It works perfectly securing the camera or the lens. The only issue I have with it is the fact that it is too versatile for what I need. The BH-40 was designed to be a tripod ball head. It is designed to adjust on any axis.

The problem with the monopod is that I really didn’t need that kind of flexibility. What I really need is a smaller head with forward/aft adjustments. The other axis is easily adjusted by leaning the monopod rather than adjusting the ball head and trying to keep the monopod perpendicular.

The BH-40 ball head is larger and heavier than what I need for a monopod. Reluctantly I began searching for a monopod head to replace the ball head. I should note that in no way am I unsatisfied with the quality or workings of the BH-40. On the contrary, it is so good that I am now planning to replace my tripod with a new one just so that I can use the BH-40.

As I began searching for a new monopod head I again turned my attention to one of my favorite photography accessory vendors. I went to the Really Right Stuff web site to see if perchance they made a head specifically for monopods.

After perusing their web site I finally found what I was looking for, the MH-01. I say perusing the site not because it is hard to find things there. Rather there is so much good information that I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time reading.

The web site not only has product information but also contains several articles about choosing the right ball head, tripod, camera plates etc. This information should not be overlooked as it gives the reader a very good idea of what they really need and more importantly offers suggestions for accessories or configurations you may not have thought of.

After going through the various configurations I settled on the MH-01 LR with B2 AS II Clamp. I selected this particular configuration, as I liked the idea of having a quick release clamp with the monopod head.

Most of time when I am shooting with the tripod I am doing so at sporting events. When I have to change cameras or lenses I like the idea of just pulling a quick release rather than rotating a knob to remove the camera from the head.

I am usually doing this by touch and since the fore/aft adjustment is already a knob I didn’t really want to confuse the two knobs during a shoot. It’s more personal preference than anything. On the BH-40 ball head I went with the B2-Pro II clamp because I wanted the security of a knob for keeping the camera attached to the head.

The great thing about Really Right Stuff is that no matter which one you choose it is easily adapted to another clamp with just one Allen screw. So if I decide later that I really like the knob configuration of the clamp I can interchange it with the BH-40 to give me the setup I want.

The MH-01 Monopod Head is of the same high quality as the other Really Right Stuff products. It is precisely machined to very tight tolerances. From a user’s perspective it feels well built and works just as you would expect.

With the cost of digital SLR cameras and lenses the last thing I wanted was to trust a cheap ball head to secure my equipment. With Really Right Stuff that is never a concern. The clamps and the head are secure and remain so in almost any condition.

The knobs and adjustments are easy to grasp and turn even when wearing gloves during cold weather. This is especially helpful when in the field and you need to make a quick adjustment to capture the shot.

Overall I have been extremely impressed with the MH-01 and would gladly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a monopod head that will securely hold your camera equipment. It’s manufactured to the highest quality making it a piece of equipment that will last a lifetime. This may very well be the only monopod head you will ever buy.

Nikon has continuously been developing their software and web presence to add value to their product line. This coupled with their Nikon Schools educational arm provides a wealth of information on just on cameras but on camera techniques.

Today I received an email introducing another educational opportunity available. Nikon has developed an iPhone App called Nikon Learn & Explore. This free app provides access to articles and information from the Nikon educational archives.

The interface to the app is well laid out. You can select information by image with a matrix of photos displayed. Selecting a photo thumbnail displays a larger version of the picture as you would expect.

From there you can click on Info to get information about the photo including photographer name. You can also select View Article, which will show the article from Nikon World magazine that featured the photo. Where applicable there are also videos about the photo or the article.

Next to the Image tag on the main screen is a learn icon that provides Insights & Techniques including imaging editing, shooting techniques, and fundamentals of photography. These lessons are well done and very helpful.

The Nikon World magazine is a valuable tool and the app provides digital access to the information separated by issue.

The app is like having a desk reference and photography teacher right at your fingertips. It is a great app with a good interface and invaluable information. For anyone interested in taking pictures whether you use a Nikon camera or not you will find valuable information contained within it.

After the film was developed, I would review the shots and pick out my favorites. The remainder of the pictures would go into a pile that would rarely be viewed again. There may be times where I might have a second set of images printed to send to parents or grandparents but mostly the pictures stayed in an envelope.

At some point my wife Trina decided to take up “scrapbooking”. She was going to take the hundreds or thousands of pictures we had taken in our lifetime and sort them assembling photo albums that could be looked at by friends and family.

The problem was that you had to be at the physical location of the pictures in order to enjoy looking at them. For parents and grandparents that meant that they rarely saw the pictures or if they did it was during a visit.

When digital pictures began to be prevalent, things substantially changed. The photographer had immediate feedback to determine whether the picture turned out or not. The number of pictures you could take was dependant on the size of your camera’s memory card.

With the continual reduction to the price of memory, camera photo cards became very inexpensive and hence people began taking a lot more pictures. Initially the digital pictures suffered from the same problem as their film counterparts. They were stored on a hard drive somewhere and rarely looked at.

As the Internet became more pervasive it became easier for people to keep in touch through email, social media sites, and via web sites. Before long people wanted to share their photos with others who were not necessarily close.

One such program that facilitated the sharing of photos was JAlbum. This software allows you to create on-line photo albums that can then be uploaded to a web site where anyone can view them.

JAlbum is written in Java and has been ported to several platforms including Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS X. This makes it extremely valuable since it will run on any standard operating system the person may have.

Creating an online album is relatively simple with JAlbum. You simply select the images you want to include to decide where you want the album to be saved. JAlbum offers the ability to modify the look and feel of the album by using one of several themes or skins.

These skins modify the overall look of the photo album while keeping your pictures the same. There are skins that look like wedding albums, birthdays, and several color and sizes to give your album a unique look and feel.

Once you have decided on a skin and identified the photos that should be included in the album, the software allows you to generate the photo album. The software then creates the pages with the appropriate HTML and CSS values to produce a finished photo book.

You can provide JAlbum with the address of your web site and it can automatically update your web site with the new photos or if you don’t have your own web space the software can assist you with finding a place to host your photo album.

The software also allows you to share your album with other JAlbum users creating a photography community where you can find others who share your passion for photography or inspire you to create new and exciting pictures.

JAlbum is maintained with new versions coming quite regularly. The software updates are fairly simple to install and activate new software features. I use JAlbum quite often when I need to publish photos.

Two of the more popular online albums are Dakota’s soccer pictures and My Scrapbook. Now with JAlbum my pictures are no longer banished to a box or hard drive but are being shared with family and friends.

This week her assignment dealt with strobe lighting and flash photography. When these assignments come up it usually results in a sit down meeting between the two of us where I am responsible for figuring out the technical aspects of the shoot while she lays out the artistic side.

It works out surprisingly well. I am able to impart to her some of the technical details I have found through years of trial and error and she provides me creative ideas that I would never have thought of on my own. This assignment though was a bit more difficult than either of us planned.

When I first bought my Nikon D200 and subsequent D300 cameras one of the selling points was that they could be used to trigger Nikon SB-600 and SB-800 flash units. I remember wondering to myself when I would ever need such a capability. Well, that question was just answered.

Remote flash triggering is not something I make a habit of using in most everyday photography and therefore that kind of thing doesn’t just roll off your head as to how it is accomplished. Luckily, I had tried this once before so I was aware of what needed to be set, I just didn’t remember exactly what I had to change.

A quick review of the Nikon D300 owner’s manual and the SB-800 flash assured me that what I was trying to accomplish was feasible but the details in the manuals were not exactly the easiest thing to follow.

There are two steps that need to be completed in order to correctly configure the equipment for remote wireless strobe. The first step is to set up the camera. While the settings differ with each model of camera, I will try to give you the correct settings for the Nikon D200 and D300 which is what I was using.

I decided I would use the on-camera built-in flash as the master flash unit that would trigger the other off-camera flashes. You could use a Nikon SB-800 as the master flash and this would be required if you are shooting with a Nikon D2, D2x, or D3 which do not have a built-in flash on the camera. For this example though I will stick to using the built-in pop-up flash.

On the back of the camera press the Menu button to display the main menu on the LCD screen. Move up or down to the set-up menu with the Pencil icon. Scroll down to the e Bracketing/Flash settings. Once there navigate to e3: Flash cntrl for Built-in Flash. Set the built-in flash to C Commander Mode. These instructions are the same whether you are using a Nikon D200 or a D300.

Commander mode basically sets the built-in flash as the master that will control the off-camera slave flash units. You can choose whether to use TTL, A, or M modes for the flash units. I set everything up for TTL since Nikon does a good job of metering. Within the D300 you can also adjust the flash power for the slave to increase or reduce flash power.

The next series of steps are done on the Nikon SB-800 or SB-600 flash unit. On the back of the flash, press the mode button until it displays TTL BL FP and other assorted data. This puts the flash unit into TTL mode which is the easiest mode to deal with at first.

Press and hold down the center selector button for approximately 3 seconds. The display on the flash unit will show a series of boxes. Using the selector button navigate to the box that shows two flashes with a couple of squiggly lines (yeah I know it sounds technical doesn’t it?)

Select that box with the select button and a series of choices will be displayed. Select REMOTE from among the choices. This choice will set the SB-800 as a remote slave wireless flash. Press and hold down the SEL button and the display on the flash will change to REMOTE. There will be two boxes, at the top is the Channel Box and at the bottom is the Group Box.

It is important that the flash be set for the same group and channel as you selected when setting the camera flash settings. The Nikon D200 and D300 will support one channel and four groups. If you want more than one channel you will need a wireless commander module to do that.

It should be noted that the built-in flash does need to be popped up in order for this to work. If you forget to pop-up the flash the camera will not remotely fire the other flashes. If you have set the channel and the group correctly on both the camera and flash, when you take a picture the built-in flash will fire as will all flash units set to be remote slaves on the same channel and group.

The Nikon SB-800 flash will remain in this mode even if it is turned off so don’t forget to reset the flash before attempting to use it on camera again. This has bitten me a couple of times so I figured I should mention it to save you the frustration.

An off-camera remote strobe allows you to get rather creative with your lighting. I like to use a flash behind the subject especially at hair level to give some additional highlights to the hair in a portrait. Positioning the flash off camera will also allow you to take some interesting shots with dramatic lighting effects.

You may find that this opens your creativity and gives you another tool in your photography arsenal. At a minimum it will get you through an assignment in a college level photo journalism class.

I have to admit; when I bought the monopod I inaccurately assumed it came with some type of head to mount the camera to it. When the monopod arrived you can imagine my surprise when I found that all it had was a threaded bolt at the top.

Of course I had procrastinated and waited until just before a soccer tournament before buying the monopod leaving myself relatively no time to get something that would work in time to cover the event. Even if I had all the time in the world I had no idea what I was looking for.

I began searching the Internet for information on heads that could be used with tripods and monopods. One manufacturer continued to be talked about with several positive reviews. That company was Really Right Stuff.

I went to their web site and after reading about all of their products I was still very confused as to what it was I actually needed. Fortunately they had a way to contact them. I immediately called and talked to one of their sales people.

The company was extremely helpful and after a brief conversation we determined that what I needed was a Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ballhead with a quick release lever. The BH-40 is their midrange ballhead and allows loads up to 18 pounds, which is perfect for what I was looking for to use with the monopod.

Although the product was currently out of stock they were expecting more in any day. As I hung up the phone I was feeling depressed that I had waited until the last minute and would not be able to get what I needed.

That depression was short lived though. About an hour later I received a call from Really Right Stuff and they were able to get the ballhead I needed and configured it with the appropriate clamps. They shipped the item priority and it arrived the day before the soccer tournament began.

Armed with the Gitzo GM3551 and the Really Right Stuff BH-40 I headed out to cover the soccer tournament with equipment I had never used before. That is normally a recipe for disaster but these two products were so intuitive that by the end of the first quarter of the first game I felt as though I had been using these products forever.

The ballhead worked flawlessly holding my Nikon D300 with the 80-400 lens securely to allow me to get the shots without fighting with hand holding the equipment. At the end of the two days of shooting I covered roughly eight games and yet my arm didn’t feel the strain I had experienced at previous events.

The BH-40 securely held the camera and lens leaving me free to worry about the creative process instead of the mechanical issues of camera shake. Perhaps the best endorsement I can give is the fact that I didn’t have to think about the ballhead. It blended into the background of my mind while I was shooting.
The quality of workmanship on this device is first rate. It will no doubt outlast all of the cameras and lenses that I have. It has found a place in my camera bag and is one of the few devices I won’t leave home without on the day of a shoot.

A big thanks to Really Right Stuff for not only providing a great product but awesome customer service. This is a company I plan on endorsing for a very long time. They are definitely near the top of my list for photography accessories.

Because I cannot always be as close to the action as I would like, it has become a necessity to use a long lens to properly capture the action. The problem with these longer lenses is that they can be quite heavy.

Weight is not the only issue though. Since we live in Arizona where summer temperatures are consistently above 110 degrees, many of the sporting events are played at night away from the hot sun. Nighttime events have their own set of challenges especially when it comes to lighting.

Most of the venues are inadequately lit for photography requiring the use of slow shutter speeds and wide-open lenses. This of course makes photography a challenge and requires adapting to the environment.

Hand-held photography is difficult with the large lenses and low shutter speeds. Typically you would use a tripod to overcome these issues but tripods are forbidden in most sports venues. For this reason I chose a monopod.

The monopod allows for stability of the lens and provides the necessary support to allow for slower shutter speeds required for lowlight shooting modes.

As I began researching monopods I was amazed to find how many models there were and the variety of selection. Before long I was fairly confused and frustrated as it seemed that every new article I read contradicted what I had just read previously.

I finally made a decision selecting the Gitzo GM3551 Series 3 monopod. I selected this monopod for several reasons. Perhaps the most important aspect of this particular model was the sturdiness of the monopod. It is able to support up to 39 pounds well past what I would need with even the largest of lenses.

The Gitzo GM3551 includes five leg segments, which are adjusted with a twisting action at each joint. The segments slide easily and when locked into place they are very secure even with a fully loaded camera and lens attached.

The height can be adjusted from a minimum of 21 inches to a maximum of 75 inches. This is a fairly wide range and gives me an opportunity to adjust the monopod to the proper height whether I am sitting, kneeling or standing. The height adjustment can be made with one hand allowing me to cradle the camera equipment while I adjust the monopod. This is extremely valuable when patrolling the sideline of an event.

The GM3551 is a carbon fiber monopod. I choose carbon fiber for two reasons. First, it does not get extremely hot when working in the daytime. This is especially important in Arizona where metal tripods and monopods can cause serious burns after a few hours in the sun. Secondly, the carbon fiber monopod is extremely light. When the camera and lens is already quite heavy you begin to find any way you can to make your equipment as light as possible.

I have had the Gitzo GM3551 for a couple of months now and have found it to be durable and dependable in the field. It has allowed me to get the shots needed regardless of the environment or the lighting. While it cannot magically make your pictures better, it does give you the support necessary to make your shots clearer.

A few years ago my family and I found ourselves visiting relatives in Idaho Falls during Independence Day. I fondly remember the activities of my youth with pioneer breakfasts, a parade that seemed larger than life, minor league baseball, and of course the fireworks. I was eager to share these memories with my children (they love when I reminisce about how difficult my childhood was and how I had to navigate snow drifts and fight grizzly bears when my father would not let me drive the covered wagon to school.
Like many smaller towns located in the heartland of America change comes slowly. I found that many of the traditional activities I had experienced in my youth were still alive and well some 30 years later. Not everything though was as I remembered. The parade seemed smaller and floats were not nearly as numerous. The pancakes at the pioneer breakfast didn’t have the same taste as I remembered and yet the crowds seemed much larger as an adult than they were when I was a kid. I have to admit, my childhood recollections took a beating that day as I realized that things are never as magical as you remember.
This disenchantment though was very short lived. As I drove my family back to my parents house I came across an amazing display of patriotism; the Title of Liberty Flag Display. Each year on the weekend before Independence Day the Title of Liberty organization organizes a flag march from the city center to a display field located on the western edge of town. Volunteers carry 1,776 flags and present them on a field where they remain through the middle of July. The sight of seeing American citizens young and old carry their country’s flag proudly is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives.
We were fortunate enough to be there for the inaugural flag march. It made an indelible mark on my family and was one of the highlights of our vacation. Since that time we have been fortunate enough to be in the area twice when the flags are being displayed.
This year we again made the trek from Arizona to Idaho arriving in Idaho Falls a couple of days before the Title of Liberty flag parade. We went and watched as these patriots carried the flags and we stood and cheered each one as they walked by. It was a sobering experience as each flag was placed around the field encompassing a large flag display in the center. Chairs were set up and a program was given telling the story of the flag and its importance. Additional programs are scheduled on Mondays and Fridays during the display covering such things as patriotism, the Pledge of Allegiance and other aspects of our country’s heritage.
During our stay I awoke early unable to sleep. As the sun began to rise I took a short drive to the flag display. I went there for a quiet place to contemplate but the beauty of this display was awe inspiring. I grabbed my camera and began shooting pictures hoping to capture the experience and the feeling I felt standing there among the flags. While the temperatures were in the low 40′s I was warmed by the fact that soldiers had fought for my right to be there that day and take in the freedoms I often times take for granted.
The experience I had was one I wanted to share with my family. A few days later I took my wife Trina to the display this time just before dark and she too felt overwhelmed by the emotions. We stood there shooting cameras until the final rays of sunlight dropped below the horizon. I’ve created a photo album of our experiences. I hope one of these images will touch you and help to remind you of how special it is to be part of this country. Perhaps you will take time to recognize the sacrifices that were made on our behalf and say thank you to those men and women who protect us every day.
As we were leaving that night we had the opportunity to meet the gentleman that was responsible for putting on this display. He was very passionate about these flags and it was fascinating to hear his story. Trina and I talked with him until it was quite dark. He gave us a copy of the proclamation he received from the mayor of Idaho Falls commending him for the display and expressing what it meant to the city and the citizens. We walked away with a new appreciation for what it took to make this display and a gratitude to be there to see it. Information on the Title of Liberty organization can be found on their web site.
So the next time you’re driving down the freeway worrying about whether you are making “good time” stop to think about the small towns such as Idaho Falls Idaho and perhaps make a stop. You never know when that short detour might result in a once in a lifetime experience that you and your family will cherish for their entire life.

Part of the problem with buying a bag over the Internet is that you never quite know how big it really is. I read the description of this bag but still did not have a clear vision of the size. I placed an order thinking I knew how big it was but when it arrived I was slightly stunned. This is by no means a small bag. It is large enough to require a waist belt and for good reason. The bag itself is capable of holding quite a lot of equipment. To give you an idea let me share with you what I had in the bag during my last assignment.
I was able to include a Nikon D300 camera with a Nikkor 80-400mm lens, a Nikon D200 camera with a Nikkor 18-200mm lens, a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 lens, two Nikon SB800 flash units, a Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 lens, a Gitzo GM3551 monopod (strapped to the outside), an assortment of batteries, filters, lens caps, cleaning supplies, 12 Compact Flash memory cards, an Apple MacBook Pro 15″, and the power cables and connections for the computer. All of this gear fit comfortably in the backpack. Once loaded it was by no means lightweight but I at least felt like the gear was protected and I could carry everything I needed in 1 bag.
The construction of the bag is first rate. The zippers are heavy duty and the velcro seems to be top notch. There are several adjustments that can be made to make the bag fit well. Fully loaded the weight seems to be distributed well so it was not overly painful to carry it. I would not want to hike for days with this on my back but over the course of several hours covering a soccer tournament it worked pretty well. The base is fairly square so it stands up on the ground pretty well. While I like the waist strap for carrying it, it does get in the way when you are not wearing the backpack. I wish there was a way of removing the waist strap but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be possible. Overall I like the idea, just be aware that it is pretty large so don’t be too surprised by the large box it is delivered in.

I already had a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8D ED Autofocus VR Zoom lens that I was using to try and capture the action on the soccer field. This is my favorite lens and works great especially in low light and high-speed action shots to freeze the ball and player. The problem was that it just wasn’t quite long enough to reach out and get that close up shot across the field. Since most of my shooting was as a parent with no possibility of making money I knew my options for a new lens was limited. I sat down to begin making a list of requirements and where I would be willing to make compromises to meet my needs in a cost effective manner.
From this exercise I established the following criteria:

• Minimum of 300mm length to capture action from a distance
• Total length of the lens must be less than 11 inches
• Width of lens must be less than 5.5 inches
• Lens should be sufficiently fast enough to shoot hand held
• Autofocus must be fast enough to capture moving players in game action
• Lens must be compatible with DX and full frame cameras
• Low light abilities would be preferred for shooting dusk and night games
• Lens must be Nikkor brand

Obviously a lens meeting the above capabilities is not possible so some of these criteria would not be met. Before deciding that though I should probably explain the why behind some of these statements. The 300mm length should be self-explanatory. Since a soccer field is larger than a football field and many tournaments quarantine photographers to a specific area it becomes necessary to have a long focal length to capture action that is occurring across the field.
The length and width of the lens at first might seem like strange requirements. The reason they are there are because some sporting venues such as MLB, NBA, and NFL stadiums are now cracking down on fans bringing “professional” cameras and lenses. After contacting the local teams and stadiums it seems that at least in Phoenix they have defined “professional” lens as being longer than 11 inches or having a lens opening larger than 5.5 inches. These measurements were devised to allow an usher to check equipment using a piece of paper. The lens can’t be longer than the paper or wider than half a sheet of paper. I know, it sounds random to me too but if I am getting a new lens I need to make sure I am able to use it in all venues.
Many stadiums also prohibit the use of tripods and monopods meaning that the lens must be able to be used as a handheld model and produce sufficient results. Since most of my shooting is sports action the autofocus motor needs to react quickly to make sure the subject is spot on focus. Many of the fields are poorly lit or have dark areas so a fast lens would take precedence over a slower one. I prefer the quality of the Nikkor lenses. I’ve had very good luck with the Nikon brand and want to continue to use them where possible. Finally I currently have a DX format camera but hope to move up to a full frame. I would prefer not to have to replace the lens when I make the camera switch.
Given the above criteria my choices quickly diminished to where the most logical selection was the Nikkor AF VR Zoom 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED lens. This was one of Nikon’s earliest VR lenses and provides the necessary length for me to reach action at long distance. The lens itself is fairly heavy weighing 48 ounces. The weight is both a blessing and curse. On the plus side its bulk provides a good balance to the camera itself. On the minus side, this lens on a Nikon D300 is HEAVY! This will take its toll on you after 4 or 5 games where you are holding it up all day.
The focusing motor is on the slow side and there have been times when the pictures were not in focus due to the motor not being able to adapt quick enough. It requires you to be a little more creative and plan the shot or at least the distance ahead of time on a breakaway. I would love to have had a slightly faster lens than f/4.5-5.6. I typically shoot at f/4 to get the necessary depth of field so having 1.5-2 f/stops more makes some of the shots seem a little cluttered due to the focusing plane. It’s not extremely bad but is not necessarily optimal.
I’ve taken this lens attached to a D300 camera to several events and in all cases it has passed through security without any question as to its length. Fortunately in this case the zoom mechanism changes the length of the lens so if I keep it at 80mm when going through security it is well within the 11 inch length limit. With a diameter of 3.6 inches that too makes it well within the rules. Some of the security personnel have commented on how nice the camera and lens were but none have complained that it was out of compliance.
The pictures produced with this lens have been very good and I have had several people comment on the quality and length. The action seems to come alive with the extreme focal length. This lens has definitely found a place in my bag when I am shooting action sports especially in daylight when the overall speed has less significance. In low light it does falter but with the noise reduction capabilities of the D300 bumping the ISO has resulted in successful pictures. If you have similar needs as I did I suggest looking at the Nikkor AF VR Zoom 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED lens.

As I was following Trina around yet another craft store looking at fabric, scrapbook supplies, and other things that I cannot even begin to describe; I came across a half created display. It showed a piece of canvas hardboard that I used to paint on during my art years before I moved to a stretched canvas. In the center of this canvas board was painted a purple square. I have no idea what the significance is for the purple square. In the upper right and lower left corners they had attached small picture frames showing a bride and groom. Over the purple square they had affixed vinyl lettering with a saying about love. It was a simple project and one I would probably never even given a second thought to. Something about it though intrigued me. My creative juices began to swirl in the mist and before long I was running around the store looking for various components I could use. Trina was relatively confused but had learned long ago to stay out of my path when I get in one of these moods. Before long I had a small basket filled with items. I began to explain to her what I was trying to do. She became extremely excited and started her own quest for just the right things to bring my vision to reality. After we got all of the supplies we left the store extremely excited. There were just a couple of things missing. I needed a few photographs. Some of these would need to be retrieved from my parents’ house but some of them I still needed to create. I waited for the sun to go down to provide just the right lighting and we set out to see if I could capture the image I had in mind. I spent the next few hours travelling from location to location trying to find just the right composition. Finally in the final moments of daylight I got the shot I was looking for. Now all I needed was to have it printed. This was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. It seems that there are very few places in this small town to have a picture larger than 8×10 printed. I needed an 11×16 print but ultimately had to settle for an 11×14. We waited patiently as the custom lab printed my photo. The technician asked if this were for the Idaho State Fair and suggested that I had a very good chance of winning a blue ribbon. It was nice to hear but this was much more important than a fair entry. I was trying to create a gift that would convey not just the love that two people had for each other but also showed the love that a son had for his parents. Ultimately I think it turned out very well. I hope they like it. We’ll know in a few short days.