Long Exposure is Here.

Now again, being new to this photography world this is my first attempt at doing anything long exposure! I tried to put together some HDR… but because of the ridiculously low light situation it came out horrible. Lesson learned.

Second lesson learned. Bring a tripod, if you don’t you have to rig something up like I did in my previous post with sticks and rocks.

And here is one of my shots from my few hours out at sunset to see if I can do some long exposure work. Very fun!

The water was choppy, the light was really lacking, and it came out with a pretty well lit shot with a semi-glassy finish on the water.

Long exposure is a whole lot of fun, I gotta find some more rapidly moving water and some other chances to use this newfound skill.

Love it, hope you all have enjoyed my adventures.

Chesley

Long exposure!? Check back soon!

Recently tried my hand at some long exposure photography HDR. Results are pending… I find the more skills I have under my belt, the more fun I’ve been having. I can’t wait to try my hand at some lighting techniques down the line!

Chesley

Soccer Nights: Volunteers

Without our volunteers are Soccer Nights, literally none of this would be possible. They have touched the lives of these children and I am so very glad that I could help tell their story. Every coach, organizer, photographer, videographer, helper, and snack provider (to name a few) made this come together so beautifully. Many of these kids may have never had a chance to be able to participate in such a wonderful community building activity. A special thanks goes out to Greater Boston Vineyard Church who hosted and organized so much of this event through Vineyard Community Offerings.

Those smiles on those faces are because of the wonderful people who donated their time. A special thanks goes out to all of them!

Chesley

Soccer Nights: Learning Something New

 

 

 

 

 

 

When was the last time you learned something new?!

I’ve spoken to team building, life skills, and how much fun Soccer Nights is, but I have yet to explain that these kids actually learn how to play soccer! Every day has a theme and all the fundamentals are touched upon. The rules of the game are clearly explained and after a long hard day of drills… what’s the most fun part of practice?!

Scrimmage!

Below is a shot of one of our campers practicing a throw in from the side of the field during a scrimmage.

The rules of who gets to throw the ball in and what team touched the ball last before it went out are taught even to the youngest of soccer campers… whether the rules are fully enforced by the end of the evening is up in the air.

Another fun day for campers and a wonderful chance to spread the word.

Try something new today, and see

Chesley

1 Wonderful HDR Panorama : 9 HDR Photos : 27 Pictures

Last night after volunteering at the local MSPCA Humane Society, Kaylee of Dog Breath Photography and I found ourselves staring at a BEAUTIFUL sunset. This was unlike anything I had seen before so I snapped 27 photos at different exposers. This lead to 9 solid HDR images, which were then stitched in photoshop into one large panorama. Here is the result, PLEASE enjoy.

My first attempt at a panorama and my third attempt at HDR… I am quite pleased.

Chesley

Soccer Nights: The Team

Most of us went through some sort of team driven sport during our childhood. Some of these children are experiencing the pure excitement and exhilaration of teamwork for the first time. Working together towards a common goal as one unified body is the most rewarding experience for me on a personal level. These coaches lead their small teams forward in understanding the importance of trust, commitment, and support.

One of my favorite teams that I was a part of wasn’t really a team, but more of a community. I went to summer camp for many years, and that family shaped who I am today.

What was one of your favorite teams that you’ve been apart of?

Have you had a coach or a mentor who touched your life?

Hope you got as much joy out of your team as these children did.

Chesley

Soccer Nights: Smile

This is going to be about as simple and straight forward as possible. It’s so easy to smile.

These kids here at soccer nights have found such joy in playing a game, when in reality their lives are much more complex than running around kicking a ball.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Chesley

Soccer Nights: Life Skills and Encouragement

Yesterday I left off touching on the importance of life skills! Although there were over two hundred kids who attended soccer camps, teams were kept intimate in groups under twenty. A strong focus on topics such as learning names, where people come from, and how their differences can be turned to strengths can be maximized through the more intimate coach/player interactions.

And what is the all time best way to get to know each other? Through tons of fun games, especially ice breakers! Each day to further each groups understanding of their fellow team mates, they would play some kind of game which tied directly into the focused skill of that day! If the focus was learning encouragement, each player would see encouragement through example, and then be given opportunity to give encouragement themselves to their fellow players. The recap of how this encouragement made them feel continued to solidify what a wonderful opportunity it is to build each other up!

The wonderful facilitation build teamwork and leadership skills for the players, and continued to bring the kids back the next day striving further and hungry for more. On such a beautiful set of nights in June, I couldn’t have been more content to see these growing minds learning skills which will take them further in life than they ever expected.

Chesley

Soccer Nights: Welcome to the Main Event

I finally get to share some of the wonderful experience that I had with soccer nights!

Welcome to the main event! This is where it all started, a huge welcome committee of volunteers, organizers, friendly faces and coaches scattered throughout the open soccer field. As all the children who attended this completely volunteer and donation driven soccer clinic begin to arrive, the fun began. Soccer balls flew, and through this week the children who attended Soccer Nights in North Cambridge learned the skills they needed to begin their fundamentals not only for a team sport, but also community building and mutual respect for each other. Each day not only focused on a specific soccer skill such as passing or dribbling, but also a life skill. Learning names was the first, as explained by Coach Brian.

As our head coach, Coach Brian, took the field  to welcome all of our 2012 soccer stars, he explained that this summer we were going to “Go for the Gold!” There was no better team building than the upcoming Olympics. As previously mentioned, there was just as much weight places on life skills as well as sports technique. It’s hard to ignore that being called “HEY YOU!” isn’t the best feeling in the world.  Each team took time to learn each other’s names before drills began.  An amazing life skill had been developed and soccer nights was in full swing.

Each day bring’s something new. Each day for the next week I hope to post a few more photos with a bit more information on the week long experience!

Chesley

On the Horizon…

Without fear, new posts are on the horizon. Yes that was a completely shameless plug for this picture. I’ve been busy doing some edits for soccer nights, pulling those pictures posted previously into their full glory! Soccer Nights in N. Cambridge hasn’t had many if ANY promotional photos does in the past few years, so I’ve taken it as a personal project to create some great media that will express just how awesome this soccer clinic is! More is always on the way.

Chesley