A bison in Grand Tetons National Park
He spent a bunch of time chasing wildlife while visiting the Tetons. Then all of a sudden there was wildlife everywhere we looked. We photographed these guys having some guy fun. They are quite amazing. Image made with Canon 7dmii and Tamron 150x600 at 600 mm ISO 800 f/8 resulting in a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second. I did crop this image a little to remove a pair of tails on the left side. Edited in Lightroom CC.
Femal Northern Cardinal.
On the days where I am not with my little girl, I get to spend sometime with the other lady in my life. I get to spend a little while with my feathered friends. They fill a void when both Sonia and Amelia aren't home. This morning was a perfect morning to capture a few of my visitors. I moved a bird house yesterday and am hoping next season brings back the blue birds. But today I had some familiar faces. Image made with a Canon 7d and Tamron 150x600 on top of my Sirui N3204x Tripod and PH-20 Gimbal head. Viewed in On1 Browse and tweaked in Lightroom CC. I carry my gear in Lowepro Bags and use many Peak Design Acessories.
A portrait of a giraffe at Southwick Zoo
Proper lens choice. There are so many lenses available today. From primes to super zooms. But what does it mean to choose the proper lens? I have my favorite lenses and my must have lenses that are designed for a particular type of photography. But before I get into a few lenses and why they are must haves for my kit, let me explain how my lens choice makes my work easier. My most used lens is my 24x105. It gives me a lot of range and is one of my sharpest lenses. With an F/4 aperture through out the focal range, it's a very handy everyday lens. But it doesn't offer me two variables. It doesn't get me closer to subjects far away. And it doesn't open up wide enough for certain situations. Let's focus on reach or the ability to get closer to far away subjects. When I bought my Tamron 150x600 lens. I bought it for wildlife. Mainly to pursue birding. But the lens is so versatile I never leave home without it. The DOF at 600mm is outstanding. As you can see with the bokeh in the image above. This giraff was a good distance away. I couldn't have made this sort of composition with any other lens choice. (in my bag) on to wide angle. I used to use an 8mm on my Aps-c sensor. But this year I purchased at Tamron 15x30. I use it on my Canon 5dmiii. I have really enjoyed this lens. It offers me a good range and also f2.8 through that range. It's a must have for night shooting. I use it for all sorts of shoots. So with these three lenses always in my bag I can cover my entire focal range. It's the perfect kit for an event and nature photographer. Those three lenses never leave my bag. I keep at 70x200 in my bag also. I also have macro lenses for specific shooting. Both of those lenses make great portrait lenses. I suggest checking out Tamron Lenses. I plan to add their 24x70 f2.8 in the near future.
Image made with the Canon 5d Miii and Tamron lenses 150x600 DI VC USD lens. Hand held at 600 mm
White Bellied Nuthatch on the STICK.
Remembering. After a little family vacation, I decided to take a moment to remember the values my Grandfather taught me many moons ago. Work hard for everything you want. Never take anything from anyone, because they will take more in return. And relax when possible. Never forget the important things in life. Here is where my story today kind of stems from remembering his thoughts. My family and I spent some much needed time at Cape Cod. I didn't shoot a lot. Nor did I really feel like shooting a lot. In fact I took a little break. I spent some time with my wife and daughter. And even played mini golf rather than capture an epic sunset. (It was epic too) This morning I took a few minuets to start my second busy season as a photographer. I love my profession with all my heart. But this break was much needed. Amelia and I captured this and a couple other images together when she woke up. I didn't care if we got great shots we got great moments together. I hope she remembers them many years from now.
image made with Canon 5d Miii and Tamron 150x600 on my Sirui N3204x tripod and PH-20 Gimbal head. Viewed and tweaked in On1 Photo 10 and Lightroom CC.
A little long lens work at Cape Cod Light
Morning light. I was shooting some early morning light at Cape Cod Lighthouse with my Tamron 15x30 and I noticed a bunch of birds flying in a near by brush area. So I switched to my Tamron 150x600 to hopefully capture them. Well as usual they didn't show themselves again. So while I waited I took a couple of hand held shots. I liked the Shadows. I didn't switch to Monochrome, I converted this in On1 Photo 10 and Lightroom CC. Remeber early morning light and lighthouses can really offer some cool perspectives. Image made on my Canon 5dMiii and Tamron 150x600 carried with Peak Design Slide Strap and Lowepro Flipside 500.
My Dad, Amelia and myself 2016 image by Sonia Carrigan.
I'm posting for Father's Day a little early. I will be pretty busy tomorrow and have a workshop Sunday morning. The remainder of the day will be spent with my baby. I never planned on being a Daddy. And though I've struggle being a good son, I never doubted how much I love my Dad. I hope Amelia always feels the same.
I can say this with an open heart. I've never loved bein anything more than I love being a Son. Except being a Dad. My Dad and I had a fairly close relationship even though we were miles apart. There was a part of me who missed the daily relationship part but that's part of life. I knew my Dad was always a call away. And for some reason that mattered. And now with modern technology Amelia can have interaction with her PopPop anytime either of them want too. I have devoted my fathering to making sure my little girl is alway full of happiness and love. No matter what it takes. And honestly the love she has for my Dad is pretty amazing. Happy Fathers Day to my Dad! Thanks for being such a good PopPop to Amelia.
Blue Jay saying hello at the stick.
Does the weather have you blue? Day after day of endless rain? Find a way to make your day sunny. I fill the feeders just about every morning during this wet spring weather we have been having here in Massachusettes. In turn I get visitors that like to scream at me! Actually blue jays are very timid when it comes to people taking their pictures. Sparrows, chickadee, nuthatch, titmouse and woodpeckers will patiently eat while I take many images of them. Not these guys. They boogie on out of here. In this case I think this is a female blue jay hung around for about 10 frames. Image made with Canon 5d Miii and Tamron 150x600. On top my Surui N3204x Tripod with PH-20 Gimbal head. Peak Design Leash strap.
Bikers Against Child Abuse.
So this past weekend at Thunder in the Valley, there were a lot of great causes. One that made me happy was this one BACA and BAAC (Bikers against Animal Cruelty) Honestly child and animal cruelty is just plain against anything I believe in. Kudo's to these guys for making a difference in an childs and animals lives.
No charity was less important than another on Sunday. In fact Thunder in the Valley is about all area bike runs. I won't try to list them all but they all matter. And like everything in life we can't always be part of them all. Even if I know a lot of the motorcycle community tries to be. So As it's never to early to start planning, I hope to see all of the charities come out and spend a day together. A day to spread the word for their causes. Share in brotherly love. But mostly to relax as the year begins. Thank you to everyone who came out and joined us Sunday. I look forward to another great year!
Goldmine Brook Falls
The other day I was inspired by my friends who were working waterfalls and water ways in the Smoky Mountains. My friend David Akoubian had posted various compositions of one place they had visited. I always work an entire area. Seeking larger composition as well as close up shots. Different focusing distances and even exposures. Here I choose to use a black and white conversion because the colors were not popping and lacked the awe factor the normal spring greens offer. Try different things. Move around. Bend over. Get up high. Try longer shutter speeds as well as faster speeds. You never know what you will find in a waterfall! :)
Back yard macro. Canon 5d Miii and Tamron 180mm f3.5 Di LD IF Macro Lens
Explore everything. Dissect everything. Make it all your own. View it from every angle and make it special with your own vision. I spent an hour looking at the blossoms forming on our anniversary cherry blossom tree. Sonia and I planted as part of our journey together. It has grown into a very special tree in ways that are obvious and some not so obvious. As your skills and a photographer blossom you will see things is ways you had not in the past. Just like in a marrige. The way you see things matures and really makes your artist vision start to unfold. These two leaves when I exposed them with the light coming through the branches really made me want to show the veins. The tiny, seemingly meaningless parts of life that have the greatest impact. Canon 5dmiii Tamron 180 macro. On top of my Sirui N3204x tripod and. K-30 ball head. Edited in Lightroom CC Nix silver effects.
Springfield, Massachusetts Canon 5dmiii Tamron lenses 15x30 F 2.8 Di VC USD
One of the things I stress to my students in to shoot when ever they can. It was bestowed upon me as a virtue when I was first starting out. Back then we really had to take our time and make sure we were dialed in and got the shot or we wasted film. But today in the digital world, we can shoot until our hearts content. However I recommend to make those shots count. Random shooting without purpose will not benefit your skills. Take your time! Look at your compositions. Make sure you have the technical settings and proper. No think hey it doesn't matter if I make a crappy image. It does! It's ok to make so bad shots. We all do it. But have a purpose. Have an intent as to some aspect of your skills you are working on. When I am practicing I pick one thing every time I have a camera in hand. And even if it doesn't work I have learned from it. Like the great 300 always move forward. Never retreat! The above image was made the first time I got to shoot with my Canon 5d and Tamron 15x30. I love the set up. It was a hand held shot literally jumping out of my truck while Amelia slept. ISO 100 f8 at 22mm shutter speed 1/100 of a second. I carry my gear in Lowepro bags and Peak Design Acessories. Edited in On1 PHOTO 10 and Light Room CC.
Amelia at 2 years old
My very first blog, or lack there of was about my wife Sonia and I having a baby. Well she is two. My blog is about finding balance and learning that life needs a little time for everything. The first year was the craziest year of my life. The struggle to keep my job going and keeping photography business going seemed almost impossible. But Sonia and I managed. The things that didn't get done are starting to be finished. We are starting to settle back to our relationship as husband and wife. Our 5 year anniversary is upon us and we will spend a couple days in Maine to relax. Finding Nemo!?! Yeah that's right. I can quote the movie. But that's the small part of why I titled this blog post as I have. The movie talks about how we let our past dictate our future. I never wanted to be a parent. I honestly never wanted to be a husband. I never took risk. I never put myself out there in fear of failure. Even though I failed better than I did anything else. I challenged myself only when it was best for me. Then my life changed. I said to myself one day, only you can make you better. Stop hiding behind the fears in front of you and make life great. Well then I met Sonia and life has never been better. It's out there for you people so find your Nemo!
The past few days I've watched many new birds stopping by for a snack. I have been busy with getting the yard and sanctuary ready for spring. This morning I took a few moment to hone some of my skills. I have moved the feeders a little closer to my perch in an effort to make up for the 1.6 crop factor difference between my Canon 7d and my 5dmiii. I'm enjoying it. I also took the blue bird house and mounted it to an old metal pole from a swimming pool we had. It is also closer. But it's positioned where it should attract more blue birds. The pole itself is not easy for predators to climb. I am going to print this image. I'm am so pleased with the sharpness and the over all composition of the image. This is shot on the 5dmiii and Tamron 150x600 at 500 mm manual mode f/8 ISO 800 resulting in a shutter speed of 1/500 of a second. On top of my Sirui N3204x Tripod and PH-20 Gimbal head. As always carried in Lowepro Back Pack and Peak design Accesories. I think I will print this on Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique Ink Jet Paper.
Female Northern Cardinal at the "Stick"
Junco male at the Stick.
Well I would love to say this is the last snow of this season, but it probably isn't. As many of you know today (April 4) Sonia and I celebrate the second birthday of my little girl Amelia. It was one of my very first blog post when she was born. I've gotten better at blogging. I also got better at photographing birds. For the first two years I got to shoot when Amelia took naps. I fit my passion in when I could. Being a father was very much like taking pictures. Every day there is something knew and exciting to try and be creative with. And Junco's. I captured this guy on the stick. There was a lot of activity due to the snow. And the Sparrows and Junco's were fighting for their dominance in their little bird world. As a father, I can only hope my little one has a great life. I hope she's smart like her Mommy and creative like me. She has so much of both of us in her. Thank you to everyone who has shared the past two years with us. And to my "Daddy" mentors. I am fortunate to have some great ones! Happy Birthday Amelia!
Love,
Daddy and Mommy.
Male Gold Fich
Female Gold Finch
I was excited to see these two at the stick this morning. They were hamming it up. If you haven't watched Goldie's do their thing, you are missing out. They are very photogenic. Image made with a Canon 5d Miii and Tamron 150x600 on top of my Sirui N3204x tripod and PH-20 gimbal head. I carry my gear in a Lowepro Bag and Peak Desigb Accesories. Editing work Flow through On1 Photo 10 and LRCC. I get my gear from Gary Farbar at Hunt's Photo and Video.
A plastic egg from Look Park
I belly flopped to the grass yesterday to make this image with the Tamron 15x30 F2.8 DI VC USD lens. I was looking for an opportunity to see the amount the lens dropped off at 2.8. It's pretty amazing. I wasn't prepared for the gorgeous foreground bokeh at less than two inches.
But enough about that :)
Easter is really a special holiday for my family. We made the decision to bring Amelia up in the Catholic Faith prior to her birth. Along with that many moments have been made special to Sonia and myself around the religious beliefs. I was baptized Catholic early on when I wasn't expected to live past a few days old. But I was raised in the Protestant Chuch. That being said, along my path to becoming Sonia's husband I learned a lot about how her faith views marrige and parenting. Our precanna and the class about Amelia's Baptisim really made me appreciate the journey. From the people who we met and shared those moments with. To the moments of seeing Amelia knocking the other two year olds on their butts to get all the eggs...ok the last part was wishful thinking :) I have to keep the Masshole alive in this family somehow! Happy Easter to everyone. I hope your day is filled with love and happiness. And if you hunt for eggs. Don't allow anyone to get yours!
Booking events for 2016
David and Autum's Wedding. (First Dance)
Shooting people and events has long been the reason I picked up a camera. I love to capture memories through my creative vision for any occasion. I am booking events for 2016 so please contact me for your photography needs. Custom designed packages for all needs.
Weddings
Engagements
Year Book Photos/Senior Photos/Proms
Family Functions/ Portrait Sessions
Anniversary's
Birthday Parties
Creative Vehicle Images
Corprate Images and Events.
Portfolio Model Shoots
And more.
dmcarrigan@comcast.net
413-204-1478
Please take a look at my work. I hope you find it relaxing and artistic. I have a love for black and white photography. I am primarily an event photography with a love for all subjects. I try to help you see the emotions and energy of the moment as seem from behind my lens. Enjoy!
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