Category Archives: General

In Remembrance

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Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Washington D.C.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Washington D.C. Click for a larger version.

Richard Duane Klug (the name just above the rose) was born January 26, 1946. He died in Darlac Province, Vietnam, November 14, 1967 at the age of 21. He is one of over 58,000 American soldiers that died in Vietnam, and one of over 1.1 million American soldiers that have died in all American wars (almost half of them in the Civil War). It is with a profound sense of gratitude that I reflect on the lives of those who “gave the last full measure of devotion” on behalf of their country.

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Favorite Photo, March 10

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Orion's Belt, Sword, and the Orion Nebula in the middle of the sword.
Orion’s Belt, Sword, and the Orion Nebula in the middle of the sword. 300mm lens and camera mounted on an iOptron SkyTracker

I had recently acquired an iOptron SkyTracker but cloudy night skies in Columbus Ohio had prevented me from trying it out. My first clear night came during a visit to Lamoni Iowa, a location that is also blessed with dark skies far from big city lights.

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Favorite Photo, March 5

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Jim Doty, Photo Exhibit at Changes
Jim Doty, Photo Exhibit Entrance at Changes, Columbus Ohio. March 5, 2014

I usually don’t post photos of myself, so this is an exception. I was invited to do an exhibit of my work at Changes Salon and Day Spa in Columbus Ohio. It was supposed to be up for two or three months (their usual length for exhibits), but it was so popular they asked me to leave it up for 6 months.

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The Best National Parks to Photograph in Spring

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Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park. Texas.

Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park, Texas.

If I could go on a fabulous spring photography trip to the national parks of my choice, with no time limit and all expenses paid, which ones would I pick? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph.

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Why and When To Set A Custom White Balance

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piano reflection portrait
Piano Reflection Portrait

Why set a custom white balance? The answer is simple. To get the best, most accurate colors your camera is capable of producing. It is especially important when photographing people if you want beautiful, accurate skin tones. In this article I give you some shooting tips, answer common questions, and I cover the situations when it is preferable not do a custom white balance.

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How To Set A Custom White Balance on Your Digital Camera

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Before and after setting a custom white balance.

Before and after setting a custom white balance.

To get the most accurate colors your camera is capable of creating you need to set a custom white balance. Every camera does this a little differently, but it involves taking a picture of an 18% gray card (or something pure white) and using that photo as a standard to create a custom white balance setting. I will show you the process with a Canon camera, but other brands should be somewhat similar. Check your camera’s manual for specific instructions.

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Total Immersion Nature Photography Weekend in Beautiful Northern Michigan

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Michigan Photography Workshop

Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 7-10, 2019.

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Favorite Photo, February 23

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Sami Lynn with rose petals, Columbus Ohio. February 23, 2007.
Sami Lynn with Rose Petals, Columbus Ohio. February 23, 2007.

Sami Lynn and I were creating portraits for her model portfolio. With her on the floor, I arranged her hair to get as many curls as possible at the ends of the strands of hair. The rose petals were my idea. I knew the Valentine’s Day roses in a vase were about done so I plucked all the petals and dropped them on the floor and on Sami Lynn.

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