Random Thoughts

Christmas Cactus Shot

2011-01-09T10:49:00.002-06:00

I had a photographer friend of mine ask me how I setup this shot. This is a Christmas cactus that I brought in the house due to the weather. While it was inside, it started to bloom. This is the first bloom that I’ve had in two years. I shot this with a 50mm lens on my Canon Digital Rebel. The camera settings were ISO 400, f/22 at 1/400th of sec. I used a Canon 580EX II on the hot shoe to control an off-camera 430EX flash. The camera was at 6 o’clock of the flower and the 430EX was at 9 o’clock. I used a medium-sized Rogue Flash Bender to modify the light on the flash.

The f/22 was used to give me adequate depth-of-field to get all parts of the flower in focus. I used ISO 400 to get the shutter speed high enough to allow the flash to overpower all the ambient light in the room. 1/400th of a second did that. Since I was using Canon flashes, I was able to set them to high sync mode to allow the 1/400th of a second shutter speed. The Rogue Flash Bender served two purposes. First it made the light source bigger and therefore made the light less harsh. The second reason I used it was to keep the flash from spilling on the background. This along with the 1/400th second shutter speed kept the background dark and all the clutter from showing up in the photo.
Here is an iPhone photo of the setup.

It’s Election Time Again

2010-10-19T14:10:00.004-05:00

In the seven years that I’ve been divorced, I have lived in three apartments. And all three of those apartments have been right next to my polling place. My latest isn’t any different. The only difference that I see is that there are more signs. Look at all the signs that I get to look at for the next two weeks. I came home for lunch today and the cars were lined up and down the street with people going to the library to vote. At least they are voting. I’m early voting this year. If turn out is like this only two days after early voting opens, there’s no telling what the wait will be on election day.

A Mother’s First Gift

2010-09-20T14:04:00.001-05:00

I know. This is just a little cardinal figurine. The story of the this little fellow is what makes it special, at least to my mother.

I don’t remember the exact age. It was purchased while we lived at my parent’s first house in Wickliffe, KY. We moved there when I was four and lived there until we moved to Granbury, TX when I was nine.

One day during the summer, I was riding my bike around the neighborhood. One of our neighbors having a garage sale. I saw this little fellow and decided that I had to get it for my mother. So, I asked how much it was. The neighbor told me that it was 5 cents. I went straight home and got my nickel. I was very proud of my purchase but still wanted to surprise my mother with the gift. Apparently I didn’t do a good job of hiding my enthusiasm of the day. My mother asked me what I was hiding. I showed the figurine to her and told her that I purchased it for her. At this point, mother thought that I had taken the figurine and then lied to her about it. There was some serious trouble headed my way.

Fortunately for me, she decided to call the neighbor and apologize before she dealt with me. Our neighbor told her the story about how I purchased it. I went from the dog house to being the star in a blink of an eye. This was the first time I had ever picked out and purchased a present for her.
To this day the little guy has its own little shelve in her breakfast nook.

So this year for Mother’s Day, I photographed the little cardinal and had it printed. The photography was simple. The lighting was a Canon 430ex flash set to ETTL and high-speed sync with a 1/2 CTO to camera left. The camera was daylight-balanced set at ISO 200, f/11 at 1/400sec. I used f/11 to give me enough depth of field to have figurine focus and maintain the some of the detail in the wood grain in the foreground. I used the ISO 200 so I could get the shutter speed fast enough to over-power of the ambient light and reduce the background to near black.

Who would have ever thought a 5 cent purchase would last so long.

Today’s Visitor to the Office

2010-09-17T13:17:00.003-05:00

So today at the office, we had an exterminator come out. Being a new building, we thought it was time to get the setup on a routine schedule for the exterminator. He did his normal inspection. Afterward, he pointed out our latest visitor to the office, a brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus. You know me, have camera will travel. So here are a few of our latest visitor.

Enjoy

Greg

Shuttle Launch Photography

2010-09-15T21:25:00.004-05:00

I thought since there are only two shuttle launches scheduled before the end of the shuttle program, that I would post some of my thoughts and research into photographing a shuttle launch. Most of the technical photography information can be used to photography just about any launch. The location information only pertains to the NASA space shuttle program.

First a little show and tell then I will get to my thoughts and observations about the launch. The photos in this blog post are from STS-130 that launched on Feb. 7, 2010.

Here is the site of the launch pad from about 12 miles in Titusville, Florida.

Space Shuttle Endeavour as it takes off.

Breaking through the clouds.

A close-up of the space shuttle while in flight.

This is a time-lapsed shot of the first 30 seconds of the launch.
There are a few more photos located on my photography website at http://www.gregcrider.net/events/STS130.

Sources

Now on to the more how-to discussion. First, I want to acknowledge some of the sources that I used when doing research. I look at a ton of photos in the Internet and Flickr. Reviewing what other photographers had done before was an invaluable step. I also came across two other websites the were great help, http://www.launchphotography.com/shuttlelaunchviewing.html and http://www.phototrek.org/travel/STS-93/exposure.html. I used LensPro To Go to rent some of the camera gear. I can’t say enough about the excellent service they gave me. This was the first time I rented gear and they did everything they could to make sure I had what I needed to make the shoot a success. The service was so good that I have used them again since. Their web site is http://www.lensprotogo.com. Of course the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Center’s website is a good resource as well. That address is http://kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-launch-viewing-tickets.aspx.

Gear

I used as a Canon 300D with an 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens for the time-lapsed shot and a Canon Rebel XT with 500mm f/4L and a 1.4 teleconverter on a gimbal head for the launch photos. The closest public viewing site is still six miles away from the launch pad. You should get the longest telephoto lens that you can. I rented the 500mm and 1.4 teleconverter and was glad that I did. With the heavier telephoto lenses, make sure you have a tripod and head that can support the weight of the gear. The gimbal head made it easy to balance the lens and pan with the shuttle as it launched. If you get to shoot a night launch, take a second body with a wide-angle lens for light-trail or time-lapsed photography. A remote shutter release is a must for both day and night launches. Take clothing appropriate for the climate. To get a good location, you will need to find your spot several hours ahead of time. Keep that in mind. Make sure you have water and snacks because most of your time will be spent waiting. Umbrella-style lawn chairs are also a big help.

Settings

As far as settings and setup goes, it is important to pre-focus your lens and set it to manual mode once you have done so. With all the steam and movement, your autofocus will not be able to keep up and you will miss the shot. For a day launch, I would use ISO 100 or 200 whichever is the lowest for your camera that doesn’t cost you dynamic range. Take a meter reading during the T minus 9 minute hold. Switch your camera to manual mode and use the settings that you got from your meter reading. Adjust your ISO and f-stop so that your shutter speed stays above 1/125 of a second. Since the Florida coast can be hazy, use a polarizer during a day launch if you have it. Use remote shutter release to eliminate camera shake. I would also shoot in RAW. It give you the most flexibility to adjust in post for any exposure issues that you might have. Set the white balance for daylight. The light from the rockets will give the auto white balance fits.
For the night launches, I would use the manual exposure mode. Set your camera to ISO 400, f/8 at 1/125 sec for clear night. The STS-130 launch was very cloudy causing some of the light from the rockets to reflect back downward so I used a shutter speed of 1/200 sec. For light trail or time-lapsed shots, use ISO 100 at f/22 and bulb for the shutter speed. Leave the shutter open for 3 to 5 minutes. If it is overcast or the moon is out, you will need to decrease your shutter time. The time lapsed shot above was shot at 30 seconds. Since the cloud cover was so thick and low, a light trail shot was out. The clouds would reflect too much light back into the frame. Shoot with the white balance set to tungsten. Use RAW mode to give you the most flexibility in post. And, use a remote shutter to avoid camera shake.

Locations

View Shuttle Launch Viewing Sites in a larger map
Finding the right location to take the photos from is also important. The NASA Causeway in my opinion will give you the best unobstructed view to photograph the launch. It is 6 miles from the launch pad and is the closest the general public can get to the launch. It also gives you a frontal view of the shuttle. The downside is that you must get on a lottery list for the chance to purchase a ticket. For the STS-130 launch, they sold 1000 tickets at $56 each. I didn’t make the lottery so I was able to purchase a ticket from one of the local tour companies for $115. The ticket gives you two days access to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex and one trip to the causeway. If the launch cancels after you have been transported to the causeway, you will need to purchase another causeway ticket. More information about the cancelation policies can be found on the Kennedy Space Center’s website. It also gets very crowded. According to the people at NASA, normal launch crowds are the 1000 tickets they sell plus 10 bus loads from the tour companies. During STS-130, there were the 1000 tickets and 37 bus loads of people. Be prepared. They will take you out to the causeway a couple of hours before the launch, so umbrella style lawn chairs are recommended. The tour bus picked us up at 8pm for 4:30am launch. Once there you can’t leave until the launch is over or it has been cancelled so take anything you will need that you can personally carry. You will have to clear security so make sure you check allowed/not allowed list of things you can bring.
The first attempt of the STS-130 launch was cancelled due to weather. I didn’t get cancelled until after we were at the causeway so I had a choice to make. Pay for another causeway ticket when there was a 60% chance that the weather was going to cancel the launch again the next way or go to option 2. I used option 2. The second-best option is Space View Park. It is a public park on the river in Titusville. It is about 12 miles from the launch site. You get a profile view of the launch. It’s free. There is a Burger King, Papa Johns and CVS within walking distance from the park. You also have the Astronaut Walk of Fame to view and photograph. You will also want to get here early. The earlier you get there the better the spot and parking. For STS-130 2nd attempt, we got there 12 hours before the launch and there were already 10 people there.
The third option is on the river bank, anywhere on US 1 from Garden St. to US 50 offers a clear view of the launch pad. Most of the river bank is private property. Some won’t let you use their property others will charge you $10 to $30 per car. This price may go up since there are only two launches left. My advice is the same as the previous two locations. Get there early and take what you need to be comfortable.
Photographing the shuttle launch was definitely a highlight in my life. I would do it again but don’t know if I will be able to make it to one of the last two launches. I hope this has given you some insight into my thought process for the launch. If you have a question, please comment and I’ll try to answer it.

Greg

The Candy Jar

2010-04-17T07:32:00.001-05:00

One of the ladies at the office gave me a candy jar of chocolate for fixing her home computer the other day. The jar was sitting on my desk at work next to a metal sailboat statue. As I was working today, I kept coming back to the fact that the colors of the chocolate and the sailboat were very similar and that it might make a good image. I wanted to practice with my Speedlites and accessories anyway. Here is my process to get the final shot.

First I wanted to deal with the mood and coloring of the shot. All light varies in color. Our brains compensates automatically for these variances in coloring. Whites always seem white when you look at them. Digital cameras try to do this too by way of the White Balance function. You can leave the camera in auto white balance mode and the camera will try to compensate for the color of the light to make the whites white. If you set the white balance for yourself you can make some changes to the mood and coloring of the scene. For instance, below is the candy jar with the color balance set to tungsten (normal light bulb) even though I’m not using any indoor lighting. I’m just using the sunlight coming in the window. Light from a light bulb has more red that sunlight. Since the camera is expecting the light to be from a lamp, it is adding blue to the picture to compensate for the extra red that is suppose to be coming from a lamp. Without the lamp, the photo turns blue.

Here is the scene with the color balance set to the shade setting. Notice how the colors are now normal. This is where I want to start with the shot. I’m using my Canon 300D set to Aperture Priority with an f-stop of 5.6 ambient light only.

For the next adjustment, I noticed that the camera was still set to ISO 800 from the previous day. I changed that to ISO 200. The ambient light is a little brighter than I wanted so I added an exposure adjustment of –1. I didn’t like the horizontal composition so I switched to vertical.

Better. Now it is time to add the first flash. On the camera I have a Canon 580EX II set to ETTL commander mode. (It not adding light to the image. It is only telling the other flash what to do.) On a light stand to the right of the image, I have a 430EX with a full CTO gel. Gels are a way to change the color of the light coming from your flash. They are just sheets of colored plastic that are made to a very specific color. A CTO gel is used to change a daylight balanced flash to the color temperature of a normal light bulb. Since the camera is expecting the color temperature of light from under a shade, the gel will add some warmth to the image.

The light from the flash is not as bright as I wanted so I added +1 to the flash compensation.

The front of the candy jar doesn’t have any detail. It’s hidden in shadow. I need some additional light to bring out the detail of the candy. I used my 5-in-1 reflector to reflect some of the light from the flash back on to the front of the candy jar. I’m using the sunlight side of the reflector right now.

Looking at the photo, I wanted the sailboat to have a softer focus so that your attention is on the candy jar. To do this I simply increased the distance between the jar and the sailboat.

The shadows that the flash created were too harsh. I added a white shoot-through umbrella to the 430EX flash.

Adding the umbrella cost me some of my light that was reflected back on to the jar. To compensate I took the 580EX II out of commander mode. I didn’t add the CTO gel here. See how the mood and color of the image changes.

I added a CTO gel to the 580 to get the color temperature back to were I wanted it.

I don’t like the reflection that was created when I added the 580 flash, so I’m experimenting with the flash position in the next few shots.

I like the position of the flash in the last shot. The flash head is now pointed into the 5-in-1 reflector and reflecting onto the jar. These changes increased the flash brightness more than I wanted so I changed the flash compensation from +1 to +2/3.

I didn’t really like the reflection on the left side of the jar. I removed the reflector and let the light bounce back from the wall. What I got was a reflection of the couch. That won’t do so I removed the reflective material from the 5-in-1 and use the diffuser to reflect the light back to the jar. Then I changed the flash compensation to 0.

I’m almost there with the lighting. The last change darkened the background a little too much so I changed the exposure compensation to –2/3.

Up until this point I have been working with the flashes in ETTL mode. ETTL mode is Canon’s automated way to set the flash output. I thought that I should switch the flashes to manual mode and practice using them in manual mode. The first image is from when I first turned the flash to manual. I didn’t realize that aperture priority mode didn’t work with the flash in manual so I switched the camera to manual too. The second shot is f5.6 at 1/8 of a second. The 430 is set to 1/16th power and the 580 is set at 1/32nd power. That wasn’t enough so I bumped the flashes to 1/8th and 1/16th which to me is just about the same as the ETTL shot.

The last thing that I want to change is the position of the 430 flash. The sailboat’s shadow is caused from the window light and is coming straight for the camera. The shadow from the jar is cause by the flash and is going from right to left. I wanted direction of the shadows to be the same so I put the 430 on a boom and moved it behind and above the sailboat.

Moving the flash left me with a small bright spot at the top of the frame. I raised the flash a couple of inches. I also moved the sailboat a little to the left. Here is the final shot.

Here is the layout.

Thanks for reading. I hope you got something from my thought process.

Greg

One Year Anniversary of GregCrider.net

2010-04-17T06:37:00.001-05:00

Well, today it has been one year since I started my photography website. What a year it has been. I started the website to publicly display some of the photographs that only a select few friends and family members got to see before. The response I got has been incredible. Here are a few statistics from the first year. In the first year, my photos have been viewed 55,034 times. The website has had visitors from 58 countries across the world. Both the private and public comments have encouraged me to strive to be better. Here are a few highlights from the year.

One of the biggest moments was the first time I entered a juried art exhibit. I entered for the experience, to see what the process would be like. I thought I would be lucky to have one photograph accepted. To my surprise, all three were accepted.

I took a mini-vacation in San Francisco with my good friend Mark and combined my two favorite passions, sailing and photography.

I got this one from the first time I got to shoot with a professional model, Renee. It is still one of my favorites.

Shortly after that I took my first photography lesson/workshop ever and got my first set of swimsuit photos from Rachel and Danielle.

This last one is one of the most popular photos that I have.

I got my first print credit. The two girls are my nieces, Samantha and Rachel.

I took my first studio workshop with Rolando Gomez and models Sasha, Eleya, and Heather.

Field of Dreams Movie Set

Rachel's Soccer

2009 RE/MAX Ballunar Lift-off Festival

Samantha’s gymnastics

Rachel’s Christmas pageant

Samantha’s violin concert

Messing around in the kitchen

I drove down to Galveston before dawn to take these Christmas sunrise photos.

Four-wheeling in East Texas

Mom’s Flowers

Of all the photos that I’ve taken, I think I’m the most proud of the ones of the STS-130 Shuttle Endeavour launch. I spent two months researching and planning the shoot. Ultimately I waited up all night two nights in a row to take three minutes worth of photos.

Duck at Hermann Park

Fellow photographer, Lindsay decided to be in front of the camera for a change.

Photo shoot at the Woodlands with Britney, Sydney and Tana.

Photo shoot with Alicia. The photos of Alicia have only been on my website seven days and they already have already been viewed over 1300 times.

Samantha’s Zone Concert

2010-02-24T06:41:00.001-06:00

I know I should be washing dishes, washing clothes, or finishing my taxes but I couldn’t wait to look at these photos from last night. Last night was Samantha, my niece’s, Zone concert. The “Zone” concert is a concert where the 6th, 7th and 8th graders have a group concert. Each grade played two pieces and then they played America the Beautiful together. This is her first year to play the violin.

Here she is warming up.

Here is her class. The blue shirts are her classmates.

Here is everyone.

Samantha getting ready to play.

Samantha playing her first piece.

Samantha playing the second piece.

The end of their second piece.

Watching the older students play.

It was a nice concert. Her class has improved so much since the first concert earlier this year. To see photos from all of her concerts go to http://www.gregcrider.net/Events/Samanthas-6th-Grade-Concerts/.

BTW. Seeing her wearing heals makes me feel old. It seems like yesterday when my sister brought her home from the hospital.

Greg

Gossiping Ducks

2010-02-19T18:30:00.001-06:00

OK. I was going to wait until I had gotten through all the rest of the photos that I took at Hermann Park during lunch. But this one made me laugh. Both Monday and Tuesday this week, I got lunch and ate it at Hermann Park. Each day at the South end of the reflection pool, I’ve seen these same ducks. Each day the one on the right has been just been chatting away. My first thought was of two co-workers gossiping at lunch. Now that I think about it, they could be an old married couple. In that context, you have the wife on the right talking away and the husband on the left just nodding his head, “Yes Dear, Yes Dear.” Not knowing much about birds, I don’t know if they are male or female.

Have a great Friday.
Greg

Great Weather in Houston

2010-02-18T18:44:00.001-06:00

This week we have had some great weather in Houston. So great that I’ve take my lunch to Hermann Park twice and ate on the patio at Buffalo Wild Wings once. Of course I couldn’t go to the park without my camera so here are some of the photos that I’ve taken this week for those of you that are stuck in your office and can’t get out.

I took many duck photos and haven’t had a chance to look through them yet. There are several great ones to show you once I get done.

Later,

Greg

Directions to the Baytown Eagle’s Nest

2010-02-17T18:50:00.001-06:00

Since I have had several request, here is where the bald eagle’s nest is located in Baytown.

View Photography Shoot Locations in a larger map

The easiest way to get there from Houston is to take I-45 South to I-610 East. Exit on Hwy 225 East toward La Porte. Hwy 225 ends at Hwy 146. Stay on the left side to head East on Hwy 146 over the Fred Hartman Bridge. Once across the Fred Hartman Bridge, take the first exit for Hwy 146 Business. Stay on Hwy 146 Business until you come to a 4-way stop sign at Hwy 99 Grand Parkway. Take a right. The next intersection is Tri-City Beach Road. Take another right. Once you see the golf course on your right, you are there. Pull of the side of the road and park. Someone has been kind enough to tie a white handkerchief to the chain link fence on the golf course side of the road. Stand in that general area. Look across the road. In the distance about 200 feet away, there will be a tall pine tree with several branches that come down to a point. That is were the nest is.

Below is a photo of the nest that you are seeking. It is a close up. Next time I go by there, I’ll take a wide-angle shot to give you a better idea of the scene.

Take some binoculars to be able to see it better. It is a very large nest. When the mother is sitting on the eggs, you will not be able to see her until she stands up. You might also want to take some supplies like a lawn chair, water or snacks if you want to wait until one of the eagles is outside the nest. I have not see this but many others have said that the eagles like to stand on a tree very near the road. Each time I have been to see the nest, I have not been able to stay more than an hour. If you really want to see the eagles flying, plan your time so that you can stay longer if needed. I am told that the male leaves the nest in the morning and flies back during the day and before sunset.

Hope this helps.

Greg

Bald Eagle Hunting

2010-02-15T19:20:00.001-06:00

After the trip I took with my Dad to see the launch of STS-130 Space Shuttle Endeavour, I still had some time left on my lens rental. I had heard and seen photos of a bald eagle’s nest in Baytown, Texas so I decided to go hunting, photo hunting that is. For this particular safari I’m using a Canon 300D with a 500mm F/4L and a 1.4 tele-converter. Here’s me and the gear.

I got a little turned around in Baytown so it took me about an hour to find the nest on the first day.

Here's a little fellow that I found near the nest.

I stayed for about an hour and a half until it started raining and sleeting. Facing a drive through downtown Houston in the evening traffic, I decided not to wait any longer thinking that I would just come back the next day or on the following weekend. Well the weather didn’t cooperate the next day either and Friday and Saturday I spent time with my nieces. That left me with Sunday. Sunday morning I got up early hoping to catch them both at the nest first thing in the morning. Evidently I was not early enough. When I got back to the nest, a lady that was already there told me the male eagle had flown off ten minutes prior. Darn! I waited as long as I could but again no luck.

That evening, while take a scenic drive with my parents, Dad suggested that we go by the nest one more time. I had all the gear with us so I said “Why not?” My timing was off that day because just as we got there the Momma eagle started moving around the nest. Even though I wasn’t ready, I fired off a few shots. My position was off and I was shooting though brush and trees.

If you look closely you can see a wing and the top of her head at the center of the nest. Near sundown I got this next one. The lighting would have made this a perfect shot if one or both of the eagles would have shown up.

The sun has gone down further and the lighting is getting poor. I have taken of the tele-converter to get another F-stop because of the low light. I’m ready to go. It’s getting too dark to shoot. I take other round and pack everything up thinking that Sunday evening was another strike-out. I didn’t look at the photos for that evening until the next day. To my surprise in the last set of photo I took, I found an a photo of Momma taking a look around. It’s not the best of photos but I didn’t go home empty handed either.

Here's a cropped version.

Click here for a map of the location where I took the photos from.

Father/Son Vacation (The rest of the story)

2010-02-11T19:24:00.008-06:00

Well after a night’s sleep in Orlando, we found ourselves with some extra time on our hands. The tour bus wasn’t scheduled to pick us up until 8:30pm so we had a whole day to kill. Lewis, the guy who is letting me use his lot to store my sailboat while I work on it, told me about a marine salvage yard in Florida. He said that we should call Don’s Salvage if there was ever anything that we needed to restore my boat and could purchase it new. Sounded interesting since we were in Florida and had some time, I looked up the location online. The salvage yard is located in Clearwater (about an hour away) and is open on the first Saturday of every month. Great! So we drove over to Clearwater to take a look.

This guy easily had over six acres of boat parts.

We didn’t really find anything that we needed other than a small stainless steel sheet but it did give me an idea of were to call if I need to find an old part. Back to the hotel we went. We ate and got ready for the launch. The launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-130 is a subject all on its own. To read about it click here to see my post.

After saying up all night two nights in a row, Dad had to get back to work and it was time to head home. Monday morning after the launch we got back to the hotel at about 6:30am. We went to bed and slept until 10am. We checked out of the hotel and got some gas and food and started the long drive home. We thought that we would drive until we got too tired to go any further. Fortunately, we didn’t have the rain or traffic problems that we had on the way down and were able to make it all the way to the west side of Mobile before we stopped. Being the day after the Super Bowl we again saw numerous New Orleans Saints fans returning home. Here’s a few of the once that we passed on the road.

I’ve always wondered about this bridge on I75 between Ocala and the Florida Turnpike. To quote Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection:

The Cross Florida Greenway Land Bridge allows hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and wildlife to safely cross Interstate 75 where it bisects the Greenway. It provides a much needed connection between the east and west sections of the Cross Florida Greenway.

For more info go to http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/crossflorida/trails/landbridge.htm Other than seeing about a thousand patrol cars, the rest of the trip was uneventful until I dropped my camera in a cooler full of melted ice. Fortunately I was able to get it out and dried off in time to stop it from permanent damage.

Father/Son Vacation Days 1 and 2

2010-02-05T19:47:00.000-06:00

Back in December I realized that the STS-130 space shuttle mission just might be the last night shuttle launch. NASA had decided to retire the shuttle fleet at the end of 2010. I started doing some research into what it would take to photograph a shuttle launch. A some point I started discussing it with my photography friends and family. Dad thought that it would be fun and a once in a lifetime experience. So I invited him and he said yes. Now while growing up my father and I never took a vacation together. Any trips we took together were to go see my grandparents so this was our first real vacation together.

We left Houston in the rain on Thursday and it rained all the way to the Florida border. It rained so much at times that you could barely see the road in front of you. There were numerous accidents along the way. Several cars went off the road. One 18-wheeler turned over in the middle of the road. The rain was really bad around the Alabama/Florida boarder. So we stopped in Pensacola for the night.

In the morning, the rain had let up. It did rain some during the day, but nothing like the downpour that we experienced the day before. In Gainesville, we came across 3 accidents and witnessed one car spin across the highway and come to rest pointed the wrong way. One of the accidents was so bad that anyone in the back seat would have been lost. To me, it looked like the car was hit, spun off the road, and hit a tree from the rear bumper. The car hit with such force that the trunk of the car was compacted into the backseat.

Through out our trip down I-10, we passed numerous New Orleans Saints fans going to the Super Bowl in Miami. Once we made the turn South on I-75 the traffic picked up and we stopped seeing as many Saints fans. While waiting for the traffic to clear in Gainesville, we even spied a Colts fan in their RV. I took the picture below to document that there will be at least one die hard Colts fan at the game.

We made it to Orlando with about 16 hours of driving over two days. I’m looking forward to the launch early Sunday morning. We have a tour bus picking us up and taking us to the Kennedy Space Center. From there we will board another bus that will take us to a site that is only 6 miles from the launch pad. It should be a good time. Hopefully I will get some good shots.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T19:51:00.000-06:00

This year’s Christmas almost seemed anti-climatic. It was a fairly stress-free holiday. Since the family plans were late afternoon Christmas and the evening of the 26th, I didn’t have any plans on Christmas Eve or the morning of Christmas. So, it was Christmas Eve and I was wrapping gifts when I decided I wanted to do something else for my nieces, Samantha and Rachel. During the summer we had done a photo shoot for a newspaper ad that I did the photography. At that time they asked if I could take some of the photos and put the Eifel Tower in the background. I said sure but forgot about it until Christmas Eve. That how I spent Christmas Eve. I took two pictures of the girls, extracted the chroma-green background and added them to a photos of the Eifel Tower model at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas.

Then I decided to do one more. This time I used a Christmas theme.

By now it was getting near midnight and I had another thought. What about a trip to the beach. A cold front had blown through so the temperature would be cold but it would also blow out all the smog and haze too. Great time for some sunrise photos. Checking the sunrise time, I set my alarm for 4am. I know way too early for me but I had to do it. So with about 4 hours sleep, I got up and headed to Galveston. Here are the results. All were shot in RAW with a little bump in the color saturation. Some are multiple exposures to evenly expose the sandy foreground and get the rich colors in the sky. Others were shot with an on-camera flash and the rest are single exposures. In the background there are several ships going into the Houston ship channel. The lights at the sea level in the distance are from oil platforms. The hi-rise is the Endeavour complex on the East end of the beach near the jetties.

Enjoy and Happy New Year.

4 Year-Old Calls 911 and Saves Grandfather’s Life

2009-08-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

The Galveston County Daily News reports that a 4 year-old saved his grandfather’s life during a lawn mower accident. Robert Rudolph, a heart patient that was on blood thinners, was bleeding severely and trapped in his seat on the lawn mower. Joshua Rudolph saw that his grandfather was in trouble and called 911 from his mother’s cell phone. With 911 on the phone, Joshua calmly reported “Can we get, can we get a rescue people to come out here ‘cause my Paw Paw’s (hurt) bad.” Joshua then when to where his mother was running the weed-eater on the other side of the home. He handed his mother the phone stating that “911’s on the phone.” The family was able to free Mr. Rudolph from the lawn mower and apply pressure to the wound until paramedics arrived.

Mr. Rudolph credits his grandson for saving his life. The Galveston County Emergency Communication District plans to give Joshua a “911 Hero Award” in recognition of his coolheaded response.

It just goes to show you that it his never too early to start teaching the fundamentals of safety and emergency response.

You can read the whole story by clicking on the following link: The Galveston County Daily News

Sailing Heroes Honored

2009-07-29T20:55:00.000-05:00

Steven Conway and the late Roger Stone received awards for their heroism during the capsizing of the Cynthia Woods. Conway received a Certificate of Valor while Stone’s family was given the Gold Lifesaving Award.

For those of you that don’t follow sailing news, the Cynthia Woods is a sail boat operated by the Texas A&M University-Galveston sailing team. In June 2008, the Cynthia Woods lost its keel during the Regata de Amigos (a sailboat race from Galveston, Texas to Vera Cruz, Mexico.) Roger Stone and Steven Conway were the safety officers on-board during the race. When the boat capsized, Rodger Stone gave his life to save two of the students that were below decks at the time of the accident. Steven Conway was able to keep everyone else alive and afloat until the Coast Guard rescued them 26 hours later.

The Galveston County Daily News

Codex Sinaiticus - Home

2009-07-06T09:36:00.003-05:00

The oldest known manuscript of the Christian Bible known as the Codex Sinaiticus is now available to view on the Internet at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org. The manuscript was written over 1600 years ago and is the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. For the last 150 years it has been housed in four separate locations. In 2005 the four institutions entered into an agreement for the conservation, photography, transcription and publication of all surviving pages.

The web site above contains the results of that conservation effort. Photographs of the original pages can be viewed along with the transcription of the work.

If you like history or bible research, you will find this interesting.

Codex Sinaiticus - Home

Texas adds school supplies to sales tax holiday - Houston Business Journal:

2009-06-25T09:43:00.002-05:00

Good news for all my Texas friends that have children. School supplies have been added to this year’s sales tax holiday according to the Houston Business Journal. This year’s tax-free weekend is Aug. 21-23. A full list of tax-free items can be found at http://www.window.state.tx.us/news2009/090624-taxholiday.html

Texas adds school supplies to sales tax holiday - Houston Business Journal:

Police: 334 Rabbits Found In Woman's Yard - Family News Story - KPRC Houston

2009-06-24T09:48:00.001-05:00

Anyone need a rabbit???????

Police: 334 Rabbits Found In Woman's Yard - Family News Story - KPRC Houston

Neighborhood raises flag every day of the year

2009-06-23T16:15:00.001-05:00

What a great example of patriotic sprit. The residents of Triple Bar Estates have really made a nice showing of support for our troops. Each day most of the residents raise a flag to honor the troops. A former U.S. Navy veteran started the trend and encourage his neighbors to join him. Last Saturday marked the one year anniversary of the neighborhood-wide flag raising.

Click on the link below to read the full story in The Galveston County Daily News.

The Galveston County Daily News

USCG Pacific Northwest: VHF radio vs Cell Phone

2009-05-20T14:05:00.002-05:00

US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest has a good explanation on why a marine radio is better than a cell phone on the water during an emergency.

USCG Pacific Northwest: VHF radio vs Cell Phone

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command U.S. Fifth Fleet Press Release

2009-05-15T11:30:00.002-05:00

This press release details the capture of an alleged “mothership” by US and Korean forces. The ROKS Munmu the Great and USS Gettysburg responded to a call from Egyptian-flagged M/V Amira. The Amira was being attacked by pirates south of Yemen.

The Gettysburg was able to board and capture a suspected “mothership”. All 17 of the passengers were detained for further questioning by the VBSS team of the Gettysburg and the Coast Guard Legal Detachment.

Way to go guys!!!

Press Release

Congress tries to ensure that Judge Kent won't be paid | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

2009-05-14T10:15:00.002-05:00

Here is an interesting one! Judge Kent of the Galveston District Court has been sentenced to just under 3 years in Federal prison for obstruction of justice for lying to an inquiry looking to sexual harassment allegations. He has qualified for retirement as a federal judge. Since federal judges are appointed for life, when the retire they will continue to receive their salary for the rest of their life just like the President. So since he qualified for retirement, he will continue to be paid his current salary while serving his prison term. Many people are commenting that they want the Congress to stop paying Kent. The Constitution forbids Congress from decreasing a federal judge’s salary. The only way to keep from paying him is to impeach and convict him. Only then will they be able to stop Kent from receiving salary.

While this is a pain and many people are upset about having to pay Kent until he is impeached, I believe that it is a necessary evil. If it was easy to remove a federal judge, it would be to easy to blur the line between Congress and the Federal Courts. Separation of powers between the three branches of government is one of the things that makes our system of government work. Giving Congress the ability to reduce a justice’s pay would give them influence over the federal courts and affect their impartial judgment. In my opinion, we should let the Constitution work. The Congress should start the impeachment process and remove him from the bench, ending his salary.

Now if Congress fails to act on this quickly, then we have another issue.

Wikipeadia - Federal judge (United States)

Congress tries to ensure that Judge Kent won't be paid | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Mayor unveils $4B budget, lower than previous fiscal year | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

2009-05-12T17:07:00.002-05:00

The Houston Chronicle reports that Mayor White’s budget proposal is lower in government spending. The city is projected to spend $4.05 billion in the new fiscal year. A 0.4 percent from the current year.

With the handling of Hurricane Ike and now this, Bill White is turning out to be a good mayor. I would say one of the better ones that we have seen in recent years.

Mayor unveils $4B budget, lower than previous fiscal year | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Links for 2009-07-06 [Digg]

2009-07-07T00:00:00-07:00

Cockrell Butterfly Center
Here are some butterflies from the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I have tried to name them properly, but may have made a few mistakes. If you see any, please comment the correct name so that I can fix them.