My First Swim Meet

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my granddaughters swim meet. This was the first one I had been to. From a photographer stand point I was wondering how to get the best pictures. Every sport/event has it's own nuances.



The first one I ran into was the humidity and temperature of the pool area which caused my lens to fog, which is what happens if you don't let your camera and equipment adjust correctly. I took a few practice shots and even tried my polarizer but decided against it. What I would gain in lack of reflection did not compensate enough for the stop of light I would have to give up.



The event only had one major rule concerning photos. No flash was allowed for the start of the race but was allowed afterwords. The races were going to be quick so I worked out that the best lens for the job was going to be my Canon 100mm f/2.8 (What else), ISO 800, Auto WB (seems to work best with mixed light) and 90 second shutter non flash and 250 for flash. I just cycled back and forth between the two as I needed.



The next task was trying to figure out what would make for a good shot. As usual I take more bad ones than I do good ones but I got a few good shots. Timing is everything and since I was using flash for most of the race I couldn't just snap away. You pretty much have to anticipate the shot. If you wait until you see it, it's too late to capture.



On Your Mark Set Ready Go!

XVW (Xtreme Valley Wrestling)

My nephew Nathan, referees for semi-pro wrestling in Middletown Ohio. He invited me to the 1st Anniversary Show for Xtreme Valley Wrestling to take some pictures.



The event takes place in the old Sorg's Opera House.



This is my nephew Nathan.

This was a really fun shoot. I didn't know what all to expect so you had to be on your toes. I had to use my Canon 100mm f/2.8 lens for most of the shots and I had to shoot at ISO 1600. This would of been a good place for a Cannon 70-200 f/2.8. (Still not in my price range)



As you can see by these pics it wasn't all muscle and brawn.



Here are two of my best action shots of the night.





These last two could almost be used for promo shots. The last one made my Picture of the week.



This was a great fun shoot. Thank You Nathan for inviting and getting me ringside access. Made me feel like a pro.

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Stained Glass Window

Normally I save these for my Cross Tipped Churches blog. The church will be featured in that blog but I wanted to post this picture here as well. It also made my Photo of the Week.



The window is lit at night from the inside. This picture was taken from across the street of the church with my trusty old Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. The picture looks a little foggy because of the storm window glass. The storm glass is not completely transparent. The church plans on replacing the glass this May with a clear glass.

This is just one of three magnificent stained glass windows in the church. They are all the same size, approximately 15 x 18 feet. To see more pictures check out the post in my www.crosstippedchurches.blogspot.com blog.

Very Cool Couple

Just a quick post on a cool winter picture find. This is a relief sculpture on the side of our public library.

On My Honor

Out of my past came a phone call. It was Patrick Ho. Patrick had called to tell me had made Eagle Scout and wanted to know if I would be the speaker at his Eagle Court of Honor. I had been Patrick's Scout Master his first couple of years of scouting. I was of course honored for the privilege and said yes. As I was part of the ceremony I was only able to take pictures before and after.

As they assembled for a group photo I headed to the balcony. It was a large number of people and I thought it would offer the best advantage to fit them all in.



Please join me, in congratulating Patrick Ho in achieving the highest rank attainable in Scouts--The Rank of Eagle Scout.

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