Painting with light.

There are two basic types of painting with light photography. One of the uses a light that is moved in different directions to create swirls, circles, lines etc. The other type is created by using a subject at night and taking multiple shots while lighting up different areas of the subject. Those photos are then layered to give a dramatic effect. I've done both and I really love the second type that was mentioned here. This take a lot of work but well worth it. Here is a sample of both. As always you can see more pictures by clicking the button to the right of this page.

This was created by moving the camera instead of the light source.

This is my first try at the second style I mentioned. In the future I'll have better pictures like this to share and hopefully they will continue to get better as we go.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the post.

Off topic of photography today.

What happened to the old was?

This country has had it's great accomplishments and it's great failures, But the foundation has been so badly destroyed.
Our ancestors cared for each other, for their neighbors and their community. People helped one another in times of need and were charitable for the greater good of all.
Families took care of their own. They took responsibility for their children and disciplined them, guided them and raised them to be responsible people. Families took care of their grandparents not throw them into a retirement home. Everyone worked for the greater good of their family.
Children did as they were told by their parents. They grew up to show respect for their family and others they would meet. They worked hard like the rest of the family and earned what they had.
The government controlled the military to protect the people. The politicians listened to the community and worked for them. The government officials served a term and then went back to their own businesses. Government officials served their term speaking for the people and not their own personal gain or power over those whom they were suppose to answer too.

Today is a different day and it is a bleak one.   

Families send their elderly off to homes so someone else can care for them. They send their children to daycare and school expecting them to raise them so as not to be burdened with their own child. The children do not listen to their parents and speak to them as if they were dogs. If a parent disciplines their child, they are charged with child abuse.
Neighbors no longer care about each other and charity towards others has become a rare thing. The people now expect government to care for those in need instead of the community. People needing help are looked down upon because of all the people that don't want to work are taking the money meant for those who can't.
Our government officials no longer want to listen to the people that elect them. they have turned their political positions into life long careers, which has put them out of touch with the people. People now elect politician because of their party and not their record or ability. Politicians now look out for themselves and punish those who work hard to get ahead in life. Political correctness has taken the place of open conversation and debate.

I could go on but this little bit gets the view across. I wonder where we went wrong? I wonder if we can ever fix the mistakes that are being made or if we are destine to repeat history and fall from the grace of God as a country. As long as people bury their heads in the sand we will fall, and it won't take long.

This has been off topic of this site, but it had to be brought up. Peace and love to all.

2013 Chalk walk

Well the 2013 dogwood arts festival chalk walk was finally here. Last year I thought that there was the best street chalk work that could ever be done. I was wrong! this year there were some of the same artist and a lot of new ones. The artist weren't the only ones there because they had live bands playing and the same piano that was there last year. It sat in the middle of the square and anyone that wanted to play could. A few of the street vendors from last year were there and many new ones as well. I wasn't able to stay as long this year as I did last year. But I took full advantage of the photo ops. Normally I'll post one or two here for you and refer you to my flicker site. But I'll post a few more this time. If you enjoy these please click on my photo link on the right to see many more.

On the mountain.

  Well it's been quite a while since I've been here and there has been so much going on. We all made it threw the new year without any problems and I see that I was able to get some pictures posted back in December. I really haven't taken a lot since then but have take a few. If you are one of the people that follow this post I am sorry that it's been so long.

  The winter here has been just rainy and cold. Outside has just been wet, cold, windy and muddy out. we did manage to get one ice over and a couple times it snowed but melted within a couple hours. So no great snow pictures either. Well I can't blame it all on the weather to be honest with you. Even when the sun was out and the temp was above 45 degrees I stayed at the house indoors.

  We got out a couple time and that is where the title comes from. My son and I had looked at a couple of pieces of property after the first of the year and finally picked out one that we are happy with. Our intension was a little land for hunting and camping. One lot was 80 acres and all hillside. It took us a good 2 1/2 hours to get there and it was rough to walk and had been logged within the past 8 years or so. Because of that there wasn't a good canopy from the trees which gave way to a heavy undergrowth. We finally found a smaller 43 acres and were pretty happy with that area and now can go whenever we want. My daughter is already planning out some summer camping there and I am hoping to get up and catch some photos of the wildlife there. For those of you following my flicker site you have seen some of that area and for those who haven't I'll put a couple up here for you to get a idea of how pretty it is there at this time of the year. Enjoy these photos and please view the rest of them from my link on the right.

Seasonal Lights

It's that time of year again when the lights go up all around town. I get out and take a different view of the lights then most people do. When you visit the photos posted on my photos you will see what happens when I twist my brain. Twisting my camera while taking those photos of the lights is just as crazy. So for my December post I'll share some of those for you and if you enjoy these, please follow the link to my Flickr page and get a view of some others. The abstract once are made by using a slow shutter speed and putting a little motion to the camera. Try some up and down, circular motion or even a little zig zag. Take a look and maybe they will get you thinking about reaching out and being more creative. Enjoy the photos and please get out and experiment some.

Fall is here.

Fall has hit and the weather is showing it. This is one of my favorite times of year with the cooler weather and the spectacular colors of the foliage. I was able to get away and take a trip up to the Great Smoky Mountains. On this trip we didn't actually go into the national park, but rather in Gatlinburg along the edge of the park. Gatlinburg Tennessee is considered the gateway to the Smoky's and if you have never been there I highly recommend you visit there when you're in east Tennessee. Though the many years that I have lived here I never get tired of visiting there. The place has changed so much in the years but you can still walk the streets and visit the many shops or watch fresh taffy being pulled or pick up some one of a kind wood carvings. Take a ride on a ski lift chair or take the tram all the way to Ober Gatlinburg where you can enjoy the ice skating rink or visit the bear exhibit outside. As always I'll give you a few photos of Gatlinburg and you can see those and many more on the flickr site by clicking on the link to the right under my photos.

Was Great

San Diego was great while I was there. I was able to spend lots of time with my family and do some great things with them. Kayaking in the bay and at the Imperial dam, going to the car museum, botanical garden and zoo. I got to take my mom out for her birthday along with my brothers. It's so hard to explain how great it was but it was and now I'm back to Knoxville. Was able to get lots of good photos while there and met a lot of people along the way. As normal I posted some pix on the flickr page for you all to enjoy, but here are a couple for a preview.