Blue Ridge at Dusk

Alex and I went camping near Dripping Rock last night. We got rained on, again, but not until 11 PM. Slight cloud cover made the sunset a little less than spectacular, but the temperature was perfect, and there was enough sunlight to practice the silhouette technique I've been meaning to try for awhile.

It was a great getaway, but unfortunately we didn't see any bears this time.

Portraits from around town.

Here are a couple of images I took last week while trying to figure out low-light photography sans flash (which has to be easier than with flash, because I can't seem to make a single picture come out when I use the flash).

Mike Parisi in front of the Blue Moon Diner (couldn't get the sign and his backlit face to come out right)

Alex in front of a really cool painted brick wall.

This couple helped me avoid my shyness by asking me if they could be in the picture I was trying to get of the neon sign.

The most successful attempt at capturing the neon Lucky 7 sign. Will return later.

I went all the way to Richmond to check out the fireworks show and practice taking pictures, but the show was going to take place at The Diamond, the Richmond Braves' stadium, and the game went into the 14th or 15th inning. My mom and Alex got bored of waiting around, and so did I, so we packed it up and went home.

We'd parked in a dark alley in order to "pirate" the fireworks show without dealing with the traffic. We witnessed two screaming matches between socially incompatible individuals. Nobody fought. Don't think the cops arrested anyone, but I felt sorry for the kids and the parents who'd brought their kids out for a wholesome night of 4th of July fun.

Alex and I are going to Waynesboro on Friday night to catch their fireworks show. They always have their show the week after July 4 because they can't compete with Staunton and Charlottesville. Poor guys.