3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

Photography

#19/52: Buffalo on the Prairie

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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?

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#18/52: Cows in the Sunset

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The grass is belly high, the cow have calves by their side and the sun is setting on the horizon. How I love the Midwest!  Angus and “black baldy” cows are the norm around this part of the country and after “talking” to them a little I got their attention.

Evening in the country
Evening in the country with the cows

Editing notes: Used Lightroom 4 to increase the exposure and increase clarity in the grass and the brush to decrease the exposure in the sky. The last thing I did was use the masking brush and open up the the highlights in the cows, their black coloring was hard to separate individuals.

Information about Raising Cattle

A Field Guide to Cows: How to Identify and Appreciate America’s 52Cattle: A Handbook to the Breeds of the WorldRaising Beef Cattle For DummiesKnow Your CowsThe Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best BreedsSmall Cattle for Small Farms (Landlinks Press)

Marine Corps Dress Cover

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I’ve loved this photo ever since I took when my youngest son graduated from Marine Boot Camp. A Marine in his dress blues is the epitome of pride, honor and commitment. They also look very handsome.

United States Marine Dress Cover
United States Marine Dress Cover

Every part of the Marine Corps uniform is thought out to the smallest detail. The cover issued to boots have a cloth crown (shown above) , some Marines later opt to purchase a white vinyl crown which is more durable. Military uniforms have a lot of history, yet the United States Marine Corps seems to be the one that everyone recognizes as being the best design and the most iconic.

Little brothers of Marines enjoy dressing like their big brothers, pint size dress blues costume to school on veterans day, Halloween, dress like your hero day. I think it’s really really cute and a great way for them to show their support for the military.

Don’t get the idea that an adult could wear it though, that would be called stolen valor and is greatly frowned upon. Don’t do it, EVER!

Dress Blues Costume for Kids

Kids 3 Pc U.S. Marine Corps Dress Blues Replica Uniform MediumYoung Heroes Marine Dress Blues Costume, SmallStuffed 10″ Dress Blues BearTalking Sgt R. Lee Ermey 12″ Action Figure

 Information on Marine Corps Uniforms

Marines To Wear Service Uniforms Every Friday

MARINE CORPS SUPPORT FACILITY NEW ORLEANS — Beginning Jan. 4, 2013, all non-deployed Marines and sailors assigned to Marine units, regardless of component, active or Reserve, will be required to wear the appropriate seasonal service uniform …
Marine Corps Electronic LIbrary | Writer’s Guide to …

… does the Marine Corps manage operational stress? What did Marine Corps uniforms look like in the early 1980s? How would a Marine disarm a mine? Description: The US Marine Corps is pretty open with their publications, …
SUNROTC_Marine Corps Uniforms – ProProfs Quiz

This quiz will test the student’s comprehension of the correspondence material covering the U.S. Marine Corps Uniform Regulations.
Appropriate times to wear uniforms? – Leatherneck.com

I was wondering when the appropriate times/occasions/places/etc you are allowed or most common to wear certain uniforms upon graduation from Recruit Training. I believe these are all the Marine Corps uniforms, but I may …

#17/52: Holy Family Shrine

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The Holy Family Shrine can be seen as people travel on I-80 between Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska, although many do not know what they are seeing. It sits high on a hill and for those who take the time to venture off the beaten path.

Holy Family Shrine in Gretna Nebraska
Holy Family Shrine in Gretna Nebraska

It is very peaceful to walk through the gardens and reflect in the chapel.  It is rumored that the Thorncrown Chapel in the Ozarks was the inspiration, but this I do not know for sure. It has become a popular location for photography and the view from the top of the hill is breath taking.

Prayers for a Woman’s Soul

Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska
Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska

 

Directions to Holy Family Shrine in Nebraska

Take Exit 432 off I-80, turn south towards the Flying J truck stop and go almost 1.5 miles on Hwy 31. There will be a sign on your right hand side onto Pflug Road (it is gravel) proceed west one mile. Hours are Mon-Sat 10-5 pm and Sunday 12-5pm. There is a parking lot outside the gate and you can walk on the hiking trail after hours.

Religious Gifts to Inspire

Jeremiah 29:11 KeyringJourney White Resin Plaque With Bronze Title Bar And Scripture Verse Jeremiah 29:11Sterling Silver Miraculous Army Military Protection Medal PendantKONOV Jewelry Classic Vintage Cross Mens Ring, Stainless Steel Band, Silver, Size 9

Information About the Holy Family Shrine in Nebraska

Holy Family Shrine still a beautiful traveler’s rest

The Holy Family Shrine is the result of a vision from a priest in the early 1990s that brought together four individuals who previous to the shrine’s inception, didn’t know each other. What they shared is a belief that it was God’s will to be involved …
Billionaire Joe Ricketts plans religious retreat near Mahoney State Park

The Holy Family Shrine, a glass-walled and timbered chapel seen by many interstate travelers, is about five miles north of the Ricketts property. Deacon Dave Christensen said he does not know much about the project but he welcomed it to the neighborhood.
Holy Family Shrine by BCDM Architects | CONTEMPORIST

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, Nebraska. . Description from the architects: Through a unique and divine series of events, a group of people with diverse backgrounds discovered each other and …
Holy Family Shrine

The Holy Family Shrine overlooks the Platte River Valley and is covered in all natural prairie grass and wildflowers with a meditation trail winding throughout. The Holy Family Shrine offers an intricate architectural designed all glass chapel, …
The Holy Family Shrine, Gretna Nebraska

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine church in Gretna Nebraska. Inspired from the Thorn Crown Chapel. Located off interstate 80, the Catholic chapel overlooks the Platte River valley and incorporates its …
Holy Family Shrine | Twenty Ten Productions

We just received a new lens in this week and finally got to test it out for the first time. With only a few days left before heading out to Colorado for a week in Estes Park, we made the trip to the Holy Family Shrine off of interstate …
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The Nebraska apparition my sister and I came upon is the Holy Family Shrine –Fay Jones’ last ecclesiastical design. The entrance is a pedestrian tunnel carved through an earth berm seeded with prairie grass. This tunnel …
Reasons to love Nebraska {the Holy Family shrine}

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Holy Family Shrine by BCDM Architects » CONTEMPORIST

BCDM Architects designed the Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, Nebraska. . Description from the architects: Through a unique and divine series of events, a group of people with diverse backgrounds discovered each other and …

A Day at Work, With a Very Large Camera

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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.

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