Have you heard?

B, ba, ba, Bird, bird, bird, bird is the word... lol.

They just seem to be so plentiful and easy to shoot. This guy was cruising the beach Sunday as the kids swam in the lake one last time before heading home...


-S

Reflections

I've seen pictures of whole landscaped and various other scenery and the like reflected in a picture on water and always loved how 'mirror-like' they can be. Saturday morning was a sunny warm and still morning... perfect to take advantage of.

A family of ducks were a perfect subject, so... I went duck hunting.... plenty of shots, but this is the one that 'hit' for me.

-S

The Setting Sun

This week passed like a blur and I've missed a couple of days, and updates. As I rushed up to the lake to visit my family and rescue them from my kids demanding feeding frenzies and random UFC encounters with each other, I had to stop and take time to shoot the falling sun as it sat off the horizon behind the smoke that covering a huge part of the western world...

I sat there for 15 mins taking shots as the sun set, and finally had to convince my self it was time to go... it really was as peaceful as this pic looks.

-S

Mining and Farming

Likely the two biggest industries in central Alberta for a number of years, this shot captures the ruins of an old abandoned mine in the foreground while in the far off distance the seeming lifeless shapes of an old farm and silos can been seen. Again... another shot I took that for some reason or another just makes me smile. :)


-S

Rawr!!!

I might be cheating a bit here by posting two shots from the same/photo experience, but I had to throw this one in because the first time I visited the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology I wasn't able to capture some of the true fierceness of some of these massive beasts that roamed the earth some millions of years ago. Thanks to this challenge and a LOT of experimenting I am happy that low (or no) light shots are getting easier to make!

-S

Hoo Doo you think you are?

The day following our trip to Calaway Pk we ventured out to the land of a million years ago... the one mysterious place in Alberta where Dinosaurs still seem to roam the earth... Drumheller.

As a child I remember visiting the museum, and suspension bridge, but the one thing that was always a hit was the Hoo Doos. Naturally formed by years of rain and erosion it's a must see for anyone visiting the Badlands region. Apparently this will be the last year that the park will allow up close and personal visits of the Hoo Doos as the traffic is causing the breakdown to happen much, much faster and it would be nice for one of these to be around for our kids children to see possibly one day.

-S

It's all about the motion

With my sister and her family visiting from Edmonton we took the kids to Calaway Pk. One of the most exciting rides there is has to be the roller coaster, as I'm sure it is at most 'ride' parks. After several rides, and re-rides (not that the kids were complaining about going again, and again) and about 50 shots... I finally got one that captured the excitement and joy in my son's face. It's tough to tell how fast they are going, but his look and hair say it all. lol.


-S

Bright and Beautiful

I'm not really a 'flower' guy as my thumb isn't as 'green' as it should be to grow anything more than weeds.... But I can say of the few shots I've taken of flowers and such... I absolutely love the way they turn out almost every time. This shot was taken in a park and the colors just pop...


-S

Burning Rubber!

As another track day had come and gone, I started wondering how long my tires were going to hold out... The heat created from lapping and pushing our tires to limit in a racing environment is pretty awesome. It'll raise the tire pressure as much as 10 PSI, and eat away what's left for tread pretty quickly. Here's a shot to show just how hot some tires will get... every little pebble and stone will stick to the tire once it's hot. This is a shot of a friends Nissan 350Z.


-S

It's Jazz time!

Every now and again it's nice to take a break from the everyday and do something outside the box. It was a close friend who I been chasing at Auto-X and other racing events that let me know about his Jazz Trio playing downtown this particular afternoon so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out and enjoy some classical jazz music in the Calgary sun!


-S

Back on Track

It's been over a week since my last update as I've been busy with some home projects, family visits and other commitments.

So for my 21st entry I've gone back to the old track that runs behind our community to get this blog... back on track.


-S

It's all it's 'cracked' up to be...

Another night of lapping and I find myself noticing a shudder every-time I hit the brakes on the way home. Being as prepared as I can be, I've got extra 'parts' in case something fails, breaks or otherwise doesn't work the way it should. Now that I'm off for several weeks before the next event it was time to swap out the race pads in my brakes and I stumbled across the picture you see below. Normally slots, and holes will help dissipate heat better but this is NOT what you want to see...


-S

Praise the Racing Gods!

Last night was spent getting in some more seat time at lapping practice at Race City Motorsport Park again and with the looming storm clouds moving in (again) I took several shots to make this one. I love the way the sun was trying to break on thorough the clouds... looks like the Racing Gods were really shining down upon us holding back the rain as long as possible!

-S

Up, up and away!

I was inspired by a old colleague to head down the street and out to where the train runs through town to take some shots. Surprisingly it wasn't the shot I was looking for that make's today entry, but one of the landscape looking out towards the airport as a plane heads off to somewhere hot, sunny.... and rain-free.

...ok, at least I can imaging it is going there. ;)

-S

The calm before the storm

With all the rain and thunder storms we've seen I thought it would be great to get just outside of the city and try some shots of the sky, and beautiful country side surrounding Calgary. There wasn't a lot going on but I did manage to take some peacefully quiet shots of my car as it sat poised on a gravel road with the looming storm rolling in behind.

My 17th entry is one of my pride and joy, my daily driver, and weekend warrior track car... my 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX.

-S

Zen Shells

Tonight I figured it was time to update my blog with some pics from the past couple days... but I hadn't really taken any yet for today. So I decided to set up my tripod and try to capture the serenity brought on by playing with a zen garden. These shells were picked by my kids while on vacation in the Dominican... the pig... not sure where he came from but he's been a resident of the zen for a while now, so enjoy!

Edit: at the request of a close friend... the same shot in B&W...


-S

Under Construction

A favorite outing with my kids has always been to visit Millennium Skate-park in the heart of downtown Calgary. As with any downtown expansion, growth and construction are a part of a cities evolution. As a new leg of our transit system is set to run over the park into the core there is one area (and it happened to be the kids favorite are to ride) that is fenced off and closed. I shot a few pictures of the crane and track supports being setup, but it was this one that I really liked. Not sure if it's the colors of the crane in the background, or what, but it shows what's happening well.


-S

Room mates

I noticed this little guy had made him self a home in the corner of our front landing. In fear of getting more rain than we had already seen over the last several weeks, I figured I'd shoot this spider for my photo blog... tough little guy to get a sharp picture, but after several attempts this was what I came out with...


-S

Lucky #13

After taking shots of a perfectly cooked steak, a few odd shots around the house it was a little robin that happened to sit perfectly for one shot that makes my list for tonight.

My 13th entry for my blog is that one shot of a robin searching the yard for a tasty treat.


-S

Fast and Furious

Another fast and fun-filled day at the track for me and I've got another great shot of one very FAST car... Again, with the incoming storm, and the proximity to these cars it took a number of shots to get this one just right...


Simply... radical. ;)

-S

July in Calgary... Stampede Time!

Every year literally thousands of people flock to town to see the greatest show on earth... amidst countless free pancake breakfasts and corporate events things seems to get loose, crazy and wild for those 10 days. For me, the lack of updates for the past 3 days is a result of overindulging in just such happenings.

My 11th entry for Monday is my experimentation with a very cold MGD and some natural
lighting with a long exposure... now if this doesn't make you thirsty, I don't know what would.


-S

Singing in the rain...

For most of Alberta we've seen more rain the past month or so that we've seen sun... but don't let that stop you from getting the gardening done. During one of the brief moments of dry weather I managed to get the grass cut, and my daughter found how just how fun pulling weeds is... as a matter of fact she spent an hour out there IN THE RAIN after we had come in and she was smiling and happy... she said she enjoys pulling weeds. Strange; I know... but I wasn't going to question her... now if only she can find the same joys in cleaning her room.

My 10th entry for my 365 challenge on this Sunday is that of my beautiful little girl posing with a 'weed'...er flower sorry... at least according to her. OH yea, this was pre-rain. ;)

-S

Dead meat

Tonight's shot was the result of my camera getting into the hands of someone who'd had several drinks maybe taking in a little too much fun... ;)

I really enjoy getting up close and personal for some shots, and when I found a fly it was a chance to play with focal depth and well... the fly.

Enjoy.


-S

Unwinding by the fire

Everyone of us seems to have busier and busier days as the summer comes yet you'd think it was a time to relax!

Friday night was just that time and a couple hours around the fire pit can be more than enough to help your thoughts and worries melt away, and the 'excitement' of the day to subside. I caught this picture of my oldest lost in the flickering of the fire and soaking in the quietness broken only by the cracking of the wood.


-S

Alive in Pink

After missing my opportunity yesterday to post a photo and update to my blog I found myself looking the big bright flowers growing in the front of the neighbors yard and thought they would be a great target for tonight's shot. So with a few simple clicks I was able to capture this picture that I think really captures the spirit of happiness and joy that I'm seeking tonight.

Here's what being alive should feel like:


-S

Lost and Found

At some point in time or another everyone will misplace or lose something. Sometimes it's something as small and insignificant as the remote to the TV, or maybe your car keys, but it's when something of much bigger importance in your life goes missing, lost or even stolen. For those of you who have been following my Blog and Facebook profile you'll know yesterday was that day for me. What was missing in my world... Mickey, my closest friends dog who I've been caring for as he's been out in Ontario working. I came home from my daily routine and was miffed by the absence of that smiling face who would normally greet me at the back door on the deck. A quick look around and I realized he's escaped from a narrow opening in a broken gate. A call to our local Animal Services dept and a check on their website and I found who very much looked like my K-9 friend. A quick trip down to the shelter and a few questions from the lady clerk revealed that although the dog posted had an uncanny resemblance to Mickey he was indeed not the one I seek. As I wonder out of the shelter and to my car my phone rings... it's another officer on the line... and he had our dog!!! A few hours later he's back in my care and happy to be home.

Today's photo is a tribute to everyone out there who's lost someone, or something. It's not always that what's missing is found or returned, but I truly am thankful for the return of Mickey. So without further ado... I present our good ol' boy, Mickey.

Here's to you little buddy.

Out in the wild...

Recently I've moved in with an old friend and he's moved into a new house. The neighborhood is a few years older and shows signs of weathering. In particular the fence in this house is in great need of repair. As I return home after work I find his dog (who I'm 'sitting') has escaped through the front gate which was blown open...er apart almost and he let himself out into the 'wild'. I decided to grab my camera as I drove around for the next 2 1/2 hrs looking for "Mickey". As I wondered out into a green space with camera in hand I came across a rabbit hiding behind a tree... as I began to shoot the rabbit I noticed a small robin nibbling on seeds and bugs.

This shot of the robin just seemed to pop out at me more than those I took of the rabbit and therefore is my 5th entry in this challenge.


It's amazing the animals and subjects you can find out in the wild of your own backyard.

-S

Full Speed Ahead

Today was the second event of seven in the Calgary Sports Car Club's Solosprint series for 2010. Today's timing format was a time-attack event of 15 mins per session to put down your fastest lap time... my result was a 1:33.4. Is it fast... hard to compare without having other similar cars to stack up to, but I did remain middle of the pack and still managed to squeak out some better times than some of the Porches and Corvettes so I'm happy.

The last few day's I've been toying with relatively easy 'subjects' for my shots, but trying to pan track-side to get a good shot of a 500+hp car doing in excess of 200 kms/hr isn't easy... but I did manage to get one of fellow Subaru enthusiast and friend Matt G.

Enjoy.


-S

Flapjacks and Sausages

July marks the coming of the biggest show on Earth... the Clagary Stampede. And along with that comes Stampede Breakfast; flapjacks and sausages. I spent the morning enjoying these annually occurring occasions and part of the 'fun' for the kids was the petting zoo where they got see up close and personal all the little animals you'd expect to see out at the farm.

Today's shot is somewhat ironic as this little guy is more a part of these festivities than her realizes... lol.


Tomorrow I'm off to the track to feed my Adrenalin addiction to speed.

-S

Remembering childhood

Today was spent enjoying the things my kids love to do and it got me to thinking about childhood in general. Do you remember in early spring and summer when the dandelions had grown into their fluffy blubs... what did you do when you found them... that's right, you picked them and blew them off into the wind... today's shot is a tribute to childhood and those little seeds that we spread across our neighborhood without a care in the world...


-S

Happy Canada Day

Well this is my first entry to my new blog. Stemming from an old friend from high school who I've been following with some great photos, I've decided to dedicate some time to my passion for capturing the moments in my life spent with my two great kids, and my need for speed.

Today I enjoyed the Canada Day festivities at Prince's Island Park in downtown Calgary where hundreds of people wondered around taking in the sights, sounds and foods that make Calgary, and more specifically Canada a great place to live. A quick iphone photo of Lucas and Tiana wishing you all a Happy Canada Day!

Today also marks the first day of the 365 challenge. A photo experience between friends to learn to become better photog's and showcase the moments in our lives. My weapon of choice is a Nikon D60.

So without further ado... here is my first entry:

As summer brings the warm weather, trees are beginning to bloom, and the 'fruits' of their labor begin to show.

-S