A Different View

Migration

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:11 -0500

There's nothing quite like observing a vast bird migration. When the countless number of birds take off at once, the sound is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. It was truly a remarkable thing to behold.

The Setting Sun

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:07 -0500

The view from Cheaha State Park's Bald Rock on July 24, 2011. Five short days after taking this photo, Isaac would enter the world, and life was forever changed. Every day is exciting thanks to little "DJ," but we sure do love him!

A New Beginning

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 06:17 -0500

On July 29, 2011, a baby boy was born, and a new world began. I became a father, and my wife became a mother. Isaac David Williams weighed 8 lb. 6 oz, and was 21¾" long.

Looking back over the past four weeks, I can safely say that we’ve made it through the initial tough sleepless nights, but every day poses a new challenge. And I for one am so thankful for Yahweh’s strength to sustain us through the nights when we were exhausted, and the days when we had to continue despite how we felt.

Give thanks to יהוה, for He is good! For His kindness is everlasting.
— Psalm 136:1

Here’s to the next four weeks, and beyond!

P.S. Want to see more photos of Isaac? Look no further.

Lakeside

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:20 -0500

A few days ago, after another typical Alabama thunderstorm, my wife and I walked along the lake, enjoying the golden hues which the storm left in its wake. One of the things that stood out to me were the gentle, linear waves that blanketed the lake. And after offsetting the waves with the lakeside grass, I composed this photograph. With evenings like this, one can easily put up with thunderstorms.

Good Morning

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:15 -0500

There’s something about foggy mornings that excites me. Perhaps it’s the seemingly infinite white sky that feels so vast and yet so close. Maybe it’s because everything looks so soft and vibrant. However, one thing I do know is that foggy mornings make great photos!

Sunset on the Lake

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 15:05 -0500

Nothing beats a stunning sunset. Everywhere you look, the deep golden rays of the sun change the ordinary into the extraordinary. And on June 24, 2011, the same day the previous post was taken, I got to experience this very thing.

Sufficient to say, one can only stand in awe at the awesome beauty of Yahweh’s creation.

If you’d like to see some more photos from this day, feel free to stop by my Flickr account.

The Oncoming Storm

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:44 -0500

When I looked out the window last Friday, I knew I had to get outside right away. I grabbed my camera and ran out the door, as the scene was just too amazing to pass up.

Anytime you have dark, ominous clouds behind brightly lit trees, you know you’re going to end up with some amazing contrast, and this time didn’t prove me wrong.

I was like a little kid running around composing photos as the storm front blew in. Looking down at the LCD screen, I stared with amazement at the images. A lot of times, cameras never seem to capture the amazing beauty of nature, but sometimes they surprise us!

See my Flickr account for more photos of the storm.

Ocean Waves

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:02 -0500

Last month, my wife and I spent some time ocean side in Tybee Island, GA. The weather was perfect, the water fantastic, and the pictures turned out great.

One morning, we got up early and went out to the East beach to see the sunrise. The cool ocean breeze greeted us, and before long, the sun rose slowly over the horizon. It was a perfect start to a beautiful day.

Full Moon

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:35 -0500

The full moon last night was simply amazing. I got my recently fixed tripod out and setup my 400mm prime lens to start with, but after a few photos I realized I needed some more reach. I ran back home and got my 2x tele-extender, which effectively doubled the focal length to 800mm (1280mm 35mm equivalent).

When using the tele-extender with this lens, I loose autofocus ability, so I had to manually dial in the focus. I also set the camera to manual exposure mode, which is a necessity for any nighttime shooting. After a few more trial-and-error shots, I had all of the settings dialed in perfectly. I enabled mirror lockup, turned on the self timer, and captured this photo.

And to wrap it all up, I applied some post-processing in Lightroom to equalize the tones and create this final print.

To see the full details in this photo, check out the original size on Flickr.

Today's Tasks

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 08:47 -0500

Lately work has been a little crazy, bouncing from one project to the next. It can be a little daunting at times, but I've found that writing down the tasks for the day helps me to focus on what needs to be done.

Come to think of it, if I were to write "get out and photograph" on the board, chances are, I'd be able to update the photoblog more often. Now that's an idea!

Amalgamation

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:23 -0500

You may find the title of this photo intriguing, and for good reason, because at face value, it doesn't exactly make sense, but I can assure you that it is actually quite fitting.

An amalgamation is "The action, process, or result of combining or uniting," according to the New Oxford American Dictionary.

You see, it all started in 1977, ten years before I was born. That's the year Nikon released the Nikon FM, the camera in which I used to capture this photograph.

The second piece of the puzzle is the film. The film itself was a roll of Kodak Ektachrome, which expired twenty-five years ago. So even the film was manufactured before I was born.

As for the capturing of the actual photograph, that occurred in October 2010, but the film wasn't processed or scanned until 2011.

But the story doesn't end there. Kodak states that Ektachrome should be processed in E-6 chemistry, but E-6 processing is rather scarce nowadays, as practically all color film uses C-41. So I had the film cross-processed in C-41 instead. How's that for an amalgamation!

So I guess you could say this photo has been thirty-four years in the making!

Cody

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:26 -0500

This week brought a whole new batch of snow to the state of Alabama. In fact, due to the freezing rain and snow, all of the roads were closed for three days. However, for the last two days, the temperature has gone above freezing, so the snow and ice has begun to melt in rapid succession. But for those of us in the south, it is a rare thing to see everything covered in such a thick, four inch, white blanket.

If you'd like to see some more photos from the snow, head over to my flickr account.

Winter Wonderland

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 07:03 -0500

I awoke last Saturday to a winter wonderland. All of the grass was covered, and the snow was continuing to fall. My wife and I got bundled up, and spent the whole day playing outside in the snow. We even built a snowman!

In Alabama, snow is a rare treat, so you've gotta enjoy it while you've got it! Within a few days, all of the snow was gone, but amazingly the snowman is still holding in there, barely.

As far as photography goes, I'm finding Manual is steadily becoming my mode of choice. It allows me to lock down the exposure to the brightness I want. And when you're shooting in a high-key environment, like snow, that's a big plus!

Bokeh

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:37 -0500

A lot can happen between photoblog posts, albeit a five month delay doesn't hurt. And I'm happy to announce that my fiancée and I are now husband and wife! She's one amazing woman! It's a privilege to be married to someone who loves you so dearly.

However life continues to rush along at breakneck speed, and some things, such as photoblogs, tend to take a back seat for a while. I'm going to try to dust off my old film cameras, and acquire some new film development equipment so I can get back in the swing of things.

The photo above is an example of how you can take a foggy lens, covered in condensation, in combination with nasty mercury-vapor lamps, and get some interesting results. I hope you enjoy it!

Rays of Hope

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:41 -0500

This evening up on Chimney Peak, I saw the most amazing sight. Beams of light pierced through the ominous thunderhead, illuminating areas which would have otherwise been shrouded in darkness. In a way, reminded me of how we should live our lives.

Red Panda

Sun, 16 May 2010 16:48 -0500

Out of all the animals I saw at Zoo Atlanta, the Red Panda was one of my favorites. The Kori Bustard was up there too, but that's simply because I love the name! This photo also proves why prime lenses simply can't be beat when it comes to sharpness and clarity.

Mountaintop Mist

Mon, 03 May 2010 20:52 -0500

I don't think anything on earth can surpass the beauty of nature. It's simply awe-inspiring to see and experience, and like all amazing things, it reflects the handiwork of an amazing Creator.

Pastel Colors at Twilight

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:40 -0500

Using a similar technique as Dusk's Fading Light, in this photograph, I zoomed out during the 15 second exposure to create light trails. This photo in particular seems to have a very peaceful, calming effect. Do you feel the same thing, or do you get a different feeling?

Mediterranean Sea

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:05 -0500

Looking west, from Netanya, Israel. The cool sea breeze and white sand beaches were a welcome sight, after spending so much time in the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem. What a great place to spend our last day in Israel.

Red Planet

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:13 -0500

I love it when you see a photo on the back of the camera LCD, and you know instantly that it is a keeper. I didn't expect to do much post processing on this shot, as it looked quite good out of the box, but boy was I in for a little surprise.

You can read the full writeup on the post processing for this shot, over on the Addendum blog.

Flare

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:27 -0500

There is no denying the sun is impressive. When it is setting, I don't know if it's possible to take an ugly photo. Take for example this backlit portrait, the colors simply pop out of the screen. I think it's safe to say, I'm currently hooked on sunsets.

Golden

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:09 -0500

On a brisk Thursday afternoon, at the golden hour, I decided to take a short trip in my car, too look for some potential photographs. As soon as I came across this section of road, I knew it was a photographic opportunity. I doubled back, parked the car by the side of the road, and got out my camera.

This high contrast scene gave the camera some issues, I ended up switching to manual mode in order to help control the brightness. After I took a handful of shots, I packed up, and headed home, happy knowing that I had gotten what I set out to accomplish.

Snowscape

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:46 -0500

There is simply no denying that snow is gorgeous, but here in Alabama, we don't get to see it very often. However, two days ago, we received three inches of snow, causing the once bleak landscape to be instantly transformed into a winter wonderland. The snow only lasted two days, but it was definitely worth it.

By Dusk's Fading Light

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:03 -0500

This photo is the result of an accident, but it's the kind of accident you don't mind having. Last night, at dusk, I took some of my cousins up to Chimney Peak for the first time. It was cold, but the view made up for it.

As you can imagine, I brought along my tripod and camera, in hopes of getting a few long-exposures of the city. After firing off a few shots, I was about to move the camera, when I accidentally pressed the remote, starting another 15 second exposure. And since I really didn't care about the photo, I decided to try zooming out during the exposure, and when I saw the resulting photo on the LCD, I was quite pleased.

I ended up shooting three additional photos using this technique, and I think the last one turned out the best. Feel free to let me know what you think about this effect.

Supports

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:22 -0500

While in Fort McClellan, the sky was overcast, the daylight was waning, and the temperature was dropping. I knew I didn't have much time left, but I didn't want to leave without a visit to the train tracks.

The repetition of the worn concrete supports instantly captured my eye. I ended up photographing it from a few different angles, but I think this one turned out the best.

Again, this was shot with my trusty Leica IIIf, on Kodak T-MAX 400 film.