My photography has moved

In an attempt to center my online "stuff" around michaelgrace.org I have moved my photography posts to http://photos.michaelgrace.org If you are currently getting emails or subscribing to my rss feed from this blog and would like to do the same with my personal photography site I would encourage you to do so. If you would like me to add you to the mailing list I would be more than happy to if you let me know. I really like the way the photography blog looks and I am excited to keep it going.

My plans for michaelgrace.org is to have michaelgrace.org be a portal to different aspects of my life like photography, web design, resume, family, and more. It isn't all set up yet but it is in the works. In the meantime, enjoy http://photos.michaelgrace.org

The sky is blue

Today I was only able to take a few photos but it was really nice that the sky was so blue and the setting sun was a nice golden color. Made for some fun shots. Check out the full album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25650257@N02/sets/72157612626926126/

This bare tree was made really red by warm setting sun in contrast to the cool blue sky.

Nothing really special about this picture, but I thought it was fun to see my shadow on the fun texture of the tree.

I was blessed to walk by just as the sun was sitting in between the fork in the tree. Probably should have held the camera straight for a better picture. I like the golden look of the warm setting sunlight.

Brent & Rendi Visit

Brent & Rendi came to visit and it was a lot of fun having them there. I have uploaded some of the pictures to flickr and will direct you there to see them since I don't have time right now to upload them individually and discuss each one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/25650257@N02/sets/72157612779359794/

Cassie's current project

Cassie is working on a fun painting right now that it is really different and fun. Just wanted to share. :-)

Game night - 10,000 (ten thousand dice game)

We had a great time tonight playing a fun dice game called ten thousand. My parents showed us this game and it has become one of our favorites. Go to http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dice-play/Games/TenThousand.htm to read the rules of the game. If you like it, let us know. :-)

Old Cold Blue

Only got a few more pictures today but I am getting much better at fixing the photos. I am thinking that I am going to start shooting in RAW format since I am editing all of my photos anyway. From what I understand from what I have learned, RAW has several advantages over shooting in jpg. No lost data, wider range of color capture, and much more are the advantages that I have heard of. I am excited to try it out and see how it works. But, until then, here are my pictures from today.


This is another classic "Rexburg buried in snow" picture. I love the blue color of the sign poking up out of the snow. I had on my telephoto lens so it was a bit easier to get the depth of field that I wanted. The composition also works well because the horizon line of the snow goes from left to right and naturally leads the eye to the subject, which is the sign. The background is blurred enough to keep from distracting too much but is still clear enough to give the sign context. Now, I have to confess that when I took this picture I did not think about all of those things. I was actually looking for something sticking out of the snow. I even passed the sign and stopped and went back after I passed it.


I just had to take another picture of this. This one is in a different stairwell so there is no sanitizer nailed to the wall distracting from the picture.

I wish I would have placed the subject more to the right of the frame so that he would be looking into the main portion of the picture.

I loved the blue sky's we had today! We had a fog this morning that iced everything and made the trees look absolutely beautiful. I was originally going to wait for the jet to get out of the frame but it makes the composition more powerful than the ones without it, I think.

Sweetest Electric car I have ever seen!

Tesla is setting a new standard for electric cars with their Tesla Roadster. Albeit a bit out of my price range but it is nice to see a break from the frumpy looking hybrid and electric cars on the market right now. Want to know how this electric car goes from 0-60 in under 4 seconds? Check out the specs at http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php

Surviving the snow

Photos from 01/14/09

I had some time in between classes today so I was able to take a few pictures. It was fun and really cold after about 30 minutes. I found a squirrel tearing into some frozen apricots and he was fun to watch.


I like how the trees frame the subject. There is a foreground, horizon, and background. The ravaged apricots can be seen on the ground.

Looking for it's next target! :-) I like the composition of this one.


I think cropping this one in a tall format helps it feel like the squirrel is high up in a tree.

I like how the bottom branch creates a sense of horizon for the squirrel and it leads the eye to the subject. I also like the stance I caught the squirrel in. I am not sure I like the white wood in the picture but I couldn't crop it out without ruining the effect of the branch, so I opted to keep the white wood in.

This is the photo that epitomizes the theme of my photo shoot. I went out with the purpose of photographing a theme of surviving in the cold snow or beauty in the cold. I think this picture represents that theme well.

We have a lot of construction going on at the BYU-I campus and it is inconvenient but as I was walking by one the the piles of construction material and I saw the light shining through and I just had to take a picture of it.

I thought this was a funny site to see. Can you guess why? I have walked by this hundreds of times and this was the first time I saw it and recognized that the stairs sign is the opposite of the stairs. Not critical but I think it is funny.

I have to preface this with the fact that I think Cassie is sooooo cute! I bent down at the end of our bed to pick up something and I looked up and this is what I saw. Hidden behind the Sudoku puzzle book and snuggled in bed under the sheets, winding down to go to sleep.

I adjusted the colors and cropped all of these pictures. On all of the outdoor pictures I wish I had my telephoto lens and my mono pod. I took about 75 pictures and ended up with roughly 10 that were nice. Not bad for a days work but I still have a long ways to go.

My second popular photography magazine came the other day so I am really excited to learn some new things. It has been a lot of fun to get the magazine and I have my parents to thank for that wonderful Christmas gift. I also hope that as I continue to take more pictures and process them that it won't take as long because it took a good amount of time to sort through them and fix them up. Have a great day and thanks for looking. :-)

P.S. please feel free to leave me a comment on what you think. I would love to hear your feedback or suggestions if you have time. Thanks.

Photo Resolution

So, it is a new year and I am making a new year resolution to take more photos and share them with family. This resolution to become better and photography and the work flow that goes with it, I am calling my "Photo Resolution". (Rim Shot) {Pun intended} :-) LOL

My goal is to take pictures everyday and to take my camera with me more often. I hope this will help me to become a better photographer and help me to change the way I see the world. It is late and I really should get to sleep but I really want to start by posting some pictures from a family gathering recently.

This is actually not from the family gathering but from when Cas and I went to Boise and I saw this rusted sign that had painted on it' "Metalex - Rust Preventive Paint". I love it! :-)

I really liked this photo because they are both looking so happy. I should have blurred the background more and the chair rack in the back ruins the shot. Other than that I like it.

What a great moment. Both are looking in the same direction with their eyes well open and there are not a lot of distractions in the background. Really cute faces.

Both are no longer looking in the same direction but the facial expressions make up for that.

I have to admit I am a sucker for really cute expressions. That baby is just soo cute!

I like the composition but I despise the background distractions (chairs, people). I should have moved the chairs and blurred out the background more by changing the aperture or with Photoshop's Gaussian blur.

I like the composition in this one and I was able to catch a good look. Also, no blaring distractions in the background. Finally. :-)

I enjoy the composition, expressions, and theme. Once again I wish I would have moved the cups and the garbage can.

Same thing here, just a different expression. Sooo cute!

I am not sure why I like this picture, but I do. Maybe because it is family and the picture is telling.

These kids were having soo much fun scurring around on the floor playing. I like that you can't see what they are watching which helps give it relatability or universal theme. Also the amount of distraction from the subjects are low and the reflection on the floor is a nice touch.

They found the camera! :-) I like that the angles on the arms brings all of the attention to the expression on his face. Kids rock!

This was one of the decoration on the table. It looks better in black and white and with my copyright. I guess it feels professional to me. I like the composition and the very shallow depth of field.

Well, there you have it. The begining of a year long resolve to become a better photographer overall. Not just at taking the pictures but also sorting, editing, sharing, and analyzing to improve the next shoot. Have a great day!

Dr Who Season 4

Dr Who Season 4 has started and is now on iTunes. Hooray! :-) Those whom I am close to absolutely love this show. I have to admit that it is a lot of fun to watch. :-)