I went out today to attempt to capture some of the fall foliage. Here is the end result!

                                                    

The Rule of Thirds is one of the most basic rules in composition but in my opinion, it is one of the most important rules in composition. The Rule of Thirds can make your shots far more interesting, however, ignoring the rule doesn't necessarily make all of your photos look bland and boring.

When you are composing a shot, you want to envision the photo split into nine squares. This creates four different points. You will then want to place your subject in any one of the four points (for the first shot, the dog's face is in the upper right-hand corner. In the second photo, it is the tree in the upper right-hand corner.) The last photo is a very bad example, though!  The flower is directly in the center of the image which makes it look very unappealing. The Rule of Thirds is an easy and effective way to improve your composition without much practice!                              
                                       

My entry for the "ninth annual Valley Record reader photo contest". Maybe this will be the kickstart for my career...

                                         

 A BNSF train thunders past hole seventeen at Chambers Bay Golf Club.

                                                    

 

I am currently working with flash and trying to understand more about it. For these photos, I am using an external flash which allows me to try placing the flash in different positions. The first photo above is without any type of flash at all. Ambient light only. In the second picture, the flash is positioned on the camera's hot shoe, pointing directly at Sam, my willing and faithful model. Even though it has been powered down quite a bit, it still creates harsh shadows. The big difference between a pop-up and external flash is flexibility. In the last photo, I have the flash positioned about two feet behind the camera and aimed almost vertically upward. The light hit a reflector I was holding and bounced downward. The light filled in the dark background and any harsh shadows became softer. The result? An almost correctly exposed image. Flash can be a very useful tool if used effectively. 

All photos were taken with an ISO of 200, a shutter speed of 1/200, and an aperture of f/9.

The beautiful Seattle skyline.

                                         

A honey bee gathering pollen.

                                         

Bubba Watson and caddie Ted Scott.

                                         

Muigel Angel Jimenez and his caddie.

                                         

A few photos of Tuesday's practice round at the 115th US Open at Chambers Bay golf club.

                                                    

The honey bees are hard at work pollinating today.

                                         

An amazing Blood Moon!

                                       

Water drops look great in photos! 

                                         

Seattle's space needle and ferry boats.

                                                    

Downtown Seattle skyline.

                                                    

Trying to stay warm despite the cold winter this year!

                                              

Downtown Seattle, taken from the bridge.

                                                     

A Monk Seal.

                                            

A beautiful sunrise on Kauai!

                                                       
                                                                  

After a thorough investigation, I learned that this is supposed to be a Cane Spider.