Week 34 - Jordan

You may remember that previously we discussed my ability (or lack thereof) to grow grass in our backyard. Well, as you can see below, the backyard has filled in quite a bit. Thanks to a generous donation of time and effort from my father-in-law, we managed to landscape a small portion of it as well. Various birds (not pictured because I'm super-scary) seem to enjoy this little area and eat most all of the seed I put out for them within a day or so.

Canon 7D with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm 1/15s f/11 ISO 100.

Week 34 - Nate

An annual tradition at the Holmquist’s neighborhood is the “doggie dive” where they allow everyone to bring their dogs for a dip in the pool before draining it for the year. Maggie wasn’t a fan of getting wet but her cousin, Riley, was all over it. He is also somewhat neurotic about his ball… look at his eyes, even through the shake, they do not leave that ball.

Canon 7D w/ 70-200 f/2.8 IS
Taken at 130mm, f/2.8, 1/640s, ISO 160

Week 33 - Jordan

Like I mentioned last week, it was my birthday. My wonderful wife surprised me with a new fancy thing to attach to the camera - namely Sigma's 30mm lens. It's pretty neat. Naturally, I had to test it out. I used it a little last weekend at the baseball game, but this week I actually got Roxy to sit still for me.

This also made me finally make the effort to rework my photo site (hosted by the awesome folks at SmugMug) so that when I hand people neat Moo cards, they don't think it was a trick. There's a few things I need to fix, but I mostly like how it turned out.

Canon 7D with 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM @ 30mm 1/400s f/1.4 ISO 100.

Week 33 – Nate

Nila went on a baking kick this week (thanks, I think, to watching Cake Boss) and made the most delicious cupcakes I’ve ever had. White wedding cake, raspberry tart filling with a raspberry buttercream frosting (and, of course a raspberry on top to make them “healthy”). Simply amazing.

Canon 7D w/ 50mm f/1.8 
Taken at 50mm, f/1.8, 1/80s, ISO 500

Week 32 - Jordan

While Nate was enjoying himself in the comforts of an air-conditioned home, I was outside sweating in the same city. When we made it to Kauffman Stadium for the Yankees at Royals games, the temperature outside was a brisk 108. Yeah, that felt pretty warm coming from the 70-80 degrees that Fargo was having at the time. For those keeping track, we drove to Nebraska last weekend and Kansas City this weekend. It was also my birthday (and my brother's, and my dad's) so there's that.

Kansas City was nice to visit and it was doubly nice that my great aunt and uncle let us stay with them. I wish we had had a chance to stop by and see Nate and Nila, but the schedule just didn't quite work out. Good thing we get to see them in a few weeks!

Canon 7D with 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM @ 30mm f/2.8 ISO 100. 9 shots, HDR with Photomatix, stitched with Microsoft ICE.

Week 32 – Nate

The weather this week in KC has been what can only be described as “unbearably hot.” No,the thermometer isn’t broken. This clock is on our back deck (which faces south-west) so the afternoon/evening sun hits it with full force. Click through for a close up of the temperature gauge.

Canon 7D w/ 70-200 f/2.8 IS
Taken at 78mm, f/9, 1/400s, ISO 100

Week 31 - Nate

This week we took a trip out to Dodge City to see my grandpa and go to the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. The Greatest Show On Dirt did not disappoint this year (nor has it ever, really). Barrel racing is NIla’s favorite event and one that is quite easy to shoot (much easier than bull riding, IMO). I love all of the dirt getting kicked up in this shot as she rounds the final barrel.

Canon 7D w/ 70-200 f/2.8 IS
Taken at 130mm, f/2.8, 1/400s, ISO 1600

Week 31 - Jordan

This weekend was my cousin's wedding. It was pretty neat! Especially 'cause he invited us. Congratulations Evan and Marisa!

Canon 7D with EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS @ 200mm 1/250s f/4 ISO 2500.

Week 30 - Nate

Next week, we’ll be headed to the Dodge City Rodeo. It’s going to be a ton of fun. I’m going to take a lot of pictures (including this one). This event has always been one of my favorites because I enjoy watching the cowboys jump off their horse and try to wrestle the calf to the ground.

Canon 7D w/ 70-200 f/2.8 IS
Taken at 200mm, f/6.3, 1/160s, ISO 1000

Week 30 - Jordan

This week, we had the pleasure of our friends Dianna and Adam stopping by with their daughter (our goddaughter) and visiting us on their way to a cabin in Minnesota. Previously, every time we've seen them, my camera has been in the car. Since I can't seem to learn a lesson from that, having them stay with us for a night meant my camera was right there and I could actually take her picture. Once she came around to us and got used to being in a different place, she was very interested in Kirby and Roxy, pointing at them and following them around. In this instance, she was following Kirby into the kitchen.

Canon 7D with EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS @ 18mm 1/125s f/4 ISO 3200.