Finally, flowers have appeared in my wife's garden! And, as is normal, the crocus arrive first. Delicate, softly hued and more emphemeral than other flowers that grow, the crocus rquires a macro lens and a tripod because they are also the smallest. My back hurts from bending over for so long. I guess it's time to get in shape.
Canon 5DII 1/20s f/9.0 ISO400 100mm (Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro)
So far I am responsible for taking the pictures posted on my "Photo A Day" blog. But this photo isn't my doing - it was taken by a woman named Leah DeGeest. The subject is my wife, Debra and Leah was Deb's grandmother. The setting for the photo is the DeGeest farm south of Miller, SD, and it was taken in the late 1950's.
What is little Debbie up to? Some kind of chores, I'd guess. What a great moment and great photo! I think it has a kind of Dorothea Lange look, though during the late '50s, spending time on her grandparent's farm was a near-perfect existence for a city child like Deb.
Camera and settings unknown. This is a scan from our family photo archive.
I wonder how many photographers using digital cameras wish they could re-photograph the same scenes once they get improved cameras? That's what I wished for as I was working on this photo the other day.
This shot was taken with my first high-end digital camera: a Canon 1D. It had a 4.4 megapixel sensor and wasn't all that great at high ISO. There is no question that I could have gotten a better photo with film that evening. But now, with my 21 megapixel Canon 5DII. . . Incidentally, the 1D was a revolutionary camera and set a very high standard for "affordable" professional digital cameras. "Affordable" meant around $5000 in 2003!
I did have the advantage of a great lens when I took this photo: the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. Thus, I was able to get a pretty sharp photo hand held at 1/6 sec.
This picture was taken from the observation deck of the John Hancock Building and if you are planning on going, do so a half hour or so before the sun sets. It is a remarkable experience to watch the city light up. Kind of like Paris - but with skyscrapers.
Canon 1D 1/6s f/2.8 ISO1000 70mm (Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS)
I'd like to tell you that this flower was plucked from my wife's beautiful garden. But it wasn't. Instead, it was plucked from an assortment of flowers at our local Super Walmart. We are still waiting for Spring in South Dakota, though my wife tells me that she sees evidence of the possibility of spring sprouting up from the cold ground in her garden. I can't wait.
Canon 5D Mark II 1/60s f/4.0 ISO400 100mm (Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro)
Several years ago we had a governor who instituted a program to destroy abandoned farmsteads, which allegedly become havens for rodents and predators. Fortunately, the program wasn't all that successful and there are still many old houses, barns and sheds scattered through the countryside.
There is something very evocative in seeing hulks of buildings that were built a century ago. It's even more powerful to walk through one of these buildings and wonder about the people who used and inhabited them. This shed is in an area that I have photographed many times. It is about 15 miles north of our small town. Incidentally, this photo can be viewed on Google Earth but it might be easier to start at Panoramio.com.
Canon 1D Mark II 1/8s f/9.0 ISO100 21mm (Canon 17-24mm f/4.0)
The Hana Highway on the east coast of Maui covers 50 miles of some of the beautiful scenery I have seen. There is an amazing variety of vegetation but the eucalyptus trees that grow here caught my attention. They are so different from anything South Dakotans like me are used to seeing - especially their colorful, camouflage "bark."
My family waited while I got out of the car and photographed a small grove of these stately trees. From all of the photos I took, this is the one that seemed to best represent the nature of this tree.
Canon 5D 1/320s f/13.0 ISO400 24mm (Canon 24-105 f/4.0L IS)
The Jewish cemetery in the Jewish Quarter of Prague is one of the most memorable experiences of my last visit to Prague. There is something powerfully symbolic, if not ironic, in the survival of this cemetery given the fate of the Jews in Eastern Europe. Some of the markers in this cemetery go back many centuries.
Photographically, this is a fascinating place but challenging, in that creating a focal point is somewhat difficult. This photo was taken in color but I felt, as I often do, that color adds even more distraction. Thus, I created a fairly high contrast B&W image. As I look at this photo, the scene appears very well lit. But in fact, the exposure information will tell you that this is another photo that would normally demand a tripod. The trees and the cemetery walls create fairly deep shade. Again, I am grateful for the 24-105mm f/4.0L image stabilized Canon lens that I carry when I travel.
Canon 5D 1/25s f/4.0 ISO400 105mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L)
By Scott Shephard
I've been told that the London Eye is not a Ferris Wheel because Ferris was a Frenchman and the French and the British have their differences. So don't called it a "Ferris Wheel." Whatever you call it, the London Eye is an impressive feat of engineering and technology. And it offers a very comfortable Ferris-Wheel-Like ride. It was expensive (over $20); but it is certainly worth it.
The clouds in the background add interest to this photo. Another things that is interesting to me is the tiny airplane that seems to be flying through the spokes.
Canon 5D 1/1000s f/14.0 ISO250 73mm (Canon 24-105 f/4.0L IS)
By Scott Shephard
My wife and I were in Frankfort waiting for our morning flight to Amsterdam and then on to the US. She was reading and I was restless. So I went looking for a picture.
What drew me to this location was the strong morning sun and the clean, almost hospital feel of the hallway (though the "Camel" sign suggests this isn't a hospital!). I took a few pictures of the empty space but then a solo traveler walked into the frame. And here's the result.
Canon 5D 1/125s f/5.0 ISO160 92mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L IS)
By Scott Shephard
The J. Paul Getty Center north of Los Angeles is a remarkable place. It is filled with great art, including Van Gogh's painting of purple irises. But if there were no art at all, it would still be a place worth visiting. I know very little about architectural psychology but I would say that both the indoor and outdoor spaces of this complex are very "human." Or maybe humane.
The clean, white structure and the rough, stone contrast very well with the green grass and the deep blue sky. Los Angeles was clouded in smog but this place seemed very pure to me.
Canon 5D 1/400s f/11.0 ISO250 55mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L IS)
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
By Scott Shephard
My wife and I had made our annual October trip to the Black Hills. Where our cabin was, it had snowed lightly; but a few miles away, there had been freezing rain followed by several inches of snow. I spent about 30 minutes walking through ankle-deep snow to photograph ice-encased leaves and branches. Altogether, I took about 75 photos but this is my favorite.
Canon 5D 1/200s f/3.5 ISO160 200mm (Canon 70-200m 2.8L IS)
My wife and I were out exploring the back roads of Corfu two summers ago. There are many olive groves on the island but there was something about this one that caused me to sop the car and take a few photos.
I've learned that olive trees can be hundreds of years old. I doubt that these are that old, though the rugged and gnarled nature of the trunks suggests that they are older than trees I am used to seeing in South Dakota.
I converted this photo to black and white because I think the tones make this picture much more interesting and mysterious.
Canon 5D 1/60s f/5.6 ISO320 28mm (lens unknown)
