Vacation

2

A Good Time
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

This month I am spending a lot of time in Boston. The timing could not really be better with it being around the holidays because there is a lot of activity many people I know are off.

Because I gave advance notice that I would be heading into town, something I can't always do when traveling for business, I was able to plan several different activities.

Just so happens that I had mentioned to a friend of mine, Paul, who now manages a bar/restuarant called T-Bones in Plymouth, that I would be in town. He was a little excited as he had a Winter Wonderland Dance Party planned that he thought would be a great event to get some pictures of. Ended up that he could not have been more right...

The dance was on a Wednesday night, so to be honest, I just was not sure how "fun" it would be. Well it turned out it was awesome. And, it just so happens that not only did I have a great time, but I also brought my brother Derek with me. You see, my brother and I don't really ever get to hang out much. In fact, since Derek had his 2 children, he just doesn't get out that much. So this ended up being a pretty fun night for him.

Something else I learned that I just have to share is that even though a person has almost NO photography experience, it is possible to take amazing pictures.

How do I know this?

Well Derek did not really like standing around doing nothing while I shot pictures of pretty girls dancing. So much so, right in the middle of me shooting, he runs up to me and says "give me that thing... that thing is a babe magnet"..

Funny thing, in a way, he was right... girls like to have their picture taken, especially with their friends.

Part of my success with event photography has absolutly NOTHING to do with the ability to take a good picture, rather it is the ability to MAKE a good picture. The trick with event photography is to get people to feel good about having their picture taken. This happens to be something that Derek is VERY good at. He knows how to get a person to smile, laugh and do other crazy things..

So, the lesson learned: don't get too hung up on this or that feature of a camera but rather figure out how to get someone to relax and just be themselves... Do that and you will have some of the best shots you will ever take. That is how I felt after doing this event.

If you would like to see some of the other shots taken at this event you can visit my website at www.candidcaptures.com. Under "In the Spotlight" are the pictures from T-Bones.

When Things Just Don't Go Right

When Things Just Don't Go Right
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Well the time had come, time for that very extended trip to Boston at years end. At first I had planned to drive but then, as the trip got closer, the thought of spending that many hours in a car by myself round-trip was not all that appealing. Couple that with the thought of doing the drive in snow, I think I will pass, and I did.

What made the decision easy was that I had a 400.00 credit with Delta for a previous trip when I allowed them to bump me off a flight. So basically when yo factored in the cost of driving, gas, tolls, oil change, time, in exchange for the rental car I would need in Boston, it was all a wash. And, no wear & tear on my car.

BUT, there was one little problem. My flight in was on the day a Northeaster hit Boston and my flight was cancelled. They did rebook me for a later flight, but when I finally touched down at Logan and when to get my baggage, well, look at the shot. There were bags EVERYWHERE.... and worse, not a single one was mine. Yup, my bag, well, it was 'lost'....Fortunately not for long as I had it back by 5pm the next day.

Still, no matter, flying was by far the best option. Granted, the skies are not always so friendly but they sure are fast...

Working Remote

20D_121946_2160
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

For those that don't know, I have worked for the same company, HP Hood LLC, for a very long time. As far as employers go, you probably won't find one much better. Is it a perfect work environment, of course not, no place is.

Personally, Hood has been very good to me. I say this because when I started way back in the late 80's I started as a truck driver. The reason I took this position was prior to that I had worked for UPS as a supervisor on the early, and i mean early as in 1am early, shift loading the brownie trucks, as their called.

The job, delivering milk at the wee hours of the morning, allowed me to make a pretty good living for a guy my age, but more importantly it allowed me to be home in the late morning / early afternoon. This allowed me to opt to take overtime, which there was almost always, or to go out and enjoy the afternoons.

This proved to be awesome once Ryan came along because most days during the summer, while the average dad was still had hours left to the workday, we where probably already at the beach soaking up the sun and taking pictures of him running along the beach.

The real neat thing is that we have literally hundreds of photos like that.

So, you maybe wondering where I am going with this. Basically my point is this, that the company I have worked at for the last 19 years has really been a wonderful place. From the days when I started as a driver, then a logistics analyst to the Data Warehouse Manager, an Applications Manager and finally to my current position of Senior Business Analyst. All along it has been a rewarding ride. But not to go unmentioned is the fact that all along the way I have worked with truly awesome people, like the three in today's post.

Let me introduce them, from the left is Peter who I hired in 2006 to replace me as the Data Warehouse guru, Toni who worked in HR at the time when I managed our HR/Payroll application. She is a blast to hang out with! And Mike, who has grown to be a very good friend.

These three and many others like them, are one of the reasons that HP Hood is a success and a wonderful place to work. I realize this now more than ever since in my current position I work from a home office and am not surrounded by my associates to the degree I used to be.

What this means is that I appreciate them all the more..

Second Pass

Empty
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

So you bought a digital camera and you are now clicking away at rates you have never dreamed possible. After all, it is now virtually "free" to take a shot, so you might as well take 4 of everything. Right? Right!

Well 4 may be excessive, but sure, go ahead and take two, after all, thats what the pro's do just in case an eye is closed our you caught someone in a quirky smile.

The thing is, with all the clicking that generates more pictures, that means you have to sift through each and every one, and quite frankly, just because you can take more pictures does not mean you will have any more good ones than you did before.

I too am have a bunch of photos to sift through at the end of a day when I actually take my camera out and about with me. Sometime, yes sometimes, with all the pictures that I have on my hard drive, little gems get mixed in with the really bad stuff. So a habit I have gotten into is to go back and do a "second pass" to revisit older shots and see if there is anything I missed that may be salvageable but missed the first time around.

This shot here, with the swing, is one I nearly missed the first time around and once I posted it has become one of my most favavorite shots this year.

Lesson learned, don't DELETE and give a second passto your photos.... you just may be surprised at what you find.

Weekends

Taking Aim
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Is it really Monday morning, but wasn't yesterday Friday? Gosh the weekends go by quickly.

Maybe it is because I had company come in this weekend or because I actually feel like I got things accomplished and at the sametime was relaxed.

It all started Friday night with company and I going out to a nice local bar for dinner in a rather trendy part of Raleigh. Saturday we went to Chapil Hill then to my favorite mall, The Streets at Southpoint.

Sunday, made breakfast at home then, well, more shopping; of course. Now normally I don't do this kind of malling, but with my cousin Juli visiting, it was all about her. Juli is from Newport, NC and apparently they just don't have the selection of stores we do so she was like a kid in a candy shoppe... :)

Nothing to do? Then Meetup.com!

I am not one to really have a problem figuring where to go or what to do, I am about as much of an extrovert as you will ever meet. In fact, I totally "thrive" on meeting new people. A little known fact; for the longest time I had a daily goal; meet 2 new people each day. I don't mean just "meet", I mean MEET, actually get at least their first name. You know, I met that goal most of the time.

The problem is trying to meet people in a totally new place where everything is so spread out is tough. Now, add to that the fact that I work out of a home office and work a pretty long day. Well, it does not give much of a chance to even bump into someone, except at Panera, which by the way is a GREAT place to meet folks.

So, the solution, MeetUp.com. That's right, MeetUp.com. This is a site where you can search for groups of people who have commmon interests. Water skiing? there is a group. Knitting, yup, there is a group for that too. Like to go hiking, join your local hiking group.

Each group has organizers who take time out of their busy schedules to figure out things to do and plan it. In most cases all you have to do is show up. What a concept!

Now based on the area that your live, there may be more groups and activities, but I would be surprised if there wasn't something near you.

So, I joined 4 different groups and since doing so my email box gets hit everyday with a new event being planned. In fact, there is no way I could EVER keep up with all the events, heck, I would go broke!!

This past weekend I attended a Singles group dance party. To be totally honest, I am single and have no intention of dating right now, I just wanted to be out and have some fun. As you can probably guess from todays picture, everyone had fun. The group was looking for people to do the photography, so I volunteered. What the heck, it would give me something to do, right? I even got to hide behind the camera all night. Meeting people was no problem at all, in fact, I met more goal of 2 a day and am covered for the next 2 months. :)

So, if your Saturdays come and go and you have not had any fun, or you are missing out on your favorite activity because you don't know anyone else that enjoys doing the same thing, check out MeetUp.com...

If you do, or you have used this, leave a comment, I would love to hear your experience.

Want to see more pictures? Go to Candid Captures and enter the Client Proofing area. Enter in "meetups" as the password.. By the way, the music playing will be the band that played that night..

This is why!

DO NOT SIT HERE!
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

So now I know why people go south. Today it was in the 20's here in Boston, in Raleigh, 50... So what does this mean? Well, the white stuff is pretty and all, but driving on ice covered roads, especially black ice, is a pain in the a**.

Plus, EVERYONE I know has a cold. In fact, I can't tell you how many years in a row I have been sick around this time, yet, no one I know in NC has a cold.

This may just be the reason to stay the winter in North Carolina.

Sitting Pretty

Sitting Pretty
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Some of you may know that I am a avid user of flickr, the worlds best photo sharing site. It is a service that I started using in May 2006. I read an article that Google was launching a new service called Picasa Web so as to try and compete with flickr. The article actually "pushed" me to give flickr a whirl. I have been addicted since.

Why?

Well, for starters it gave me a place to showcase my pictures and allow other to see. Then there was the community aspect of it, how you can grow a network of contacts that view and share their photos with you. And mind you, not just any photo's, so often it is the best they have to offer at the time and as time passes they keep getting better after learning from other flickr members.

Personally, I have learned so so much from my fellow flickrites, in ways that I could never learn from a magazine. To be honest, it is not from the critiquing as almost ALL comments left on photos are full of "oohs" and "ahhh's" and almost never off constructive criticism. Where the learning comes in is just from he fact that you are viewing wonderful photos from some of the best photographers on earth.

So what is the reward from posting good photo's on flickr? Every serious flickr user want to get a photo in this thing called Explorer, the holy grail for fine photo's. No one is totally sure what gets a photo there, but nonetheless, it is the goal..

Well today I am the proud owner of 3 photo's in Explorer. Not a big deal really, many members have many many more. What is ironic to me is that 2 of the 3 are pictures of this dam cat you are looking at. Granted, it is a cute photo, after all, look at the way she is staring at me. It is like she was bending over to see where my fat head went when looking through the viewfinder...

So if you are not a member, you MUST give it a try, if you are, add me as a contact so I can learn from you!

When Overpaying is a Value

Benefits of Ownership
Originally uploaded by :shawn:
For as long as I remember I have leased cars. It all started early on, just after getting married. Leasing was a new concept. Basically it allowed you to get into a brand new car for about the same payments as what it would cost you to buy a used car. This all worked well, AS LONG as you did not go over the estimated yearly miles. For me, we did not drive the much and I used to manage that whole thing pretty closely.

After doing that for about 12yrs it started to get old. After all, at the end of the lease, you had nothing and there is no worse feeling than turning in a car knowing you have nothing to drive 5 minutes later. Thus getting into yet another lease..

So, at the end of the last one I was determined to end the cycle. No more leases. At the same time I did not want a junk car. I am not a mechanic and I hate to tinker, so fixing my own car was not a option.

After some research, a LOT of research, I decided to buy a Certified Lexus. Quite frankly I could not afford a 1 yr old or two year old certified. But, I was able to manage to find a 3 yr old with very low miles, 20K. So, to the dismay of my then wife, we purchased what she called a "old man's car".

But you know, there has not been a day I have regretted the purchase and especially not today. Today I had to bring the car in for service as the engine light went on. Nothing wrong with the engine, just the light went on. Seems these are sometimes faulty.

Upon arriving at the dealership you are treated like gold. Coffee, muffins, juice are all ready for you. They even provide shuttle service to the local mall. Not a bus , but our own personal driver. Now it ended up that the work was more involved and they needed to keep my car overnight. That entitled me to a loaner car, of which this is the rim. This car is awesome. It is the Lexus ES 350 with SmartKey, a keyless system. Amazing!..

After getting home tonight the dealership called and informed me of the terrible news. They may not be able to get a part in till later tomorrow and I may be forced to be with out my 7yr old Lexus and have to use theirs over the weekend...

Bummer..... :)

A Purpose

Elevated Landing & Slightly Obstructed View
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Do you know what the purpose of a butterfly is? To be honest, I don't. I mean I could Google it and find out, but if I do that, then I won't have anything to write about. :)

But the question of the day is; What is the purpose of this blog?

There are a couple..... You see, I have always been intrigued by the blogging phenomenon, but to be honest, I don't write all that well. So I figure if I blog, that will give me a way to improve my writing skills. The fact that I couple it with photography, that gives me a topic. Another is I am not very organized. So selecting pictures I have shot that I personally like and putting then in one place gives me a single place to look. And to be a tad deeper, when I look at certain pictures I have taken, they stir thoughts and memories that I figure would be nice jot down. Now if only I can learn to write so well that it has that effect on others..

So, you now know the purpose of the Blog.. Now I just have to figure the purpose out for some of the other things I do and don't do.

Hybernation

Half Asleep
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Even as a kid, turning the clocks forward or backward made absolutely no sense to me and really, it didn't matter. I mean, if it got dark at 4, 5 or 6 made no difference because we still played hard outside, rain or shine. Once it starting nearing 5, or when ever we heard my mom yell out the back door, the fun ended and it was time to go in. After dinner we would pretty much be fixated to the tv watching Happy Days, Eight is Enough or some other family friendly show.

My point is, as a kid, the time change did not really impact my "funtime" very much. School-work, dinner time or company stopping by; that impacted fun time.

Fast forward and my feelings have completely changed. The fact is, I really don't like the time change, especially in the fall. That loss of an hour seems to change everything. I mean it is 5:15 and it is pitch black out right now.

The biggest impact, at least to me, is the lack of light which prevents me from going out and taking my walk during actual daylight hours when I would also take pictures. No pictures, no posting to flickr. No posting, no comments. No comments, no....... you get the point!! Well you do if you use flickr. It is so dam addicting.

Anyway....

I bet there are people who really don't care or even notice the impact the time change has on their lives. After all, if they are the type to just rush home and sit in front of a screen, TV or otherwise, then the lack of sunshine makes not difference, right?

Do you think daylight savings impacted this guy, sprawled out on steps in Washington DC? Actually, maybe it messed up his sleeping patterns so bad that he needed this afternoon nap. :)

This all probably sounds like a rant... well, it kinda is, basically because I completely missed enjoying the sunny day today. In fact I didn't even leave the house to go and get a coffee.....

hmm... you know, that's probably the real issue here.. :)

Looking Up, Looking Forward!

Sun-Up
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Last night a new flickr friend made my night by commenting heavily on several of my photographs I had taken in and around Boston. That got me thinking about just how much time I have spent walking around with my camera wrapped around my wrist walking up Milk, State and Newbury.

On some of those walks, I didn't press the shutter once, others it would take me weeks to process the shots.

In a couple of more weeks I will be back in Boston for an extended period. Frankly, I can't wait. In fact, I better start planning what I am going to do. Of course the priority will be spending as much time with Ryan & Tyler as possible and then seeing some of those that I just have not had a chance to get together with on work related trips.

No matter how busy the schedule may be, one thing is for sure, I will get my butt over to Quincy Market. That is one place I have always enjoyed taking pictures, such as this one here. The scenery and shear amount of people watching that can be done in such a short period of time is amazing.

While I am there, well, I just may have to indulge myself in one of my favorite tasty beverages, a Grey Goose Martini straight up with Olive... mmm mmm.... Selecting the drink is easy, picking from the myriads of possible establishments to have it, that's the tough part...

Any suggestions? :)

Sushi-the "All-American" Food?

Rainbow Roll
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

When I was younger, "hanging-out" with friends always involved food, usually at ungodly hours of the early morning. That's when we would either head over for a pizza at Santarpios in East Boston or for a Beast Sandwich at Kelly's Roast Beach on Revere Beach.

If by chance one of us actually had money that week and was willing to part some to those who needed to leach, we would splurge for chinese and there was only one really good place for that, Kowloon's on RT 1 in Saugus.

But pretty much, Chinese food was about as close to "Asian" as our diet would ever see. I mean, Chinese food is Asian, right?

Well times have changed and so have many American's pallet and in my opinion for the better.

Take for instance my newly developed fetish for sushi. It all started about 2 or 3 years ago. A friend of mine introduced me to California Rolls which for many is the stepping stool to real raw fish. Not that imitation crab stuff. The next step for me was Salmon.

I will never forget the first bite. Now to be honest, I was in no way squeamish, in fact I liked the texture and the chill on the roof of my mouth, until I got to the wasabi which basically took over every sensation in my face.

From salmon I went to Yellow Tail then to eel and on over to octopus. Octopus, now that took a little getting used to, but still, it was delightful.

So, last night I went out for sushi yet again too a new place I found out on RT 64 in Cary, NC. First, I have to say that Rt 64 is in no way like Rt 1 in Saugus, you can actually get back on Rt 64 after eating without worring about running into your next mealtime.

Wasabi is a decent sushi place found in your slightly better than average strip mall. The food was incredible, the atmosphere, well that could use a little work. It was a little to bright and the tables where a lot to close for my liking.

The thing I like most about sushi is the feeling you have after. It's that satisfied, yet not full feeling. There is this "clean" feeling to it, like you did not eat a bunch of "monoglusic watcha ma call it's".

See the Rainbow Maki Roll? It's the one in focus, second from the left. That was my meal. Yup, the whole thing, all eight pieces. Each with a sizable amount of wasabi then dipped in my own Lite soy-sauce and wasabi creation.

And remember, all this for what it would have cost for a large pizza from Bianchi's on Revere Beach.

Keep It Simple

Missing Something
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

A few weeks ago my roommate and I decided we REALLY needed to start using her very spacious home to entertain a little bit more. After all, whats the point of having a nice house if you don't use it. Plus, neither of us really socialize all that much, she works a lot and I travel a bunch and have not really had time to meet a ton of people.

I have this firm belief that you really DO NOT need to go over board when having a few people over. I mean really, if it's a lot of work and costly, what's the point? Besides, I learned a long time ago, people REALLY don't care, they just want a place to hang-out with fun people.

So this is what we did.

We sent out E-vites and said we were having people over for three things; nachos, wine and good company. Since I have been here, I have met a few folks. Where? The gym, a local sports bar that I was going to for the World Series, a local fair in Cary, heck even Target. Surprising? Not really, I talk to everyone.

Ok, , I know what your thinking, wine & nachos? ya, it is a somewhat unusual combination, BUT, it was a hit.

In total we had about 10 guests. We talked for hours, mostly geek talk. I mean REAL geek talk. Heck, you know you are with a bunch of techies when you get to the point of discussing 'B',G and 'N' WIFI standards. :)

I so felt bad for Andrew and his girlfriend, neither of which were as "into" the conversation as everyone else was. It got to the point everyone starting feeling bad that they had kinda been left. We targeted them with questions to figure out what subjects might interest them.

Well Andrew's girlfriend said she was going to NC State for Graphic Design and that she was enjoying it. Then she said she had just purchased a MAC.......... BIG MISTAKE!! Guess where the conversation went from there?

Yup, you guessed it!

Road Trip

Yes!!! It was Open!
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

This week is by far the heaviest travel week of the year. Many hit roads or grab a flight to head "home" or the place that once was. This week I ended up staying put in NC and hung around with my roommate Lauren and boyfriend Carlos. We had a great time, did a little shopping and had a great dinner. Actually, if it was not for them, I would of ended up hanging out by myself. Not that I mind doing that once in a while, but it is so much nicer doing things with other people.

Well that gets me to the fact that in just over two weeks I will do my first Road Trip to Boston. Each trip I have taken to date back "home", I have flown, but since I will be there for the remainder of the year, it makes sense to bring the car.

Now for a trip that long, I best be prepared; and I will be. My iPod is rearing to go as I have been filling it up with some great music. Lets see, 16.5 hrs of driving with a average song of 4 minutes., hmmm... ok that means I will be able to listen to 247.5 songs.. Each way..

Actually, I like road trips and this one will be well planned with at least one stop on the way, likely to DC or New York. Both are favorites of mine.

That gets me to my final thought; since I will do this trip alone probably 2 times in the coming months, you can be sure a coffee will be in hand as I pass many of the 566 mile markers along the way.. Each way..

"there is more happiness in giving..."

Profile
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

You know the old proverb; "there is more happiness in giving than in receiving", and it certainly is true with the gift of photography.

Go ahead, give it a try! Take a picture of someone or something that has significance and give it as a gift and just watch the smile. In this case, the smile on the face of Laurens boyfriend, Carlos, Not that the picture is perfect, but it is means something to them.

Self Portraits

A Haircut, all of them even..
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Over the past year, every once in a while I would take what is known as an 'SP'. 'SP' stands for SELF-PORTRAIT.

Some may think this is an 'odd' thing to do, flipping the camera backwards and taking a picture of yourself. Actually I would have a hard time doing it in public, that's for sure, but I have reasoned that there are several reasons why it is not such a bad idea.

For starters, if you want to get good at taking pictures of people, you need practice. And I don't think you are going to have a subject readily available to sit still long enough and often enough for you to get the type of practice you need to take a good portrait.

Second, who better to take, critique and edit a photo of YOU, than YOU?

Finally, in my family, I am the ONLY one who takes pictures. Who is going to take a picture of me?

So, although I have not really done 'sp's regularly, I am going to attempt to do one a little bit more frequently.

The reason? well it is quite personal, but to be honest, I really could use the extra practice. :)

Jaleiya

Jaleiya
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Three weeks ago I was on a business trip to Boston. This trip I was supposed to fly in and out on the same day, or so I thought. As much as I hate to admit this, I had a major "senior moment" and confused this trip with another that was taking place the same week. Ended up that rather than my flight departing on the same day, I was actually leaving the next day.

Well, I don't know about you, but on a trip that I expect to leave the same day as I arrive, I tend to pack very light. As in no extra clothes light (thank goodness for Marshall's). And I left my camera bag at home because heck, I had no time for that, right?

It just so happened that a few days prior to this trip my niece Jennifer gave birth to Jaleiya, my first Great Niece. I felt really bad I was not going to have time to see her and missed out on taking newborn pictures.

Well, this week I am in Boston for nearly a full week and yes, I brought enough clothes (too much actually) and my camera bag. This picture is proof.

Time in New England

Wishbone
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

This week I am spending the week in Boston for work as well as giving me a chance to see by boys. This is the first time I have had this long of a stretch in my home town and I am looking forward to it.

On a past trip to Boston, while walking from the North End to my car parked in Charlestown, I took this pictures. To be honest, I knew it would come out pretty good. After all, its tough to screw up a pictures of a sunrise or sunset. They are the most beautiful parts of the day.

The Trail Ahead

The Trail Ahead
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

I walked about 5 miles on this trail yesterday and I don't think I once turned and looked behind.

Living in the past is something I don't do, those that do miss out on a lot.

So I will just keep looking forward this fall. After all, look at all the color.

A Golden Morning

A Golden Morning
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

I got up early again this morning, this time I was out the door by 7am. The plan was to go to the gym, grab a coffee and then find out where there might be a local hiking trail that I could walk around and take some fall foliage shots.

As would have it, the gym did not end up opening till 8am, so I had 45minutes to kill.

So I mixed up the order a little bit and hit a local Starbucks for the coffee and then cruised some familiar areas that I always had wanted to get some early morning pictures of.

A very familiar street that I once drove pretty much daily runs from Route 55 all the way up do Davis Drive. Along the way there are several bends in the road each one giving a reason to pull over and grab the camera.

The particular bend happens to have a intersection with several barns that are visible. The thing is, this morning it was not the barns that I noticed first. As I was rounding the bend, the glow of the rising sun literally just lit the tops of this grass/weed/growth up a bright golden orange. The fact that there was a barn there with a red tin roof was just a bonus.

Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Nothing special here. Just a picture taken while I was driving a convertable on a trip to Boston.

Do not attempt this at home... or in your car for that matter.. :)

On a Whim

King of the Hill (Cropped)
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

This shot is probably one of my most favorites. I think it is because I am totally shocked that it actually came out.

As I have written before, this year was the year I really for the first time "toyed" with macro photography. Mostly because I received a macro lens as a gift.

Now let me just say, I had noooo idea just how complicated and precise the technique is in order to get good quality macro shots. From having to get close, to selecting the appropriate aperture, all with in seconds (if you are lucky) of your subject just taking off on ya.

So on this shot, the fact that I was leaning over a fence with both arms extended, squinting my eyes so as to see the viewfinder now 2.5 feet away from my face so as to be able to see if the little red square was lit up indicating I had focus lock.

Yup, just another lucky shot...

Cross Walk

Cross Walk
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Boston is such an awesome city. So much history, including my own. The spot you see here is right in front of Faneuil Hall.

Now that is history!

I have personal pictures that have been taken in front of this building dating back to when Ryan was born, over 16yrs ago. Gosh, some are so dam cute, like the one where he is all dressed up like a little man in a winter dress coat with vest & tie. He was all in to Barney at that point and there were Barney balloons on display at the florist that is located to the left of the above building.. Once he saw those all we heard from him the rest of the night was "I love you, you love me, were a happy...."..

This shot was taken a couple of months ago while on a business trip back. I had rented a car and was pleasantly surprised to be "upgraded" to a convertable, thus making taking shots like this oh so much easier.

I have several other shots taken over the winter this past year...Those too will be some of my most favorites.

Alright, back to work!!

O great!!!

I am not going to be able to get that dam Barney song out of my head! :)

Good Morning

Good Morning
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Sunday morning I awoke feeling better than I had the previous several days. No, I have not been sick, just not my usual self.

A habit of mine of late is that I will get up on the weekend and venture down to the local Panera to grab a cup of coffee and do a little surfing and LOTS of people watching. Little known fact, some of the best people watching can be done at Panera on the weekend... (More on that another time)

Well as I headed out to the main road, Olive Chapel Road, I normally would turn right, but this particuliar morning the road was closed due to a Wide Load that was coming down.

Well I figured if normally I would take take a right and then a left to hit Route 64, then I should be able to take a left and a right and hit it as well.

And guess what?, I was right!!

But, there was a little surprise. You see, I never went left before and I had been missing out.

Along Olive Chapel there are a number of ponds just off the road, each seems to have a different personality. Some look "fresh" and new, other look old and mysterious. This particular one that I stopped at was more of the latter.

I only took a few shots and of them this is really the only one I liked. Picture taking was not really on the agenda that morning, but looking out over this pond made me think of a few things... Things I will think about every time I look at this shot.

I guess that is the reason for photography itself, now isn't it?

Real Life

In the last year or so I have had the chance to take in more of the great outdoors than I had probably done in the previous 5 years, combined. This included not only the surroundings of my own backyard, but also of areas of the country that I had never been to before.

On nearly each and every trip I had either my 10D, 20D, or Panasonic Lumix with me. Hmm, speaking of the Lumix, I will have to write about that little thing sometime.... but anyways, where was I?.... o, ya, my trips...

The last week or so I have been fussing through a lot of pictures over the year and gosh, there are so many good ones mixed in with so much junk. Many of these shots have never made it to flickr or to print, so I think I will just post a few here with a little story behind each one.

This picture was actually a little more recent, taken just about a month or so ago at a local botanical garden here in Raleigh.

Using my most favorite lens, the Canon 60mm Macro, I snuck up about as close as I could get before he seemed to just vanish. :)

America's Hometown

Yesterday I finally got a opportunity to take a walk around Historic Downtown Apex, NC.
Finally!!After all I have been living here for 4 months.

Driving down South Street through the downtown area literally would take no longer than the time it would take to let out 2 sneezes, but until you actually get out of the car and and walk through it, you can't possibly realize just how well Apex has been able to retain the America's Hometown look and feel.

Although there is a relatively new firehouse, volunteer even, that is about as modern as it gets as every building around it has established dates in the late 1800's.

After getting out of the car, it seemed there wereno people around and to be honest, I was not really surprised. I think that is the big city mentality, you know, why would anyone go to any other place than the mall to shop. And god knows, there are some really bustling malls in the area. Streets of Southpoint come to mind.

But after walking past a few storefronts I quickly realized where the people where. They were in places like the South Street Soda Shop, a very neat looking establishment. And the locals must agree as nearly every table was FULL.

I will write more about this place once I take a few pictures of the inside on my next trip, which will be really soon because a certain someone tells me that they serve a killer breakfast for $3.75.

Count me in!

All in Color

Although the gown was traditional white, the tux in basic black, both contributed to a very colorful day.

From the radiant smiles of family and friends, the most amazing sunset, to the flowers in this hanging pot, this wedding day was a most colorful event.

This shot was taken as the groom, Chad, was about to perform his vows.

Chad & Holly, I would just like to thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.

Holly & Chad

Today, we shot a wedding at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful places I have visited and certainly one of the more popular venues for a wedding.

Holly & Chad could not have asked for better weather. It was in the mid 60's and although it seemed to have rained in the morning, it was not on the agenda for the wedding.

This shot was taken soon after the ceremony. One challenge with this was that we were losing light, fast.

Funny is, everyone knew it and it was great hearing everyone start yelling ,"come one people, we are losing light here" , every time we were loosing precious seconds trying to round certain people up for the shot.

Nonetheless, everyone had a great time. I sure know I did.

Picture-a-Day 10/26/2007

I have spent the last 3 days in Boston. As I usually do, I packed my camera along with 3 days of business attire, casual wear to change into as I spent 2 night hanging in a sports bar to watch the ever so amazing Red Sox. All this, and of course my laptop bag, made for a lot of gear.

One would think that since I am so religious about taking my camera on my trip, I would actually make sure I used it.

So why is it, no matter how strong my intentions are to take lots and lots of pictures, I end up with taking like, 6 in total?

This trip was even worse, I took 3, all of which were taken while driving my rental at 45mph and my arm extended attempting to catch a sunrise over a local lake.

So here it is, the single shot that was not totally lame. Thankfully, when ever the subject is this good, it really does not matter who the photographer is. :)

Picture of the Day - 10/23/2007

OK, I will admit it, the original idea of posting a Picture-a-Day was two fold:

• First, keep the site fresh
• Second, to post a shot taken on the same date the in which it is designated "Picture Of the Day"
  
  Well as things go, I don't actually use my camera every day. I could only wish.
  
  So, here is another shot from my weekend on the coast. Funny thing is, had I gotten to there even 30 minutes later, I would have completely missed this sunset and thus had nothing at all to upload.

Now that would have been a darn shame. :)

By the way, I have noticed that I get a fair amount of visitors to this site (got to love stat counters), which quite frankly surprises me.

You certainly do not have to, but feel free to leave a comment or three if you would like. :)

Picture of the Day- 10/22/2007

This past weekend I decided to take a roadtrip to make a long overdue visit on my cousins Juli & Joe who live along the cost of North Carolina.

Within minutes of getting to Juli's house, we drove to Joe's. He had been looking forward to taking us out on the beach in his Jeep so we could see the sunset, something is says is very special on Atlantic Beach.

Well you know, he was right. Every minute or two while he was swirving left and right, I was sticking my head out the window to grab shots like this. Now this is NOT a perfect shot, in fact, there is a lot wrong with it. But the fact that I could grab it while moving in sand surprised me, so I just had to make this my Picture of the Day.

Camera Equipment

It is no big secret that Digital Photography is an expensive "hobby". When I purchased my first SLR camera in 1991 it cost me $249.00 and it was a mid range Canon 630 EOS, a very nice camera.

Now, compare that with the fact that my first digital Canon 10D DSLR, purchased in August of 2003 cost 1499.00 That is HUGE gap.

The thing is, the cost difference does not end there! Remember, digital is new. That means that those first buying in are funding the research to improve the technology. So, the Canon 10D, which was 6megapixels and not the fastest camera in the world, especially at start up, was soon after replaced by the Canon 20d. Guess what?, I own one of those too. That was a purchase I made in February 2005.

You may have figured out that it was just about 18 months from my first digital DLSR to my second. Compare that to the fact that very trusty Canon EOS 630 was in solid use from 1991 up till I purchased my Canon 10D. That is 12 years of use.

My point?

Digital is expensive. And that is just the beginning.

The days of just dropping the film in a mailer and sending off to the lab and waiting a week for the prints is over. Now, those that really take it serious, hand process each picture and do some retouching to get a near perfect result image by image.

What does it take to do that?

Well to start, oodles of software. Photoshop, Lightroom, specialty plug-ins for Photoshop, printing software and finally, lots and lots of time.

All this adds to the cost of digital.

So, am I complaining. Absolutely not. The control over things has opened a door to creativity that even not very creative people can now explore.

Now if you made it this far, you may be wondering whats up with this entry? Basically it is to congratulate myself on the fact that I was able to wait 2 1/2 years before adding my newest camera to the mix, the Canon 5D.

I have yet to completely dive in the using this camera as I am VERY conservative with changing over as I really want to have a good feel for it before I use it for shots that I may not be able to take again, but all indications are that this will vastly improve the results of my photography.

It should, it is nearly 13 megapixels and is claimed to have the some of the best quality results of any camera in its class.

So why 3 cameras? It is simple. If you are going to shot an event, of any type, you can not just rely on one camera. That, coupled with the fact that having a wide angle lens on one and a telephoto on the other, is very very useful. No lost opportunities while switching lens.

Rest of the Gear
In addition to the cameras, here is some of the other gear I use and why.

• Canon 70-200mm L lens - used for most of my portraits.
• Canon 17-40mm L lens- A wide angle that I love to use for group shots as well as interior
• Canon 60mm Macro- no where near as expensive as the above lens, but it is my most "fun" lens. I have gotten some great insect, butterfly and flower shots. Highly recommended for anyone with a DSLR
  
• (4) Canon 550 flashes (with wireless)- This is used to set up remote flash firing so as to illuminate the entire venue.
• 13 Gigs of Compact Flash Cards-To store to shots
  
• A complete portable studio lighting set up with umbrellas and softbox. - I have not really used this with the exception of a couple of portrait shots. I prefer the use of natural light when possible with the aid of a reflector

Picture of the day 10/13/2007

This weekend was just perfect, at least as far as the weather. One thing about North Carolina, is in the fall, there is so much to see related to blooming flowers, even this late into the year.

Both on Saturday & Sunday I spent time at a couple of different local botanical gardens. On Saturday it was the North Carolina Botanical Gardens located just down the street from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

On this particular day there was a big football game going on, so the area was just filled with people. But as they are such big college sports fans in this area, that just meant the gardens were empty.

This shot I took was one of a few of my favorites. Being that I never really spent much time photographing nature as my focus has always been people, I still have a lot to learn. So taking a picture of this most beautiful sculpture seemed appropriate. The detail in her face was just amazing.

She is placed in the area overlooking the herbs section of garden and just seem so life-like in the gaze of her eyes.

A wonderful place for lunch after touring these gardens is almost any place on Franklin St in Chapel Hill.

Picture of the Day- 10/8/2007

Meet my new "friend", we'll just call him Spike. How did we meet? I noticed Spike sitting on the car the other night while I chatted with my mom on the phone.

What was interesting was that while chatting with Mom, Spike was pacing back and forth on the hood of the car, almost like he was looking for something.

Now picture this; it just so happens I had the phone in one hand but in the other, my Canon 20D with 60mm macro attached.

Since you know how those calls with your mom can go, where she is doing all the talking and you are looking for something to do, but not seem disinterested, i figured i would try to take a shot of Spike; as soon as he stops pacing and stands still for a second.

As I hunched down and put the camera to my face, amazingly, Spike stopped in his tracks. And as I am looking in the viewfinder I begin to notice that Spike is looking at me just about as curiously as I am was looking at him. For a second, he even seemed to cock his head to the side, like he was trying to figure out what the hell I was doing.

Well all of a sudden, Spike must have decided to get a closer look. Using those little legs of his, he LUNGED forward and hit me in the forehead; this while the phone was to my ear and the camera was against my face. In a split second, my shutter fired, the phone drops to the ground and my 20D nearly followed it.

After recovering my composure I look down at the car and am in shock, Spike is in the same spot he LUNGED from giving me that stupid look with all his eyes..

For the first time I thought I was the exhibit.....

This shot was taken AFTER he hit me in the head, just to prove that "I am the man" and he is the beast.. :)

Picture of the Day- 10/6/2007

Like most photographers, taking pictures is more than just photo session or event. We actually LIKE, no LOVE, using our camera's and have something new to share.

Sometimes it is hard to set time aside for doing what we enjoy and shooting the things around us, at least that is the case for me.

So I am going to try and keep the blog fresh by adding a picture a day (PAD). Of course I may not be able to do it every day, but I will try my hardest.

This was Saturdays..

To see more of my photos that are not on Candid Captures, head on over to my flickr account.

After Here, you must go Here

We had so much fun putting up Candid Captures, Maribel just had to have one of her own. So head on over to Bel Studios and check out her awesome website!

Congrats Bel!!

All Systems are a Go--LAUNCH

Well yesterday was the day, the day of Go-Live of the all new website. Yes, there were a few little things to iron out, but all in all, the process was seamless.

So, here is a plug; if you or someone you know needs a web presences you have to check out Bludomain . They have awesome templates that very well could be just the right fit for you. Bludomain targets photographers and other graphic pros, but I feel that their templates just might be useful for a lot more folks.

Hello

From your partner in crime. Good morning.

2007-Quarter Century Club Luncheon

This was yet another event that was held out of town, in fact, it was held in Boston, specifically Danvers, at the Danversport Yacht Club.

Since the event did not start till 10am, we took the 6:10am flight out of RDU and got up to the location just before 9am, which left plenty of time to set up.

The first bus load of guests pulled in at 10:15am.

As the bus load of guest streamed in through the front hall to sign in, we were able to greet people at the door and let them know who we were and where the display of photo's from the previous years would be set up. You see, one of the highlights of the day, besides the bar, is the table with all the shots from the previous year laid out for viewing. That, coupled with a monitor hooked up to my laptop that cycles a slide show that we created that contains all the pictures from the last 5 yrs.

If you want to see the pictures take from this years event, head on over to Candid Captures.

The Web Presence

We are currently working on some marketing material so we can get this show on the road. There have been some really impressive web sites out there. It's just a matter of figuring out what we want.

Something simple, yet inviting. Nothing frilly or flowery. But definitely not boring. But most of all: something that will really make our photos POP. I am hoping that we rake enough so much work that I'm up to my ears with photos to process. It's exciting stuff, being able to capture someone's special day.

I have been diligently working on the photos from Adam and Nicole's wedding, with the remaining photos from the reception left to finish up before we give them a sneak peak. I know they will love what they see!

I have also been experimenting with various textures and other post processing techniques, just for the sake of adding some variety to what we have to offer.

We're here!

We love taking photos. It's our life's passion. We are based in the Raleigh-Durham area but can travel anywhere for any event.

Nicole & Adam

I have been doing weddings for a while now and although I started out doing them with my good friend Rod, many have been solo. The most recent, Maribel and I shot together.

Nicole & Adam's wedding was held in central New Hampshire. So, this was another event we had to travel out of state for, the second in less than a week. If this trend continues, it will be OK with me. Personally, I love to travel!!

The wedding?, all I can say is it was awesome! Nicole had each and every detail covered. Onee thing for sure, it was HOT!!... no, it was VERY HOT!! What made it even more obvious was that the wedding had a fall theme. That meant carved out pumpkins and marigolds. A fall theme is perfect for this time of year in NH, but this year, Global warming was the theme...

No matter the weather, it was great to have been part of this wedding. In fact there was a personal connection in the Nicoles sister is my brothers girlfriend.

I can only hope they will enjoy the pictures as much as we did.

To see more of them, head on over to the Featured Section of Candid Captures and check them out under Nicole & Adam.