A Weekend in Columbus, OH

Here are a few photos from a recent road trip to Columbus, OH. The purpose of the trip was to watch the Virginia Tech and Ohio State football game (VT won 35-21), and, I also had the chance to take some awesome pictures of the Buckeye fans, Ohio Stadium, and the Ohio Statehouse. Enjoy.

Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles

Here are a few pictures from the Labor Day baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles played in Baltimore, MD. Instead of sitting on the preferred first base side, I sat right behind home plate (five rows to be exact). Although this was an amazing perspective to watch the game, this view will provide a photographer with a few limitations.

First, most of your photos will be of the players’ backs, and the umpire or even the catcher may obstruct your view of the batter. Obviously, a good photographer can still capture a quality picture overall, but some people, myself included, prefer to capture the entire body of the batter.

Second, you may need to bring a lens with a very large focal range to get a good snapshot of the action. Most baseball fields have a large backstop behind home plate, so there could be several feet between you and the field, even if you were sitting in the first row.

Last, sitting from this perspective can make it difficult to capture any action away from home plate without a lens that has a long focal range. I would highly recommend bringing a telephoto lens to the park in case you were to find yourself sitting right behind home plate. Unfortunately, some stadiums/ballparks might prohibit such a lens (Heinz Field is an example), so it is wise to check the stadium’s guidelines prior to attending the game.

Overall, when taking pictures of sporting events from a fan’s perspective, you must ask yourself two questions: Do I want to watch the game or do I want to capture quality pictures? Obviously, you can do both, but personal experience has shown me that at some point you might miss out on one intention or another. Anyway, good luck shooting and enjoy the pictures.

Exploring the Virginia War Museum

Here are a few pictures from the campus of the Virginia War Museum in Newport News, VA.

Richmond Graffiti Walk - August 2014

The following pictures were taken around the city of Richmond, VA. Richmond has a vast amount of incomparable murals, that were created by both local and national artists. If you ever visit the city of Richmond, I highly recommend that you take in the many different forms of art that this beautiful city provides.

Gwinnett Braves vs Norfolk Tides

Here are a few photos of the Gwinnett Braves baseball team at the Norfolk Tides baseball game that was played on August 15, 2014. The Tides wore gnome-themed jerseys in honor of the gnome figurine of Tides manager Ron Johnson, a trinket that was handed out prior to the game in honor of the man. Also, during the game, a silent auction was held giving fans an opportunity to acquire a game-worn jersey. The proceeds of the auction went to the United Way of South Hampton Roads. The Tides won the game 5-0.

Downtown Hampton, Eight Stories Up

Today I had the opportunity to take a few pictures from an observation deck at Hampton’s City Hall.

For quite some time I have wanted to take a picture of the municipal building using natural borders, specifically, the bushes that surround city hall. As I was searching for a respectable angle, a man asked me about what I was specifically shooting. To my surprise, this man turned out to be none other than George Wallace, mayor of our illustrious city. Mayor Wallace then asked how I would feel about taking a few pictures from his office’s observation deck. How could I say no?

What made this occasion even more mind-blowing was that there were not only extraordinary views from the deck, but also, I could not help but notice the utter composure of our Mayor. During my short time with him, I noticed that Mayor Wallace had some form of a relationship with every person in the building. His compassion for his colleagues exemplifies how all of our representatives should carry themselves. I mean this man took the time out of his day to give me the opportunity to take pictures from his personal office perch! For me, that was experiencing Christmas in July!

I would like to take this time out to personally thank Mayor George Wallace for giving me such an opportunity today. Kudos to you!

Downtown Hampton Time-Lapse Video

Here is a look at my first attempt at time-lapse photography. Enjoy!

I will post more information about time-lapse photography in the near future.

Virginia is for Lovers traveling LOVEwork Hit Hampton, VA!

The Virginia Is For Lovers iconic "LOVEwork" sign is on a state tour this year, and can be found in Hampton's Carousel Park off Settlers Landing Way, from July 12 to July 19. Hurry up and see the sign before it's too late.

Hampton Roads Independence Day Fireworks

Independence Day is a time for vacations, food, fun, and fireworks! Like most Americans I prefer the first three before the latter, but firework shows can provide any photographer with a great series of captures. Unfortunately, shooting fireworks can be a little tricky, especially for someone who has little to no experience doing so. But why is something so fun so difficult to capture? Below I have posted a few pictures of local firework shows and some tips to help you when shooting fireworks. Enjoy!

Tips for Shooting Fireworks:

Survey the location and frame your photo prior to the show: There is absolutely nothing wrong with an isolated picture of the fireworks, but you can add more flare to your photographs with the surrounding scenery. Try to locate the setup prior the show and frame your shot around the fireworks. Focus on a fixed focal point and use a small aperture (between f/8 and f/16) to increase your depth of field.
Be careful of your surroundings: You do not want to shoot in a place where anything might obstruct your view, nor do you want to obstruct anyone else’s view. Shooting at a higher point can be a great advantage when photographing fireworks.
Use a tripod: It is almost impossible to properly shoot fireworks without a tripod due to the long shutter speeds needed.
Shoot in a low ISO: Shooting at a low ISO will allow you the necessary time to shoot fireworks and decrease any grain (noise) in your photo.
If possible, use a shutter release remote to decrease the chances of camera shake. If you do not have a shutter release remote, you can also use the timer on the camera to prevent/decrease the chances of camera shake.
Once you have framed your photo, turn off the auto focus (as well as the image stabilization or IS) on the lens. This will prevent the camera from searching for new focal points between shots and waist critical time between fireworks.
There are two ways to shoot the firework explosion:
- The first method is to use the bulb mode on your camera. The bulb mode allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter button (or button on the cable remote). Ideally you want to use a remote when using this method to decrease any chances of camera shake. Understand that timing is the key! You should anticipate the explosion of the firework and open the shutter (by pressing the button) right before the explosion, keeping the shutter open until the firework is finished exploding. Do not keep the shutter open for too long! Fireworks are a good source of lights and a long shutter speed can over expose the fireworks, washing out the colors of the explosions.
- The second method is to use the manual mode on your camera. From past experiences I have noticed that the best settings are somewhere between f/8-f/16 and between five to seven seconds. I usually start with f/8 and five seconds and make any necessary adjustments between explosions. You should not use the aperture or shutter priority modes. Shooting in aperture priority mode can mislead the camera to use a shutter speed that is too long. Shooting in shutter priority mode can mislead the camera and change your depth of field.

The Various Faces and Sentiments of the 2014 World Cup

Every four years FIFA presents the world’s soccer fans with a magnificent, passionate, and insensitive tournament known as the World Cup.

In this year’s World Cup, the United States Men’s National Team provided America with a prolific, astounding, and demonstrative ride into Round 16. Although their tournament was short-lived, the Yanks indeed managed to win the hearts of many Americans who were not familiar with the international game (my brother included).

Throughout the World Cup, I photographed my emotions for each game in which the USMNT participated. As you can see, there is a wide range of emotions.