realized

It was somewhere near this flower that I realized my mistake and frantically went back through the gardens we were in, trying desperately to recreate some of the shots I'd taken in the last 20 minutes or so. The boat cruise was a lost cause.
(ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250s)

wrought

All enter into peace.

(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/60s)

market bling

She loves going to Eastern Market to support local jewelry artists. I love the colors and antiques and food and dogs and people watching and...

(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/1000s)

rookie mistake

I looked forward to going out to shoot all week. Predictably, I forgot to charge my battery last night, so I didn't even make it to the National Cathedral. So much for cherry blossoms. I'm such a bonehead.

(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/125s)

exit through the gift shop

After watching Banksy's documentary about graffiti, she made a comment about the lack of street art in D.C. I ventured a guess that it'd be hard to get away with for one, and two, people might actually respect historic buildings around here. That theory is lost on lame street taggers though.

(ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/160s)

from the hip

I've wanted to line up a shot like this for quite a while now. Unfortunately, I don't get the chance with musically-inclined friends nor with musicians up on stage. I got lucky with a hip shot in between sets at Iota. Hooray for wide apertures!

(ISO 3200, f/2.0, 1/3s)

bronze eagle

Upstairs was where I lost the crowds and found some photographic peace. The only people I ran into were the nice people who worked in the museum. Before walking into the shot I was framing one woman asked, "Do you want me to wait for you to take your picture?"

"No, thanks," I replied, "You're working. I'm just playing. Take your time."

(ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/30s)

getting close

The big day is drawing near. Six hundred truffles were difficult to make. I had camera duty.
(ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/50s)

irish garden

I think our garden is Irish. We didn't plant these shamrocks. I hope some shepherds' pie & Guinness pop up next!
(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/125s)

best. cookies. ever.

If you don't believe me, go to Spider Kelly's in Clarendon, and try them for yourself. Anyone who disagrees is either a better baker or a liar.
(ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/200s)

grasping at straws

Take the mundane, and turn it into something spectacular. Sharp foreground, artistic blur background. Mission achieved.
(ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/40s)

green leaves and blue skies

The skies threatened to soak us for the whole day, but we were treated to dry rocks, strong winds, and cool temps for an abbreviated trip to Cooper's Rock State Forest near Morgantown, West Virginia. Heal up, my friend, and we will make the return trip.
(ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/1250s)

azules

Racing against the rain.
(ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/60s)

opening bud

Before I left for spring break, I had a chance to get on my belly at school and snap a few of the flowers littering our campus. This bud has most likely bloomed and moved on since it was taken.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/100s, 4x macro filter)

petal depth

I wish I'd had more depth of field in this shot. Macro photography is a whole different animal that I'm going to have to get used to.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/640s, 10x macro filter)

tiny flowers

In between climbs, I got on my belly to take some macro pictures of flowers that were dwarfed by the pennies in my pocket.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/250s, 10x macro filter)

off to the woods

Horse Pens 40 is an amazing climbing destination near Steele, Alabama. I spent the better part of my spring break camped out with the boulders and some friends. The rock is bullet hard sandstone with amazing texture.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/250s, 10x macro filter)

bright

Surprisingly, I didn't have to crop this entirely too much. These new filters are going to be a lot of fun when I figure out the quirks! For starters, methinks f/1.8 is too wide of an aperture to get good detail in the whole frame. Next round, I'm stopping it down a few and see what happens.
(ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/4000s, 4x macro filter)

creeping

(ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/1250s, 4x macro filter)

emerging from the depths of winter

Daffodils are everywhere. Tulips are beginning to send up stalks from recently-thawed soil. Even humble little buttercups and hated dandelions are peeking out.
(ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/1600s, 4x macro filter)