Blog Posts

Missouri
 
2021    2020   2019   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2010   2009   2008   2007   2006
 
Tower Grove Park
Posted: November 03, 2022
 

Today I purchased the Canon RF 24-240 mm lens.

My intention is to use it on my Canon R5 camera to replace the scenario where I have two camera bodies… one with my Canon EF 24-70 mm and the other with my Canon EF 70-200 mm.

I took it out for a spin in Tower Grove Park. The light was mid-day and therefore not optimal for photography. The focal range would seem to facilitate what I was hoping to accomplish.

 

 
View Photos
 

Forest Park
Posted: December 10, 2021
 
When I woke up this morning we had foggy conditions so I decided to visit some of my favorite Forest Park locations to capture some "moody" images. The conditions weren't as foggy as I had hoped but I believe I got some decent captures for my efforts.
 
View Photos

 
Lafayette Square
Posted: November 16, 2021
 
I had lunch (meatloaf) at Sqwires with the Quirk's and Mary Strope. After lunch, I did some photography in the Lafayette Square area. There are some really photogenic homes in the area as well as Lafayette Park. After my last fall photo outing, I thought fall colors were trending "past peak". Boy was I wrong!
 
View Photos
 

 
Missouri Highway 19
Posted: November 11, 2021
 
First time ever driving Missouri Highway 19 south from Cuba, MO. Colors seemed to be mostly "past peak".
 
View Photos
 

 
Tower Grove Park
Posted: November 10, 2021
 
After lunch, I went to Tower Grove Park to check out the fall colors. Things seemed close to "peak".
 
View Photos
 

 
Fall Colors
Posted: November 09, 2021
 
After lunch, I went to Forest Park to check out the fall colors. Things seemed close to "peak".
 
View Photos
 

 
Shaw Nature Reserve
Posted: November 08, 2021
 
Rick Schuessler and I decided to hit Shaw Nature Reserve today to catch some fall colors. We certainly did not expect to be treated to such WONDERFUL clouds. They were simply quite spectacular.
 
View Photos
 

 
Highway 21
Posted: November 04, 2021
 
Another day on my quest for Fall colors. This time I dove Highway 21 south from St. Louis. These photos were taken at the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site.
 
View Photos
 

 
Tower Grove Park
Posted: November 03, 2021
 
Another day on my quest for Fall colors. This time in Tower Grove Park. I believe this is park is the prettiest in all of St. Louis. Others may not agree but that's my take.
 
View Photos
 

 
St. Charles County
Posted: November 02, 2021
 
Went looking for Fall colors in St. Charles County... Augusta & Busch Wildlife. Colors are not peak as yet but it was a nice outing.
 
View Photos
 

 
St. Louis Art Walk
Posted: October 25, 2021
 
There is a two mile stretch along the Mississippi River where artists paint murals on the levee walls. Many are very good. This was my second time visiting. From memory, it seems that their are many new murals.

I then drove through the Lemp neighborhood of downtown to catch a few snaps.
 
View Photos
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: April 05, 2021
 
Beautiful 80 degree afternoon, so I decided to make a trip to Forest Park and capture some Spring landscapes.

These shots were all taken hand-held.
 
View Photos
 
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: January 13, 2021
 
The temperature was in the 50's and I had not done any photography this year so I decided to go to Forest Park for a bit. My goal was to capture the stark look of the trees without leaves.

These shots were all taken hand-held.
 
View Photos
 

 
Lone Elk Park
Posted: December 10, 2020
 

Rick Schuessler and I visited Lone Elk Park, the World Bird Sanctuary and Bader Park. I paired my Canon 500 mm with my Canon R5 to capture some Elk photos. Took a few landscape photos there as well with my Canon 24-70 mm. World Bird Sanctuary - nice selection of birds but it was difficult to get a clear shot of the birds due to the wire of the displays. Really like the photo of the Great Blue Heron.

The last photo (Canon 70-200 mm) was taken at Bader Park which is designed to accommodate model plane hobbyists. Pretty amazing to watch the radio controlled guys do their stuff!

 
View Photos
 

 
Hawn State Park
Posted: November 22, 2020
 

Today was a good "cloudy" day so I decided I would take a long drive (1-1/2 hours) to Hawn State Park. I have backpacked many times in this park and as I have recently had a buzz for woodland photography, I thought Hawn would offer some nice photo ops.

 
View Photos
 

 
Lafayette Square Doors
Posted: November 15, 2020
 

Took my Canon 135 f/2 lens out for the day with the new R5.

 I went to the Lafayette Square part of St. Louis. This area is one of a number of areas in St. Louis where folks have purchased vintage homes and lovingly restored them. One characteristic of these homes that stands out for me is the ornate entry doors of these homes.

 
View Photos
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: November 08, 2020
 
Went for another Fall outing in Forest Park today. I would say that the colors are right about peak or a little bit past.
 
View Photos
 

 
Highway 79
Posted: November 02, 2020
 
After a morning dental visit in St. Charles, I spent the rest of the day driving Highway 79 looking for excuses to depress the shutter button on my new Canon R5 camera.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Augusta MO - Plus more
Posted: October 31, 2020
 

Today the weather was very nice so I spent the whole day on photography. I started out around Augusta MO. I had visited the above barn/out building in early October and wanted to return when the fall colors were closer to peak. I then drove to Meramec State Park where I had never been before. Captured a few decent photos there.

Tonight was the "blue moon". I was unable to get to a good location where I could catch the moon as it was first rising and therefore the "blue" moon. The next best thing was my backyard where I had shot the moon several nights ago. We had some cloudiness but just like with landscape photos, they provided some interest to the resultant capture. Some tree branches chimed in and I came up with a pretty decent Halloween photo.

 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: October 28, 2020
 

After being on order for six weeks, my new Canon R5 camera arrived. I took it out for my second Forest Park outing today. All of these shots were taken with tripod support (and a two-second shutter delay). It is not obvious with these size photos but the 45 MP does translate into more detail when viewing the full size photo close-up.

I also played around a bit with the focus stacking feature of the R5. The three focus stacked images I took start with the fungal growth on the tree trunk. I combined these images in Photoshop to get the final images that are displayed here. This is a pretty easy process both in camera and in Photoshop. I foresee using this technique for those special shots in the future.

 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: August 30, 2020
 

The weather was a bit cooler this morning so I decided to depress the shutter button on my camera for the first time this year.

 
View Photos
 

 
Blood Moon
Posted: January 25, 2019
 
I had planned to go to Forest Park in order to get some foreground interest in the shot.

As I came out of my front door and looked up in the sky, I realized that the moon was too high in the sky to get a shot with any foreground interest so I set up my tripod in my driveway. It was quite cold out but I was dressed for that. I was out there for about 45 minutes taking photos.

As you can see from this photo, I am not very skilled at obtaining a sharp focus on celestial objects. If you follow this blog, last summer's Milky Way photos also highlighted this weakness as well.
 
View Photos

 
Searching for Fall Colors
Posted: October 22, 2017
 
I went on a scouting trip to Forest Park today in search of Fall colors. No where near peak colors as yet but I took a few record shots.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Cathedral of St. Louis
Posted: February 02, 2017
 
Today I decided I would go to the Cathedral of St. Louis on Lindell Blvd. I am not really sure if I have ever been inside this building before but I am positive I have never taken photos there.

I took my Canon 5D IV camera and two lenses... the 135 f/2 and the 24-70 f/2.8. After taking one or two shots with the 135, I quickly switched to the 24-70 to capture a wider field of view. I shot at ISO 12,800 to get a faster shutter speed. I took most of the shots on my tripod.
 
View Photos
 

 
Ben Scharff Baseball Game - Tamron 150-600
Posted: May 22, 2016
 
I went to see Ben Scharff play in a baseball game on Saturday afternoon.

It was a beautiful day to watch kids play baseball. kid around with the parents & siblings and take a few photos. For most of these photos, I used a monopod for camera support.

In case you were wondering, Ben's team lost.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park - Tamron 150-600
Posted: May 15, 2016
 
I continued using the new lens today in Forest Park.

I went to the pond area along the east end of the park. I was hoping to spot some water fowl but there weren't any.

I did however meet a group of young fellows who are from India. They are in St. Louis for several months working on an IT project. We had a great time together. Nice folks.
 
View Photos
   
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: May 16, 2016
 
The weather was very nice today (albeit a bit on the humid side for my tastes).

After picking up some tickets to go see the Yonder Mountain String Band at The Pageant on April 9 and having a sandwich at Salume Beddu, I decided to go to Forest Park for some early spring photos.
 
View Photos
 

 
Fall Colors
Posted: October 25, 2015
 
Rick Scheussler and I decided on a photo outing to Shaw Nature Reserve and Lone Elk Park along the Highway 44 corridor.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
A Set Back in Time
Posted: January 17, 2015
 
Awhile back I had driven through the neighborhood where we lived until I was nine years old. The apartment buildings were blighted but seemed to offer some bit of character to them.
 
View Photos
 

 
Ferguson Missouri
Posted: November 30, 2014
 
It was a quiet Sunday morning in Ferguson. Very few folks were out and about. No demonstrations going on. I took photos of a number of signs that had been painted on the buildings.
 
View Photos
 

 
Augusta Missouri
Posted: November 07, 2013
 
I decided to visit Augusta, Missouri today. It is located in St. Charles County just west of the Missouri River. It was a very nice day and I got a few good shots of the town and the Augusta Winery.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
St. Joseph Missouri
Posted: September 03, 2013
 
On my drive out to and back from Driggs each summer I had only stopped in St. Joseph, Missouri to get gas and/or eat a meal. This time I decided to head west to the waterfront area hoping I might discover some nice photo ops.

The riverfront definitely did not offer any great photo ops but we ran into a section of town called "Museum Hill". It offered up some beautiful old homes.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Soulard Market
Posted: May 08, 2013
 
I decided to visit to the Soulard Market today for my photography outing.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Shaw Nature Reserve
Posted: May 12, 2013
 
I made a visit to Shaw Nature Reserve today. It is a nice "park" and offers some nice photo opportunities.
 
View Photos
 

 
Shaw Nature Reserve
Posted: October 24, 2012
 
This was my first ever visit to the Shaw Nature Reserve. Unfortunately the fall colors were mostly past prime, but this is a place I will definitely visit next Fall. The colors in the photo above are not too shabby.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: October 23, 2012
 
Since Fall colors are about at their peak, I decided to visit Forest Park this afternoon.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Saturday Photo Trip to Augusta
Posted: October 20, 2012
 
I decided to take a drive to Augusta MO in the hopes of catching Fall colors at their peak. The leaves were pretty close to peak and I had a good day.

I went to the Montelle Winery where there were lots of folks enjoying the wonderful weather, the Fall colors, a great band and, of course, a glass or two of wine. Oh goody. I get to take photos of pretty women.

After the winery, I drove around the area looking for some other photo ops. I was able to get both landscape and detail photos of Fall. I missed on my attempt at some old buildings as I was shooting into the sun when the sun was too high in the sky.

I moved on to the Busch Wildlife Area, drove the loop road and stopped at a number of the lakes. This photo was taken about one hour before sunset. I post processed this in Lightroom 4.2 using some presets from Matt Kloskowski.

All in all a good day of photography!
 
View Photos
 

 
Missouri Highway 94
Posted: February 27, 2010
 
Drove up Highway 94 in Missouri in search of some eagles today.
 
Read Full Post
 

 
US Highway 64
Posted: December 06, 2009
 
This is something you don't see every day.

Highway 64 was under construction for over a year. Traffic was re-routed and St. Louis residents had to make big compromises. As a "thank you" to the public, folks were allowed to visit Highway 64 on foot, bike, stroller, skateboard, etc. the Sunday before it was opened to traffic.
 
View Photos
 

 
Augusta Missouri
Posted: November 03, 2008
 
I took a drive out to Augusta in quest of fall foliage.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: April 27, 2008
 
Good day to go to the park so I did.
 
View Photos
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: December 05, 2007
 
It was a nice overcast late afternoon, so I decided I would go to Forest Park to a wetlands area to take some photos.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Soulard
Posted: April 21, 2007
 
My photography class went to Soulard Market today. There are a great number of opportunities to take photos with amazing colors.
 
View Photos
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: November 01, 2006
 
I went to Forest Park today to enjoy some fall colors.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: May 29, 2006
 
Went to Forest Park today.
 
View Photos
 
 

 
Forest Park
Posted: May 17, 2006
 
Spring in Forest Park.
 
View Photos