Baltimore

Having spent my whole life (so far) in Maryland, one thing I have never done is spend a day in Baltimore.
I have traveled to the state's largest city for assignments like the Orioles, Ravens, ice hockey, etc. I have also attended car and boat shows.
Come to think about it, I took a class trip to Fort McHenry when I was in elementary school.
The trip this week came about because one of my best friends and his girl friend traveled north from North Carolina for a couple days. Paul and Cathy stayed in Westminster, so he could show her his old stomping grounds.
We met them at the Metro station in Owings Mills for the ride in to Baltimore.
We got off at Lexington Market to start a day of walking. First stop was Camden Yards to buy tickets to the Oriole's game Wednesday night.
Then it was off to the Inner Harbor. We took a break at Harbor place for a drink and to view the harbor in AC.
From there it was on to a water taxi. The price seems a little high at $9, but you get to use it all day to get along the harbor.
It takes you around the harbor with stops at the Science Center, Fort McHenry,, Aquarium, Fells Point and Rusty Scupper along with other stops.
We had lunch at the Rusty Scupper with a great view of the harbor. We even had entertainment as we watched a paddle boat on tour and a pirate ship being attacked.
Back to the water taxi and Fells Point. The main attraction for us was the building where "Homicide-Life on the Street" was filmed. I miss that show.
We walked around the area and spent as much time looking at the sky as the scenery. The weather forecast was for rain with storms in the afternoon. There were dark clouds, but they stayed south of the city for now.
Loving history, it would have been great to see the harbor when it was at it's peak with sailing ships up through 1950.
Then we walked back to catch the water taxi. We took a short break again at Harbor place.
Back to our feet for the walk to Camden Yards for the ball game. We had to wait through a couple of hard showers, but the wait was worth it as the O's won.
Paul had told Cathy about the national anthem and the fans adding to the O for the home team.
Sitting through rain and the warm day was nothing compared to the ride back on the Metro. We had two long waits after getting on board. What should have been a short return trip like 20 minutes turned into 45 minutes.
We finally returned home after 1 a.m.
It was a fun day and it was great to visit the Inner harbor as a tourist. Now to find the time to look at all the images I took (around 2,000) and help Shirley with the blister she earned on her foot.

4-H Fair

Saturday we headed to a traditional Carroll County event - the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair.
This is the 112Th year of the fair. I've seen the last 35.
I have judged the photo contest a few times in the past. I would also shoot for two special sections at the newspaper I worked for.
This year I was able to enjoy the fair with the family.
There's a lot to be said for seeing the fair through the eyes of children. We walk by and say yes, that's a goat, but they see more. They show wonder and happiness in their faces.
Don't forget to take a camera to capture their delight and shoot images of the animals.
You get a chance to photograph animals up close. There are interesting images to capture. Like two pigs sleeping together, goats like to look around above their pens also close-up of animals.
You can also use light in some of the exhibits like in poultry and photography.
The fair makes for a nice family outing and there is good food so you could have lunch or supper. With the heat, they have you covered from ice tea to ice cream.

Shooting the Moon

One of the things I like to aim my camera at is the moon. Man has looked at the moon for years. There are songs, books and other works about the moon. This week we celebrated 40 years since man set foot on the moon.
The moon landing is one of those events you remember where you were. That July evening in 1969 I was huddled with the family in the family room in Union Mills to watch the event.
We were afraid we would miss it as a thunderstorm hit. We always turned the television off during storms, something Shirley and I still do today.
Any way the storm passed and we got to see history.
The moon isn't hard to shoot when it is rising. It's just a low-light front lit scene.
Start by metering the sky, adjust your shutter speed, compose the scene and use the camera's self-timer or cable release.
Check the calendar for the next full moon and then shoot the day before. Why, because the eastern sky and the landscape are close to the same exposure.
The exposure will work out close to F/8 for 1/8 second with a long lens.
Take the time to watch where the moon rises. Also scout out the landscape ahead of time.
It's best to shoot the moon rising or setting. It's not as bright and has a nice glow.
The shot with the tree is the moon setting. I had seen that tree before and kept an eye out when ever I passed it on Old Washington Road.
The corn framed by the moon is setting early on a fall morning.
The windmill along with the geese and boats are also a rising moon. The windmill was shot in Eldersburg. The geese and the moon were shot on the Eastern Shore. The boats are in Wachapreague, Va.

Irish Festival

Saturday found us in Gettysburg for the 10Th annual Adams County Irish Festival.
A few days before Saturday, I got an e-mail from Celebrate Gettysburg magazine asking if I could do a last minute assignment.
Let's see, I can take Shirley with me, it's Gettysburg and Irish music. No problem.
A few words about Celebrate Gettysburg. The magazine is a few years old and reflects the community.
This is my third assignment for them. The first one was an artist and the second one was the tech prep program for Adams County, both were fun.
After 34 years in newspapers, magazine work is a different animal. Not as many deadlines and a slower pace. There is no spot news or sports which were my strength, but I always had the most fun showing features.
I like the idea of shooting features. The folks at the magazine have liked my work, which makes the assignments more fun.
This was my first visit to the Adams County Irish Festival. I had thought about it in the past, as I wrote about it in a publication I was responsible for when I was in newspapers.
I like Irish music, so it was easy to get in the swing of shooting. There were times when I started singing or tapping a toe to the tunes.
The food was really good. They served something for everyone from a fruit cup to corned beef on rye to fish and chips.
The event was held at Moose Park, outside of Gettysburg. I figured we would be there for about three hours and we were there just short of five.
The festival is the third Saturday in July, so mark it on the calendar for next year.
www.celebrategettysburg.com
www.adamscountyirishfestival.com

Renewing vows

I had the pleasure of shooting John and Donna Warner renewing their marriage vows this past week.
They were celebrating 35 years of marriage. They have had their shares of ups and downs. Donna is a cancer survivor, as she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006.
She missed the Westminster High School Class of 1971 (we are both members of the class) reunion that year and she had done must of the work. So it was good to share one of the ups.
They held the event at Emory Grove in Glyndon, a Methodist retreat. Some of the building are on the historical register.
It was a great step back in time. The cottages at the site are interesting to look at.
Donna and the wedding party walked between the cottages to get to the tabernacle, where the ceremony took place.
The wedding party was the original party of 13, who returned to take part in the special day for John and Donna.
It's important to note that Donna wore her bridal gown from 35 years ago with very little alteration.
One of the best part of the day from a photography angle is emotion. One of the main jobs of the photographer in capturing the moment.
I was quite happy with the results.
To read a story of the event from the Owings Mills Times click on www.owingsmillstimes.com

Concert in the Park

Friday evening we headed to the first Sykesville Concert in the Park of the summer.
The price was right, it was free.
Front row seats didn't cost a week's pay. You could sit where ever you wanted.
It was family entertainment. Children played on the playground, danced and as it got dark, they caught lighting bugs.
We listened to the music of No Stringz Attached, which made for a good evening with the family.
I took the camera and got nice images of the family enjoying the event. I also shot the band, which was fun.
If you are looking for a good evening to spend with the family head to Millard Cooper Park in Sykesville. They have snacks including Hoffman's Ice Cream.
On July 24, Hightest will be playing. For more on the event visit www.sykesville.net/main

Liberty Lake

One of the places I like to visit in Carroll is Liberty Lake.
I like to fish, but have wet a line maybe five or six times. I would rather take photographs there.
To tell the truth, I like to saltwater fish for rockfish, flounder, croaker, etc., but back to Liberty Lake.
I enjoy visiting there at sunrise and sunset. I love the light at that time of day.
If you have a body of water near you, you can take some beautiful images, it's just you have to get up early sometimes and stay late other times.
The best time of the year is spring and fall. The green in the spring is nice, but the colors come alive in the fall especially with the reflection on the water.
The lake is one of the reservoirs for Baltimore City. It is a hot spot for local fishermen.
When I was growing up, it was known for largemouth bass. Now it is rockfish or stripers. The fish reproduces in the reservoir. It is one of the few freshwater lakes in the United States that they reproduce in.
We attended Easter Sunrise service there a few years ago which was great watching the first light of day as a back drop.
We stopped there last week and I took some images. It's nice and quiet which makes it a great spot for nature and to mediate. If you are quiet, you might see deer swim across the lake, plus there are geese at the boat dock, which you can photograph.
I plan to get a fishing pole out and head to the lake soon, but the Nikon is going along.

Flags

One of the things that always catches my eye are flags.
Being the birthday of our country, it seems like a good time to write about flags.
In an earlier post, I mentioned how the flag is at half staff for the Memorial Day ceremonies at Westminster Cemetery. So you have to be there for the short amount of time the flag is lowered.
There is plenty of flags in Gettysburg and you could spend a lot of time looking at the images I have of flags in the small town in Adams County. There are flags in parades, at statues, displays, they are everywhere.
They are also in Williamsburg, just not as numerous as Gettysburg.
There are a line of flags at Williamsburg Visitor Center that I always shoot. I have yet to get an image I like, but I will keep shooting on every trip.
At one time the flag hung near Gist Road at Carroll Hospital Center that made for a dramatic sunset image. I always look skyward with flags for use of the sun or moon.
That are lots of flags at NASCAR events. At Pocono there is a large flag in the garage area, which is where I captured the King, Richard Petty.
Don't pass on garden flags as they make a good background for flowers and such.
Once you start looking at objects like flags, you will see many picture opportunities.
Besides looking flags this weekend, I hope to see a couple movies this weekend. The musical, ``1776'' and ``Yankee Doodle Dandy.'' That would top off a weekend
of flags, fireworks, racing and family.
Enjoy the weekend and remember to keep the camera handy.

Sykesville Fireworks

The weatherman said there was a thunderstorm warning until 10 p.m, but fortunately we did not have one and the fireworks went on as planned at the Sykesville Fire Department carnival.

I was a little worried when I arrived and saw the fire department had their truck on the scene to where I was planning on taking pictures from. I had shot there last year, and was able to work around the truck and captured some decent images.

The one thing that bugs me when you shoot fireworks at a carnival are the rides. I wish they would would move more often and at the same time.

Good luck when you shoot fireworks on July 4th or the Manchester Firemen's carnival on July 2nd.

Fireworks

We are coming up on an event I always look forward to shooting.

Yes, I love to shoot the Living History walk of Pickett's Charge in Gettysburg on July 3, but it's fireworks that appeal to me.

I shot my first fireworks at Westminster High School athletic field in the 1970s. The county soon moved the celebration to the Carroll County Farm Museum.

So I have been turning the camera toward the sky for about 35 years. Just when I started to feel comfortable shooting fireworks on black & white film, we switched to color at the newspaper.

There is a big difference shooting black & white to color, as it is to digital.

I will share some thoughts to help when shooting fireworks so you can go ohh and ahh all year long.

You can shoot fireworks hand held and get one burst at a time. I like to have multiple bursts in a frame. I also do my work in the camera and not on a computer screen.

With that said, I would suggest having a tripod. Use bulb setting with a cable release to capture multiple bursts. Hold the release to keep the shutter open. Cover the lens with a hat or black cloth between bursts to keep out extra light.

One of the most important aspects of shooting fireworks happens before it gets dark. Scout out the site and ask where the fireworks will be shot from.

Get a location with landmarks, people or reflections on water. Some folks say don't use people, but you can see by some of my images, I like people.

The spot you pick to shoot from should allow you to view the fireworks in front, not over head. Make sure no poles or wires are in the way.

Turn the camera vertically and make sure the horizon is level. Use manual focus for sharpness. Check after the first burst and check occasionally to make sure you are getting the bursts and they are sharp. You can't go back the next day to reshoot.

Try shutter speeds from two to 10 seconds. The longer shutter speeds record trails which can be seen in my images.

Use apertures between F/8 and F/16. Also use a low ISO of around 100.

Play attention during the grand finale as there is a lot light. So you need to use a higher F stop like F/16.

It used to be I got one chance to shoot fireworks a year and would spend a lot of time reading on the subject.

Now a lot of local carnivals feature fireworks. In Carroll County most of the fire departments use carnivals as their major fund raiser. Among the companies with firework are Gamber, Winfield, Manchester and Sykesville.

As weather permits, I will be at Sykesville Friday night capturing fireworks with the rides in motion.

A Step Back in History

You say "Williamsburg" and a lot of people would think Busch Gardens.

To tell the truth, I have never been to the amusement park. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I love history and Williamsburg oozes history.

If you go with me, you have to have a lot of patience. I will stand for a long time waiting to get a clean shot without a tourist in view. I love shooting the 18th century with 21st century photography equipment.

The people in costume are a plus and help set the scene. Using people in photographs helps for two reasons. One is we always look at people in images and two, people helps us see items at scale. We can see how big or small something is by looking at a person in an image.

It's great to walk down Duke of Gloucester Street and not worry about getting run over by a vehicle. Maybe a jogger or horse, but not a car.

It's also great to walk where Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry have walked and what they saw.

One thing I never miss are the gardens. I see ideas to use at home and also see plants I might want to grow, but more importantly is the images of flowers.

It's always hard to tear myself away from the gardens as I could stay there for days. I'm not sure there is enough space on the Internet for the amount of images I have of the gardens.

We were there the beginning of May for only a few hours, but I shot about 700 images. It was a good visit with Shirley and my sister Jane.

I had thought Jane had been to the historic capital before, but alas I was wrong. She like many others had only been to Busch Gardens.

My sister pleasantly surprised me, she liked Williamsburg. Shirley and Jane spent a while in Bruton Parish Church. No eyebrows raised here, as they are both Episcopalians.

I knew Shirley would like the town if I mention "Williamsburg", she says when are we leaving. Jane would like to return when she has more time to look around.

Williamsburg is a definite stop for photographers, no matter if a novice or a professional. There is time for tourist (see the image of Shirley and Jane) pictures and for art.

I have been to the town in Spring, Summer and Fall. On my list is a visit in December for Christmas and to photograph Williamsburg with a coat of snow.