Nathan Lanier's photostream  

Our infant Connor has grown into a little man.

My sister wanted some photos for grandparents day and we went through my archives together. I have no idea how I missed this gem before but now that I've worked on it and brought it out of Lightroom it is unquestionably my favorite photo of him.

It's funny. I have taken literally thousands of pictures of Connor with elaborate set-ups and off camera, radio triggered lighting. Sure, I've taken some good ones - but none as good as this.

And how did I take it? He was running around the super market and crying and he always perks up when I take the camera out. So I did just that and he looked right down the barrel of my 24-70 and I clicked at the perfect moment. It would be impossible to emulate.

In other words, sometimes taking great photos means years of practice and honing your skills and sometimes it means shit luck. Stay shooting.

Here is my first relatively successful night photograph. I took it at Sand Beach in Acadia National Park at about 11 PM. This place was dark. Super, super DARK. I tried painting the foreground with light but it just wasn't happening so I had to push it pretty far in Lightroom. I still think it looks OK.

Happy Hump Day everyone.

Spent part of my birthday weekend at the Museum of Science in Boston.

There's a giant lightning making machine in the exhibit on weather and we got a chance to see it in action. This was the result - Pretty wild. I thought I'd share it because it makes for a pretty sick desktop wallpaper (I made it available at full resolution - though beware, it is a pretty significant crop so those of you with 60" monitors are going to be mighty disappointed)

Happy Monday everyone :)

Lately I've immersed myself in the work and philosophies of the late great Ansel Adams.

One teaching of his in particular has been driving my photographic pursuits immensely: Visualization.

To Adams, visualization was to "see" an image in the mind’s eye before taking a photograph with the goal of achieving an all together pleasing, aesthetic, intellectual, spiritual, and time transcending final work.

Ansel said that achieving this level of perfect took even him a great long time.

For me, it's still a work in process but the image above is a step in the right direction. It actually turned out slightly different and more dramatic than I pictured in my mind's eye. I think this means I still have a way to go before I bridge the gap between real life and a completed work.

I hope you like it!