Horses and Horsepower

My dad is a real cowboy, and he has a lot of stories from his days growing up on his dad's ranch in the panhandle of Texas. After seeing the buildup for the North Texas Antique Tractor and Engine Club's show in Terrell, I knew it would be a perfect father-and-son outing.


Of course there was also plenty to shoot for the Tribune as well...







Some of the fun was the graphic quality of these old machines. They really don't make them like they used to.




My inner country boy was entertained by the tractor pull competition. These machines are all over 50 years old and still pulling strong.


Most of the guys on the tractors were over 50 years old and pulling strong as well.


On the way home, we made a stop at the Double Nickel Horse Ranch to get some quick shots of a charity roping event for Terrell's Healing Hearts Ministries.

Like a lot of arenas, the Double Nickel has a roof and no sides. That is great for a breeze but it can be a struggle for a photographer.

The light is nice like a giant softbox...


But it can make for a crazy washed out photo when all of that light floods the lens while you try to get a decent exposure on the subjects.


About the only solution in this place was to move to a place to fill the frame with the subject to minimize the background. It helped some...


Of course, you it is harder to keep everything in the frame that way


Have a great weekend, everybody,

Don J.

Graduation

Going into graduation day for Terrell High School I was a little bit worried about the location... Terrell's notoriously dim Memorial Stadium. At least it would not be fast action shooting, right? Sort of.

One great benefit did emerge though. The variety of shots available and access to get around for different vantage points was better than any indoor facility short of Cowboys Stadium. Oh, and there were fireworks! Prints are available (of course) over at www.doncjohnson.zenfolio.com.

Before the ceremony, seniors assembled in the National Guard armory building, which was hot and dim. No worries though, a giant open door provided a nice light from one side...


The principal once called this class "fun loving." That was easy to see on graduation day.


With a camera in almost every mobile electronic device, snapshots were happening all over the place.




A little bit of cloud cover made for nice light in spots outside...


And off they go. I almost always try some shutter tricks.. most did not work so well, but it is good to keep yourself entertained, right?


Lots of happy families..


For about the first 10 graduates, there was a nice backdrop of the end of sunset.. a little fill flash in front, and I was a happy camper...


I can only say thanks to modern technology for being able to shoo iso 1600 and have useful images. I really look forward to my next camera... the 40D is getting a bit aged.


Going in, I had intended to put the 14mm on the 5D and go in really close to the graduates for the cap-toss. I'm still pretty happy with the shot, but still.. woulda coulda shoulda...


And then, Fireworks. The graduates did not stick around long in the center of the field, so I was chasing them around a bit...




Congratulations Graduates... It was fun to be a part of your year.

Happy shooting everyone..
Don J.

Terrell Heritage Jubilee Carnival

I stopped by the Terrell Heritage Jubilee carnival family night on the way home and had some fun shooting. Next time I will wait until after dark, when the flashy lights get really fun...

The kids were definitely having fun...




And the parents too...




Still a little too bright for slow shutter fun shots...




The fun goes all weekend... and it is even more fun with a camera. See you there.

Don J.

On the right track...

Photographing sports is fun, but shooting a track meet can be a beating. There are multiple events happening at the same time, and there is always a nagging thought that somewhere, at that very moment, one of the kids you should be covering is doing something great in nice light.

It is easy to sit and wait for 20 minutes as kids from various schools go through their turns at something, only to have the one athlete you want a shot of knock off the bar or foul out.

So, I've adopted a much more fun strategy of trying to shoot somewhat creatively and try to find a creative shot at each sport I make it too. And to do that, I shoot students from anywhere.

Finding good backgrounds can be a chore, but so far both meets I've been to this year gave me blue skies. Makes for a lot of low-angle photos, but I'll gladly take it with the evening sun.

The other fun track meet adventure is silhouettes in the setting sun.

Best with the relay, but I would love to get rid of the fence.


Runners in a closer lane make it easier... and throw in some wispy clouds for dramatic.


Works for people warming up on hurdles in the infield too...


Pole vault is fun to shoot... you never really know how things are going to work out.

Nice and clean


Did I mention the background problems?


To deal with the bad bg, zoom in closer, right?


The track at Rockwall has a nice hill at the finish end for sprints (they run right-to-left on hurdles and sprints). That gives you a perch to use the track as the background. Looks cool with hurdles too.




And when boredom sets in, fun detail shots are available






High jump makes for nice shots too..

She isn't that short... these guys jump high

A lot of the athletes have unique styles or traits... This guy flies like an airplane..

While this one floats as if levitating

Ok... that is enough of that...

Have a great weekend everybody!

Don J.