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Omaha

4th of July Fireworks

July 4, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

What do you think of on Independence Day, or the 4th of July? Do you think of fireworks, picnics, concerts, family, friends and barbecues? Personally I love firework displays, even though personal fireworks were illegal in Connecticut where I grew up, my family would often travel to Oklahoma during the first part of July and we got to experience poppers, firecrackers and roman candles.

Now that I’m grown I’m just as happy sitting on the grass watching someone else shoot off the pyrotechnics. The photo below was taken at the Omaha Memorial Park fireworks display after the concert in the park. I try and go every year and have seen Foreigner, Styx, Kansas, Huey Lewis and Pat Benatar in concert while sitting on a blanket and enjoying the summer sun.

Every year I attempt to take a memorable fireworks photo, one that isn’t just a sky full of color. This one of my favorites that not only captures the color in the sky, but the feeling of the spectators.

4th of July Fireworks at the  Celebrate America Celebration in Omaha
Fireworks at the Celebrate America Celebration in Omaha, Nebraska

There are “safe” firecrackers and noise makers that are pretty much legal in all 50 states. So legal that Amazon sells them. So if you want to make a little noise on the 4th of July and have some safe fun check out the legal fireworks that will still impress the young at heart. Heck, I still like to throw poppers.

Safe Fireworks for Kids

Some people might not consider smoke bombs, snappers, and battery operated fountains fireworks, but the young kids won’t know the different.

Super Fireworks Smoke Sticks – Better Than Smoke Balls!Pow Pow Party Snaps, a Super Noisemaker, 50 BoxesUncle Milton Grand Finale Light Show Room DecorSnappers (1 Dz Boxes)

Happy 4th of July everyone, have fun, be safe and remember the service men and women who have served our country to protect the freedoms we have here in the United States.

Photo Details: Canon EOS Rebel f/5, 0.8 sec ISO-1600, 18mm

4th of July Fireworks

List of fireworks, festivals celebrating 4th of July in Hudson County

Macy’s 4th of July fireworks will not be visible from Hoboken. STATE FAIR MEADOWLANDS. You can get double the fill of fireworks if you head to the State Fair in East Rutherford to catch a show two nights in a row. On July 3 and 4, Garden State …
As 4th of July Approaches, Be Aware of Fireworks Laws

Patch’s BIG LIST of 4th of July Fireworks in Southeast Michigan. Dearborn residents are encouraged to call (313) 943-3030 to anonymously report unsafe or illegal activity in their neighborhood, or to call 911 if there is a dangerous or emergency situation.
Roundup: 10 Awesome July 4th Fireworks Shows Hitting …

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway welcomes tens of thousands of people for the annual 4th of July fireworks show. (Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia). • XFINITY Fireworks Show at Citizens Bank Park. July 1-2.
Watch 2015 Macy’s ‘4th of July Fireworks Spectacular’ Live Online, NBC TV

Although the sign-up process only takes a few minutes, it’s always best to get verified ahead of time so you don’t miss a minute of the 2015 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. The all-star line up of celebrities will undoubtedly draw viewers in …
2015 4th Of July Fireworks Coupons: Phantom Fireworks, TNT, Fireworks …

Looking for the best deals on fireworks for your 4th of July party? Phantom Fireworks, TNT, and Fireworks Supermarket stores and roadside stands are stocked up for the big holiday weekend, and all three retailers are offering freebies and discounts on …

Filed Under: Events, Photography Tagged With: 4th of july fireworks, celebrate, fireworks, Fourth of July, Holiday, Holidays, Independence Day, July, Nebraska, night, Omaha, Photography

Summertime Sports Photography

June 7, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

I am always trying to expand my photography skills and shoot different topics, events, and subjects.

It isn’t often I have full permission from my  daughter to take my camera (Canon Rebel  XS) to her softball game. So when I got the chance I took it, and did I ever experiment with night action sports photography. Not easy, but I finally did get the hang of it.  I set my camera on manual and just played until I got it right.

Summer Softball- photography lesson

The above picture was taken with at 1600 ISO, 5.6 F stop, and a 1/160 shutter speed, 75 mm zoom with a continuous burst with the camera file size at small for a faster response.  With the exception of the graininess at the high ISO I’m pretty happy with the results.

Pitcher concentration
Pitcher concentration

Again graininess with 1600 ISO, but right now I can’t see anyway around it, 800 was too dark with the needed shutter speed. The second photo was on large/RAW file size and was a little dark in the original image. With the lens resting on the fence I shot through the chain link at 300mm focal length, 1/160th of a second at a 5.6f

I increased the exposure in Lightroom, cropped the original horizontal shot to vertical, decreased the white and decreased the shadows. Don’t like how the grain distorts the background player, but couldn’t figure out a way to compensate.

Day of Softball and Summer
400 ISO,  1/125 sec, f10 focal 105mm  Aperture Priority

The last photo was obviously taken earlier in the night before the sun went down. All I did here was decrease the exposure, increase shadows, and warm the white balance. My camera tends to shoot cool (blue) and a the sun was glowing on all the players. I try really hard for realism in my editing and this is what my eye saw.

My daughter has played softball since T-ball in preschool starting at Elmwood-Murdock, then Lincoln Y-league, Eagle, and the past three years for Louisville. The Louisville team joined the Omaha league a few years ago and the first year they didn’t win a game. Competition was a little harder than their previous league and the girls had to try a little harder. The record the next year was about a 50:50 record.

A lot of the girls play on two teams, most of the teams are Select and have the intimidating matching travel bags, and “muscle” jerseys.  Most play school ball, but it doesn’t matter what they look like, can they play? My daughter loves the game, she only plays during the summer and she has a mean steal and isn’t afraid to use it and slide to where she wants to go.

Photography Tips

  • Anticipate your shots, know when the pitcher is going to throw.
  • Push your ISO as high as you need to get a 1/200 speed exposure
  • Use a lower aperture, backgrounds will blur, but you will accent your subject.
  • Use a tripod, monopod, or rest your camera on a steady surface. Fence gaps work well
  • Get the “personality” shots, the concentration of the pitcher, or first base.
  • Shoot in RAW for “still” shot, JPG continuous for action
  • Use your longest zoom for outfield shots, even 2nd base is a long ways off

I’m a big proponent of shooting in RAW, but there are many instances that a regular JPG photo will work just fine, especially if you taking the photos for yourself and just going to post to Facebook and share with friends. If you’re goal is to enlarge the photos, post them for sale, or use them commercially, then a camera with a wider range of options is necessary.

How to Photograph Night Sports

  • Understanding ISO Sensitivity (nikonusa.com)
  • Photography and the “Big 3″ (joshmsmith.wordpress.com)
  • ISO – What is it and how do I use it? (joestechthoughts.wordpress.com)
  • Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority: Exposure Lesson #1 (digital-photography-school.com)
  • American Legion Baseball (3QuartersToday.com)

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Aperture priority, camera, canon, canon rebel, family, Film speed, Focal length, Nebraska, Omaha, Photography, Shutter speed, softball, sports, sports photography, summer

#19/52: Buffalo on the Prairie

June 1, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Buffalo on the Nebraska Prairie
Buffalo on the Nebraska Prairie (SOOC)

A lone buffalo stands guard between Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska at the Lee Simmons Wildlife park. While he may not be wild, or even real, the buffalo inside the park are real. It is ironic this buffalo stands next to a fence, which to me symbolizes how barbed wire and man civilized the prairie to the point where the only buffalo can only be seen in captivity.

The above shot is straight out of camera shot, a little over exposed. When I adjusted the exposure the scene was just too contrasted for the texture of the bronze buffalo. So I turned him to black and white in Lightroom 4.  This is a reach for me as I LOVE the blue of the sky and high contrast.

I adjusted the clarity in the clouds and reduced the shadows in the grass.

Buffalo in Nebraska
Buffalo in Nebraska

What version do you like best?

Related articles
  • #17/52: Holy Family Shrine (ndjmom.wordpress.com)

Filed Under: Project 52 Tagged With: animals, before and after, Black-and-white, country, Lightroom, Lincoln Nebraska, midwest, Nebraska, Omaha, Omaha Nebraska, photo editing, Photography, rural, wildlife

Model A Ford, It’s For Sale

May 25, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

1931 Model A Ford Coupe
1931 Model A Ford  Deluxe Coupe

One of my favorite customers at work drives a 1931 Model A Ford Coupe and every time I get a little thrill when he pulls it up to the front door. Bill just turned 90 this past week and he sold used Fords in the 1930’s. At the time you could buy a used Ford for $15.00, can’t even fill the gas tank for that amount now. His goal, to own every model built between 1929 and 1937, not all at once, but before he dies.

This one he purchased about a year ago in Chicago, he’s done a little work to it, and is now ready to move on to the next. So, if you’re in the market for a true American classic  and a piece of living history, this automobile is for you. Even comes with a rumble seat, which is so cool, next time Bill comes in he said he would give me a ride around the parking lot.

I told Bill I would spread the word, so if anyone is interested please send me your email address and I will forward the information and connect the two of you together. The car is located in Omaha, Nebraska and is being sold by owner.

Filed Under: Photoshop Friday Tagged With: antique, automobile, car, for sale, Ford Motor Company, living history, Nebraska, Omaha, vintage

A Day at Work, With a Very Large Camera

May 15, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

8x10 Large Format Film Camera
8×10 Large Format Transparency Camera

Here is something you don’t see very often, a large format, 8×10 E6 Film View Camera. At Hamilton Color Lab, located in Omaha Nebraska,  this isn’t used very often. But for high quality art reproductions which will be reproduced in a  40 x 40 foot canvas in this case, you need a camera format large enough to capture the detail and information.

After we develop the film (yes we still develop E6 slide transparencies)  it is then scanned on an Scitex Eversmart and digitized for outsource printing. The file size just for this one image is over one gigabyte and took over an hour to scan.

Most art reproductions we do at work are digital captures with a Canon 5D and a special lens made especially for photographing artwork, or flat images which eliminates lens distortion.

Below is the front of the camera, I know were curious and just itching to see more, so here is some camera eye candy for those film fans.

8x10 Film View Camera
8×10 Film View Camera

Dave Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Color Lab shoots with a Canon 5D on most days in the studio, but keeps his old Hasellblad camera, 4×5 Film Camera and this baby in storage for those unique moments. Not too many 8×10 View cameras in use anymore, and this one got quite a bit attention when it was brought out.

I know this post was a shameless plug for where I work, but I love working there and until I can get our company blog up and running I can’t resist sharing here.

Related articles
  • 35mm Film (filmphotographyisnotdead.wordpress.com)
  • How Large Format Cameras Are Made [Video] (cultofmac.com)

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Art, art reproductions, camera, Canon EOS 5D, E6 film, Large format, Nebraska, Omaha, paintings, Photography, slide film, View camera

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