Get over it!

January 25th, 2010

 

Have you ever tried to get a photo of something but your view was blocked by an object or group of people?

The photo on the left shows a fence blocking the view of final preparations of a float for the Rose Bowl Parade.

For the photo on the right, I raised the camera over the fence and took a series of photos tilting it up, down, left and right until I captured a photo that was nicely composed. I then deleted all other photos that were not as pleasing this.

Other notes: These photos were taken the day before the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena. Featured here is a float honoring the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII.

Zoom, zoom!

January 14th, 2010

Architecture lends itself to striking full building views as well as detailed close-ups.

The photo at left shows the whole building. I then zoomed in on some interesting details that are easily missed in the first photo.

Other notes: These photos are of Pasadena City Hall taken in December, 2009.

A Visit to the Rose Bowl Parade 2010

January 14th, 2010

Here’s a photo of me getting up close and personal at the Rose Bowl Parade. The red arrow is pointing at my face with a camera up to my eye.

If you’re on Facebook, check out my pix from the parade: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=148358&id=58764471726

We shall overcome

January 11th, 2010

Sometimes taking a minute to walk around your subject while taking photos will present a more interesting composition than what you first see.

In photo at left, the building is somewhat hidden by the trees and the lighting is pretty one-dimensional.

I then moved to the opposite side of the building where it had some sunlight and shadow and a little less trees blocking the view.

Other notes: These photos are of Pasadena City Hall taken in December, 2009.

Getting tipsy

January 7th, 2010

Sometimes tipping your camera a little sideways can give an ordinary composition a lot more interest. The photo at left shows the palm trees growing naturally.

I then tipped the camera to one side for a more interesting take on a subject that’s been photographed millions of times.

Other notes: These photos were taken two days before the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena.

To flash or not to flash – that is the question?

January 5th, 2010

Using your camera’s flash is sometimes a matter of personal preference. In an earlier post, I showed how the flash eliminated shadows on the subject’s faces for a more pleasing look. In the above photo, the flash eliminated the shadows but took away from the form and texture of the roses.

In this photo the roses are illuminated by available light only. Note how the roses have a more three-dimensional look.

Other notes: These photos were taken two days before the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena at the rose garden at Tournament House – the official home of the Tournament of Roses Association executive offices.

Flash and dash

January 4th, 2010

This photo was taken without using the little flash on a “point-and-shoot” digital camera. See the unflattering shadows on the faces? Also note the distracting signs in the background to the right of the couple.

In this photo, I turned on the flash and let the camera automatically add just enough light for a more pleasing look on the couple’s faces. I also moved the couple a little to the right to hide the signs and reveal the curved sidewalk that “connects” the couple in the foreground to the arbor in the background.

Other notes: These photos were taken two days before the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena at Tournament House – home of the official Tournament of Roses Association executive offices. It is an Italian Renaissance-style mansion once owned by chewing-gum pioneer William Wrigley Jr. and built between 1906 and 1914.

The couple in the photo are Richard Nicholson (our “unofficial tour guide” and friend) and my wife Doreen.

Falls Day in the Park

September 28th, 2009

Falls Day in the Park is this Sunday – Oct. 4th – from 1 – 4 p.m. at East River Park on Lewis Road in Olmsted Falls. There will be free hot dogs, brats, donuts, apple cider and door prizes from local businesses. A rock band will provide free entertainment while you enjoy the arts and crafts vendors and more.  It’s a great time to reconnect with old friends from the Olmsted area.

SpectraLight Photography will be giving away FREE note cards of Olmsted Falls scenes to their clients as a “thank you” for their past patronage. To see the photo that is featured on the free cards, visit: http://www.spectralight.com/art/freecard.html

How to REALLY SAVE $$ with Giant Eagle Fuel Perks!

August 22nd, 2009
Most people are aware of the Giant Eagle Fuel Perks program. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to really get the most out of it!

In that past 12 months, I have saved OVER $800.00 in gas! Yes, you read that right… $800.00!

Here are some tips to get the most out of your Fuel Perks program.

1) Always get the full 30 gallons of gas you are entitled to when you use your Fuel Perks. Although you are limited to putting gas in only one car, you ARE allowed to finish your fill-up with gas cans. So be sure your tank is pretty low and take your gas cans for the rest.

So here’s how the savings works. Let’s say you have a $1.50 per gallon discount earned with your Giant Eagle Advantage Card. If you get 30 gallons x your $1.50 discount – you save $45.00 on your fill-up! A $1.75 per gallon discount would save $52.50 on your fill-up! A $2.00 per gallon discount would save $60.00 on your fill-up! In the summer of 2008, when gas was $4 per gallon, I had enough fuel perks earned for a $4.00 per gallon discount. So $4.00 x 30 gallons yielded FREE gas valued at $120.00!

So what do you do with the extra fuel you put in the gas cans? You add them to your car’s tank as needed.

By-the-way, I bought three – five gallon gas cans for about $11 each from Home Depot a couple years ago. (I bought a $50 Home Depot gift card from Giant Eagle for the Fuel Perks credit before I bought the cans!) My next fill-up with the full 30 gallons paid for the cans so all future use of the cans was totally bonus gas!

2) GIFT CARDS, GIFT CARDS, GIFT CARDS. That is the primary way of building your Fuel Perks credit. You aren’t limited to buying gift cards for others. Buy them for yourself, too! Giant Eagle has over 130 different retailers to choose from. Home Improvement Stores, Travel, Department Stores, Electronics, Toys, Movie Theaters, Sporting Goods and much more.

Do you buy stuff from Home Depot? We moved a couple years ago and bought ceiling fans and other stuff for our new home. We ended up buying HUNDREDS of $$ of stuff from Home Depot. It’s amazing how fast it adds up (and so do the Fuel Perks)!

Are you an “electronics junkie”? I’ve bought TVs and computers from Best Buy with gift cards. The list goes on. Be sure to check out the list of gift cards available at Giant Eagle at the end of this post and get going!

My favorite category is Restaurants. Check out this handful of eateries you can get cards for:

Applebee’s®, Bob Evans Restaurant®, BucaSM Di Beppo Italian Restaurant®, Carrabba’s Italian Grill®, Chili’s Grill and Bar®, Cold Stone Creamery®, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®, Damon’s Grill®, Dave & Buster’s®, Long Horn Steakhouse®, Macaroni Grill®, Maggiano’s Little Italy®, Mavis Winkle’s Irish Pub®, Max & Erma’s®, Mootown Creamery® Olive Garden®

To see all the cards available, visit:
http://www.gianteagle.com/GiftCards/browse.aspx?cntid=177291

How to Save HUNDREDS of Dollars on Your Heating Bill

December 29th, 2008

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If you live in a region that is cold in the winter - heating costs take a big bite out of your monthly budget for over half the year. Due to the rapidly escalating costs of home heating oil, propane, and kerosene – you may be paying twice as much to heat your house as you did just a few years ago. You can cut your heating costs significantly by following the money-saving tips found at:

www.spectralight.com/freereport/gassavings.pdf