The cat's meow

pepper's face 0275
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

Before I went on vacation, I had been testing out my lens. The best subject I had was my cat, Pepper. I desperately wanted to try out a macro lens that I had just gotten and I couldn’t think of any better way to test it out than taking pictures of my cat.

If you take a look at the photos that I posted with this one, you’ll see that I made several attempts with varying degrees of success. (I also posted one that I had taken earlier when Pepper was waiting at the door.) This one is my favorite of Pepper’s face.

The light half is in focus while the dark half isn’t. You’re still drawn to her eyes. You kind of wonder what she’s looking at, especially when you consider that cats usually seem very interested in what you’re sticking in their faces.

Fortunately, she’s past the stage where she swats at things. Yes, this is why I keep UV filters on both lenses, but I’d prefer not to have to replace them at all.

Cats are very difficult to photograph. I have plenty of pictures of her tail and stomach when I was trying to take pictures of her face. I have lots of pictures of her walking out of the frame. I even have a few attempts with her not in the frame at all.

I’ve found that in photography, success tends to come with failure.

outside at night with new lens 0321

outside at night with new lens 0321
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I took this picture with the Nikon D50 a few days before I left for North Carolina. I had wanted to see if I could take pictures when it was getting dark. It was a little hard, since the darker it gets, the longer of an exposure you need. Since there was a little light, the exposure was relatively short.

It was long enough that I got some blur. I made many attempts at this photo, many of which didn’t work. I even took a few facing another direction, none of which are really worth mentioning. It’s hard to do nighttime photography without a flash. I’d imagine it’s not easy with a flash, as it’s usually not a good idea to draw attention to yourself when you’re carrying expensive photo equipment.

There are a lot of good opportunities to take photos in Downtown Miami, but I’m not yet crazy enough to go downtown with a camera and lenses that I spent hard-earned money on. It’s not worth risking life and/or property on a few shots. If I can get a few people together, maybe. I’m not going downtown alone.

I’d definitely like to take more nighttime photos, though.

candle 1542

candle 1542
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I was eating Thanksgiving dinner and I just had to take out the camera to see if I could get a picture of the flame. My big question was whether or not I could get the camera to focus on something like a flame that ‘s constantly moving and not really solid. I had assumed that no flash would be ok, but I was wrong. I had to use the flash to get a shot like this.

I couldn’t really get much in the background. You can see a flower, but that’s really it. I would have liked to have seen a little more. I guess that’s the price you pay. I’ve sent the photo into the Critique pool on Flickr to see if anyone has any suggestions on that. Maybe someone can give me some advice.

Old Salem 0679

Old Salem 0679
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I like to take pictures that show two totally different things coexisting. When in Old Salem, I saw this scene and I knew I had to have a picture. I don’t imagine people in Old Salem had modern cash registers.

It looks like as much as possible has been preserved, but I would think that a few liberties may have been deliberately taken. For instance, I don’t think they had modern cars in Old Salem, either. One can walk around and see people in clothing that would be appropriate to the era, but no one in character really comments on modern clothing.

From what I can find, the first cash register was invented in 1883. Old Salem was founded about a century earlier, but the time period that Old Salem tries to portray could include the first cash register.

I know it’s not a major detail in the grand scheme of things. Most people wouldn’t even think of it and it didn’t ruin the trip for me. Still, it caught my attention.

strange building

Reynolda 0917
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I saw this building on my trip to North Carolina. It was around the R. J. Reynolds estate. I don’t know what this kind of building is called, but I liked it. It served as an entryway to a garden, if I recall.

Overall, I’m happy with the photo. I got the building centered pretty well, but it looks like the path is a little off center. I think that if I had taken a few steps to the side, it would have been a better shot. However, it’s not something I really noticed until I got home and took a look at the picture.

There’s no telling what the picture would have looked like if I had moved over, so it could very well be sour grapes. Anyway, I still like the picture.

First invite

Reynolda 0908
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I actually had someone invite me to post this photo to a group in Flickr. I don’t know if this is something that happens a lot, but it’s a big deal to me. The picture was taken around the R. J. Reynolds estate in North Carolina on a trip up there. I was taking pictures of the flowers and decided to try taking macro shots. This particular one was taken with a Sigma 28-90 lens that has a macro setting.

I’ve been trying it both with and without the macro setting and I don’t really notice much of a difference. When I had taken this photo, I hadn’t really thought to leave the macro off, so everything that I’ve taken around this time period was with the macro. I have to really try and see if I can find a situation where it makes a big difference.

It seems to have worked here.

CSX building northbound 0466

CSX building northbound 0466
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

Sometimes, you get a good shot of something while trying to take a shot of something else. I was trying to get a shot of the CSX building on a recent trip. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that I had a good shot of the railroad bridge. I know it’s not a great shot, but it’s a pretty decent shot and I still got a good shot of the building.

I did get some better shots of the building, in case you’re wondering. Part of the problem is that I was using a wide-angle lens when I should have been using a telephoto. I was expecting to be on a different road that would have put me much closer to the building. Instead, we took I-95 and I ended up way too far away to get a close shot of it. By the time I got the telephoto lens on, it was too late. The best I could do was a similar shot of the other side of the building.

I did get another chance on the way back, but my pictures weren’t much better. I’m hoping that the next time I’m going through Jacksonville, I’ll have another chance.

Reflections

DSC_0001
Originally uploaded by Brian Kuhl

I’ve been meaning to start a photo blog for a while now, especially since I have a digital SLR. I think the epiphany was when I took this photo at work. I thought to myself that it was something worth sharing. I don’t claim to be a photographic genius, but I do like to take photographs and I also like to write. Why not start a photo-related blog?

This photo was taken as I was shutting down the store last month. When I saw the reflection, I debated getting a camera, but I realized that I may not get the chance again. It’s one of those things that may happen once a year. (I have yet to catch that particular reflection again.) So, I grabbed a D40 and took the picture.

There it is in six megapixels.