Here Comes the Sun

Sometimes you just have to pull over and capture something that you feel is spectacular. While I really like this photo, I still wish it had turned out better. I am not sure how, but I am not totally satisfied with it. The road was empty for just this moment as I pulled over, leaving my car halfway in the southbound lane of a two-lane rural road not far from a state route. I snapped off half a dozen photos and then got back into my car.




26mm f/14 1/640sec ISO 200
Here Comes the Sun, 18 February 2009

Happy Birthday, George!



Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

Old Time Church

I spent Valentine's Day with my girlfriend, which made for a super nice day. She did meet my parents but not until she showed me this church, which is in severe disrepair. As you can see from the first photograph, the east side wall caved in on itself some time ago. The pews, pulpit and piano are still sitting inside, but all of it is slowly rotting away. One wonders the history of this building and even when the last people gathered together for their last service inside this building. One day, the building will no longer be there, but it will survive in memory as well as these few photos.

Currently, the church I am a member of does not have bricks and mortar. For years, people kept saying that a church is not the building, yet kept raising money for the building fund. We have been renting space inside a convention center in order for our local assembly to meet. One of the great things about not having a building is that no one really has a claim to a pew or parking spot. The church needs to be more than a symbolic rotting corpse in the midst of decrepit neighborhood. Some of the worst neighborhoods in the city have a church on every corner and one in between. It is not the lack of churches or not enough people acting spiritual on Sunday morning, but a real and tangible understanding of good stewardship and compassion.

I am reminded of this as I see this building just crumble. At one time, this building was a pillar of the community it served. I am sure for those who sacrificed and donated their own money for this building, they were proud of their accomplishment. Yet, poor stewardship or a waning interest has left only remnants of what a group of people came together to accomplish. We cannot look at this old building to appraise its worth because it is not the building that was important, but the relationships that grew between individuals who had built this meeting place to fellowship with those of the same faith. I am sure that there are those today who carry the lessons and values they learned within these brick walls.



18mm f/3.5 1/50 sec. ISO 200
Old Church, 14 February 2009



40mm f/5.0 1/50 sec. ISO 200
Steeple, 14 February 2009



Front, Old Church, 14 February 2009
18mm f/3.5 1/40 sec. ISO 200

The Hunter

When I was growing up, I learned about constellations. While I am able to find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and have seen how throughout the night and through the seasons that it revolves around Polaris. However, my favorite constellation is one that was the easiest to identify since I was a kid, Orion.

While having photographed it several occasions, these two captures are my favorite:



50mm f/1.8 5sec. ISO 200

Orion, 13 February 2009



18mm f/5.6 15sec. ISO 400

Orion night sky, 28 November 2008

I love coffee. The best coffee under $2 is Tim Horton's. This Canadian restaurant has found a place in my heart. Sandwiches, soups, donuts and coffee at a reasonable price. But a large double-double meaning two creams and two sugars is awesome on a cold winter day. And I'm addicted to their Boston creme donuts.

Some of the best coffee I've ever sipped was on the Big Island of Hawaii. Perhaps it was just the atmosphere of being in the 50th state, but some of the dark roast I drank there was like paradise. It's really no wonder why so many coffee houses have sprouted up around this area beginning about ten to fifteen years ago. On occasion, I enjoy some of the flavored lattes and such, but at around $5 each, I mainly stick to homebrews or just a regular cup of joe, usually medium or dark coffees.

While I do enjoy Tim Horton's, I also visit Starbucks from time to time and local shops like Boston Stoker and Winans, which also produces some awesome dark chocolate candies.



Tim Horton's Coffee, 04 February 2009
50mm f/1.8, 1/8 sec, ISO 200

Photograph

I'll post some of my photos that I have taken since early November when I bought a Nikon D40. While I have been looking at digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras for a few years now, I finally had some extra money to finally buy one. Along with the camera and 18-55mm kit lens, I bought a 55-200mm VR lens as well as an autofocus 50mm f/1.8 that I have to manually focus on my D40. Below is a shot with the 50mm.

With buying the entry level DSLR, I did save money and was able to afford a SB-600 flash as well as a nice Manfrotto tripod legs and head. I understand that the lens is the most important part of the system save for the person taking the picture. If I had the money, I would definitely invest in better glass rather than a top-of-the-line camera.

Photography should be enjoyable. Sure, it can be some work getting the right shot, but the creativity it takes to capture an image is nothing less than a thrill. I've learned quite a bit having studied video and working in broadcasting about shutter speed, f-stops and composition, but nothing is better than real world experience.

Soaring Spirit by Robert Koepnic

Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio, 7 February 2009

50mm, f/1.8 1/640 ISO 200 with Neutral Density filter.