...and there were fireworks

This is the second time I've tried to shoot fireworks. The first time was at the Arkansas State Capitol. It was much easier shooting them close-up. I found it really easy to overexpose the fireworks being further away.

It was just a weird night though. I was also having issues with my camera remote, so I missed a lot of pops or had camera shake. I still had a blast though. It's hard to not have fun watching fireworks, even if you didn't get decent shots out of it.

urban haze

Here's another shot from the lensbaby taken in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. This was taken from the top of one of the parking decks.

a streetcar named holga

I love the trolley cars in Little Rock. They aren't all that fun to ride. I also don't like sharing a road with them, but they do make for great photos.

suspended water at night

Fog is an interesting thing. I really struggled shooting in fog. Mostly everything seemed a bit blown out and overexposed. I'm glad that I got out there shooting though. It was fun to stand around in the mist/fog and try to figure something new out. Thanks Brian for getting me out there!

sunrise at chester

This is an older shot taken with my Canon G10. This was the first time I'd gotten up before sunrise to go shooting. It's peaceful. It's nice to be wide awake before most of the world.

it goes on and on and on and on

This shot was taken from the newly renamed Willis Tower. It will always be Sears Tower to me... Regardless of what they call it, I supposed it still does have one heck of a view. I found the view breathtaking and found it even more remarkable to think about how many people inhabit that space. Deep down I'll always be a country girl because I found the idea of that being my day-to-day life. Chicago I love you. I hope to visit you many more times, but you'll never be home.

where i hang my hat and kick up my heels

I'm feeling a little cheesy today, so please excuse me. One of the things I love most about photography is that it's made me so much more thankful for everything. I've grown to love my state even more than I already did, because I realized just how diverse it really is. Within an hour drive I have delta, mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, cities, farms, and even more than I'm leaving out. I've also learned a lot more about my state since I've been shooting.

I'm thankful for rain, because it makes waterfalls. I'm thankful for the clouds, because it makes nice sunsets. I'm thankful for the winter, because it brings another spring. I'm thankful for early mornings, because there's such amazing light. Yep. I'm being corny, but dang it I can't help it! Today is the first day that really feels like Fall, and I'm loving it.

you spin me right round

One thing I love about Flickr is getting to meet so many people that share something I love. One of my contacts, Evan, and I started a little project. The idea is to come up with a subject matter or technique to try. We both shoot our version of it with a Holga film camera. The catch is that I try to do a urban version in Arkansas, and he does a rural version in Georgia. The general idea is to help push each others comfort level and maybe shoot something we shouldn't have shot on our own.

I have always loved digital stitches, but I don't tend to be very tech savvy. Trust me when I say I will eventually do it, but as of yet I really just haven't tried. One day I realized I might be able to do an in-camera version of this with the Holga by not advancing the film all the way. I shared the idea with Evan who googled it and found someone that's already done it. We decided to add it to our project.

I'm actually slightly obsessed with this pano idea now. I know it isn't perfect and I know I could piece these together in photoshop, but I sort of love it. I have a few more shots I will eventually post.

city of blues

This was taken from the Willis Tower/Sears Tower in Chicago. Chicago is such an amazing city. I have had a love affair with the place for as long as I can remember. We used to take vacations there a lot when I was younger. I always loved it. Of course, I've done all the tourist things, but I hadn't do any of it since I've been into photography. I decided to go back to the Sears Tower, because it does offer some nice view of the city. I went about 30 minutes before sunset and got to enjoy a stunning sunset with a view.

choppy waters

Taken: September 16, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon 10-22mm
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 400

My mom wanted to ride on a sailboat on vacation because it was called the Tall Ship Windy. My name is Windy, so yeah... I picked one of the late sails hoping for some nice sunset colors. I didn't really think about the direction of the skyline, so I was stuck with doing silhouettes. I think it ended up working out though.

capitalizing on golden hour

Taken: August 23, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Exposure: 1 sec
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 400

We all want those amazing sunsets with perfect clouds and bursts of sunrays, but it doesn't always happen. Sometimes the sun dips below the horizon without any accompaniment. I was memorized by the sunset glow mixed with the Arkansas State Capitol.

two hundred and seventeen feet

Taken: August 23, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Exposure: 0.5
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 23 mm
ISO Speed: 800

Sometimes you just get lucky and end up shooting at a place you never expected to be. Such was the case with the above picture. As the title suggests I was 217 feet up on a roof with a one foot lip. I was so excited; it's lucky there's 2 second timers on cameras or all my shots would have had camera shake! My only real wish is that this had been during the day or at dawn or dusk. Since we weren't really trying to get shots from here the light wasn't a concern. Be sure to click on the picture. There's a few more shots on that page.

sky's the limit

Taken: March 2, 2009
Camera: Canon PowerShot G10
Exposure: 15 sec
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 18.1 mm
ISO Speed: 80

How about a blast from the past? This was my first night series, ever! They make me smile. I look at it and I see a lot of flaws and a lot of areas I've grown. I'm still learning, which is why I retitled this "sky's the limit." I got my fancy little point and shoot that morning. I charged the battery. Then I conned someone into going with me to stand in North Little Rock, Arkansas in 32/33 degree weather. Some things have changed about my photography, but my motivation has yet to change!

little rock big lights

Taken: May 14, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Exposure: 4 sec
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 28 mm

I'm from Little Rock. I have lived in Central Arkansas most of my life. When I first got into photography, I would take my point and shoot out and walk up and down random streets looking for shots. No matter where I go from here, Little Rock will always be a source of inspiration for me.