Fall Fun Fest, Chapter Three: Halloween Edition

Posted on October 31, 2014 by garbergeektography

Halloween is one of our favorite days of the year. It’s like a DragonCon that everyone attends! We’ve been saving up some creepy and Halloween related photos for today, taken with a variety of techniques. Hope you enjoy!

Here are a few from the Gwinnett County Fair that we’ve been holding onto for a creepy day:

A beautiful, partly cloudy day for the happy clown.

The creepy clown gets sleepy a little later in the day.

Sunset brings out the somber tones in these clowns.

The next week, we attended Historic Oakland Cemetery‘s Spirit of Oakland special tour. It was a lot of fun, with costumed actors playing the roles of some of the more famous people buried at Oakland.

Apparently, whoever this character is, a bullet to the eye precipitated his burial at Historic Oakland Cemetery.

This was one of the tour assistants. They were all dressed in old-timey garb. I was happy to catch him in a moment of reflection.

We are rarely at the cemetery in the evening, so I took advantage of the timing to light-paint one of my favorite mausoleums.

The following night, we went to Corn Dawgs corn maze. It was a great place to do some more light painting and long exposure photography and try to catch the creepy spirit of the season.

I took this one from the top of one of the stands overlooking the corn field. I had to wait for people to walk through the maze with their flashlight in order to capture the spirits.

“The Phantom Michelle.” This was a fun combination of three different photos to get different elements into the picture. If was hilarious to see the other attendees reactions to Michelle walking back and forth with a red spotlight under her face through the corn maze.

The next week took us to Owl-O-Ween in Kennesaw. I had a lot of fun trying to capture the fire dancers, something I’d like to do more of in the future.

I was able to practice some rear-sync flash techniques while doing a long exposure to capture the trail of the flame.

I channeled my inner street photographer to capture this ice sculptor in the process of fashioning an owl. I had to go with an old-school Fujifilm-type processing on this one.

Have a safe, happy, and tolerably creepy Halloween!!

Banshee Michelle in Honor of the Constantine Premiere Tonight

Posted on October 24, 2014 by garbergeektography

Banshee Michelle in honor of the premiere of Constantine tonight! More fall fun fest material coming soon! This was taken at the Corn Dawgs corn maze in Loganville, GA.

2014 Fall Fun Fest Chronicles Chapter Two: Conasauga Falls and Family Photo Shoot

Posted on October 17, 2014 by garbergeektography

Some crazy fun chaos on a blanket!

The Fall 2014 adventures of Garber Geektography continued last weekend with a family shoot and a “quick” two mile hike. We started off the weekend with a fun shoot with our friends Carra and Brian at Alexander Park in Gwinnett County, GA. The light was great to work with in the fields of tall grass. It was a crazy fun shoot, since Carra and Brian have one-year old twins, a toddler, and a four-year-old. They have such a great family.

Walking towards the sunset.

The deceptively easy trail.

We spent most of the weekend indoors with my family cheering on Duke, Baylor, and Texas A&M. Yes, that is an eclectic mix. Our cousin, David Helton, plays linebacker for Duke, so there is one connection. I graduated from Baylor, and, oh my, was that a great comeback, or what? My sister and her husband are Aggies, so we pulled for them despite the loss.

A detail shot of the Falls that Michelle directed. We had to put up one camera since it isn’t weather sealed.

On our way home from the Knoxville area, we stopped off at Conasauga Falls for what we thought was going to be quick two-mile, in-and-back hike. The first part of the hike was deceptively easy, with a gradual downhill slope and some switchbacks.

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The cascades of Conasauga Falls with some hints of autumn color.

The golden light at the end of the tunnel?

It got a little more slippery as we approached the falls at the bottom. But the hike was definitely worth it when we got there.

Of course, we need to remember that when you hike down to the bottom of the falls, it means you need to hike back up. We stopped along the way for a few shots to catch our breath. One lesson we learned is that when the hiking trail fairies provide you with walking sticks, you should take them up on their offer. It might have lessened the burden.

On the way back up, Michelle pointed out the cool textures in these wooden waves.

Waves in the wood.

When Vocation and Avocation Meet

Posted on October 14, 2014 by garbergeektography

Various work opportunities this past summer led me to some pretty awesome photography experiences. I’ll be blogging some retrospectives about those in the next few months as Michelle and I prepare for even more adventures. In the meantime, I wanted to share this month’s edition of Tableaux, the Mercer University‘s McAfee School of Theology magazine. This month’s theme was “Leaders in Research, Leaders in Service,” and it chronicles many of the activities of the students and faculty at McAfee from this past year. It also features a lot of my photography from trips to India and Israel. I love what Lesley-Ann Hix did with the layout and design of this issue! Special thanks also to Barrett Owen (editor-in-chief) and Kate Riney (managing editor) for inviting me to publish the photos and column for this issue. I have a brief column about my experiences in Jerusalem, as well .

2014 Garber Geektography Fall Fun Fest Chronicles: Chapter 1 “How about ‘dem Apples?”

Posted on October 10, 2014 by garbergeektography

In the middle of grading and writing, we did find some time to escape last weekend for our favorite season of the year. Our first stop was at Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia, to get our annual supply of apples. It was a bright, sunny day, which made for some harsh lighting conditions, but I was able to get a couple of environmental shots. I love how the winding paths on the hillside drive you through the whole orchard. We also found out that our favorite apple is the mutsu, or crispin.

Mercier Orchards in October

I was also grateful to have my Lee Seven5 polariser in my bag to bring out the sky in this shot:

Mercier Orchards in early October

Having come home with a plentiful harvest, we rested up for the next day’s adventures, which included getting Sargon back into the groove of agility training at the Canine Ranch.

Sargon’s motivation for training is his tennis ball. Really, it is a quite unhealthy obsession.

We also ran into his pal, Beauregard, training on the A-frame.

Beau strutting his stuff.

We ended the day with Sunday in the Park at Historic Oakland Cemetery. We were overjoyed to learn that I took first and second places in color in the photo contest, and Michelle took second in black and white! The mausoleums were open, so I played with some HDR while we were there.

Mystical mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

They also had a car show there, and Michelle captured this emaciated passenger. A cool, spooky shot to get us ready for later in the month.

Whew, I’m famished!

What are your plans for a great Fall weekend?

Fall is coming …

Posted on October 3, 2014 by garbergeektography

While out exploring a photo location, we came across this first sign of Fall in Atlanta. Looking forward to posting more Fall outdoorsy goodness in the weeks to come!

Is it weird to like hanging out in a cemetery?

Posted on September 29, 2014 by garbergeektography

We went to one of our new favorite places last night, Oakland Cemetery, to turn in four images for their photo contest in conjunction with next week’s Sunday in the Park. It sounds like a lot of fun with a Victorian street art festival and a costume contest. We’ll be there! Who else might come?

We’ll also be going to one of their “Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours” later in the month as part of our 2014 Fall Fun Fest.

Here are the four photos we entered into the contest:

“An Angel gets Her Wings,” one of Dave’s entries.

Dave’s second entry, “Pensive Glow.”

Michelle loves “Light and Shadow!”

She also adores texture. This is her second entry, “Doorway to the Unknown.”

It’s Finally Fall!

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Michelle Garber

Happy Autumn everyone! My favorite season is finally here, and to celebrate, we present you with some fun fall photos. First up is one of my favorite pictures, inspired by Karen Hutton and taken in Chattanooga at Rock City.

My photo of the Rock City swinging bridge. I have a metal print of this hanging in my office that allows me to escape every day.

I confess—I have a fascination with bridges. And doorways. And fences. And with bends in the river and turns in the road. I enjoy the in-between-ness of the space, exploring boundaries and transitions.

The “Flying Dragon” fruit (Poncirus trifoliata) becomes golden in the Fall and hangs out near the bell tower at Historic Oakland Cemetery.

Maybe that’s why I love the Fall and Spring seasons so much. Standing at a threshold, my imagination engages, and I find myself drawn to both mystery and possibility. In these moments, I see the promise of adventure and the potential for newness and transformation. In capturing the moment on camera, I hope to give color, shadow, and form to the liminality.

Dave’s shot of our crop of apples from Mercier Orchards last Fall.

How will you embrace the mystery and possibility this Fall? What are your favorite spaces, places, and activities?

Dave’s shot of a sunburst at Uncle Shuck’s Corn Maze from last year. We hang a canvas wrap of this print above our mantle every year to usher in the season.

Dave’s note: If you are looking to decorate for Autumn, prints of the above images are available. Just click on the photo!

Who’s Watching Gotham Tonight? Five Reasons we are Tuning In

Posted on September 22, 2014 by garbergeektography

A cosplayer from DragonCon 2014 reenacts the classic pose from the end of Batman’s story in the Nolan films.

Since we are known around our stomping grounds as consultants on geek culture, several folks have asked us whether or not we are tuning in to watch Gotham tonight on FOX. Of course we are! We will give most comic book shows a chance, and we are rather partial to the Bat-verse. Michelle’s favorite character, after all, is Batgirl. But why tune in to another interpretation of the Batman mythology?

I wonder how long it will take for the Joker and Harley to come in and steal the show? Great cosplayers from the DragonCon 2014 parade.

1. We are suckers for an origin story, and while Gotham starts out with the classic origin of Bruce Wayne, I’m hopeful that the show will not center around him. Rather, it looks like we will get to see some intriguing beginnings of Catwoman, Penguin, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Commissioner Gordon, and perhaps even the Joker. The character I’m most looking forward to, actually, is the

It’s never a good thing to see Harvey Dent and Oswald Cobblepot conspiring in a hotel. From DragonCon 2014.

Penguin, a crime boss whom I have never cared for in any television series or movie. The trailers of Robin Lord Taylor’s performance as the character, though, are diabolical and amazing.

Gotham’s Selina Kyle will be a bit younger this time around.

2. Because of the main character, Gotham itself. That’s right, the city is one of the main characters of the show, and I’m very intrigued with how they will approach it in this series.

Wait, the Riddler wasn’t in the Nolan trilogy, was he? A quick shot at the Marriott during DragonCon 2014

3. Because Batman is far less interesting than the characters around him. A lot of folks are wondering how a Batman show can succeed without Batman. If you watch the Nolan films, however, the only one that is really about Batman is Batman Begins. You get to learn about his origin and training there, and most of the pieces of his psychology are there. When you get to The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, though, the real show belongs to the Joker, Bane, and Catwoman.

Catwoman blows a kiss to an unidentified paramour at the DragonCon 2014 parade.

4. Because of the potential for strong women characters. If they are indeed taking cues from Greg Rucka’s Gotham Central series, then they are pulling from a writer who has a great track record of strong female characters who are more than foils for their male counterparts. And since Bruce Wayne is only twelve or so, maybe–just maybe–every female character in this show will not have a crush on him (that’s right, I’m looking at you, Arrow). I was very excited to learn that one of my favorite characters, Renee Montoya, was going to be a part of the crew. I just question where they will go with her story, hmmmm.

5. Because we want more Harley Quinn than just a cameo from Amanda Waller’s jail (we jest, Arrow, we jest). That’s right! More Harley Quinn you DC TV gurus! :-).

Sailor Joker agrees. There is always a need for more Harley. Taken at the Atlanta Aquarium during DragonCon 2014.

You See, but you Do Not Observe: Why I love Sherlock and Macro Photography

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Michelle Garber

Last year in the early morning at the Grand Canyon, this tree sap caught my eye.

I adore Sherlock Holmes. Truly. I fell in love with the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a child and then, later, the BBC television show starring Bendedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I continue to be intrigued and captivated by both the mysteries themselves and the secret of Sherlock’s power of observation.

A cool device used to point out the different geographical elements at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I was drawn to the textures of the brass, as well as the initials carved on the sides.

Of course, as Sherlock would state in no uncertain terms to his friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson, there is no “secret.” Shortly after meeting Sherlock, John Watson, the reader/viewer’s entry point into Sherlock’s world, admits his consternation and delight in Sherlock’s abilities. Watson then grants the audience access to Sherlock’s thoughts and echoes the question we all have at some point—how does he do it? Holmes, in response to Watson’s query, responds, “You see, but you do not observe.” Huh. Ok. But what does that mean? Continue reading →