267/365 - Jim - Best Pirate Loss

( f/8 10.5mm 1/250 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

IBM took me and some coworkers to the Pirate game today. The Pirates only had 4 or 5 hits the whole game until the bottom of the 9th inning. That is when Adam LaRoche hit a solo home run over right center field. Until then, I thought all the people at the game were Indian fans, but the home run cheers showed how many Pirate fans were there. They continued to get on base and drive in runs until it was 4 - 5. With 2 guys on base, Freddie Sanchez was at bat. They ended up walking him and loaded the bases with who else, but Adam LaRoche stepping back up to the plate. The pitcher took him to a full count to add to the excitement. On the next pitch Adam tipped a ball foul to stay alive. Then he popped out to right field to end the game. I'll tell ya, it was the most exciting loss I've ever been to. My photo isn't anything special. The bright sky and the dark shadow on the field made for a very difficult shot. I ended up darkening the sky and lightening the field and crowd with Lightroom.

194/365 - Jim - Model City of Pittsburgh

( f/20 34mm 1/250 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

I went to Mount Washington today to get some photos. I really wanted to try a tilt-shift on a photo of the city. Since I don't have a tilt-shift lens, this is a fake done in Photoshop. When you see an image with a very shallow depth of field, your eyes assume that you are seeing it very close like looking at a model. I haven't come across any true tilt-shift photos of Pittsburgh, so I wanted to see what it would look like. A tilt-shift lens does what it says and actually can tilt up or down which changes the plane of field, and shift to change the line of sight. It is typically used for architectural photos, and there is a cheap lens called a Lensbaby that only tilts and is used for various special effect photos.

182/365 - Jim - Heinz Field Panorama

( f/9 24mm 1/320 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

I was able to eat lunch at Heinz Field today because of a Team Achievement award that I received from Giant Eagle. After lunch we were able to go on a tour. The locker rooms were pretty cool to see, though I did get yelled at for standing on the logo. I didn't know that was the rule... I tried several times to merge this panorama with not much luck, so I downloaded a demo version of Photoshop CS4 and it worked pretty well. I wanted to do a polar panorama, but there were too many people in the way and I didn't ask if I could go out in the middle of the field. I'll bet nobody has done that though, so it would have been awesome. Especially if the lines were painted on.

178/365 - Jim - March Madness

( f/14 70mm 1/125 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

The theme just happens to be basketball. Only because I just watched Pitt finally get into the Elite Eight by beating Xavier. And because I took this photo of a basketball :) I assembled some extra hardwood I had left over from doing my son's room and coincidentally have an NCAA basketball. So I just put the ball down and took a close shot because my hardwood is just a small section. Then using Lightroom, I applied a Dream effect. Hopefully Pitt makes it into the final four, but I'll be surprised given the way they have been playing. Though, they did seem to turn it on today, so we shall see...

130/365 - Jim - Willie Stargell

( f/14 78mm 1/125 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

This is a figurine that I got at a Pirates game. I put it in front of a large bin that is green to have a "green screen." Then I brought it into Adobe Photoshop Elements and painted on the green area and did a gaussian blur. After that I applied a watercolor painting effect. I thought I would do something a little different than the usual photos.

111/365 - Jim - Here We Go Steelers

( f/11 24mm 1/125 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

Today we show our Steeler spirit in preparation for the big game against Baltimore. Courtney will be at the game cheering for us all. I will be at home on that couch to he right staying warm, but I would love to be there. Go Steelers!