Lightsmith Photography Photo of the Day

Day 363: Hefner glow

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

Another sunset looking across Lake Hefner. I've so enjoyed this last year getting to experience more sunsets. It's truly one of the great gifts of creation that we not often enough appreciate.

Day 362: Democracy

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

Today was election day here in Oklahoma. I think having just gotten back from DC this summer and being exposed to so many stories about the birth of our nation, I feel just a little more in awe of the way our system works. There's an optimism that envelops us as we consider the possiblities this exercise may bring about.

Today's photo, however, is evidence of what contributes to much of my cynicism. It seems like the idea of an educated electorate, who weigh issues and diligently investigate each candidate, gives way to strategies that are equally successful influencing our choice of soap and soft drink. As I passed each polling place between home and work (6 of them) I noticed a concentration of these signs right at the entrance to those parking lots. I guess it's that last chance to influence the voters before they step up to the ballot box. Does it really work? Are there people who see those signs and take with them a name that then leaps off the ballot for selection? Surely not...but probably so.

Day 361: Hibiscus

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

The hibiscus is my favorite flower. Big, bright blooms that continue all summer. They love the sun and they love the heat...perfect for Oklahoma.

Day 360: and a smile

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

"At the end of the day, the photographer must also be a thief, inevitably." - Mario Mazziol

Day 359: What's behind door number 2?

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

"Any photographer who says he’s not a voyeur is either stupid or a liar." - Helmut Newton

Day 358: Knowing exactly what to do

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

When I started this blog, my chief aim was to force myself to become a better photographer. It's always been the case with me that I pick up the basics of almost any skill with relative ease. But I also bore easily and have never mastered anything. I had hoped that maybe photography would be the thing that I would master and I can say that this year has brought me closer to that wish. Still I feel about as far away from that goal as the subject of today's photo. But having said that, today's photo represents just how far I've come this year.

Have you ever tried to photograph the moon? If you have, I suspect you've ended up with a bright white shape of some sort without detail of any kind. That's the way most of the hundreds of moon shots I have taken have looked. Even with good equipment, this seemingly simple shot evaded me. Well tonight I was coming home from a movie and I had the top down on my car. All the way home I saw this beautiful moon and about halfway home decided to try once again to get a decent moon photo. But in those 10 minutes of drive-time, I knew exactly what I needed to do to accomplish the shot. And so I got home, grabbed my longest lens, my tripod and camera and drove a block away to get an unobstructed view. And then I setup the camera and shot this photo. I didn't experiment. I didn't hunt around for settings. I knew exactly what to do. And that felt great.

For those who might be interested in the setup here goes: First of all, I selected my crop camera. The crop camera multiplies the zoom ratio to get in closer. I then used my longest lens which was a 300mm. To get a better shot I really needed about a 500mm lens. I mounted the lens to the tripod and the camera to the lens and set focus to manual. I also set the camera itself to manual exposure. I used a small aperture to increase the chance of getting an in focus shot and I used a fairly fast shutter speed of 1/250. I then used the live view feature of the camera and zoomed into the subject with the live view to adjust my focus. It was still quite difficult to focus because the details of the moon still look very tiny. I used a remote shutter release and snapped away.

Day 357: Pigeon head

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

This is another one of those scenes where I kinda scratch my head and ask, "what were they thinking?" I mean obviously, this huge sign took both a lot of work and a good sum of cash to create. I suspect it has been there for several decades now. I wonder if they were as proud when it went up as they were of what they had in their heads when they thought of it? Or did they look at it and think, "man that's a bunch of pigeon poo"?

Day 356: New York State of Mind

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

I've been loving lately the Alicia Keys song Empire State of Mind. Today I happened upon this scene while listening to it.

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
lets here it for New York, New York, New York.

Day 355: European afternoon

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

I ran across this scene today in downtown Bethany and felt for a moment like I was on a European excursion. Oh how quickly that feeling waned. Still I love these little Bethany businesses that give our community a bit of character. Here's hoping they can hang on.

Day 354: Racing to the finish

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:05 -0600

10 more days to go. Today's photo reflects the child in me that refuses to go away. I love toys...all kinds of toys. Perhaps photo gear represents my favorite kind of toy. Anyway, I don't think I'll every grow up. Sometimes I want to but then I find a new toy.