Tag Archives: photo

Captain Obvious takes a break

nikon d3300 1-5-18 297copy

Greetings to all, Major Irony here in place for Captain Obvious who is taking a rest at the moment. He had a hard time with his last report and ran around screaming something about his water not having enough water in it. He accepted the kind offer by the nice gentlemen for an all expense paid vacation. They tell me he likes his padded room but feels that the straight jacket chafes a little. Sergeant Sarcasm and I expect to see him back at his post sometime before the end of the year (hopefully).

But now, on with today’s report. After the last week of frigid temperatures across most of the eastern U.S. we seem to have hit a slight warming trend. With temperatures climbing I thought people might be in the mood to see a bit of weather irony. Although it was very tempting to take this particular right turn, especially last week, to see if somehow the border of this town could magically repel cold weather and live up to its name, alas, I did not. It was a pleasant fiction though, one that warmed my thoughts if nothing else to believe that there may be this amazing warm place of summer that existed even in the midst of the coldest winter.

Until next time, wishing you warm weather and lots of irony.

M. I.

My not so perfect day


I must admit that there are times when I’m just downright stupid.

I was waiting for 8-21-17 ever since I first heard about the solar eclipse over a year ago. Now in all that time, you would think that a smart person would’ve looked into how to properly take a picture of the upcoming solar eclipse. I will take this time to refer back to my opening sentence.

I had a full year to prepare. Did I do it? No. I planned on going to South Carolina for the event. At least I didn’t do that.

So let’s investigate why my declaration of dumbness is so apt. Back in 2014 I witnessed a partial solar eclipse at nearly the same place as this year. On that occasion, I was able to get plenty of good pictures and even a video that I’ve posted on youtube. So, in my mind, I should do things the same way as I did then and everything would be hunky-dory, right?

This was my stubborn pride killing off brain cells like the black plague.

The problem was, I didn’t compare the circumstances between events. In 2014, the eclipse didn’t start until nearly sundown. All of that atmosphere blocked much of the sunlight, allowing me to take pictures with reckless impunity. Whereas this year, the sun was high in the sky, with nothing to block the brightness except a stray cloud or two.

My cameras and I weren’t happy.

As I sat watching this awesome sight through my cardboard glasses, an impotent rage was welling within me at my helplessness. I tried with every camera I had brought, but none of the pictures were holding a candle to the sight of the sun through my glasses.

In sheer desperation, I cut the lens out of my extra set of glasses and taped it to the lens of my video camera. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to consider the trip, not a total failure.

So what did I learn from my brush with defeat?

Knowledge is out there for a reason. Use it.

Hopefully, I’ll do better in seven years when the sun’s shadow passes by again.

Photo Op 14

20100416(665)copy

Yes, I know. Another lightning photo. I have many of them and believe it or not, I haven’t posted my best yet.

This one is not my best by any means. Actually when I look at this pic, I cringe. I’d been trying for a while to get a pic of a lightning bolt striking a wind turbine and this was the bittersweet result.

On this day in 2010, there was a very strong thunderstorm at this particular wind farm. (That’s actually what they’re called) I was set up in my car, overlooking the wind turbines, getting soaking wet anyway, and trying to get the focus right through the torrential downpour, when all of the sudden, bam!

I wasn’t sure at first if I had caught it or not, so I pulled up the last picture and there it was. I screamed and did a fist pump, punching the ceiling of the car in the process. I zoomed up on the image one click at a time. With every click, my heart fell a little further.

It was out of focus.

The picture of a lifetime and it was out of focus.

I was disappointed to say the least. I kept shooting for another half hour, but there were only a few cloud to cloud bolts. My heart was no longer in it anyway, so I packed up and went home.

I’ve come to accept this picture as an example of what could’ve been, but I don’t show it to people very often.

I’ve

Photo Op 13

8-4-15 703copy

Halloween is on its way and I just couldn’t help getting a little creepy with my thirteenth Photo Op post.

The lightning wasn’t very strong the evening I took this shot. It was mostly cloud to cloud and hiding behind the mountain, so I decided to go for a drive to find a better vantage point. I stopped at a local cemetery, hoping to get a strong bolt in the background with some interesting foreground imagery.

I was somewhat disappointed that this was the strongest bolt I saw all evening.

Still, it makes for a cool Halloween shot.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Golden

nikon d90 7-22-16 047copy

As soon as I read the title of this week’s Tuesday Photo Challenge, I knew exactly which one I wanted to use. I took this picture just over a year ago and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.

Not far from my house is a lake that has many waterfowl residents including this Heron. The Herons are usually very skittish and I was surprised that this one stood there long enough for me to take its picture.

http://mikesimages4.wixsite.com/mikekelsophotography

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Golden

 

Photo Op 12

nikon d3300 5-19-16 358

A little fog, combined with a lot of sunlight, make for a magical combination.

This pic is from last year. I was out walking around the yard on a foggy morning when the sun broke through the clouds and gave me this amazing picture.

I love the refraction in the rays that brings out part of the spectrum of light.

I took several pictures, but this one had the best and brightest colors to it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

 

 

Image copyright 2016 Mike Kelso

Photo Op 11

kodak z612 6-14-07 304

My visit to the Outer Banks yielded this photo 10 years ago. On this particular morning, I got up early and took my camera for a walk. Many pictures like this were the result.

Looking back, this was probably one of my best picture days ever. The amount of quality shots I took still resonates today. I can still look back at this folder and find pics I’ve never posted that are every bit as good as this one.

Looking at this shot makes me miss going to the beach.

I hope you enjoy this pic as much as I do.

 

Image copyright 2007 Mike Kelso

Photo Op 10

8-4-15 265copy

Two years ago my wife noticed a robin building a nest in the eaves of our back deck. She became fascinated with the process and checked on them daily. As you can see the mother cared for her little hatchlings and fed them well. My wife felt like a proud mama the day the little ones flew off on their own. 

I’m happy to report that this Robin (or one that looks remarkably like it) has come back to her nest every year since then. We look forward to seeing the hatchlings progress and are happy/sad when they fly off on their own.

 

Image copyright 2015 Mike Kelso

Photo Op 9

nikon d3300 7-17-17 447Image copyright 2017 Mike Kelso

For today’s pic I thought I’d go with something more recent. This picture was taken only two weeks ago. I drive past this mountain every day during my morning deliveries.  Thankfully the fog doesn’t burn off until I get to see it. 

This is one of the many pictures that make me glad I live where I do. It’s difficult for a picture to convey the beauty and majesty of the mountains, especially clothed in fog and bathed in sunlight like this. It’s a true sight to behold.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have a great day.