Color Pack

I took this shot during the Women's Liberty Classic in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. The race is over 50 miles long and each lap takes a long time to complete.
Knowing the bikers would pass by me in a certain pattern, I set my aperture at a shallow depth to isolate a few bikers, composed the background to remove some distracting elements and fired away.
Because I was so close to the action I was able to get a nice perspective of the action while including a large part of the field. The bright colors of the different teams were really strong thanks to the bright sunshine.

Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4.0L
@200mm, f4.0, shutter-1/800 sec, ISO-50
[click photo to enlarge]

Two Sheep

I am really happy with how this photo turned out. There seems to be a sense of balance and calm with the positioning of the two young sheep and the thick grass and flowers. I waited for a while to get an interesting look from the sheep as I watched them from behind a fence.
I was very happy with the rich colors which came from the bright but overcast lighting. The 'ring' lighting around the frame of the left sheep really helps it stand out and gives a sort of warm glow to the image.
This photo was taken the same day as this other sheep photo although I think the colors in this shot are much better.

Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4.0L
@159mm, f/9.0, shutter-1/25, ISO-50
[click photo to enlarge]

Museum Steps

This should be a familiar sight to anyone who has visited Philadelphia. This is the view from inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art once you come in through the main entrance.
I tried to convey the sense of size and open space in this image by using the widest possible focal length. Also by using a relatively low shutter speed, I was able to add some motion blur to some of the people in the frame in order to create a more active shot.
On a side note I was really impressed with how the 5D exposed this complex lighting situation (with the numerous dark and different degrees of light areas).

Canon 5D, 24-70 f/2.8L
@24mm, f/3.5, shutter-1/10, ISO-1000
[click photo to enlarge]

Still Leaf

I took this photo on the banks of the Schuylkil river where it winds through Valley Forge National Park. I used a longer exposure so that the small ripples around the stones were captured in a softer way. The result is an almost 'shrink wrapped' or plastic look to the image.
The leaf in the middle shows the stillness of the scene as you can see it balancing delicately on the surface of the water. Also the water is still enough that you can make out the reflection of the leaf and the surrounding tree branches as well.

Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4.0L
@163mm, f32.0, shutter-0.6 sec, ISO-50
[click photo to enlarge]

Three Windows

I took this photo at Hopewell Furnace State Park which is located near French Creek State Park in Southeast Pennsylvania.
I like the look of this old barn and how the three windows were each similar but different in their placement. By converting th RAW image to monochrome and then applying a sepia filter, I tried to make the photo look as old as the barn.
Also I was happy with how the black and white made the peeling paint and the texture of the roof tiles stand out more.

Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4.0L
@118mm, f32.0, shutter-1/15, ISO-50
[click photo to enlarge]