Zoom, Twist and Blur!

Reflections of amusement rides on the water

Static Ferris Wheel with Camera twist

Zoom lens of moving ride

Having fun creating abstracts at Fun Spot and Old Town. When the rides weren't moving, I used the zoom to move in and out and twist. You just don't know what you will get. I tried to isolate the rides from distracting backgrounds as much as possible. Its great to beat the heat and photograph at nighttime.

Learning to use my Lensbaby

Flowers shot with a lensbaby composer at Mead Gardens and Park Avenue, Winter Park. I was using the macro kit and used an F-4 aperture, varying the shutter speed to get the right exposure. Working with a lensbaby forces you to shoot in manual and learn to make your own settings. Its fun to shoot with and light as a feather to carry around.

Cranes Roost Sunset





Bird Portraits at the Avian Reconditioning Center

Went to the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka to see the birds of prey. They brought each one out to a perch so I could take photographs without the busy background. Some of the birds will eventually be released back to the wild, but many have permanent injuries and are permanent residents who are used for education. Since I have never seen owls in the wild, this was my chance to see them up close and take pictures. I am going back for their Owl Festival in November, if not sooner.

9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Lake Eola, Orlando

Candles lit for each fire fighter and law enforcement officer lost in 9/11

One flag for each person lost in the 9/11 tragedy with their names attached.

Honor Guard



Rainbow over the bandshell

Candle lighting ceremony at the fire station



Leading the way to Fire Station No. 1

A 9/11 10^th Anniversary Memorial  Ceremony was held at Lake Eola on Sunday. It was set to start at 6 PM. At 5:30 the rains came fast and furious, but at 6 PM the rain had stopped and the sun came back out for a beautiful evening. The Orlando Police Dept Honor Guard and the Orlando Firefighters Pipes and Drums Corps started the ceremony off. After several speakers, four unity candles were lit representing firefighters, police, military and civilians. On the lawn near the bandshell there were small flags representing each person who lost their lives. We all took home a flag or two with names of the person so we could look them up in remembrance and send a message to a loved one so they know their memory is alive. Just as the ceremony ended their was a beautiful rainbow over Lake Eola.

Following the ceremony members of the fire department and police department marched Fire Station #1 lead by the Pipes and Drum Corp. At the fire department, 343 candles were lit to honor NY firefighters and 60 candles were lit to honor NY and Port Authority officers who lost their lives.

Surfing Festival in Cocoa Beach

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach Pier

Surfing Festival in Cocoa Beach. All the surfer shots were taken from the Pier. This was my first time shooting surfing. I took shots on the rapid fire setting to get the best action shots. Florida doesn't have the big waves like Hawaii so you don't get the curl of the waves. It was fun watching and photographing the surfers.

Venetian Gardens and Historic Leesburg

Lotus on Lake Harris, Venetian Gardens, Leesburg

Mote Morris Home - circa 1892

Walking along the shores of Lake Harris, I found the lotus and pickerelweed (had to look that one up) were in bloom. The day started out a touch cooler with a nice breeze. The breeze made photographing flowers more challenging. The walk took us into the historic downtown district of Leesburg. I took a few shots using HDR and then switched over to the Lensbaby lens. I still haven't gotten the hang of getting the part of the image in focus that I want yet.

One of many wooden bridges in Venetian Gardens