Thought this was an interesting piece of artwork mad from a rock and bundle of floral wire. I might have been able to get a little back light in there that could have made it a little more interesting. I’ll try that next time.

Settings: f/9.0, 1/6 sec, ISO 800, 100mm fixed lens at 1.3m.

I’ve got to get out of the house soon, I’m running out of stuff to shoot!

Leah and her friend Sailor enjoy a pop-up book together during a sleepover tonight. The book is Dragons & Mosters by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.

I thought this came out really sharp. Are you thirsty now? I created black glass this week to shoot some of our product on for work and this was a favorite today. 4 second exposure ISO 100 @ f/22.

Found this @Junkyard Gypsies. Took a lunch time trip to the second had store today thanks to a tip from Caroline. Purchased an old camera and snapped a shot of this radio while I was there. It can be yours for $50.

It doesn’t get much better than this down home song on my Victrola. In case you have never heard this song, here is a very nice version by Allison Krauss and Lyle Lovett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UxOcZgDOpc.Enjoy.

Yes, this is my very, very dusty Telecaster. It desperately wants to be played. Don’t take a picture of me . . . . play me!!

This is a reproduction set of the Isle of Lewis Chessmen (or Uig Chessmen). It is the earliest know chess set. Discovered in 1831 in Scotland, a total of 78 pieces were recovered including 8 kings, 8 queens, 16 bishops, 15 knights, 12 rooks and 19 pawns. The heights of the pawns range from 3.5 to 5.8 cm while the major pieces are between 7 and 10.2 cm. It is believed they were probably made in Norway, by craftsmen in the 12th century. They are owned and exhibited by the British Museum in London, which has 67 of the original pieces, and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which has the remaining 11 pieces. Sarah, in 4th grade now, joined the chess club this year and I can’t wait to play a game with her using this set. The board arrives next week!

Caroline purchased this wonderful medium format 120mm Yashica-Mat film camera for me for Christmas. I love this camera, it is so beautiful. Also in the picture is an #168 Boxwood antique wood and brass two foot ruler. It folds both vertically and horizontally, very unusual. And to the left of the camera are some Buckyballs. If you don’t have any of these, you need to get some. Seriously.

There was a light fog this morning and I tried to catch it but I was a little late. You can see it in the tree lines. I wish I had been 30 minutes earlier. Even so the heavy frost and early morning sun were great. The tree on the right is the second biggest dogwood in America. Wait until this spring!! And yes, it is haunted! We have video proof.

Anna has developed a new hobby in part due to her cousin Clara. She loves to make jewelry now. These are some beads from one of her favorite bead stores here in Bowling Green.

This afternoon Leah, Sarah and I went to share some treats with the horses down the street. We were hoping to see King and Tinkerbell but instead we found only Pepe. He was whinnying at the fence when we arrived and kept it up until he realized what we had at which point he trotted over to investigate. We shared some apples and carrots with him and I think he must have appreciated it because it struck a very nice pose fore me afterward. Thanks Pepe!

iPhone and Instagram enabled picture.

I cut the Venison loin into strips and lightly breaded with flour. I fried the strips for about 5-7 minutes for both sides and then added the vegetables. After about another 5 minutes I added the sauce. That I let run on medium heat for a final 5-7 minutes and served on a bed of rice.

The sauce was made from the following all mixed together before hand:

2 tablespoons Corn Starch
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Added peanuts as an after thought. It was great with or without the nuts.

Yes, that right! Free iPad backgrounds for all my friends. This was a fun little project. Nothing like a little Rain-X and glass to create some really nice water beads. I struck them with the flash about about 45 degrees and set the aperture to F22. I don’t have a macro lens so I converted my F2.0 100m lens to a macro by inserting a lens extender between the lens and the body. This simultaneously shrank the focal length and lowered the depth of field. The results are pretty neat I think. They don’t even look real, but they are! Enjoy.

I love the hour glass with black sand that has been sitting on my desk since I started working here. I can’t believe it took me this long to take a picture of it. The trees outside my window and the gray sky made the perfect monochromatic backdrop for the picture. I used my iPhone 4 to take the shot. If I had my 5D I would have been able to capture the sand frozen in space.

This is a re-post from http://vimeo.com/32001208. Time lapse sequences of photographs taken with a special low-light 4K-camera by the crew of expedition 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011.

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

Quite simply the best cafe in Bowling Green. Their sandwiches are wonderful. I can’t wait to go back and try a pizza. The Sunday brunch was excellent as well.

Maia Madison from David Scifres on Vimeo.

I got my 5D this Friday YEAH!!! I had been taken aback by my oldest daughters friend Maia Madison’s artistic ability on her Nintendo DS. The new camera, coupled with my desire to learn Adobe Premiere, led to this video. When Maia came over to visit, I could not resist the opportunity to try and capture the creative work she had done. Not bad for my first real video attempt.

As promised I took Anna and Sarah to Chicago for the weekend. We had a blast. We purchased a CityPass which got us in the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Art Institute, the SkyWalk at the top of Sears tower and the Science and Technology building (which we didn’t make it to). The hit of the trip as it turns out was Navy Pier as well as tea at the American Girl Doll store.