Spiral Blue

Spiral Blue, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Just a simple shot through a garden hose.

Happy Birthday Sarah

Sarah's 10th Birthday, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

In honor of Sarah's 10th birthday, here are 10 photos of Sarah.

Hand Blown Glass by G. Tyler

Purple Globe, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a photograph of this purple globe sitting on top of my car. The post included a question about reflections vs. shadows and that the glass globe was hand blown. What the post failed to mention was that my beloved brother-in-law Tyler had created this piece of art (Tyler sarcastically thanked me for giving him credit when I saw him this past weekend). Click here to view the original post.

Tyler and his wife Michelle began learning the art of glass blowing last year and have advanced quickly to a very impressive stage. In fact, the orb picutred here is actually one of their rejects. To see some more of their blown glass, visit their company's website at www.foreverfurnitureinc.com and click on glass.

Did I mention that the piece of hand-blown glass featured in this capture was created by Tyler... :)

Backyard Visitor

An angry wasp moved into my hot tub, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

One of the many wasps that makes it's home in my backyard. He looks a tad bit angry at me for disturbing him.

Salt Lake REALTOR® Magazine, September 2006

Salt Lake Realtor Magazine, September 2006, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

A friend of mine, Bryan Catherman, is a freelance writer and asked me to collaborate with him on a three-part series on digital photography in real estate for a local publication. This is a capture from part one. The complete article can be downloaded here.

Little Sailboat on Strawberry Reservoir

Little Sailboat, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I captured this gentleman guiding his sailboat into the marina at Strawberry Reservoir in Northern Utah. This shot just begged to be manipulated to look like a toy sailboat.

Precious

Miracle in the palm of your hand, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

pre‧cious [presh-ush] 1. affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice. 2. dear; beloved 3. highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality

Casino at Night

Casino at night, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I captured this 30 second exposure of a casino in Mesquite Nevada just after sunset. The blue desert sky contrasted nicely with the artificially lit buildings. I found that the long exposure worked well to naturally saturate the color in the shot and add to the dramatic feel.

Red Rock Rappel

Red Rock Rappel, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Yeesh, look at the pasty white legs.... (taken by Michelle in Southern Utah).

Mosquito on the Rocks

On the rocks, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

While editing photos from the shoot I did last week in Cottonwood Canyon, I came across this shot of a mosquito. "What mosquito?" you might ask. Well, by clicking here to view a large version of the shot, you can spot the little guy posing for the capture on the orange rock in the lower left.

I see myself....

Somebody's Watching You, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Have a great weekend!

As for me, I'm heading out for a three day camping trip. I'd like to say that I'm going to be roughing it, but that is a bit of a stretch since the campground I'm staying at has running water and indoor bathroom facilities.

Purple Globe

Purple Globe on White, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I love the reflection (or is it a shadow?) that the sun creates when shining through this hand-blown glass globe. I would love to tell you that this was taken in a high-tech photographic studio, but it was actually captured sitting on the roof of my car. I set it there as I was unloading some stuff at the office and noticed the cool shadow/reflection.

My Left Eye

Imbalance, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I spent some time this past Saturday at the eye doctor. The good news is that my right eye is 20/20. My left eye though, not so good. The doctor told me that it is somewhat rare for someone to have this much difference in vision between their eyes.

During my life I have pretty much taken my good eyesight for granted. This brief episode made me stop and realize what a precious gift we have with our vision. Even for those with less than perfect vision, the amount and quality of vision correction remedies available to us today is astonishing. We are blessed.

Today's capture is a close up of that less than perfect left eye.

Art Car

Art Car 2, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Over accessorized, maybe?

Mystic Water

Cottonwood Creek, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

This past Friday I went rock climbing with my family and some friends up Big Cottonwood Canyon near my home. The trail we hiked to reach the rock face involved crossing Cottonwood Creek. On the return hike after a couple hours of climbing (right before sunset), I noticed the remarkable lighting on the rocky creek-bed. Even though I had my camera with me (surprise!), I did not have a tripod nor the time to hold everyone up for some photos.

Armed with the info from the previous night, the next evening I packed up some camera gear and headed back to the creek right before sundown. This photo was captured with the camera & tripod sitting in a shallow part of the creek.

My shoes still haven't dried out....

Someone I met at the drugstore

Someone I met at the drugstore, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I ran into this gentlemen at the drugstore recently and he was kind enough to allow me to photograph him.

Have a great weekend!

Barbara McKay's new album, "Era"

Left Turn, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

This photo of railroad tracks is being used by independant folk musician Barbara McKay on the cover of her new album titled Era. Barbara lives in New York and found my photography through the web. Take a second and drop by Barbara's website at www.barbaramckay.net where you can listen to some of her songs.

Are they building a volcano?

One BIG pit, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

The first time I visited the Kennecott Copper Mine was in 1993 with my family. When we reached the visitor center and looked over into the large open pit, my son Kris (who was five at the time) asked, "Are they building a volcano?".

After our most recent visit, I called Kris to let him know that they still haven't finished the volcano. He was thankful for the update.

Just a little dump truck

Copper Mine Dump Truck, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

I took my nine year-old daughter up to see Kennecott Copper Mine, the world's largest operating open-pit mine. Even though the mine is only 15 minutes from our home, she had never seen it up close.

Of all the impressive things we witnessed at the mine, the numerous jumbo-sized dump trucks were the most popular. After we returned home I did a bit of Googling and found that these 2,700 horsepower trucks are capable of carrying up to 320 tons of load at speeds of 40 mph.

With the 'ginormous' size of these trucks, I felt that it would serve the capture well to edit it to appear as though the vehicle is a child's sandbox toy. Here is the resulting image.

Professional driver on a closed course...

No Passing, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

This windy mountain road reminds me of the type of route that gets used in sports car commercials with the disclaimer on the bottom of the screen.

Professional driver on a closed course, do not attempt

Unfortunately I wasn't in a sports car. I was in an SUV with the wife & kids... :)

Does Geek Squad encourage illegal activity?

Does Geek Squad encourage illegal activity?, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

While recently driving on a local city street, I was passed by a speeding black & white VW. I was driving right around the speed limit (60 mph) and this car was clearly speeding while weaving in and out of traffic. As happens quite frequently, I caught up with the car at the next traffic light (where I took this photo). I already assumed that this was a Geek Squad car (they're easy to spot), but what surprised me was that the car had a radar detector prominently mounted on the windshield.

When the light turned green the car quickly sped away only for me to catch up at the next red light. This continued for several lights until the Geek beat one of the red lights and zoomed off into the distance (at well over 80 mph).

My question: Does Geek Squad equip all their cars with radar detectors in hope that they can get to their appointments quicker? In doing so, are they encouraging their predominantly young employees (with minimal years of driving experience) to drive over the speed limit and break the law?

From what I witnessed...... YES

On a side note, I find it equally interesting that Best Buy (Geek Squad's parent company) does not sell radar detectors on their website, stating "Due to certain state restrictions, Best Buy cannot sell radar detectors online. '

And on another side note, Geek Squad has had previous legal trouble having allegedly used pirated copies of Winternals software.

Folded Glory

Folded Glory, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Earlier this week I read an email about the history and meaning of the 13 folds of the American flag. Even though the email appears to be propagating an Urban Legend, it gave me the idea of photographing a folded flag.

This rather simple shot was made by placing a the flag atop the reflective surface of a grand piano with a white wall in the background. The camera was set on the piano as well since a long (1-2 second) shutter speed was required. The lighting is natural from a nearby window.

The resulting image is pretty much what I imagined when I set out.

How to handle the heat

More fun on the street at sunset, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Has it been hot enough for you?

With daily highs in the 100's last week in California, this downtown fountain in Visalia was a popular spot for the younger crowd to cool down. In watching the water continually circulate after spraying on the numerous children, I just had to wonder if any filtering is done in the process....?

My Camera Gear

Gear, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Each month, I typically get a few emails asking what type of camera I use. So, last night as I was re-organizing my gear from the trip, I picked up a point-and-shoot camera and decided to take a photo of it all.

My primary camera is a Canon 30D (camera on right), while my wife typically uses the Canon RebelXT (left). As for lenses, I love the 24-105L (on the 30D) and it is on my camera over 80% of the time. The other lens I use frequently is a 70-200L (on the RebelXT in the photo).

When I entered the digital arena, I opted to go with Canon. This was a tough decision, since I had exclusively used Nikon equipment back in my film shooting days. The choice to go Canon had to do with the number of lenses and accessories available. I have no regrets in having made this choice.

Click on the above photo to see notes describing each piece of equipment.

Rugged Tenderness

Rugged Tenderness, originally uploaded by LeggNet.