I am Polarized

A lot of people are described as being "polarizing". Those who like them, really like 'em; those who don't, really don't.
But, I'm gonna discuss a different type of "polarizing".
It's a filter.
Goes on the front of your camera lens.
For you non-shutterbugs, it's those sunglasses that take the glare off the water, or off your car's windshield. 
Polarizing filters act the same way. They can subdue glare, and often make for a much "richer" image. Passing by a demolition site earlier today, a lone satellite dish on top of a pole caught my eye. The sky (not skies...there's really only one, in spite of what TV weather guys say almost every night) was a rich, royal blue. Low humidity contributes to this. Too bad there were no white, billowy clouds, to make it even more pronounced.

Picture number one. The scene without a polarizer:

Looks nice, and all that. With a little enhancement, courtesy of PhotoShop, I could spruce it up a touch. But, as a photographer that started with film (and I still love it), you gotta shoot it right, under most conditions, to get the perfect image. Especially when dealing with transparency films. Not a lot of enhancement opportunities, and film is not very forgiving.

Now, picture number 2. With a circular polarizing filter.

Much richer.
On the water, at the beach, or on snow scenes (once the sun comes out), you'll be impressed at what a polarizer can do for you. Don't buy those $4 ones, though. Remember, you're putting something between your subject and an expensive lens. You don't want to degrade your image. Good quality polarizers, depending on their sizes, can cost $40-$100.
Pick up one. And, good shooting.

Guam is going to Tip Over

The U.S. House has a bunch of "representatives".
They help run this great nation of ours.
Some are smart, some are not.
And, some are just downright stupid.
I cannot...I really cannot...believe that real people elected this clown . The video, alone, is probable cause enough to launch an investigation into voter fraud. There's really no other explantion.

If, for some reason, this does not open, and you need some serious comic relief, send me an e-mail, and I will forward it to you.

raefordbrown@gmail.com



"Where's the Line to see Jesus?"

An interesting story goes with this attachment. You may have seen it by now...or, you may not. It's pretty good, and you don't need to know much. The words tell it all.
The song was inspired by a small boy, in the store, who wanted to know where he should wait in line to see Jesus.
There's a lot more, but you will get the drift from the song.
Crank up your speakers and pay attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=pPViKJRHyZo&vq=medium

"I Like Guns"

This is a little "extra" sent to me.
You might like it.
You might not.
It's kinda cute.
And, though I have a bit more hair,
This guy could be me.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=5dc8bc4895&view=att&th=12cb321e575aee3f&attid=0.1&disp=attd&zw

CHRISTmas

Yep. Do not take Christ out of  Christmas. I had an elementary school teacher...can't remember which year...that was totally opposed to abbreviating Christmas as "Xmas". She said it took Christ our of Christmas. With everything going on today around this annual celebration of the birth of Christ, I wonder how she would feel about the "Happy Holidays" crap.
Oh, well...enough of that.
The Jacksonville (NC) Rotary Club-sponsored flotilla was this past Saturday night. Here, in the sunny South (yes, with a capital S), the last thing we expected on 4 December were a few snow flakes/flurries, and either frezing rain or sleet (there is a difference, I know, but when ice falls from the sky as little chunks, I could care less what you call it. Meteorologists can explain it, and get upset if I call it the wrong thing...you know, meteorologists. The guys who daily report clear, overcast, sunny...whatever..."skies". Like there is more than one?). But, ice pellets and a few snow flakes actually appeared for the annual Christmas Flotilla.
Nice.
A mood setter, for sure.

The boats were decorated with loving care.

 Reflections dancing in the water. Crowds lined the bridge along Old Bridge Street (closed to vehicle traffic for the event).

Boats, big and little. Every skipper was proud.

It was fun for all, including yours truly and his crew of a half dozen, or so.



My dad would have been proud. This was his boat. A small one, great for clamming. And, the Tarplees did a bang-up job in making her shine for the evening.



Lotsa boats. Lotsa fun. If you have a boat, you've got a year to make her ready. And, Robie (my wife) and I have plans to make ours sing out Lima Charlie in 2011 (you don't know what that means? Ask any serviceman or former serviceman).

By the way, thanks to the Jacksonville (NC) Daily News for sending a photog out. The pictures in the Sunday paper were nice. I'm sure all appreciated the coverage. The photos here are from me.

Merry CHRISTmas to all.

Lights, Camera, Action

...with an emphasis on ACTION!!!!!
The advanced shutterbugs among you know about this, so you can probably just move on.
With today's cameras that do pretty much everything but cook dinner, there's not a lot of thinking involved in getting a good picture. And, that's not necessarily bad.
But, it's not totally good, either.
By their very description, "still" pictures are just that. They don't move. When you snap the shutter, you've frozen a moment in time.
That moment is when it all happens. And "moments" vary in just how long they are.
You can, with the right shutter speed, stop a hummingbird's wings, and even a bullet moving at 3000 feet per second. That's a real quick moment. And, there are times when photographers want to do just that.
But, there are other times when a photographer may want to show a little action in his pictures. Here are a couple examples I shot yesterday.

You'll note the blades in the top shot of the Osprey are virtually frozen. This was at the "automatic-program" setting on my Nikon D300. The shutter speed was programmed for 1/500th of a second, a part of the camera's automation package. Pretty fast, but not mind boggling. Fast enough to "almost" stop the props dead in their tracks.
The problem with a shot like that is the whole pictrue looks like it's a fake. A model, posed against a gray seamless background. Blah.
Next shot...I set the camera to Shutter priority, and selected a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. The D300 adjusted the aperature for the conditions of the moment. I could have used an even longer exposure, i.e., slower shutter speed, but handholding this shot with a zoom set at about 250 mm was all I could manage, and keep the camera steady. No need to add camera blur to the process.
The blades, you'll note, are blurred. Not from camera motion, but because they're turning. It adds life to the picture.
Action! if you will.
This works well with moving water, too. Set your camera on a tripod, and adjust the shutter speed so you'll be shooting at 1/4 to 1/15th of a second (always fun and educational to experiment), and take some shots of a brook or stream. A waterfall is a great subject for long shutter speeds.
Not a lot of waterfalls in eastern NC, but we do have the ocean. And, that big body of water is always moving.
Set your camera on a sturdy tripod. Best time is after sunset, and with a full moon (keep the moon out of the picture area), and expose the scene for about 30 seconds. If you are near a fishing pier, put that in part of the frame for a reference. If the pier has lights on it, you'll need to set your aperature manually. Otherwise, the pier's lights will confuse your camera.
You will be surprised at just how artistic you can be with your camera.
(Oh, yeah. Make sure your flash is turned off for these exposures)

Fresh Trout

Thanks to a fishing friend, I ended up with another speckled trout last night. I was prepping my boat for the Saturday night flotilla in Jacksonville (NC) when lo and behold, Duane pulled up to the docks at Tideline Marine.

Nice Boat, too

(Notice that Power Pole on the stern? That's the bomb!)

Duane, you must understand, loves fishing. But, he doesn't eat a lot of fish. Almost none. But, he loves catching them. In most cases, he catches, then turns 'em loose. Duane is a true sportsman. He will save one now and then to give to anyone who wants fresh fish. Like yesterday. He had a 20 inch speck in his live bait tank (he would have turned it loose if no takers were on hand).

A heckuva nice fish

Now, I could tell you where Duane was fishing. But, in keeping with the true spirit of fishing, I'll only tell you that he caught this beaute "in the mouth". Yes, he was fishing in New River. Sort of. Not far from Jacksonville. Not too far. Part of the fun of fishing is finding the fish. Go out, take some time, do some exploring. Even if you don't find 'em, you'll have a great day on the water.

I could also tell you the bait Duane used. But that would do no good. What they were biting on yesterday isn't necessarily what they prefer today. Best to take a variety of old reliables...MirrO lures, and various colors and styles of plastics.

I'm getting a lot of reports of lots of trout. Some say they have caught 75 or a hundred in one day. A lot of fun, they said, but almost all were very small, and ended up going back in the drink so they could grow up. But, as I've reported before, there are some nice 'uns out there. Including the one Duane brought back.

My wife, Robie, and I had Duane's trout for dinner last night. I used a variation of a recipe that a couple really good friends shared last month. I didn't have everything on hand, so...in keeping with the way I do things...I improvised.

First, You Take and Onion
1 large yellow onion, sliced and chunked
2 medium size yellow squash, sliced about a quater inch thick
2 carrots, cut into one inch pieces. Slice the "big end" of the carrots. Make it the same size as the small end.

Prep
a tad of olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish (ok, about 12 inches long)
line the squash on the bottom of the pan
salt and pepper the squash...I also added a little "secret" spice; feel free to use Old Bay here
sprinkle part of the onions on top of the squash
add the trout filets (I always skin mine...oh, yeah...gotta give you a lesson on that, as promised)
add salt, pepper and any spice you like to the fish
sprinkle the rest of the diced onion to the top of the fish
add a small amount of lemon juice or lime juice to the fish
cover the dish with foil or a lid
pre-heat oven to 430 degrees...yep, seems a bit hot, but it works
cook, covered, for about 30-40 minutes
remove cover and cook until carrots are done

I went one further step last night. Once everything was ready, I kicked the broiler on "high", and put the uncovered dish under the broiler for about a minute. It added a slight crust to the fish.

Serve immediately. It's really, really very good. And, it's soooo simple.

I can see all sorts of variations...and, I'll be giving them a whirl.
Once Duane shows up at the docks with more fish. He says he has caught and released a number of red fish of late, too. He didn't know anyone who wanted them!!!
Now, he does.

Good cooking and good eating, ya'll.