Hi, it was during my lunch break last week I decided to take a short drive. It’s nice getting away from work, see different things especially on a beautiful sunny day. My drive took me to the East Lawrence area. At 9th and Delaware is the Wishing Bench, a place to sit and make a wish. It was back in 2015 that I posted the first image of the Wishing Bench.
What a fun experience to see the added items of the Wishing Bench now. Enjoy!
The Wishing Bench Now 2017
A close up look at the front side.
And now the backside.
Does your hometown have a wishing bench? Did you sit and make a wish? Did you ever go back and add something to the bench? Please share below!
Hi, just the other day I had a co-worker ask me how I took such good pictures. What a wonderful compliment and it made me feel great. I believe there are two simple things one can do to take better pictures with any camera. Sure, those fancy big cameras have some mighty nice bells and whistles. If one knows what all of them do and how to use them, the pictures look awesome. The key is knowing what they do and how to use them. In this post I will not get into the technical side of photography; instead it will be the non-technical (position of camera) I will talk about. This will work with any of your camera’s mode settings (auto or A-S-P-M).
First, read the manual to learn what each control, switch, button, and menu item does. Learn the basic actions, such as using the flash (on, off, and auto), zooming in and out, and using the shutter button. I would even recommend keeping a copy of the manual in your camera bag.
Secondly, how do you take your pictures, standing up? When I took this image, I was standing straight up camera at eye level. The camera was positioned horizontally.
LENS: 50mm F1.8 EXP: 1/400 sec; f/4.5; ISO 100
Try turning the camera vertically. Don’t confuse this with cocking the camera. Even though this can be done, doing it too much can distract from the image.
LENS: 50 mm F1.8 EXP: 1/250 sec; f/4.5; ISO 100
Can you see any difference in the pictures? For the next image, I bent down to the ground (squatting- still on my feet).
LENS: 50 mm F1.8 EXP: 1/160 sec; f/4.5; ISO 100
This last picture I set the camera on the sidewalk bricks holding the lens up just enough to keep it off the ground.
LENS: 50 mm F1.8 EXP: 1/200 sec; f/4.5; ISO 100
See how amazing it is to get four different images that were taken in the same place! The only difference was the level of the camera.
The next time you take a picture, take it a second time but place the camera at a different level. You’ll be amazed!
Best Wishes,
For more basic suggestions on how to take better pictures, check out this link.
Hi, can you find the Killdeer nest in the image below?
EXP: 1/1000 sec; f/5.6; ISO 100
It was last weekend when I was with Kevin while feeding the cows that he asked me if I could see the Killdeer nest. As I was looking everywhere, Kevin just laughed. He said it’s out in plain site. I had to admit that I didn’t know what I was looking for- never seen a Killdeer nest before. Heck, I wasn’t sure what a Killdeer even looked like!
You might see the nest right off the dot. But when you are out in the open pasture the nest isn’t easy to see. This is down by the pond/cabin, Kevin marked the nest with two bigger rocks so he wouldn’t mow over them.
