Canon 5D Mark 3 | 70-200 Canon L IS lens | Off Camera Speedlight with Fong Diffuser
Hay mow (or, hay loft) basketball is a foreign concept to many young, up and coming basketball players these days. Back in the day when big red barns were more of a farm standard, the hay mow was the closest thing young people had to basketball skills camp. I’m sure the reffing was questionable and rules may have been bent, adapted or even eliminated. How did they ever survive?
This lucky young man along with his siblings and cousins have spent many hours playing basketball in this hay mow. Memories made and life lessons learned.
What are YOUR memories of games or shenanigans in the hay mow?
Canon 5D Mark 3 | 24-70 Canon L lens | Off Camera Speedlight with Fong Diffuser
A prime lens has just one focal length (in contrast to a zoom lens that covers a wider range of lengths).
Back in the day I used prime lenses while shooting with medium format film cameras, but the digital world has found me using zoom lenses exclusively for several years.
Why would I want a prime lens when I could have a zoom that covers a variety of lengths? Easy answer – money. In the midst of downsizing equipment, I’ve found myself in need of an affordable lens to go on an older body. Quality and price are both factors and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM seemed to fit the bill. My other lenses open to 2.8, so having a faster lens at 1.8 could be interesting. Maybe I’ll reinvent myself as a low light street photographer – you never know.
So, at sunset I took my new little lens to our nearby slough to try it out… pretty much straight out of camera except for tweaking exposure.
ISO 250 / F 6.3 / 1/800
ISO 250 / F 1.8 / 1.500
ISO 100 / F 4 / 1/125
Used this 50mm lens while trying out a DIY beauty dish, of sorts, with equipment I already had on hand – cheap $37 slave that screws into a regular light socket inside a silver chick warmer. Not much for catch lights, but kind of worked.
ISO 100/F 1.8/Shutter 1/60
ISO 100/F 11/Shutter 1/500
Price for this handy little lens? $125 – much less than the $1600 price tag for a new 24-70 Canon 2.8 zoom. While I like the lens for stationary subjects, I did find the autofocus slow when trying to capture moving subjects.
‘Tis the season… to photograph children and holiday lights.
I had the opportunity to photograph this little tyke at a festive location: Santaland in Madison, Minnesota.
Available light gives such a “magical” look when photographing children with holiday lighting with the goal being a pleasantly lit face with glowing lights. So… shut off your flash.
Tips for photographing lights:
Basic camera settings:
1) Set a wide aperture (low f-stop number) like f2.8, or as wide as your lens will go.
2) Bump up your ISO to around 800-1250 (not an exact science) I topped out my ISO on some of these since it was such a dark area with no outside lighting.
3) Make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/100th to freeze the subject. I had an active 1 1/2 year old subject so I cranked the shutter up to around 200.
Now those numbers above aren’t a magic formula, but they give you a good starting point. If the Christmas lights aren’t bright enough, bump up the ISO or slow down your shutter speed (just not too slow unless you are going for a blurred motion look!!). It may help to have a little available light coming in through a window to light the subject, but not too much and no direct light since that would overpower the glowing holiday lights. Even lighting on the face is important.
Image color look pretty weird? Either set the white balance in your camera while taking photos or adjust it in the post process in Lightroom or Photoshop. I shoot in Raw so I worry about it during the post-process steps. More information can be found on white balance here: What about White Balance?
I’d highly recommend a trip to Santaland located upstairs above Heather Floral right on Main Street, Madison, Minnesota.
Image by Joyce Meyer, Manfred Township, Lac qui Parle County
With the 2016 Minnesota State Fair opening today, August 25th, 4-H members that qualify for a state fair trip will be making their way to St. Paul during the next few days filled with anticipation for the “Super Bowl” of the 4-H world. Many hours of creative thinking, problem solving and work have gone into the vast array of projects presented at this level. Why would anyone go through all of that work?
4-H changes lives, helping youth to become confident, mature adults ready to succeed in today’s challenging world. Studies show that youth participating in 4-H do better in school, are more motivated to help others, feel safe to try new things, and develop lasting friendships.~Cornell University Cooperative Extension
Not surprisingly, the flower called Queen Anne’s Lace originated in Europe and was given its name for the lacy nature of the flower head. It was very popular during the reign of who other than……. Queen Anne.
Image by Joyce Meyer ~ Manfred Township, Lac qui Parle County, Miinnesota
According to legend, Queen Anne was tatting white lace. (Tatting is the all-but-lost art of making lace by hand.) The beautiful white lace she was tatting became the white lacy flowers of the wild carrot plant. She pricked her finger and one drop of blood oozed out. This became the central dark red or purple sterile floret that is present on some, but not all, Queen Anne’s Lace flowers.
Legends disagree as to which Queen Anne was tatting such lovely lace. Some say it was Anne (1574 – 1619), the first Stuart Queen Anne, who was brought over from Denmark at fourteen years of age to be a Queen to King James of Scotland. Others argue it was Anne (1665 – 1714), the daughter of William and Mary, and the last monarch in the Stuart line. Both Annes died in their forties.
Queen Anne’s Lace was brought to North America by early European settlers as a medicinal herb. Also known as Wild Carrot, this wildflower is easy to grow, and is prolific in spreading its seeds by the wind. It can be found growing wild along roadsides and in fields almost anywhere in the U.S. ~ The Gardener’s Network
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