A dot Hoglen

Recent Landscapes

2011-11-06T00:29:00.001-04:00

I've been in the mood to shoot as of late, so the only things really at my disposal due to work schedules are landscapes. Let me know what you think and constructive/destructive criticism is appreciated! Full res pics are located on my Flickr.

Bridge to Nowhere Series:

This one is my personal favorite of the set. I like the transition from warm yellows and oranges to blues.

Finally a shot of the house late at night. The house is back lit with a streetlight about half way up the driveway and this is about the only angle I can get that does not include the storage buildings. I'll be shooting more from a different location on the property in the near future when the skies are clear.

(I know, I posted this earlier)

Once again, thank you for your support and comments. They are appreciated!

-a

Greeville Zoo and HollyWild Animal Park

2011-10-25T00:15:00.001-04:00

Just some more animals in cages.

Colobus Monkey

Thanks for looking! Leave some feedback!

-a

Trip to Asheville

2011-10-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

Took a little trip up to Asheville to get some time away from the house.

Grey Wolf @ WNC Nature Center

Red Fox @ WNC Nature Center

Barn Owl @ WNC Nature Center

Progress Energy's Lake Jullian Plant

Bonsai @ NC Arboritum

Hadien and I

Thanks for looking!

-a

October Update

2011-10-24T23:51:00.001-04:00

No uploads in September. I did however have a birthday which went over without ripple in the space-time continuum.

Haiden is growing up too fast. I've noticed that her sentence structure is coming along nicely. It's almost like I don't hear her correctly. I totally expect broken sentences and get completely formed statements. It is weird. She still has a bit of trouble differentiateng between "me" and "you". Instead of saying "Pick me up." she says" Daddy, pick you up.".

Fair enough. She's got time to work on it.

More pictures!

Driveway chalk makes good makeup and is exponentially cheaper

A trip to the flea market

Dinner out on the town. Main Course, Lemon Wedge

Riding a swing thing at the park

Us at the zoo

More swings

View from the backyard at the new house

Thanks for checking in!

-a

Announcement

2011-10-24T23:04:00.001-04:00

Well just as you thought, "Could this guy post more kid pics?" , I can only announce that there will be more to come. Deal with it!

Brasstown Falls, Oconee County SC

2011-10-24T23:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't had a lot of time to get out and do some proper (or as close as I ever get) landscape work. I found this place a while back and it's withing 20 min of the house.

Brasstown Falls (approx)

Anyhow, these are a few shots from the upper and mid falls portions. I have yet to find a good way to haul all my stuff to the lower falls sections. If you ever want to go shooting here, hit me up and we'll get something together!

Upper Falls (5min exp)

Thanks for looking and leave me some love!

-a

PS-

Special thanks to my assistant on these shots!

August!!

2011-10-24T22:06:00.001-04:00

Just a catch-up on August. This pretty much par for me. October is almost over and I'm posting from August. Oh well!

A trip to the zoo with Aunt Kelly

Abusing the statues

Riding a contraption

In-house Nail Salon

Thanks for looking

-a

2011 July - August (current)

2011-08-29T05:45:00.000-04:00

Alas, I am caught up with the exception of a few more focused posts, which will come here shortly.

PICSORGTFO!

July

New Ride

August

Tractor Operator

Some Flowers

Same Picture but tried a little something different with the Post Processing

And so it begins....

Your Inbox is full

Fun time

The Neighbor's Steak

Motive Beef

Marty Hugs

Mooo

Mischievous

Nice cow

Master of the treats

Alright, hopefully I'll have time to update some more posts tomorrow.

Thanks for looking and leave some feedback!

-a

2011 April - June

2011-08-29T02:26:00.000-04:00

Once again an update from the past. I'm pretty sure I'm defeating the purpose of a blog if all my updates are anything but current news. Oh well...

On to the pics!

April

We got a contract on a house. Just had a lot of pictures from the Inspection. You get a picture of where you can poop if you come to visit.

May

Reflections

June

Haiden turned 2 this month.. Time is flying by.

A day at the Park

Hard at work

Weathered

Thanks for looking and leave some comments!

-a

GA Aquarium

2011-08-29T02:08:00.000-04:00

Oh man, if you have not been to this place... It is a must see. We are now Annual Pass holders because it is one of those places that you cannot take it all in, in one visit. I would say to try to go on a non-busy day but those do not happen here. Every single person traveling to Atlanta, it seems, goes here and just wonders around in awe.

Some tips for visiting the GA Aquarium (or any aquarium for that matter):
-Be ready to deal with crowds
-Bring $$. It seems expensive, but realize the cost of maintaining such a large facility and keeping all the animals healthy.
-Be courteous. Being nice goes a long way. Maybe it is a regional thing but you can almost tell when someone is from the South at places like this. There is a lot of non-verbal communication. A subtle head nod or smile goes a long way when dealing with others in such mass quantity. There are many instances of poorly trained children running a muck here. Understand that it is most likely the result of poorly trained parents. Also, some people are just rude. Let them have their way and venture on ahead of you. Places like this are better viewed at your leisure anyways (and if you are lucky a penguin might figure out a way to crap on them over the glass wall).
-Learn your camera. If you are taking pictures through a glass wall, realize that your pop-up flash will render all your pictures worthless, unless you just like looking a picture that resembles something like what you'd see if you went outside at noon and looked straight at the Sun.
-Get the nachos. Probably the best buy here the GA Aquarium's Diner. They put basically anything you want on them and if I remember correctly, they set you back about $4.50.

On to some Pics!

This first shot is something special to me. When I saw the light from the porthole I decided I needed this picture. Then when I saw the replay in the camera I got excited because I knew I nailed it, or at least I hoped. It was almost like waiting for Christmas to get home and throw it on the big screen. I am more than happy with it and as of right now, it is my favorite picture of Dawn and Haiden. I hope you like it. (oh and that is a Whale Shark just to give some perspective to the shot)

More portholes (and a Manta Ray)!

Sea Turtles are friendly

Something something six million gallons....

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment!

-a

2011 January - March

2011-08-29T01:27:00.000-04:00

Since I'm running behind a month or eight I'll just break these up into manageable sessions. These Pictures are a few of my favorites from January through March of 2011. Feel free to explore the rest of my photos at my Flickr page.

JANUARY

Fire Brigade

A part of my real job is being part of the Station's Fire Brigade. These are a few pictures from our Annual Training at Gaston College in Gastonia, NC.

A little Barnum & Bailey Action

FEBRUARY

Old School Toys

Snow Days

Bad hair @ 14mm!

Baby Kisses

A long neck

Stand Off

Running into the Sun

Black Glass

MARCH

Ultra Macro

(I know it does not look like much but this little guy was about 2.5mm across. This was shot on my 105mm macro with a tube)

Hey Goat!

So Big!

Thanks for looking and I hope to hear from you. Leave some comments or shoot me an Email!

-a

A Plug

2011-08-29T00:52:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to plug a website that has really taken me to "the next level" with what I am doing here. They have motivated me to get better and become more creative with what I am doing. I cannot say that I have been able to learn more anywhere else; from any book, magazine or website than I have from the Guys and Gals over at NEW SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

I certainly hope I have not peaked because I'm not happy with where I am at with my camera work (photography seems like a pretentious word) but wherever I am going and where I have come from in the last two years could not have been accomplished without their help.

So, if you'd like to join a community of photo geeks and have a little fun at the same time, come over to newschoolofphotography.

I'd also like to say a public "Thanks!" to Ben Jacobsen who owns/runs/maintains the website and is a great Photographer. You can check out his personal website HERE.

Thanks Again for everything Guys!

It's 2011 already?

2011-08-29T00:41:00.000-04:00

Well it's been like 8 or 9 months since I've posted anything. Life has been hectic to say the least and from this vantage point it's not going to slow down any time soon.

I have been shooting and if you look at my Flickr I'm uploading about once a month. Moving at the speed of sound huh?

As far as personal things go, we've bought a new house outside the bustling metropolis of Westminster, SC.. A stone's throw to Georgia. It's nice little place with lots of wood paneling.

It's like a wood bathtub right?

Speaking of bathtubs, Check out this behemoth IN THE MASTER BEDROOM! (It's like a honeymoon suite in Gatlinburg, TN)

Oh, another acquisition has been a tractor! We've got about 12 acres to keep up with so a push mower was not going to cut it. It has been a steep learning curve, but I've still not managed to mangle or kill myself or anyone else... Yet. Amazingly enough I do not have a picture of it. I'll see about fixing that at some point in the future.

There is more stuff that will be coming out later, so keep tuned!

Keeping with it

2010-12-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say that I'm on and off with this photo stuff and a lot of it is due to the nature of my schedule and the fact that coming home from work involves a 4 hr drive. With that on it's way out I hope to be shooting lots more and expanding and adding depth to the content of my portfolio. So after the first of the year if there is anything you'd like some help with or to just go out shooting, by all means, let me know!

Just a little something new from me!

-a.hoglen

Motivation via Text

2010-12-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

Well it seems as some people do read this and I got a helpful nudge from someone (Thanks Issac!) tonight. Apparently they were tired of looking at the same pictures on the top post! I really do need to post more seeing that I do spend quite a bit of time just staring blankly at the Internet.

I've had a little bit of time off over the past 2 weeks. Some of it was burning off vacation/holiday time I would loose this year and some of it was getting things ready to go in out upcoming move.

In case you didn't know we'll be leaving the Charleston area at the end of this year and permanently locating somewhere west of Greenville, SC. For the time being I am renting until we find the right house to get in to. This will also give Dawn a chance to make a smooth transition into unemployment get to know the area and get our house rented out in Charleston.

So, during my time off I have been spending a lot of time with the family and trying to make up for a lot of lost time. I've been cooking a lot of dinner and chasing the baby around. She's 18 months old now and is a handful to keep up with. This next little smattering is what we've been into.

We went to Bee City Petting Zoo in Cottageville, SC

(Yes, she's petting an alligator)

Checking out the natives

The grocery store is also a racetrack

We read before bed on most nights

More wheel time

Still need a little practice. If you can't tell, I'm being run over here

"Oh no! It's the cops!"

Getting ready for "Night Night"

A little bit of playtime at the mall food court, or as I like to call it, "The Germ Factory"

I couldn't decide between "Get in the chopppaaahh!" or "It crashed because it was named Firefox."

"This is the last time I pick up a hitch hiker... He will not shut up!"

"Put these in the dishwasher. I was using them to beat the dogs."

Thank goodess for bokeh... (I think very few people will get this)

Happy Holidays and we'd love to hear from you!

-a.hoglen

Strange Leaf Effects

2010-11-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

I was out in my Dad's yard the other day checking out the last of the leaves. I'm not sure what it is about his Sugar Maples. but they seem to hold their color about 2 weeks longer than everything else.

I took this shot with my Sigma 50mm @f1.4 on my D700 coupled with a 20mm extension tube. This gave it a ridiculously thin DOF and to me makes it look like the leaf is sitting on water (weird bokeh).

Anyways, Just thought I'd share!

-a.hoglen

Turtle Trouble

2010-11-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

I was out scouting a few areas for leaves and other shoots for the winter and spring. I was on an access road for Lake Hartwell when I came across this little guy. He appeared to be out enjoying the remaining warmth of the season as he was basking in a sun beam in the road.

I've got a soft spot for these guys because avoiding traffic is impossible for them. When you move at a pace of 1 foot per minute a simple road crossing is a huge risk.

Luckily we happened upon each other and in exchange for a few shots, I moved him to a safer location in the sun. Hopefully he made it somewhere safe for the Winter.

I named him Zippy.

Back away from the shell

After a bit of shell scratching he came around

On the move!

Thanks for looking a leave me some comments!

-a.hoglen

A little bit of the last of Fall color

SC Coastal Carolina Fair

2010-11-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

I had the weekend off and decided that we ere $50 too rich, so we decided to take a quick trip over to The Coastal Carolina Fair held at the Ladson Fairgrounds near Charleston. So off we went!

I've been wanting to get some night time fair shots for a long time but with a 17 mont old en tow, we opted for a daytime visit. Maybe next Fall!

On to some Pics!

I love Bovine Photography

Another cow

Mmmm... Cow boogers!

(Insert silly Adam Sandler voice) "Hey Goat!"

Thanks for looking!

-a.hoglen

Halloween

2010-11-06T17:49:00.001-04:00

Well it was that time of year where the ghouls and goblins made it out and about... OK, maybe they were just kids wanting some free candy.

This was the first year that we were able to take Haiden out Trick or Treating. We had her dressed up as a super cute little lady bug.

She seemed to get the hang of it after about 5 or 6 houses although we were never able to get her to say the magic words. Maybe next year.

Well this is a photo blog, so on to the pics!

Playing in the Yard

We also dressed up Marty

Baby Jail

Trick or Treat!

Thanks for stopping by!

-a.hoglen

Brushing the "teefs" after some candy

First Colors of Fall

2010-10-21T14:01:00.002-04:00

Well it's here. October is here and at this point, almost past. This is probobly my favorite time of year. I am originally from Asheville, NC and this is the time of year where you wake up in the morning and see a touch of frost on the ground and your breath in the air. This is also when the leaves change their colors and depart for the season.

WNC is famous for it's Fall colors. The roads get crowded with tourists and sometimes getting around is a hassle, especially when when you are trying to get to some of the same places that they are headed. This is why you have to get up early and hope the weather cooperates with your agenda.

This little trip I was lucky to enlist the company of my sister, Kelly. She actually got up a little before me and got me out of bed. We were out of my Dad's place by 4:45 in the morning which is well before those Florida plates start becoming a fixture on mountain roads.

I really enjoy hanging out with my sister. She makes the time go by a little faster and we always have a few good laughs. She was a trooper this day. At our first stop it was brisk to say the least and the wind moving in a hasty fashion. We were able to squeeze a few star shots in as we looked over Asheville on our way West into Haywood County.

These were taken on Sunday, October 17th. By my gross estimation the peak of the season will be this following week and the week after. We will see.

On to some pics!

Looking East over Asheville from the Blue Ridge Parkway:

Starfields:

Looking back over Asheville:

More Starfields:

Morning Light into Waynesville, NC:

Waynesville from The BRP:

Haywood County:

Morning Fog:

The colors start to show:

It's sad that this happens to trees, but it does make for interesting pictures:

Another dead tree:

On the way back to the house we also ran it to some vertically challenged horses:

This horse happened to be of normal stature:

Well, I think that is about it for right now. I'll continue to try to keep this updated as much as I can stand. :)

I hope everyone enjoys the season. Get out and enjoy it!

(Thanks for coming along Kelly!)

-a.hoglen

Introspective?

2010-10-02T02:43:00.000-04:00

I guess this may come off as something resembling a rant, but it is not. This is simply a statement about me and what I do with my time vs what I see a lot of other people around me doing.

As most of you know it is Fall. I get excited about things like cool mornings and evenings, frost on the ground and the colors of the season. Maybe I'm weird because most of the people I'm around on a day to day basis complain about those same things. They get excited about one singular thing... Football. The complete spectrum from kids leagues to the pros is covered in 80% of their conversations. Even when they are not talking about real football games the subject matter is about the new wave of "Fantasy Football" leagues (which equates to Dungeons and Dragons with football stats sans the 10 sided die).

Anyways, I'm not really knocking these guys but I continually ask myself "What do they do that is productive outside of their normal jobs?" It seems that every waking minute outside of work is spent watching games, 12+ hours a day on weekends, and a few hours of Sports Center on regular days. That's a lot of time spent living vicariously through the TV set.

I guess I'm an elitist. I guess I don't quite fit the mold. All my time away from my normal job is spent trying to be with my family and enjoying what little time I have with them right now. When I can't do that I spend time at my hobby which is Photography. Sometimes on a good day I get to combine the two subjects into a single event which really makes me happy.

There is a lot that goes into the current age of photography. A lot of time is spent getting to locations, setting up and looking through the glass. That is the physical part of the craft. A lot more time is spent behind a computer screen not only editing, but uploading and posting to forums so that you can get feedback from your peers. Then another part is doing your research. You have to look at what other people are doing, how they are doing it and then adding your own flair so that you, yourself can progress. There is a lot of work that goes into it.

At the end of the day.. I don't have a fresh twenty dollar bill in my pocket for picking the spread on the local team and I don't have conversation content about how I'm benching Favre for someone who will actually add to my manta pool (I think I'm mixing games... same concept, whatever). What I do have is a product.. Something I'm proud of. Something I'll put out there to get torn to shreds just so I can go back and recompose and make it more perfect. I'll have something that I can say is mine but I'd love to share it with everyone else.

This is what I do. I hope that you can understand.

-a.hoglen

Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 Mug Review

2010-09-29T23:03:00.001-04:00

Well I finally bit the bullet and found somewhere that shipped one of these things to my doorstep for $25. (Here). It took about 2.5 weeks, was mailed from Hong Kong and labeled as toys to evade taxes.

So far so good. The 1st gens I saw were OK but a lot was left to be desired. They had plastic inserts and leaked a fair amount. The finish was shiny and the labeling was no where close to the real Nikon lens.

I finally saw the new 3rd generation version and a few pics from the website and with the reduction to $25 shipped I decided to order.

I want to give my impressions of this and a few tech specs that aren't really mentioned anywhere that I could find. I'll put the pictures at the end of the post.

Q: Does it actually hold liquid?
A: Yes, quite well I might add. My version has a stainless steel liner.

Q: Does it leak?
A: Not so far. The lens cap is threaded and has a silicone gasket on the underside where it meets the lip of the cup. I put water in it ans shook it around for a bit and nothing leaked out.

Q: How long will it keep coffee hot?
A: I am actually finishing up running my test on it right now. I started out with 180F water in a 72F room with the lid off. It has taken 29 minutes to reach 125F which is still acceptable for hot beverages.

Q: How much does it hold?
A: About 12 oz with room to spare at the top. This will get you into a "Tall" beverage at Starbucks.

Q: Does it attract attention?
A: The baristas at my local Sbux got a kick out of it. I have yet to take it to work with me. Hopefully I can get it through security with no issues.

Q: How does it compare to the real deal?
A: As far as aesthetics are concerned, it's pretty darn close. There are little things here and there and the finish isn't quite right but these are things you wouldn't notice at all unless you've spent a fair amount of time with a real 24-70mm. You'd be hard pressed to pick one from another at 5 ft. Look at the pictures below to judge for yourself.

Q: Does it mount to a body?
A: No, I tried.

Q: Does the end cap come off?
A: Yes. I am afraid of loosing mine so I might be epoxying mine on later.

Q: Do the switches and zoom rings work?
A: No. Not on my model. I have seen copies that did zoom and the M/A switch worked but they were the lower quality finishes. Not something I had to have. I'd rather have a higher quality finish than a zoom function.

Q: Would you buy it again?
A: In short, Yes.

Anyways, if you have more questions, ASK! I hope this helped and I can only say good things about the company I ordered through. Their order process was quick and painless and I got Email replies withing 24 hrs when I asked questions.

I really think Nikon and Canon are really missing out on something by not producing these things themselves.

On to the pics!

(See it is hard to tell!)

A Little Different

2010-09-21T17:10:00.000-04:00

Just a little something different than my normal. Let me know what you think.

Large version can be found HERE.

Thanks!
-a.hoglen

Riverbanks Zoo

2010-09-21T02:53:00.001-04:00

We took a little day trip up to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC a few weeks back.

Riverbanks is pretty nice and a great way to spend a day looking at animals and enjoying the outdoors. We mainly like it because it's half price with our Charleston Aquarium membership. So for about $13 all 3 of us get in. I'm sure you could get meals and drinks for the day and only be out another $30 or so. So, not too horrible.

Anyways, I just wanted to share a few pictures. Enjoy!

Colorful Bird

Lizard

Lion

Elephants

Primates

Toucans

Bears

Monkeys on a Merry-Go-Round

Feeding Goats

Milk?!

Running around

Giraffe Lunch

Well I hope you enjoyed them! Leave me a comment!

-a.hoglen

15 Months

2010-09-21T02:35:00.002-04:00

Where did all the time go? Haiden is 15 months old now. That's about 60 weeks or 450 days. It is amazing that time has gone so fast. It also makes me sad that I've had to miss so much of it because of work.

If I could give advice to anyone considering taking a job that requires you to live somewhere else, no matter for how long, how far or how often you'd be able to make it back, DON'T! It's simply not worth it. Any extra money I've made has been lost in commuting and struggling to make up for lost time by throwing money at issues. That's the minor part. I have missed so much in her growth and development. There isn't a price that you could attach to that.

We've recently set up so that we can video conference about once a day. Haiden seems to get a kick out of it for a few minutes and I like the fact that I can see her on a more daily basis. But overall it's not the same.

Anyways, enough of me moping about with all my issues. On to some facts. Haiden can say a few words now. Included in this list are mama, daaadda, doggies, more, milk, nanas, yuck and mess. I'm sure there are a few more that I've missed. She's up and climbing on stuff and gradually learning how to let herself down off of things. She's starting to walk a lot faster and kind of run. She's not great at turning and that has led to a few bumps and falls. We might have to home school her (ref:Jim Brewer).

The last Dr's appointment she was weighing in at about 25.5 pounds and growing out of her 24 month clothes.

All and all things are happening fast and it seems like I'm stuck on the sidelines getting blown by. I'm hoping to spend a lot more time with her and Dawn in the next few months and once they get moved up here never ever decide to be a professional commuter.

On to a few new pictures:

New Hat? (Just Click for a bigger version)

On the Couch watching The Lawrence Welk Show

Tube Dreams

The Last Drop

Pretty Cute

Up Close and Personal

Let me know what you think and enjoy the seasonal transition into Fall!

-a.hoglen

Katie and Gavin

2010-09-04T21:58:00.001-04:00

I had the opportunity a while back to do an Engagement/Save-the-Date shoot with Katie and Gavin. We decided to hit up Mt. Pleasant early on a Saturday morning. We first shot along the docks on Shem Creek and behind Vickerys. We then ran down the road and took a few shots outside of Mike's Bikes before we melted in the hot summer sun.

I really appreciate the fact that I was given the chance to get these done for them. They are a beautiful couple and I'm sure will have beautiful little girls and handsome young lumberjacks (beard joke) one day!

You can find the whole set HERE.

It was hard for me not to post all of these. It was a fun time and I wish Katie and Gavin nothing but the best in their upcoming wedding in New Mexico and future lives together!

-a.hoglen

Just for a little fun!

Best New Music of 2010?

2010-09-04T21:19:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share my favorite new addition to my auditory collection. Mumford and Sons .

Every song on their new record "Sigh No More" makes me happy. I guess there is a lot to be said for that. Go ahead and check out their website and YouTube Channel. May I also recommend their Book Store Sessions on YouTube?

If anyone is looking for gift suggestions, how about some tickets to any of the Atlanta, Knoxville or Nashville shows. :P

-a.hoglen

The Boys

2010-08-30T22:02:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to put something up about some guys that have been through a lot in the last 2 years.

We ended up putting them out of the house in Charleston because of the baby and now they have been spending a lot of time on the road with me since I've gotten up in the Upstate.

Marty was a gift from my sister. He is a Lab/Golden mix. He was the smallest puppy in the litter and he was white. He was so cute. It's rough watching him grow up and now old. He's got some bad hips and can't get in the truck by himself any more. He lived with me in Virginia then had to stay with my Dad while I lived in CA. He's been by my side ever since i got back on the "Right" Coast.

Wriggly got picked up from the pound when he was about 5 weeks old. I'd told Dawn we could get another dog when we got our house because she said Buster would die (he's still kicking and just as mean and cranky as ever). They people at the rescue said he'd probably be about 45-50 lbs. Three years later he's 95 pounds of drool and farts.

Anyways, they can't read and don't understand what I say but I'm glad to have them. They've endured a year of riding back and fourth between here and Charleston about twice a week and get hardly any attention because we spend all our time with Haiden.

I just wanted to say "Thanks for being my friends!"

-a.hoglen

Pickens Flea Market

2010-08-30T11:49:00.003-04:00

I think that I have an affinity for junk. I'm not like a hoarder or anything, I just like to see what some people are willing to throw away but at the same time attach a price tag to it. It's the same concept of antiques.

I love flea markets. I like the people that go to them. I like the interactions between the people there. I even like the guy with booth that isn't selling anything other than his chance to preach that the country is falling in on it's self with any sort of change. It's all part of the experience.

You'd better have cash. Small bills too because these people "Don't make change!". I'm sure every person out there could find something that they want or need. I try to stay away from vendors there. They somehow manage to get their hands on unopened over the counter medication and "As Seen on TV" merchandise. You don't need any of that.

You also need to get there early. Skip breakfast. You can find it there. I try to get there a little before 7am. I park the truck and start walking the rows. I usually start fiending for a cup of coffee at about 7:15 or so. Not to worry! You can either go to a concession stand or just wait for the snack cart (a modified golf cart) to come to you. For about a dollar you can get a hot cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Don't go overboard because there is more food to come.

I wander about in a precise manner. I make sure I get to every booth and try to glance at everything. This isn't like Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart if you need an oil filter for a 2000 F-250 you know you need to head to the automotive section. At the flea market you might find that oil filter in a box of Barbie Doll parts labeled as Aristocrat Vodka. My point being that you have to thorough with your scanning.

You'll find some gems out there and might even make a friend or two. A smile and some conversation goes a long way. The more of that you do the lower prices become. Being rude or insulting might double the price.

Looking for some entertainment? Head toward the middle of the mass and you'll find a covered tent with about 10-15 extremely aged old men and women belting out mostly bluegrass and gospel music on guitars, banjos, harmonicas and a washtub bass. If you are real luck there will be a guy there with a pig on a rope that will let you pet it. He's a good pig.

When it's all said and done, you've seen everything. Time to go, right? Not yet. Time for second breakfast or brunch as some people call it. Head over to the taco truck for some delicious eats. These places may have gotten a bad rap a while back for sub-standard cleanliness, but the ones I've been to lately are spotless. You might have to endure some communication barriers, but as long as you keep your smile on things will work out. I usually get a few tacos and a Mexican soda. Can't go wrong with Sangria Soda.

When it's all said and done it's probably somewhere around 10:30 and you've got the rest of the day to enjoy your new acquisitions.

-a.hoglen

Cole and Landon

2010-08-29T15:07:00.001-04:00

I had the opportunity to get together with some old high school friends while I was up in Asheville to get some pictures of their kids. We managed to get some pretty good light under the trees at Carrier Park near the French Broad River at around 3pm.

These guys were awesome! They were cousins. Landon had just celebrated his first birthday and Cole was 3 as he told me in one of the photos. We had a good time and I think these turned out pretty well. I'm going to post a few of my favorites but here is a LINK to the rest.

For most of these I had a 70-200VR or my 35 1.8(in FX!) mounted to my D700.

Thanks for looking and feel free to check out the whole set!

-a.hoglen

Bele Chere Concerts

2010-08-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Yes, another post about Bele Chere 2010.

I had the chance to get out on Saturday evening of Bele Chere and shoot a few concerts. I'll have the names of the bands listed before each groups of shots.

Pretty much all of these were shot with my D700 and 70-200mm VR lens at higher ISOs. It's a wonderful combination for these types of events.

Pretty much everything else I have to say about Bele Chere is Good Friends, Good Beer, Good Music and Good Fun.

Town Mountain

Bomshel

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Thanks Again for Reading/Viewing! Leave some comments and check in often!

-a.hoglen

Keowee Keys Fire

2010-08-28T15:14:00.000-04:00

I happened upon this fire in near Salem, SC one night a few weeks ago. I saw it as a valuable opportunity to get some photos of real firefighters in action.

This building was a maintenance building for the Keowee Keys Housing Community.No one was injured as the fire occurred at around 11:30pm and the building was unoccupied.

I would like to include a few notes about these shots:

-Take notice of the 2 500 gallon fuel tanks on the front side of the building. The Fire Dept did an excellent job of ensuring that these tanks remained cool and untouched by the fire.

-I did not interfere with any of the Fire Dept's response, control or extinguishment of the fire. It is very important in situations like this to remain as transparent as possible.

-These shots are excellent representations of what the D700 can do with proper post-processing technique in very low light situations.

Thanks for looking! These photos were used on all the local morning news channels and made front page on 1 of the local papers.

-a.hoglen

Bele Chere Auto X

2010-08-28T14:55:00.001-04:00

I finally made it back to Asheville, NC to one of my favorite events, Bele Chere. It is a local street festival filled with food, music, arts and of course Auto Cross!

The event is sponsored and put on each year by Highlands Sports Car Club. This year was a little different though. The city has outsourced the planning for Bele Chere and hence funding was cut for the event. The City of Asheville did not provide funding nor a police presence. The club however, with the dedication of the members, managed to scrounge up the funding to allow the race to happen.

The event went off without a hitch and a total of 76 racers were able to live out their dreams of legally driving like a maniac on public streets(South Charlotte Street to be exact). Here is a LINK to the results page.

The complete set can be found here: 2010 Bele Chere Auto X

Here are a few of my favorites:

Thanks for looking. If you are interested in checking these types of events out for yourself or even competing to show your mad skills check out SCCA.ORG for local club information.

-a.hoglen

Some Cooking Shots

2010-08-28T13:57:00.001-04:00

I had this neighbor at my Newry apartment who was a graduating Food Science Major at Clemson University. He stole my Internet and in trade I got some delicious food on the regular. Pretty good trade off if you ask me. These are just a few pictures of some stuff he made for us one evening. Enjoy!

Davis in Action

Sweet Potato Souffle (1)

Sweet Potato Souffle (2)

Fried Pork Chops (1)

Fried Pork Chops (2)

All and all it was an excellent evening and meal. Many thanks to Davis Jager!

-a.hoglen

Beginnings

2010-08-28T10:34:00.002-04:00

We all have to start somewhere. Where and when we start is dependent upon many things but mostly our motivation.

I started out messing around with cameras when I got into the Navy. I wanted to be able to document my travels and exploits. I wanted to have pictures to show my grandchildren as I bored them to death with stories of days of old. I wanted to have proof that I actually did something I guess.

Anyways, I started taking a lot of pictures with my P&S cameras. I think a lot of them were with a Sony Mavica (borrowed from Dad) that stored pictures directly to a 1.44 MB 3.5" Floppy disc. 1.3 MPs of neato! There was only so much that you could squeeze out of that thing and you looked like an idiot using it.

At some point I decided I'd like to have a nicer P&S. I picked up a Fuji S3100 that had some manual controls felt nice and was fairly compact for the features it offered. I used that camera for most of the time I was on board the USS Ronald Reagan.

We went around South America hitting up Rio de Janerio Brazil, The Straights of Magellan, Chile and Peru. It was a blast. I have a lot of snap shots from then, a lot of memories.

I started to look at a lot of what I was shooting and considered it to be OK stuff. I was able to look at something and capture it. Pretty straight forward. I was able to understand what different manual settings on my camera could do for me and was pushing those to their limits. It was a good time until I started becoming frustrated with those limits.

At some point in 2005 the Navy ended up giving me a bonus, back-pay or was it a tax return? I forget, but I had decided that I wanted a Digital SLR. I had been playing around with my parent's old Nikon film SLR and was happy with the results I was getting.

There were a few drawbacks:
-No instant feedback. I had to wait to get the film developed.
-No AF. My wrists were getting tired turning the focus rings (:))
-Film and developing was getting expensive. I was averaging about a roll a day.

Anyways, I went to the local camera shop and messed around with a Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70s. Those were the only ones in my price range. The Canon felt like a toy. I don't think that anyone will argue with me that the 1st generation Digital Rebels were built like toys. This is what really drove me to the Nikon line. Plus, all my old "legacy" lenses would work with the system. BONUS!

I was quite happy. I took pics of everything. I left the camera in manual all the time and learned as much as I could. I even realized that no flash is so much better than the pop up flash on the camera.

At this point I had a Nikon D70s, Nikkor 18-70, Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and Kalimar 35-135mm. Pretty decent setup for a hack like myself.

So I kept on shooting. I kept this setup for a while. I shot as much as I could but somewhere around 2007 I stopped shooting for about a year. My camera lived in the camera bag which lived in the trunk of my car. It only saw the light day when I'd clean my car up. I was just busy with work and really un-motivated.

Fast forward a few years and throw a baby into the mix. I realized if I wanted to be happy with the shots I was taking I was going to better utilize my gear. For what I had been shooting my setup was great but now in low light and fast paced kid stuff I was behind the 8-ball. I decided I'd spend a little money and upgrade my bodies and start looking for some better glass.

I ended up starting out with a D300 and a few more lenses. I started shopping and came across some good deals. I could buy groups of used stuff and keep what I want. I would re-distribute the rest to proper forums and make a little cash to make up what I had spent. Pretty good system.

I now have a D300 and D700 with a lot of higher quality glass. So now I have no excuse other than lack of ability.

I try to at least pick up my camera every day. I try to take the best shot I can. I am very critical of my own shots. I look for details that could make me better. I know that I will never be the best at everything.

I usually keep my Flickr up to date with the newest stuff. Add me as a contact!

-a.hoglen

Haiden

2010-08-28T09:46:00.001-04:00

I found out that we were having a kid on October 3rd 2008. It seems like yesterday.

Things went pretty fast. It didn't help that I had decided to get out of the Navy, find a job 3 hrs away and manage all the other day to day frustrations and craziness. Dawn did wonderfully. She really took care of herself and always put the baby's health first. I don't know that I could have the same dedication to it as she has. I mean really, I have to give up beer?

Well round about mid-June things started to fall into place. It seemed like she was at the Dr's office every day and they kept saying "any minute". Of course, I got all this information second hand via my cell phone. I was off at work 3 hrs away hoping that if something did happen I would be able to make it back in time.

On Friday, June 19th I got back home from work in Charlotte. Dawn had a list of things that we needed to get done and she was wanting to get out of the house for a little bit. My mother had come down to look over things(Thanks Momma!), but you know how things go. A little tension and some misplaced silverware... Nevermind. But she needed to get out.

She started getting more frequent contractions and decided it was time for us to go home. We tried to eat some dinner and Dawn decided she'd go take a bath. It was about 15 minutes later that she decided we needed to get to the hospital because she was getting uncomfortable.

We got to the hospital and everything went much smoother than planned. Dawn was on the fence about medication, but at around midnight she decided that everything would be better with it. Things calmed down for a bit with continual Nurse checks and the occasional Dr poking around. The professionals decided to start everything at about 5:45am. There was none of the movie dramatics. Dawn did very well and was able to do everything the Drs and Nurses wanted her to do.

At about 6:30am we had Haiden. It was something that we'd been wating for. All the worry was over. Everything went perfectly. From a 3rd person perspective it was a non-event. It was a routine medical procedure that went as planned. For us it was something that would change everything.

My family was able to be there for us. My Mom and Sister were already in town and my Dad and Kay were there by 11am form Asheville.

Looking back on it from over a year in the future, it is the happiest day in my life. I had no idea at the time how much it would change the things around me and change me. The older she gets, the more I love and care about her and the more important this day is to me.

-a.hoglen

Well, This is the Beginning

2010-08-28T09:10:00.001-04:00

I have finally decided to start a blog. I'm not sure if I'll stick with it but I'll try real hard. OK?

My name is Alan Hoglen and I am an Amateur Photographer. Go ahead, Click the link.

I describe myself as that because I do not do this as an occupation. I do it mostly for fun and enjoyment.

If you want to know details about my Equipment I'll be happy to answer. I might even post about it. But it really changes week to week. For the most part I shoot Nikon. I don't believe them to be overall superior to other manufacturers but Nikon has failed to dissapoint and has really worked for me. I enjoy the system and equipment selection.

You'll pretty much find me with a camera bag or one strapped around my neck everywhere I go. I take pictures of things I find interesting. If I am commisioned to do some work I will ensure I do everything I can do to meet the client's desires while also meeting my own personal standards.

I enjoy all aspects of photography. I enjoy the technology, the equipment, the getting out and actually taking pictures and even the hours ofpost processing behind a computer screen. If at any time I get to the point where this is not fun, I will stop taking pictures.

I hope that everyone enjoys the blog and takes everything I say with a grain of salt.

-A.hoglen