Gators slam Stetson

New Camera

I switched my camera body. I sold my Nikon D50 digital SLR and bought the newer, a little upgraded Nikon D80. I managed to make the trade only paying about $25 out of pocket and a lens. I'll miss the good ole' D50, but I needed the better ISO, more focus points and additional features of the D80.

The D50... (photo by zonnet.nl) The D80...

(photo by regenthilldesigns)

Macros in the Yard

Here are some macro (close-up) shots from a few different places. Most of them are from my parents' yard, which is run by wasps and lizards. To get these shots, I had to get my knees, and sometimes the rest of my body. I used my 70-300mm Sigma telephoto locked at 300mm in the macro position for close focusing. I used auto white balance, the widest aperture possible to freeze the bugs and minimize camera shake. I usually shot between ISO 400 and ISO 800 to get the fastest shutter speeds possible.

Thanksgiving in the Everglades

I took a trip to visit the relatives in Miami for Thanksgiving. The weather was beautiful, so we decided to bike 15 miles in Shark Valley in the Everglades. There weren't any sharks, but we saw tons of these reptiles. I brought my D50 with just my old fixed 50mm f./1.8 Nikkor because it's tiny and weighs practically nothing. I cropped some of the pictures to make the subjects bigger. That's where more megapixels count. Just goes to show you don't need to use a $4,000 telephoto to get some decent wildlife shots. Most shots are ISO 200, auto white balance, f./ 4 and shutter about 1/1250 second.

Okay, I understand this wasn't the smartest thing to do. It was a one time deal. Kids, don't try this!

The Last Home Gator Game

Florida Gators vs. Citadel Bulldogs

Here are a few shots from way up in the nosebleed section with my 70-300mm telephoto...

For those who want to know: I was shooting at ISO 400, usually at 300mm f./ 5.6 ( I'd use lower aperture if I had a lens that could) on my D50. Sunny white balance and spot metering. I used as fast of a shutter speed as possible to freeze the motion. Most shots were about 1/2000 second.

Louis Murphy and Ahmad Black with fans...
Aaron Hernandez...

Chris Rainey...
Chris Rainey...
Torrey Davis...
Jonathan Phillips...
Brandon James...
Tim Tebow...
Mr. Two Bits' last dance...

Lake Alice on a cold evening

I used specially panoramic software to piece several images together, yielding this picture of Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus at dusk. This is not an HDR. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see the lake in all its greatness.

Photography in Words

This is a podcast. You can download it in iTunes by copying and pasting the link.

My dogs being friendly...

I guess Comet and Zoe weren't agreeing on something. I shot this at 300mm with my Sigma telephoto. ISO 400, shutter speed 1/2000 second, vivid color, auto white blance, and f./ 5.6.

Some of My Favorite Pictures Over the Years