Hey everyone Happy Halloween!.
Halloween is known and loved today as a time to wear costumes, go door to door asking for candy, and watch monster movies. But the holiday's origins go back centuries to the enactment of All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday. Along the way, it has also picked up traditions from Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the start of winter. Who would have thought it would become the 2nd biggest holiday after Christmas!

I didn't dress up this year, and haven't for a while but I'm planning on dressing up next time in a costume my lovely wife is going to make.

Next years costume

Yep, I'll be decked out in a Star Trek Movie Uniform. And the answer to your next question is, Yes I'm a Star Trek fan, have been since it first aired back in the 60's. I've seen every movie (yes even the dismal Star Trek V and Nemesis) and most of the TV series. And yes, I've been to conventions where I've met and chatted with stars from the various movie and TV shows.

 

So everyone have a safe and fun Halloween.

 

 

One of the other places I wanted to visit was Rachel Nevada. Most people have never heard of this place but for those interested in experimental aircraft and talk of alien spacecraft Rachel is infamous. Beyond the mountains to the west is Groom Lake, Area 51.
I've wanted for years to visit this place. I've seen and read so much about this area that I couldn't resist making the trek to Rachel. It's not an easy one. It's 2 or so hours North of Las Vegas through some pretty lonely and desolate county. There were many miles where I didn't see a car, house, road or animal.
There are several things to see once you get close to Groom Lake. One is this dirt road that leads to the base. I wanted to drive up the road but wasn't brave enough.

Next stop was the famous Medlin mailbox. Not sure why it's become famous but it's a must see on the way to Rachel. As you can see I'm not the first one to stop there.

On to Rachel and my goal, The Little AleInn. They've really cashed in on the whole UFO thing.

 

It a great place to stop and I highly recommend it. I had a great lunch and took a little time to get some photos. Looking at them again I noticed something that I could kick myself for. I got some photos but didn't take the time to really look around and stretch for some better shots.

Take for instance this scene. I look at it now and can kick myself for not going in and getting some better shots of the truck. So that's my thought for today. Don't settle for just a few quick pictures, really look, really see what's there. And yes it was that gloomy there. When I left Las Vegas it was around 80 or so, up here it was windy, rainy and about 50.

 

We were out taking in the fall colors and it noticed a family getting some outdoor portraits done.
It's funny how you can watch someone shooting and tell if they know what they're doing or not. In this case it was not. Poor camera angle, shooting too close, no fill light were dead giveaways.

Outdoor portraits takes planning and skill. Extra equipment, a tripod, diffusers, bounce cards, and a flash or two will go along way to kick your portraits up a notch. I've been using foam boards to bounce the light as well as homemade reflectors made from PVC pipe and ripstop nylon. They're easy to make and cheap, well under $50 to make. I'll post some photos of the finished panels soon.

If you would like info on the panels and how to make them, post a comment. I'll be happy to send you the information.

I had the opportunity to attend Photoshop World in Las Vegas last month. It was a great workshop and I encourage everyone to attend. There are dozens of workshops on shooting, lighting and of course using Photoshop. I've gone to these before and usually I go in the day before and leave the day after. This time I took time to spend an extra day roaming around Southern Nevada. My main objective was to spend some time at Valley of Fire State Park an hour's drive outside Las Vegas and then drive up to Rachel Nevada of Area 51 fame.
I got up at 4:30 am and made the hour long drive to the park and arrived just as the sun was rising. I was overwhelmed at how beautiful it is! Towering colums of stone, unique rock formations, ancient petroglyphs abound in the park. I hiked and photographed for 3 hours and had the time of my life! It's truely a one of a kind park and I hope to get back there soon.

 

 

AIRSHOW ACTION

I love going to airshows! Watching and photographing my favorite machines is one of my passions. I've been fascinated and enthralled by airplane since I was small. My first ride was in a helicopter and I can tell you I didn't want to get out!
Capturing the speed and power of these flying machines isn't easy, but it IS fun.  To capture the feeling of movement you need to slow the shutter speed down and get some clouds in the background. Higher shutter speeds freezes the motion and the airplane looks like it's hanging from a string, also the higher speed freezes the motion of the propeller. Start with 1/60th of a second and adjust as necessary.
Panning is an art and must be practiced to become proficient. Start by shooting cars or other vehicles.  Also don't grab the lens but cup it in your hand. Speaking of lenses, a good choice for aircraft in the air is a long lens in the 300mm range. I've shot airshows with 600mm lenses and not only are they heavy but hard to track the airplanes, but they do get great photos!! For ground or static shots, a wide angle around 28mm is a good starting point.
Something I plan to do at my next airshow is some portraits of the airplanes and their pilots. The machines are no good without their pilots.  So that's all from Airshow central. Once you start photographing these beautiful birds you won't be able to stop. Now get out there and shoot something!

1/80th @ f/22 ISO 200 300mm lens

1/640 @ f/11 ISO 200 200mm lens



1/250 @f/14 ISO 200 200mm lens

1/100 @ f/22 ISO 200 200mm lens

I enjoy flying and sometimes take my camera along. I usually don't shoot and fly but when the air's smooth I'll take out the camera snap a few. I took a ride in the Ercoupe recently and got some photographs of the beautiful Iowa countryside as Fall is upon us. Autumn is a great time to get out and photograph and shooting from the air is even better. I highly recommend getting a flight in a light plane and shoot photos. It's a great way to gain an new perspective. I followed the Iowa River southweast from Iowa City to get these shots.

Shooting photos from a light plane requires some pre-planning. Have an idea of where you want to shoot, talk to your pilot about what and where you want to go, use a UV filter to cut down on atmospheric haze, and use a high shutter speed, at least 1/125 of a second. Make sure your camera strap is wrapped around your wrist not your neck, you don't want to get choked if the camera wants to take flight as well!  Light aircraft cockpits are generally cramped so take only what you need. A wide to short telephoto lens eg. 28-105 range will do nicely. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times to fly, the air is smoother and the low angled sunlight makes great pictures.

Hi and welcome to my blog Lightpainter. Why Lightpainter? I'm a photographer and photography means "Painting with Light".  Makes sense no?
A little about me. I have a BA in Art and diplomas in Corporate Photography and Visual Communications and have 30+ years experience in photography. I shoot medical photography, portraits, etc. In my off hours I take photographs, build scale models, and fly airplanes. I'm a sport pilot with 100 hours in a 1946 Ercoupe.
I'll be here to share some photos, tips and advice. So here we go.

SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT

We went camping a couple of weekends ago. The weather was aweful with brief periods of downright nasty, rain, drizzle and near freezing temps. BUT that didn't stop me from getting some rather nice shots.

Moonlight 15 Sec. F7.1

 

My point is, don't let the weather stop you from getting out and shooting. By the way, the top photo was taken around 10:30 at night with temps near 35 degrees.  15 seconds at f 7.1. So get out there and shoot.