2013, Day 356 - Concentrating

Today I got to catch up with my brother and my nephew Orion.  The best part about being an uncle is getting the kids to do all the things their parents hate, teaching them nonsense, and making them pose for pictures.  I am sure that in the near future he will be much more reluctant to be my photographic subject but while he is willing I intend to take advantage of it and I suspect my brother and sister-in-law appreciate the efforts.

My sister Laura helped me to get Orion to follow directions.  I wanted him to make funny faces and he struggled initially but soon Laura was behind me modeling the faces and he mimicked her.  After he went to play quieting and I pursued with my camera but he didn't mind.  Below is one of him sitting quietly looking for the right toy to play with and below is an animated GIF of him being goofy.

Canon 1D X, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f1.4, 1/250 sec @ 2500 ISO

2012, Day 359 - Merry X-Mas

Now we play with all of our new toys and try to remember that, while playing, there are people out there who have nothing.  With the year coming to an end maybe now is the time to think about what we can do in the coming year to make life a little better for those less fortunate.  I will continue to volunteer at a shelter providing meals to the residents.  Maybe I will find another way to give back, it would take commitment but these kinds of tasks are very rewarding.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your holidays are filled with friends, family, and love!

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/160 sec @ 400 ISO

2012, Day 358 - Onion

Today, seeing as it is the holidays, I thought I would share a picture of my nephew Onion. Well his name is really Orion but to me he will always be Onion thanks to a fortuitous auto correct incident on the day he was born.

Right now he is, as many children are, obsessed with trains. Thank you very much Thomas. Fortunately he can entertain himself quietly for hours reenacting episodes that he has religiously watched. Here he was flipping through a Thomas the Train book while Grandpa loomed on and he patiently explained the plot of the book. Sometimes I think he is more lucid than his grandfather.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.2L

50mm, f1.4, 1/320 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 363 - Crossing

More Christmas photos of my nephew!  He was so fascinated by the train set that my sister and I gave him, be liked some parts of it better than others and the bridge was apparently the most interesting part of the whole set.  I love the look of concentration on his face, he was totally content with one gift and, if you look in the background you can see all of his unopened presents.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
80mm, f2.8, 1/100 sec @ 1600 ISO

2011, Day 359 - Fascination

It wasn't quite the Christmas I had expected but in many ways it was much better.  My day was filled with family, food, and photography.  This is the second Christmas for my nephew Onion and I think we had all hoped that he would show more excitement but, as ahead of the curve as he is, we forget that he's not even two years old yet.  Oh well, he was entertaining and seeing as it has been about four months since I last saw him the change has been remarkable.

The best part of the day was when I got a call from my veterinarian to let me know that my dog who has been hospitalized for the last week should be healthy enough to return home this week.  It was an incredibly close thing, he had what amounts to a rather minor injury but because he has a bleeding disorder it was life threatening.  But with the careful ministrations of my fantastic vet he is recovering nicely and, it was at his urging, that I was able to join my family for the holidays.

I hope you all got what is most important for Christmas, time with your family be they the ones you were born with or the people you chose for yourself.  Happy holidays!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
145mm, f2.8, 1/100 sec @ 1600 ISO

2011, Day 072 - Face of Evil

Yes, this is what evil looks like, an alien zombie baby. His poisonous secretions have caused me great affliction - fever, chills, a throat rotten away, a brain addled and fountains of rubies falling from the nasal passage. This vicious little creature has tried to murder me, I will have my revenge through avuncular fabrications.


Canon 1D Mark IV, 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO


In fairness, this is a more accurate likeness of my nephew.
Canon 1D Mark IV, 24-70/f2.8L
46mm, f2.8, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 060 - Old roots

Today was my nephew Onion's first birthday and I got to be a part of the celebration! He's getting juicy, lots of drool although fortunately no snot yet, but that means that I am irresistible to him. Happy birthday little allium!


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
24mm, f2.8, 1/160 sec @ 800 ISO

2010, Day 342 - Gollum

This is my nephew Orion and while I am disappointed that he doesn't have a vestigial tail or a cone head he does make a lot of great faces. The first photo is my favorite because he looks like Gollum from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I think it's the slightly evil grin coupled with his snaggle teeth, it's just perfect. The second photo is Orion giving his angry speech in attempt to get the workers of the world to overthrow the government. Finally, the last photo shows Orion doing his impression of a bird. He's a really happy baby and while I tend not to enjoy juicy human larvae he's kind of fun...


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/80 sec @ 800 ISO


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/100 sec @ 800 ISO


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/100 sec @ 800 ISO

2010, Day 164 - Red Egg and grubs

Today was Onion's (my nephew) Red Egg and Ginger party. It's a Chinese thing where the child is introduced to the family.


Onion being tossed by proud father Greg.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4
50mm, f2, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO


Zoe, quite possibly the funniest kid.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 50/f1.4
50mm, f1.4, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO