Maryland Science Center ~ Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor as seen from the front of the Maryland Science Center.  The building with the pyramid roof is the  National Aquarium (previous post).

In my January meeting of our photography club we were given tips to tilt your camera to add a different look to a photograph.  The tilt in this photo looks great with the geometric sculptures and the shapes of the buildings along the harbor edge.   To be honest, this photo makes me dizzy, but it highlights what I like about Baltimore so much.  Baltimore's Inner Harbor is a visually stimulating location and a lot of fun for the family.

Baltimore is also a very old city.  The vintage editing of this photograph also suggests how I also see the city.
I'd love to get out of tourist areas and photograph the old row houses, urban art and statues.

There is so much history here.

 A must see history location in Baltimore is Fort McHenry. Just around the corner.  The Fort McHenry's visitor center has a great movie about the War of 1812 and the creation of the "The Star Spangled Banner" poem by Francis Scott Key.
 Maybe I'll post about this site in the Spring. 

Dinosaurs!  Run for your life!
My son was a good sport.
 My daughter told me "Mom, you are embarrassing me."
  Me, "What? Why? I'm only taking photos."
 Peering at me over her glasses "Mom, please put your camera away."
How embarrassing am I going to be when she is a tween?

The MSC has a lot of interactive displays.
This computer is in the dinosaur exhibit area and lets the kids
create a colorful dinosaur and email it to a special someone.
My husband in the background was the lucky recipient.

 I metered off my son's face.  I really like how the windows in the background are so bright.

Newton's Alley.
Pull!

She was on the winning side every time, of course.

Newton's Alley.
He worked up a good sweat by cranking the handle to move the marbles through the maze.

Now I'm having fun.
 He looks like the front cover of an album.

Through the fish tank.  

Bed of nails.
 You lay down and then the nails raise you off the platform.  The nails are about half way extended in this photo.

At this point, I decided to put away my camera and interact with my children.  We listed to a presentation about the solar system and went to the planetarium.   About two hours in we decided it was time to eat, so missed the entire third floor, IMAX and special traveling exhibits.  Now we have something new to do when we go back again.

A plug for West Springfield Little League.
Got Ball?

This is a lesson on paying attention to your background.
  I wanted to get a shot of him in front of the harbor line
and I ended up with my son and a lovely street lamp.

So long!

National Aquarium, Baltimore. Fun with fish and more...

National Aquarium is an excellent destination in Baltimore's Inner Harbor during these cold "what should we do today?" kind of days.  Bring your kids or just your DSLR.  

We toured the Australia exhibit, watched a dolphin show, spiraled down the shark tunnel, observed volunteer divers hand feed stingrays, turtles and sharks.  The kids were totally inthralled and I was having a good time taking photos of the vibrant tropical fish.  

The indoor low light was a challenge for me so the aquarium provided a great learning experience.  I had to change my ISO for each exhibit.  When we left the aquarium, I forgot to change my ISO back to sunlight and most of my photos were overexposed.  I was exhausted of thinking so much and switched to my camera to auto.  Shame on me.

We spent about two and a half hours touring.  The same day a family we know spent a couple hours, went to lunch and returned for a few more hours which included an optional IMAX show.  

I could have sat at this tank all day and
photographed these vibrant tropical fish.
They went eye to eye and were interactive with the kids.
My husband gave me the "look" to move on
 and let a new family enjoy the prime viewing spot,
or I would have taken more shots.
The lighting in the tank was exceptional for photography.  

 Tropical fish that seemed very interested in the kids
 and followed their fingers along the tank. 

Bubbles!

Who doesn't love a clown fish.
I think I have that movie memorized.
"Just keep swimming" is one of my life mantras. 

She loved the fish.
It's so hard to get a good shot of
 her face when it's pressed up against the tanks.
In this shot I  like the glow from the tank and her fingers on the glass.

Kiss-y Fish Face. 

Australia exhibit bird.
A beautiful pink, grey and lavender coloring.
 He had his eye on me.

One of two hundred volunteer divers feeding the rescued
 the three finned sea turtle named Calypso.  
Hand fed twice a day.

Dolphin and environmental show.
My son wanted to sit in the splash-zone.
Maybe in the summer, but not in the dead of winter.
He put on a nice pout for the first half of the show.

Outdoor exercise on a cold November weekend

Sitting around the house one cold weekend after Thanksgiving we exhausted all indoor activities and  decided we needed to get outside for some exercise and fresh air.  Our company had left, the house was back in order, the kids were building Legos for hours so my husband suggested a trip to the school field for some football.  

Perfect, I thought, get the kids and dog a little exercise, experience quality family time and have a great opportunity to practice my photography skills.  My 50mm 1.4 Nikon lens was not working properly with my Nikon D5000 DSLR and when I received my new Nikon D7000 the lens works!  Don't ask me why.  This was my first trip out with the D7000 and my 50mm lens.  I was pleased with the photos.  

Before I dropped and broke my Nikon D5000, I purchased a few lenses off the Internet to save some money and didn't call the customer support line for advise.  Next time I'll call because that was a costly mistake.  What a relief that my 50mm 1.4 finally works properly.  

My daughter drawing in the gravel.
ISO 200 50mm f/1/6 1/8000

You can see the cold in the air.
I wanted to capture the sun hitting them in the field playing football in the late afternoon.
ISO 200 50mm f/1.6 1/8000

Before this day I did not realize that I could take an action shot with
the aperture at 1.6 and have it in focus, etc.
This is where practice comes in handy.
ISO 200 50mm f/1.6 1/5000

I love his concentration and expression as he eyes the football in the air.  

She finally got in the spirit and joined us.

She wants to learn how to kick the ball farther than her brother.

Headed home.
The perfect amount of exhaustion.
A fun afternoon in the park.
ISO 200 50mm f/2.8 1/320

As we were leaving and I was reviewing my images she said in her
best whine..."Mom, please let me take a picture with your new camera."
No, way, not anymore.
Photos like this one make me laugh.  This face is such a part of childhood
and being a parent you see it often, usually during the late afternoon, early evening,
known as the "witching hour."

A bit overexposed but I like how his eyes look so blue.
He is old enough that I don't get those meltdown faces any longer.
A blessing, yet sad at the same time.
ISO 200 50mm f/2.8 1/250.

Cross County Trail ~ Biking fun

The Cross County Trail in Fairfax County, Virginia is an awesome perk when you live in Northern Virginia.  In the midst of one very busy urban suburban neighborhood outside of Washington, D.C. you can have a beautiful day with nature.   As a family, we ride our bikes almost every weekend for an 8-12 mile ride and this is our favorite ride because we can depart from our house and avoid loading the bikes.  Once you get on the trail, it is paved, well marked, not crowded and you can ride as far as you want through Northern Virginia.

This section of the CCT can be accessed at the intersection of Hunter Village Drive and Old Keene Mill Road.  Ride your bike, walk your dog, or jog to Accotink Park and all the way to Reston if you have the energy.  My husband went to Reston one day on a 50+ mile ride and he had a blast.  Glad I was out of town.

We recently packed up our bikes and went out of our neighborhood and rode part of the CCT near Reston.  It would have been a better ride for us without the kids because of the number of people using the trail and the packs of mis-mannered bikers in their fancy outfits.  One group of ladies almost ran my son off the road as they passed in double with oncoming riders.  He was startled.   A simple, courteous "on your left" goes a long way.   The first 5 riders squeezed by him.  I watched him get unsteady on his bike and scoot over to the side.  The riders a the back of the pack were riding, talking, not paying attention to oncoming traffic as they blindly passed my son.  They had to jump into his space when they realized they did not have enough room to pass.  I watched in horror and prayed that he could hang on and keep riding straight and not go off the trail.  I yelled "you can do it buddy, keep going!"  What I wanted to yell is something quite different. 

I did not take any photos in Reston, because I was too concerned about safety and I broke my camera during the ride.  I had my Nikon D5000 in my backpack with snacks for the kids.  We stopped and I was occupied adjusting the bike chain on my husband's bike (I'm the mechanical one) my kids raided the snacks.  I picked up my backpack to leave and my camera rolled out right in front of my husband.   He looked at me wide eyed when he heard that awful sound of electronics hitting pavement.  I said "I'm sure it will be fine" as I quickly shoved it in my bag.  It survived a full over the handlebars bike crash on asphalt, so it should be fine with a little drop on the bike trail.  Not so lucky.   My 11-month photography journey came to an abrupt end.  

Not so fast, pity party over!  I have an early Christmas present from my husband!  A Nikon D7000.  I told him that I still want to take it to the beach and on bike rides, so I also have a two-year warranty protection plan for any damage beside fire or loss.  He knows me too well.  He insisted I also buy a lens protector.  Yippee!  He asked me to please keep this camera in once piece for a least two years. 

Instead of shooting from the hip like my ride in Yorktown,
 I put the camera up to my face and used the viewfinder for some better and in focus shots.
Nikon D5000, sports mode. 

My little guy trying to pass Dad and sister.
She was egging him on with some friendly banter.

The CCT has several of these steel bridges.
Kids love bridges.

My rock picker.
I make her bring her own backpack now
 to carry her favorite rocks home.
She is adding to my heart collection.

Yes, they got their shoes wet.
We decided our 8 lb. dog would like this beach.
 I've been putting him in a doggy backpack and riding with him.
He goes nuts when he sees a squirrel and he makes me shake all around.
Yes, I get a few strange looks and people ask "Is there a dog in there?"

Arg, Blackberry alert!

National Botanical Garden

On Election Day the kids were out of school so we invited some special friends for an outing to the National Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C.  The gardens are beautiful anytime of year.  Winter is my favorite time to visit.  We went on a brisk but sunny day which made the climate controlled gardens feel so warm and tropical on our skin. 

The kids spent most of their time in the outside Children's Garden playing in the playhouse, watering plants, hiding in the bamboo and playing in the fountains.  My friend and I enjoyed some time to sit in the sun and visit.  The National Botanical Gardens are worth the trip.  It's free!  If you like photography, like I do, the filtered light and beautiful plants provides a perfect studio to take pictures.  

The bearded pair.

Peaking over the log bridge.

Playing with the fountain in the Children's Garden.
The girls in the background are playing in the little house.

A beauty in the bamboo garden.

French vanilla smelling pot at a special exhibit on herbs.
A favorite scent.
Can she press her face any closer?

An oversize metal flower with a changing video screen in the middle.
Very nice display.
 Simple but interesting.

National Garden adjacent to the
U.S. Capitol and Botanical Garden.
Plants, walkways, fountains, tables, and benches.

Fall flowers

I've never seen the U.S. Capitol from this perspective.
Election Day 2010

The workers setting up the train display for the holidays!!!
A must see if you are in the city over the holidays.
I will post again when we attend.

York River State Park ~ Mountain Biking

York River State Park.
It's easy going down on the River View Trail.
Hard going up.

Sweet cheeks.
He knows it make me happy when he lets me take his photo.
What a good son.

Bug!

At the cross trail, I stopped to take a photo.
I was stalling
because as family navigator
I was lost.
The sun sets in the West.
Glad this was not a ride at high noon.

My DSLR is no fun in the backpack, so while I rode my mountain bike
I slung it over my shoulders and took some shots in motion from the hip.
My husband warned me it was dangerous.
We both remember when I flipped over my handle bars July 4th.
Ha, I laugh at danger to get the shot...
I never really got a good shot but I'm hooked on the possibility.

York River in the evening.
North of the Coleman Bridge and Yorktown, VA.

Great views and trails.

The blur tells a story.
The story is, I'm not very good, yet.

Does that Blackberry have to go EVERYWHERE with us?
Chuck it into the river with the Revolutionary War cannons for the archeologists to find.