She's a Little League Slugger at Fenway

My 7 year-old daughter plays little league baseball, "with the boys," I like to say.  She holds her own. She enjoys her teammates, coaches and the baseball family at West Springfield Little League.   Most of all, baseball provides that special connection with her father and older brother.  As she gets older there are fewer female teammates and people continue to ask when will we switch her over to softball.  I know the time is coming that she will pick another team sport, "with the girls."  With this day in mind,  I took some sentimental photos of her at one of our favorite baseball WSLL fields "Fenway." 

Equipment:  Nikon D7000 and AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED.  Settings for most photos:  70 mm, ISO 320, f/4.5, Shutter Speed 1/100.

On deck warming up.
(I shot through the chain link fence)

Ready.

Waiting for the call from the Ump.

The pitcher lands one short in the dirt.

A beautiful evening for baseball.

Strike.

Whack!  Bionic ball coming off the bat.

Watching where the ball goes.
I'll keep watching where she goes...

Cherry Blossoms 2012: After the Party

The Cherry Blossom trees in Washington, D.C. are so pretty and a perfect location for a photography lover.  This year we missed the peak, but still enjoyed the beauty.  The ground was pink with petals.  Petals blew in the breeze and gathered in pools of pink along the paths and in the water.  This year my photography outing tells a different story of the cherry blossom.  After the party...

Jefferson Memorial.
 Windy weather.
Choppy water.
Petals flying.

Cherry blossoms.
So delicate.
White and soft pink.

Petals cresting on the waves.

Reaching for the sun.

Confetti petals.
We missed the party.

Cradled in the tree.

Resting.

Friends.
Similar, yet different.
Washington Monument in the background.

Gnarled and wise.
Still producing beauty.

New growth.

Glowing in the sun.

Technically not a Cherry Blossom

Technically not a cherry blossom tree.  These bright pink hues were fun to photograph and too pretty not to share.  

Two trees were adjacent to the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC where the cherry blossom trees and Cherry Blossom Festival draw large crowds each spring.  These trees were tucked to the side almost under the 14th Street Bridge.  The blooms were plentiful and heavy causing the branches to bow.  Gravity brought more of the colorful flowering pom-poms eye level.

Photographs were taken with a Nikon D7000 and a 50mm 1.4 lens.

14th Street Bridge lamp post on the left.
Shot into the sun.

The lamp post offers a nice contrast to this simple cluster.
It looks like it is in a vase.

The dark branches add interest and depth.

Craving cotton candy.

Fun with a low f/stop.  Playing with aperture.   

My parting photo of our fun photography outing.