Monday ~ January 16, 2017

Posted by Dave Updegraff on January 16, 2017
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , , .

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Happy Monday!

We have a pretty solid layer of ice already this morning and freezing rain in our part of the world.

I have three images for you today that I captured Saturday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. getting close to sunset.  I love the soft yellow light of the late afternoon sun.

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I have never ice fished and do not plan to do so.  It would be my luck to fall through the ice and drown with all that heavy protective clothing on.  So I’ll leave the ice fishing to the more hardy souls who truly enjoy the sport.

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We had to make a U-turn when I saw this old pickup sitting near a field.  It was cold and I didn’t want to venture on private property so I didn’t spend as much time with this old guy as I would have liked to.

That’s all I have for today.  Nothing rambling around in my mind so I’ll say thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day, watch the ice, and be careful.

Sunday ~ January 15, 2017

Posted by Dave Updegraff on January 15, 2017
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Sunday!

Jeanne and I went on a photo run late yesterday afternoon.  Chasing the sun and looking for things to photograph in the beautiful soft yellow light.  I love this time of day.

I have three images for you today that show the wonderful interaction of the sun setting and the clouds reflecting the rays of the sun.  It can and does paint a beautiful array of colors and textures to behold.

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This was the last image of the day.  The sun had already disappeared below the horizon and all that was left was the reflection on the clouds.  It was fun to watch but the temperature was low and my face and fingers burned from the cold.

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This was one of the first images I took on our journey.  It’s really not much of a tree but I loved the golden sky behind it.

That’s it for today.  Nothing else on my mind so I will bid you adieu.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

Saturday ~ January 14, 2017

Posted by Dave Updegraff on January 14, 2017
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , .

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Happy Saturday!

I have three images for you today.  It feels like I have forgotten how to take photographs.  It’s been such a drought for me this Winter.  Hopefully that will improve as it gets lighter in the evening.

I was determined to take my camera out yesterday into new territory.  I didn’t have anything in particular I wanted to capture so I took two lenses with me.  A long lens if I saw some critters and a shorter lens for landscapes.  Turns out I never took the long lens out of the bag and only used the landscape lens.

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I took these two images near the end of the sun’s journey across the sky.  The entire day, the sky was a gray shapeless yuk and I don’t like to shoot in those conditions.  Around 3:30 p.m. the clouds started to clear a little and the sun was trying to peek through the gray muck so I decided it was then or never.

I was focusing on the sun lighting this small stream and when I looked at the back of the camera I was pleased with what I saw and said (out loud) “Sweet!”  A very large hawk, who apparently was sitting quietly in the tree near the stream was frightened by my outburst and flew away.  It would have been a magnificent shot with his massive body outlined by the sun but I just stood there and watched him fly away.  🙂

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I saw a lot of barns yesterday afternoon but this was one that really caught my eye with the sky showing some structure and definition so I stopped in the middle of the road and grabbed an image.

That’s it for today.  Hope you enjoy your day and as always be careful.

Sunday ~ January 08, 2017

Posted by Dave Updegraff on January 8, 2017
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Sunday!

This is my friend Judy.  That is a Waterford Crystal Bowl she is holding up representing 35 years of continuous service to one of our banks.

I have known her for 17 years and I don’t think I have ever seen her without a smile on her face and asking the question, “How may I help you.”  When she was presented this award she received a standing ovation from her peers, which pretty much says it all.

Jeanne and I attended a Holiday Party at one of our banks last night, which was held in Goose Lake, Iowa.  It is a wonderful facility and the food was amazing.  It’s always fun to see all the friends I work with and their significant other and enjoy an evening of comradely and good cheer.

Congratulations Judy you certainly deserve it.

By the way we celebrated last month an employee who has been with us 50 years and we have some that are in the 40 year bracket.  Says something about the organization that I am privileged to work for.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day, stay warm and be careful.

Thursday ~ January 05, 2017

Posted by Dave Updegraff on January 5, 2017
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Thursday!

I didn’t have any plans for lunch yesterday so grabbed a quick salad at Subway and while there I ran into one of my friends so we shared the biggest portion of the lunch hour.

I had brought my camera with me so took a long road back to work.  I have a couple of images for you today.  This is the Hurstville Dam.  It never ceases to amaze me how running water can freeze.

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I like to photograph weeping willows.  Not a truly inspiring couple of images but it felt very good to have the camera in my hand and up to my eye.  Hopefully this weekend I can get something of interest for you.

That’s it for today.

Enjoy your day, stay warm, and be careful.

Thursday ~ December 29, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on December 29, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Thursday!

I have my three favorite eagle images from 2016 for you today.  I have shown these before last January but since we are near the end of the year, a look back won’t hurt anything. 🙂

Speaking of end of the year, in my world it is the busiest time of the year, with all the federal reports and testing that has to be done.  Numbers aren’t my favorite thing as can be imagined so it is a struggle sometimes.   However, I am so thankful for the opportunity to do what I enjoy so much.

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As I think back over the year from a photography viewpoint I have trouble deciding which I like best.  I love photographing people and creating portraits but I also love photographing eagles (especially) and other forms of wildlife.  I added some new light modifiers this year that help me achieve the look I want in my portraits but there was one modifier that was missing.  Thankfully Jeanne got that for me as a Christmas gift.  I can’t wait to experiment with it.

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One of the highlights of the year was the class I took in Nashville, Tennessee.  Meeting the great Joe McNally and Bill Fortney, learning new things and making new friends was a real treat.  The fact that Jeanne, Angie, Ben, and the grand kids came along was a real blessing.

I haven’t had a camera in my hand since Christmas Eve and I didn’t shoot much then, so I’m anxious to get out and see if there are things out there that need to be photographed.  🙂

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

Monday ~ December 26, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on December 26, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Monday!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.  This was one of the best, if not the best Christmas I can remember.  I have four images for you today and I will admit up front that I did a lousy job of recording the day.

For the most part the camera stayed in the bag.  There were so many missed shots I gave up counting.  I hadn’t seen the kids for over a month and so there was just too much catching up to do.  We spent a good part of Saturday at Angie and Ben’s home.  We had a Christmas brunch, followed by some games.  Then to the 2:00 p.m. church celebration.

Back to the house for presents and that took some time. 🙂

Then a nice dinner and more playing!

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Mark was able to spend the day with us as well.  He had just got home from his vacation in San Diego and landed in Cedar Rapids around 11:30 p.m. Friday night.  But he’s young so he can handle those kind of hours.  🙂

 

So the first image in this series is one of the most beautiful Christmas displays I have every seen.  I applied a texture to the original image but honestly it was beautiful without the enhancement.

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Even though I had not seen Austin in over a month he took up with me right where we left off.  He is such a happy little guy and we spent most of the day together.  He had as much fun playing with the discarded Christmas wrapping as he did with his actual gifts. 🙂

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Gabby was very proud of her Christmas ornament and wanted to make sure I got a picture of it.

It was a wonderful day filled with lots of food, fun, and other stuff.

Jeanne and I spent a quite Christmas day at home this year.  We were going to see a movie but the weather was wet, gray, and cold so we just stayed dry and warm at home.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for checking on the blog.  Enjoy your day and be careful.

Thursday ~ December 22, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on December 22, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Thursday!

One more eagle picture from last January.  I won’t show any more unless they are new ones I capture now.  🙂

Enjoy your day and be careful.

Wednesday ~ December 21, 2016

Posted by Dave Updegraff on December 21, 2016
Posted in: Daily Posts. Tagged: , , , .

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Happy Wednesday! 

Happy first official day of Winter.  🙂

Another eagle image for you today from this past January 2016.  You can click on the image to see a larger version and more detail.

Enjoy your day and be careful.