy to report that we were able to raise almost $10,000 toward her recovery.

While in New York we made driving trips along the historical Erie Canal in Rochester, Brockport and then in Lockport near Buffalo.  In Florida we are owners of Mercedes Benz vehicles as well as being officers in our local Mercedes Benz Club.  It is always interesting to photograph other MB cars and vehicles in different settings.  I spotted this Mercedes E class in front of a historical building in Lockport. The charming setting seemed like it should be in Germany, not near The Erie Canal!

We had dinner with friends during the week.  Dan is a classic car fan and owner of a Chevy Super Sport.  I asked Dan if there were any old car shows in the areas.  He was kind enough to steer me to 3 different shows!  He was displaying his beautiful red Chevy in one of the events.  In this area classic car owners turnout at around 6 PM and show their cars til sundown.  Many classic car owners attended the event that we attended at a rib restaurant.  I was most intrigued by this hot rod.

On the last day of our visit we decided to drive down to the Finger Lakes. The views of the vineyards and the lakes in the hills are breathtaking. None of us had ever been to Ithaca so we decided to go there and see the Ivy League Cornell University campus.  It was beautiful.  The centerpiece was the spectacular Triphammer Falls.

Northwestern New York is a picturesque place.  All of the photos on this page were taken with my Olympus OM-D E5 and the Olympus 17mm f1.8 lens.  What do you think?

First Hair Cut

Our shih tzu, Gabby at 9 months old.  I thought that I would share this photo to demonstrate the quality of my new Olympus 17mm lens shot wide open at 1.8 on my Olympus OM-D EM-5.  I was not more than 2 feet from the dog when I took this picture.  ISO 1000, 1/25 sec, EV +1.0. No flash. I am having so much fun with this micro 4/3 camera.   What do you think?

Oponohu And Cook's Bay from Magic Mountain

This is one of the most dramatic views that I have seen.  I shot the 2 bays, Oponohu and Cook's surrounding the dormant volcano from Magic Mountain on Moorea.  It is an HDR shot with an Olympus OM-D EM5.  I spent a day on Moorea with pro photographer Renaud Sayada.  Renaud (Reno) gets the credit for getting me to this magical place 220 meters above paradise.