Photo of the Day - Happy Halloween!







Happy Halloween everyone! This is my not so spooky Halloween photo of the day. Since our dogs (and cat) have become our "kids" over the years we decided we should start dressing them up for Halloween for our, and others, entertainment. We started putting these photos into seasonal cards and it has turned into a kind of family tradition. I'm certainly not a pro, and I am DEFINITELY not a strobist (not even close). I did however use a few off camera flashes and some light shaping devices to come up with these shots for our card. Unfortunately my time commitment for work has overshadowed my opportunity to spend time learning about off camera flash/lighting but these did the trick for the card and to send some Halloween greetings. I hope you all have a great Halloween and everyone have fun and more importantly be safe!

Thank you so much for stopping by for another week of my photo of the day and I look forward to seeing and hearing from you all soon! See you Monday!

Photo of the day - Laying Low:



Another great day today but really busy! Had a full day of work and then took a break in the afternoon to do a photo shoot at the Cabot Center in Lakeland which is also known as the Central Florida Autism Center. The staff and interns do an amazing job and I was truly touched to have the opportunity to document their work. I can't say enough how great of an experience that was for me on so many levels! Unfortunately but very understandably for privacy reasons at this point I will not be posting any of the photos from today's shoot but when the work is officially published I will be sure to let you know and hopefully link to it or link to a photo of it.

Today's photo has nothing to do with anything that happened today, but has more to do with what is coming up this weekend. Being a graduate of the University of Florida there really aren't many rivalries or games more heated than the Florida/Georgia game. To be honest because of my duties with the basketball team I had never experienced the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" until I moved to Jacksonville for law school. After my first trip I immediately knew what lal of the fuss was about! Our group of friends has an amazing tailgate setup (warehouse, projectors and tv's, kegs, amazing food etc) and it is sure to be a blast once again. Unfortunately I will not be taking in as much of the festivities (beer) as usual this year at least pre-game since I will be shooting the game but hopefully there will be cause (and beer left) to celebrate post game. Having the amazing opportunity to shoot a game like this is definitely worth putting off the beer consumption (at least pre-game ;-)) In a final partisan note on this game all I can say is GO GATORS!

The above photo was taken during one of my many visits to the Jacksonville Zoo. This guy had been swimming under all of the algae etc and decided to surface pretty close to where we were observing. I did my best to get low and almost on his level in order to get an interesting vantage. Though I prefer to shoot most of my wildlife in the wild, this is one time I was ok with my subject being where he was due to our proximity. As it turns out this is one of my favorite "gator" shots and looks amazing on metallic paper even for a zoo shot :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope to see you back tomorrow for a special not so scary Halloween edition of the Photo of the Day! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Play at the plate:



Ok so riddle me this. The first time I put a photo of myself as the photo of the day my blog has the most hits in one day! Must be like watching a train wreck or something. Thanks for all of the positive feedback on the photo and other things and I will definitely keep you updated when I finally get some content up on that web page and other work news. Alas, the show must go on, and without me in the photo. In some more work related news and an update from yesterday's post I survived the hearing and we accomplished all that we needed. Live to fight antoher day!

I figured for today I would post a baseball photo since tonight is the first night of the World Series and I am sitting outside on my new porch by the pool watching the game while relaxing in our comfortable new patio furniture - loving it! Even though my team isn't in it this year, the post season in most pro sports is a lot of fun to watch.

I took today's photo during this year's NCAA Super Regional where the University of Florida faced off against the University of Southern Mississippi. I had a blast shooting some games throughout the regular season for Gator Country and I was honored to be invited to help out for the post season as well. I leanred a ton about shooting baseball from an amazing photographer Tim Casey. I give him all the credit for helping me get my start in sports photography. He has been so patient with me, open with ideas and suggestions, and has helped me gain access to some events that I would have had NO business being involved in. I certainly can't say I'm an exceptional sports photographer, but I certainly know much more about it on many levels thansk to Tim.

Unfortunately UF fell short in the best of three series and this photo of a play at the plate was taken towards the end of the second (and last) game in the series. I can't even begin to explain how tough baseball can be to shoot, especially at night but thanks to my experiences and some luck I managed to cover the play. The rest of the set from game two of that series can be viewed here and the set from game 1 if you are interested can be viewed here .

Thank you so much for stopping by yesterday and for making it one of the busiest days on the site! I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am. Please feel free to leave your comments or insights of your own on here or on Facebook and be sure to check out my web page ! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Like father like son...



Looks like for Tuesday I will be using another photo that I didn't take for the photo of the day but this definitely is worth mention. As many of you may already know, just over a month ago I joined my father's law practice. I am proud to say that as of this writing we have both survived and as far as I know I am still employed! I have had a great time working with him and have already learned so much but it is only a drop in the bucket compared to what I will need to learn to be even half the attorney he is. Just like in our father/son golf tournaments and other activities he has been a great partner and always someone I know I can lean on. I can honestly say that I have had a great time and I am eagerly looking forward to the future as a member of the Darby Law Group, P.A.

This photo was taken by a great photographer and friend Danny Cruz . Danny is a Lakeland area photographer who specializes in wedding photography and I know for a fact he is one of the best since he shot our wedding! Be sure to click on his name and check out his web page! When we were planning on creating a web page and needed portraits, I knew just who to call. Just like the Darby Law Group, Danny Cruz Photography is also a father and son team since Danny's son Brandon (also an outstanding photographer) work together. They too are a great team!

Now that we have new business cards, a logo, a great new name, and some professional portraits, we need some content for that web page - looks like I need to get back to work! In other work related news I have my first solo guardianship hearing tomorrow morning so fingers crossed I survive that! If the photo of the day is late tomorrow don't blame me, blame the judge holding me in contempt! ;-)

Thanks for stopping by for the photo of the day and putting up with my ugly mug as the subject this time around. Be sure to stop in tomorrow when we are back to our regularly scheduled programming that involves me being BEHIND the camera! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Mandarin Sunset:



Now that we've made our trip through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park it's time to bring the photo of the day back home (or at least where home used to be). This small public dock on the St. Johns river was one of my favorite places in all of Jacksonville and one that I miss the most. It wasn't just a great place to take in a sunset on the river it was also an amazing place to relax, watch the fish jump, watch others fish, or boats pass by. Any time I was having a bad day or just needed to get away, this dock was only a few miles from home. I got the relaxation and solace I was looking for and most times I came back with a great photo or two.

This photo was taken on my last visit to the dock. At the time I didn't know it would be my last but things got so busy towards our move I didn't manage to make that one last final hurrah. Sometimes it is better that way. Looking back, I wish I would have made it out there more, but I also cherish the times I did go and hope I can make it back sometime. Either way I'll never forget it!

Sunsets are great on Monday because that means that the first day of the week is almost over! Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to check out my site and my twitter! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Cade's Cove



A must stop place if you are ever in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is Cade's Cove. Be sure to get there very early in the morning or very close to sunset for the best lighting and of course the best wildlife viewing opportunities. The beautiful scenery and the wildlife are really amazing! You can either do an "auto tour" or get out of your car and hike around all over the area. We did a little bit of both and got our fill of scenery, wild turkeys, deer, wolves, and even a mother bear with her two cubs.

One very cool experience was when we noticed a large group of deer standing together as still as they could be almost pointing in the other direction. A key to being a wildlife watcher or photographer (which is really pretty obvious) is to not always look at them, but see what has their attention and you may be rewarded. I know these photos aren't the best and honestly they were taken from at least a mile away with my 300 mm lens plus a 1.4x teleconverter but they are worth sharing. Here is the shot of the deer:



and finally after some scanning I found one of the members of the gray wolf pack running through a clearing that had their complete and undivided attention:



Again these two shots aren't the clearest and by no means quality wildlife photography but it does go to show what kind of amazing wildlife viewing opportunities there are in Cade's Cove. What a great day! The rest of the set (including shots of the mother bear and cubs) are here.

Thanks for stopping by for another week of photo of the day and have a great weekend! Be sure to stop back in on Monday!

Photo of the Day: Laurel Falls



During the second half of day 3 of my post bar trip we decided to head out on another hike, this time to Laurel Falls. After slipping and busting my ass on the first waterfall we hiked to, I honestly just couldn't get enough of the things! ;-)

This hike was much more vertical challenge than a distance challenge but the weather had cleared some so we weren't facing much rain but still had to deal with some wind during the hike. The views looking off of the sheer cliffs down into the valleys was amazing. Once we arrived to the falls we were greeted by the beautiful scene above.

On our way down from the falls we noticed a small and steep trail that led down into a ravine just under the falls. We were feeling adventurous and I had already fallen once so what does it matter if I do it again at this point, so we headed down, camera equipment and all. I am really glad we did because there were plenty more photo opportunities for us like the one below:



After a few shots the rain had returned so it was time for us to climb out of the ravine and hike back down. WE were soggy and tired when we made it back to the car but it was all worth it and made for another amazing day in the Smokys!

Thank you so much for checking out the photo of the day and please be sure to check out my website ! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Grotto Falls:



Sorry the post is a bit late this evening but it has been a BUSY day! Anyway, on the third day of our trip we decided to make the hike up to Grotto Falls in the Smokys. Honestly I was a bit hesitant based on what happened during our first hike adventure but I wasn't going to let poor map reading or injuries stand in the way of my post bar vacation! We planned on getting up early and setting out to hopefully get 2 hikes in during the day but the weather was just not cooperating so we went back to bed and got up after the weather passed.

Once we got on the trail we were hit with some pretty bad wind and occasional rain but we toughed it out. There were fewer people on the trails due to the weather so it made it an easier hike and easier to shoot! When we made it to the falls it was a great sight. You can actually walk behind the falls and look at it and take photos from either side. Thankfully there weren't many other people there at the time due to the rain so we really almost had it all to ourselves. Although it may be selfish, it was great to be able to enjoy it alone.

Even during the rain I managed to take a few long exposures of the falls and surrounding area and I was not disappointed. Honestly these photos do not do it justice.

All in all it was a great day and looking back on it makes me want to return as soon as possible! Please feel free to check out the rest of the set here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and staying interested! I have a big day tomorrow planned with a spooky evening photo shoot - you'll likely see the results in an upcoming photo of the day! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the day - Above & Below





Since I didn't hear any hearty objection (or approval for that matter) I have decided to continue on with the Smokys theme for this week. For the first full day of our trip we decided to take a hike up to Rainbow Falls. Unfortunately we thought the hike was going to be much shorter than it actually was and my hike ended with a pretty decent knee injury, but I still had an amazing time. The blog from that day of the trip is here.

One of many interesting finds during this trip was that although there was amazing beauty at our destination, there was as much or more beauty to be seen and photographed above and below us the whole way along the trail. Sometimes the simple things along the journey are just as beautiful as the destination, so enjoy it! This small lesson is something in life and in my photography that I should remember and enjoy more so I pass it on to you!

The rest of my set from that day of our trip can be viewed here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope that you keep checking in here and on my web page. See you tomorrow!

Photo of the day - Smoky Sunset:



I have actually already posted this photo in a previous blog about this trip but it has yet to be the photo of the day so I will use it once again and tell a little more about how this shot came to be. After I took the bar exam my wife and I planned a "Post bar trip" which is definitely recommended after surviving the rigors of that test. It provides a much needed "light at the end of the tunnel" while you are preparing for the test and after the test it gives you (and your significant other if they're still around) a much needed vacation.

I had never been to the Smokys or the National Park there so we decided to rent a cabin for a week. We drove up and brought the pets along since the cabin was pet friendly so it was truly a family vacation! It was about an 8 hour drive from Jacksonville to where the cabin was and on the way up I mentioned I wanted to try to get out once we arrived and shoot a sunset.

Quick tip for photographers going to a national park for the first time: do research and make some calls. Before our trip I looked around on flickr and other places on the web to see where some good spots were. Of course you don't want to go to a spot that EVERYONE goes to, so here is where making the calls makes the difference. On our way up we called the park and spoke to a ranger and he was more than helpful in our quest. My gallery manager (wife) called and said that we were in town and looking for some great places to shoot sunsets and other things. The ranger was open with some great ideas of places to go and although he may not have given away his super secret place to go watch the sun rise or set, he was also not giving us the run of the mill answer since he knew we wanted to get some good stuff. So call - take advantage of it - that's what they are there for! Besides, you're paying for it anyway, and like me, this is probably one taxable resource you won't mind paying for!

Unfortunately the driving on windy mountain roads took a little longer than we had hoped and we got a pretty late start after dropping the dogs off at the cabin and by late start I mean the sun was already starting to set. We had a long way to drive and not a long time to get there. Finally there was just a fraction of light left and we had reached the spot we were told to visit and I was able to 8 frames, the above being one. It was a beautiful end to our day of traveling and totally worth it!

Now comes the part where you can have a say in the content of my photo of the day! I can't decide whether to do a full week of different photos from our trip to the Smokys or if I should keep it up with randomly selected images. Leave me a comment, on here or on Facebook and let me know what you think!

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out my webpage that I will be updating with new shots all this week! Be sure to check it out!

Photo of the day - It's a.........



BOY! It is a very rare occasion I will post a photo that I didn't take but I did have a part in this one and I couldn't resist posting a shot of my son waving at the camera.

If you have been following, today was a pretty big day for our family as we went in for our 20 week sonogram of baby Darby. After an amazing session we were asked if we wanted to know if it was a boy or girl. Of course we said yes and then we got a pretty clear image that was evidence enough that we will be having a boy! :-) I had zero preference as to whether we would have a boy or girl, but I am excited to finally know so we can begin planning and the naming process. I cannot wait to meet him!

More photos from the appointment here .

Thank you all for stopping by and I will see you all Monday! :-)

Photo of the Day - Pink vs. Blue:



These are our two pups. The two dogs plus our cat have been our "kids" for the past 3+ years of our lives together. When we got our first girl and our youngest dog Kohana (the one in the back) the battle of the sexes (as you can see above) was fierce for a while until they finally settled in. Tomorrow is actually her second birthday, but that won't be the only reason to celebrate tomorrow evening.

Now that we have our first "real kid" on the way, the speculation as to whether we will be decorating with pink or blue accents has been early and often. Well, tomorrow is finally the day we find out whether we will be having a boy or a girl! Everyone asks if either of us have a preference and I can only speak for myself but honestly, all I care about is that baby Darby comes into our world happy and healthy. So now here's your chance - give me your best guess - what do you think we will be having - a boy or girl? Get your guesses in before 11:30 a.m. tomorrow and I'll definitely keep you posted! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Business Time!



Today was a pretty cool day and I had to take some pictures this evening to commemorate. The day was so unique because I got my first business cards as an attorney. To most that may not sound very significant but after all of the hard work put in, it is really something special to see "Attorney At Law" underneath your name! The cards are definitely photo worthy to me!

I got out the macro lens and took a few shots and played with the aperture some to make it a little more interesting. Today we've got more than one photo as the photo of the day and here are the rest:







Which do you like best?

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Who's more interested?



Sticking with the aquarium theme again today and it just so happens that this was also taken in the Georgia Aquarium on the same day. This area of the aquarium was a massive viewing area that was bigger than a movie theater. Where the screen would have been was just a massive tank. The room was dark and you could sit inside and watch all of the many interactions between the fish (and sometimes the people) in one of the largest tanks I have ever seen.

After enjoying the scene for a while, this extremely large Grouper caught my eye. Although he had a pretty grumpy expression he appeared to be just as interested in watching us as we were watching him. After a few groups had passed it became clear he didn't plan to move so I waited until a group of people came in to look at him and these three framed him perfectly. Once they were in place I was able to get the shot. There is some motion in the silhouettes as well as in the surrounding tank but I think this added motion helps show everything that was going on with both the people and the fish milling around.

Sometimes I wonder and hope that at least animals in captivity get some entertainment out of watching us from the other side of the glass. God knows with some people out there, the animals in captivity would have plenty to be entertained by!

Here is a much better and more creative shot my close friend and fellow photographer took of the same scene titled "Anytime Minutes":



I love going on shoots with him because his photographic eye and creativity is really something special. I've learned so much and had a ton of fun while shooting with him. Be sure to check out Brad's Flickr Photostream. He's an amazing photographer and has some great photos on his page.

Thanks for stopping by - please check out my web page if you haven't already and I'll see you all tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Look but don't touch -



I figured I'd add a shot with a little sting in it since the coming of a new week (especially Monday) may sting for some. This photo was taken at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia while we were visiting for the SEC Basketball Tournament. This aquarium is one of the best and one of my favorite areas to go to and shoot is the jellyfish area. The lighting of the jellyfish in the darkness and the blue background can make for some really vivid shots but sometimes it takes a little more than that to add context and really make a shot.

After I shot a few closeups of different jellyfish I was definitely satisfied with the shots but there was really nothing that stood out to me until this little guy decided it was his turn at the glass. I can't blame him, I was probably taking to long and was definitely in his way since I was unaware of his presence. Once he stepped in front of me and began to take it all in I stepped back added him into the composition and had the shot. Watching him enjoy beauty of the color and jellyfish was quite an experience but hopefully he learns like most children do, that the age old phrase "look but don't touch" applies to delicate things as well as jellyfish!

Once you're done feel free to browse around my webpage . Please feel free to leave a comment or if you have any questions about the photo contact me: timdarby@verizon.net. Have a great week everyone and I'll see you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Mustang Timmy:



As promised on the facebook fan page, this shot is some of my (until now) unpublished work. This happens due to a combination of being busy, laziness, and other factors that I won't mention but mostly business and laziness. Anyway, here is the shot. I have had (and enjoyed) my 1999 Mustang GT since my senior year in school. Knock on wood, this car has taken care of me and has been reliable while also being a blast to drive. Even if I get a new car in the future, I will definitely keep the 'stang to cruise around in and hopefully one day it will be one of the "classics." I see a lot of cars out there that I like, but I LOVE my Mustang.

This shot was taken in the garage of our rental house in Jacksonville. Sometimes the source of your next best shot can be right under your nose. When I went into the garage during the late afternoon the setting sun was casting light through some blinds on the garage window. I noticed this light pattern a few times but finally made myself just shoot it. The set up was tough - using a tripod, macro lens, and taking a long exposure in a cramped Mustang GT added a little more of a challenge but I was finally able to pull it off.

Thanks for stopping by! Please be sure to check out my posted photo of the day and once you're done feel free to browse around my webpage. Like it? Hate it? Want to own it? Leave a comment or if you have any questions about the photo or contact me: timdarby@verizon.net Thanks again for visiting and please stop in often!

Photo of the day - Shell Angel:



This photo was taken in Savannah, Georgia at Bonaventure Cemetery. If you are ever visiting Savannah and it's not a million degrees outside then I highly suggest you at least stop by. It's a bit outside of the historic district but it is amazing. Towards the end of our day we came upon this beautiful statue with 7 dried flowers hanging from the bowl she is holding. The beauty of the sculpture intertwined with the dead flowers reminds me of how beautiful yet fragile life can be. Who knew such beauty could be found in a cemetery? It was quite an experience. Another interesting story behind this photo is I actually found out who placed the flowers. Once I published this photo I received a comment from another photographer with a photo of the same angel with bright and colorful flowers. She had placed them a week earlier and then took a few photos. The contrast and the difference in the mood between the two photos was stunning. Small world and a great story to go along with it!

Photo of the Day

A week or so ago I decided to give something new a shot on Facebook and created a "Fan Page" for my photography. A lot of people have them and I thought it would be a good idea to market myself and show some of my work to an audience that I normally wouldn't get to. Some of my facebook friends and contacts don't even know I'm a photographer so it will be interesting to see what they think. This will also help me reach out to others that I don't know through Facebook's suggestions and I have already noticed some people who are "fans" of mine that I've never met - that's pretty cool! Hopefully this will be a fun way to meet new people and show my work.

After I started the page I wanted to do something to keep the page active as well as show some of my work so I got the idea to start a "Photo of the Day" posting. I have been uploading the shot to my webpage and then giving a little background about the shot and what was going on in my head and around me when I took it. I think this will also help me be more active in posting photos and blogs (which I need to be much better about). The POTD will not replace the blog so keep up with it and I will try to make blog posts as often as possible.

Here's my first photo of the day:



Photo of the Day - 10/7/2009 - Jacksonville Skyline is the title of this photo as well as the title of an amazing song by Whiskeytown (so check it out). As some may know I recently moved from Jacksonville where I spent a little over three years while in law school. The city really grew on me while I was there and I definitely miss it. I took this photo while covering a welcome back to school party for the law school's newspaper. I was hating life. It was a partially outdoor party and it rained most of the night. I didn't want to have my camera on me and would have much rather been partying. The rain slowed long enough for me to get to a great vantage point and take this shot with the aid of my amazing photo assistant holding an umbrella while I took these long exposures. I didn't know what I had until I made it home that night but it made everything worthwhile!