Project 2 completed: Baseball

   I went to Austin last weekend to watch my nephew play baseball for University of Maryland versus University of Texas.  It ended up being a informal family reunion as we got to see pretty much everyone in the family.  Anyway, I'm getting off the topic.
   If you know me at all you know I don't like to shoot people.  Actually, I hate shooting people.  Well as part of this project, I'm forcing myself out of my comfort zone.  So on to what I learned.  Well it's not as easy as it looks or as easy as the pro's make it look... or at least it wasn't for me.  I got the majority of the technical stuff down but had some issues with focusing. I tried spot focusing first and it worked okay until the subject started to move a little, if the subject move off of the spot I ended up focusing on the stands in the background.   What I should have used is Dynamic with Continuous Servo mode.  This would have allowed me to set the focus point then the D700 focusing system would have tracked the subject as it moved.  Damn you for not reading 800+ page manual!  Oh, well at least I learned something.
  Also I could've used a faster lens as well.  I rented the new Nikon 28-300 3.5-5.6 FX since there was a limitation on the size of the lens you could take into the stadium.  I wanted to take my 80-200 2.8 but they never would have allowed.  Heck, I got hassled for the size of this lens even fully collapsed.  All the photographer's shooting from the photography bullpens had at least 400mm 2.8.  I was jonesing for one of those!
   Below I've posted what I think we're my best shots from the weekend.  No post-processing, just convert to JPEG.

On Deck

Single

Celebratation!

I like this because all three people at the plate are tracking the ball.

What's the hitter looking at?  The other two have their eye on the ball.

My nephew Taylor supporting the 'Horns.

A neat little still life shot.  

Abstract Ice Take 2 & my first photography accident

star light star bright

   In continuation of my bi-weekly photography project, I headed back up to Echo Lake to shoot more abstract ice.  I was hoping with the cold weather we've recently had the lake would be more stable and I would be able to venture a little further out toward the deeper sections.  Last time I was up there was towards the later afternoon which meant I had to deal with shadows caused by the setting sun.  This time the plan was to be at the by the late morning.  
   A couple of things make shooting ice very addicting.  1) You can shoot in harsh light, which means you don't have to get out of bed super early to catch the golden light.  2) No matter how many times you shoot one location, you'll almost always find new and interesting formations.  3) You honestly don't need to carry a ton of gear.  All these shots were with the Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens mounted on a D700.  But honestly, with all the light available a "fast" lens isn't really necessary.  Actually, a DX format camera might work better because of the magnification factor.

the matrix

   I know by now everyone is wondering about the accident.  Well, we are talking about ice here right.  My previous outing I was very comfortable on the ice in just my boots.  It was a bit different this time mostly because of the wind.  It was howling at time.  So much so that I put down my backpack once and the wind blew it approximately 50 yards from me. Anyway, back to the event.  I was slowly and carefully walking around looking for interesting patterns, a gust of wind caught me (probably around 40-50 mph) and pretty much blew me off my feet.  As you can imagine I had my camera mounted on the tripod, when I fell backwards the whiplash caused the camera to nail me directly above my left eye.  Yes, I was in a good amount of pain.  First I checked my eye brow to make sure I wasn't bleeding, I wasn't.  Next was the check the camera hoping it would be okay.  Luckily it was.  So I learned when shooting on slippery surfaces crampons are a must, no matter how comfortable you feel always veer to the side of caution and for me the first photography helmet might not be a bad idea.

the galaxy

Snowmobiling

Went out snowmobiling yesterday with some friends and took the camera. The intention was to take picture of the group and we rode around etc. However, we stopped to a few minutes for some free time in this large meadow. I did a few quick laps then started looking for possible shots. As you can see from this shot the snow was really coming down. I think this image portrays a feeling of loneliness and desperation. I was going to clone out the truck but I think adds to the overall image.

Nikonians Monthly Contest

   Today I was pleasantly informed that I had been selected as a finalist for this months Landscape contest on Nikonians.com.  The image selected is one of my favorites, it's called "The Overlook".  This image was taken overlooking Peyto Lake in the beautiful Banff National Park.  You're probably wondering what makes this image one of my favorites.  Sure it's got qualities that exist in a great image but that doesn't make it an automatic favorite.  The real reason I love this photograph is it taught me how the preciousness of time and being there.
    I was on a photography based vacation with some great friends.  Every night we would sit down and plan out what we wanted to shoot the next day, what would be the ideal times to be at each location consulting map, books etc.   Earlier in the day we stopped by the exact same spot and spent time exploring different compositions and shooting.  However, the light wasn't really ideal.  It was bright flat midday light.  So we continued on way.
    After spending time exploring and doing touristy stuff we decided it was time to head back. On the way back, the temps dropped and it began to snow.  I had seen a few images of Peyto Lake (from Darwin Wiggetts book) and knew if the lighting and conditions were right we could have some serious fun.  We headed to the same overlook we had visited just 5 hours earlier and viola.  This is the scene that was presented to us.  All you had to do was find the right composition that pleased your eye.  As you can imagine I took quiet a few shots (majority are okay to good) but this image really stands out to me.  It's the depth, clarity, texture and captured emotion that really makes this image for me.  I could have stood there for hours just looking at this scene.... And I can't wait to go back.  
    As far as the contest goes (I know it's cliche) but just being selected is a honor.  I'll let you know how the voting turns out.  If you have a Nikonians account, please check it out and vote.

My Project Schedule

This is very much related to my first post of the year. I upped the ante by creating a list of "projects" per se with due dates to keep me on schedule. I tried to come up with a list that would fit into our upcoming vacations etc.

Abstract Ice: 13 Feb

Baseball: 27 Feb

Flower Macro: 13 Mar

Water Drops: 27 Mar

Denver Architecture: 10 Apr

Smoke: 24 Apr

Street: 8 May

Multi-Row Pano: 22 May

Child Portrait: 5 Jun
A Photo within a Frame:  19 Jun

Fill the Frame:                  3 Jul

As you can see this is a pretty aggressive list if you consider I still want to snowboard and play golf.. not to mention having to actually work... And continue to focus on my landscape photography as well

I'm still looking for ideas to fill out the remainder of the year and would be very happy to hear your suggestions.