Family & Friends
Ginny's friend Nadya is heading back to the Czech Republic for a bit. Gray Carr, another friend, hosted a lovely little get-together before she heads off.
Remember back when you were a kid, when you'd wake up to find school had been cancelled because of snow? How exciting that was? How great it was to get a day off? That doesn't happen as an adult, of course. Except once in a blue moon.
Well, we got our blue moon, and then some. I probably speak for much of the country when I say I'm sick of it. Pretty much everything has been shut down for many days - including the Federal Government.
The cause of all this disruption was, depending upon where you live, either the worst snowstorm since official records have been kept, or one of the top two or three. And as if that weren't enough, we hadn't even gotten dug out from that storm when another rolled in, dumping more snow on us just two days later. Dulles Airport - not all that far from us - has recorded 72" of snow so far this year - easily breaking the old record.
It hasn't been fun.
The above link is to a small web gallery of pictures I took on Monday, after the first storm had ended, but before the second one rolled in. The link below is to my blog posting the night before.
http://jeffreyhughes.net/wordpress/2010/02/07/the-weekend-from-hell/
Jamie & Lindsey Wedding - HTML (Regular Web Viewing
A web gallery of the Jamie and Lindsey Hughes wedding. It was very lovely. There's nothing quite like a wedding to bring out the very best in everyone!
Jamie & Lindsey Wedding - Hi-Res Images
These are the exact same images as above except that they are higher resolution - slightly over 2000 pixels (long dimension) versus 900 pixels in the regular gallery above. They will not render well on most computer monitors (requiring scrolling to see the entire image). I'm providing them here for anyone who might wish to print an image. In that event the extra pixels will be beneficial.
A few images from this year.
Ginny and I stayed home this year, like we have the last couple. Josh flew in from Missouri the day before. And Jason and Chelsea drove over from Harrisonburg on Thanksgiving day. Ginny prepared a wonderful meal and the four of us had a wonderful dinner. Shortly after that, Jenni - who had celebrated with her family - drove down and we all enjoyed the rest of the day together. It was a special treat seeing everyone!
Some more images of the pup we have named Jasiri - Swahili for "fearless".
Here are a few images from the first day with our newest arrival. He arrived by airplane from the breeder (Chioke Rhodesians) in Tennessee - surely a traumatic experience for any animal, but especially for an 8-week-old puppy. No matter. He rested in Ginny's lap on the way home and by the time we had made the hour trip from Reagan National he was ready to play!
Yes, it's very much like having a newborn in the house...
A few more words in my blog entry... http://jeffreyhughes.net/wordpress/2009/11/01/rhodesian-ridgebacks/
Spring Get Together at the Pecks
Here are a few shots from the Spring get-together at Ben and Margaret Peck's house (Ginny's aunt and uncle). Ben and Margaret have one of the prettiest yard I've ever seen - a testament to their considerable talents in gardening and landscaping. Here are a few family shots.
Ginny & Friends - 2009 Fodderstack
Here are a few images of Ginny and a few of her running pals at this year's Fodderstack 10K. Beautiful day for a 10K!
If you're interested in the far larger web gallery which includes all the shots I took at the race, go here, under 'Miscellany/Fodderstack'.
Photography has occasional moments of quiet tragedy. The shots missed. The not having the right camera or lens or film combination when that special moment appears in front of you. The disappointment when you get your film back and you spread the transparencies out on the light table; or when you download your memory card into Lightroom - and find the images you once held such hope for are... something less. Worst of all, though are the ones you blow through simple carelessness.
Ginny and Josh and I rode down this weekend to visit my parents and sister at East Branch, my folks' home in Roseland, Virginia. As usual, I took a couple cameras with me - my M8 with 28 Summicron and 50 Summilux lenses; and my D3 with its big honking 200/f2.
When I downloaded the images the next day I instantly noticed something amiss with all the images taken with the Nikon. Thinking back to how I had last used it, I picked it up with a feeling of foreboding. Sure enough, I had left it set at 2 full stops of underexposure compensation.
If there's one thing that digital images don't deal well with... it's underexposure. I salvaged most of them, to a degree, by converting to black & white - an aesthetic preference of mine even in the best of circumstances. But the big Nikkor does a sterling job at portraits and I was very disappointed knowing the quality I might have had.
A few images from this year's Christmas. It was especially nice seeing Jenni, Josh's girlfriend, and Evelyn, Ginny's mom.
We had planned on meeting up with my parents and extended family down at East Branch this year, like we've done the last couple of years. But I came back from hunt camp with a bad cold and didn't want to expose everyone to it. So we stayed home, Ginny cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and Josh and Jason came over instead.
Michelle and Greg's Wedding - HTML (Regular web viewing)
Michelle Tilton and Greg Garber Wedding.
My good friend Michelle was married at the end of May. It was a classic spring wedding, with beautiful weather and a very lovely locale (the ceremony was held at a church in north Arlington; the reception was held at Top of the Town, a penthouse venue atop a high-rise building just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.). Since I was a guest - not the phtographer - I deliberately was low-key about taking shots. I tried to stay out of the professional photographers' way (there were two pro shooters). And since they were getting the classic stuff - the formals, shots taken with flash and the like - and because I was trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible, I emphasized available light images (one expects the professional photorgrapher to be walking around, popping a strobe in people's faces; some might consider it rude for a guest to do so). That posed some real challenges as light levels quickly fell. But it was all good. Everyone had a great time. (Nikon D3, 14-24/2.8 AFS, 24-70/2.8 AFS, 70-200 VR/AFS)
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Garber!
Michelle and Greg's Wedding - Flash (Slideshow)
The same images, but rendered in Flash. Use this link to view them in a slideshow.
Michelle & Greg's Wedding - Quicktime (Slideshow w/music and effects)
Another slideshow, but rendered in Quicktime so music and dynamic effects could be added. Warning: This is a very large file - over 1GB. It requires a high bandwidth connection! It also requires that you have the Quicktime player on your computer. If you don't already have it, that is available as a free download from Apple: Free Quicktime Download.
Michelle and Greg's Wedding - Hi-Res Images
And finally, here is a higher-resolution version of the HTML web gallery. These are a bit over 2000 pixels in size (long dimension) whereas the images in the first HTML web gallery are 900 pixels. The ones here should NOT generally be selected simply for viewing - they are too large to fit on a normal size computer monitor and will require scrolling to see the entire image. They are provided here simply to provide additional pixels for those who may wish to print one or more of the images. Their color profiles are sRGB and so are already defaulted to the color space that most personal printers, mall kiosks, and drugstore-type labs that most people avail themselves of are set up for.
Most professional printers use a wider-gamut color space than sRGB (Adobe RGB is usually preferred). I have the original out-of-camera images, most of which are much higher resolution than those included here. And they are in Adobe RGB workspace. Unfortunately they are too large to post on a web site. If anyone wishes a copy of one or more of these original image files, note the actual filename of the image(s) - it is located at both the top and the bottom of all the hi-res images in the link above (note, filenames do not appear in either the standard HTML web gallery or the Flash gallery), then either contact me or Michelle or Greg. Please note there is no point in going to that trouble unless the desire is to make fairly large prints - the "hi-res" images included in this link should suffice for most purposes.
Jason's College Graduation - HTML (Regular web viewing)
My younger son Jason's graduation from James Madison University. (Nikon D3, 70-200 VR/AFS)
Jason's College Graduation - Flash (Slideshow)
The same images, but rendered in Flash. Use this link to view them in a slideshow.
Low Key's Final 2008 Performance - HTML (Regular web viewing)
As I noted at last year's performance (see link below), Low Key is one of the acapella groups at James Madision University. My son Jason is a senior this year and so this was not only the last performance of Low Key for the year - but also his last performance with the group. It's a very talented goup of young people! (Nikon D3, 70-200 VR/AFS; Leica M8, Summicron 28 ASPH, Summilux 50 ASPH)
Low Key's Final 2008 Performance - Flash (Slideshow)
The same images, but rendered in Flash. Use this link to view them in a slideshow.
Hughes Family Christmas - 2007
A very few pictures from Christmas this year. One of the very few times we see the boys back home at the same time! (Leica M8, Noctilux, Summicron 28 ASPH)
USAC 2007 Holiday Celebration - HTML (Regular web viewing)
A few pictures from USAC's annual holiday celebration. This year's event was fashioned on the old "family feud" television show. (Leica M8, Summilux 50 ASPH, Elmarit 90)
USAC 2007 Holiday Celebration - Flash (Slideshow)
Same thing, but rendered in flash.
Thanksgiving at East Branch - 2007 - HTML (Regular web viewing)
Another wonderful Thanksgiving at East Branch. (Leica M8, Summicron 28 ASPH, Summilux 50 ASPH, Noctilux (a couple), Cosina-Voigtlander 15/4.5)
Thanksgiving at East Branch - 2007 Flash (Slideshow)
The same images, but rendered in Flash. Use this link to view them in a slideshow. HIGH BANDWIDTH WARNING!
Hanewinckel Funeral at Arlington - HTML (Regular web viewing)
The military funeral of William Hanewinckel, the father of my sister-in-law, Lisa. Very moving. Use this link to go to the normal-view web page. (Leica M8, Summilux 50 ASPH; iso 360; most shots taken at f4)
Hanewinckel Funeral at Arlington - Flash (Slideshow)
The same images, but rendered in Flash. Use this link to view them in a slideshow.
Held at the home of Ben and Margaret Peck - who have one of the most beautiful yards I have ever seen. It's obvious Ben and Margaret put an enormous amount of time and attention in maintaining it. Here are a few family images. (Leica M8, Summicron 28 ASPH, Summilux 50 ASPH)
Low Key's Final 2007 Performance
Low Key is one of James Madison University's acapella groups - and the one my son Jason is a member of. This was their last performance of the 2006-2007 school year. They rock! (Leica M8, Summicron 28 ASPH, Summilux 50 ASPH)
USAC - Washington Nationals' 2007 Season Opener
Some of us from work (USAC) took the afternoon off to watch the Nats bring in the 2007 baseball season. (Leica M8, Summilux 50 ASPH)
Nelson County World War II Remembrance
In January 2007, Nelson County, Virginia hosted a remembrance of its native sons who took part in World War II. Included were my dad and uncle - both of whom, in addition to being honored, also had speaking parts. (My dad, Walter Hughes, was in the 1st Marine Division and fought on Okinawa; my uncle, Berry Hughes, was in the 5th Marine Division and fought on Iwo Jima). (Leica M8, mostly Noctilux)
Thanksgiving at East Branch - 2006
This was my family - many of them, at least - during a wonderful Thanksgiving down at my parent's place in Nelson County. (Nikon D200, 28-70/2.8, 12-24/4, and 70-200/2.8 VR AFS Nikkors)
My older son Josh's graduation from George Mason University. (Nikon D70, 28-70/2.8 and 80-200/2.8 AFS Nikkors; B&W taken with Leica M7, 35 Summilux ASPH, Tri-X rated at 400 and developed in Xtol 1:1)
This is a slideshow (Quicktime format) of the 2004 USAC summer retreat (note that it is about 12mb - those of you not on a high-bandwidth connection beware). If you don't already have Quicktime it is available as a free download from Apple Free Quicktime Download. (Nikon D70, 28-70/2.8 and 80-200/2.8 AFS Nikkors)