Leafy goodness

I love Orange Leaf, partially because it is tasty, and partially because the branding is so fun.  I wanted to get more of the crazy lights and orange tile around the yogurt machines in the background, but they were super busy and this was the best angle I could have without going outside!  

 [This is my second post of the day - Blogger was down last night and I couldn't post.]

Nikon D90

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

50mm ISO 400

1/100s f/4.5

Colorful news

Topeka received some great news today when Mars Chocolate announced plans to build an M&M factory here in town!  We decided to celebrate with some of our own.

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 50mm 1.4

50mm ISO 320

1/25s f/1.4

Canon 580EXII

1/16 power

17mm zoom

Bounced straight up

Birthday on speed

Okay, so a little self-promotion today.  But, I figure this is the only day of the year that I get to do it!  I always love a little zoom-blur.  In this photo, I set my camera to a longer exposure (1.6 seconds) and a medium aperture of f/9 to preserve a decent level of detail, and zoomed in and focused on the center of the birthday button. 

Then I released the shutter button and slowly zoomed out, keeping the majority of the exposure at the end of the shot, so the words around the edge would come through clearly.  This took some trial and error, but it turned out exactly as I had hoped.  My birthday present to me!

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
~50-105mm - ISO 200
1.6s- f/9

Safety first!

Tonight was Part I of our DIY Ring Flash project, where two photographer friends, my dad and I are attempting to make some lighting gear.  You will notice that I am reverting to my gender stereotype and staying far away from the power tools.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
105mm - ISO 200
1/60s- f/5.6

Nikon SB900\
TTL
Bounced up to ceiling

Owie!

I had a fun time playing with a friend's 200-500mm lens this evening and caught this moment between daddy and daughter through the lens fully extended at 500mm.  The zoom was pretty stunning.  It is a really fast-focusing lens too. 

Nikon D90

Tamron 200-500mm f/5-6

500 mm - ISO 200

1/320s - F/6.3

On a lark

More bokeh today with a bunch of pretty larkspur.  This time I used my 50 prime lens to achieve it.  The unfocused flowers in the rest of the photo are actually only about a foot away from the ones that are in focus.  The focal field of this lens is so narrow, that anything a few millimeters outside of it is as soft and unfocused as if it were a backyard away (see yesterday's post). 

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
50mm - ISO 200
1/1600s- f/3.2

Clouds of pink

I have been waiting all year for the mimosa tree in my backyard to flower so I could take its picture.  It is an annoying tree except for the few weeks when the whole thing turns pink.  This picture has some great bokeh (Japanese for "blur") because the background is so far away.  Bokeh is a pretty interesting topic; I would recommend learning about it and then trying to apply it in your pictures.  It is a tool to help highlight your subject and minimize distractions from other things in the scene.

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105mm f4
105mm - ISO 250
1/125s- f/4