Just Set It And Forget It...

I usually shoot in Manual mode in just about every situation; occasionally mixing in Aperture mode from time to time...
Sometimes doing that, figuring out the settings and fiddling with the knobs and buttons can be a pain. I do not shoot with flash (on camera, studio strobe, etc.) too often, most of my work being shot using natural or available light. So on Christmas Day; I decided to just set the camera to one of it's Auto modes and fire away. This is one of my favorites from the day; as Elise excitedly showed everyone her new Slinky, she paused in front of me with a silly smile and then put it up to her face. I just raised my camera, and without a moments thought or hesitation, I mashed down the shutter button.
At the end of the day; it's all about capturing that moment, that emotion, that memory... its not about what light capturing device you happened to be holding at the time...

Have great day everyone! - Ed

Christmas Eve Visitor...

Just missed catching the man in the red suit as he went up the chimney... But I did manage to get this image of the "crime" scene. It stayed this way for several more hours before our little investigator tore the scene apart looking for clues but only finding fun distractions instead...

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! - Ed

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I wanted to take a minute and share an image from last year's Holiday Season. if we are lucky, we might even get some snow for Christmas this year too...

As I listen to Christmas music and smell the baking taking place in the kitchen; I wanted to say thank you. I appreciate all of the support from my family, friends, and fans. I hope that all of you have a wonderful, healthy, happy, and safe holiday filled with smiles, laughter, and love. Best wishes for the New Year; may the best of past year be better than the worst of the new...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! - Ed

Monuments Big & Small...

I wanted to share this image from my Arlington outing last week. It was a gray, misty, rainy day and I had to wait for a few minutes for the view to clear so I could include the Washington Monument in the composition.

Have a great day! - Ed

Merry Christmas Thomas J...

I don't know who Thomas J is... but someone placed a nice wreath on his marker for the holidays this year.

Have a great day! - Ed

Not Forgotten...

Sometimes it is the littlest of things that scream the loudest message of all...

When I asked a groundskeeper about the occasional rock, pebble, or marble that I saw placed on top of some of the grave markers; I was told that these "messages" were left by family and friends to let others that knew and loved the deceased, that someone had been there to visit.

That more than anything else brought it home... despite being beautifully arranged like some giant's domino set, each and everyone one of these markers is attached to wives, children, husbands, families, generations. These connections are what give this hallowed ground it's spirit and life.

This particular marble sat atop the marker of a WWI veteran that had died a long time ago. I found myself wondering who had left this message, how long since this veteran had a visitor, what was the visitor's connection to the veteran. What must have been going through the mind of the visitor? Was it a son or daughter saying goodbye to their father for the final time before meeting him again in the great beyond? Could it have been a great grandchild wondering who this person was that they share a name with?

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them O Lord, and let Your Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them...

Ed

Arlington Details...

It was my distinct privilege to be able to have the opportunity to tour and capture images at our nation's most hallowed place, Arlington National Cemetery. To say it was a profound experience is putting it mildly. I arrive just after 8AM, walking to the visitor center in a light but steady rain. I was immediately struck by the solemn feeling in the air; as if Mother Nature had somehow hushed herself in this place.

The light was less than ideal for photography; I was told by a guard that my tripod was to stay strapped to my bag (not having a lot of tripod luck lately, lol)...

I must have looked funny; standing by a tree, my backpack on, camera in hand, just looking... it took me several minutes before I felt like I could walk out among the markers. Thinking of my father and my uncles (non of whom are interred there) I began to walk, read, and observe. The first thing that visually grabs most people is the sheer number and the pattern of the markers. While I did take that in (and captured some images that I hope convey it); what caught my attention more were the little details. Details that might get overlooked when taking the whole place in...

When I leaned his wreath out of the way; Russell had indeed served in our Navy during WWII & Korea. Some thoughtful family member or friend had left this hat; maybe it was Russell's, the day before in honor of the annual Army Navy game that was played yesterday. Navy won and I hoped somewhere that Russell was smiling...

This outing today was one of the more memorable ones that I have had. Made me think a lot...

I will have more from Arlington to share soon.

God Bless America...

Ed

Engine No. 12

What are Christmas images without a least a few of some toy trains... This was part of the outdoor display set up at Longwood. The children that were around were very impressed (as was I, it is a pretty cool set up). Made me think of the set I had when I was a little kid, just a simple oval with an inner loop at the one end... Ahh, to be young again LOL!

Have a great day! - Ed

Buds, Blooms, and Bokeh...

I used one of the large Christmas trees in the Conservatory at Longwood as a background for these blooms and buds. Sometimes, what isn't in focus has more impact than what is...

Have a great day! - Ed

The Other Big Tree...

A few posts back; I shared an image of this tree that I captured the other night. I wanted to share this image of the same tree with the morning light coming through all of the glass of the Conservatory...

Have a great day! - Ed

The Big Tree...

Spent a few hours this morning at Longwood; capturing some Christmas themed images during the daylight hours. As an added bonus; tripods are allowed inside until noon, so this made it a little easier... Place filled up fast with happy people and delighted children. More images from the outing soon...

Have a great day! - Ed

More From The Fountains...

Here is another image of the Longwood fountains working their Christmas magic...

Have a great day! - Ed

Christmas Fountains...

The highlight of my evening's visit to Longwood was watching the lighted fountain show set to Christmas music. Highly recommend a visit to get yourself into the Christmas mood. I will have more images of the fountains soon...

Have a great day! - Ed

Magic In The Window...

As I stood outside the Conservatory at Longwood; enjoying the cold air after the slightly stifling atmosphere of the green house, I noticed the windows...
I was struck by the quality of the light and thought about all of the people who have run past this view to get out of the cold to see the display inside. I think the view thru the windows only serves to heighten the excitement of seeing whats inside...

I made my way over to fountains from here...

Have a great day! - Ed

Quiet Gardens...

Normally a spot at Longwood bustling with activity; the main fountain gardens were very quiet, and due to the cold, there were very few other people around up on the terrace. Without the waters running; standing at the rail I was surprised at the amount of peaceful silence that radiated up from the garden. I didn't take too many images at this spot and found myself simply enjoying the few moments of solitude.

Have a great day! - Ed

Golden Tree At Longwood...

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few hours at Longwood Gardens this evening; figuring the crowds may be lighter on a Wednesday, also helped by the cold temperatures and wind. Spent a little time in the Conservatory; but was only able to shoot hand held as tripods are not allowed indoors after 12PM due to the amount of people. More images to follow soon, especially some really nice images of the fountain show...

Have a great day! - Ed

St. Peters Inn...

Here is another from my brief outing Sunday evening... Not your traditional Holiday image; with the colors hidden in the B&W conversion. I thought the glow of the lights was the more welcoming aspect of the scene; more so than the color of lights.

Have a great day! - Ed

Quick Evening Outing...

Got a thought about shooting some Christmas lights around twilight this afternoon... Decided to follow that hunch and head up to St Peter's Village to see what the lights were like. I was a little disappointed, as it seems the St. Peters Inn was the only building with any holiday lights. Figured this was a good way to start what I hope is some more shooting in the coming weeks. I did get the twilight part right though ;)

Have a great day! - Ed