DON'T Read This TRIP REPORT If You're a Princess Hater!

[mom2rtk]

Sam had a great rate for insurance for good student discount and taking some class, until the ticket.
Her diving insrtructor had told me that if he didin't think she was ready, he would tell me. She did well. She has grown up driving tractors and trucks in her uncles/grandma fields so I think that helped.

Oh, btw the snow bank and Sam met yesterday Nothing bad, she just parked too close and counln't get out.

I feel for you. I'm sure we'll have our moments too. I did dig deep and tell him yesterday that I'll be understanding of what lies ahead....... anything but but my side mirror. I just shelled out the $157 cash to replace it after an unfortunate incident of my own...... with the roofing deliver truck in my neighbor's driveway. In my defense.... the truck was actually parked hanging over onto MY driveway, which runs RIGHT up next to the house, so not much room for error.....

Actually he's not the one I'm going to lose sleep over. It's his almost 18 year old brother who has been reluctant to drive at all. It's one thing getting an eager 16 year old out on the street. It's a whole other thing to push someone out there who doesn't want to be there!

I'm sorry you had another big dose of snow to contend with. It got cold here again, but at least no white stuff.

 

[babynala]

I hope you have a great time running it through the paces this weekend at the championships! I'll be at my son's track meet Friday afternoon giving my own camera a good workout. Of course, with track, I get about 2 hours of waiting followed by about a minute of shooting, if I'm lucky! I really was sad when he switched from soccer to track...... just not as much photography fun! I really think that should have been one of his considerations when changing!

I'm hoping to get another update done soon. After our late night at the party, I finally got smart on this trip and planned a "down" day. Well, sort of a down day. We still had some fun and saw a great show!

2 minutes of shooting for 2 hours of waiting doesn't sound like fun, especially in the cold. I imagine cross country is similar. The good thing about an eager 16 year old driver is that they always want to drive so mom doesn't need to run out to the store to get milk anymore - you always have a volunteer.

Looking forward to your "down" day

 

[Caretames1]

I feel for you. I'm sure we'll have our moments too. I did dig deep and tell him yesterday that I'll be understanding of what lies ahead....... anything but but my side mirror. I just shelled out the $157 cash to replace it after an unfortunate incident of my own...... with the roofing deliver truck in my neighbor's driveway. In my defense.... the truck was actually parked hanging over onto MY driveway, which runs RIGHT up next to the house, so not much room for error.....

Actually he's not the one I'm going to lose sleep over. It's his almost 18 year old brother who has been reluctant to drive at all. It's one thing getting an eager 16 year old out on the street. It's a whole other thing to push someone out there who doesn't want to be there!

I'm sorry you had another big dose of snow to contend with. It got cold here again, but at least no white stuff.

I had to replace my passenger side mirror last summer. I was just driving along, minding my own business and BAM a stupid GOOSE, yes I said GOOSE flew out of the ditch and smack into me. He totally removed my side mirror, and scratched the side of my truck and scared the bejesus outta me!

We had a preety wild storm Tuesday night and all Wedsneday. Freezing rain/sleet/and 12 inches of heavy snow. We even had thunder and lightning!
I'm ready for spring. I swear if Kadence and her cousins have to do another Easter egg hunt in the snow, I'm gonna get mad

 

[mom2rtk]

I had to replace my passenger side mirror last summer. I was just driving along, minding my own business and BAM a stupid GOOSE, yes I said GOOSE flew out of the ditch and smack into me. He totally removed my side mirror, and scratched the side of my truck and scared the bejesus outta me!

We had a preety wild storm Tuesday night and all Wedsneday. Freezing rain/sleet/and 12 inches of heavy snow. We even had thunder and lightning!
I'm ready for spring. I swear if Kadence and her cousins have to do another Easter egg hunt in the snow, I'm gonna get mad

A GOOSE????? Good thing you're not my kid.....I probably would have never bought that explanation! Yeah....I have to say that would probably have scared the living daylights out of me!

And thunder snow????? That's the worst! Well, not as bad as a side swipe from a GOOSE, but you know what I mean! My friend just broke it to me that we are indeed expecting snow this weekend. Oh joy.........

 

[mom2rtk]

2 minutes of shooting for 2 hours of waiting doesn't sound like fun, especially in the cold. I imagine cross country is similar. The good thing about an eager 16 year old driver is that they always want to drive so mom doesn't need to run out to the store to get milk anymore - you always have a volunteer.

Looking forward to your "down" day

I think we're getting off easy tomorrow. He's only running in the 2 mile, which is traditionally the last event in every track meet. So we're not going until about 2 hours into the meet. Of course, that's not an exact science. We tried that at one meet last year and drove up just as he finished his event......

It will get more complicated as the season goes on if he runs more than one event in a meet. Because when they do, they tend to run events spread out over the course of the meet. Last year he ran some in the beginning, the middle and the end. He really just wants to run the one event, so let's hope it stays that way!

Here he is at one of his XC meets last fall. He's the one in yellow:

Cross country is similar, but the meets are shorter in general. So not AS much waiting around before his event, but still a fairly brief time to get the shot. And a fair amount of scurrying around if you want to see them run past you more than once.

And yes. I will be one happy camper indeed when he can run to the store for milk. Heck, I'll be the first do do a happy dance! Of course it's only fair since he's the one who drinks it all!

 

[Caretames1]

A GOOSE????? Good thing you're not my kid.....I probably would have never bought that explanation! Yeah....I have to say that would probably have scared the living daylights out of me!

And thunder snow????? That's the worst! Well, not as bad as a side swipe from a GOOSE, but you know what I mean! My friend just broke it to me that we are indeed expecting snow this weekend. Oh joy.........

You should have heard my DH when I called him and said a Goose just hit me! It felt like I was talkng to a parrot.
Him: a goose?
Me: a goose!
Him: A Goose?
Me: A GOOSE!
Him: how did you hit a goose?
Me: I didn't hit a goose, he hit me
Him: a goose?


Hopefully your snow is just a dusting, and melts on contact!

 

[mom2rtk]

You should have heard my DH when I called him and said a Goose just hit me! It felt like I was talkng to a parrot.
Him: a goose?
Me: a goose!
Him: A Goose?
Me: A GOOSE!
Him: how did you hit a goose?
Me: I didn't hit a goose, he hit me
Him: a goose?


Hopefully your snow is just a dusting, and melts on contact!

That's too funny........... just how I imagine the conversation would go with my son if he came home with a goose story! Well, except that if it involved my side mirror, there would be tears involved!

And thanks for the kind snow wishes! I hope yours melts and disappears quickly!

 

[basketkat]

You should have heard my DH when I called him and said a Goose just hit me! It felt like I was talkng to a parrot.
Him: a goose?
Me: a goose!
Him: A Goose?
Me: A GOOSE!
Him: how did you hit a goose?
Me: I didn't hit a goose, he hit me
Him: a goose?


Hopefully your snow is just a dusting, and melts on contact!

I can only imagine!!!!
When I was in high school I was stopped at a stop sign out in the country...when BAM a DEER ran right into the side of my car! I nearly peed my pants!

 

[MyPeanut&Bug]

Yeah! For being caught up! I'm glad you're enjoying the photos! You can take nice fireworks photos with your Xs. You just need a tripod and remote shutter release. Your kit lens will work just fine. There's a thread on the photography board on it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1237506

It's a lot of fun to try. Careful though.... it's addicting. I still have one more night of fireworks photos to go....

Do you know what lens you're thinking about for portraits? The 50mm f/1.8 is a great bargain at around $100, and comes highly recommended. I have one but barely use it. I think it would be a good focal length for portraits, but I'm not crazy about that length for much of anything else. It just seems too long for a short lens and too short for a long lens. Make any sense????

Thanks for the kind words on the Jafar photo and the princess photo! Can you imagine how bummed I'd have been if that one hadn't turned out! Thankfully they also had a photopass photog there too, so I was well covered.

That's actually the lens I've been eyeing. I wondered about the length, but figure it should be ok for mainly just portraits. DH just says, "another one, huh?" I tell him he's out in the garage tinkering constantly on an old Bronco that he's fixing up - this is my Bronco!

Looking forward to more fireworks pics!

Hope your son had a great birthday...I don't even want to think about driving ages! Still trying to figure out how to freeze my two at these ages...

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

First off............. YEAH! for the A+ from the doctor!

Thanks!

I work from home, so when I'm out running, I'm not working, and end up working evenings and weekends to make up for it.

You'll get a break in somewhere. I'd love to work from home, but am afraid of it for your exact reason!

It sounds like you really earned that new lens! I'm glad you got a deal. I am certainly one to not shy away from pushing the limits with my gear, but dipping it in ice cream? LOL!

[It wasn't on purpose....] I was going for a macro shot of the bits and pieces in the ice cream, just got a little too close.

I hope you have a great time running it through the paces this weekend at the championships! I'll be at my son's track meet Friday afternoon giving my own camera a good workout. Of course, with track, I get about 2 hours of waiting followed by about a minute of shooting, if I'm lucky! I really was sad when he switched from soccer to track...... just not as much photography fun! I really think that should have been one of his considerations when changing!

This weekend is going to be really cool. I just hope they have it set up similar to the NBA games where I'll only have to contend with a zebra, and not cheerleaders and mascots and people crossing the court AND fans... I'm hoping I'll be able to cozy up next to the basket and have a go.

My tripod is the Velbon luxi-l. I know a lot of folks love their gorillapods. I just like the control the tripod gives me to pick from so many more spots. With the gorillapod, you have to be near something to attach it. I chose this model with an eye toward photography at Disney. It's nice and tall (a HUGE help and a prime consideration in the selection). And equally as important, it folds down nice and light (15" long and about 2.8 lbs.) It fits just fine in a Disney locker.

You're making me think here... :

 

[mom2rtk]

I can only imagine!!!!
When I was in high school I was stopped at a stop sign out in the country...when BAM a DEER ran right into the side of my car! I nearly peed my pants!

That really is scary. There are LOTS of deer around here, and we're in a suburban area! I better have a chat with the lad about watching for deer.......

That's actually the lens I've been eyeing. I wondered about the length, but figure it should be ok for mainly just portraits. DH just says, "another one, huh?" I tell him he's out in the garage tinkering constantly on an old Bronco that he's fixing up - this is my Bronco!

Looking forward to more fireworks pics!

Hope your son had a great birthday...I don't even want to think about driving ages! Still trying to figure out how to freeze my two at these ages...

Well, you're already doing all you can to freeze time....... photography. When I feel nostalgic, I love to look at the photos, or do a scrapbook page. It's a very good form of therapy.

More than once recently I've told my friends I want this ride to stop so I can get off. It's just all going by WAY too fast. We're working on college selection with our oldest and since he's turning 18, he had to register for selective service. That will stop you in your tracks when you're fist one hits that milestone. Couple that with the middle one getting his license.... and Katie's growing up just as fast. So occasionally I take a lot of photos, breathe deeply and move forward. What else is there?

 

[mom2rtk]

1) [It wasn't on purpose....] I was going for a macro shot of the bits and pieces in the ice cream, just got a little too close.


2) This weekend is going to be really cool. I just hope they have it set up similar to the NBA games where I'll only have to contend with a zebra, and not cheerleaders and mascots and people crossing the court AND fans... I'm hoping I'll be able to cozy up next to the basket and have a go.


3) You're making me think here... :

1) So it was lost in the line of duty............ then you absolutely deserved a new one! No sense having the gear and not using it to its fullest!

2) I would love to be right there with you. There is nothing to put you in the moment like shooting sports. There's always something going on. Just out of curiosity.... how do you shoot games like that? Shutter priority? If so, what speed? It was actually basketball that got me asking questions about how to use my camera better to get the results I wanted (nothing like fast action in bad lighting to make an amateur photographer really feel....well........ amateur! ) If I knew then what I know now...... I want to go back and do it all over again! OK, maybe not, but you know what I mean. It seems I finally "got it" with my camera about the same time the boys revved down the sports stuff. Sure I have track and cross country, but I don't consider those great photography sports.............. for the reasons listed previously. Seriously.............. 2 hours for a couple minutes of shooting?

3) I do love that tripod. Sorry to be a bad influence. When I looked yesterday, that model was still available, but more expensive than when I bought mine last year. Not sure why.

 

[vamassey1]

I work in the insurance industry and young drivers are scary. Tell him to be very careful.

I know this is hard to do but if you're in danger of hitting an animal be it a dog, deer or something else, hit the animal not the ditch or another car. Insurance companies pay our under comp if you hit an animal. If you hit the ditch, another car of something else they pay out under collision. Collision losses make your premiums go up, comp doesn't. Insurance lesson for the day.

 

[mom2rtk]

I work in the insurance industry and young drivers are scary. Tell him to be very careful.

I know this is hard to do but if you're in danger of hitting an animal be it a dog, deer or something else, hit the animal not the ditch or another car. Insurance companies pay our under comp if you hit an animal. If you hit the ditch, another car of something else they pay out under collision. Collision losses make your premiums go up, comp doesn't. Insurance lesson for the day.

And a VERY timely one at that! I had no idea.

Thanks Vanessa!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

2) I would love to be right there with you. There is nothing to put you in the moment like shooting sports. There's always something going on. Just out of curiosity.... how do you shoot games like that? Shutter priority? If so, what speed? It was actually basketball that got me asking questions about how to use my camera better to get the results I wanted (nothing like fast action in bad lighting to make an amateur photographer really feel....well........ amateur! )

It honestly depends on the venue. Each gym/stadium/indoor facility will have different types of lights, and being a lot OCD, my white balance has to be spot on. I shoot full manual. I'd be perfectly fine if I could get a price discount for the number of shooting modes I actually use...

When I get somewhere, I adjust my white balance until it looks right on my back display panel. That varies between fluorescent adjustment and the "K" (for Kelvin temperature) settings. Why Kelvin you ask?? WELL... each light radiates at a different "temperature".

Temperature Typical Sources
1000K Candles; oil lamps
2000K Very early sunrise; low effect tungsten lamps
2500K Household light bulbs
3000K Studio lights, photo floods
4000K Clear flashbulbs
5000K Typical daylight; electronic flash
5500K The sun at noon near Kodak's offices
6000K Bright sunshine with clear sky
7000K Slightly overcast sky
8000K Hazy sky
9000K Open shade on clear day
10,000K Heavily overcast sky
11,000K Sunless blue skies
20,000+K Open shade in mountains on a really clear day

This is why our pictures look funny colors sometimes. Most gyms use fluorescent tubes BUT my home gym uses sodium halide bulbs that burn ~ 2500K. There is no preset for that, so I have to go in manual. At last week's game, the color temperature was ~ 3500. Again, no "real" preset for that.

Once I get my white balance set up, I start to play around with exposure. Generally, I have to shoot at 2000 ISO, wide open at 2.8 (for my 80-200) or anywhere from 2.8-3.3 (for the 24-85mm - it's a variable f/stop lens).

When you go to figure your shutter speed, you have to have the shutter speed equal to the longest length of your lens in order to not have camera shake if you are HAND HOLDING the camera. So for my 80-200, my shutter speed is at least 1/200. I try to keep my 24-85 close to that... otherwise you'll have blurry balls.

WAIT! WHAT???









So, that's it. High shutter speeds, wide f/stops, and proper color temperature will net you cool depth of field (on a longer lens) and non-blurry balls. (that goes for shooting volleyball, too)

3) I do love that tripod. Sorry to be a bad influence. When I looked yesterday, that model was still available, but more expensive than when I bought mine last year. Not sure why.

Probably because it's aluminum and the price of aluminum and other metals has gone up.

I'm going to have to take a peek.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I know this is hard to do but if you're in danger of hitting an animal be it a dog, deer or something else, hit the animal not the ditch or another car.

My dad always said, if it was smaller than a deer, hit it. No need to toss your car for a varment. If it was a deer or bigger, slow down as much as possible and still hit the stupid thing. He'd rather replace a car than me.

 

[mom2rtk]

I try to keep my 24-85 close to that... otherwise you'll have blurry balls.

WAIT! WHAT???













Probably because it's aluminum and the price of aluminum and other metals has gone up.

I'm going to have to take a peek.

LOL!

Actually what drives me nuts is that in basketball, you have to start by throwing out the half of the shots where the ball didn't pose right! You know........ where it was on the down side of the bounce and looks like it's laying on the floor!

Many thanks for the complete rundown on white balance. What a great summary! Do you shoot in RAW? Does it turn out the same if you just adjust WB in the RAW file in post?

And I guess that makes complete sense about the tripod, because yes, it is aluminum. Just like the cost of all the cotton fabric I use, commodity prices are up all over the board. I think my tripod was $120 last summer, and it seems to be $155 to $175 now.............

 

[3KidletsMom]

Lurker here popping in to say hello

Great trip report! Your dresses and pictures are awesome! I also didn't realize we lived so close - the picture of your son running xc? Well, let's just say I went to the "other" high school down the road and so will my kids! My oldest is in middle school right now and we (and her p.e. teacher!) are encouraging her to run xc next year.

Looking forward to more!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

LOL!

Actually what drives me nuts is that in basketball, you have to start by throwing out the half of the shots where the ball didn't pose right! You know........ where it was on the down side of the bounce and looks like it's laying on the floor!

My camera shoots 7/fps... I catch almost every motion. Even 3/fps and you get most all of it.

Thanks to my 7fps I caught this last October:

That would be one of my teams' kids BLOCKING a point after attempt this fall. I high speed photography!

Now, if I need to use a flash (abiding by IHSAA rules...) I can't shoot high speed and have to be very selective of when I fire the shutter... and there's usually swearing involved when I miss...

Many thanks for the complete rundown on white balance. What a great summary! Do you shoot in RAW? Does it turn out the same if you just adjust WB in the RAW file in post?

I shoot large .jpg. I'm too impatient to wait for RAW... and I don't like having to use separate software to upload my images.

OH, and I also shoot in the vivid color scheme, which is an option on my camera too.

 

[mom2rtk]

My camera shoots 7/fps... I catch almost every motion. Even 3/fps and you get most all of it.

Thanks to my 7fps I caught this last October:

That would be one of my teams' kids BLOCKING a point after attempt this fall. I high speed photography!

Now, if I need to use a flash (abiding by IHSAA rules...) I can't shoot high speed and have to be very selective of when I fire the shutter... and there's usually swearing involved when I miss...


I shoot large .jpg. I'm too impatient to wait for RAW... and I don't like having to use separate software to upload my images.

OH, and I also shoot in the vivid color scheme, which is an option on my camera too.

Yeah.... my fps rate is the one thing that will get me to upgrade again at some point. At 3.7, it fills the buffer too fast sometimes. I have some class 6 cards. Would a class 10 help with this, or is 6 fast enough to maximize what my camera is capable of? This is a bigger issue than I anticipated since my shooting at XC and track all happens in a very small window.

You can shoot JPEG because you're more experienced with your settings. I have found RAW to be a lifesaver for covering my mistakes!

LOVE the football shot. Great capture!