Out of Africa

When you are given the gift of a New Years Day with temperatures hovering slightly above 70 degrees, it just isn't right to stay inside. An 18 hour flight and risking deep vein thrombosis are just two of the reasons I haven't ventured to Africa for a photo safari. But, the Phoenix Zoo is only a fifteen minute drive from home and I don't have to take any anti-malaria meds prior to departure. Even better is the chance to see a wide variety of animals from several different continents. With the new Sony A77 and Tamron 200-500 zoom lens in hand, I ventured forth to brave the elements in search of adventure. This image is just one of a number that I was able to capture in a few short hours of delightful exploration. You can view the rest of the these faux-safari images on my new "professional" site. Check out the Animal Collection at www.imagezbyted.com

Warmth of Home

A friend loaned me his 105mm F1.8 AIS Nikkor lens and I couldn't wait to try it. This image is straight from the camera with a liitle warmth added by selecting cloudy rather than auto WB. You have to do a little work with this lens, auto focus doesn't work and spot metering is the only exposure indication avaialble. But, making those creative choices is the part of photography that I enjoy.

Lakeside Sunset

Tempe Town Lake is a wonderful local spot to go to when I need to experiment with technigues in a place that offers a variety of visual opportunities. I set up two cameras on the north side of the Lake just before sunset. The front coming in from the west gave me a wide range of interesting cloud shapes but muted the normally dazzling colors seen as part of the December desert sunsets.

One camera was set to do a time-lapse of the sunset. I will post that video later. This image was captured with the Sony A77 and the 16-50mm F2.8 Sony lens that is currently shipped with the A77 body. I have come to really love taking pictures with the A77. The electronic viewfinder is exceptional and lets me dial in the exposure through the viewfinder. This sunset image has been slightly enhanced with Nik software's Color Efex 4.0. I added some contrast and enhanced detail with this outstanding set of filters. 

Apache Hummingbird A160T

This isn't exactly your average Arizona hummingbird. Just north of Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, is the Boeing Aircraft plant where they assemble the Apache helicopter. Recently they started the production of one of the world's most innovative unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). This Hummingbird is used for surviellance and the delivery of cargo without risking human lives. The A160T was displayed locally for the first time at the Mesa Chamber of Commerce annual Aviation Fascination event.

The Fall of Falstaff

The Lemp Building sits in the Southeast corner of downtown St. Louis. The original buildings occupied the site since the 1860's and were built over a system of caves that were used to store the fermenting beer. The plant closed as an active brewery over 80 years ago but the building was occupied and used for a variety of other purposes until the 80's. The buildings still stand as an historic monument to a beer that once was one of the most popular beers in American. This image shows one facade where the proud Brew House sign still towers over the crumbling structure.