God Bless the USA

Like most of you I've spent this past week, especially yesterday, reflecting on September 11, 2001. I can't believe it's been 10 years since that tragic day. On that day I was a missionary for our church and one of our mission rules was to not watch tv. So I didn't see hardly any of the tv footage that most people have seen. Over the years I've seen tidbits here and there of what happened and every time I see it's surreal to me.

I'm grateful and proud of the way our nation has healed and has grown stronger and closer.  One of my favorite songs is "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. I heard it on the radio 2 times yesterday and every time I hear it it brings a tear to my eye. I'm thankful to live in this great country among these great people.

***Photography Tip***

When "drawing with light" like the star picture above, what you want to do is keep the shutter open on your camera long enough to capture the image. For example the info for this picture is ISO 100, 30mm, f/8.0, 4.0 sec. The shutter speed was open for 4 whole seconds.


Here is an example of trying to draw a circle using a sparkler and how the picture would turn out if the shutter was not open long enough:

 ISO 100, 30mm, f/16, 0.6 sec

And here it is with the shutter open longer:

 ISO 100, 30mm, f/16, 5 sec

Because the shutter is open for such a long time you have to hold REALLY still or put your camera on a tripod. I just hand held these shots as you can see the background is a bit blurry but I don't mind the look. I think it adds to the character of the picture.

Have a great Monday!