The Red Barn

Have you ever driven past a place or a scene thousands of times, but never thought twice about it? I have done this so many times I can't count them. But then one day you drive past the same place and all of the sudden you think to yourself, that would make a great photograph. Well that is exactly what I did with these pictures of a red barn. One day I was driving past this hay field at thought it would make a good photograph. I kept checking it at different times to try and get just the right light. Finally one day I thought I had the right light and I went and took several pictures of it along an adjacent road. I wanted to get some clouds in the sky to add some drama to the scene, but by the time I arrived at the site more clouds had moved in and all I had was a gray cloud covered sky. Well I went ahead and took several pictures anyway. I moved about the scene a bit to capture different perspectives of the foreground and where the hay bails were placed. In the end this is what I captured.

Even though the bails of hay and the sprinkler pipe is right there in the foreground I tried to capture the red barn as the main subject of the photographs. Ever time I look at these pictures the red barn is what my eye is drawn to every time. I would like to go back and take a series of photographs of the red barn with the bails of hay in the field, and it is on my long list of different photo projects. 

The lesson that I learned from this photo adventure is that sometimes when we try to hard to get a landscape or nature photo just right we tend to miss out on other opportunities. No two pictures are going to be the same even if all the settings and placement of the tripod are the same. The light that we paint with will always be different from day to day, hour to hour, and minute by minute. This is a lesson that I have had to learn over and over again. My advise, and I should take this more often, is to just get out and do it. The one thing that I like most about taking landscape, cityscape, and nature photographs is that they are not staged or set up. You use your skills and knowledge of photography to make the best photographs that you can at that exact time in history. 

Happy Shooting,

B.D. Young

~Photographer~

My first Night Sky Pictures

This evening I went out and took my first night sky photographs with my new 50mm lens on my Nikon D80. It was so cold the stubble on my upper lip froze. It took me a while to find the right place to take pictures of the night sky, but after trying several locations I found a decent spot. Now this is my first night sky adventure so they are not the greatest images. I think I might have bumped the focus a bit, or the fifteen seconds that I set the shutter speed to was to long. On my next trip I think I will bump up my ISO to 800 and drop the shutter speed down to twelve seconds. I have played around with the pictures in Photoshop a bit, but just to adjust the colors and brightness a little. I hope you enjoy these and my other pictures and please feel free to leave a comment.

There was a bit of fog hanging over the valley that was helping to show these lights shooting up into the sky. I thought they would make a cool picture and they did. 

With this one I just looked for the brightest star. After I took the picture and looked at it on my LCD screen I was surprised at how many stars there were that I did not see. 

At the bottom of this picture you can see a few clouds. Looking through the viewfinder I did not see them, but I think they add a nice touch to the picture.

What can I say about this one. I think it speaks for itself.

The light coming from behind the mountains is from Salt Lake City. At first I was not going to shoot this direction, but I decided I would because I wanted to see just how much light pollution there was. I think the picture turned out pretty good. 

Again, what can I say!

Of the pictures I took this evening this is probably my favorite one. 

In this picture I just love the amount of stars in one area. I think Orion's Belt is in the middle of the picture. I did not bring my Night Sky map with me, so I am not 100% on this. Also if you look through the pictures you can see satellite trails running through the pictures. 

So, there they are. My first attempt at capturing the night sky. Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to come back soon. 

B.D. Young  

Adorama TV: Episode 320

I am a huge fan of Adorama, and I have bought a lot of products from them. Adorama not only sells everything you need for photography, but they also have web videos and articles. I posted a link in the articles and websites section on the right hand side of the screen to a video were Bryan Peterson took several pictures of some old silverware he found in an old abandoned house. I encourage you to watch the video and explore Adorama TV to get some great tips and ideas. If you have a link to a photography related website or article that you want to share with others leave a comment and the link, and I will get it added to the photo links section. Enjoy the video and have a great day.

B.D. Young
~photographer~

In God We Trust

Today I would like to share a few pictures that I took at a few different churches. Churches are not just places of worship, they are community gathering centers. Over the years some of the happiest events in my life were at churches along with some of the saddest. When it comes to photography, churches offer some really good scenes. Of course when taking pictures at churches it is important to remember not to offend anyone, and in my experience it is best to photograph the exterior of the church. However, if there is a subject you would like to photograph inside the church it is best to just ask for permission.,Also ask about the subject if you do not know. Many times someone at the church is more than happy to share the meaning of the subject with you. So without further ado here they are.

I took this picture of the Virgin Mary at St. Marguerite's Catholic Church in Tooele Utah. I took this picture to give to my wife's grandmother as a gift.   

While photographing an event for a friend of mine I went outside to take pictures of the kids playing. While outside I took this picture to use as a cover photo in case my friend wanted to put the pictures in a photo book or something. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures, and I hope they inspire you to keep an eye out for some of the great subjects that can be found at churches. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment or check some of the other cool links that I have provided on my blog. 

B.D. Young

~Photographer~

Army Wind Power and other things

Tooele is home to a few notorious things such as the Deseret Chemical Depot, Dugway Proving Grounds (a.k.a. Area 52), and Energy Solutions just to name a few. A few years ago Tooele Army Depot became home to the one of the first wind turbines in the Army. At the time I remember reading in the Tooele Transcript Bulletin that it was the first in the United States Army to have one. Well that summer I went to Bauer Road which borders Tooele Army Depot and took several pictures of the wind mill. While I was there I also took some picture of some sunflowers, and the hills that are south of Bauer Road.

This is the windmill at Tooele Army Depot

The wind was blowing that day and I must have taken 20 or more pictures of the sunflowers along the side of the road. These are the best two. In the background you can see one that is blurred from the wind. I used a wide aperture with my telephoto lens so I could blur out the background. I think they are cool photos. 

The top picture is of the hills south of the depot and northwest of Stockton Utah. I was playing around with Photoshop and converted this to make it look like an oil painting. Personally I like the way it looks. 

I hope you all enjoy the pictures and please feel free to leave a comment or two. 

Thanks,

B.D. Young

~Photographer~ 

   

2013 IS HERE

It is New Years Day 2013. 2012 was one heck of a year, but now it is behind us. I did not accomplish all I wanted to in 2012, and for 2013 I have a whole bunch of other things I want to accomplish. A few of these goals of course have to do with photography. I have been a bit discouraged lately about photography, and what I want to do with it. I have a few goals that I will not bore you with, but several of them include photography and this blog. 

First and foremost, I want to scour my hard drive and get all of my pictures edited and converted to JPEG's. Second, I want to get them posted on this blog with a story about the adventure of taking the photos in the first place. Third, I want to build up my links of websites, articles, and blogs. 2013 is here and even though it might not look like it, I have a feeling this is going to be great year. 

To start out that great year I want to share a few photos that I took while out on a very simple and fun trip that anyone can do. Just gather up your camera or even your cell phone, and walk out the front door. When you get to the end of the driveway turn right or left, and start taking pictures of what ever you come across. That's what I did on this particular trip and these pics are what I found. 

While walking along Rogers Street this beautiful horse came up to me to get its portrait taken. 

I don't know why I took a picture of this power pole and lines, but I am glad that I did. I am sure its not going to win any awards, but something about draws my eye to it. 

I love the golden light that is hitting the front of this old shed. I have driven by this shed a thousand times and I have yet to see this light striking its face again. 

As I was walking back to my house I saw this sign just up the road off of Rogers Street, and I thought it was pretty cool. I was going to clean up the smudges on the sign a bit, but I think it gives it a bit of character. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures and please feel free to use them for your personal use. If you would like to use them commercially please contact me. 

Thanks again,

B. D. Young

~Photographer/Author~