Uprooted Photographer | Eastern NC Photography

Glowing Sunset | Croatan National Forest The last few days, the...

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:01:04 -0400

Glowing Sunset | Croatan National Forest

The last few days, the clouds at sunset have just been phenomenal and I haven’t been able to resist heading out to shoot the sunset now for four nights in a row. This particular evening was no exception as I headed down to the banks of the Neuse River at Flanner’s Beach in the Croatan Forest. I took a variety of shots, both from the shore and knee deep in the water. This is one of the first shots I got while at the scene. The billowing clouds opposite of the sun were lit up bright orange as the sun shifted toward the horizon. I had a late start hitting the road and I barely got to my spot in time for sunset, but I had a hunch that if I drove the extra miles, I’d be treated to an awesome scene. Sometimes you just have to play the hunch.

‎’Mother Nature, You’re The Boss’ | New Bern,...

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:09:00 -0400

‎’Mother Nature, You’re The Boss’ | New Bern, NC

A storm cell from Tropical Storm Alberto (at this point I believe it is a Tropical Depression) moves toward the setting sun tonight over New Bern (you can see the town through the rain bands). This is easily one of the most awe inspiring scenes I’ve shot. I see plenty of sunsets and plenty of storms, but to see a combination of the two was pretty intense. I think I just kept muttering ‘wow’ as I shot. This was shot from Bridgeton, across the Neuse River from New Bern. I’m glad I hustled to get around to the front side of the storm when I decided to go out and chase it!

Purchase print here- http://www.uprootedphotographer.smugmug.com/

In This Temple… | Washington, DC Abraham Lincoln has long...

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:31:58 -0400

In This Temple… | Washington, DC

Abraham Lincoln has long been one of my favorite historical figures. Ever since first learning of the 16th President in a classroom at Elderton Elementary School, I have been captivated by him. I think the first thing I learned about him was that he was on the front of a penny and that he ‘freed the slaves.’ Imagine being in first or second grade and hearing that…I didn’t even know what slavery was. I was hooked. As I’ve grown older and learned more about just what kind of man Lincoln was, my fondness has done nothing but grow. I’ve seen countless History Channel documentaries and read many articles on the man. You can read and learn as much as you can, but until you stand in the chamber of the Lincoln Memorial and look up at the 19 foot tall statue, you don’t really put it all together. I’ve been here twice before this trip. Both times I was on a field trip with other kids my age and therefore had almost no memory of the monuments of the city. This past visit was different. I made sure to spend as much time as possible soaking in the writing on the walls, the fine details in the crown molding and symbolism tucked away in the corners of the ceiling and walls. The Lincoln Memorial, as well as all the other monuments in Washington DC, truly are National treasures. I feel very fortunate to live so close to our capital city.

A night time shot inside the Lincoln Memorial is a shot that I played over in my mind many times over in the days leading up to my visit to DC. I wanted to use my fisheye lens to show as much of the chambers of the memorial as possible and a night time long exposure was key to what I wanted to do. Even at 10 PM, the memorial was still very crowded, so I kept my tripod only shoulder width and made sure I got out of the way after three or four frames. I had planned for these time constraints by having my settings all ready to go before I walked into the memorial. All I had to to was wait for the frames to expose. In and out.

The epitaph behind Lincoln’s head reads:

“In this temple
as in the hearts of the people
for whom he saved the union
the memory of Abraham Lincoln
is enshrined forever.”

I read that just before leaving the Memorial. A great thing to have engrained in my mind now whenever I look at the man or hear his name.

Hope to see you there!

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:13:16 -0400

Hope to see you there!

‘New Bern Twilight’ | New Bern, North Carolina The...

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:28:06 -0400

‘New Bern Twilight’ | New Bern, North Carolina

The many boats of the New Bern Grand Marina float in front of the recently renamed Double Tree Hilton on the waterfront just after sunset.

This photo is a result of manually blending three exposures of 20 seconds, 45.7 seconds and 100.7 seconds (all through a 10-stop ND filter).

In honor of American Craft Beer Week, I felt it important to...

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:52:00 -0400

In honor of American Craft Beer Week, I felt it important to share something regarding this growing trend in the local economy of many towns and cities across the country. Craft beer is something that I knew nothing of until recently, but it seems as if it is something that is exploding.

This is Sisters of the Moon, an IPA from Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston, NC. I drive by this brewery nearly every day and it is truly a sight to behold. Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t even been inside. But during my first visit to the taproom, I was blown away by it. I’m hoping to take a tour one of these days and hopefully do a full post about it. A brief rundown is that it is housed in a huge re-purposed brick building and is sustained by solar power and insulated by 100% recycled blue jean insulation. Those tidbits alone tell you a lot about the place!

You can read more about Mother Earth Brewing here- http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/

The shot: Nikon D90, 50mm f/1.8 lens. 1/200 sec, f/9, ISO200 2 Alienbees B800 strobes, 1/8 power, bounced off umbrellas.

Lush Abandonment | Rural NC It has been a while, but I finally...

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:54:05 -0400

Lush Abandonment | Rural NC

It has been a while, but I finally made my way to a new location for my Abandoned NC series (see the rest of the series in my portfolio, or on Facebook). I drove past this old house on a back road between Trenton and Kinston, North Carolina. The house is set back about 250 feet off the intersection of the main road and a dirt road. The lush growth around it made me almost overlook it, but seeing the shape of the greenery, I knew there was an awesome old building in there. I turned around and returned to shoot a few frames.

It’s always fun to speculate about these abandoned homes and who lived there. I would suspect that it was in that spot before the main road came through, and quite possibly before the dirt road too. Usually, you see these old farm houses standing in the middle of the fields that they used to tend. With fields on both sides of the road and a new growth forest to the right, it would seem that it once stood right there, in the middle of its’ fields. As society “advanced” and the road came through, the family decided to move on.

The shot: Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-105 VR lens. 2 exposures, manually blended. f/14, ISO-250, 1/125 sec. (foreground exposure) & 1/500 sec. (sky exposure).

‘Put it in Stone’ | Washington DCIn almost all the...

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:44:10 -0400

‘Put it in Stone’ | Washington DC

In almost all the monuments in Washington are engraved quotes or writings of the memorialized individual. These are parts often ignored by the visitors. We are in awe of the exterior and the statues on the interior and it is easy to overlook the text. Inside the Jefferson Memorial, around the 19 foot tall 10,000 pound statue, are many of his famous writings including excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, letters to George Washington and portions of his autobiography. All great things to take a moment to read.

The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, tripod held. 2 blended exposures.

Crab Pot Sunset | New Bern, NC It has been a while since I have...

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:34:37 -0400

Crab Pot Sunset | New Bern, NC

It has been a while since I have had some free time to go out and leisurely shoot, but I had a chance to go out and do that at sunset on Monday night. I always shoot the same vantage points in New Bern, so I made it a point to venture out and find a new spot. When I arrived at this place, I totally forgot about finding a vista for the sunset and was drawn right into this pile of crab pots. The golden light hitting them from the setting sun is what pulled me right on them.

The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 lens. 1/10 sec, f/16, ISO-250.

2012 MCAS Cherry Point Air Show

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:25:28 -0400

The Cherry Point Airshow was on display May 4-6 at Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina. These airshows are always awesome and this one was no different. The show celebrated 100 years of Marine aviation and had an amazing mix of old and new technology. Two things always leave a huge impression on me at the MCAS Cherry Point air show— the F18 afterburner fly-by (first photo below) and the live combat demonstation (see explosion photos scattered below). Hearing the roar of those jet engines go by is simply amazing. Another great part of this show was the Legacy Flight, a dual fly by in which a workhorse of WWII, the Corsair, was accompanied by a Harrier jet. Just a really cool sight. Here are a collection of shots from the show, enjoy!

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‘Reach Out’ | Atlantic Beach, NC As the days get...

Thu, 03 May 2012 07:55:25 -0400

‘Reach Out’ | Atlantic Beach, NC

As the days get longer and warmer, there are times when it feels as if we are closer to the sun than ever. On occasion, that can look a bit more literal than just saying it. On this particular evening, the sun dropped out from below the clouds and seemed to hover momentarily just above the horizon. Before it dropped below the ocean, it almost felt like you could just reach out and grab the sun in the palm of your hand.

The shot: Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-105mm VR lens. f/22, 1/6 sec., ISO 200.

May 2012 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar Another month has flown by...

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:59:00 -0400

May 2012 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

Another month has flown by already and everyone’s desktop now needs a refresher, so here is this month’s free downloadable calendar. Just click to view full screen and then right click + save or set as wallpaper (depending on browser capabilities). Feel free to share!

May promises to be an exciting month. I currently have an exhibition set up at the Core Sound Museum on Harker’s Island, NC which is open to all. So if you’re in the area or vacationing and visiting Cape Lookout, stop by and have a look! The official opening reception will be the evening of Friday, May 25; it’s a free event!

Entry | Atlantic Beach, NC It’s been a great while since...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:05:38 -0400

Entry | Atlantic Beach, NC

It’s been a great while since I’ve shared a beach sunset, in fact, it’s been a while since I’ve shot one. But, I’ve had this one in my pocket for a few weeks and felt now was a good time to share.

This was shot on Atlantic Beach, near the Oceanana Pier early this spring. As the sun was setting, I could tell by the streaking low clouds that it was going to be a colorful one. Using a wide angle lens, I was able to get the entire span of the cloud’s arch in the shot. I love how it feels like it’s creating an entry way, a path down the beach. Come on in!

The Shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 lens. Tripod held, remote fired. f/16, 2”, ISO-200.

Lily Pad Bloom | Kinston, NC I came across these lily pads in a...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:59:39 -0400

Lily Pad Bloom | Kinston, NC

I came across these lily pads in a decorative pond at a local nature center. Lily pads are a great thing to shoot, I just wish I could come across more in bloom in the wild rather than just one or two, here and there.

I must apologize for the infrequent posts of late. I’ve found myself very busy and in my down time I end up just relaxing with my wife. I really haven’t even had time to get out and shoot sunsets or landscapes as I used to. It is my intention to get back to the frequent, daily posts that I used to share though. So please bear with me, hopefully you’ll see them again soon!

Dreams of the Sea | Fort Macon, NC I shot this several weeks ago...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:18:14 -0400

Dreams of the Sea | Fort Macon, NC

I shot this several weeks ago while waiting to present a workshop at the beach. I arrived a little early so I trekked up over the dunes. I noticed that some of the rocks from the Fort Macon jetty, buried last summer during beach replenishment, had started to reappear. What better place to take some cliche long exposures than there!?

This is a 5 second exposure, shot at midday through a 10 stop ND filter.

Steps to History | Washington DC On my last night in Washington...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:24:31 -0400

Steps to History | Washington DC

On my last night in Washington DC, I was lucky enough to finally have a nice semi-cloudy sky for sunset. As I was making my way around the Tidal Basin toward the Jefferson Memorial, I noticed just how wide the steps were to the memorial. Thinking back, they are that way on all the monuments. They could be so wide so that they could accomidate visitors, but I have a feeling the designers of the monuments had some other, deeper meaning to it. I figured I should work them into one of my sunset shots and make them the focal point of the shot.

I shot this with my 8mm lens so that I could capture that long sweeping curve of the first set of steps.

“If you build it, they will come…” | Kinston,...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:03:00 -0400

“If you build it, they will come…” | Kinston, NC

Historic Grainger Stadium stands, missing its occupant, in downtown Kinston, North Carolina. Most recently the home of the Kinston Indians, the Cleveland Indians High-A minor league affiliate, the team relocated this season. It’s currently being used for high school and community college baseball games. Regardless of who is playing on the field, it’s a great place to watch baseball and must be a bigger thrill to play on its grass.

I have only visited a handful of minor league ballparks, most of them very new, but the first game I saw at Grainger Stadium felt different. Built in 1949, The stadium has an old time charm and feel to it that is hard to describe. A lot of people’s fingers are crossed for a new team to move in. In my opinion, it would be awesome if a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate re-joined the Carolina League and called Kinston home!

Fly-by | Washington DC One thing that I didn’t remember...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:56:27 -0400

Fly-by | Washington DC

One thing that I didn’t remember from my visits to Washington DC as a youngster was the frequent air traffic near the monuments. Maybe we’re just more in tune to it these days, or maybe the approach patterns have changed, but it seemed like every monument I visited there was a way to incorporate a plane into my shots — so I did.

At the Jefferson Memorial, planes taking off from Regan National Airport would buzz by, some disappear behind the dome of the structure and then come out the other side on a quick ascent. I like shots like this, it helps pull together old and new; historical and current.

While shooting here on my last night in town, I got an idea for a timelapse of the site. I may have to go back soon to put that into motion.

Morgan & Krystle | Wedding

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:36:28 -0400

I recently was able to help out a good friend, Joe Sadlo, as a second shooter at a wedding he was shooting in Beaufort, NC. I have got to say, weddings are infinitely easier to shoot with two shooters. To anyone out there getting married, pay a little extra to get an extra shooter at your wedding. The results will be so much better with your photographer not having to worry about missing something. Plus, the multiple angles and ideas they come up with together are invaluable!

Anyway, back to the photos. The wedding and reception were held at a favorite spot of mine on the Beaufort waterfront - Queen Anne’s Revenge. The restaurant made a great backdrop for the evening and you can’t beat a wedding and reception right on the water!

Here are a few of my favorite frames from the night:

High Noon | Williamsburg, Virginia Few weather conditions can be...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:12:00 -0400

High Noon | Williamsburg, Virginia

Few weather conditions can be tougher on a photographer than a cloudless sky at midday. That’s exactly what I got on a recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, VA. Where the other lenses in my kit fall short in these conditions, my 8mm Rokinon f/3.5 does a phenominal job with direct sunlight. I don’t know what it is, but colors come out well exposed and the sunflare rocks when shooting at f/16-22 on the lens. For this shot, the trees lining the walkway to the Governor’s Mansion provided just enough cover to diffuse the sunlight a bit and were able to cast really nice shadows reaching toward me.

The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 lens. Two bracketed exposures, hand held. Manually masked together in Photoshop and finished with a Glamour Glow using Nik Color Efex Pro.