I need a toothpick

I need a toothpick
Originally uploaded by indykaleu

Made recently at the Indianapolis Zoo. This Tiger was having a good time with this stick, he would first lick it and then chew on it. He also had a big blue toy that he enjoyed chewing and playing with in the water.

As much as I love seeing the Tigers at the Indy Zoo, I wish they could have a bigger area in which to live.

Sunset before Thunder 2013

Sunset before Thunder 2013
Originally uploaded by indykaleu

The sunset before the Thunder. A group of planes perform acrobatics before the start of the fireworks at Thunder over Louisville.

A bigger blog post to come after I get more pictures edited.

Striving for Authenticity on Big Photography Projects – PictureCorrect

Striving for Authenticity on Big Photography Projects – PictureCorrect - Good article and video from a NatGeo photographer.  I city views at night are particularly good and very motivating for me.

"Carol Of The Belts" by Here Come The Mummies

More gong for your dong from Here Come The Mummies.

MIG JIMENEZ: HEZBOLLAH Type 69 II C, Iran.

MIG JIMENEZ: HEZBOLLAH Type 69 II C, Iran.  - Some very good work here.  I'll have to add this conversion to my wish list.  Unfortunately Verlinden doesn't show it on their website.  I really hope it will be available soon.

White Tank Mountain Park

White Tank Mountain Park
Originally uploaded by indykaleu
This picture was made in White Tank Mountain park, near Phoenix, Arizona. After seeing the exit sign for this park several times during our recent vacation to Phoenix, we decided to visit the park before leaving.

It was a sunny day and while the sun was a pale blue color, I wanted something a little richer and a darker blue. After making a few pictures with the pale blue sky, I decided to underexpose the rest of my pictures in order to get a deeper blue sky.

I'm happy with the results. The only thing that is missing are the clouds that were present in Phoenix the previous day. Oh well, maybe on another visit?

We certainly were not disappointed. This was my first visit to the park and I hope to come back multiple times. We hiked on several trails and had a thoroughly good visit. The park has many trails along with clean and modern facilities. Be sure to stop in at the visitors center and the entrance to the park.

For more on the park, go here:

www.maricopa.gov/parks/white_tank/

Hey, a timely post from me about a festival or event happening in Indianapolis.  Finally!  Last night as everyone living in Indianapolis knows was the Circle of Lights festival, or as it could be known, turning the lights on the Monument Circle.

This event has grown from a small ceremony of initially lasting a few minutes to something now that lasts over an hour and is broadcast live on WRTV 6.  The event annually draws over 100,000 people every year to watch the live performances and to witness the lighting of Monument Circle.  A small fireworks show is also included once the lights are lit.

Last night was the 50th anniversary of the lighting ceremony and for most of the day I couldn't decide if I wanted to photograph the event or not.  I was downtown last year, but chose a wrong spot on the west side of Monument Circle and didn't get any good shots of the fireworks and the lights in the same picture.  I wanted to have better results this year.

I arrived early, but not early enough for a spot on the southside of the circle, maybe next year? I don't know.  I did manage to get a spot that would put the fireworks and Monument Circle in the same shot.  Other than constantly having to readjust my tripod after getting bumped by person after person (doesn't anybody look where they are walking anymore?), it was a relatively short hour wait until the circle was lit and the fireworks started.

Here are a couple of pictures that I shot this year:

Both were made using a Canon EOS 30d.  The lens I used was a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8  I used Bulb mode, had the aperture set to f11 and the ISO was at 200.

I think this area might be a good location for the July 4th fireworks display next year. That is if I can get over my annual disappointment of the Indianapolis fireworks display.  On a completely unrelated topic, if you want to see a spectacular fireworks display, go the Thunder over Louisville event or go west to Heritage Lake and see their displays. I shot both events this year and they are both excellent displays.