Upde Designs

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm Lens | ISO 200 1/200 @ f14

Ever since moving to Dubuque in 1979 I’ve been aware of the Memorial Day Parade.  Once we had kids it became mandatory to attend.  Most times I had spent 5 hours on the golf course and the last thing I wanted to do was sit on some concrete steps watching a bunch of locals walk in a hot 90 degree parade.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm Lens | ISO 200 1/200 @ f14

This year I decided on my own to go.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe in my small way it was to say thank you to all the service men and women who have sacrificed so much so I could bitch about having to go to a parade to honor them.  That is one of the things that make this country so unique and great.  The freedom to choose.  The freedom to choose about any lifestyle, any religion, any belief system without fear of repression.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm Lens | ISO 200 1/200 @ f14

This year’s parade was on a hot, humid, and windy Memorial Day.  It was a typical parade with the ubiquitous bands, vintage cars, and fire trucks.  Most important to me however was the men and women who have served in the armed forces.  From many time periods, they all came together to march in this local town parade.  It gave me a sense of pride as the crowd would stand in unison every time a military group came by. Not only did they stand, but they applauded the entire time the group was walking by.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm Lens | ISO 200 1/200 @ f14

Yes there was all the weirdness of a typical parade, with all the strangeness of some subculture lifestyles and it was hotter than hot, but I felt a sense of satisfaction that on my own, I had gone to honor in my small way the people who gave me the right to complain at any time I wanted to.

Enjoy the rest of your week and thanks for stopping by.  Be careful.

Nikon D300S | Nikon 18 - 200 mm lens | iso 200 1/320 sec @ f11

Last Friday one of my friends from work took me to lunch (Subway) and then we drove out to her Grandfather’s farm to make some images and memories.  This was the farm her Father grew up on and it holds many special memories for him.

Megan had asked me a couple of weeks earlier if I would be willing to shoot some images of her Grandfather’s Farm so she could give them to her Dad for Father’s Day.  What an honor to be asked by someone who has seen your work to make some images for them to give as a gift.  I was thrilled.

Nikon D300S | Nikon 18 - 200 mm lens | iso 200 1/400 sec @ f11

Friday turned out to be a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid-60s and a brilliant blue sky with big puffy white clouds.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Especially if you wait until the sun dips behind a cloud, then you get very nice soft diffused light.

So I shot about 50 images of the farm and then Megan said, “You want to see some Buffalo?”  Sure I do.  So we drove for what seemed like a long time, even passing by a big sign that said Buffalo Ranch, but I didn’t see any.

Finally we came down a long hill and turned a corner and she stopped her SUV and said there they are.  Well there were only three and they were very far away but I was able to get this image of one of them.  He even cooperated by looking straight at me and giving me a smile.  Look closely and you’ll see it.

Nikon D300S | Nikon 18 - 200 mm lens | iso 200 1/320 sec @ f11

Enjoy your Memorial Day.  Remembering the ones that gave so much so that we could enjoy life in this wonderful country.  It is a profound statement that says, “All gave some and some gave all.”

Thanks for stopping by.  Be careful.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm lens | ISO 200 - HDR w 5 images

Good Day.  Yesterday afternoon I loaded up my camera and took off to see what I could find to shoot.  I’m not sure what I was looking for.  When you aren’t sure what you want just about anything should work, right?  I just couldn’t find anything that caught my eye.

I drove a lot of back roads and saw some wonderful homes and barns but no place to park and too lazy to walk a mile for a barn shot.   After an hour of this I decided to head back home.  I drove back on Asbury Road and of course had to cross Twin Springs Bridge.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw all this greenery and the small ripples in the creek where some rocks were.

I parked the car and went back for a look.  Yep, I thought, this would be a good HDR image so back to the car, for my tripod and camera.  After setting up the tripod enduring some nasty stares from some motorist I took the shot.  I didn’t have a shutter cable with me so I had to manually fire the camera, but it was pretty solid on the tripod.

I stood on the bridge for at least 5 minutes composing the shot in my mind.  At least another 5 minutes setting up the tripod, composing the view, setting up for the HDR imaging and not one car.  As soon as I was ready to take the image at least 15 cars came by.  🙂  If you would like to see a larger image of the one above just click here.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this great holiday weekend and be careful.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm VR II lens | SB900 SL | ISO 200 1/60 @ f8

Standing tall.  Well with a little help that is.  Ben was working last evening so Angie and Joshua stopped over for dinner and a visit.  I have not seen her or Josh for over two weeks so it was really good to be with them both and it was also amazing to see just how many changes there were in Josh since I last saw him.

He is now standing (with help) any chance he gets and of course rolls over with ease now.  He actually prefers to be on his stomach.  He can raise himself up for short periods so it won’t be long before he becomes a full-fledged rug rat.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm VR II lens | SB900 SL | ISO 200 1/60 @ f8

Angie was playing with him after dinner and he was laughing.  It is the laughing sound that only young children can make and it just warms the heart.  It was really a treat to watch the two of them interact with each other.  He was such a happy little guy the entire time he was here.   When we were enjoying dinner he was in his “pack and sack” playing with his favorite toys and just jabbering away.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 28 - 300 mm VR II lens | SB900 SL | ISO 200 1/60 @ f8

He is starting to make recognizable sounds now like daaa daaa  (almost dad) but it sounded a lot like Grandpa to me.  I can get a quick smile from him anytime now, which really makes me feel great.

It was sure fun to see them last night.  We wish Ben could have joined us but he was doing that wonderful thing he does and I’m sure the recipient of his care was very happy he was there.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this 3 day weekend, remembering the wonderful service men and women who have given us the freedoms of this great Republic.  Drive safely and  be careful.

I’m sorry for the lack of posts of late.  I’ve been traveling throughout our corporate footprint conducting employee meetings that start very early and do not finish until later in the evening so a few long days.

The image above is of two of my good friends Dave Johnson (L) and Mick Clark.  The Kiwanis Club in Maquoketa holds an annual “Celebrity Golf Outing” as their primary fund raiser of the year.  The Kiwanis Club does remarkable work for the community and funds a lot of needed projects.

So every year 90 plus golfers descend on the 9-hole Maquoketa Golf and Country Club for an afternoon of Golfing, fellowship, and good fun.  Well not really golfing in the true sense of the word.  When I was a “serious” golfer I hated events like this.  30 minutes between shots and then you had to wait for 9 other people to hit the same shot.  Now I love them because what little golfing skills I use to have are now defunct.  So it’s all about the fellowship and good fun now occasionally interrupted by the need to swing a club at the ball.

You get a great chance to visit with friends and get to know new people as well, because it’s 5 hours of standing around talking waiting for the group ahead to move on.

Right in the middle of the golf course is a small storm shelter and that’s where they set up the blackjack table for golfers to make “contributions” to “The Children”, one of the many projects that Kiwanis supports.

After the “golfing” there is a social hour (the 5 previous hours weren’t enough time) and then a very nice dinner followed by an auction of donated items.  There is also a silent auction. So it is a wonderful afternoon and evening.  A lot of money is raised for much needed projects and a chance to take a breath and enjoy life.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and as always be careful.

Jeanne and I went to a wedding Saturday afternoon at St. Luke’s Methodist Church.  I’ll be the first to admit I really dislike weddings.  This one started at 3:00 pm and then the reception was at 6:00 pm.  I have to admit I enjoyed the event and thought it was a beautiful wedding and a great reception.

Doctor Julia Brimeyer (was a classmate of Angie) married Matthew Hensch (a mechanical engineer.)  I see some serious smarts in that family   Anyway I shot the above image at 3200 ISO, which gave me a shutter speed of 1/80 sec.  Unfortunately there was a lot of light coming in through the windows , which gave me fits so I tried spot metering.  I was messing around with my settings and my spousal unit was getting a little upset with me.    Also I took the wrong lens ( I should have taken the 24-70 mm lens.)  I pretty well decided that I don’t want to do weddings from a photography standpoint.

This is my friend Sara Albert.  Sara goes to our church and is one of the sweetest people I know.  She always has a smile and is always the first to say let’s do it.  She loves to dance and was busting some pretty groovy moves on the dance floor.  Did I say “groovy?”  That sort of dates me doesn’t it.

Angie and Ben were at our table along with some other great friends so it was a fun evening.  Here they are posing  for another picture from one of their friends.  Joshua got to stay home with his other Grandparents.  I think the loud music and all the other noise would have overloaded him.

So that’s it for today.  Don’t tell Jeanne I had a good time or she’ll expect me to go to some other weddings.  Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy the week and be careful.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 70 - 200 mm VR II lens | ISO 200 1/500 @ f9

I go by this barn occasionally when I take the long way home.  Tonight was one of those nights when I was just taking my time looking at and enjoying the scenery.    Don’t you just love this time of the year.  After what seems like a year of brown blah landscape, and barren trees it is so wonderful to see the rich full green leaves and grass.  The warm breezes and the constant singing of birds.

Why we put up with the miserable winter months is beyond me but now that is behind us and we have this wonderful spring weather that has finally engulfed us winter is just a fading memory.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 70 - 200 mm VR II lens | ISO 200 1/500 @ f9

Normally I wouldn’t have stopped, turned around, and come back for this image.  It is after all a fairly nondescript barn.  But throw in a couple of horses and the rich green field and I couldn’t pass it up.

While I was shooting this barn Jeanne finally called me wondering where I was.  Of course she is used to me wandering through the countryside looking for things to capture so it was no big surprise to her what I was doing.

Nikon D700 | Nikon 70 - 200 mm VR II lens | ISO 200 1/200 @ f9

As I was walking back to the car I noticed this lone dandelion and knowing Jeanne’s fondness for this particular type of  weed I stopped and bent over to get  a better perspective of it.  I’m sure the cars whizzing by wondered what in the hell I was taking a picture of.  Imagine a rotund person in a white shirt with tie flapping in the wind, trying to get low on a dandelion without touching the ground or falling on my bottom.  Now that would have made a great image.

Anyway Honey this is for you. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your weekend and be careful.

Nikon D300S | Nikon 18 - 200 mm lens | ISO 200 1/80 sec @ f7.1

Not so much thoughts as just a couple of observations.  About two years ago, (it was back when I was riding my bike on a regular basis) this bridge (above) was brought in and placed on undeveloped land on the north side of the industrial park.  Then one year ago they moved it to the south side and it rested by the sidewalk.  Then  in the last week or so it has found its final resting place.

I’ve been meaning to stop by and see how it looked ever since there was an article in the TH about it being placed over the recreational pond at the industrial park.  I like the way it fits with the landscape.    Yes those are three young guys who apparently tight-rope walked out on the bridge to do some high water fishing.

Nikon D300S | Nikon 18 - 200 mm lens | ISO 200 1/80 sec @ f7.1

I could not (would not) have walked out where they are.  Well I guess I could have tried  but I would have been in the water getting there.  As my dear Father would have said “”What’s the ide”  which was his shortened version for what is the idea of this. 🙂

I read an article a couple of days ago written by John Paul Caponigro, a fine artist of some renown.  I enjoy his blog, and his video tutorials.  I wish I could be as precise and methodical with photography as he is.  It’s just not who I am.  His article was about the value of photography projects.  How they would help define you as a photographer and as a person.  Additionally having and working on a project will certainly help me improve as a photographer.

My friend Andreas Exner has several projects that are ongoing and he says they have contributed a great deal to his elevated skill level and creativity.  So for the last few days I’ve been thinking about a project or projects and what it is I like to make images of.

So my first project will be to continue to capture the life and development of young Joshua as he develops and grows.  Trying to capture the experiences he has on his wonderful journey.

Looking at my images over the last few years, I seem to enjoy photographing barns and churches so those are a natural addition and I will continue to add to and broaden my understanding of those two subjects.

While I’m not what you would call a wildlife enthusiasts, I do enjoy photographing Eagles and the goings on at the Duck Pond.  So that will be my 4th project.  That should keep me busy and out of trouble for a while.

Well I’ve rambled long enough.  Too much talk and not enough images.  Sorry.  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day and be careful.

The Power Of Photoshop.  Actually I should say the power of digital photography.  First things first.  Desperate for some new images Jeanne and I set out at 6:00 pm last night to capture some new material.  We went to the Dubuque Arboretum and walked  what seemed like a considerable distance for NOTHING.  Not one thing did I see that was even close to being worthy of a capture.

Another few weeks and I’ll go back and get some fantastic flower shots.  Then we drove out 52 highway and still I couldn’t find anything.  So we spent 2 and 1/2 hours and have nothing to show for it.

This morning I was browsing through my archives looking for something to post and I came across a photo shoot I did last June at the “Wood Carvers Convention” that was held in Maquoketa.  Phenomenal display of talent and carving skill.  What these folks can do with wood is simply AMAZING!

Anyway I was looking at some of the shots and wincing at the terrible composure, lighting, and exposure I did on most of the images.  They were in a word terrible.

As you can see from the snapshot above I’m not being over critical.  I have learned a lot over the last year and would hope that I wouldn’t take a picture like that again.  We’ll see, as the Wood Carvers will be back this June 2011 so I’ll get another chance.

Then I got to thinking.  Maybe I could fix this in Photoshop and make it at least worthy of display.  So with about 15 minutes of work, the image below is what I came up with.  Not great but certainly worth looking at. I can tell you today I work very hard to get it right in the camera.  In fact since I shoot in the RAW format, if I have to do more than white and color balance, sharpen and crop a little I consider it a mistake.

Having said that it is nice to know that you can fix some of your errors with this wonderful program called Photoshop.  Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

The title says it all.  I have very little worth looking at today.  But when you commit to writing a “daily blog” it pretty much means you do it on most days.

Since I didn’t make time to shoot this weekend I’m fresh out of fresh images to present.  So I looked at all the images I shot last week and picked the 3 that were the least sucky.

Field Of Dandelions

Yes I know a field of dandelions.  From the road they looked really bright and pretty.  After finding a place to park and hiking a few hundred feet I saw that they were neither.  But I was there so I took some images.  In fact I took a lot of images but I just do not have the skill to make a field of dandelions into something artful.

The one image I do like is this one of Mark and Maggie.  I didn’t like it until I started processing it and then decided to do it in kind of a grungy look.  After I played around with it for a while I am reasonably happy with this image.

Well that’s it for today.  I hope to have something worthy of your visit by tomorrow.  Enjoy your day and be careful.  Thanks for stopping by.