American Robin

American Robin, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I took this photo a few weeks ago at Magee Marsh on the shore of Lake Eerie in Ohio. We were there a bit ahead of warbler season so there wasn't a huge crowd on the boardwalk, which gave me the opportunity to practice taking bird photos with a flash. I had a better beamer attachment to the flash unit. Using flash for bird photography is a bit of a challenge, which is obviously amplified with a beamer. I'm glad I had the chance to experiment in a more relaxed setting than when bird paparazzi are going crazy over warblers.

President Obama Campaign Rally - Columbus, Ohio - Part 1

President Barack Obama had his campaign kick-off rally in Columbus, Ohio yesterday. I volunteered to help, and had to be on site at 7 a.m.  I entered volunteer information into a form on my iPad while working the VIP line. All volunteers who had worked on the campaign prior to the rally were eligible for a VIP ticket.  I had mine in hand, but I also volunteered my iPad for the cause.

 

Early on the morning of the rally, the line barricades were set up. This is the area for the VIP line, which is where campaign volunteers lined up to enter the building.

One surely hopes that this is the police check-in line and not a line for donuts....... (just joking around, officers).

The doors to the Schottenstein opened at 10:30 a.m. The building was undergoing a final sweep when all the volunteers arrived to the site.

Carol Mohr is the UA for Obama team leader. She's the one who recruited me to help with the campaign.  She and I volunteered to enter data using our iPads, and we were assigned to work the VIP line. How convenient - when the doors opened, we were already in line.

The VIP line is on the move. Everyone was very patient during the wait and there was a lot of cheering going on all through this area.

This videographer was working the VIP line right at the entrance to the Schott. He wanted to record the hype and so he was shouting "Fired Up!" and the people in line responded "Ready to Go!"

At this point in the line, there were only a couple of dozen feet to go before the security checkpoint. You can see the some of the volunteer VIP line in the background. There were thousands of "fired up" volunteers waiting to get into the arena for the campaign rally.

This was the first campaign rally I've ever attended, and this is the first political campaign I've volunteered to assist. I strongly support President Obama in his re-election campaign. If you're interested in volunteering - just go online and sign-up to help. It's easy to do, and you meet a lot of interesting people.

Mayor Coleman at the Obama rally

Mayor Coleman at the Obama rally, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman welcomed a crowd of 14,000 supporters at yesterday's kick-off rally for President Obama's re-election campaign.

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Today I spent all morning volunteering for the Obama campaign, and then attended the campaign rally at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University. It was a very inspirational day for me. I'll do a proper blog post soon, but I wanted to post this picture today.

Australian sunrise

Australian sunrise, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I sure wish the sunrises in Ohio were as interesting as the ones along the east coast of Australia. There will be an interesting event in the sky Saturday night - around 11:30 pm, or so. The perigee moon is rising - another Super Moon photo op...

Australian sunrise panorama

Australian sunrise, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sometimes the scale of nature is hard to capture with a camera. For this particular sunrise, a panoramic shot is the only way to really take it all in.

Solitude

Solitude, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Walking the beach at dawn is restful to the soul.

Sunrise and sunbeams

Sunrise and sunbeams, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sunrise on the Gold Coast of Australia: 25 March 2012. The sunrise on this particular morning of Turnfest wasn't especially spectacular until the sunbeams burst through the clouds. Such a nice way to cap off the series of sunrise walks on the beach.

ICM: Eucalyptus grove

ICM: Eucalyptus grove, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

Intentional camera movement in a Eucalyptus Grove in Australia.

Another sunrise in Australia

Australian sunrise, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

They do happen every day.....

This one is again from March 25, 2012. I liked the colors and the gull walking through the frame.

Gull on the beach at dawn

Gull on the beach at dawn, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

Another photo from sunrise on March 25, 2012 - Gold Coast of Australia, looking towards Surfers Paradise. I used a combination of Silver Efex Pro 2 and Color Efex 4 to achieve the look of this image.

Queensland sunrise in monochrome

Queensland sunrise in monochrome, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

I've been slowly working my way through the photos I took during Turnfest 2012. I'm on the last day (Sunday), at last. Each morning of Turnfest I walked the beach at sunrise with J. Paul Fennell, sometimes joined by Bonnie Klein and other turners.

I enjoy seascapes and sunrise as a combo because of the nuances that are constantly changing. However, I'm a bit weary of the same subject over and over again. Thus, I'm processing some of the Sunday sunrise photos in monochrome. It adds a bit of drama to the scene, I think.

In this photo, I wanted the foot prints to be leading lines to Surfers Paradise. The cloud structure lends a bit of drama and the surf and dunes add to the perspective to draw the eye to the city.

Begging in the kitchen

Begging in the kitchen, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

I've been doing a project 52 this year (one picture a week on a designated theme). This is going on over at Google+ with a bunch of photographers from around the world. This week's theme was "The Kitchen." A lot of the photos posted have been of kitchen appliances, counter tops, floral arrangements and the like. None of those ideas appealed to me.

When I think of my kitchen I envision my three dachshunds underfoot, hoping that some morsel will drop from the counter like manna from heaven. Who can resist those sweet dachshund eyes or those soft, whimpering whines?

Composition and leading lines....

Surfers Paradise, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

Composition in painting or photography involves several elements that add dynamics to an image. In this photo I've used the "rule of thirds" as well as "leading lines" to the focal point. To set up this shot I needed to be low to the water and to place Surfers Paradise at the edge of the surf line. The edge of the surf in the foreground is at the 1/3 mark of the frame as is the horizon. The line of dunes and shrubs also lead to the city.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet, a photo by andiwolfe (Jet-lagged) on Flickr.

While staying at Robyn's Nest in Merimbula, Steve and I were treated to a wide variety of birds, including a flock of Rainbow Lorikeets. They are so well named, given their colorful plumage. They are always busy in the trees, munching on flowers and seeds.