Todays #Macro Monday Sub Theme is Dreamy, like the usual, I dug through my archives and I found the photo. It was ok and perfect for today's theme, but I wanted to add a little more lens effect. Topaz Labs has the right tool for [...]
Todays #Macro Monday Sub Theme is Dreamy, like the usual, I dug through my archives and I found the photo. It was ok and perfect for today's theme, but I wanted to add a little more lens effect. Topaz Labs has the right tool for the job, the Topaz Lens Effects. Lens Effects is one the many easy to use photoshop plugins that Topaz Labs offers.
Another one from my archives. Taken back in 2009, this HDR photo is composed three exposure shots that I re-processed using Photomatix Pro 4 and tweak using Topaz Adjust.
I use my old 10.1mp Canon EOS Rebel XS and the Canon EF 28-90mm F/4-5.6 III Lens, [...]
Another one from my archives. Taken back in 2009, this HDR photo is composed three exposure shots that I re-processed using Photomatix Pro 4 and tweak using Topaz Adjust.
I use my old 10.1mp Canon EOS Rebel XS and the Canon EF 28-90mm F/4-5.6 III Lens
, one of Canon’s economy zoom lenses.
HDR Photo of the Statue of Benjamin Franklin in front of the Old Post Office Pavilion, Washington DC
This statue of Benjamin Franklin stands on a pedestal in front of the Old Post Office Pavilion on the corner of 12th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. It was sculpted in 1889 by Jacques Jouvenal. Franklin's statue was placed in front of the Old Post Office building because he was also a postmaster, appointed by King George III before the Revolutionary War.[via Waymarking]
The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is located southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It commemorates those who served in the Korean War.
The memorial has 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord. Each figures represent a squad on patrol, [...]
The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is located southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It commemorates those who served in the Korean War.
The memorial has 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord. Each figures represent a squad on patrol, drawn from each branch of the armed forces; fourteen of the figures are from the U.S. Army, three are from the Marine Corps, one is a Navy Corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear, dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes which represent the rugged terrain of Korea.[via WikiPedia]
These are my camera and lenses after selling some that I don’t use.
From left to right, first row:
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras with Third Party Compatible Lens Hood ET-65III from Amazon. – This lens is my go to lens for portraits, it’s [...]

These are my camera and lenses after selling some that I don’t use.
From left to right, first row:
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras with Third Party Compatible Lens Hood ET-65III from Amazon.
– This lens is my go to lens for portraits, it’s small, lightweight, sharp. Also a great macro lens when paired with the Pro Optic Budget Auto Extention Tube . You can buy this lens from Amazon
and Adorama
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens with Third Party Compatible ES-62 Lens Hood from Amazon. This is a great all around lens, great for indoors, low light, portraits, you name it. Perfect lens if I want to travel light. This lens is available from Amazon
and Adorama
- Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 SP XR Di II VC . This is the lens I use the most. It’s the one attached to my camera 90% of the time. Available from Amazon and Adorama
Upper Row Attached to Camera bodies
- Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Ultra-Wide Lens
. This the latest addition to my canon gear. This has change the way I see things. This lens is sharp, light, and has great focal range.
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. This is the longest lens I have at the moment, this lens goes out with me on every outdoor event, and it’s the one I use to take photographs of wildlife.
Camera Bodies:
Other Accessories
So far I’m still able to keep up with my daily photo project for 2011. Two of my photo resolution or my goals for 2011 are to make a new picture everyday and try a new style of photography. So here it is and I hope you like it.
Titled Dry Forest. This morning I decided to venture out into the woods to see what I can come up with. Taken with my Canon Rebel XS with Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 VC, on Aperture Priority, Aperture F/11, Shutter Speed 1/25 and ISO 100. I added a little motion blur in Photoshop CS5 to give it an artsy fatsy look. Here’s the original black and white version below, before I added the motion blur.
First Photo Upload for My 2011 Photo of The Day. I made this photo between 12:30AM and 1AM on New Years Day, I was thinking of making it in the morning, but why wait, there are a lot to photograph at this very moment, it’s right in front of me. All I needed to do was to be a little creative.
So I grab my little mag lite, a wine glass, and a sparkling water. I set the wine glass in front of the Gilbey’s Gin which is already in front of the Christmas Lights and pour a sparkling water on it. I then set the camera on the tripod and set it to Aperture Priority at F/2.8, set the timer to 10 secs to give me time to move back a little and I use my little mag lite with an upgraded blue led torch to light the subject from behind, probably around two to three away from the subject.
Camera gear:
- Canon Rebel XS
- Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 VC II
- Mag Lite
- Tripod
It was an amazing Tuesday morning experience witnessing the total eclipse of the moon- Dec. 21, 2010. Armed with a mug of hot chocolate, and my camera gear, I spent the next two hours in the cold(between 18-20deg) staring and taking photos of the this spectacular event. It is also today, that the winter solstice [...]
It was an amazing Tuesday morning experience witnessing the total eclipse of the moon- Dec. 21, 2010. Armed with a mug of hot chocolate, and my camera gear, I spent the next two hours in the cold(between 18-20deg) staring and taking photos of the this spectacular event. It is also today, that the winter solstice arrives. According to Geoff Chester, public affairs officer at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the last time the two celestial events occurred within the same calendar day , was in 1638. Although the solstice does not always occur on the same date each year, the date in 1638 was the same as Tuesday’s – Dec. 21. The next occurrence of this two will be on Dec. 21, 2094.
Here’s the moon at around 10:41 PM Eastern Dec. 20, 2010
Focal Lenght: 200mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture : F/8.0
ISO : 100
Enhancement : None/As shot
PPI :72
Here it is at 1:51AM Eastern Dec. 21, 2010
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture : F/8.0
ISO : 100
Focal Lenght: 200mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture : F/8.0
ISO : 100
Enhancement : None/As shot
PPI :72
Here it is at 2:38AM Eastern Dec. 21, 2010
Focal Lenght: 200mm
Shutter Speed: 2
Aperture : F/6.3
ISO : 100
Enhancement : None/As shot
PPI :72
Here it is at 3:25AM Eastern Dec. 22, 2010
This is the last frame I shot at 3:25am. The eclipse lasted until around 5:10 AM,
Focal Lenght: 200mm
Shutter Speed: 0.8
Aperture : F/4.0
ISO : 1600
PPI : 72
Here’s a merge photo of the activity that took place between 12:00AM and 3:30AM Dec. 22, 2010
Camera Gear:
- Canon Rebel XS 10.1M
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
- Vanguard SBH-300 Large-Format Magnesium Alloy Ballhead with Two Onboard Bubble Levels
- Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod Legs
For some helpful tips on how to take great photos of the moon, please click here.
Honoring Our Heroes, originally uploaded by sweetspot@f8.
Tomb of the Unkowns also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Located in Arlington National Cemetery, it is a monument dedicated to American servicemen/women who have died without their remains being [...]
Honoring Our Heroes, originally uploaded by sweetspot@f8.Tomb of the Unkowns also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Located in Arlington National Cemetery, it is a monument dedicated to American servicemen/women who have died without their remains being identified.
The “Unknown Soldier” of World War I is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations’ highest service awards. The U.S. Unknown Soldiers who were interred afterwards are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by the U.S. presidents who presided over their funerals.
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Lens Reviews
- Canon EF-S 10-22mm Ultra-Wide USM Lens Mini Review
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Review
- Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II VC Review
- Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC Review Update
- Tamron AF 28-75mm F/2.8 Mini Review
- Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Review
- Canon EF 70-200mm F/4 L IS USM
- Canon EF 70-210mm F4 Macro Review
- Canon EF 70-210mm F4 Macro Review Update
- Canon EF 70-210mm F/4 Low Light
- Canon EF 400mm F/5.6 L USM Lens Review
- Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II Prime Lens Review
- Tamron AF 60mm f/2.0 SP Macro Lens Review
- Canon EF 85mm F/1.8 USM Prime Lens Review
- Tamron AF 180mm f/3.5 Di SP Macro Lens
- Raynox DCR-250 Macro Lens Adapter Review
- Pro Optic Budget Auto Extention Tube Set
Recent Posts
- It Was Better than Last Time – My Favorite shots from my recent baseball game
- Favorite Shots from the March 4, 2013 Varsity Softball Game
- Favorite Shots from the March 4, 2013 Junior’s Softball Game
- First Baseball Match
- First Softball Match I Shot- Feb 27, 2013
- Finalizing My Sites Backend and Optimization With Amazon Web Services (Cloudfront)
- Sigma DN Lens Bundle w/Sigma 19mm EX & 30mm f/2.8 EX DN Lens
- Some Photos from the Wrestling Tounament I Covered last Saturday
Favourite Photography Resources
- Canon Blogger
- David "Strobist" Hobby
- Digital Photo Experience
- Digital Photography School
- HDR Photography By Captain Kimo
- Joe "NumNuts" McNally
- Joe Farace Blogs
- Juan Pons Wildlife Nature Photographer
- Peta Pixel
- Photo Focus
- Photo Gear Store
- Rick Sammon's Main Site
- Stuck In Customs
- The Carey Adeventures
- The Photo Nuts














