Thanks to an idea from Jane Crites (and supporting thumbs-up from Eric Barnes), I'm moving on to a new watermark for certain shared photographs. Upon mentioning to Jane that my artistic side was having difficulty coming up with the right logo, she wasted no time in providing a great suggestion: the logo from a t-shirt I've worn that my sister, Julie created for me. Apparently I already had a logo - that's news to me!

If there was ever a morning to stop whatever it is you're doing and go take photographs, today was the day. I didn't get a chance to capture it all: the clear sky, freezing temps, glowing fog and snow piled up everywhere, but I did take a snapshot on my drive in to the 'ol bit mine. Alas, another day will come - hopefully on a Saturday ;-)

Bozeman held the 2009 Montana Cup, a state-wide cross country race on Saturday, October 31st. The cup hasn't been held in Bozeman since 2002, and given the day of sloppy, muddy terrain, it might be another 7 years before they decide to hold the race here again!

As someone who's participated in races and had their picture taken whilst running, I have always been curious about running photography.  Shots can be deep captures of the moment, but are often flat and dry. An opportunity arose to volunteer at the Montana Cup to assist with photography, which I took (after verifying they weren't counting on receiving shots from a "pro sports photographer.")

I toggled between countless camera settings and ended up gathering over 700 photos in about 2 hours. Modern DSLR cameras seem to capture the moment pretty well (with fast shutter speeds and very high ISO), although I can easily see how a professional sports lens would be essential in capturing consistent amazing photographs. Here are a few photos from the 2009 Montana Cup.

A much welcomed abundance of photographs recently posted of my new nieces reminded me that it was time to start learning the ins and outs of basic portrait photography. Basically, I'd like to be able to take unique photographs of people I know personally and other interesting subjects.  There are a few impressive prime lenses out there that would make the process easier, but they're uber-expensive, so I decided to learn with the stock lenses in my current toolkit.

Our cat, Eppes spotted a yellow-rumped warbler on the back deck this morning. The tiny bird stood very still, just long enough for me to grab my camera and snap a few shots.

Jupiter is sitting like a bright star to the lower-right of the Moon tonight. If you have a clear sky, take a look outside tonight and check it out (it's bright, you won't miss it!).

Today is Jessie's birthday, and we took a trip down to Yellowstone National Park to see the world famous Old Faithful geyser. At least I think it is world famous, since 1) a park ranger said so, and 2) we were next to a couple lady Brits that seem to have traveled a distance to see it. Surprisingly, we've lived just 90 miles north of the attraction for over 3 years and have yet to check it out!

We arrived just minutes before the eruption began. As water spurted out, some people found the event astounding (and even gave each other high-fives), while others were less ecstatic (the aforementioned lady Brits). I'd say we fell in the crowd closer to the high-fivers, but not quite as outgoing.

In order, the shots are:

• An Old Faithful sign
• Old Faithful geyser eruption with steam
• A neat thin wall of rain that the strong wind created while Old Faithful erupted
• Some seating that was quickly abandoned as onlookers realized the wall of rain would soak them

Shot with Nikon D60 at various focal lengths and ISO between 100 and 1000

During the summer month(s) in Bozeman, Montana, local farmers offer a range of goods at the Tuesday night Farmer's Market in the Bogert Park pavilion (just south of East Main Street).