Kyle Swartz Photography

New Website!

2010-04-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for a while and I appreciate all the comments and want to thank those who have viewed my blog. I have created my own website that I will devote more of my time and energy to. Here's the address if you want to check it out. Let me know what you think!

http://kyle-swartz.com/

Photos from a recent trip to the Zoo

2010-01-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since I last updated this blog so I am adding a bunch of photos this time. We got lucky that the animals were out and about. I think I got some pretty good shots. All of these photos were taken with a Nikon D300s and 300mm F/4 lens. Enjoy.

New Camera Equipment

2009-11-01T17:53:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend I recieved my newest additions to my camera equipment. I got a new Nikon D300s camera body and a 1.4 teleconverter for my 300mm lens. Here is a sample shot from this weekend from my new equipment. This photo has been cropped some and resized to put on my blog. If anyone wants a higher resolution photo for a wallpaper leave me a comment and I will email you a copy. It will be a 2560X1600 jpeg.

Taken w/ a Nikon D300s and 300mm f/4 lens w/ 1.4 teleconverter

Photos from our Hampton's trip

2009-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late but I finally got around to posting some photos from our Hampton's trip in August. I took so many photos that trip, I think around 500 or so. Here are a few for you to see. Enjoy.

This on is my favorite of Jax and Elexis. Taken w/ a Nikon D80 and 50mm/1.8 lens.

Taken w/ a Nikon D80 and 50mm/1.8 lens

Jax and her sisters. Taken w/ a Nikon D80 and 50mm/1.8 lens.

Cooper. Taken w/ a Nikon D80 and 80-200mm/2.8 lens.

Cooper not sure he wants his photo taken. Nikon D80 w/ 50mm/1.8 lens

Photos for our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-09-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some Elk photos from out trip yesterday. All of these photos were taken with a Nikon D80 and a 300mm F/4 lens.

Someone just informed me I haven't updated my blog

2009-08-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Careful what you wish for........

Taken w/ a Nikon D80 and 300mm F/4 lens

More Water Photos

2009-08-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are two more time lapse photos from a recent trip to Salida.

St. Vrain Creek

2009-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos I took last night around the St. Vrain Trailhead. I took these photos using my Sony DSC-R1 Camera. I was experimenting with some different shutter speeds.

This one is my favorite of the evening

Lost Lake Hike

2009-07-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent photos of a hike to Loast Lake above Nederland. All of these photos were taken with my Sony DSC-R1 camera.

Mini Waterfall

. Stream shot from Bridge

. HDR Photo

.Columbine Flower

Superior Downhill Mile

2009-07-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

I was tasked to take photos of the Superior Downhill Mile over the 4th of July weekend. It was a competition between Jax and Chris. I rode my bike to finish at around 6:45am and waited for them to run by. Here are a couple of photos from the event. I used my Nikon D80 and 300mm F/4 lens. As you can tell it is my current favorite and I use it every chance I get.

Jax close to the finish

Chris making his way in

.... and the winner is?

Photos from the Boulder Sprint Triathlon

2009-07-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some of photos of friends at the race. All of these photos are taken with my Nikon D80 and 300mm F/4 lens.

Kevin starting the run

Kevin finishing the bike

Brandon finishing the bike

Tiffany coming out of the water

Todd starting the swim (this one is my favorite)

Zoo Photos Part 2

2009-06-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos of our zoo trip. Enjoy.

Update on the Hand

2009-06-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

So I am finally out of the splint and able to resume a normal life. My hand does ache but I almost have all my range of motion back. As you can see I still have a lot of scar tissue to work through. The doctor said it might take a couple of months before the lump goes away.

Trip to the Colorado Springs Zoo

2009-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of photos from my recent trip to the Colorado Springs Zoo with Dana. I used my Nikon D80 and 300mm AF-S F/4 lens for all of these shots. Was hoping to get some good photos of the tigers and Lions but they unfortunately didn’t cooperate. Let me know what you think.

This Weekend at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail

2009-06-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like you guys are getting a treat today. Two posts in one day! My hand is finally doing better and I can now attempt to type. My ring finger on my right hand still doesn’t have its full range of motion and gets in the way on a keyboard. It is making some progress and slowly getting better.

Enough about my hand. Here are the photos and some information about the event.

http://www.tevamountaingames.com/

Biker practicing berfore the Slopestyle Event

Jax running the 10k Race

Bouldering World Cup

Jax in the 5k Mudrun

Covered Runner in the 5k Mudrun

First guy into the Mud Pit in the 5k Mudrun

(notice the rude photographer in the middle of the course taking photos)

Jeff Lenosky in the Freeride Dual

Soccer Game Last Weekend

2009-06-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the soccer team I was on when I broke my hand. The doctor hasn’t cleared me to resume full activity, so I decided to watch and take some photos instead of going against the doctor’s orders. I took these with my Nikon D80 and 300mm AF-S f/4 lens. These are just a few of the shots. I think I managed to take about 400 photos that day.

Erin taking the ball up field

Erin chasing the ball

Erin blowing by a defender (lots of shots of her since she is all over the field)

Tina taking a shot

Jeremy on the corner kick

Update on the Hand

2009-05-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

I went to the doctor today to get my cast/bandage off. Here's what it looks like after it was finally free. I still can't move my fingers yet and it may take some time before that happens. I am now confined to a splint that I can take off to shower. I have an appointment to see an occupational therapist to get a better split and start therapy on Friday. Hope to recover fast. Looks like another 4 more weeks til I am fully healed.

Sand Dunes

2009-05-16T09:58:00.001-07:00

This is a recent photo of our trip to the Sand Dunes near Alamosa. It was taken with my Sony DSC R-1 camera.

I am experiencing technical difficulties....

2009-05-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

So as some of you might know by now, I broke a couple of bones in my hand over the weekend. Updates will be sparse over the next couple of weeks. Here's what they did to my hand during the surgery.

I hope to be back to taking photos and drawing soon!

Kyle

Fishing trip in Salida

2009-05-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a trip down to Salida to visit my parents. We did a little fishing on the Arkansas River near Salida on Saturday. The fishing was a little slow so I decided to take some photos instead. I was a good distance away with my new lens and was able to sneak in a couple photos in without anyone realizing.

Dad and Jax taken w/ Nikon D80 w/ 300mm AF-S F/4 lens.

Duck on the river taken w/ Nikon D80 w/ 300mm AF-S F/4 lens.

Dad changing his fly taken w/ Nikon D80 w/ 300mm AF-S F/4 lens.

Ed fishing taken w/ Nikon D80 w/ 300mm AF-S F/4 lens.

Yellow bird taken w/ Nikon D80 w/ 300mm AF-S F/4 lens.

New Drawing!

2009-04-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

So here it is, the next drawing. This one went a little faster then I thought it would. I think alot of it is due the the fact that the background is really simple compared to the last one. I think it turned out really good.

My Favorite Test Subject

2009-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

So whenever I get a new lens or something new for my camera I always take it outside in the backyard to take some test shots. Usually the subject of these shots is Snooch. She is a very good subject but she can be very difficult. She only wants attention from you when you are busy. If you have a camera in your hands and are fiddling with it, she decides that she needs attention right then. It’s kinda hard to take photos of your subject if they are trying to sit in your lap. With my new lens I am far enough away that she doesn’t pay much attention to me. Here’s some sample shots with different cameras and lenses.

Taken with Nikon D80 with 300mm Af-s F/4 lens

Taken with Nikon D80 with 80-200mm F/2.8 lens

Taken with a Sony DSC-R1

HDR Photos - Sony DCS-R1

2009-04-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photo taken with my Sony DSC-R1. These photos were originally taken in RAW format which allowed me to convert the images to HDR photos. To learn more about HDR Photos and what they are, click on the following link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

These were fun to see what I could create from a RAW file. I haven’t done many of these but here are a few that I have created. I prefer the more natural looking HDR photos.

Sand Dunes near Alamosa

Temple at Chichen Itza (had to wait for the right time to not have other tourists in the photo)

Day Hike in New Hampshire

Mountains at Rocky Mountain National Park

So after a 7 year wait I finally have another drawing finished!

2009-04-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I have finally taken the time to finish another drawing. I plan on doing more in the future. Here's the first one after my long hiatus. I know it was a long wait for some people.

Here's a quick photo of it, not the best quality but it will do for now. Hope it was worth the wait. I think it turned out pretty good for taking a full 7 years off. In the future I do plan on making prints so we will see if I can sell some of them.

Up next the Sony DSC-R1

2009-04-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

After doing a little research I decided to upgrade my Sony DSC-F828 to a Sony DSC-R1. Here’s a photo of what it looks like. I still have it and use it mostly as a travel camera and for Landscapes. I do not have any wide angles lenses for my Nikon D80 so I still pull this one out from time to time. I have also found something that it can do with it that is really interesting, more on that in another post.
This camera is a great Camera for Landscapes and Portraits. It has a larger sensor then the Sony F828 and a great lens. Here are a couple of photos that I have taken with this camera.

Tracks in the Sand Dunes at the Sand Dune National Monument.

Aspens near Vail

Stream on Monarch Pass

Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park

Lightning in front of the flatirons, got really lucky with this one. Was continuously snapping photos in hopes of catching some lightning and this is one that I timed just right.

Chipmunk at Rocky Mountain National Park

Something a little different

2009-04-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

So for this next post I decided to change things up a bit. As most of you know I used to do pencil drawings in the past. I took some photos of some of the drawings I have hanging in my house and I thought I would post them. Sorry that the quality of the images is not the greatest. I was getting a lot of glare off some of the images since they are under glass. Enjoy :)

This is actually a photo of an original drawing. Most of the drawings I have hanging in the house are prints. This one was done in High School during my senior year for art class.

This is a print of a drawing I did in college my freshman year. I gave the original to my brother as an x-mas gift.

This is a print of a drawing I did in college my freshman year. I gave the original to some close friends of the family. They were nice enough to make me a couple of prints before they framed it.

This is a print of a another drawing that I did after college. I gave the original to my parents for x-mas. I worked on this drawing off and on for a couple of years.

Keena's Wedding

2009-03-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

So a couple of years ago I attended my good friend Keena's wedding in Virginia. I brought my camera along and snaped some photos of the event. Here are a couple of those photos.

Keena and Jeff

Jeff

Jeff's Dad

Keena and her dad, Ken. This is probably one of my favorite photos.

Elizabeth and the Flower Girl

More photos from the Sony DSC-F828

2009-03-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple more photos from my old camera. Enjoy :)

Flatiron Sunset

San Diego Sunset

Panoramic of Salida from Tenderfoot

One of my favorites of Jennie at the beach in South Carolina

Sailboat in St. Maarten

Erik in San Diego

Jake riding the 4-wheelers

Family hiking aboveNorth Fork

My first Serious Camera - Sony DSC-F828

2009-03-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

So after deciding that I needed a better camera to take photos I went in search of something that would allow for more creativity then a simple point and shoot. After doing lots of research I settled on this, the Sony DSC-F828.

This camera was my first camera where I could adjust all of the settings manually. It was a good camera that taught me a lot about taking photos. Here are some photos that I was able to take while I had this camera.

Chipmunk at Rocky Mountain National Park

Columbine at Indian Peaks Wilderness

Parrot in St. Maarten

So for a while I would seek out and take as many photos of Waterfalls I could hike to. Here are a few of those waterfalls.

Northfork Falls after spring snow storm

Boulder Falls

Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park

Hessie Falls near Nederland

More photos that I have taken with this camera to follow in the future........

One of my favorite old photos of Long's Peak.

2009-03-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

I guess I will be going through and adding some of my favorite old photos that I have taken over the years. You will be able to see photos I have taken with all the different cameras I have had. Here's one of the earliest.

Long's Peak:

This photo was taken with a 5MP Sony DSC-P92 Point and Shoot Camera. It was taken way before I knew much of anything about cameras. I am pretty sure it is one of the photos responsible for my obsession of getting the best photo equipment that I can afford to take better photos :)

2007-2008 Random Photos

2009-03-15T20:00:00.001-07:00

Here's some photos to get this thing started.

Wildlife:

Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park. Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Pelican in Clearwater Florida. Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Landscape:

Jax at Sand Dunes near Alamosa. Sony DSC R-1

Sand Dunes near Alamosa. Sony DSC R-1

Sunrise near Phoenix, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Racing:

Jax at Boulder Reservior, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Kevin at Phoenix, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Jax at Tempe, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Jax at Clearwater, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

People:

Jason and Jennie, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Jax and Andie, Nikon D80 w/ 80-200mm F2.8 lens.

Moon on 3-12-09

2009-03-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Testing the New Lens. 300mm AF-S on Nikon D80

Nearly Full Moon on a Wednesday night