Thursday ~ August 28, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 29, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , .

August-28-2013

This image is not going to win any wild life contests nor is it a good image by any stretch.  What it does accomplish is to show you the progress of the young Cygnets.  They were pretty much hunkered down in the tall grass of one of the remaining islands that still has water around it.  The Mother was not far from the little ones and the Father was keeping close watch on me.  It was very HOT around 6:00 p.m. when this image was taken so I didn’t stay around too long.  I could tell that the parents were concerned about my presence so I hastened my shooting and then left.

Jeanne had an engagement this evening so I took a change of clothes with me.  My intent was to change after work and then shoot some images around Maquoketa that I have wanted to capture for some time.  There is an old feed mill in the downtown area that has some unique structural features I wanted to capture.  Of course upon exiting my car my lens and viewfinder fogged up.  It took several minutes to clean them up so I could get some images.

By the time I walked around the building once I was sweating bullets.  Did I mention it was HOT?

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A couple of my friends inquired as to why I haven’t posted a blog in the last couple of days.  One because of a lack of images and two because by the time I get home I just seem to want to veg.  I have 4 “must do” projects on my desk right now and I just don’t have the energy by the time we finish dinner to even start them.

I also did something this evening I didn’t think I would ever do.  In fact I said I would never do it.  I agreed to shoot a wedding!  I know, what am I thinking?  But the lady who is getting married is a very nice person and she wants to keep it very simple.  Yes there is still a lot of pressure to do it right and produce quality images but I’m not as worried as if it were a full-blown wedding shoot with reception and the whole enchilada.

It’s going to happen in a couple of weeks so I’ll keep you posted on the process.  Thanks for checking in on my ramblings.  I’ll get back on a regular schedule hopefully.  Enjoy your day, be careful and keep hydrated.

Monday ~ August 26, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 26, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

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Happy Monday.  We had Jeanne’s belated birthday dinner Saturday evening at Vinny Vanucchis.  This is my fourth time eating there and I have to admit it is not my favorite restaurant.  Anyway Mark, Angie, Ben, Joshua, and Gabby were all there.

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Gabby had just eaten and was in a great mood.  I even got a couple of semi smiles from her and then made the mistake of holding her.  It lasted all of 45 seconds and the tears and crying started.  I’m getting a real complex about her.

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After dinner we all went to the Irish Hooley.  Taylor later joined us there and we sat with Graig, Deb, and Sarah.  They had helped with the Hooley and had great seats and they  graciously shared some spots with us.  It was a warm evening with a slight breeze.  Lots of people packed into a small area.  Not my favorite environment.    However the main entertainment was Gaelic Storm.  They are a wonderful Irish group with amazing stage presence, crowd involvement, and great music.  I really enjoy the show they put on.

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I did a bike ride yesterday afternoon at the height of the heat index.  First ride in seven days and of course I tried to make up for the lost days of riding.  Check out my biking blog by clicking on the link located on the right side of this blog.  That is if you have nothing better to do with you time.  🙂

Thanks for checking the blog today.  I hope you have an enjoyable Monday.  It is going to be a HOT one so be careful.

Saturday ~ August 24, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 24, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

August-24-2013

Yesterday morning when I went out to get the paper i saw a wonderful full moon.  This morning (2 hours later than yesterday) I saw a beautiful sunrise over Asbury.  The sun was a brilliant red.  So I ran (actually more like a slow waddle) inside got the camera and hand-held a few shots of the sunrise.  I can tell you this image is not what I saw.  The sun was almost a blood-red.  It was red in the little LCD on the back of my screen but when I processed it there wasn’t nearly enough red.  I tried a number of combinations but this is the best I could do. 😦

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Yesterday was a tough day.  Stressful situations I had to work through, news of friends with health issues and other things I cannot talk about.  I knew Jeanne was babysitting the grand kids so I decompressed a little on the drive home and thought I’d go over and play with the kids a little.  I enjoy visiting and playing with the kids but I’m not so much into babysitting so my visit was relatively short.  It was just about their bedtime anyway .

When I arrived at Angie and Ben’s home Gabby was in the lower den in her seat watching Jeanne and Joshua play.  After a nice greeting from Josh I sat down across from Gabby and smiled at her and said high.  In less than 30 seconds her pleasant peaceful face contorted into a mass of wrinkles and the tears begin to flow.

I’m getting a complex with her.  All she does is cry when I come near.

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So I played a little with Josh.  He has such a vivid imagination and plays very well with himself.  He built a complex fence around his animals all the while explaining what he was doing.  I love the energy he has.  He never stays doing the same thing for very long.  Then its off to another adventure or project.

Speaking of projects, I finished my third 52 week project yesterday.  A new photograph every week for 52 weeks.  I expect I’ll start another one.  I’m still thinking about my next big project.  I thought about taking 365 different images of my car never repeating the same shot but then I guess that would be more like a copycat than anything.  🙂

That’s it for today.  Enjoy your weekend.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.  Irish Hooley tonight.  I’m looking forward to it.

Friday ~ August 23, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 23, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , .

August-23-2013

Happy Friday.  I took this image of the moon this morning.  When I went out to get the Queen’s paper I saw a lot of low-level clouds floating by and I wanted to capture them with the almost full moon.  There are several interesting things about this image (which in my mind is the best moon shot I have ever taken.)  No it won’t win any awards but is it my personal best.  You can click on the image to enlarge it.

It was taken around 4:30 a.m. so not the darkest time of the sky.  We have a large vapor light in our block that shines very brightly on our back yard.  Good for security, not so good for timed photography.  And I tried a new set up this morning.

Camera Details:  Nikon D4 | Nikon AF-S 80 – 400 f4.5-5.6 HG ED VR Lens | Nikon AF-S 2X Teleconverter TC-20E III | Remote shutter release | ISO 100 Manual setting f11 @ 1/80 Sec  | Manual focus

What is different for me is using the Teleconverter.  I’ve had it for a couple of years but just don’t remember to use it.  It says it is auto focus and it is made by Nikon, however I find that it does a lot of hunting before it (if ever) locks on to what I’m trying to shoot.  So it is just quicker to manual focus.  Not my favorite thing to do because I haven’t had much practice and I haven’t gotten very good results in the past.

Where are the low-level clouds?  Well by the time I got the camera, lens, and tripod set up and adjusted, the sky was clear of any trace of clouds.  😦

So by using the 2X TC, I extended my 400 mm lens to an 800 mm lens.  If I had shot in “cropped mode”  I could have picked up additional 400 mm in focal length.  Cropped mode would be 1.5 X  multiplier plus the 2 X TC would have given me 1,200 mm lens. WOW, I’m going to try that next time.  🙂

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I was doing some testing last night with ISO settings and had been outside shooting in pretty much dark light at ISO 64000.  It is amazing how good the images looked and with a little help from LightRoom 5 the noise is tolerable.  Anyway when I came back in I saw Jeanne sitting at the breakfast bar and I thought now this is a great example of multitasking.  Folding laundry, working on her schedule for school, and watching a TV show.  🙂

Enjoy our Friday.  Going to get hot this weekend and into next week.  A few more weeks and it will be my kind of weather.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be careful.

Thursday ~ August 22, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 22, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , , .

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A rambling post today.  A lot of things going on in my little world right now.  There is a school of thought that goes something like if you want to make an improvement in something you do, you have to put yourself in some uncomfortable and difficult situations to challenge you and help you grow.  Sounds good in theory but not so much in practice.  It tends to cut down on ones sleep time.  🙂

The image above is of the two cygnets at the Duck Pond.  I drive by them twice a day to check on them.  I was talking to a friend who said that as the water continues to go down they face the challenge of predators and when it comes time for them to leave they face the dangers of the flying into the power lines that are adjacent to the pond or getting hit be a car.  I’ll keep hoping they make it to maturity.

August-21-2013

I took a much different route home last night just looking for new subject matter.  Over the last 14 years (since I went digital) I think I have photographed a bunch of the more interesting barns and farm scenes in the area.  I hadn’t traveled this particular road in over two years and yet I saw a dozen things to shoot last night that I had already taken an image of.  I liked this old tractor next to the apple tree however.  They seem to just go together.

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Obviously this old tractor has seen its better days.  I suspect there is something amiss with the steering since one of the wheels is doing its own thing.  I have two friends on FB from the town I grew up in.  Their Father sold Oliver tractors.  When we drove through Ridgeway a couple of weeks ago I thought about all that farm machinery that Francis use to have sitting on the street and on his lot.  Many times on Halloween the goblins would roll a lot of his equipment out onto the street.

I delivered the morning paper so I was up town around 5:00 a.m. the morning after and would see Francis putting things back where they belonged. I can honestly say I was never one of the individuals who did that.   I was always too busy getting candy, cookies, and popcorn balls.  🙂

That’s enough rambling for one day.  I hope you have a wonderful Thursday.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.

Wednesday ~ August 21, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 21, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , .

Jeanne-60

When no one else can understand me.

When everything I do is wrong.

You give me hope and consolation.

You give me strength to carry on.

And you’re always there to lend in a hand in everything I do.

That’s the wonder, the wonder of you.

And when you smile the world is brighter.

You touch my hand and I’m a king.

Your kiss to me is worth a fortune.

Your love for me is my everything.

I guess I’ll never know the reason why you love me as you do.

That’s the wonder, the wonder of you.

 Happy Birthday Sweetheart.  Like a very fine wine your are sweeter

each and every day.  I love you and am in awe of the wonder of you.

Thank you for sharing your life with me.

Tuesday ~ August 20, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 20, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

August-16-2013-2A

Happy Tuesday.  Last week I showed you some images from one of the two businesses that recently opened in Maquoketa.  The Chamber Ambassadors visit new businesses for ribbon cuttings, show casing new additions or anytime a business requests them to come to their business.  The business I wrote about last week was “Make A Splash” and today I’d like to show you a business called “The Brick Tap.”

When I first started working in Maquoketa there was a bar on the top floor of one of the store fronts on Platte Street called the Loft.  It was a favorite place for a lot of people to meet after work but then it finally closed down and has remained closed for the last several years.  Now a group of 5 individuals (all having other business endeavors) have rehabbed the old bar and made it into an upscale bar and grill with some really nice touches and great food.

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Matt Anderson and his Sister Megan Anderson along with Mary Hayward, Charlie Hayes and Brook Taylor are the co-owners of the Brick Tap.  They are open Thursday through Monday and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.  From what I hear around town and see on their Face Book Page They are doing a great job of satisfying their customers.  On the left is Charlie Hayes and on the right is chef Matt Anderson.

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Megan Anderson displays the ribbon from the ribbon cutting.  You can see from the menu above they have a nice variety of food and beverages.  I wish I had been able to stick around and learn more about their story and how they came up with the idea of getting together to begin this new business venture.

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Then again I’m sure they will be happy to enlighten you over a cool one and some food.  🙂  Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

Monday ~ August 19, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 19, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , .

August-18-2013

Lazy day yesterday.  I was going for another ride but my legs were still pretty sore from Saturday’s ride.  Boy am I out of shape.  Anyway, slept in late and then just did some things around the house to keep me occupied.

Jeanne went and did her Grandma thing while the kids took their boat out on the river.  I still had some things I wanted to do and didn’t feel like being responsible for grand kids so I stayed home and completed them.

The weather was so nice that Maggie and I went out in the back yard under the shade tree and had a nice time just watching the birds fly by.  I have been trying to capture an image of an elusive Cardinal that hangs around our neighborhood.

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I did manage to get two shots of him both of which were red blobs resembling an out of focus red flower.  So after an hour of waiting for him to come back I grabbed a couple of shots of Maggie.  I think she is about 9 or maybe 10 years of age so she’s starting to get a little gray around the edges.  But then again so am I.  🙂

Hope you enjoy your Monday.  It’s going to be here all day so we might as well make the best of it.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.

Sunday ~ August 18, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 18, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

August-17-2013-2C

I’ve become quite the home body in the evening.  So I sometimes forget that there is usually something going on in the city.  Last night around 9:30 p.m.  Jeanne and I went out to do some night city scape photography.  I’ve taken a class on night photography and I must confess I’m still not very good at it.

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We found this little park that Jeanne used to watch the fireworks from when the kids were little.  It offers a nice view of downtown Dubuque, the river, and the surrounding city scape.  It also offered a nice view of the Julian Dubuque Bridge and all the traffic that crosses it 24 / 7.

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This last image is a five shot HDR image that I’m not very happy with.  I don’t do much night photography so I do not have the experience needed to do a really good job.  I want to keep practicing it because some of the most dramatic images I’ve seen of late are night photos.

I did a bike ride yesterday, if you want to see the images from that ride just click on the biking link on the right side of this blog.  That’s it for today.  Enjoy your Sunday.  Monday will be here before you know it.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.

Saturday ~ August 17, 2013

Posted by Dave Updegraff on August 17, 2013
Posted in: General Posts. Tagged: , , , , , .

August-16-2013

One of the things I like to photograph is craft type items in a specialty shop.  From time to time we go to Galena and I wander around in the shops taking images of interesting items on display.  It may not appeal to most but I do enjoy it.

Yesterday the Chamber of Commerce had two Ambassador calls to show case and celebrate the opening of two new businesses in downtown Maquoketa.  The one on today’s blog is called “Make A Splash.”   A very nice craft and specialty decorations retail store located at the corner of Main and Platte Streets in Maquoketa.

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The owner is Debbie Shea and she and her daughter Cassandra are running the store.  When we were there for the ribbon cutting around 4:00 p.m. there were a lot of customers shopping there and more importantly making purchases.  It is wonderful to see a new business open in the downtown area and to have customers eager to make purchases.

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So the whole welcoming and ribbon cutting only takes a few minutes.  No one makes a speech but congratulations are offered from all who attend.  It is an opportunity for business leaders and members of the Chamber to extend a welcome and wish for success.

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I am hopeful when people see the traffic generated by businesses in the downtown area they will also consider the potential of opening a shop, store, or office in the downtown area.  Maquoketa has a lot to offer and is one of the best kept secrets around.

Enjoy your Saturday, should be a good one weather wise.  Thanks for stopping by and be careful.