After The Storm

It's been raining a lot this summer. The last few days were no exception. Here are some of the flowers in the garden after the most recent storm.


Mexican Sunflower

Rose of Sharon

Mexican Sunflower

Mexican Sunflower

A New Era

A new camera

At the beginning of June, I moved up to mirrorless, from my Canon EOS 6DM1 which I bought in early 2013, shortly after it came out. I acquired a 2nd identical 6D body a few years ago

I now have a Canon R6M3. It's a learning curve. The Auto-Focus especially. The in-body image stabilization is a huge upgrade/plus but... I'm suddenly finding I have have to "relearn" the limits of stabilization for subject motion. My shutter speed has been too low at times. However, as I get used to manipulating the auto-focus, I'm finding that it's incredible.

There are buttons, and dials...lots and lots of buttons and dials compared to my 6D. And they're programmable, I knew my 6D buttons and dials without looking, eventually I'll get there with the R6.

Here are some of my photos with the new camera so far.

Hosta Flower First image in which the IS was clearly superior

Hosta Flower

Russian Sage with Green Bug Photo Bomber A very close crop, something that the R6 makes possible

The Bird in the Bath A series, first untouched through a fogged lens

My prefered crop and LRClassic processing

Close crop to show AF was following the bird's eye Black bird, eye in shadow, bright day, fogged lens and the AF still tracked the eye!!!

Lookng Back

I retired 9 years ago

I've been going back through old photos, here's a "baker's dozen" of my favorites from that first year.



Heron, Laurel MD

When They Were Little And Full of Wonder

Azaleas, National Arboretum

Omaha, Nebraska

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Omaha

Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Waterfall, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Zebra Swallowtail Butteryfly

The Inaugural "Blink" Cincinnati

Old Milford Novitiate (Jesuit Cemetery), Milford, OH

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, IN

Tulip Poplar Leaf in Fall

Spring Time is Portrait Time...

...for iris.
I've kept very busy this month between a photography workshop in the Smoky Mountains, a few charity photo gigs, and some personal things (like family birthdays etc)

But it is spring in southwest Ohio, which in my mind means...
Spring flowers... and especially Iris portrait time. Here are a few:

Woodland Poppy

Iris #1

Iris #2

Iris #3

Daffodil

Iris #4

Iris #5

Iris #6

Iris #7

Iris #8

Iris #9

Iris #10

Iris #11

Iris in Profile and more than one too many

What's For Dinner

A Cooper's Hawk sat down for dinner next to my driveway a couple days ago. It was not going to be interrupted, so it let me approach with my camera.

There may have been a murder involved.
Here are the mugshots.


Face Forward

Look To Your Right

Look To Your Left

Abstract Thinking...

Or is it thinking in abstract???

A number of years ago now, 2021 to be exact, I took a workshop "Creative Exploration: Pushing your Photographic Boundaries and Lightroom" led by Julia Cumes at Miami University (Ohio). It was part of Miami U's "CraftSummer Program", which I believe has been discontinued ("on pause" they say - unfortunate). Outside of the Tremont Institute Photography Workshops, any other workshop I attend, I pay particular attention to the leader(s)/instructor(s) as I prefer to have photographers with styles and/or interests different than my own. I learn more from them. In this particular case, Julia brings a totally different eye to travel photography than I do. The condensed college class approach with daily assignments (vice weekly) was also unique to prior workshops I'd taken.

Anyway, every workshop I attend has something that sticks and alters or has an impact on my photography in one way or another. In Julia's case, the assignment on "Abstract" really stuck with me. I always shot "details", many to the point that they were a bit abstract. But the assignment and presentation she gave really stuck with me. I was thinking of her workshop when I revisted the first photo below for a rework and then again when I took the four following photos with my iPhone on a walk this weekend.

Into the Void

Abstract #1

Abrstact #2

Abstract #3 - Rivers and Canyons

Abstract #4 - The Tree

Inside and Out

Just to post a photo or two. A couple of days ago I went down to Cincinnati's most iconic building, The Hall of Justice, aka Union Terminal - The Museum Center for the "Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away" exhibition. It's a very cool building and at some point I'll have to take my cameras. Until then, here are just a few phone photos.

(and the Auschwitz exhibit is very good too, if you don't see contemporary parallels, you're not paying attention)

One of the Murals

The Ceiling

The Outside

The Approach