Asleep with Leo

Shot this a few minutes ago with my iPhone and The Best Camera App.

Josie and Leo

Tonight Josie has Leo the 1st Grade Lion. We took photos and now I'm off to Scouts.

Sunsets Never Get Old and a Photo Lesson

I was driving to jail tonight to get things ready for church and I saw this beautiful sunset. Lucky for me I had my P&S camera with me and my iPhone. As Jay Maisel would say, “Carry a camera. It’s tough to take pictures without one.”


Picture #2 is a wide shot of the previous sunset. I tell my class all the time, there are more pictures out there you just have to find them. This one was easy. When I ask my class for Nick Kelsh Rule #3 they all chant in unison "take more pictures." I took about twenty photos of this sunset before it slipped away. Sometimes you have to work fast.


Now,I know your thinking I have lost all sense of taste with this image, but let me explain. I have been telling my class that you have to develop the ability to see the world in 3D. I mean you have to imagine what the subject might look like from a different place. I mentioned that I was driving to jail when I saw the sunset and the beautiful tree skeletons. I had to drive a ways before I could pull off the road and the parking lot was the wrong angle. I headed out into the field because that is where my 3D radar told me I needed to be to get the trees and the sunset to line up. This really ugly photo shows how far out in the field I had to go to get things to line up. This 3D idea is not rocket science. Sometimes you just have to keep moving around your subject or move until your subject lines up like you want it to.


Remember I mentioned that there are always more pictures to take. Hello, I was standing in the middle of a field of tall grass. Pay attention to whats around you.

I am sorry this post seems like a little rant. I just get frustrated when people don't try to make their pictures more interesting. The world is filled with wonder and with a little effort great photos can be had.

Thanks for reading.

Which Camera

Today Noah had a tough decesion on which camera to choose for shooting half-time. The Nikon or the Leica loaded with T-Max 100.

One of the great joys of being a photographer is using different cameras. I love using film cameras as does Noah. I love using my Kodak and Hasseblad rangefinders as well as my medium format Yashica. I even love shooting with my iPhone.

Whatever the camera you pick, take some photos, express your vision, and share your prints.

I have Great Photographer Friends

I love being a photographer. I get to do really cool jobs and you get to work with some Great People. These are some of my photographer buddies at a recent Harding football game. Noah and Craig are in the back and they are my student workers. I have had both of them the entire time they have been at Harding and they will both graduate this year which will leave a tremendous hole in the Photo Services Office. I know from experience that more students will come and that they will be great as well but I am truly trying to enjoy my last year with these two guys.

The guy with glasses is Wally Jarrett. I met Wally years ago when he took one of my continuing education classes. He was all about digital way back then when I was still skeptical. Wally founded Searcysports.com and became a big time sports photographer. Now days he just shoots for fun, but he is still a great photographer and an all around great guy.

These guys were giving me heck as I took this photo with my new Canon G11. I had owned the camera almost 24 hours when I took this photo. Noah suggested I use the self timer and set the camera on a end zone pylon but I couldn't find the setting for the self timer so I ended up shooting it holding the camera myself. I am thankful that I get to hang out with these guys on a regular basis.

I also have a great band of brothers and sisters in the UPAA. I have been a member of that group for 6 years and I have been to their summer symposium 5 of those years.
That brings me to my buddy Donny Crowe. We roomed together this past summer at the Jamestown, NY Symposium. I took the photo below as we went to shoot the Jamestown Jammers ballgame. Well my friend is in ICU today having surgery to remove a bleeding brain mass. Please take a minute to say a pray for my friend Donny and then be sure to let your friends know that they mean a lot to you.

Nice Oxymoron

Freezing at the Soccer Fields

I am currently waiting for faculty members to come and get photos made so I am blogging some old photos.

Jalen and Josie both play soccer and love it. Usually in the Searcy soccer world you bake in the fall soccer season and you freeze in the spring soccer season. This year we have frozen a couple of weekends in the fall. I'm predicting that if it doesn't stop raining soon we might be playing water polo on the spring instead of soccer.

Canon G11

Greetings to my faithful readers, thanks for sticking around even though I am posting very sparingly these days. I just replaced my P&S camera at the office with the brand new Canon G11. My previous P&S was the Canon Powershot S5. I loved that camera and would still be using it but someone stole it. I was truly excited to see the G11 announced because it was only a 10MP camera which is going backwards in resolution for Canon. I think it was a great trade off because the G11 has much less noise at high ISOs than its predecessor the G10. The G11 is the top of the line Canon P&S camera and it is built for professionals. Major controls like ISO, and exposure compensation are controlled by dials on the top of the camera and it can shoot raw files. The G11 also brought back a feature I think is a must for P&S cameras, the flip out monitor. The flip out monitor is essential for shoot low angles and the Hail Mary angle as well. Oh I almost forgot that one of the best features of P&S cameras in general is their awesome macro ability.
Here are a couple of photos from the past weekends football game in Monticello. We got whipped but I did get a few good images with the G11.

UAM has a beautiful pond right beside the football stadium and the color was excellent. I fell in love many years ago with Cypress balls while visiting the University Photographer at Mississippi State. My friend Marco provided some great insight to me as we were beginning our transition to digital imaging here at Harding.

And yes, I got to fly to the game. I have lucked out and been able to fly to all the away games this year.

Kelby vs. McNally..."I'll Light Ya For It!"

Two photo heroes of mine having fun. I believe photography should be fun and these guys help you remember that through all the work you still have to have fun.

The Best Camera App

I have been using The Best Camera App for the last week or so and you can check out my page on The Best Camera web page. The Best Camera App was developed by Chase Jarvis. If you use an iPhone, go buy The Best Camera App today.