#516. Shelton Hank Williams #2

Here's another shot of Shelton Hank Williams taken at the Homes for Our Troops VIP tour of Ellington Field last Saturday.In

Title: "Shelton Hank Williams #2"


Shot data: 1/200s f/22.0 at 96.0mm iso1000
Camera / lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#514. Shelton Hank Williams III

This past Saturday I was invited along to take photographs at a private tour of Ellington Field with a group of VIPs from the charity group "Homes for our Troops". One of the VIPs was Shelton Hank Williams III who was giving a concert Saturday night benefiting the cause. I didn't have an opportunity to speak to Mr. Williams but my impression was that he was a fairly intense individual and I think this photo best captures that intensity.

Title: "Shelton Hank Williams III"


Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Flash: On-camera Canon 430EX (ceiling bounced)
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > NIK Viveza plugin

Hawk

Yesterday afternoon we were driving around in Baytown when we saw this hawk in a field on Main Street. My camera was equipped with my 100-400mm zoom and a 430EX flash with a Better Beamer flash extender attached so we pulled over. I got as close as I could for this shot but I was still pretty far away and as a result this image is about a 25% crop of the original.

Title: "Hawk"


Shot data: 1/250s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso320
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin
Flash: Canon 430EX on camera in TTL mode with Better Beamer attached

Robert

Last night my siblings and I met Robert at Donnaley's Restaurant in Baytown. Robert was in Houston on a business trip and my sister had arranged the get together. We hadn't seen Robert since we were kids which meant we hadn't seen him in more than three decades! Robert is a VIP in the field of health care law in Washington. He's also a great guy and we all had a terrific amount of fun reminiscing about the old days and catching up on the events of each other's lives. I took a couple dozen photos during the night while we were sitting at the dinner table and today's post is one of the two that I liked.

Title: "Robert"


Shot data: 1/250s f/2.8 at 55.0mm iso320
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Flash: Canon 430EX on camera bounced against the ceiling
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

Curious Squirrel

Taken in a local park about a month ago. I know he's just a rat with a bushy tail but still...he seems cute in a way, doesn't he? :-)

I know I get low marks for creativity with this shot but I'm feeling a bit lazy on a rainy day here in Houston. I really need to get out and do some shooting!

Title: "Curious Squirrel"


Shot data: 1/3200s f/2.8 at 18.0mm iso500
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Slow Children at Play

OK......but where do the smart kids play? ;-)

Scene near Lake Travis in the area of Austin, Texas.

Title: "Slow Children at Play"


Shot details: 1/250s f/5.0 at 100.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Contemplative Character

Taken at the Texas Renaissance Festival two weekends ago. This young man's contemplative posture makes me imagine him as a Renaissance philosopher. Although he may in fact just be wondering where he left his cell phone. :-)

Title: "Contemplative Character"


Shot data: 1/160s f/2.8 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

RenFest Pirate

Taken at the Texas Renaissance Festival two weekends ago.

Title: "RenFest Pirate"


Shot data: 1/60s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camerea Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Texas Dance Hall

Taken at the September 12, 2009 Homes for Our Troops event at Beaumont Ranch in Grandview, Texas. The scene in this photo is fairly representative of a lot of Texas dance halls (it even reminds me a little of the famous (by virtue of being featured in the movie Urban Cowboy) Gilleys Club located in Pasadena, Texas from 1970 to 1990).

Title: "Texas Dance Hall"


Shot data: 1/40s f/2.8 at 43.0mm iso500
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Boardwalk Bullet

One of the main attractions at the Kemah Boardwalk is the wooden roller coaster called the Boardwalk Bullet. I took this shot a couple of weekends ago. I threw a texture on top of the image (with a layer mask in Photoshop used to control where I wanted the texture and where I didn't) because the sky in the background was light gray with absolutely no interest. I don't experiment with textures much so hopefully I haven't been too heavy handed here. To me textures used this way can add depth and richness to a photo. Hope you like it!

Title: Boardwalk Bullet


Shot data: 1/640s f/6.3 at 100.0mm iso1250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin