Merry Christmas Eve

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 100

Dear Santa...

1. Canon 1Ds Mark III
2. Mac Pro with 30" Cinema Display
3. European Photo Tour

Oh yeah, and Peace on Earth!

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/4.5, ISO 100

Photowalking Salt Lake City - Tonight!

The next Photowalking Salt Lake City event is tonight. The group will be meeting at 5:15 pm for a visit to the Christmas light displays in and around Salt Lake City's Temple Square. Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of skill.

For more information and details, check out my previous post or the Photowalking Salt Lake City Flickr group.

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 10 seconds, f/22, ISO 100

Welcome to December

As 20th century crooner Andy Williams once said, "It's the most wonderful time of the year".

If you don't tend to believe Bryan's story about our recent trip to the North Pole to photograph Santa, then let me offer up a different (slightly less sensational) version of the how the photos came to be.

This gentleman is a semi-retired CPA who truly enjoys his resemblance to Jolly Ol' Saint Nick. So much so, in fact, that he refuses to take payment for portraying the Christmas icon. He does it out of the love of bringing joy to children (his words). When we (Michelle and I) approached him about doing some modeling for us, he readily accepted. In exchange for a few 8x10's, he spent some time with us in front of the camera letting me shoot him for my stock portfolio (here is a link to the full set from the shoot).

Of all the people I have photographed this year, he was one of the most enjoyable.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/100 second, f/10, ISO 100

Digital Photography: Ten Things I Am Thankful For

What's a Thanksgiving blog post without a cheesy list of things we are thankful about. Here is a quick list of ten things in digital photography that I am thankful for:

1. Flash memory and hard drive space is cheap
2. Nikon and Canon are neck-and-neck competitors
3. Internet Distribution
4. Photoshop CS3 on a Mac
5. Pictureline and Wasatch Photographic being local
6. Great models always willing to help
7. iStockphoto
8. Knowing Kenneth Linge
9. Mpix's $9.75 overnight shipping
10. The wonderful people that take time to read this blog

As for today's image, I'm thankful that turkeys taste better than they look. Please enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday.

Canon 30D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/250 second, f/5, ISO 100

The Most Secret Place on Earth

Note from Rich: Today's post is written by my good friend and fellow blogger Bryan Catherman. Bryan is a very talented writer and a fun guy to hang out with. Be sure to check out his blog, The Hopeless Writer, at www.bryancatherman.com.

Into the Most Secret Place On Earth
by Bryan Catherman

I’ve witnessed many spectacular things—NORAD, secret detainee holding camps, and other highly classified places—but nothing compares to where I went, and what I saw last month with my good friend, Rich Legg.

About six months ago, Rich Legg was contacted about doing a photo shoot. That in itself was nothing out of the ordinary given the popularity of his website and the broad range of his work. However, the subject matter and the stipulations were nothing he’d ever dealt with before. He was allowed to select one assistant, and after considering my background, he selected me over many of his talented photographer friends.

From there, we completed the necessary paperwork, provided blood samples, and underwent a detailed background check. Rich’s immunization record wasn’t as up to date as mine, so Rich also received a Polio vaccination, as well as the six-shot series for Anthrax. Then we waited. We were on the short list, being reviewed for the job.

Rich didn’t let himself get too excited. He’d been through this before when he was being considered to photograph Suri Cruise. “Don’t get your hopes up,” he’d say, “that way you won’t feel let down when we don’t get it. Trust me; I learned my lesson when I didn’t get the Cruise gig.”

But I couldn’t stop thinking about Ralph Plaisted. Plaisted was the last American to visit the most secret place on earth with his unauthorized entry on April 19, 1968; a day that changed is life.

On October 7th, we were selected for the job and on October 19th, we arrived at the private jet terminal of the Salt Lake City International Airport. Before us was a small, overpowered jet painted stark white. The windows were limo tinted and the aircraft was free of any other markings. No tail number, no warning or caution markers near the engines, nothing.

A brutish man with a stock face took our gear. He informed us that from this point, we were allowed no photography equipment, no recording devices, no GPS tracking systems, no paper, and no writing instruments. He confiscated our cell phones and for some reason, he took the electric keyfob from my key ring. “You’ll be given back your camera at the photo shoot,” he said to Rich. Something in his voice intimated me. I’ve looked into the faces of some evil men, terrorists and killers, but this man—a man who couldn’t possibly stand taller than five feet—scared the hell out of me.

I quickly realized that the terrifying little man that took our stuff was also our flight attendant. He served us a plate of cookie snacks. I had coffee and Rich had milk, and then the man disappeared. We never saw the pilots and the area of the plane where we were seated had no windows. As I listened to the engines roar, I started to wonder what I had let Rich get me into.



When the door of the jet opened, the cold blast instantly snapped at my face. It must have been 50 degrees below zero.

Then two young girls boarded the plane. Or I thought they were young girls; my mind was hazy at this point. They each carried a parka, a hat, and sun goggles. “You’ll need this stuff if you’re de-boarding the aircraft,” one of them said to me.

Stepping off the jet, I looked to the right and left. In all directions was nothing but snow and ice like a great white ocean. Looking behind me, I could barely see the plane except for the tinted windows.

Moments later, a toboggan being pulled by two caribou arrived. “Welcome to the North Pole,” said its driver, a three and a half foot cheerful man. He explained that we’d have to wear blindfolds until we entered the compound and we agreed.

As the sled came to a stop, I could hear signing and laughing. The sounds were confirmed when the man removed our blindfolds. Neither Rich or I could form words, but the reflection in our eyes said it all.

Before us was the biggest, brightest factory I’ve ever seen. Little people moved about like bees in a hive. Large gears turned and steam spewed from tall pipes. Conveyer belts moved toy after toy past us. The factory that surrounded us was alive.

“Come this way,” said the driver. “He wants the photos taken in his private residence.”

“This is amazing,” said Rich.

“Oh, this, right,” said the man. “I guess working here day in and day out you tend to forget. We don’t get many guests up here. Come on. This way, please.”

I had no idea how to address the big man, but when he firmly shook my hand, he said, “Hi, I’m Santa Clause, but some people call me Kris Kringle or St. Nicholas. What ever you’re comfortable with is fine by me.” He nodded. “This is my wife, Mrs. Clause.” His voice was like warm syrup and his smile like a child’s innocent giggle.

Handcrafted furniture filled his living room as the wood-burning stove packed the space with warmth. On a desk in the corner were little flags—the flags of the entire world. A large King James Bible rested on his coffee table. One end of the couch was near a small end table, and on the table were a candle lamp, some knitting needles, yarn, and a Beverly Lewis book with a red bookmark. I think it was The Brethren, but I couldn’t be sure. Three books sat on the other end table: Blue Like Jazz, The Kite Runner, and a title written in French.

Rich and Santa chatted about the photo shoot for a moment and then Rich instructed me to unpack the gear. (The equipment arrived unnoticed while I was meeting Santa and his wife.) We didn’t know what the photos were for and nobody ever told us, but for the next twenty minutes, Rich snapped photo after photo. I held a big disk and reflected light. At one point I held two flash mechanisms and pointed them as Rich showed me. Snap, flash, snap. I think Rich must have captured 400 photos.

Then, as we were packing up, Mrs. Clause served us sweet sugar cookies and hot chocolate. Santa retreated into his study and emerged with two wrapped gifts and a copy of Letters From the Front Lines. “Bryan,” he said to me, “war is the devil’s play and I’m sorry you had to visit his playground. Please thank every veteran you know, for me.” Then he handed me the book. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind signing it for me?”

“Brave Rifles, Santa. Brave Rifles!”

And as fast as we had arrived, we were escorted out. I don’t remember the flight home, other than the time I spent staring at the small Christmas gift Santa gave me. The box was wrapped in gold paper and a small hand-tied bow stuck up from the top. “Don’t open this until Christmas Morn’,” he said. At one point, I looked to Rich, who was staring at his gift, larger than the one Santa gave to me.

“Rich,” I asked, “how will anybody believe we were really there?”

His reply: “Don’t worry, I’ve got the photos to prove it.”

The Scene of the Crime

Since October 31st is the Halloween holiday in the United States, I dug into the archives to find a fitting image for today's post. This stock shot was suggested a while back from friend (and blog reader) Scott. It has had a good sales run over the last two months on iStockphoto.com.

Have a safe time trick or treating tonight.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

Fly Over

A Utah Air National Guard KC-135 captured in the act of a celebratory fly over at an Independence Day event in Riverton, Utah.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/5000 second, f/4, ISO 100

The End of the Fourth

Happy 5th of July.

I made this capture last night from a friend's hillside home. Looking down on the valley gave a different perspective on the firework shows than I am used to.

The shot is not as sharp as I would prefer (due to camera shake) and I had to apply a bit of aggressive sharpening to the image. The cause of the camera movement was the deck full of people I was shooting from. Anytime someone moved, it caused a slight shake in the deck - just enough to mess with the shot.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L with 1.4x extender - 10 seconds, f/9, ISO 100

Born on the 4th of July

President John Adams nearly got it right. He predicted that we would be celebrating the 2nd of July as our national birthday.

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

(Quoted from a letter John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776)

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 4 seconds, f/4, ISO 100

Memorial Day

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/320 second, f/9, ISO 100

Red, White, Blue and Green

If you're in the US, enjoy your three-day-weekend!

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/500 second, f/4, ISO 100

The Empty Tomb

"But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."

Mark 16:4 (NIV)

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens - 1/15 second, f/4, ISO 160

Presidents Day

Today is Presidents Day in the U.S. so I selected this capture of a bald eagle in honor of the occasion. Why the bird? The bald eagle is prominently displayed as a symbol of freedom on the Seal of the President of the United States. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Enjoy your day off.

Canon 30D, Canon Canon 70-200 f/4L lens with 1.4 extender - 1/800 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

Groundhog Day

In recognition of this being Groundhog day, meet Philip, my daughter's Groundhog.

From Wikipedia:

"Groundhog Day is a traditional festival celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2. It is a cross-quarter day, midway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox.

In traditional weather lore, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is bright and clear, it will be frightened and run back into its hole, and the winter will continue for six more weeks."

Happy New Year

Since this year's somewhat underwhelming New Year's Eve events involved a pizza, Ice Age 2 and a Nintendo Wii; here is a shot from last year's festivities. If you can't tell, this is a capture of a firecracker in the act of exploding.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And Days of Old Long Past

(Ziggy celebrates his Scottish heritage with a traditional song this New Year's Eve)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Happy New Year!

One Last Christmas Post (I promise)

(Warning: Proud parent bias ahead)

I told myself that I wasn't going to post anymore Christmas photos after yesterday's entry, but I'm amending that decision to say that this will be the last Christmas shot of the year.

Frequent viewers will no doubt recognize my angelic daughter Elisabeth, but this time she is donning more than her usual perceived halo and wings- she is wearing an actual set. This capture was made at our church's annual Christmas Eve service in which my daughters each had a part in the play. It was a wonderful service. Special props go out to regular LeggNet's Digital Capture reader Ricci who directed the play. It takes a special person to step up and donate their time and energy during this hectic season of year. Ricci is one of these people. Thanks Ricci!

Coming tomorrow: Not a Christmas picture, I promise :)

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

-Rich

Just One Day 'til Christmas

Main Street Plaza, Salt Lake City

Hey, two days before Christmas so why not a Saturday post?

This capture is of downtown Salt Lake City on the Main Street Plaza. I opted for a shot from behind the Nativity Scene to show the hustle & bustle of the people and the busy-ness of the whole scene at Temple Square.

Again, Merry Christmas!

The Table is Set

The Table is Set, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

Happy Thanksgiving

Berry Eater, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

To those in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day with friends, family, turkey, pies & football.

14 Catalogs

14 Catalogs, originally uploaded by LeggNet.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"

Yes, the over-commercialized holiday season is upon us. In just one day's mail delivery last week we received fourteen catalogs. I can't imagine the expense that these companies incur in producing, printing and mailing these full color works.

Would these be considered "Snail-Mail-Spam?