Happy Earth Day everybody. I hope that we can all find something in our daily routine to change in an effort to help this little planet that we call home. Look at it this way, we inhabit the 3rd rock from the sun. If we mess it up, we cannot move onto the 2nd or 4th so we are best to keep this one in good working order.

One thing that we ALL really need to do is help to reduce the amount of trash we generate. There is something called the Pacific Gyre. This is just a good example of what we are capable of doing and not a good thing.

There is a very informative thread on ScubaBoard here that, contains some very good information. Unfortunately you need to get past the heated emotions and rubbish to find the good information. Basicall, the Gyre does exist and while its exact size and composition may still be debateable, it is still proof that we really need to smarten up.

Let's take today to help the Earth heal itself.

When I started out taking pictures underwater, I started with a simple digital camera and Canon housing but using no internal OR external lighting for my shots. None of the pictures really turned out the way I wanted because there was insufficient light to bring out the colors (i.e. RED which as an UW Photographer knows, has the quickest and largest impact on a photo) but I loved the pictures anyways.

At the time I was not aware that there was a way of editing the photo to add back in much of the color that was missing. I have since found out that this ability does exist and have recovered many pictures. There are many processes out there and the one that I am trying to share and simplify is for Adobe Photoshop CS3.

I have been told that most of the process also works with CS4 but since I have not physically seen the software so I cannot confirm or deny that. I have tried to make this a simple process and have tried to make the process easy to follow. This is just a first attempt so bear with it. I do believe the correct information is present however I will try to work on a better presentation.

I hope that some people out there are able to make positive use of this document. Please feel free to leave the files on my site, copy them to your computer, and tell others about the site if they could use it. As stated on the web page, I did not come up with the process but I would appreciate any credit for the work I have invested in the document itself. Thank you and please share your experience. If this helped, please let me know.

This is something that I have been struggling with because I will go out one day and take a couple hundred shots, ending up with 8 or 10 that I really quite like. Some I will consider blowing up and displaying in our house, but that idea always get shelved after it is thought.

So, I have found a place where I can present my pictures in a much more appealing and professional manner. This, I think, has made me want to do even more. I am always trying to think of things that I can do that will likely result in a couple of good shots. But then I need to tame my photography obsession because it really is only exciting for me. It is not exciting for anybody that is asked to wait for me while I wait for something to happen.

One thing I have learned, there is one big aspect of photography that most people do not see……patience and waiting. To get a picture of a bird flying away, you need to wait for the bird to take off. Above waiting for that, you need to be ready to snap the picture the whole time you are waiting. To everybody but the person behind the camera, this seems terribly boring. But the photographer can picture the shot before it happens. They know that as soon as that bird takes off and they push the button, the waiting will be well worth it.

So I walked a short distance and there was another very large gathering of geese in with the reindeer. This time, as well as trying to be ready with the camera, I had my ears tuned to hear the distinct noise created as a goose flies close by (as in about to land in my case). This is what proved to help me the most. As soon as I heard the goose flapping, I had my lens wide open, hand ready to zoom as soon as I saw my target and my finger poised over the button to half press for focus and then full press for to engage the shutter.

While not a professional shot, this is the result of that specific attempt

Again, I know I am an amateur, but I am loving the journey. What do you do along the way to set-up your action shots? What are some of the action shots that you actively seek?

I have been trying for quite a while to improve on my picture presentation. While I have no abilities as a web developer, I finally found a hosting site that seemed to offer what I wanted. I am going to spend some time transferring my pictures over however I have uploaded one for now. I am still learning it but figured I would see if any feedback is available.

You can see the first album here. If the link does not work, this is the address (http://stevemccrodan.zenfolio.com/p718838827) It is just a sampling of some of my favourite pictures. These include some taken last weekend at the Butterfly Conservatory.

Now, before you poke fun at the fact that I spent a Saturday afternoon at a Butterfly Conservatory, it was a great place to use my camera and to try to get some practice. Now that my mind thinks in terms of photo opportunities, I am much more open to activities that I otherwise would have turned my nose up at.

A couple of photos that, while maybe not technically correct, I am really pleased with what the results were.

I will call it quits at that. Thanks for stopping by.

Well, it has been a week since I got my XSi and I have had a little time to play. I am still learning the features and how to use the camera, but have tried to get some practice in. I know that I am only doing this for fun, but I am hoping that I will learn a lot and quickly. Right now I am trying to focus of learning the camera and will then need to learn how to compose and set-up the shot. That comes next.

With this image, I was trying to play a little with Depth of Field (D.O.F.)

With this image, I am trying to show depth in the photo.

I am not quite sure why, but I just wanted to shoot this picture.

I need a lot of practice shooting in low light and high light environments. These pictures are example of me shooting straight into the sun and I think they turned out OK.

Locally, there is a covered bridge. There are very few in this area, so I figured I would try to capture it in my own way. Obviously, I did not have the correct lens for this. To correctly capture this, I would need a wide angle lens which someday will be in my gear bag.

This is a local pond hockey rink and it looks as if the ringer has been sidelined.