hydrangea

Wow. It's been a while since I've posted regularly. Last summer, I focused primarily on doing so. This summer, my focus has been on getting our kitchen functional again. That includes carefully snaking the extension cords around her lovely hydrangeas. The joys of home ownership!
(ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/80s)

almost there

It's amazing that for the six years I spent on campus as a student, I never once thought of this vantage point as particularly noteworthy. It's amazing what a few years of camera perspective can do for one's appreciation of beauty. (Of course, I can't take all the credit for the framing. A friend clued me in, then a random student walked by with the same idea and an iPhone.)

(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/80s)

eyes

I'm trying to see things in black and white these days. It's pretty easy for architecture, but decidedly harder for other subjects. Some things translate well, but others don't. I'm really curious about how my roll is going to turn out when I finally finish it up. It's been nearly five months!
(ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/100s)

jordan pond

I recently returned from a trip to Maine with my wife, father, & father-in-law. We did a bit of hiking. I took a few photos. Here's an interactive panoramic collage, stitched together by Photosynth. I think I'll take more of these in the future. It's pretty neat.

(ISO 100, f/10, 1/125s)

a leaky canoe

Even on the calm Severn River, it's a bit hard to take a stable shot in a boat, much less a canoe. We moored ourselves to this decrepit dock...and promptly snagged the bottom with our rods in opposite directions.

At least the beer was cold.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/160s)

vineyard vines, v2.0

Virginia is apparently becoming quite the oenophile oasis. It didn't take me long to find an industry page, and each winery I've been to toots their own horn quite loudly. I'm not well-versed enough in wine tasting to tell the difference, but I did enjoy most of the wines at Breaux last weekend.
(ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30s)

vineyard vines

No, not funny colored britches with tiny embroidered whales!
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/125s)

summer grillin'

The temps are turning cooler. Our 2010 summer was marked by plenty of Florida-like days filled with sunshine. On days where it dips into the 80s in the shade, it's just perfect for sitting on the patio and catching up with friends over a mojo pork sandwich and some grilled corn on the cob.
(ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/100s)

national building museum

Back when we went to Festa Italiana in June, we stopped in the National Building Museum to make use of the restroom. I was stunned by the beauty of the building and knew that I needed to make a trip back for more shots. Last week, I did just that. Today, the first impression. Columns of marble divide the building into thirds. They are beautiful, but often photographed by visitors to the museum.
(ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/20s)

framed

I took many framed shots this week. I don't mean framed in the sense of "I'm going to print this out and put it in a frame." Framing in photography is using something in the foreground to frame the main subject in the background. Another example would be my earlier shot from Sacre Couer. I often did it to add visual interest to subjects that have seen far too many shutterbugs capture them the same way. Here, I framed the Château de Fontainebleau as I took one parting glance at its magnificence. Too bad we planned poorly and couldn't go inside!

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

hard decisions

Last weekend, I went out in the parking lot to take some photos of these ubiquitous blooming orange day lilies. They're everywhere. Their colors just plain pop in real life, and I had a really hard time deciding which photo was the best of the bunch. I had to be extra critical of the entire frame, bokeh and all. Good choice?
(ISO 100, f/10.0, 1/250s)

(Thanks to Jack for helping me identify the breed of flower.)

flickr advised

Del verano en mi barrio nuevo. Una caminata de la manana con la luz perfecta. Te gusta?
(ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/320s)

wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?

I should make this into a puzzle.
(ISO 800, f/22, 1/80s)

smörgåsbord of delicious

Falls Church Farmers Market is open Saturdays pretty much year-round. The choices were too numerous. My money was too limited. The flavors were amazing. Dinner Saturday night was grilled skirt steak (grass-fed and organic, of course), roasted corn-on-the-cob, fried green tomatoes, and garlic home fries.
(ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/125s)

two of my favorites

I will always buy fresh zucchini and yellow squash. Sautéed with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil, it's almost a meal in itself!
(ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/50s)

the rest of the story

There's a crane near my house that hasn't moved in years it would seem, though I'd venture a guess that it's only been months. It has a cracked windshield, rusted cables, and extensions for the boom laying next to it. There's not a job site near it, nor any indication of who it belongs to. I've always wanted a crane! Finders keepers?
(ISO 100, f/4.2, 1/50s)

saturated landmark, part deux

Two weeks ago, I went to Screen on the Green on the National Mall. The weather was threatening off in the distance. Strange looking clouds enveloped the Washington Monument. In trying to catch some lightning, I got this shot, played with the saturation, and this came out. Too much digital noise to make a great large print, but on a small scale, what do you think?
(ISO 3200?, f/5.6, 1/15s)

zuke flowers

Looks like my aunt's going to have a bumper crop this year. Many zucchini flowers brighten her garden presently. It won't be too long before she has a whole mess of zukes to cook up.
(ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/15s)

sunflowers in the sunshine

I had some time to kill and my camera in hand. Bicyclists were sparse, and my battery life dwindled. At least I found some sunflowers!
(ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/250s)