Nikon D200 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. 1/320sec @ f/2, ISO 400.

Photo taken with natural morning light during devotions. Text says: “This is not an end with a journey, but a journey with an end.” See this post for more on what I wrote.

Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. 1/30sec @ f/1.8, ISO3200.

It is so wonderful to be home, to be able to spend time with my mother and my family. I miss them when I’m gone and can’t get enough time with them when I’m home for brief visits.

Taken somewhere over the Midwest, Nikon D200 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. 1/3200 sec at f/8, ISO 500.

Beef served simply for lunch.

Nikon D200 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens; shot at 1/125 sec @ f/1.8, ISO1250.

Earlier today, I took live a new website theme that I’ve been working on for a few weeks now. The process of designing a theme like this is lengthly but very interesting, and this particular version is one I’m pretty excited about.

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I had the exciting opportunity to do a set of photos with the senior leadership for Quest this year. We wanted to go with more of an urban, "grunge" look with a bit of edge. We picked a location on the ALERT campus that looks somewhat rough, set up studio lighting and went at it. Here is a diagram of the lighting setup:

For the group shot, the main light was camera right, about 8 feet, at 1/1 power. I actually pointed the umbrella up so we got light spill on the faces and the lighting rapidly tapered off by the feet. The fill light was camera light, a little behind the subjects, and up really high so I got lighting on everyone.

The individual portraits had the main light at camera right, just above eye level, and the fill light came from behind, almost like a rim light. I should have also added a reflector to pop a little more fill in.

I really like the individual portraits:

I am richly blessed. This is my backyard. Literally! On Saturday, as I was in the final paces of getting my life purpose, this was my view.

I walk out my door, onto the large deck on the back. From there, I walk down a flight of stairs to a red wooden bridge. The pond through a beaver dam next to the bridge then into the stream trickling out the other side of the bridge.

This photo was taken from right on the far side of the bridge. Pretty beautiful, huh?

Excellent article from PhotoInduced on the many benefits of shooting with primes:

This was a good feeling. My mindset was just walk into the shot, frame it, and move on. The split second of extra choice was gone. Oh, yeah it was an odd felling at first. Stopped me cold for a second. But then the feet got moving. And then settled into a zone.

From my own experience, I couldn’t agree with this article more. I got started in photography using a Canon Digital Rebel with the 18-55mm piece of junk kit lens. When I bought my own gear, I picked up a Nikon D200 body and then decided on the 50mm f/1.8 lens as my first and only lens. That was all I had for about three months, and while it was definitely challenging it also significantly improved my photography. It was (and remains) one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used and my pictures were better because I didn’t have to think about zoom. And invariably I framed better as a result.

Read the article here: http://www.photoinduced.com/archives/956