Route 66 Day Two!

Well the rain finally stopped and we were able to make some photos. We met Gary at this old service station. He had a wealth of Route 66 information for us. He and his wife have fixed up this building and some others on the grounds. They have lived here since 1957. He sure was a great charactor and we left feelng like we had known him for years. This place was a special treat and we enjoyed it and his stories. I think he knows just about everyone on Route 66. Thanks for looking and Happy Shooting!  Crutch 

Route 66 Trip Day One

We have spent all day in the rain. We planned to shoot the skyline at Louisville, Kentucky, but it turned out too foggy. We pressed on to St. Louis, Mo. and discovered the arch is only lit on weekends. Too dark for any pics.  But, we are having a great time and look forward to tomorrow :)

Crutch

"Get your kicks on Route 66"

It's time for another "road trip" . This time Pete and I have decided to hit the Mother Road, aka Route 66. This road goes through 8 states from Chicago to Los Angeles. We plan to get on near St. Louis, Mo and go as far as time will allow. I'm hoping we can get to Flagstaff, AZ before we will be forced to return. We are allowing 7-10 days, but the way we stop and photograph stuff, we may not get out of Missouri, lol. I hope to post some of each days photos with a short daily summary.

I will be limited in some areas with no wi-fi. We plan to start this morning, with our first stop in Louisville, Ky to shoot the city scape from across the river, in Indiana. Look for updates along the way. Happy Shooting!  Crutch

Night Photography & Light Painting

My good friend Pete Michael and myself are looking forward to our up coming trip down Route 66. We will be starting in St. Louis, Mo. and hope to reach Flagstaff, Arizona, before heading home. We are planning on doing several types of photography and video during this trip. We decided that light painting would be something that we will use out west, so we went over to Rankin Bottoms, near Newport, to do a little practicing. My results are to the right. I felt like that was satisfactory for my first attempt. but alot more practice is in order. To light this tree at night, I opened the shutter and painted this tree with light using a large flashlight. The shutter remained open in, bulb mode, for over 2 minutes. The full moon rising was a pleasant surprise. It was really fun and I displayed a lot of patience :)  We are planning to do some long exposure photography and some panoramas during our trip too.  I will report from the road at every opportunity. Happy Shooting!  Crutch

Lighthouse Landscapes

Just finished another book. This one has a compilation of several trips to Michigan and Wisconsin. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. I have always enjoyed these trips and plan to go again soon. Check it out here:
http://www.adoramapix.com/crutch1948/book/lighthouses-1

Commenst welcome  Happy Shooting !  Crutch

Halloween Tips (Not so scary)

There are plenty of subjects around to photograph at Halloween ranging from the traditional jack-o-lantern  to people in costume, to trick or treat ‘treats’ etc. It’s a time of color, emotion and lots of interesting subjects.

The keys to capturing them are not that different from the normal keys to good composition, in photography. As you photograph Halloween this year, keep in mind some of the basics, of good digital photography. Here are some tips that should be helpful in your Halloween photography: Focus on points of interest, eye makeup, mask, blood. Don't forget to fill your frame. Get close, then get closer. Find new angles, shoot up, down, tilt your camera for fun frames. Don't forget group photos. Shoot in low light without your flash. Incorporate fall colors, leaves around jack-o-lanterns, Ghouls under a tree with fall color everywhere. Just remember to have fun and create some lasting memories, for yourself and the kids. Happy Halloween and Happy Shooting!  Crutch

Photo Tip of the Week - Fall Color !

It's time to get your camera ready for the fall color season. Start charging those batteries and cleaning those lens and sensors. We live in a great area to photograph some beautiful fall foliage. Try to incorporate the colors with some landscapes, streams or waterways. Also, this is a great time to use an enhansing filter if you have one. This will make your photos really pop with color, especially the film cameras. B &H Photo has lots to choose from here:  https://secure.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=enhansing+filters&N=0&InitialSearch=yes. If you are shooting digital, you can add a little saturation in post. Most of all, fall is a great time to get out and enjoy the weather. Get with some friends and hit the road. Happy Shooting! Crutch