Giving Back

The past week, Angela Goodhart of Goodhart Photography and I teamed up to give back to God and our community this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  We worked with the wonderful staff of Inova Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to provide free portraits to some of their long term residents.

Angela and I really enjoyed working on the project and I got to learn a great deal about "formal" portrait photography -- something I had not done extensively before.  But the greatest joy was getting to meet the residents of the facility and using the gifts and talent God has given us to bless them this Holiday season.

The idea for this project was inspired by Craig Tanner of "The Mindful Eye."  One of his  Daily Critiques a couple years ago was on a portrait that someone had taken as a service project in a senior center.  Craig challenged his audience to find ways to "give back" to the community through their photography.  Angela and I built on that thought to provide these free portrait sessions and prints.

We used a two-light set-up with the main light on camera left and the fill on camera right, about 1.5 stops down from the main light.  Both lights were about 45 degrees between camera and subject.

Thanks again to the wonderful staff at Inova Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilation Center (and especially Mabel) for not only helping to make this project possible, but so much fun.  And thanks as well to my daughter for helping set-up the backdrop and lights and recording the name of each resident so we can easily get their portrait to them.

Merry Christmas,

Tim

Florets

My family and I went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington DC earlier this week. Cameras were not allowed around the printing presses, but were allowed in the atrium and gift shop. The ceiling of latter was very ornamented.  I guess they don't have much problem coming up with money to pay their contractors.

Ceiling of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Nature Visions Photo Expo

Three of my images will be featured in the Nature Visions Photo Expo this weekend (13-14 November 2010).  The expo will be held Saturday and Sunday at the new Hylton Performing Arts Center on the Prince William County Campus of George Mason University.  Hours are from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.  If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit and look at all the images accepted into the expo.

I'm Watching You

Lotus on Canvas

Fall Triangle

Saguaros, Sunrises and Star Trails

Saguaro at Sunset, McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Phoenix, AZ

I just returned from a 3 day trip to Phoenix and was blessed by a gorgeous sunset the first night and beautiful clear skies the next two nights.  Pictures of long exposure light trails, with the stars swirling around the North Star, have always been favorites of mine.  I have tried, unsuccessfully, several times over the past couple years.  I finally succeeded early one morning a couple weeks ago with a star trail over the Potomac River.  However, I couldn't get a long enough exposure before the sun rose.  More importantly, I lacked an interesting foreground.  The Saguaro Cactus and desert night sky of Arizona could solve both of those issues.

Light Trails at McDowell Mountain Park near Phoenix, AZ

I arrived in Phoenix to cloudy skies -- not promising conditions for star trails.  I went to McDowell Mountain Regional Park anyway, if nothing else just to scout out the area.  I arrived just after sunset.  While there I played around with some long exposures, light painting saguaro cacti and finally capturing a 6 minute exposure of the night sky as I drove the car back and forth along the road -- with only the parking lights, no headlights.

More images and light trails after the jump:

Columbus Day Weekend Shooting

Sunrise over the Potomac River

With the long Holiday weekend, I went out a couple mornings for some early morning photo sessions.  I was largely motivated by the Mindful Eye Community Assignment on long exposure night photography.  This assignment required an exposure time of 4 minutes or longer.

The first shot, shown above, was of the Potomac River at Algonkian Regional Park about an hour before sunrise.  The sky was perfectly clear, the river calm, and the sun rising to the east provided a beautiful gradient of color across the sky.

More images after the jump.

Raptor Conservancy of Virginia Photo Shoot

Eastern Screech Owl (Red Morph)

Getting up close-up shots of those majestic hawks, falcons and owls fills nature photographers dreams and inspires them to go out and spend thousands on super long telephoto lenses.  For those who haven't made that financial commitment yet, the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia is a wonderful resource.  The conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of injured, ill or orphaned native VA birds of prey.  If the bird can't be released due to permanent injury or some other reason, they use it to educate the public about raptors.  One way they carry out their mission is through photo shoots with some of their permanent resident birds.  These birds are very accustomed to humans, which allows the photographers to get close up shots with normal telephoto lens.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in one of their photo shoots at the Claude Moore Park Photography Expo.  I shared a session with 2 or 3 other photographers which features two Eastern Screech Owls (red and gray morph), a Barn Owl and a White Faced Scops Owl.

If you ever have the opportunity, I encourage you to participate in one of their photo shoots.  I believe they are planning to be at the Nature Visions Photography Expo in early November.

Some of my favorite pictures after the jump:

Claude Moore Park Photo Expo

I am pleased to announce that a couple of my photographs and three of my daughter's will be shown in the 4th Annual Claude Moore Park Photography Exposition.  If you are in the Northern Virginia area this weekend (September 18th and 19th) , I hope you will stop by and view these and all the images of the local photographers.

Being shown at the Expo include an image of an Eastern Box Turtle that I captured at Balls Bluff Regional Park.

Eastern Box Turtle, Accepted into juried show

I am very pleased that my image of the cadet cannons at Virginia Military Institute received Honorable Mention in the Advanced History and Heritage Category.

VMI Cadet Cannons, Honorable Mentioned, History and Heritage Category

For the 2nd year in a row, my daughter earned more, or at least better, ribbons than I did at the expo.  Her image of Great Falls received 2nd place in the Youth Nature's Backyard Category.

Great Falls, 2nd Place, Youth Nature's Backyard Category

In addition, her image of a Butterfly at Brookside Gardens was accepted into the show in the Youth Winged Wonders Category.

Butterfly on Pink, Accepted into juried show