03-26-13 Luminaire

I knew when I saw these "candles" (made by Energizer) at Target that I had to have them and that they could provide an interesting photo opportunity. Frankly, this shot isn't what I had envisioned when I was walking out of the store. But it's what I ended up with in an impromptu photo session last night.So what are we to make of this tableau? It could be that, to paraphrase Macbeth, it "[signifies] nothing." And it's no accident that I mention Macbeth, since in the speech where that phrase is borrowed, he also talks about a candle. Though his candle is "brief"; these Energizer candles are supposed to last 90 hours.Maybe its about loneliness, alienation and the meaninglessness of life. Yes, Macbeth talks about that too. ("[Life] is a tale told by an idiot signifying nothing.")And maybe I'm asking you to think too much. (At the end of the play, Macbeth probably thought too much; he should have put more thought in to his scheme to become king at the beginning of the play.)Maybe this photo tells the story of a photographer who should have been doing something more serious than playing with Energizer candles and his prized Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens.

07-24-12 Depth of Field

I Am Not the Artist

If you think I did something beyond point and shoot on this photo, you'd be wrong. I credit Mother Nature. But my 70-200mm 2.8 lens played an important role.The circular green swirls that seem to frame these lilies are actually out-of-focus lilly leaves. And, like so many shots I take, I didn't see this until I opened the photo on my computer.These lilies are long gone now, I'm sad to say. In fact many of the flowers in my wife's garden are waning. Fall is just around the corner and, of course, it offers many opportunities for photographers.It's the four or five months of winter that I find challenging. . . .Canon 5DII 1/200s f/2.8 ISO400 130mm

03-31-09 E Pluribus Unum

By Scott Shephard

2009 03-31 E Pluribus Unum

Ethan's second birthday party was this past Saturday and it was an interesting event - twenty-nine guests and enough presents to keep a young person and his parents occupied for a long time.

In between the action my eye was caught by a series of Russian nesting dolls sitting on a hutch that had been stained nearly black. The red and black were a great combination. I shot this with my 50mm 1.2L lens and you can see that the depth of field with this lens can be very narrow.

Canon 5DII 1/125s f/1.2 ISO1000 50mm