Won't See This In Florida

We recently went on an out-of-state trip.  As I was reviewing the photos, I found some that made me chuckle because they are not things you would see in Florida.  Here's what I captured:

Seeing a runaway truck sign isn't a comfortable feeling anywhere, but I don't think there's one in Florida.

We definitely don't need sticks on our fire hydrants to locate them when it snows because it doesn't snow that much in Florida.

 

Fencing to hold back rock slides won't be found in Florida.  That is some serious fencing!

One speed for cars and another for trucks....that is quite a difference in speed, by the way.

I can't really think of a place in Florida where you will be looking down on clouds unless you are flying. 

We had a great time on our trip and it was fun to see something different, but we are happy to be back in our great state of Florida. 

Disney Magic

Disney is a magical place and recently we had the opportunity to visit and capture some cool shots.  Here's one from Disney's All Star Music Resort.

To flash?

Or not to flash?

I think the flash has a little more magic, sparkle and bling.

My tween grabbed the camera and framed some cool shots.

He also captured the holiday decor.

Love the castle at night!

Living the magic and capturing the moment!

A Beautiful Evening in Florida

One beautiful evening in Florida I had some free time and my camera in tow so I spent some time wondering around McClay Gardens with my oldest son.  I enjoy taking pictures of people the most so this was a little bit of a different adventure for me.

Other People's Cameras

This past weekend a friend asked me to take some pictures of her grandson's 1st birthday.  I was so excited to do this because I love taking pictures and capturing special moments.  By no means of the word am I a professional, I just love taking pictures.  In two hours, 120 minutes, I took 465 pictures.  Let me whine for a minute and just say that I had a face ache because I kept one eye shut for that long.  I will say I captured some adorable moments!  The mom and dad are so photogenic and the baby, well, he is beyond cute!  Even so, I missed some really great shots.  Actually, I got them but I couldn't use them because of other people's flashes.  I'll continue on the rant here.  Not only were there flash issues, but no one knew where to look, even if I asked them, ever so nicely, to look at me.  Ugh!  I also felt like I was shoving people out of the way to get the best shot.  I definitely missed a few that I could have captured.  Honestly, phones will take nice pictures, but the Nikon 3200 will take a superb photo and really capture the moment.  Okay, enough ranting!!!!  It's time to get back to work, scaling back on the number of pics and cleaning them up.  

I would love to hear advice or thoughts on other people's cameras and yes, I am lumping phones into that category too!

Slices of Summer

We have had a wonderful summer and I am really enjoying this camera.  I'm still mostly on automatic, but I am signed up for a class and constantly learning more.  Here are some of my favorite shots from this summer.

 I've never had a camera that would take pictures of fireworks.  This makes me think of a flower....the kind I used to blow apart when I was a child.  Unfortunately, the fourth of July was rainy in our part of the world so the fireworks didn't go as high, but I really liked the way this one turned out.

For this one, I learned how to slow things down a little and keep the shutter open so I could capture the air circle this little boy made with his sparkler.

Along the way we found a few traveler's chapels.  This one was in the Wall Drug Store in South Dakota.

This train in the 1880 town had been turned into a dinner.  Loved the angle of this shot and the colors.  The horizontal lines pull you in.

This was at a rest area overlooking the Missouri river.  The shadows and the sun make it rather interesting.

Oh boy!  We were rather close to this guy in Custer State Park.  So close that we were on the same bridge.   

I didn't frame this one quite as well as I wish I had, but you get the idea that this tunnel up Iron Mountain Road can serve as a gorgeous frame for Mount Rushmore.  Sometimes I get in too much of a hurry when taking pictures.  I need to slow down and drink less caffeine.

The Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore is so inspiring!  We really enjoyed the speech the ranger gave, the video and seeing all of the veterans being recognized on the stage.  Love the blue in this picture and again, I'm so impressed that this camera will automatically take these night shots.

Tractor seats in Murdo, SD at the Pioneer Auto Show.  What a neat bench and a fun place to sit!

Here's another one that caught my eye.  I love the shadows, the angles on this shed and the worn look.  I wonder what was the purpose of this little building.

Up close with a beauty and you can even see my reflection in his eye.  He has the pretty eyes and is such a sweet fellow.  I'm so impressed with all of the details that the Nikon 3200 captures.

Here the horses are patiently waiting for the people to spend time with them.  Love the way this one is framed. 

What a great summer!  That's just a dozen of the pictures of taken on our adventures!  More to learn and try with this camera.  Can't wait until the next adventure!

The Dog Days of Summer

Who says a dog can't tell you what he is thinking?  In this picture he is definitely saying "I am the king of the boat and lifeguard for my people".  "I see you in that water and I'm thinking about coming in, but I'll just stay right here for now and watch..."  These pictures were either taken with an Olympus Stylus Tough or with a Nikon 3200.

The next one is a combination of "are you coming" and "can I go now"?  

Not sure if he wants to come down and get in his bed or he is waiting on me to come back out...he is definitely the king of the boat!

Let's go for a swim...This picture was taking with my Olympus Stylus Tough.  The camera is a handy, dandy gadget that is great for playing in and around the water.  So, maybe it looks more like he is running on water than swimming but it's pretty cool to see him go all out after his toy!

And, finally, it looks like he is the one driving the boat!  

Gone Sailing!

Vacation this summer was a fun sailing trip cut short by the first tropical storm of the season.  Took some time to shot a few fun shots!

In this shot, I love, love, love the nautical flag and the way it is flying in the wind.  Those colors pop and this is with no after photo adjustments.

Here's more color that I can't resist!  The water color is amazing and I enjoyed framing this to catch the flag and the island along with the rails off the back of the boat.

There's nothing more inspiring than a sunset cruise even when it's just about motoring around the lake.  This was is particularly special to me because it's some of my family members who are enjoying the ride.