Monday ~ November 11, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 11, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Veteran’s Day!  It  is truly amazing the sacrifice that so many Americans have made so that we can live in the greatest country in the world.  There is a saying at the Veteran’s Memorial, “All gave some and some gave all!”  And yet through it all we as a species have not learned to live in peace.  When I think of all the young men and women who have cut short their lives to serve and protect our country it boggles my mind.  Couple that with the countless wars and battles that have occurred since humans set face on the earth and it becomes overwhelming.  It seems the only thing we’ve learned, is how to kill people more efficiently and in greater numbers.

Anyway just some rambling thoughts going through my mind as I reflect on what this holiday means.  I understand that there are times when really bad people for no rational reason want to kill other people and therefore we need to defend ourselves.  I’m simply talking as a species one would think after all the carnage we would come together and say there has to be a better way.

So yesterday I showed you the best of the worst from my shoot on Saturday.  Today (out of desperation) I show you the “worst of the worst.”

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Some close up photography with a lens that is not designed for close up work.  I shot all these images with the Nikon 80 – 400 mm lens.  It has become one of my favorite lenses to shoot with.  I can get a reasonable landscape shot with it and in the next frame zoom out for a decent close up of a bird in flight.  It is not the sharpest lens I have but I attribute most of that to me and my camera shake.

On my way back to the car I came across this little Woolly Worm diligently making his way along the path on some mission.  I stopped and watched him for a little while and finally decided to capture an image of him.

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This image will give you some idea of how desperate I was to shoot anything.  🙂  I like the green and gold coloration of the image and of course the nice soft light doesn’t hurt.

I didn’t get out to shoot yesterday (even though the weather was perfect.)  I spent the day getting caught up on some projects and I finished GTA V.  I know, I’m so ashamed but it was fun and actually a very interesting story.

That’s it for today.  I don’t think the weather is suppose to be very good today so maybe I’ll set up the macro lens and doing some close up photography.

I hope you enjoy your day.  If you have get to work today then enjoy your day.  If you are lucky enough to have the day off then rest and recharge.  🙂  Be careful.

Sunday ~ November 10, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 10, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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I don’t think I have ever been as disappointed with a photo shoot as I was with the one I did yesterday.  The questions for me as I get ready to go on a shoot are, where to go and what do I want to try to capture on this shoot.  What I try to capture is usually (but not always) dependent on where I choose to go.  So after much self debate (yes I did even answer myself) I decided to try the Mud Lake area.  My reasoning was based on the hope that some of the migratory wildlife might be hanging around the marsh there.  I was wrong and never saw so much as a ubiquitous gull.

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I shot 160 shots in beautiful golden sunlight.  The problem is there just wasn’t anything of substance to shoot.  So much for my theorem that it doesn’t really matter what you have in front of your lens as long as the light is beautiful.  I pretty well disproved that yesterday.

Since I didn’t find anything at the Mud Lake Park I decided to go to the marsh behind the John Deere tractor plant.  Jeanne and I had gone there earlier in the year and found a variety of wildlife to shoot.  Additionally I reasoned I didn’t really have enough sun light time left to get further than the marsh.  There is a trail that runs from the parking area to the river and all along the trail are small canals of water for the water fowl.  The trail is about 14 miles long and I walked every mile of it.  Okay, let me be honest, the trail is probably only a little over a mile long but in my current physical condition it felt like 14 miles.

I kept saying to myself, “The farther you go the farther it is going to be to get back to the car.”  I was right. 🙂

November-09-2013

As I was walking back to the car the sun was rapidly going down and it created this silhouette of the water tower at the John Deere Plant.  the only image from the 160 that I like.  I did not enhance the color of the sunset.  What you see is what I saw.  All I did was darken the shadows a bit so there was no distraction from the water tower.

So disappointed and cold I made it back to the car and it felt good to sit down and feel the warmth of the car heater.  I ran through the images on the little LCD on the back of the camera.  I thought I had captured some nice images, (of course when I got them on the big screen of my iMac, I realized that I had not.)  So I headed back home.  The good news was I didn’t have far to travel.

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As I turned onto the main road out of the John Deere plant area I caught a glimpse of several deer feeding in a harvested corn field.  Nothing special about this shot other than it was shot at 32,000 ISO.  There was some noise in the image but easily removed in Light Room.  Shortly after this shot the herd ran off into the timber so I was lucky to get this image.

Sorry for the lack of inspiring images.  I’ll try again today.  I hope you enjoy your Sunday.  Thanks for stopping by the blog and be careful.

Friday ~ November 08, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 8, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

Just a little gull

Happy Friday!  I am fortunate to have a three-day weekend coming up due to the Veteran’s Day Holiday.  Since I haven’t shot a single image the entire week I plan to do a lot of shooting over the coming three days.

The image above is from last Saturday’s early morning shoot at the river.  I missed this little gull on my first go through of the images.  I can’t imagine why I passed it up as I really like it.  I didn’t mess with the colors at all.  Just set the white balance and the beautiful golden light is what I actually saw that morning.

Running late this morning as usual.  Lots of things to say just no time to say them.  More to come.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and be careful.  Successfully dodged a deer last night, whew!!  🙂

Wednesday ~ November 06, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 6, 2013
Posted in: Uncategorized.

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This is an image I took a couple of weeks ago and as I was browsing my images this morning it occurred to me this would look better in black and white.  Perhaps it is reflective of the weather, my current state of mind, or it could be that it just looked better in black and white.  Many photographers believe that color only ruins an image and that all images should be captured, if not in black in white, at least within the framework of a black and white image.

Short post today.  Lots to do and not much time to get them all done.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and please be careful.

Tuesday ~ November 05, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 5, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

A gull explores

I use to think the older one got the smarter one got.  That may be true for some but for me it seems to be the reverse.   Perhaps it’s not “smarter” that’s the problem it is the understanding of how things work that has me baffled.  Maybe that is by grand design the older become more confused, less adept, less able to compete and so they fade away and become quite disposable.

Another thing that has me confused is when bad things happen to good people.  Good people living a productive, helping, nurturing life have to suffer so as they become older?  I know that some of the more intellectual minds will say that it is part of life (the suffering part), but then that begs the question, why?  Lots of questions, unfortunately I’m not smart enough to answer them.  I’m sure there are logical and thoughtful answers, I just don’t know what they are.

Looking for food

I’m giving you some more images from my early morning shoot last Saturday.  I didn’t get home until 9 p.m. last night so there was no time to shoot.  A day that I can’t take images is a day without joy.  Now before you go saying to yourself, “Boy is he whacked in the head”, consider that taking pictures is my passion and when I can do that it makes me happy.  I’m not depressed or sad if I can’t, it just isn’t as much fun as when I can.  There is just something missing.

Geese stop over

the last two images are not technically very good.  The shutter speed was way too low even with a mono-pod, but I love the golden light on the scene and it was fun watching the gulls hunt for food and then this flock of geese came to the area.  The last two images were shot just as the sun had risen above the horizon and was bathing everything in its golden light.

If you are wondering about today’s post do not worry.  Writing is good therapy for me and good or bad I usually say what’s on my mind regardless.

That’s it for today.  Thank you for checking out the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

 

Monday ~ November 04, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 4, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , .

Gabby

I had a complete veg out yesterday and it felt very good.  I have no shame for not doing anything the better part of the day.  I didn’t really redeem myself later in the evening either.  We did end up going to Angie and Ben’s for a wonderful diner and great time with the grand kids but I didn’t lift a finger the entire time we were there.  Well I take that back as I did get to feed Gabby so I did accomplish something today.

Josh

Had a lot of fun with Josh and Gabby and enjoyed some quality time with Ben and Angie as well.  They have such a lovely home and are very gracious hosts.  I only shot six images the entire time we were there, which is a record low for me.  I got to hold Gabby and then later feed here so there wasn’t much time for photography.  In fact to get the one shot of Gabby that I did, I had to ask Jeanne to hold her for a moment.

It was a wonderful evening and then it was time for baths and stories so we took our leave and came home to continue my vegetation.  🙂  Jeanne worked on school stuff so I alone was useless.

Tough day ahead of me today.  Hopefully there can be some positives that come out of the day and  some lessons learned.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your Monday.  Thank all of you who have made such wonderful and complimentary comments about my photography.  You have no idea how much your comments and words mean to me.  Thank you!!  Be careful.

Sunday ~ November 03, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 3, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

Julian Dubuque Bridge at sunrise

I don’t know about you but that extra hour of sleep this morning was wonderful.  Of course it’s going to take a couple of weeks for me to adjust to the new time change and I really dislike driving home every night in the dark dodging deer that are or are not there.  Each season has its good and not so good parts.  Those of us who live in the Midwest seem to enjoy the changing of the seasons so it’s all good.

So yesterday I actually followed through on a plan.  My plan (hatched on the drive home Friday) was to go to the river and photograph the sunrise.  I found a hundred things to do or that I should do, but I followed through on my plan and went to the river before sunrise.  I am so glad I did.  It was wonderful.

Just a bunch of ducks

I was not properly dressed for the shoot and underestimated my body’s ability to always be warm so that was the first mental note I made.  I can always shed clothing if I get warm, but I cannot put on clothing that I didn’t bring with me.  So other than being a Popsicle, it was a great experience.  I took the D4, the 28 ~ 300 mm lens, and a mono-pod because I knew the light would be low and I wanted some stability.

It took longer than I anticipated for the sun to rise.    I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to capture a nice image of the Julian Dubuque Bridge in the morning sunlight.  The fact that the Twilight was also docked at the Grand Harbor Hotel was just a great bonus.  As the sun continued to rise I watched the passengers make their way to the boat.  Most of them stopping to take a picture of the boat before getting on.

The ducks were enjoying the sunrise as well.  If you look closely at the image of the bridge you will see the group of ducks flying under the bridge level.  They took off as a group and this was the last image I shot of the bridge.

The Twilight at Sunrise

As I was packing up to leave there was an older couple coming to the boat.  The gentleman had a small “coolpix” type camera and was going to take a picture of his wife in front of the boat.  After he did that I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture of the two of them.  His wife said yes please so they posed together.  I said “it won’t do you any good if the image is on my camera, let me take it with yours.”  He was reluctant but his wife insisted so I shot of couple of nice images for them and he was very anxious to get his camera back.  🙂

It was interesting to notice how the people reacted to me in the early morning.  I was there taking a series of images and as they would walk by me I would speak to them and wish them a good morning.  Many did not acknowledge my greeting but continued to the Twilight while others stopped and returned the greeting, making additional comments about the beautiful sunrise.  No judgement on my part, I just am always intrigued by the people who pass you by and do not acknowledge your presence even if you speak to them.

I grew up in a small town where we knew everyone.  If someone sneezed half the town blew their own nose.  🙂  I just got use to saying hi to everyone you meet.  I like that about the town of Maquoketa where I work.  Everyone speaks to you when you see them even if they don’t know who you are.

That’s it for today.  Hope you enjoy your Sunday.  I plan to veg most of the day.  It is what I do best.  🙂

Thanks for stopping by.  Be careful.

Saturday ~ November 02, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 2, 2013
Posted in: Uncategorized.

Just some hay

Happy Saturday!  I am so ready for Saturday this weekend.  Thought about sleeping in really late but that was interrupted by too much interference from my mind.   Oh well as soon as I put this post up I’m heading to the river to attempt some sunrise images.  I was outside a few minutes ago and the sky is clear so there should be something to shoot down by the river.  I always think of the talking fish when I hear or say by the river.  You know the talking fish right?  “Take me to the river, throw me in the water. ”  🙂  It’s not easy being me.

The Image above was captured on the way home last night.  I only had about 15 minutes of usable daylight so I stopped by this field (which I’ve meant to shoot for a few days) and grabbed this image.  Nothing special about it.  It is all I have to offer you this morning.

Enjoy your Saturday.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be careful.

Friday ~ November 1, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on November 1, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

Just a Farm Scene

Happy Friday!  The title of today’s post should be “I’ve got nothing today.”  This is an image from last Saturday’s shoot that didn’t make it in the first round of picks.  I’m not sure why maybe space considerations because I like the image.

Difficult day yesterday, started it off with an EKG at the clinic.  Getting prepared for what people 60 and over get to enjoy.  😦

I am always amazed at how angry some people seem to be most of the time.  You can see in their eyes, tone of voice, and body language that screams at you, “I hate (my life, job, situation” (insert the appropriate one.))  Because one of my responsibilities is helping train folks on customer service when I see poor or no customer service I really pay attention to it.

At times I find myself wanting to ask, why are you so unhappy?  Sure I know unhappy times and I am prone to mood swings but I work very hard at getting out of a down mood, because it serves no useful purpose.  Studies have shown that negative thoughts tend to flood the limbic system with negativity and that simply compounds the problem.  Finding positive thoughts works just the opposite and opens the brain to more positive pathways to resolve the problem.

There is a principle called the 90/10 principle.  It states that we cannot control 10% of what life throws at us.  But we can control the other 90% of how we react to it.  Life is made up of choices and the consequences of those choices.  I know, easy to say when things are going well.  Not so easy when things are not going well. In my training classes I teach the 90/10 principle and many of those who have taken the session say they have come away with a new perspective about things.  What a wonderful feeling that is.

Enough babble for one day, especially  when I started the post off with “I’ve got nothing today.”  🙂

Enjoy your Friday (it took its sweet time getting here.)  For those of you who have to deal with kids today and their post Halloween sugar buzz, you have my sympathies.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.

Thursday ~ October 31, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on October 31, 2013
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

Scary Dude

Happy Halloween!  I had an amazing experience last evening.  One that unfortunately not even with images and video can you begin to feel what the experience was like.  I’ll do my best to describe it but I suspect that words will not do it justice either.  Let me start by saying that I worked late yesterday and it was almost 7:00 p.m. by the time I left Maquoketa.  I’m just trying to keep my head above water.

I called Jeanne and we decided to meet at Culver’s to grab a quick sandwich as she had just gotten home from choir practice.  As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant Jeanne asked me if I minded if she ran out by the Meadows Golf Course to look at a Halloween House, she had heard about.  I was tired and still had work to do so I said (instead of saying I’ll join you) no I didn’t mind and that I would see her at home.

Well in the short space from Culver’s to where I would normally turn to go home I decided it was worth the five-minute drive to the Meadows for a look.  WOW!!!!  How glad I am that I did go.  It was hard to find but as I cruised the neighborhood (major beautiful homes by the way) I saw some flashing strobe lights and headed that way.  I was unprepared for what I encountered.

Watch the video below and it will be easier for me to explain.

First I was amazed at the traffic jam around the house, with all the people parking their cars on a fairly narrow street and the large crowd that had gathered in front of the house.   So then there is the house itself.   What I would call a major house that is two stories high and wide enough that I could hide out for a week if I wanted to.  Now add fog shrouding the house from various smoke machines embedded in the ground, strobes everywhere and giant monsters popping up complete with sound effects and animation.   There were horrifying scenes of carnage in every window of the house and they would play like a carnival sideshow and then darken for awhile so that you attention was drawn to the next scene.  There were also scenes out in the lawn that were dark until it was there turn to preform.

I shot the top image at an unbelievable 10,000 ISO and noise was amazingly low.  I only got 1/13 of s second shutter speed @ f5.0. The D4 is truly an amazing camera.  In retrospect I should have switched to my f1.4 lens and bumped the ISO higher and used a mono pod.  But honestly photography was the last thing on my mind at the time.  The scene you are presented with overwhelms the senses and you just stand there trying to take it all in.

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To top it all off the woman who owns the house was very warm and friendly and was graciously handing our bags of candy.  She just kept saying that she had an industrious husband and three sons and this is what they do with their spare time.  Apparently a lot of this equipment came from California.  He found a movie studio that was selling off some of its special effects and he was able to acquire different pieces over time.  Then I met him (I didn’t ask their name) and he said it took about 60 hours of work to set everything up.   The whole thing runs on 6 air compressors, and a computer program that coordinates the lights, sounds and action of the displays.

So if you want to see it and you live anywhere around the Dubuque area I would highly encourage you to make the trek.  From the NW Arterial go North until Asbury Road.  Follow that until you come to Wedgewood Estates (just before the Meadows Golf Course.)  Turn left into the subdivision and drive to the last street on your left.  Turn left and look for the flashing strobes.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.  Be careful.