secondglimpse.com Blog

Well, here we are…on our way into 2008.  Do you have any resolutions?…better yet, how did your last years resolution work out?  If you’re like most people, you’ll have to think really hard to even remember last years resolution.  I guess the saying “easier said than done” certainly applies here.  I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from making a resolution but I think that if you take the time to make a resolution…take the time to make it work.  In my opinion, one of the best ways to do this is to have a plan…and stick to that plan.  It’s easy to say “I want to loose weight” but there’s no real plan….sure you plan on working out and eating right but that’s just not good enough for most of us.  A plan needs to be detailed, very detailed….lay out exactly how you plan to achieve your goal….not just for a week but for the year.  Where do you want to be in a week?…a month?…at the end of the year?  Setting a resolution on New Years Eve is easy…it’s working on it every day for the next 365 days that’s tough.  If you set a resolution…I certainly wish you the best!

Now on to a couple of photos I’ve gotten.  My wife and I set out in search of some hawks to photograph.  It seems like we see them all the time…except when we’re looking with cameras in tow of course.  Needless to say, we didn’t get a single photo of a hawk although I did find a couple of cool photos.  The first is of “Leatherlips”.  I really don’t know much about the sculpture other that what was on the plaque (the second photo).  The third pic is another sculpture but that’s about all I know about it.  What exactly is it?…I’m not sure.  There was no plaque or tag to hint at what it may be.  If you’re reading this and know what it is…please let me know!

Took a trip to Franklin Park Conservatory with my Dad today.  To my suprise, it was a very busy place.  I used my Dad for some portrait practice and got some nice photos.  Here’s a couple of my favorite…

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas!  My wife and I ran around visiting all the family but we enjoyed ourselves.  The only downside….I don’t have a single Christmas picture.  I had a camera with me along with a couple of lenses and flash but to my dismay, I completely forgot my memory cards.  So no Christmas photos.  I was bummed but life goes on. 

I did grab a few shots at the Scioto River from the Greenlawn bridge today.  The water looked to be quite high and fast moving.  Enjoy!

Well, it’s Christmas Eve and I hope everyone is ready for Christmas to arrive in a few short hours.  I enjoy the Christmas season….the Christmas lights, movies that are ran over year after year, the celebration of the birth of Christ….it’s all very nice and enjoyable.  What I do find a bit disappointing is the commercialism…..the obligation to give and receive gifts.  Don’t get me wrong…I think being generous and giving is wonderful.  If I know that a family member or friend wants or needs something, I would love to help them out no matter the time of year.  What I don’t like is feeling obligated to buy someone something just to buy them something.  Not only that, I don’t want people to feel as if they need to buy me anything.  For the most part, I’ve been blessed to have everything I need and many things I want, I don’t need people buying me more stuff.  I could be perfectly happy if I didn’t get a single gift from anyone. 

Christmas should remind us to be generous and giving but it shouldn’t be about buying a bunch of stuff for people that don’t really want or need it.  On the flip side, don’t expect a bunch of stuff from everyone else….Christmas shouldn’t be about how much you can get.  Instead, be generous…spend time with your family and share your love and life.  Who cares who got what?….Life is about so much more. 

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Took a trip to the Columbus Zoo this evening to see their holiday light display.  They do a wonderful job and put up an absolutely stunning display.  Of course I had my camera in hand but due to the darkness of the night, I think I could’ve done better with a tripod.  I’m quite sure I’ll make it back again in the next couple of weeks toting my tripod to really get some awesome pics.  The weather held out nicely throughout the evening, a little cool but hey, it’s December, at least the rain held out.  Well, I’m off for now….here’s a couple of shots from the zoo tonight.

Took the trip down to Dawes Arboretum with my two dogs to enjoy the first snow of the year.  It was a very nice trip although cold.  The road through the arboretum was closed due to the weather so there were very few people there.  We parked at the office and headed out on foot.  We ended up walking through the woods and all the way around the park. 

The animals seemed to be quite active, I must’ve seen at least 8 deer and a hawk swooping down catching some type of prey.  I didn’t have a telephoto lens attached to my camera so I couldn’t manage a decent picture of the wildlife although I did manage to get some nice shots of the scenery and snow.  Dawes Arboretum is another one of those places that every nature lover should visit.  There’s no fee to get in and walk or drive around.  Here’s a few of my photos from today.  Click on them for a  larger version….

Well it looks like we got our first significant snow of the year.  We got a nice 4 inch blanket so it’s needless to say that the morning commute was absolutely awful.  While I’m not a big fan of winter time and snow, there’s no doubt that it can be beautiful.  I managed to grab a few shots today and I’m hoping to get many more tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll take a trip down to Dawes Arboretum and see what I can find….hopefull the snow won’t be trampled too much. 

This particular picture is my favorite from today.  The bright red berries made such a nice contrast with the snow piled on top of them….almost looks like a dessert of some type

Hopefully you had a nice weekend.  I had a very nice and relaxing weekend with a trip to Franklin Park Conservatory to photograph my brother-in-law and his future wife.  Had a great time as we casually strolled through the conservatory, grabbing photos as we went.  There is a very nice gigerbread house exhibit along with Christmas trees and a wealth of poinsettias.  Here are a few of our pics from today…you can’t deny that they are a great looking couple

Well, I can actually have something to cheer about on Friday!  I not only have the weekend off but also Monday (I am usually working Saturdays for AT&T ).  I’ll be able to get away from the phone company for a few days and concentrate on my photography.  It’s been a pretty uneventful week but hopefully I can shake things up a bit this weekend.  I will hopefully be doing some engagement photos for my brother in law and his fiance and I was thinking about taking a trip to Franklin Park Conservatory.  If you’ve never been, Franklin Park Conservatory is an absolutely beautiful place to visit year ’round, especially if you like photography.  The actual conservatory is an indoor garden showcasing many beautiful plants along with various insects and a few birds, not to mention the special exhibits they display through the year.  The cost for admission is very affordable…I think it runs about $6.00 per person.  Definatly a place every Ohio native should pay a visit.  I should hopefully have some new pics to share over the next couple of days but for now, here’s a couple from a previous visit.