So, this should be fun…

My son (2nd grade) recently did a science fair project, and it was basically to see if more mold would grow on untouched food, or food surrounded by water. This seems harmless enough, until you have to open the containers to take pictures for him! The smell that came from this project almost made me lose it. Really. My mind thinks it can still smell it today, and this was done last week.

The project used three foods; Cheese, Refried Beans, and Lima Beans. Two containers of each, one ‘dry’, and one submerged in water. Below are the pics I took for him (the closer ones, zoomed out they are almost boring). I think you can figure out which food is which, and I will show the dry before wet…

:ugh:

So… I came home the other day to find my wife giving her dog a summer shave. A “Pony Cut” to be specific (I’m learning!). I couldn’t help but take a few pics. Ruby (the dog) seems to actually enjoy being shaved! It’s the strangest thing. I watched in amazement as the dog started to fall asleep while she was doing this to eat. Really, I don’t even know what to say about that. lol

Pics:

I took this a while back (almost exactly a month ago), and thought I might as well share it here. This is my desk at work. I know, messy. I am in IT, and this is all stuff I use on a regular basis, including the scale Shelby GT500KR! I have collected lots of things doing this job (and the one before it), and they are all scattered around… The MacBook is my personal laptop, which I am posting this from, and use for all my photography needs. The desktop with the two monitors is my main work box, and gets LOTS of use. And the other laptop is a Lenovo, which is my work laptop. I use it at the office a bit, but mainly when I am on call. The ‘phones’ on the desk are as follows, left to right; TMobile My G2 (personal), Verizon BlackBerry 8530 (work), and an 8gb iPod Touch (fun). Also, you will notice the pics of my kids hanging on the wall/cube. Yes, I printed them on regular printer paper, but it’s ok, they came out well lol… Anyway, here it is. My home away from home…

It’s not often that I am in front of the camera, but recently I needed a quick snap of myself for some work, so I took this. It is inside work, so all horrible lighting. I wasn’t in a position at the time to use a flash, so this is straight florescent. :ugh: Yea, Hook Em’ Horns!

Also, new blog theme! It’s still “Under Construction”, but you will notice that I can now post pics that are a bit larger. It would take too long to go back and do the old posts, so they will stay small, but from here on out it can 900′ish pix wide. :woot:

Anyway. Canon 40D + Canon 28/1.8…

I just wanted to share a few that I took in Taylor last week.

Canon 40D + Canon 28/1.8

I just thought I’d share a few pics from this morning…

A friend of mine at work just bought a ring, and is planning to propose to his girlfriend a little down the road (hence, I cannot mention his name here). This ring is absolutely gorgeous, so of course I was more than happy to take a few pics of it when he asked. As we all know, I jump at the chance to use my camera, even in bad situations! The lighting was HORRIBLE. We are at work, and I am busy, so I had to do it at my desk, and couldn’t use any off-camera-flash at all. Also, I only used the Kit lens w/ an adaptor, and a fully manual MC Rokkor 58/1.2. I’ve never taken shots of a ring like this, especially in these conditions, so I am happy with the outcome, and thankfully, so was he…

Anyway, on to the pics…

Recently, I sold my beloved 85/1.8. I find it hard to live without a fast lens, so as a temporary, workhorse prime, I picked up (another) 50/1.8. I forgot how much I love this lens! I’ll cut straight to the pics of my amazing kids…

Pictures: 40D + 50/1.8 – All Natural Light…
And yes, as usual, these are very contrasty and have some “interesting” compositions…

And Lastly, one of my favorites…

I just wanted to share a couple of pics of my new watch. My lovely wife gave this to me for Valentine’s, and I am in love with it. I have used my phone as a watch for more years than I can count, so it is awesome having a REAL watch… one that attaches to my wrist! I love it so much, that I had to take a couple of pics. So, without further delay…

Picture 1: 40D + Pentax Super Takumar 50/1.4…
Picture 2: 40D + 18-55 Kit Lens @ 18mm…

Wow. Somehow it has been almost a month since I have posted on here, or even taken a picture with my 40D. I have used my phone camera a bit, but due to some situations in my personal life, I haven’t been very motivated to go shoot. Well, now I’m back in it…

Last night on the way home from work, I decided I should start shooting again (I say that as if it’s been years lol). There was a cool sunset going on, and even though I was running late, I made the effort to stop and pop of a few rounds. The below pic is the result.

The neighborhood you see off to the right is mine, and my house is just barely out of view. It has been raining quite a bit over the last few days, and all the fields around my house are flooded, which can be seen in the pic. I would have gone out a little further for a different perspective, but I didn’t want to wade through a make shift swamp to do so.

This was shot with my 40D, and 18-55 + Wide Adapter. I gave it a mild HDR process for strength, but kept it just about as I saw it…

I hope you all like it…

On January 30th, 2009, Kevin ‘Kdubb’ Webber passed away in Austin TX.

Kevin was a friend to more people than I can put a number on, and he was an exceptional husband to his wife Nicole. Anyone who knew him will tell you that he was not only a great & fun guy to be around, but he was also an extremely loyal friend who was always there for his people, no matter the circumstance. He lived life like a rockstar, and always made sure his friends came along for the ride. When he passed, he left behind an an amazing wife, a family that loved him dearly, and an enormous amount of friends that were devastated to see him go.

His memorial was Saturday January 9th in Rockwall, TX, and the turnout was amazing, and awing. Everyone came to remember him, and show the great amount of respect they have for him. Some people drove in from Austin (myself included), Houston, and someone even flew in from Nebraska. Most of us knew each other already, and in some cases hadn’t spoken in years. Others were new to some of us, which brought about the opportunity to make new friends. I know that Kevin would have been SO happy and taken aback to know how he brought us all together, reconnected old relationships, and created new friendships. Truly amazing.

The majority of us stayed at the Hilton in Rockwall, which looks over Lake Ray Hubbard, and makes for a great place to hang out with friends. We spent almost the whole time there, at the bar. Kevin loved many things, one of which was Makers Mark Whisky. Since we were there for Kevin, and didn’t have to drive anywhere, there ended up being a lot of drinking in his honor, and more toasts to him than I can count. Both Friday and Saturday, we opened the bar a 3pm, and closed it at 12am. By the end of the weekend, we had gone through 5 large bottles of Makers Mark, a few other types of liquor, and literally all of the Hilton’s Dos Equis (my drink of choice), Miller Lite, and FireFly. Collective tabs came in upwards of $1,000 – $1,400, per night. A great time was had by all, minus the serious parts, and nothing really got out of hand. Just a good weekend with good people, respectfully honoring a fallen friend.

A good friend of mine, Ben Sassani, shot Kevin and Nicole’s wedding in Mexico, and I think it would be great if all of you would go check out those pictures. They are amazing, and really give a good glimpse into not only the relationship that they shared, but also the kind of person Kevin was. Please go HERE.

Below are a few of the pics that I snapped this weekend. In hindsight, I would not have used he kit lens with a wide adapter quite as much, and would have gone with the 85mm. This wide adapter really kills the quality and clarity of the shots, which I didn’t realize would happen ahead of time. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20, and as my lovely wife has taught me, when the pictures are for memories, they don’t have to be perfect.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them…