Parker Field

Friday night I had the honor of shooting the naming of the football field at South Carroll High School. The field is now known as Parker Field. Ken Parker started the football program at the school in the 1960's and coached at the school for over 25 years.

I never played for him, but enjoyed covering him for the local newspaper. He was a straight shooter and his players were loyal to him. This was obovious Friday night by the number who showed up to support their former coach.

His wife has always been his biggest supporter and was a big part of the special night. She was a long time cheerleader coach for the Cavaliers.

It was good to be at the event, but it let's me know my age, as I remembered most of the players from shooting them in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

About 25, maybe 30 years ago I showed up to cover a basketball game at the school and was wearing a blue sweater and she asked how could I wear that to the school. South Carroll's biggest oppoent at that time was Westminster and their colors were blue and white. Friday night I made sure I wore a gold sweater.

Oh did I mention it rained Friday night. I just didn't get wet, I was soaked when I got home. It was hard to shoot pictures half way through the ceremoney because of the rain.

For those that would like to order pictures let me know the letter of the image and e-mail the information to grwelty@gmail.com
The pictures are priced as follows:

3x5 $1

4x6 $1

5x7 $5

8x10 $10

The check can be sent to George Welty, 835 Sarah Drive, Eldersburg, MD 21784.

Fall Rain

I know that a day like today in the Maryland area, the first thoughts are to stay dry and warm.

For me it was to grab an umbrella and the camera. When I took the dog for a walk this morning I could see some possible images. Around noon I put the camera on a tripod and out I went.

The fall colors on a sunny day and always pretty, but I find the colors in the rain interesting. The drops on flowers, drops hanging from leaves, the leaves on the ground and even the neighbor's driveway.

So keep the camera handy, even in bad weather there are images to capture.

Fall Festival

On Saturdays, we like to do family outings and last week was no different as we attended Mount Airy Fall Festival.
I used to have to shoot the event for a newspaper I used to work for. It was great to take in the event and not have a deadline.
You may be wondering, what did he have to shot at a festival?
First and foremost are images of family members. It is a great chance to shoot children enjoying themselves, plus at times a look of surprises.
At the festival I shot images of things I saw, that maybe others didn't see. The street is reflected in Christmas balls on a tree, chrome of a motorcycle and a fish in a bowl. Speaking of reflections, there was a man playing dulcimer and he was reflected in a store window. It was a good exercise in seeing images.

Picking apples

I have never visited Baugher's Orchard as a customer before, but that all changed Monday.
I have taken photographs there for the newspaper I used to work for.
The object of our visit Monday was a family outing to pick apples.
Shirley made an apple pie a week ago from fruit from a tree at home. It was very good, so why not another one or two.
So it was time to get more apples and there's not a better place for apples than Baugher's.
The pick your own is a nice setup. You get a wagon ride to the orchard. They drop you off next to the trees after a short ride which children and adults will enjoy.
The apples rows are identified, so you can pick the variety you like.
After a short shopping trip in the market, where we brought some fresh cider, it was off to a petting zoo.
Shirley and the kids had a great time feeding the animals. The goats were jumping on them and following them around. They enjoyed feeding a calf and horse.
Shirley said it was the best petting zoo she has seen. I agree. It was good and it was free.
As you can see, I had my camera with it. I shot some art shots of apples and the sun, along with apples on the tree and on the ground. Shirley enjoyed feeding the animals including a llama. There were flowers at the orchard store including a great fall flower, mums.

Dover2

I awoke Sunday to the sound of rain. I checked the weather and saw on radar the rain was moving out of the area.
So it was off to Dover and my last NASCAR race of the year. The rain ended and the track was dried to start the race on time.
I like shooting the drivers on their way to the drivers meeting. It is a good chance to get interaction between fans and drivers, if fans recognize the drivers. Sunday, Kurt Busch walked right through the crowd and I didn't see anyone stop him.

One of the things I look forward to at the track is to catch up with Dustin Long. He is the NASCAR writer with Landmark Communications. We used to work in Carroll County at the same newspaper. Being on the NASCAR beat, he knows what is going on behind the scenes.
Another item I like on race day is pre-race activities, including the flyover. Sunday was a C-130 that is being deployed to Afghanistan this week.
I like to shoot in turn two at Dover. I usually shoot about 100 laps there. This time I shot 27 laps so I could get to pit row, so I missed the big wreck down the back stretch.
I went to pit row to shoot a member of Jeff Burton's team. Dan Blizzard is the front tire changer for the #31. He is from Mount Airy, which is a town in Carroll County.
I enjoy shooting the race, but I get a bigger satisfaction shooting people pictures on Friday and before the race.
Now I will follow the chase on TV until next season.

Dover1

Friday saw me back at the track. I was shooting NASCAR at Dover.
It was a good day as I was able to get some good shots of Nationwide and Sprint drivers along with the up and coming drivers in the Camping World East.
Ryan Truex wrapped up the East title. He is the younger brother of Sprint Cup driver, Martin Truex Jr.
A close-up of Nationwide driver Justin Allgaier shows the intensity before practice. Also a nice moment between brothers Kenny and Mike Wallace in the Nationwide garage.
The fall race at Dover shows the shadows getting longer. I always watch the shadows of the photographers during qualifying. Another item I check at Dover is the reflection on the wheels in the Nationwide garage. The spotters on the roof were shot against a dramatic sky during practice.
It's a long and tiring day, but I always feel better when I look at the images at the end of the day.

Sing Along

Friday night friends invited us to a Sound of Music sing along.
First, we would like to thank them for a good time. It was an excellent family event.
The movie was shown as part of the McGinn Group client appreciation party on a large outdoor movie screen.
Second, I was able to get some nice images of the site where the movie was shown.
The site was the Patapsco Female Institute in Howard County. A short drive from our house in Eldersburg.
I have always wanted to check out the ruins. Being there at sunset was perfect for my camera.
We got a chance to explore the ruins before the movie, which children and adults took advantage of. I took the time to snap some images and did again after the movie started.
The ruins sit on a hill overlooking the Patapsco River Valley in Ellicott City. The school was founded in 1837 and was a finishing school for young woman for 50 years.
It is said the Greek Revival ruins are haunted by a ghost, a woman, Annie Van Derlot died while attending the school.
We didn't see a ghost, but maybe she was enjoying the movie like the rest of us.

Fireworks

For those that have been reading my blog know I like to shoot fireworks. I went a distance to shoot fireworks last week.
I thought I was done shooting fireworks until next year. But there was the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center.
It was raining at the Magic Kingdom, but the show must go on. It was an oh and ah show.
I knew the Magic Castle was the focus of the fireworks. As we walked through the park during the day, I kept this image in mind.
I figured folks would turn out early for the show and they did. A lot earlier than I thought.
The spot I scouted was in front of the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. There was a crowd, but I found the spot I was looking for without people in between the statue and me.
I didn't use a tripod for the images. I didn't want to carry it all day and I figured the fireworks would be bright. So my images are hand held.
I was happy with the results, but would like to shoot them a few more times and from different locations.

Epcot

We visited three of the four parks at Walt Disney World while in Florida.
The third park we visited was Epcot Center. It was late in the afternoon which was great for the camera.
The part I liked best were the countries. It made you feel like you were visiting each one.
I like to shoot early morning and late afternoon. I love that magic hour before the sun disappears for the day and I wasn't disappointed this day.
We spent some time in the United Kingdom, as Shirley has some English heritage. I shot a few images there before we moved on.
The sun was dropping as we came to France. I shot a still life that looked straight out of Paris.
I took a few more images as we headed toward Germany and dinner.
I shot a nice image of a clock and a statue at Germany along with a setting sun image that could have been along the Rhine River.
We had a wonderful meal in a beer hall setting for Oktoberfest.
We both have German background. The food reminded me of food my grandmother used to make.
It was almost dark when we left Germany. I snapped a nice image of Mexico before the fireworks and light show started.
We stayed late at Epcot as it was open until midnight. I was able to get another keeper aiming my wide angle upward at the icon of Epcot, Spaceship Earth.
I am hungry for German food again as I write this, but I believe next time I will try the fish and chips in England.