Ghost Farm

Sandhill Cranes

Oregon 1860 U-Haul

The Astoria Bridge

Minnesota Air-Conditioning

Skraper Taper

Photo of the Week

DULCES NIKON EN JAPÓN

Nikon Direct ha puesto a la venta en Japón cajas de dulces de pasta de frijol rojo con mermelada y castañas con la marca Nikon.

Via:  http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20110715_460916.html

Dan Ryan View Of Chicago

Tangerine Windmill

Green Eyed Lady

Let's Go For A Ride

Wizard Island

Lookout Post

When's a game not a game? When the other team doesn't show up

OK, the headline isn't entirely correct, because in this particular case, the other team eventually did show up. But three hours after the scheduled game time? For a night game? Add to the situation that this was occurring on a pretty hot, humid and generally uncomfortable day. Would you have stayed to the bitter end? I thought not.

I actually did make it through two hours of waiting on July 16, the night the Indiana Tornados semipro football team was scheduled to play the Memphis Blast in a Gridiron Developmental Football League game at Park Tudor School on the Far Northside of Indianapolis, the Tornados' home field, at 7 p.m. The Memphis team bus, for unknown reasons -- took wrong turns, got a late start, whatever -- didn't show up at game time. They called the Indy club and provided their location, but come 9 p.m., there still was no Blast team. I left.

I understand the team finally arrived at 9:35 p.m., and that the game didn't get under way until 10 p.m. They played with a non-stop clock and called it game after three quarters with the Tornados ahead, 14-0.

These images were taken from about 6:15 to 9 p.m., while the home team warmed up -- and tried everything from doing interviews on the P.A. system with the coach and other selected subjects, asking a local singer to sing a song and suggesting that the Tornado cheerleaders entertain the crowd with a few routines.

Above and next two below: The Tornados warming up before game time, but before everyone in the stadium knew about the long wait ahead of them. 

Above, the expression on the Tornados' Ji'mi Agnew (34), talking to teammate Luther Baker, sort of told the story. At this point, the waiting game had begun. Below, Agnew takes a more relaxed seat on the artificial turf, possibly realizing this was going to last a lot longer than he first imagined.

Above: Head coach Jerry Senter obliges a request for an interview to kill time during the wait.

Above: Carson Johnson (25) looks like he's had about enough of this second round of loosening up while waiting for the Blitz to arrive. 

Above: Senter giving instructions to a young man during the wait.

Above and next two below:  Checking mobile devices and chatting were among the few options spectators had. These people were under the shade of large trees sprinkled along a hill overlooking the west side of the field.

Above and next three below: The team cheerleaders took the field to run through some of their routines. The setting sun was casting wonderful golden highlights on them at this point, so I felt compelled to take advantage of it with some pictures.

Above: Still more stretching ... during the wait.

Above: Dan Cavallini, the Tornados' official photographer (yellow shirt), chats up a couple of the cheerleaders around 9 p.m., moments before everyone learned from the P.A. announcer that the Blitz team bus was still a ways away from Indianapolis and that game time wouldn't start for at least another hour.

Thrill Stealin' Four Wheelin'

It's Just Around The Bend Ten Million Years

Picking Up Bobbie Sue For The Dance

Where Is Your Hope Today?

There's a storm out there folks! Are you watching the news these days? Feeling the tension yet? Are you trusting in our government to fix the problems that have grasped our nation?

I have learned that no matter what political persuasion you are from that there is no party of politicians that will fix this world.
They are corrupt in general. They have sold us out. Please, ... I am not saying that every last one them are evil but I am saying that evil isn't divided along a single party line. I tend to trust none of them ... because it is so difficult to distinguish between the good and the corrupt. You have to be on your guard watching these people in congress. So, I DO believe we need to remain active calling out those who are corrupt on either side that we CAN identify. Where are the real leaders out there?

The problems we are facing as a nation and a world are so large. I often steer clear of the news media for months because of the overwhelming feeling of anxiety they seem to be forcing on us. Do you feel the pressure?

I tend to pick up a news network that is far more positive when I feel the heat from the world. I could quote many scriptures from the Bible that speak of the things that are watching take place today. The Bible speaks directly of the coming world turmoil but it also speaks of the ultimate triumph of the Lord.

I have had all the negative news I can handle for today so I want to encourage you with a passage of scripture that is usually only mentioned around Christmas found in Isaiah 9:6,7:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

One day the corruption will be over and Jesus will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. That's the government I trust!

Where is your hope today? Is it in your 401k, your bank account, real estate investments, your portfolio? Where is your anchor when your world is getting rocked? Do you trust in yourself and your power or do you lean on His everlasting arms?

As for me:
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

God bless you this weekend.
NikonSniper Steve

Rearview Champs

Snipers In The Hood

Midwest Summer Buzz

NIKON BODY PAINT

World Body Painting Festival

Shots from class for on-location, off-camera flash photography

The woman you see in this series is Sarah, who modeled last week for students in a photography class aimed at people seeking more experience using off-camera, on-location flash in their photography. Some of the shots you see here were taken with one light (flash), some with two (like the one above) and some were with available light, which I squeezed in as other students took their turns using Sarah for their poses with flash systems. The one-flash shots were taken fired into a white umbrella mounted on a light stand; with two flashes, the second unit was usually hand-held by our teacher, Dustin Allison, and without any modification. It was used as an accent light, usually to highlight either Sarah's hair or a dark side of her face and usually set at about half the intensity of the main light.

I've been very pleased with the class; I think it's just what I needed to get past the discomfort I'd previously encountered when it came to artful, productive use of artificial light with my subjects. Throughout the four sessions, we used simple, manual-only wireless triggers and receivers -- Cactus Vs transceivers, to be specific -- obtained through Gadget Infinity in Hong Kong. If you're in a position where you cannot afford the very functional, and versatile, Pocket Wizards (considered by many pros as the standard wireless system in the industry), I can recommend the Cactus Vs.

Pocket Wizards will cost you $500+ for the combination of a one transmitter and one receiver. You can get two Cactus V transceivers -- a transceiver is a sort of unisex unit; a flip of a switch on the side of the unit allows it to serve as either transmitter or receiver -- for $60. I bought two sets (for $120) because I hope to integrate two lights into many of my shots, which means I need a minimum of three units. Just be aware that the Cactus Vs can be used only in Manual mode; the Pocket Wizards' versatility enables you to use your flash in either Manual or TTL (through the lens) modes.

For those unfamiliar, Manual mode is a simple (and recommended) way to learn off-camera flash using a wireless system. Your exposure will be consistent as long as your settings remain the same; that means you have to worry only about where to place the light and how to pose your subject. The rest will boil down to camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO), which are easily adjustable. Whereas with TTL, which automatically calculates flash lighting exposure for you, lighting could change from one shot to the next. And I suppose that could be a good or bad thing. But with either option, there is always something you can do to adjust the lighting on your subject if you don't like what you see.

Sarah has modeled for other Indy Photo Coach classes, so she was a natural. She would vary poses without prompting ... and was happy to follow directions when the photographers asked for specific adjustments. Basically, she was a dream model. So Sarah, if you ever read this, thank you for that. The photo at the top, as I mentioned previously, features two lights -- my Speedlite 580 EXII as the main light, firing into an umbrella about 5 feet from Sarah and 45 degrees camera right. It was set at 1/16 intensity. Dustin was aiming the second Speedlight 580 EXII, set at 1/32 intensity, from about 130 degrees camera left, at the right side of Sarah's face to highlight both the face and hair. All of the shots using flash were shot, by the way, with a 0.25 orange gel on the flash.

Here then are some other shots from my shoot of Sarah that day.

Above and below: Two more two-light shots, with Dustin holding the accent light off to the left and behind Sarah.

Above and next four below: One-light shots, with the light position and Sarah's face in relation to that light the only things varying.

Above and the remainder below: These were taken with available light -- no artiticial light -- in between poses Sarah was giving to others in the class. Sarah was such a natural that I thought I should exploit as much "pose" time as possible when there were any lulls.