Macro: Bee Drinking Nectar 12/52

F/4.5, 1/500 s exposure, ISO 200

This past week I dusted off my macro lens after a few months of semi-retirement and decided to shoot something other than teeth. With the fall weather having arrived, I was hoping that there would be some flowers still in bloom. Luckily there were still some blooming in Boston Common and even better, some bees still hovering around drinking nectar. Having bees around or any other insects around just makes the macro shot more interesting and alive. The other option without any bugs is to have a spray bottle handy to spray the flower, giving it the morning dew appearance. Anyway, this shot took me a while to get because of the combination of the bee not staying still and the fear of getting stung. I think I probably could use a better depth of field to get more of the central flower in focus which I'll try next time.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

Motion Blurrr 11/52

Ferrari 360 (one of my favorite cars) (*ok apparently this is not the 360, its the 430 [courtesy of Stephen Lam] and obviously I don't know Ferraris lol)

Recently, I figured out how to add motion blur to a non-moving object. There are a few ways to do it. One way is a little harder but will be more realistic and won't create a halo around the car or object. The alternate way is to simply duplicate the image, add Motion Blur to the duplicate and then layer it on top of the original. After that, you can erase the blurred car to reveal the original car. To add motion to the wheels, use the Elliptical Marquee tool to select the rims and tire and then add Radial Blur. You can take any picture and add a whole new dynamic.

Tiles for America 10/52

Tiles for America: F-11, 1/250 s, ISO 400

F-11, 1/640 exp, ISO 400

While exploring part of Greenwich village looking for some food, we stumbled upon a small memorial for 9/11. In keeping with the recent 9/11 anniversary, I thought it would be appropriate timing for these photos and to remember all those who perished in the twin towers. I remember hearing the tragedy from the loud radio of a garbage truck that morning then turning on the TV and seeing it on every channel. What's your memory?

US Open 2010 Grand Slam 9/52

Unisphere, Corona Park, Flushing Meadows, NY: F-4.5, 1/50 exposure, ISO 1600

Louis Armstrong Stadium: F-16, 1/125 s, ISO 400

I've been wanting to check out the US Open for a long time and I finally had the chance to go during labor day weekend. We got tickets to the evening session and watched a third round match between Novak Djokovic (3-seed) vs. James Blake from the upper promenade of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The panorama below is actually 2 panoramas stitched together and is the view from our seats. Louis Armstrong Stadium used to be the main show court for big matches before Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Unisphere is located in Corona Park near the grounds of the US Open and is famous for being in the movie Men in Black. Congrats to the eventual winner Rafa! But, still wish Federer won.

Arthur Ashe Stadium: F-5.6, 1/80 s, ISO 1600

Institute of Contemporary Art 8/52

Another one of KL's friends came to visit Boston recently and we've been trying to do different touristy things with each visitor. This particular friend liked art, so off to the ICA...In addition to displaying a lot of interesting art, the ICA is one of the most interesting architechtural buildings in Beantown. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pics of any artwork which included a section displaying Obey art. The indoor pic was the only area where we could take photos and it overlooks the Boston Harbour. We were lucky enough to have gone on a Thursday when it is open to the public for free between 5-9 PM.

ICA exterior: HDR, F-16, 15 second exposure, ISO 100
Indoor: F-14, 1/60 s exposure, ISO 400