ISO 200, f/4.0, 286 sec, Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi, EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

With all of the talk of the Perseids meteor shower last week, I figured I'd try to get a photo or two. It was much harder than I ever expected. I only took a few photos, but they were all at least a 4 minute exposure. I was only able to capture one small meteor streak in all of the photos I took, and this is it. I won't be offended if you can't see it in the above photo :)

I am not overly impressed with this photo, but it was my first attempt at capturing a meteor. I definitely learned I'll need to bring bug spray next time, and also maybe a remote control with a timer. It'd probably be good to get further away from the light pollution as well.

Wallpapers: iPad iPhone

ISO 200, f/7.1, 30 sec, Canon EOS 7D, EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Here is another shot of the Kitty Hawk Pier, only at night this time. This was a long exposure (30sec), and you can see the pilings at the end of the pier in this shot.

I really enjoy photography at night. This is probably my favorite photo from our last OBX trip. We might get it printed and hang it in the house.

This photo is mostly right out of the camera. I did add a bit of fill light in Lightroom 3 to show more of the beach, but other than that, not much else was done to the photo.

Wallpapers: iPad iPhone

ISO 100, f/29, 1.3sec

I've always liked the look of moving water during a long exposure. The cloudy, cotton candy look really adds visual appeal to an image in my opinion.

I shot this fall from the side, and after I took this photo, I moved to the rock you see in the bottom right of the image. This was a huge mistake, because the rock was covered in algae and I feel just after I put all my weight on the rock. My tripod and camera came crashing down, and my brand new 7D has a few battle wounds so I'll never forget this day. My tripod is also very scratched, but luckily the lens hood saved my new 10-22 lens!

 So, there you have it. The last waterfall picture I took while in the Smoky Mountains (but probably not the last one you'll see from the trip).

ISO 200, f/5.6, 13sec

This bridge is actually the bridge which connects to Festival Park on Roanoke Island. Festival Park is a great little park which hosts all sorts of events and even has interpreters and actors who will guide you on a replica sailing ship.

I find I really enjoy photos taken at night. I'm not sure why, but I'm drawn in by them. The one major disadvantage of taking photos at night is the absolute need to carry a tripod. Sooner or later though you realize that if you want to take stunning photos, you'll have to keep your camera completely still.

This photo is straight out of the camera.

ISO 200, f/6.3, 5sec

This lighthouse is actually a replica of the original Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse which was lost in the sound when it was purchased by a private owner and the owner was trying to move it from its original location to a location inland. It is my understanding that the lighthouse toppled into the water during the move.

This was shot on a tripod from the same pier as the lighthouse. One thing I never realized about piers until I started to shoot on them is how much they move! if it's windy or there are a lot of waves, the pier can move quite a bit and ruin a shot.

No post processing on this photo. This is straight out of the camera.

ISO 200, f/3.5, 1.6sec

If you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I'm obsessed with lighthouses. This is pretty much true. I guess they remind me of older, simpler times. I've been told I'm an old soul. I've also been told I must have been a lighthouse keeper in another life. I'm not sure which, if either, is true - but I definitely do love lighthouses. 

This photo is basically right out of the camera. I did some sharpening and noise reduction, but the sky was really this colorful when this was shot. If you ever get a chance to climb the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, the view is amazing, and you'd be silly not to climb the 248 steps to the top. Here's a fun fact, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in America, and was also moved to its current location to save it from falling into the sea.

ISO 200, f/3.5, 25sec

I took this photo from a pier using a tripod. The boats were moving in the water, which adds a bit of a blur to the image with a 25 second shutter speed. There was no post-processing done to this image. It's straight out of the camera!