My Accountant.

Funky.

Afternoon Coffee.

Cup o' Joe. Java. Mud. Sludge. High Test. Cuppa. Mud Puddle Buzz. Cafe. Caffe. Coffee!

Hey, did you know that coffee is good for you? Well, it is. (See Here.) Can there be any better news than that? Nope! Well, wait...how many of us are still hanging on to that old notion that it dehydrates you? Turns out that's not so. So the news can get better! Cool.

I am, at this very moment, enjoying my daily afternoon cuppa. Dark french roast (and I mean dark. Just ask my brother!) with a little cream (real cream, not milk) and a splash of hazelnut syrup (thanks Jess!) And oh my god does it ever satisfy!

Well, as I was kicking back waiting for it to brew, I noticed the afternoon sun streaming through the blinds. So I grabbed my favorite coffee mug (a true Diner mug!) and placed it in a certain spot on our pub table and shot away. I cranked up the in-camera contrast so as to black out the background...looking, as always, for a little drama. It's just a quick grab shot (the earth rotates so fast!), but I like it.

So anyway, here's to your health! However you enjoy your caffeine kick... cream and sugar, black, cappuccino, latte, iced, what have you...feel free to truly enjoy it! Guilt free.

Opportunities

This weekend I was presented with a great opportunity and a great challenge. I was lucky enough to be one of about 15 or so photographers to have free reign throughout the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center out at Dulles International. (Thanks Rob!) The place is massive. And it has everything! From the Enola Gay to the Enterprise Space Shuttle...and more! As I said, quite the opportunity!

The great challenge? Making interesting photos. Like most museums Udvar-Hazy is well lit...not nicely lit, but well lit. The photo above of the Flying Tiger gives you a good idea about how it looks throughout all the hangars. Not very compelling, really. And, frankly, it's not supposed to be. It's a museum. It is supposed to display things for people to see. It's not supposed to look really cool for us photographers. That's our job. Make it look cool.

Well, I had no idea what I was going to do. I had brought a minimal amount of equipment, taking a less is more approach. I had never been there, knew nothing of the size of the space or the lighting or the things I'd see. Totally blind. So, after we were given a brief orientation we were set free. I walked around just taking a few snapshots here and there, getting acquainted...trying different compositions. But I bored quickly of that. I soon realized it was the dull lighting that was boring me. I had to create better light.

I pulled out of my pack two speedlights and a couple gels. One blueish-purple, the other amber. I underexposed the ambient light by about two stops--maybe just one and a half, not too sure. But this significantly brought down the plain white light of the museum making for pretty dark photos. I then simply needed to add my own light, using the colored gels to get a little drama out of them. I am fairly happy with the results, but I'd love to get back there someday with the knowledge of the place I now have...I'd bring a couple more speedlights, try a few more tricks.

Until then, here are a few of the shots from that morning. Hope you like.