In the Garden and Learning About Aperture

I came home from work just in time to catch the last of the late evening light. With camera in hand, I snapped away at the flowers and plants that were blooming in our garden.

Peonies are my favorite flowers to photograph

After so many years of blooming, this is the first time we've had an abundance of blooms from this Clematis

This clematis doesn't like to climb our mailbox


This is a rogue Geranium that seeded itself amongst the ground covering. I would have liked to have seen three purple flowers in this pic, but will settle for whatever I can get.




Believe or not, this is a really small plant (Columbine) that grows along the edge of our walkway. I had to get really low on the ground to capture this shot.





** How-to-Series: Learning About Aperture **

I started this blog last year with the intent of sharing my picture taking experiences and what I see through my lens. I haven't been doing a great job of providing any insight on how I take pictures. So, I thought I would take a moment and share a "learning" experience.

Here, I am playing with the Aperture on my camera. It's the large "A" on my DSLR dial. No, it doesn't stand for "automatic". "A" is for Aperture. A small aperture number (large opening) produces this type of picture with the main flower in focus and the background out of focus.

Taken @ f/5.6. Extreme fuzzy background


Taken @ f/8


A large aperture number (small opening) produces this picture with the background somewhat coming into focus along with the flowers.

Taken @ f/22

I will be back with more "how-to" posts. In the meantime, grab your camera and start taking some pictures.

Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18mm-200mm
Flash: None

Taking Pictures Without Flash

I'm making an effort to get out and take pictures each weekend. I have the Nikon D5000 which is touted for its low light picture taking capabilities. I have been putting it to the test...without flash of course. It's taken me awhile to learn how to use this DSLR with all the settings and features. I'm learning a lot about what to do and what not to do. What to set and what not to set. So far, I've owned the camera for a month and I've taken over 800 pictures. With lots of practice, I think I'm getting a handle on it. On to my adventure for the day.

I believe we broke a record today. It felt like it...90 degrees and hot! I decided to visit someplace colorful and would keep me out of the heat. My assignment today took me to Merrifield Garden Center.

Here I am in the greenhouse. It was a nice steamy hot area to be taking pictures. I hurried along, snapping away.







I enjoy roaming the garden center. You never know what you might find laying around.










There many areas decorated at MGC. I feel like I walk into different living areas. Different themes with different arrangements.






















** How-To Series: Adjusting the ISO levels **


All of these pictures were taken indoors with no flash and a steady hand. I've managed to find the setup range on the camera that will automatically set the highest ISO level at 1600 and the lowest shutter speed at 1/30 sec. My ISO is currently set at 200 automatically. I couldn't figure out why the camera kept defaulting to ISO 200 whenever I was taking low light pictures. Not good when people are in movement and the results are blurred images. So by setting the camera range to an ISO 1600, this allows the camera to adjust the ISO from 200 to 1600 in relation to the amount of light that is available. By setting the lowest shutter speed at 1/30 sec, the camera will automatically adjust (go no lower) to get the best possible picture.

This D5000 is a true winner in my book.

Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18mm-200mm
ISO: 200-320
Flash: None

Happy Easter Weekend!

DB came for a long weekend visit. On Friday, we got up around 4:30am and left the house around 5:10am to catch a train down to Washington, DC. We ended up at the Smithsonian station around 6:15am and took a hike over to the Tidal Basin to take pictures of the cherry blossoms in the wee early morning hours. We weren't the only ones waiting for the sun to rise.

(Nikon D40 photos)

Washington Monument in the wee hours

As we were all snapping away at the monuments and the cherry blossoms, I happened to look to my right and noticed something extremely white. It was a young lady getting her bridal pictures taken. So, naturally I took this opportunity to capture the moment.

A photog moment with a bride

As more and more folks arrived and the Tidal Basin was getting a bit crowded (joggers, walkers, and photographers), we decided we had enough and started our hike to the other monuments. We visited the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and many sites along the way.

Lincoln Memorial

Korean War Memorial

World War II Memorial


We took pictures of the Washington Monument and the Capitol.

Washington Monument

They do exist, the Segway Tours.

Segway riders


Trees blooming around the Capitol





We grabbed some lunch at a local Thai restaurant, just south of the Capitol in a quiet neighborhood. Afterwards, we headed to the US Botanic Gardens and took pictures of their orchid collections.










My DB and I walked over 12,000 steps, covering 8 miles. Thanks to my nifty pedometer, we kept track of the distance traveled. After several hours of walking, I had experienced multiple cramps in both legs. I had to end our photo adventure. As we headed back to the Smithsonian station, we were in for a huge shock. The crowds of people, both coming and going from the train station. We were crammed into the trains like sardines. As it turned out, that Friday was the 2nd highest ridership day (900,000 riders) using the Metrorail. To go along with that astounding number, I took 600+ pictures on that same day!




The next day (Saturday), we headed over to Arlington Cemetery.













A beautiful find at Arlington Cemetery









Early Sunday (Easter) morning, we were the only early birds in downtown Manassas. Back to take more pictures. Here are pictures taken with my new Nikon D5000:

My DB with his cool Nikon (D5000)


A view in the middle of the street in downtown Manassas (D5000)


One of the old buildings that houses Okra and The Foundation Restaurant (D5000)

Local signage (D5000)

Note: the only modifications made to the my pictures: cropped and copyright added.

A Weekend @ The Homestead

My hubby and I took a 3-hour trip to The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. The last hour of our trip was a beautiful and peaceful drive before arriving into a spectacular resort. Hubby was one of the guest speakers for the "In the Garden" seminar held at The Homestead. I knew this would be a photo opportunity for me. I took over 400 pictures here. These are only a handful that I will share with you. Enjoy!

Arriving at The Homestead. Taken while in the car traveling down the driveway. Not bad for a behind the window shot


The Tower. It was a beautiful afternoon when we arrived. I stopped to capture this moment with the sky filled with while puffy clouds

Notice anything interesting about this building?


It was nice to stroll along and listen to the water

Yellow petunias


A small group of us (the speakers & their spouses) had an opportunity to hike through the Cascades Gorge. We saw 13 waterfalls of which 3 million gallons of spring water flow through each day.


My favorite waterfall picture


Fishing in the Cascades


Another favorite waterfall shot

I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice some photo techniques.

Normal waterfall shot using Program mode


Beautiful waterfall shot using Shutter mode


View from the back of the building. I always make my camera do all the work. So, if it means that I have to rotate my camera 90 degrees to get a beautiful long shot, then it's worth it

Many thanks to Forrest, Claire, Andre, & Eileen for making our weekend so enjoyable