Photo Friday: Lens Lust

 

The sleeping beauty captured with the Nikon 85mm lens.

Last week’s Photo Friday dealt with advice about which kind of cameras to buy. Today the lenses take center stage. The best part of using a digital SLR is the ability to change lenses. There’s a large range of lenses to choose from, both the camera manufacturer’s own and third-party (like Sigma). Conventional photographer wisdom says to put your money into your glass—most manufacturers’ lenses work with their entire camera line (e.g., the fabulous Nikon 70-200mm lens can be used on the Nikon D40 to the D3). So when you upgrade, your lenses can go along for the ride.

Here’s my full disclosure right up front: I’m a total lens snob, thanks to Nikon’s gold lenses (all with a fixed aperture of f/2.8). Once I bought my first gold lens, the 70-200mm, and used it for action photography, I was hooked! The fact that it . . . and each of the other gold lenses I own . . . cost as much or more than the camera bothered me, but I soon realized that the gold lenses are difference-makers: They make people oooh and aaah over your photos. And sometimes buy them!

Canon, of course, has its own set of f/2.8 lenses that are equally spectacular. I’m also a huge fan of using the camera maker’s lenses, but that doesn’t mean that a third-party lens won’t fit the bill, too.

Taken with the Nikon 105mm lens, the f/2.8 helps the bokeh to pop!

Why am I such a fan of the f/2.8 (and the f/1.8s of the 50mm and 85mm) lenses? Because they’re fast, which means they let in a lot of light, making for faster shutter speeds when you don’t want to blur your subject(s). When you’re shooting in low-light conditions where you can’t use a flash, like in a gym or auditorium or early evening on the football field, a fast lens allows you to get shots that are almost impossible with a slower lens. Plus when used wide open (at f/2.8), that creamy bokeh (blurred background) makes your subject pop!

The 18-55mm lens that comes with almost every dSLR is slow. It’s a “variable aperture” lens. Unlike those f/2.8 lenses that allow you to use f/2.8 at 70mm and 200mm, a variable aperture lens typically is f/3.5-5.6. That means that at 18mm, the widest aperture you can use is f/3.5; at 55mm, it’s f/5.6. Little chance of bokeh at f/5.6 and even less chance of having a fast-enough shutter speed to capture action in low light.

But what if you don’t care about action photos? Why worry about having a fast lens if you just want to take pix of kids and flowers? See the photo at the top of the post? That was taken with the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens. Both the 50mm and 85mm lenses are superb in low-light conditions no matter what the subject. I like them for sneaking up on my kids both indoors and outdoors and because I prefer natural light to flash, which looks artificial to me. Just remember to increase your ISO if necessary to avoid blur (you don’t want your shutter speed to be too low).

Sidebar: You know how you can tell the top photo of my sleeping beauty #2 son was taken a couple years ago? No armpit hair!

Poindexter in natural light taken with the Nikon f/1.4 50mm lens

My fave lenses

I have five main lenses that I use with my Nikon D300. Each one has a specific purpose that makes it special to me. All are f/2.8 fixed-aperture except for the 50mm (f/1.4) and 85mm (f/1.4), and all are Nikon.

• The 17-55mm lens is my everyday lens. I love its supersaturated colors.

• The 105mm lens is the one I use for close-ups of flowers as well as for portraits and action shots. It’s surprising how versatile it can be.

• As I wrote above, the 50mm is great for low light indoors and outdoors when you don’t want to use flash.

• Gotta have my 85mm for indoor action as well as low-light, nonflash conditions.

• It may be heavy, and it’s definitely expensive, but I’ve used my 70-200mm all five years that I’ve been shooting with a digital SLR, and I love it! Great for outdoor action shots as well as portraits. Plus it’s an imposing piece of metal that almost screams “she actually knows what she’s doing!” even when I don’t (which is a little too often).

These are the lenses that work for me right now; they meet my photographic needs (although I think I see a wide-angle lens in my future). If you have a dSLR, and the kit lens isn’t getting the shots you want or need, look at upgrading. A great lens can make the difference between capturing a terrific shot and a mediocre one. Try one and see what happens!

“The Incident”: “Lost” in Too Many Commercials

 

Is this evil and good embodied?

Holy mackerel! “Lost” literally went out with a bang and a flash of white last night, leaving us to ponder for months the meaning of the richest episode of the season. I loved “The Incident” but hated all the commercials (well, all except for the clever Mac-PC ones). The constant barrage of ads thrown at us at inopportune moments (especially when Sawyer was sobbing over the apparent loss of Juliet) was almost criminal. ABC, you’ve gone too far; this is not the Super Bowl! We may be a captive audience, but we’re not stupid. For next year’s finale, please get a sponsor for the entire two hours who will only have commercials at the beginning and end of the episode. Or we might have to sic the bogus John Locke on you!

Jacob puts his special touch on Hurley.

My neighbor Sylvia hates when “Lost” adds new characters to a show, but I think Jacob and an unnamed man (perhaps Esau?), who by the end of the episode could be called the bogus Locke, will add to our understanding of what the heck is going on. The mysterious Jacob visited Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Sun, Jin, and Locke before they came to the island, and Sayid and Hurley after they had returned home, literally touching them at critical times in their lives (probably even bringing Locke back to life after he was pushed out the window by his no-good father). It was no coincidence that these people were meant to be on this island.

Meanwhile, the other guy we see in the opening scenes seems bent on killing good, kind Jacob and must look for a loophole to fulfill his desire. That “loophole” turns out to be Locke, as we discover that Locke really is dead by Ben’s hand off-island, with the evil guy taking over his body. As he might have done with Jack’s dad and Claire. Spooky stuff!

Should we pause for a commercial now?

Robinson Crusoe Bernard and Rose

A couple of loose ends that were neatly tied into a bow were the fates of Vincent the dog and Rose and Bernard. Last time we saw them, they were separated from Sawyer’s group as flaming arrows rained down upon them. We find out all three have been living in a modest hut near the beach, happy as clams. That was a moment of levity in what was otherwise a heavy, action-packed show.

What's in the box?

We also finally discovered what was in the crate that Ilana and her gang were so protective of: John Locke’s body straight from the coffin. Glad the embalming fluid was still working! Seeing our familiar Locke dead made us realize that the writers had put one over on us—the new Locke isn’t Locke at all! Instead, this was Loophole Locke, who used Ben to kill Jacob.

Juliet tries to fight the electromagnetic pull.

Meanwhile, the battered and bloodied Juliet, who was dragged into the Swan’s drill hole by the electromagnetic pull on a heavy metal chain that had become wrapped around her, is at the bottom of the hole, face to face with the hydrogen bomb’s plutonium core, which had failed to detonate. Good thing there was a rock right by her! She picks it up and bashes at the core. The scene turns to white, and that’s all she wrote for 2009.

"Lost" ends until next year.

And that fade to white ending? Perfect . . . and chilling! We’ll be counting down the months, and then the weeks, and then the days, and finally the minutes until the final season begins in 2010.

Why I’m a “Lost” fan

“Lost” definitely makes us think—it’s not for the casual viewer. Nothing seems to be just laid out for us in black and white; it’s all the shades of gray that baffle us and have caused better minds than mine to try to decipher every nuance in every episode. We’re confused, but darn it, we’re intrigued! We’ve bought into the time travel, wormholes, back-and-forth timelines (what year is it now?)—we’ve invested in the entire package. Our hope is that at the end of next season, the show’s last, we’ll bask in a satisfying conclusion that ties up all the loose ends and makes sense out of the whole shebang.

Hopefully!

Disc Golf’s Huck Finn

 

Is this Huck Finn putting?

What in the world is Huck Finn doing on a disc golf course?

It's drive time!

This explains it.  That’s Randy, who always wears a handsome straw cowboy hat when he plays. Why the hat? Probably as much to abuse it by throwing it down after a poor shot as for protection from the sun. The #2 son, who is a Randy fan, thought it might be fun to pay homage to him by his choice of chapeau. So he bought his own (not handsome at all!) straw hat at a gas station and was ready for Randy when they were partnered together at last Saturday’s too-hot disc golf tournament.

Sidebar: I walked the afternoon round of 18 holes with #2, and it was brutal with the temperature in the low 90s. If there had been a bucket of ice water anywhere on the course, I would have gladly dunked my head in it. And kept it there. Plus it didn’t help that even though the tournament was in a park, there were hardly any flowers for me to take photos of with my Nikon 105mm macro lens. This was the best I could do:

These little white flowers were all over the park . . . and that was it! Kinda boring. But I digress.

Good use for the hat

I think Randy really likes his hat so he can brood in it after two-putting a hole. Meanwhile, Huck Finn the #2 son looked mighty fine in his floppy fedora.

Putting for par

Those socks, by the way, are a #2 son original. Left over from last fall’s middle school tackle football days, he thought they might help discourage the mosquitos from nibbling at his tender ankles. At least they did help keep his legs clean! As for his fashion statement, well, it’s tough being a trendsetter.

That #2 son: He sure is a cool cat in a hat!

Department of corrections

This is how the photo should have been think bubbled!

Remember my recent post about my sons and their knucks-deknucks shenanigans? The #2 son looked at it and shook his head.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Mom.”

Full disclosure: This was the first mistake I’ve ever made as a mom! Really! Well, only if you don’t count the 41,579 that I made before this one.

Back to the #2 son: “Does Big Brother seem like a knucker?”

Now that you mention it, he is much more pessimistic than the #2 son.

So it’s the #2 son who gives his big brother knucks, which #1 “takes back” by deknucking. Which makes #2 run away to avoid the deknucking, leading him to run into boxes on the floor and hurt his toes.

Are we clear? Crystal? (Name that movie! I watched it a couple days ago on Comcast’s free movie channel.)

Bottom line: They’re both still knuckleheads!

A Devil of a Time Shooting Angels

 

Shadow dancer

The more you think you know, the less you really know. I proved that once again last Friday night.

For the third straight year I took photos of a dance show at the #1 son’s high school. The dancers are called the Angels, and these talented girls can fly through the air with the best of them. Because in the past I had done a decent job under difficult, demanding conditions—different, changing lights that are never strong enough for better-quality lower ISOs—I figured that this year’s show would be a slam dunk to shoot. Of course, I was wrong. Taking quality action photos in a dimly lit auditorium is never easy, no matter how well prepared you are. Especially when you forget one important thing: Last year’s camera settings!

Poor, pitiful, washed-out Nick

See poor Nick above? He was one of the announcers who does skits in between dances, so the girls can change into their costumes. See his handsome face? Right, you can’t! That’s because on stage key lights are used in certain spots. If one of the students happens to be under that key light, their face is horribly overexposed. Parents don’t want to buy photos where only their kids’ knees are properly lit. Key lights are bad for business.

So, naturally, I’m clicking away with my Nikon D300 and Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens, noticing how overexposed my photos look on my LCD review screen. And then it finally dawns on me: In the past I had set the exposure compensation to -.7 to try to balance the key lights; I had forgotten to do that, and it was ruining my pix. Headslap . . . I could’ve had a V8!

Sidebar: Exposure compensation (increasing or decreasing the amount of light allowed in by the camera) comes in very handy with backlit subjects. In this case, you focus on the person’s face, increase the exposure compensation (usually done with a dial on the camera), and shoot. Just be sure to always reset back to zero when you’re done.

High-flying Angels

Once I fixed the setting, my photos looked a lot better. It still was difficult to properly balance the lighting and keep the shutter speed high enough to stop the action (my ISO was set at 1600; I used Noise Ninja in Photoshop to help decrease the graininess). I opted for the 85mm f/1.4, because it gave me the reach (I was sitting pretty far back) and lens speed (it lets in more light at high ISOs) I needed. Anyone using a digital SLR to take indoor dance or sports photos should invest in an 85mm lens (the less-expensive f/1.8 usually does the trick); the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with dSLRs is too slow to stop the action (the aperture is f/3.5-5.6, which won’t allow for a fast-enough shutter speed).

Sophomore dance

Me and my shadow

While I was taking photos of the first solo (the first photo above), I became intrigued by the shadow the dancer was making on the curtain. Sometimes I would focus on the shadow; other times, I would key on the dancer herself. There were only two solos, but I was able to capture a few of these shadowy pix.

Good for a laugh

The Angels’ parents always have their own show-stopping number. My friend Janet did her best to try to hide in the background, but I was glad when she stepped forward, and I was able to snap her photo and embarrass her in front of the entire internet. You can thank me later, Janet!

The moms strut their stuff!

The dads also were good sports and seemed to enjoy hamming it up for the audience and their daughters.

Hard to properly expose for those white shirts!

At the end of the show’s finale, streamers are shot across the stage. Did I remember this was going to happen for the third straight year? Of course not! Fortunately, my camera still was at the ready to document the moment.

If I take photos of the Angels show next year, will I actually remember the proper settings for my camera? Hmmm, let me turn to my handy-dandy Magic 8-Ball for an answer: Outlook not so good!

Mother’s Day at the Movies . . . Chicken!

Hope y’all had a great Mother’s Day! Mine was interesting, as always. First, the boys showed me my Mother’s Day gift, which was a PowerPoint slideshow they had thrown together carefully crafted the night before. It was very cute and much appreciated. I had challenged the boys to try to describe me in three words (as inspired by the In Three Words website). Here’s what they came up with:

#2 son: If I could describe you in three words, it would be . . . sweet, cool, and funny.

M = Marvelous mom!

O = OMG you are awesome!

M = Mother of the year!!!

#1 son: Can three words do justice? If so, perhaps they would be awesome, important, and resourceful.

M = Magnanimous

O = Outstanding

M = Musical

Another cute touch: They signed that it was from my “#1 and #2 sons!”

Ahh, I feel appreciated, short-lived as I’m sure it’ll be. 

Then the family boldly went where no one has gone before . . . well, actually, lots of people had gone there: Our local AMC Theatres to see the new “Star Trek” movie. When I told the boys that’s what I wanted to do for Mother’s Day, all I heard were moans and groans. But when I said it was either “Star Trek” or the “Hannah Montana” movie, they wisely opted for space travel over the teenybop star. We attended the 10:10 a.m. ($5) show, and it was packed! Lots of cheap families taking Mom to the movies, just like mine.

The short Mom review: I really liked it (as did the guys)! Because it’s co-produced by “Lost” co-creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, there were several touches from our favorite TV show involving time travel and altering the timeline. We’re not Trekkies, but I think we’ll definitely want to see the planned sequels.

"Chicken" boys

Those chicken boys

As a preamble to yesterday’s Mother’s Day activities, the boys decided to play chicken off our pool’s spa the day before. I balanced my feeling of foreboding that one or both of them would slip, fall, and crack their heads open with the desire to capture action photos of them with my Nikon D300 and Nikon 17-55mm lens. Surprise, surprise . . . the photo impulse won out! I grabbed my camera and documented the new BWF (Backyard Wrestling Federation).

Shall we chicken dance?

I’d rate the choreography an 8, I think. The intense focus, the dripping clothes, the flashy ribcage . . . it all works well together.

In ya go!

The #1 son gets the upper hand!

It's the #1 son's turn to take a dip.

When the #1 son pushes his younger brother into the pool, he’s cool, calm, and collected. He prefers to turn his back on the big splash, just like the Power Rangers used to do when they vanquished a foe. Not Little Bro, though. He’s all about showing off for the momarazzo.

"Pump me up!"

Shy guy? I don’t think so! In fact, he reminds me a lot of James T. Kirk, another “enterprising” young man!

Is the pool perhaps the final frontier for him, too?!?

Photo Friday: The “Perfect” Camera for Gift-Giving

 

Nikon D40

My friend Kim asked me for advice: What kind of camera should she buy for her teenager’s birthday present? With Mother’s Day Sunday and graduation and Father’s Day around the corner, let’s ponder a key question: Is there a “perfect” camera for moms, dads, grads, and anyone having a birthday?

Of course, the answer is no. There’s no perfect camera for everyone, but there are excellent solutions. First, let’s talk category: Point and shoot, fixed zoom, and digital SLR (interchangeable lenses).

Nikon Coolpix S230 point and shoot

Point and shoots: There are lots of good ones, and they’re very-capable cameras if you’re not shooting action. Definitely the handiest of all the camera categories due to their size but also limited in their capabilities for the same reason. You can’t go wrong with just about any manufacturer’s P&S.

Canon Powershot G10

Nikon Coolpix P90

 

Fixed zoom: These compact digicams, which Digital Photography Review likes to call “enthusiast cameras,” are a big step up from the lower-end point and shoots. This category includes the Canon Powershot G10 and the Nikon Coolpix P90. They’re more expensive than a conventional P&S ($400-$500), and they can do almost as much as a dSLR. Almost. With their multiple settings (auto, manual, etc.), plenty of megapixels (at least 10), and a good zoom, they’re a great choice for an amateur photographer who wants to do more than just point and shoot. Plus they’re a natural progression for anyone who wants to eventually move up to a dSLR and lessen that more-complicated camera’s learning curve.

Canon Rebel XS

Digital SLR: Finally, there are the big kahunas, the top of the digital camera food chain: the digital SLRs. Every dSLR, from the least-expensive consumer model to the too-expensive-for-the-likes-of-us pro version, gives photographers great versality and potentially great results. The ability to change lenses from, say, a 50mm prime to a 70-200mm zoom enables you to get the most out of your photography and capture that terrific photo. And the consumer dSLRs, like the Nikon D40 and the Canon Rebel XS, cost just a little more than the fixed zoom digicams at $500-$600, which includes the low-end 18-55mm lens. They can be used on automatic or program while the confidence is building to get more hands-on.

You’ll notice that I’ve only mentioned Canon and Nikon for two of the three categories. That’s because I think they make the best fixed zoom cameras and dSLRs. Which one is better? That’s like the ubiquitous Mac vs. PC debate! The one that’s better is the one that you’ll use a lot! I started with a Nikon D70, because my buddy Deanna had bought one and let me use it. I fell in love with its ease of use (it helps that I have a film SLR background), bought one immediately, and have followed a Nikon upgrade path ever since (moving on to the Nikon D200 and then to my current D300). I have plenty of friends who have been happy with their Canon dSLRs, too. The best advice is to go to a store where you can hold both cameras; one may feel better in your hands than the other.

I’m told all the time that I’m a good photographer because my camera equipment is so good. Nice of people to discount almost 40 years of SLR experience! It’s almost a conundrum: Yes, the photographer needs to have good skills, but it’s almost impossible to take great photos with substandard or the wrong equipment. Tonight I’m going to be shooting an indoor dance show at the #1 son’s high school; I’d hate to try to tell its story with a point and shoot instead of my D300 and my Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens. Good photography truly takes good skills and the right equipment.

What’s most important in buying a camera is getting one that you’ll use. The more you use it, the more proficient you’ll become. Experience is so important in getting top-notch photos. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel every time you pick up your camera.

My answer to Kim is to have her daughter kick in some birthday money and buy a digital SLR. It will give her maximum flexibility and growth, putting her on the road to a rewarding, lifetime photography experience. As for which dSLR, Canon or Nikon, beginner or mid-range? Go to the store and check ’em out—one might just feel perfect!

Speaking of Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms; hope you have a wonderful Sunday that includes either taking pictures or having your picture taken, no matter what camera is used!

Follow the “Lost” Leader

 

Pity poor Ben Linus!

Ben Linus, the former leader of the Others, isn’t the only one feeling sad these days—last night’s “Lost” episode was the penultimate one of the season! Next week is the two-hour season finale that no doubt will feature a cliffhanger the meaning of which will torment and exasperate us for the next eight months!

Last night’s show entitled “Follow the Leader” did a great job of setting up the finale, in which Dr. Jack Shephard will try to carry out possibly dead physicist Daniel Faraday’s plan to avert the catastrophe that eventually caused Oceanic flight 815 to crash. Meanwhile, other people on the island will try to stop Jack. Totally crazy, riveting, addictive stuff!

The leader dynamics on the show always have been intriguing. Jack reluctantly led the Oceanic crash victims as they tried to survive on a wacky, tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Ben was at the helm of the Others, who didn’t want the Oceanics to share the same turf with them. But then Ben fell out of favor with the ageless, advising Richard Alpert, who thought John Locke needed to lead the Others. While the Oceanic 6 were back home in 2007, Sawyer became head of security for the 1974-77 Dharma Initiative and then provided leadership when Hurley, Jack, and Kate returned to the island in 1977 (the island, which had been skipping through time after Ben moved it to avert detection by Charles Widmore, finally settled on 1974 when Locke unstuck the donkey wheel).

Sidebar: Confused about the timeline? The #2 son has watched the show with us all season, and the constant 30-year jumps back and forth last night drove him crazy! The fact that this was a Richard-centric show (without any true character flashbacks) and that the eyeliner guy looked exactly the same in 1977 as he did in 2007 can make one’s head spin.

Kate Austen: Talk to the hand, Jack.

Back to the recap: When Jack came back to the island, he seemed meek and passive as he waited to discover his purpose for returning. Once he figured it out (to put into motion Faraday’s plan and complete his destiny), he was the old Jack again! Not that Kate enjoyed hearing Jack say that stopping the potential 815 crash would end all the misery they had endured—that “misery” included their relationship! If the plane doesn’t crash, Jack and Kate don’t meet. On the plane, Kate was in the custody of a federal marshal and was headed for jail.

When Kate tried to walk out on Jack, she was shot at by one of the dastardly Others . . . who was promptly killed by none other than Sayid! Sayid was back and almost gloating about killing young Ben Linus, which would have put an end to some of the Oceanic survivors’ island misery. He was mighty perturbed when Kate told him that she and Sawyer took young Ben to Richard to be saved. Awkward!

Meanwhile back at the Dharma Initiative, mad man Radzinsky, who has taken over leadership from the kinder, gentler Horace, is pummeling poor Sawyer, trying to get him to say where Kate and the hostiles are. When the bloody Sawyer won’t talk, Phil, trying to get back at Sawyer for locking him in a cabinet, slugs Juliet. That enraged Sawyer, but he did agree to tell them what he knew in exchange for a ride off the island on the Dharma sub.

A priceless scene: Sawyer and Juliet are on the sub waiting for it to submerge (and did that look fake or what?). Who’s thrown into the mix with them? None other than Kate, Juliet’s worse nightmare! Sawyer and Kate stare at each other followed by Juliet’s if-looks-could-kill glare. Awkward times 50!

In 2007, Locke, Richard, Sun, Ben, and the Others go for a stroll.

Now the 1977 DI are following a new leader, Radzinsky. Locke has returned in 2007 to Richard and the Others as a confident commander. At Locke’s insistence, Richard is taking Locke, Sun, Ben, and the Others to see the mysterious Jacob (cue the marching music). Hopefully, we’ll finally find out who the heck this guy is in the finale.

Tattletale Ben tells leader Locke that Richard is worried about his motives in this pilgrimage to see Jacob. Locke relates to Ben what his true reason is for the visit:

“So I can kill (Jacob).”

And that would serve what purpose, John?

Confusing as ever, we see Kate, Juliet, and Sawyer back on the island in the preview for the finale. How did they get off the sub? Should Kate watch her back in case Juliet wants to stab a knife into it? Will Jack fulfill his destiny?

Will we once again be left with more questions than answers to ponder during the long break until the final season starts next January?

Without a doubt!

Knucks vs. Deknucks

This is “knucks.”

And this is “deknucks.” Got that? Need to see it again? There might be a quiz at the end, so I hope you paid attention.

Why do you need to know about knucks and deknucks? It’s very important in order for you to follow the story that the #2 son told me the other night when he came limping into my office after his and his brother’s bedtime. Why the bold type? Read on!

The #2 son: “Before we went to bed, Big Brother and I exchanged knucks [see example above]. I waited until he seemed to fall asleep with his arm hanging over his bed. [Full disclosure: The boys share the #1 son’s room. #1 sleeps on the bottom bunk bed, while #2 opts for the floor. Why the floor when he has a comfy top bunk bed? The world may never know.]

“When I saw his hand was kind of in a fist, I deknucked him [see example above]! Then I ran away, because I knew he was going to beat me up.”

Deknucking = the justifiable beating. And now back to our story . . . .

“I could see that Big Brother was in the kitchen, so I tried to run into your bedroom. When I did, I bumped my little toe on a box.”

#2 shows me his little toe, which was bleeding a bit. And I say my favorite it’s-after-your-bedtime line that the boys love and cherish and will remember forever:

“Go back to bed!”

This is my time! If you’re going to bleed on the carpet, go tell your dad. Otherwise, get to sleep!

Sidebar: Why am I telling #2 to go back to bed when he sleeps on the floor? The world may never know.

The knucks-deknucks debacle continues daily, by the way. One son will give knucks to the other. Then the recipient will lull the original knuck boy into complacency, quickly deknuck him, and run for the hills while the other boy chases him [Full disclosure: We have no hills, but our backyard is pretty big.]. This is such typical boy stuff! Any excuse to pound each other and run around the house. Drives me crazy at times, especially if I’m stupid enough to get caught in the middle.

You know what my sons are? Total knuckleheads!

Cheap hand puppet time

When I was editing the photo of my sons demonstrating the vaunted knucks-deknucks technique, I started to chuckle, and then I started painting with the brush tool. Anyone remember Señor Wences?

Flag Football Action Photography

 

 

Caleb snags a pass.

You say you don’t have enough money to buy a digital SLR (interchangeable-lens) camera? Or maybe it’s the time investment in learning how to take great photos that’s making you shy away from pulling the trigger on that big dSLR purchase. But your kid plays sports, and you want to document his or her season as best you can. What’s a point-and-shoot parent to do?

There are a couple solutions. First, you can hire someone like me to take action shots of your child. You get to sit back and enjoy the game, while someone else snaps away. Or  you can use your P&S camera to get the best-possible game photos that you can. No, you probably won’t come away with too many “real” action pix due to the shutter lag and lack of a long zoom. But there are some basic P&S photos that are better than those of your kid just standing there smiling holding a football, soccer ball, or baseball.

Coach Mike and his mighty mite players

Take the above photo, for example. Yes, it helps to have a zoom lens like my Nikon 70-200mm, which is what I use on my Nikon D300 for my outdoor action shots. But it’s fairly easy to take an interesting coach and the players huddle shot with a point and shoot. Just be sure to zoom with your feet and move to where you can get as many faces in the photo as possible without going on the field or court.

Jamison waits his turn.

You also can use that P&S camera for good sideline shots of players waiting to get back into the game. Or a coach talking to a player. Just hold the camera steady and try to keep the sun at your back.

Ben wants answers!

That being said, there ain’t nothing like a good dSLR and a fabulous lens for getting the best action photos! These shots all were taken during last Sunday’s flag football games in our community. There usually are five contests going on at once, which makes for lots of messy backgrounds. The best antidote for all that clutter? Bokeh, my friends! That beautiful blurred effect that only fast lenses (usually f/2.8 and faster [smaller number]—think wide-open apertures) can yield. When I’m using my f/2.8 70-200mm lens, as I did for all these photos, I know I’m going to stop the action and blur the background, which makes for the most-appealing photos.

Sidebar: That’s my buddy Ben who looks like he’s asking the question in the above photo. His older twin brothers are the same age as my #2 son. When all three of them played Little League baseball, the Mister and I would see Ben at the games. As regular reader(s) of this blog know from seeing his photo, the Mister is fairly bald, and his remaining hairs are white. This was a conversation I had with Ben several years ago:

Ben: “Where’s your grandpa?”

Me wondering where he’s going with this: “They’re both in heaven, Ben.”

Ben: “No, I’m talking about your grandpa! Where is he today?”

It finally dawned on me that Ben was talking about the Mister! I about busted a gut laughing. It’s true that the Mister is old enough to be #2’s grandfather and certainly looks like it, but it tickled me that Ben thought he was so much older than me. Ben is such a hoot!

The #2 son has the football in his sights.

Speaking of the #2 son, he’s a pretty talented flag football player. He’s a decent receiver and is very fast. I really enjoy taking photos of him, especially when I hit the peak of the action, as I did above.

#2 makes the catch and is ready to run up the field.

I wish my reflexes had been faster on the shutter button to have gotten the next photo where the pass was just going into #2’s hands (as I did with the first photo of Caleb, who plays on the younger-division team that #2 coaches). Can’t win them all, I guess.

I also like when the photos tell a story. In the next set of three pix, the #2 son took the handoff on the first play of the game and ran for a touchdown. 

#2 is on his way.

A little close for comfort for the sideline photographer!

On his way to six points!

Capture all that action with a point and shoot camera? Hardly possible!

Susan, Susan, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

Our garden today

I’m happy to report that our garden is growing—and that includes the vegetables and the weeds! Is the weeding never-ending? Can’t I have a garden that just grows what’s supposed to grow? Could it ever be that easy?

Apparently not for us. But at least we’re finally seeing some of the fruits . . . and veggies . . . of our labours (yes, I’m using the British version, because it makes us sound more serious). Let’s take a walk around the garden to see our bounty so far:

Early Girl tomatoes

It’s no surprise that the most-prolific tomato plant is the Early Girl one—it has seven plump tomatoes, while the rest only have one apiece. 

The lonely Roma tomato

A lonesome Better Boy

As you can see, the garden is a great venue for practicing macro (close-up) photography (as usual, I used the Nikon 105mm macro lens on my Nikon D300). Open up that aperture (put it on the smallest number), focus, and snap away! Lots of great bokeh (blurred background) opportunities!

Tiny green peppers

Banana peppers

What will they finally be?

Hmmm . . . what veggie will these lovely flowers finally yield? Actually, you need to look to the left of the flower. What’s growing here? A hint . . . we grew a bazillion of them last year. Yep, it’s the mighty cucumber! I can’t wait to see how many we harvest this year. I just hope we have just as many tomatoes for a change. We need to keep all those weeds and pesky birds out of our garden! If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments. We can use all the help we can get so we don’t get too contrary!