Like I think I mentioned in the last post, I’ve been really busy this summer. I’m not sure doing what – since my stack of photos hasn’t gotten much larger. So, I don’t think I’ve been doing enough shooting. Maybe its me just avoiding the heat. Its been a record setting summer here in the South, just awful.

I really hate heat. I mean, if its really warm, I just look for a cave to crawl in. Thats the biggest reason I don’t shoot as much as I want in the summer. The other reason, kudzu and weeds. I’d say over half my work involves the landscape – and when its covered in kudzu…well it can get a little boring.

Anyway, those are all great excuses, but they don’t mean a thing. I know plenty of photographers who don’t let that stop them, so no excuses.

I said all that, to say that I did get a couple days down at Jekyll Island, Georgia. Ironically it decided to rain there – which meant less opportunities. I got one evening – between storms – to setup my tripod and equipment on the driftwood beach, and snap some shots.

So, here I am – its going to rain soon, there are biting gnats everywhere and the tide is coming in. I managed to slap away the bugs, even after getting bit probably 100 times, and get a few decent images. By the time I left – the tripod and me are up to our knees in sea water.

So, take a look below. All of these pieces are available for purchase in my gallery. I hope you enjoy them!

Hey folks! Man, I’ve got so much going on I barely got this months wallpaper up in time.

This image was shot in a nearby “collectors” lot. To me it looks like all the collecting going on here is rust. Hope you enjoy this months image!

Download the free August 2010 desktop calendar wallpaper:

download: 1366x-cal-2010-Aug (659.70KB) added: 29/07/2010 clicks: 4 description: 1366x-cal-2010-Aug

download: 1600x-cal-2010-Aug (1.81MB) added: 29/07/2010 clicks: 4 description: 1600x-cal-2010-Aug

Purchase photography in my gallery >>

In my most recent photo exploration I went on a expedition into the North Georgia wilderness in search of a hidden spring that went by the name of “Mountain Pool.”

I found out about this spot from a local living near one of my past nature jaunts. According to my source this old spring used to be used by the local community for social occasions and a source of water.

I hope you enjoy the video!

Taken at historic Rockwell Church in North Georgia.

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Download my free July 2010 desktop wallpaper. I have it in two sizes.

download: 1366x768 July desktop wallpaper (1.04MB) added: 24/07/2010 clicks: 2 description: 1366x768 July desktop wallpaper

download: 1600x1200 July desktop wallpaper (1.73MB) added: 24/07/2010 clicks: 1 description: 1600x1200 July desktop wallpaper

Wanted to share a treated photo from the old town of Buford, GA. This particular image is of the old Bona Allen factory.

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A few weeks ago the family and I took a short trip up to Randy’s in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Its a local nursery that carries all kinds of tropical plants and wildlife. They normally stay open only during the hot months – so check them out while you can!

They’ve also got this great butterfly house, which they do allow you to take photographs in. I would be kind to the insects though and suggest you not use flash while in the building. Its got some great diffused light from the cover they keep over the structure.

I enjoyed browsing around the nursery looking at all the exotic plants and aquatic life they had to see. Its a great trip to make if you live in the area.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

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Ive also got a few more images that are available in my gallery.

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Over the last few days I’ve taken a trip over to an old site located in Barrow county, Rockwell Universalist Church. This historic old building was first organized in 1839 as the second oldest universalist church in the state of Georgia.

Its a great spot for some nostalgic/historic images to add to your portfolio or gallery.

I made this trip later in the afternoon with some pretty nice light. Fortunately the caretakers hadn’t cut the grass yet, which allowed me to capture a more rugged and abandoned look.

By the way, watch out for the bee’s that have made a rather large colony in one of the outside walls.

Check some of the images from this trip below:

Do you own any old camera lenses? Like maybe something you inherited from a parent or relative? Does that sparkling glass seem to have grown dimmer and dimmer lately? If so, you might be suffering from lens fungus.

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Yep, I said – fungus. How can a camera lens get a fungus you ask? Well… its most common in really humid locations. What happens is that fine mold particles, which are everywhere get inside the barrel of the lens. Even the most sealed lens out there has somewhere that this microscopic stuff can find its way in.

photo: petrichor

After it gets there it lies dormant until something, like moisture, causes it to bloom.  When it does it will slowly grow inside the barrel and across the glass. If it stays on long enough it can permanently etch the glass surfaces. Say huh? Yep, thats right – most fungus, or any life for that matter have to poop. This “poop” will slowly eat away at the surface of the lens, eventually lowering the IQ.

So, what do you do? Well – watch the short video tutorial to see how I dealt with some lens fungus on one of my lenses.

Some tools you could need for this project:

• Jewelers screwdrivers
• Spanner wrench set
• Tweezers
• Flashlight
• Q-tips
• Cleaning agent (I’ll let you do some research on this decision)

Plan on taking around an hour to take the lens apart and reassemble it. Make sure to document each step, you will forget things – believe me.

More tips:

Use a flashlight to see if you actually have fungus on your lens. Take a small light, go into a dark room and open the lens up. Shine the light up into the lens at an angle. Look at the glass from an angle and look for really gross stuff like this:

Photo by:  vickie_s

More photography tutorials:

I hope this short tutorial helps you out with your dirty lens. Feel free to leave some comments or tips on how you’ve cleaned your camera lens as well!

I’ve been working on a new photo expedition! I’m still doing research and scouting on where I will go when I arrive but, here is one quick image that I snapped while taking a look around near the trail head.

I hope you enjoy it! Its also for sale in my on-demand gallery. Just click the image!

As promised, here is another image from one of the many photography projects I’ve got going on right now.

Select image from “comfortless efforts” project.