Tragedy?

Not very many days before this past Christmas I learned of the suffering a family in our church was going through as they had recently found out that their dear mother/grandmother and wife had been diagnosed with cancer and that it had metastasized into several organs. The doctors did not give them a lot of hope, but they performed emergency surgery and began looking at all options to best care for her. She was able to go home on Christmas Eve and has begun various treatments.

I had first met this wonderful lady and her good husband only several months before and had visited with them several times, much to my enjoyment. Of course I went and visited her while she was still in the hospital and found her to be her usual positive, happy, charge-taking self, to which I was very relieved. A couple weeks later I was able to visit her at home, and again had a wonderful visit. I had thought over and over about what I could do to try and bless her life and let her know how much I appreciated the opportunity to get to know her and her husband. The only thing that came to mind was to get some photos of her. While visiting I finally worked up the courage to ask her if I could do that for her and her family and I was so happy that she was pleased to do that. I don't need to tell you that I felt that these were among the most important portraits I had ever taken.

I am so grateful to her, her husband, and her daughter and her husband who graciously let us use their lovely home, for letting me capture a few moments of their life.

I titled this post "Tragedy?" because even though it is a tragedy that she has cancer her attitude is such that she lifts people up and makes their day better for having spent some time with her. Had it not been for this "Tragedy?" I might never have had the opportunity to get some wonderful photos of them and one of them might have died from an accident or heart attack or some other cause and everybody would have said "Why didn't we get any good photos while they were healthy?".

Who do you know that needs good portraits taken? Well get off your seats and go take them.

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PhotoHunt: Spotted

Okay, I'm going to be a little tricky on this one. It goes like this:

A friend of mine and I were walking out to get a better vantage point on the upcoming Sunset Over Saltair (See yesterday's post) when I glanced down and SPOTTED our long shadows on the SPOTTED gravel.  I had already noticed the SPOT in the sky of the rising moon so I snapped a photo to share with you for our SPOTTED theme this week.

If you have looked carefully you have SPOTTED a few changes in my post format since last time you were here.

1.  New frame around every photo which is created by using the photo itself blurred in the background and then a shadow & glow effect added to separate the two.
2.  Improved signature on the photo adding the © symbol and the year.
3.  You probably didn't notice before, but the photograph was always cut off on the right side.  It was driving me nuts but became painfully obvious when I added the border effect.  Thanks to Els that is now fixed.  More about that here.

For more information on PhotoHunt or to see SPOTTED pics from around the world click here.

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Sunset over Saltair

There is a big pavilion on the South end of the Great Salt Lake called Saltair. It has quite a history. Last night another sun set over it as I captured some pics.

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Snow? What Snow?

As I was driving around yesterday I saw this nice little park with a pretty bridge over a fishing pond and I decided that when I was on my way back home I'd stop and get a photo.  Well I got a few and even some of the bridge.  But I think the best one was this one.  Those small white patches in the background are snow.  A little different from the last few huh?  I hope it's not over yet.  It seems strange to say that since every year previous I've anxiously waited for Ground Hog day to see how much winter is left hoping he didn't see his shadow.

Did you notice?  Yup you can see the whole photo up there.  That's thanks to Els at Focusmeus.  She saw my dilemma yesterday and emailed me to tell me how to fix it.  Isn't that AWESOME!!!  THANK YOU ELS!  My blog is now 34 pixels wider so I still have to fix the banner at the top - As soon as I can get a round tuit.  (If you don't know what a "round tuit" is let me know.)

Enjoy.

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Desktop Background

Because 2009 was the year of my total renewal of my love for photography, beyond trying to get good photos of my grandkids at play, it is the first year that I can remember that I have enjoyed Winter so much.  When the frost came and stayed for several days I absolutely relished in it instead of being down and complaining I was excited.  You have seen many of the photos I was able to capture as a result of that.  I find myself hoping for another spell like that, but doubt if we'll get it this year.  This is one of my personal favorites.  I even have it as my desktop background photo now.  You may also notice that I've added a new treatment or effect to the photo.  I was visiting one of my followers' blog yesterday and I noticed he had kind of a frame around it.  As I looked closer I could see that it was the same photo a little larger and slightly blurred.  I searched the internet for a tutorial on how to do it, but since I didn't know exactly what search terms to use I never found one.  I finally ended up just figuring it out in my Photoshop and it was pretty simple.  I think its a great effect.

One last note on this.  I've noticed that something about this particular blog template causes the photos to show slightly cropped on the right side.  So, as I'm writing this I don't know how it's going to look when I publish.  If it doesn't look just perfect, click on the photo itself to see it in full size.

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The Coldest Photo I Have Ever Taken

This photo was taken a few days before Christmas, or about 6 weeks ago. It may have been the coldest I have ever been in my life even though I was dressed for the weather. The ambient temperature was probably aabout 7 or 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-14 Celsius), but the wind coming down that canyon at about 30 or more MPH brought the wind chill to well below 0 f. I got out and managed to get off three photos before I gave up and had to get back in my truck. I was afraid for the camera as much as myself. I went back to the same spot a few days ago and was kind of saddened to see that 90% of that ice is gone.

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Firewood

Ready for splitting and putting in the fireplace. Hot chocolate anyone?

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PhotoHunt: Balanced

This weeks PhotoHunter theme is Balanced.  Just in case I have not posted enough photos of winter lately, I thought I'd get this one of snow balanced on the fence which I took Thursday just for you.

To see more PhotoHunt images from all around the world click here.

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Mixed Emotions

Just today I was thinking how Winter seems to have lasted a long time and some of the things I'm looking forward to when better weather gets here.  Probably just moments later I was thinking of some of the photos I still want to get while it's Winter and wondering if we will have any more extended cold snaps for some more freezing of our rivers, streams and waterfalls.  Today's photo was taken a week ago yesterday as I was trying to catch some of the low clouds in between the mountains as the sun was lighting them up.

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Disappointment?

The clouds and skies looked like they were shaping up for what could be a beautiful sunset last night.  I could imagine the bright oranges and reds with maybe a few purples thrown in.  The trouble with sunsets is you can't trust them.  To be honest all that would have been great, but I'm not all that disappointed with what I got instead.

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I've been Tagged

Yep, I got tagged by Stephen Baird the Nikon Sniper. Unlike Steve though, I knew what it was because I saw it happen to my daughters and even my wife (though she pretty much ignored it because that kind of stuff just doesn't work for her). My problem - as you will soon see if you bother to read this drivle - is that I'm boooooring, as a matter of fact I'm surprised you're still awake. But in honor of Steve, who I respect as a photographer and generally nice guy, I'll do my duty. But, like he said, this is a one-time deal. I will respectfully decline any future tags. Of course if anyone reads this one and sees how utterly boring I am they will know better than to do it again.

According to Steve I'm expected list 8 things under each of these headings.

8 TV shows I watch on occasion

Okay - boring fact #1, unlike Steve I do have a TV, 5 to be exact. Three of them are pretty cool HDs and one is 60"HD DLP. What I don't have is cable or satellite. I have an antenna stuck in the attic so what little I watch I get on the Antenna or I watch a DVD. In the average week I will watch -maybe- 45 min. of TV. Most weeks it is less.  (I do get in a DVD movie every other month or so)
1. Red Dwarf
2. Red Green
3. American Idol (We're still deciding whether we'll watch it this year or not.)
4. A little bit of Family Feud (while I sit in the lazy boy and eat supper).
5. Masterpiece Theater
6. (Oh man, I'm getting a headache trying to think of another one.)
7. Nature (I'm sure glad it says "on occasions" up there.)
8. Matlock (while I sit in the lazy boy and eat lunch.)

8 favorite places to eat and drink

(Are you still here - wasn't that boring enough for you?) Now we're talking food - I can relate to that - as long as it's cheap.
1. Home - my wife is a good cook and is constantly coming up with something new and different.
2. Leger's Deli - You have to live or come to the Salt Lake City area to find one, but their sandwiches are to die for - and I would say that even if it wasn't owned by my daughter and her husband. Really!
3. The Seafood Buffet at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas - Don't get to Vegas much any more but if I do that's where you'll find me.
4. Subway - Hey, $5.00 foot long sandwiches??? What's not to love? And I can get two meals out of one of those, besides they give me points so eventually I get a free one.
5. Famous Dave's - Okay, I haven't been there for a while because my wife and doctor would yell at me, but I'd like to.
6. Olive Garden - Especially when they've got the all you can eat soup and salad deal.
7. Chuck-A-Rama - Good old fashioned Chuck-wagon buffet.
8. McGrath's Fish House
Gosh, do I have to stop @ 8

8 things I look forward to (NOT necessarily in this order)

1. Retirement - Only a few months away.
2. Spending quality time with my wife. (See #1 above)
3. Spending more time driving my kids crazy. (See #1 above)
4. Spending more time with my grandchildren - and photographing them. (See #1 above)
5. Camping in our new (used) 5th wheel. (See #1 & #2 above)
6. Riding my bike and walking with my wife more. (See #1 & #2 above)
7. Meeting Jesus in person. (After I'm dead - or before if He wants)
8. Serving a mission for my church. (See #1 & #2 above)

8 things I love about winter

1. Hoarfrost (Photographing)
2. Snow (Photographing)
3. Ice in rivers and streams (Photographing)
4. Sleigh riding with grandchildren (Photographing)
5. Fog (Photographing)
6. Hot Chocolate
7. Snuggling under the blankets
8. Sitting by the fireplace with Hot Chocolate

8 things on my wish list

1. A million dollars.
2. Another million dollars.
3. The brains and idea to get a million dollars.
4. The ability to get by on an hour or two less sleep every night.
5. Perfect health - I'm really very healthy anyway.
6. Delicious food that is fat and cholesterol free with plenty of fiber.
7. World peace - Okay, I got that idea from Miss America, but I like it.
8. Perfect health and safety for all my family and friends.

8 things I am passionate about

1. My wife, our kids and their kids
2. God & Jesus
3. The Book of Mormon (My favorite place to learn about God & Jesus)
4. Photography
5. Blogging
6. Travel (So I can photograph and blog about it)
7. People
8. My wife – without her none of the rest would really matter much.

8 things I have learned from the past

1. My mouth is the most dangerous and troublesome part of my body.
2. Most people are inherently good.
3. People just want to feel important.
4. People just want to be happy.
5. People are more important than things.
6. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. (Quote from Thomas S. Monson)
7. It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. (Old and true saying)
8. Nobody ever died wishing they had spent more time at work. (Another one of those old and true sayings)

8 things I want/need (These are all wants – I have everything I need)

1. More money so I can travel more and farther and meet people.
2. A new truck to pull my RV.
3. More time to do all the things I want to do on my bucket list.
4. Another radio controlled flash
5. A housekeeper so my wife and I can spend more time together.
6. A personal secretary to get me organized.
7. My distant kids to live closer.
8. More visitors to my blog every day.

8 people I want to tag

1. Hootin Anni @ Hootin Anni;s
2. Mrs. Mecomber @ New York Traveler
3. Jessica @ Quotidian Photography
4. Penny @ Picture Imperfect
5. Robert Weber @ Stare at the Stars
6. Connie Babe @ My Life. . .One Picture at a Time
7. Liss @ Taking The Scenic Route
8. Cheryl @ Life is What You Make It

For the "lucky" 8 who I tagged, please post a comment to let us know when your answers are on your blog so we can go and learn about you.  As always, any and all non-abusive comments are encouraged by everybody.

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Solid Fog

There isn't much I can say about the weeds and the cold and the fog that I haven't said before. I hope this image makes your eyes happy.

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Good Morning Mountains

7:24 A.M., about 14 F or -10 C, approximately 5700 feet above sea level.

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PhotoHunt: Jiggly

This weeks PhotoHunt theme is Jiggly. I couldn't think of a photo I had that would work, and besides I like to create a photo specially for the theme of the week when I can. For some reason it came to me that I could create something jiggly using a long exposure and moving lights. I played around and played around and made several dozen exposures with different lights and methods. My favorite for this theme was this one.  Did it work?

If you would like to see more PhotoHunt jiggly pictures click here.

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Annabelle: Jun. 29, 1998 - Jan. 14, 2010

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Quakies in the Snow

Today was foggy where we live so we decided to go for a ride up in the mountains to our East. It was nice to get up out of the fog although it was still "mostly cloudy" as the weather prognosticators would say. We did get to see a fair amount of blue sky even it doesn't show in this photo. There is something about the tall straight thin white lines of Quaking Aspen trees in their tight groves that I have always loved so when I saw this group I grabbed it to share with you.

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Hoarfrost

One of my favorite things to do, when I have time, is to look at great photos on other peoples blogs.  They inspire and challenge me.  Recently I ran across a term I once knew but had totally forgotten - Hoarfrost.  As I said in a post just a few days ago, "I love the fog".  Now I know it's because fog and cold creates hoarfrost.  Apparently it comes from an old English word "hoar" which means white with age or something like that.  Whatever you call it and wherever the word comes from it fascinates me.  The weather is warming a touch right now with the highs getting above freezing for a few days, so I thought I'd post this from some I took about a month ago when the conditions were perfect for the hoarfrost phenomenon. 

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Shadows of Light

Shadows can make or break a photo.  I think they help this one.

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Icelands In The Stream

What is it about ice and water coexisting that fascinates me? My mind says it should be all ice or all water. Obviously that's wrong and because of that I find streams and rivers with ice in or around them very enchanting.

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I Need Your Help, Please!

Have my eyes just been opened?  I need your feedback because I don't know if I've messed up or not.

I go to lots of blogs, especially my followers'. I also hit most of the PhotoHunters' each week when they post. I was looking at Nikon Sniper's blog and there was an article about comments and replies to comments with lots of discussion.  Reading that made me think about how I treat comments on my blog.  I have noticed that some people do reply to almost every comment on their blogs. I think that is very nice if they want to but when I comment I don't expect a reply. As a matter of fact I don't think I've ever gone back to the post to see if I got a reply. By that same token I thought everyone was like me and I didn't know that there may be some people out there who do expect a reply even if they're not asking a specific question.

So. . . here is my question to you. When you post a comment, that is not a specific question, do you expect a reply or acknowledgment of your comment?

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think because I do not want offend anyone.  I read and appreciate every single comment - I love getting comments (except from spammers) and I want to continue getting them so if I find out that most people expect replies then I'll change my way of doing things.

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First Guest Photographer of 2010

It's happened already. I'm not very organized and I don't keep any kind of records so I'm starting to run across great photo blogs without knowing how I got there. I'll be looking at a post from my DPS newsletter and see a comment that gets my attention and then from there I'll see the followers and click on one of them and then... and then...  Or I'll be looking at one of my followers' blogs and the same thing happens.  Well, one of these ways I came across Jessica's blog "Quotidian Photography" and I became a follower because I liked what I saw.  You'll have to go to her blog to find out how "Quotidian" applies in this case.  It's worth the visit for sure.  You'll find some real talent there in the way of many beautiful images.  This Guest Photo is one of them.  I'm proud to feature Jessica as the first guest photographer of 2010 on "The World's Best Photography Blog".

To get to Jessica's great blog click here.

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PhotoHunt: Bulky

Snow is bulking up on the railings.

To learn more about PhotoHunt or see more PhotoHunt entries go here.

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Fog Is My Friend

I used to curse the fog, especially if it lasted a few days. Not any more. I love ice cold fog. I have many photos to enjoy thanks to the fog sticking around long enough to create beautiful ice crystals on all kinds of things.

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Fringe

What is not to adore about a beautiful sunset? My problem is I think there are too many just plain sunset photos. I'm going to try to get some really good sunsets this year that are a little out of the ordinary. I took this one tonight. I like it and I'd give it a 3+ star (out of 5) but I'm going to strive for a true 5 sometime in 2010. We shall see.

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Serendipity

Driving along with the reservoir on my right I pulled off because I thought I saw what looked like millions of diamonds on the ice covering the water. I got off a few disappointing shots and got back in my truck and started to pull away when I looked up and saw the delicate little tree branches covered in frozen fog and the sun just coming over the mountain peaks to light them. This was too good to miss so I jumped out and got of a few shots of that. After pointing my camera in some other directions for a few minutes and looking for some other possibilities I turned back around to get a couple more of the lacy branches, but they were gone. The sun had warmed them up a half a degree or so in that three or four minutes and all that was left were wet branches.

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A Study in Blue

Remember yesterday when I said that it might be more than one day of a break from snow, ice and fog? So here is day two. This was actually taken on Halloween day, about 10 in the morning aiming mostly East from Antelope Island on The Great Salt Lake, towards the Wasatch front. I left the little bit of foreground in so that you could see that I didn't alter the color - I know with Photoshop I could still have done it but I didn't. Enjoy.

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Dancing Waters

These water drop photos are not as easy as they look. At least not for me. This shot is still from the experimentation I did a couple months back. I posted one here.  Part of the reason I posted this one now is I thought I was getting a little too much of the snow and ice thing going, so I thought I'd do at least a one day break from that - maybe more we'll see.  One of these days soon I'm going to try some more using a completely different method and see if I can do better.  I'd like to have had a little more depth of field on this so there was more of it in focus, but as I said in my profile, I'm still anxious to learn!

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PhotoHunt: Lick

These two handsome young men decided they wanted a sleepover at grandpa's while school was out for Christmas break. They had never done that before so I was happy to oblige.  We played some Wii, Air Hockey and even Sorry. While they were here I asked them to help me with my PhotoHunter assignment this week, which they willingly agreed to do.  It was great to get to spend some time with them without Dad and Mom here. 



To see more PhotoHunt images click here.

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Welcome to Twenty Ten

Wishing you the best of everything this New Year and I hope 2010 is the greatest yet!

This photo was taken clear back last year. LOL - the day before yesterday. The snow was fresh and new, as a matter of fact it was snowing very lightly at the time. Unfortunately, none of the flakes were big enough to show up in the photo. I thought it turned out good enough to share.

Several of the blogs I like to watch have done a "Top Ten" of their favorite photos of 2009. I thought about doing that but then I realized that probably all of the photos in my banner would be among them and I'd have a tough time narrowing down on the other five. Certainly there are some that as I look back now I'm almost embarrassed that I even posted them, but there are many that I really liked. Do you have any favorites of mine that you would nominate?

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