We live on wooded lot and setup some bird feeders in our backyard. Every year a greater number and variety of birds arrive at our feeders. It has become a hobby, of sorts, for me to try to capture photos of as many different varieties as I can.

Hannnah and I really enjoy taking pictures together. Hannah has her own digital Kodak camera and as you can see she has a great eye for taking pictures. Here is a gallery of some of her flower pictures.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range imaging, is a set of techniques that allow for a greater dynamic range of exposures. Ever notice that with some pictures when you get the light right for foreground, the sky is over exposed (or the other way around - nice blue sky but the foreground is under exposed). HDR allows to you create one photograph that has the best of these two lighting situations. The HDR technique I use is to simply use a tripod to take multiple shots of the same scene with multiple exposures. Later I merge those photos using a software program (PSP). The end result is greater color and a more vivid picture. I'm still learning alot about how to refine the technique but here are my first two attempts...

This first picture was taken from the base of Latourell Falls in Oregon (just outside Portland). In early 08 we spent a long weekend in Portland.  The picture here is really two pictures layered into one. I used a really slow shutter speed to “milk up” the stream water and a faster shutter speed to keep the falls and surrounding plant life crisp. I just used PSP XI to merge the two and mask out the fast running stream water. While this photo is a cliché of sorts it does involve some good every day techniques like using a tripod and taking several pictures at various shutter speeds. Later you can merge those pictures and correct a lot of issues or create some cool effects.

This next picture is at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. What a great place! It’s like experiencing a slice of China right here in the USA. Everything from the plants, stones, pathways and architecture to the quiet atmosphere of the Classical Chinese Garden really brings the beauty of China to you. I have many pictures (there is obviously so much more to the garden), but this is one of my favorites (and it doesn't appear on thier website). Be sure and check out thier website and if you’re ever in Portland this is a must see.

We spent the morning touring the International Test Rose Garden in Portland. I wish I would have jotted down which variety this is but... it was one of the more unusual color combinations I found (orange, red, yellow, and a little purple).