Photo Blog: Day 31

Today is the final day of my '30' day photo blog. For the picture, I thought I would share another celebration that I went to today: my friend Stanton's birthday party. Stanton and Kathryn (his wife) are part of a Couples' Group that my wife and I attend every Wednesday.

Tonight, we met up with the other couples in our group to celebrate with Stanton, and play a few games. Much cake and ice cream was had, and it was nice to see people in a more casual setting than usual. Celebrating is good for the heart, and it was a privilege to be able to share a few hours with another great couple (the others that came too weren't bad either).



This picture was taken in two shots with my Canon XSi and my 28-135mm IS lens.

In regards to the blog, this month has been fun while it lasted, and I have learned a lot of new things in that time. It reinforced some ideas I already had (I really don't take that many portraits), and I was able to branch out a few times and try something different (lighting). However, the biggest photography lesson I learned in the month was that you can't be afraid to crank your settings to get a shot; if you need to turn it up to 1600 ISO do it! Don't be afraid of quality loss, because a crappy picture is better than no picture.

Photo Blog: Day 30

My wife and I pride ourselves with being neat people. We do not like to let our apartment get into disarray, and like to keep up with our laundry and dishes. Perhaps that statement was more of a theory than a reality; today, we officially unpacked from our trip to Washington State. As a reference, we flew out to Spokane for the New Year. Yes, almost six months ago.

The trip to Spokane allowed me to meet many of my wife's relatives for the first time. There were many wonderful moments in the trip, but one that sticks in my mind was the day we met my wife's Aunt Laura (her mother's sister). When I met Laura, I could immediately recognize her; both her featurs and her personality unmistakably similar to her sister (my mother-in-law). Today, we finally unpacked the package Laura sent back with us: heirloom silver. We are (finally) officially home.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm IS lens.

Photo Blog: Day 29

My family has always played board games. Since I can remember, there have always been a plethora of games for me and my siblings to choose from. These games ran the gambit from Monopoly to Starfleet Battles. It should come to no one's surprise that I have continued this habit into my adulthood.

Most of the games in my closet are the fairly common ones: Apples to Apples, Scrabble, [Halo] Risk, etc. While I don't have many games I would consider rare, I have a few gems hidden amongst the reeds: Pimp City (think Monopoly, but with pimps and hoes (yes, it is that good)), Robo Rally (demolition derby meets programming and lasers?), and my wife's favorite: Bitin' Off Headz (dinosaurs bent on suicide).

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm Lens.

Photo Blog: Day 28

It seems only appropriate (and ironic) that the day after I write about rarely taking portrait pictures, I decide to post one. This weekend has many parties in store for us; with a holiday coming up, good weather, and people graduating from high school or college, our days have been planned out for us. Today, we went to the first of such parties: my wife's matron of honor's college graduation.

Picture below is a the above mentioned matron's younger brother, Robby. When I first met Robby, he was only a wee lad, barely 4 feet tall, and a squeeky voice to boot. These days, it seems like every time I see him he's grown another four to six inches. As I get 'older' this seems to be the case more and more frequently; people who I once regarded as young pups are coming of age, and standing on their own. It is a strange time period for me.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm IS lens.

Photo Blog: Day 27

Sometimes, despite our better efforts, we have bad days. Whether the world conspires against us all day, or something disastrous happens, things do not always go as planned. While things can sour in a relatively short amount of time, things can also turn around just as swiftly. Little things can remind us of how much we are loved, or that the world may not be such a bad place; flowers, chocolates, or even just a much-needed hug can make all the difference.

Most people assume that because I carry a camera around I must want to take their picture. However, each photographer has their area of focus, and mine has never been peoples' portraits/candids. I have always been more fascinated by still life and nature; a quick glance at the past month of pictures will illustrate how often I take peoples' pictures.

It could be argued that I am not around others often enough to take their pictures. However, even when given the opportunity (like on May 25th: pictures from my office), I often still opt out of those shots. The fact is that I prefer shoot peoples' candles (May 20th) over taking pictures of them. There are occasional exceptions, but I find more beauty in many of my surroundings than I do in people.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, my 28-135mm IS lens, and my flash unit (used for pinpoint focusing).

Photo Blog: Day 26

Last weekend, I mentioned that my wife and my idea of an exciting night is typically snuggling up and playing a game of Scrabble. Tonight, we felt a bit more adventuresome than usual, so we decided to play Bananagrams intsead. While Bananagrams is essentially just Speed Scrabble, the set contains a better distribution of letters.

At some point, my wife and I decided that we were just too tired to continue playing, and that we better pack up and head to bed. So, before putting the pieces away I snapped today's picture. Of all the words pictured here, the one I am probably most proud to have been able to incorporate was whelp.
Today's picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 18-55mm kit lens.

Photo Blog: Day 25

A few days ago, I was having lunch with my previous office mate, and I mentioned this 30-day blog. When I showed him a sampling of the pictures I had taken, he pointed out my obvious shortcoming: I had not taken any pictures of my office! So, for today's picture I brought in my camera and took a picture of what I look at for 8 hours a day: my computer.

Although a lot of my office is not pictured here, this picture illustrates a number of key items that get me through the day: pictures of my wife, my coffee mug, my various water cups, and my picture of Kegasus. I created that picture of Kegasus using google images, photoshop, and a bit of imagination. While the Kegasus picture has been making its rounds throughout my office, it's the pictures of my wife that get me through the daily grind.

This picture was taken in two shots with my Canon XSI, and my 28-135mm IS lens.

(Edit: May 27th, please forgive me for the glaring error with the keyboard. I just noticed that when I merged the two pictures, the perspective angle was changed just enough that the keyboard did not merge correctly. I apologize, but there is nothing I can do about it. Ack!)

Photo Blog: Day 24

I mentioned a few days ago that one of my wife and my shared hobbies is reading. My parents emphasized the importance of reading when I was younger, and it has stuck with me throughout the years. My favorite author is David Eddings, but I have recently been reading through my wife's Harry Potter books for the first time.

I never read the Potter books when I was younger, so my goal is to complete the seventh book by the time Deathly Hallows pt 2 releases in theaters. Although there are some little things that you pick up from the books, my general opinion is that the movies have been fairly accurate to the books. Right now, I am about 1/4th of the way through book 5, so I should easily be able to meet my goal.

Photo Blog: Day 23

I have already posted two pictures of Sally-Cat on this blog, but today I spied another great shot of her, so I could not resist taking another one. As anyone who has been to my wife and my apartment can tell you, I take a lot of pictures of our cat. Even in our entryway, I have a framed picture of the little beast. For some reason, she always seems to make it into my pictures (usually intentionally).

In an effort to clean out our winter clothing, my wife and I have been doing a lot of laundry recently. This effort has left folded piles of clothing in various places throughout our living room. As any cat owner could tell you, these are prime locations for cat-naps. This particular spot happened to be on top of our dining table too, so it had the double-whammy effect; she simply could not resist.

Photo Blog: Day 22

One of the exciting parts about living in the D.C. metropolitan area is watching the progress of the various construction projects. One of the projects which I have found particularly interesting is the new Silver Line metro project running between McLean/Tysons Corner and the Dulles Airport. It is impressive how much progress in a single day.

Today, rather than watching a movie, or playing video games, my wife and I decided to walk around the area. For us, a nice walk consists of somewhere between 2 and 6 miles. However, the humidity today kept us on the low end of that number. Nonetheless, it was nice to get out of the house and reconnect after a weekend of socializing.


This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm lens.

Photo Blog: Day 21

I have never met anyone who doesn't like playing Apples to Apples. Each person plays slightly different, but there are generally three types of players: those who want the definition (Happy: Smiles), those who want antitheses (Happy: The Holocaust), and those who want the lewd (Happy: Handcuffs). While people will change their preferences depending upon each of the given cards, people tend to gravitate toward one of these preferences in the long time.

While my wife and I were visiting the Eastern Shore this weekend, we played a few rounds of Apples to Apples while watching the NASCAR race on tv. As is typical, my wife cleaned house, and ended up with the majority of the cards by the end of the night. Her winning streak is in sharp contrast with my inevitably small stack of cards, since I play whichever cards make me laugh most, with no regard to who is judging.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm lens.

Photo Blog: Day 20

I grew up in a strange household. When we went to church on Sundays, we would determine where we sat by locating the area closest to the back with the least smelly perfume fragrance. A chemical within many perfumes gave my mother a horrible headache any time she was around them, so I cannot think of a time she has ever worn it. Similarly, we did not burn many candles in our house either. While I always contributed this to my mother's allergies, I learned within the past year that it was actually my father than instituted that oddity.

While I noted that we did not burn many candles, there were occasions that I can remember lighting them. When I was very young (probably around 5), my mother decided that a neat craft for us would be to make our own candles. My understanding is that we poured wax (and a few other things) into some cartons, and soon enough we had our very own candles. These candles were only lit when the power went out for long durations in time, and we needed a bit of light. As a result, it was many years before the last one burn out.

This picture was taken at a friend's house with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm lens.

Photo Blog: Day 19

Most of the time, when I think about wedding gifts, I think about kitchen gadgets. I think that part of this is because most of the people my age do not have a lot of the kitchen gadgets, so their relatives and friends buy them Kitchen Aid stand mixers, Oster slow cookers, and Hamilton Beach toaster ovens. However, while it's nice to be able to prepare many types of foods that would otherwise be a). tedious, or b). impossible, there is something satisfying when you serve a meal on your china.

When I was growing up (I speak that as if I am not still a toddler, bumping about trying to make my way to the cookie jar), my parents always told me that they would help pay for my wedding in some part. When my wife and I were married last year, I tried not to rely on my parents' funds. A few weeks after the wedding, my mother called me and said that since I had not really asked them for much assistance, she had ordered our China, and that some of it was already arriving in the mail. For me (a... 'frugal' person), it would have been very difficult to justify spending the money on our china, so this call was the perfect solution.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 18-55mm kit lens.

Photo Blog: Day 18

It is the homey touches that make the place you stay your home. I have lived in a number of places over the past few years: my parents' house, my dorm room[s], my first apartment, my current apartment, a teepee, a tent, and even a three bedroom house shared with 12 other guys. While my parents' house was nice, it became harder to consider that my home after living [relatively] on my own at college. My first apartment was nice - I shared it with my brother - but it was more of a place to keep our stuff. My current apartment is the only place that really feels like "home".

While decorating is certainly not the only reason my apartment feels like home, it goes a long way. In Day 3 and Day I took pictures of my wife's balcony garden; In Day 4 I showed off my wife and my chalk message board, and keys holder; and today I show off one of our bookshelf niches. One of our joint hobbies is reading, so we have a lot of books. Unfortunately, books can become quite unsightly if you allow them to be, so to combat the inevitable, we bought a few extra bookcases, and we have determined not to fill a number of the shelves.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 18-55mm kit lens.

Photo Blog: Day 17

There are two woman-things in my life. While the two could argue for hours about which one I prefer, I am going to stay out of that argument. The two in question are Marian (my wife), and Sally (my cat). I have been surprisingly silent about Sally thus far, so I thought I would snap a picture of her today. Please note, I do not think that Sally-In-Carbonite counts.

All day today, my cat has been obsessed with the yarn lying around our apartment. My wife and I had the yarn out for something yesterday, and the cat has not calmed down once since then. She's been running around, rolling around, and otherwise making a complete mess of it. In one of the rarer moments of her less activeness, I managed to whisk[er] today's picture of her.

In conclusion: meow meow purr meow purr hiss meow purr bark.

Today's picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 100mm macro lens.

Photo Blog: Day 16

Today it rained. Actually, it felt more like a 5 minute Noah's Ark reenactment, but I'll leave the subjective opinions to weather forecasters. I was hoping that there would be a visible rainbow, but when I went out onto my porch, I was unable to see one, so I started taking pictures of our plants instead. For some reason, this little bud caught my eye, so I had to take a picture of it.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi and my 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

Photo Blog: Day 15

I have always found photography lighting absolutely fascinating. There are a lot of ways to change the essence of a picture, but lighting is one of the essentials. I am finding more and more often that I am setting my camera up to ISO 800 or 1600, rather than sticking with the safety of an ISO 200 shot with a flash unit.

Part of why I often sit at ISO 200 and use a flash unit is because I absolutely love my flash unit. The drawback of a flash unit is that it eliminates all of the lighting. You don't have to worry about that obnoxious tungsten light bulb, but you don't capture those neat red LEDs either. More importantly, flash units remove most of the shadowing which can create great depth to pictures.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and a 100mm f2.8 macro.

Photo Blog: Day 14

I used to consider myself a "hardcore gamer" I was 'that kid' who played video games every moment possible. I played every time of game I could get my hands on: arcade games, shooters, RPGs, puzzlers, fighters, racing, and especially MMORPGs; I loved video games. I always dreamed of being a game developer, and knew that I wanted to study programming in college.

These days, my "hardcore gaming" consists of playing a round of You Don't Know Jack, Mario Party, or Kinect Adventures. Me From Ten Years Ago saw me today, he would be very disappointed. I never understood my father's need to buy each of new game systems, but not play them; I am finding more and more that I am turning into him.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 18-55mm Kit lens.

Photo Blog: Day 13

My wife and I enjoy watching "Bones" via Netflix, it is possibly our favorite TV show. Although there are many quotable moments in the show, one of my favorites is "A good marriage is boring from the outside" I'm not sure why that line resonated so much with me, but I can't help but agree with it. However, unlike most Fridays, my wife and I decided to be very un-boring.

Rather than spend the night inside and play Scrabble (which we have been known to do on more than one occasion), my wife and I decided to have a few cocktails, throw on the Ke$ha, and let loose. For us, it was a decidedly un-boring night.


This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and a 100mm lens (without flash)

Photo Blog: Day 12

Yesterday, I posted about our dinner party with an unnamed friend. One of life's most wonderful gadgets is the Kitchen Aid. My mother-in-law gave my wife (then girlfriend) this one for her 21st birthday. Although I have only used it once or twice myself, this little machine has saved us countless hours of tedium and frustration over the past year alone. These qualities have earned it a spot on both our counters, and this photo blog.

This picture was NOT taken with the usual suspects. My Canon XSi, and 100mm macro lens were used to take this picture.

Photo Blog: Day 11

One of the most important things in life is food. I know this is very surprising to you, but I heard somewhere that people cannot exist without it. Although I am usually contrary for the sake of being contrary, I have chosen not to test the invalidity of this particular hypothesis. Sometimes, on a very nice day (like today), my wife volunteers to not check this hypothesis for me.

This evening my wife and I hosted dinner for one of our friends. Our fine dining included Chicken Picatta (pictured) with angel hair pasta, fresh broccoli, and Fat Bastard red wine. Good times were had by all.

This picture was taken with the usual suspects.

Photo Blog: Day 10

A week ago today, I mentioned that my wife had started a small potted garden on our balcony. Today I decided to do a follow-up picture to show what some of the plants actually looked like in sunlight. Of course, in typical fashoin, this plan of action was discarded as soon as I noticed a picture I liked better. Instead, I have chosen a close-up of my wife's watering can next to one of her plants.

Having the plant garden has been a nice experience. Overnight, our spartan porch has turn into a pleasant place to spend time. We no longer look completely out of place when we sit outside and sip a glass of wine. And, of course, we now have fresh herbs!

This picture was taken with the usual setup, minus the flash unit.

Photo Blog: Day 9

Sometimes people run out of steam. I am certainly not exempt from this generalization. After both an exhausting weekend, and an exhausting day at work, I went to bed extremely early on Monday, the 9th. Before heading to bed I remembered "I have to take a picture today", so in my half-delirium, I snapped today's picture, and went promptly to bed.

Sally (or Sally-cat as my wife and I like to call her) is our only pet. While she exhibits the physical traits of a feline, I am not entirely convinced that she is, in fact, a cat. While most cats are very skittish, preferring to run away from guests, Sally-cat runs to the door, and starts growling at them. To make matters worse for her, she has also learned how to sit on command. So, without further ado, I present Sally-in-Carbonite.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, a 28-135mm IS lens, and extensive use of photoshop for kicks&giggles.

Photo Blog: Day 8

Today is Mother's Day, the day our culture celebrates all the wonderful things that our mothers have done, are doing, and will continue to do for us. While I am generally indifferent to most holidays, this is one of the few which makes a lot of sense to me. Since I visited my mother last weekend, my wife and I went to her parents' to celebrate today (don't worry, I still called my mother today).

One of the Great American Traditions (GAT) is to exchange gifts when celebrating with people. When we visit someone's new house, we always bring a present; when we greet a newborn child, we always bring a present; and when we visit for holidays, we always bring a present. This year, my wife and her two brothers went in together to buy her mother a Nook for Mother's Day. My wife and I bought one last year, and have found it both convenient and enjoyable. We think and hope that her mother will enjoy hers as much as we have enjoyed ours.


This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm lens, taken at ISO 1600.

Photo Blog: Day 7

Saturdays are always a nice reprieve. I don't have to worry about getting my projects for work done on time, and my wife doesn't take any weekend classes. It was not until I started my professional career that I understood why people cherish weekends so much.

This weekend, my wife and I decided to go out on a picnic. However, our idea of a picnic consists of placing a couple of sheets down on the grass, eating pasta salad and egg salad sandwiches, drinking a light wine, and reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to each other. It was a nice time to spend together and reconnect after a long week of deadlines and exams.


This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, my 28-135mm IS lens, and my Canon 580X flash unit.

Photo Blog: Day 6

I am firmly of the opinion that everyone needs a hobby (or two). The great part about a hobby is that if you don't have time, you don't have to worry about them. However, if you're bored, you know that you can always work on your project. One of my hobbies is constructing and painting figures.

This afternoon I got off of work two hours early, so I had some time to work on my hobby. I have a been slowly putting together and painting models I've bought or been given recently. I'm nearly done building the models (I only have about 10 left to construct), but almost none of those figures have even started the painting process. The figure on the right of today's picture is one of the furthest along the process.

Today's picture was taken with my Canon XSi, a 100mm macro lens, and a Canon 580X flash unit.

Photo Blog: Day 5

Sometimes it's the little things that really make your day. Today, my 13 mile commute home took me almost a full hour. When I got home, I was greeted a bright sticky note on the front day from my wife. It's hard to complain about your day when this is the kind of welcome you get after a long day at work.

To my surprise, the sticky notes did not stop there; they were covering everything from our chalkboard to our closet. The biggest shock came when I opened the refrigerator. I found today's inspiration on a carton of milk. It reminded me once again of why I married my wife.

Today's photo was taken with my Canon XSi, with a 28-135mm lens (no flash this time).

Photo Blog: Day 4

My wife and I have an entryway to our apartment. For the first year we lived here, we used three nails that I had hammered into the wall to hold our keys. While these nails provided us with a convenient place for our keys, it was an eyesore for everyone involved.

Rather than spend our extra cash on our individual interests (like video games or Vera Bradley bags), we work on a project in our apartment every few weeks. Before project Picturesque Porch was Enjoyable Entryway, and it showcased a chalkboard (made from a wooden puzzle and spray paint (yes, spray paint)), and our new keyholder (made from an old frame, a nice picture, and some coat hooks). Now, rather than staring at three ugly nails every time we come in, we are greeted by a warming picture.


Picture was taken with my Canon XSi, a 28-135mm lens, and a Canon 580X flash unit.

Photo Blog: Day 3

Your eyes do NOT deceive you, this is actually the second post today! Unless told otherwise, each of the pictures you see were actually taken on that day of the month. The picture of the duck was actually taken on May 2, while today's picture was just taken less than an hour ago.

My wife has commenced Project Picturesque Porch, and today's picture is a result of that. After work today, we went to a local garden center to find our lonely Pothos plant some friends. While there is bound to be some initial resentment for exiling him from our bedroom, I think that our Pothos will enjoy the company of friends.


This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, my 28-135mm IS lens, and my outboard flash unit.

Photo Blog: Day 2

Only the second day, and I barely had time to get my camera out to take a picture. This experiment may not turn out so nicely if things keep up this way. This rubber duck seems to find its way into all manner of trouble. Not to help matters, it is also the perfect size, shape, and weight to make an interesting chew/play toy for our cat. It is not uncommon to find this little matey upside-down hiding under our furniture. I think the only place this little guy hasn't seen is his proper place in our apartment!



This picture was taken in haste with a 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

Photo Blog: Day 1

I have always admired people who can do 1-a-day challenges. It has never really mattered what the challenge was, whether it be favorite video game characters or blood spatter patterns; it's nice to be able to check back each day and see what they came up with.

I told myself (and my wife) that I would do a 30 day challenge for photography this month, and since I'm already late on that promise, you can probably hope for many more missed days. Along with the photograph, I will also attach a brief description of what it is, and why I chose it.

Without further ado, day 1:


For day 1, I have chosen a picture I took on April 30 at Chapman's Landing, MD. While visiting my parents this past weekend, my father and I trekked out to the swamp and took some pictures of the local birds. In the case of Chapman's Landing, the local birds happen to be bald eagles. This picture was taken with my father's 400mm f5.6 Canon Lens.