Changes Throughout the Year

Looking back on all of my past posts, this year has FLOWN by. It seemed like I wrote my first post only a few weeks ago! Dang, this year has really gone by quick. I remember talking about my new (now old) hockey team in September, and then just recently blogging about how fun the past season was! The same thing has happened with photography; I remember talking about finding out about steel wool photography, and now I'm on to bigger and better things! I have actually changed a ton this year, and it's somewhat evident when looking through all of my posts. A few things have really changed, and I guess I'll talk about them throughout this final blog post!

One main thing about me that has changed is my enjoyment of photography. At the beginning of the year when I first started photography, I enjoyed it, although it wasn't really a passion to me, just a hobby. Nowadays I really have established a passion for photography and I believe it has shown through my blog posts. I have really learned A LOT more about photography this year and it has also shown through my posts. Ranging from learning new techniques, to knowing which cameras and/or lenses to buy, to even learning about settings on my current camera have helped me become a much greater photographer than I was in September. Surprisingly, writing about new learned techniques and similar things has really helped me. Now I can refer back to my previous blog posts and reread how to do certain things and remember which lens was good for a certain type of shot. My previous posts have also shown how simpleminded I was about cameras, and I now know much more about what I'm talking about. This blog has really helped my liking of photography become more of a passion.

One of my latest photos

Another main change this school year has been how much I have improved in hockey. At the beginning of the school year I was not doing very well, but by the end of the season I was much more skilled and had more physicality and speed. I ended up with fifty three points, which was the third best on the team. My understanding of the game has tremendously changed although it's not clearly stated throughout my blog posts. Another large change is how much stronger I have become, both mentally and physically. In the later months of 2014, I would be knocked down easily and hitting me would be a piece of cake. Throughout Nationals, I was strong and very few opponents were able to take me down. This is the same for my mental toughness; I've learned to work through pain and I won't be intimidated easily. This has helped me a ton and it has changed me quite a bit. I have found success this year and I'm glad I could share my accomplishments with all of you.

A photo of me after I scored in Nationals
Creds to the Nationals Photographers

This whole year has been a blast, and I'm very glad I could share my experiences with all of you. I hope to keep blogging so I can keep you updated, but if not, then I guess this is farewell. I loved teaching all of you new things, and hopefully it helped throughout the year. Thanks again for reading my posts! I'll try to keep you updated!

Places to Adventure

So we all love to adventure, am I right? This post is all about travel and where I'd want to go to shoot photos. There are so many places to go across the world that this one blog post couldn't name them all. From parts of the U.S., to places across Asia and South America there are way to many phenomenal places to shoot incredible nature photos. In this post I'll try and name a few of my top places, although none of them will be in order of priority because that's just too challenging to do. So, here we go...

Lake Tahoe:

If you didn't know by now, I REALLY enjoy Lake Tahoe. It's quite an amazing place. From the pristine, blue water to the skiable mountains, this place is pretty sweet. I've always loved this place and I really hope I can go back soon.

Emerald Bay in Tahoe
Creds to Vagabondish

Bora Bora:

Many of you probably have no idea where this place is. Well, I didn't either for a while but I'm very glad I found out about it. Bora Bora is in Tahiti, and it continues to amaze me. With bungalows strung out over clear, blue water and an island that is filled with life, I definitely want to go here.

Bora Bora from above
Creds to Destination Luxury

Belize:

Belize is a pretty rad place, right under Mexico and off to the side of Guatemala. It's a small country but there's a TON to explore. From what I've heard, Southern Belize is the best place to go because it has dense tropical forests and incredible barrier reefs. Not only this, but Belize's official language is English, so it's very easy to get around. This country is also the heart of Mayan culture; there are many places to learn and explore here. 

Belize's Reefs are incredible
Creds to Country Pics

Phi Phi Islands: 

This location is just absolutely beautiful. If I had the chance to go here, I'd take it without a question. Similar to the places above, these islands are SICK. There are so many things to do on the island (that's filled with 5 star resorts by the way), including snorkeling, elephant trekking, rafting and more. Phang Nga Bay is one of a few incredible spots to see here, and it will make your jaw drop.

Very exotic looking...
Creds to Elite Phuket

Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore, Italy:

This location in Italy is astonishing, and it seems almost unreal. A small little town along the coast that looks absolutely stunning. With cool blue waters and a warm climate, this town seems like quite the adventure. This town definitely isn't the most modern or the richest town, but it just seems so far away from reality.

What a beautiful city
Creds to James Brandon

New Zealand:

New Zealand is just flat out spectacular. It's got everything you could possibly want: oceans for swimming, mountains for hiking and skiing, and everything else in between. One of the most spectacular places in New Zealand is the Waitamo Caves. These caves are amazing during the day, but they become even more spectacular at night. These caves light up during the night because of glow worms, making incredible photo opportunities. This is definitely one of my favorite countries.

Insane Glow Worm Cave
Creds to Holidays Please's Blog

Venice, Italy:

If you haven't heard of Venice, then there's something wrong with you. This beautiful city is very well-known, but it never ceases to amaze me. The canals are just incredible and the photo opportunities are endless there. The history and the scenery in Venice is very cool and getting a chance to go there would be heavenly. Italy in general is soo sick.

A canal in Venice, Italy
Creds to Italian Tourism

All of these places are Gucci to the max, and I would enjoy traveling to any of these places. It would also be kinda nice if I was able to buy a camera nice enough to take such incredible photos like the ones above! The ability to show what it feels like to be in a city/landscape in a single photo is quite challenging, and a nice camera and lens helps a ton. One I've been looking at recently isn't the nicest, but it will take great photos. It's the Canon T6s, and with a nice lens, I could take sick photos like the ones above! If I left out any important or crazy locations, please comment below! I would love to hear from all of you guys! Thanks!

Stoked About the B-Day!

Hey guys! So guess what was yesterday?? That's right, by birthday! It's okay if you guys forgot, nobody really remembered anyways.... On another note, I got some sweet presents that both help in hockey and photography, so I thought, "Hey, maybe I could blog about this stuff!". So here it is, my blog post on some of the stuff I got! Now I have to tell you, these are only a few of the things I've gotten so far, so I'll most likely edit this post later to add in the presents I still haven't opened yet. So here are a few things I've received and I can't wait to use them!

Hockey Shooting Tiles:
I've been wanting these things for a while, and now I finally have them. So I'm hoping you all know you don't play hockey on concrete, you play it on ice... So for off-ice training and shooting, hockey players need to train as if they were on ice, and these shooting tiles do just that. You can take these anywhere and they feel like you're actually shooting on ice. You can get these all over the internet, but I got mine (I'm pretty sure) on Hockey Shot, which has a ton of great stuff for off-ice training.

Lens Hood Accessories:
These are very common in photography and I'm very glad I got one. Basically, lens hoods block out the unwanted sun so you don't have any lens glare or flare. So I got a tulip lens hood and a rubber lens hood. These both serve the same purpose, although the rubber hood seems to block out more light. These are quite useful and I'm glad I can add these to my collection of camera accessories.

My new tulip lens hood!!

Bauer Nexus 800 Gloves:
There's not much to talk about here; I had these gloves before, I just needed a new pair because mine were getting too small and had holes. Bottom line: I got new hockey gloves that are niceeee.

Filters/Cleaning Stuff:
Last camera thing for this post; I got three new filters for my lenses, plus a cleaning kit as well. The filters are UV, CPL and ND. UV is obviously ultra violet, CPL is Circular Polarizer Filter and ND is neutral density. These all help in photography and I can't wait to see how much they help.

So those are the presents I've received so far, soooo hopefully I'll be able to show you guys some of my stuff in action! If some of you are like, "Wow, he's just showing off the stuff he got and showing off the money his parents have" I must tell you, I'M NOT TRYING TO SHOW IT OFF. I just want to show you guys some of the stuff I will be using in the near future, and it's much easier to just tell you what I used instead of describing what it is and wasting time during that post. So if I bring these items up in later posts, you will immediately know what I'm talking about. This has been a sort of boring post, so I'll write about something exciting next time so I won't bore you to death. Well anyways, thanks for reading and remember, comments are appreciated!!

A Wrap On Nationals

This past week has really been a sad one... The hockey season has finally ended. The Utah Jr. Grizzlies Tier II team had an incredible season. We ended up going 26-12-4, which is a pretty good record. This was a crazy season, and I couldn't have been happier making it to the quarter finals in the National Championships. The entire National tournament was nerve-racking, yet a ton of fun. My team went 3-1, winning our pool and going on farther than most of the other teams. For this post, I'm going to revisit each game and try to be suspenseful as I can (so I can show what it actually felt like). This post is really tough for me, and even though you can't see it through writing, I'm crying on the inside....

Game One: Mission Red (Arizona)

This game wasn't too hard from the start, but later in the game it got stressful. Going into the game, the whole team was so nervous I'm surprised nobody puked before the game started. Two minutes into the game, one of my line-mates roofs a backhand top cheddar. Damn, that goal was unreal;  it put us up against Mission Red 1-0. Guess what happened two minutes after that? I scored! I was in the high slot, and Jake Jensen passed me the puck, and all I had to do was one-time it and BOOM, I 'niped near side (glove side low). Dang it was 2-0 within four minutes of the game! We were all pumped, and we kept it up till the third period. It was 5-2 at that point, and we were confident that we would win. This was a mistake, and we played very weak in the third. With two minutes left, it was 5-4, and they had the energy to put another one in to tie us. Luckily we held them, and we won 5-4. First game done! We were hyped, yet we knew we needed to pick it up next game.

Game Two: Nashville Jr. Predators

This game was veryyyy challenging, and it was the second most challenging game of the tournament. This team was REALLY good. Our two teams were almost identical and the game went back and forth for the whole three periods. Each period more and more butterflies crowded into my stomach, and I loved it, but also abhorred it. It was 2-1 in the third, and things were beginning to get sketchy. Nashville was getting a ton of SOG (shots on goal), but our tendy, Ty Cramer kept us in the game. With a 2-1 game, another goal for us was imperative. It ended up being ME who got that goal to make it 3-1, and from there, Nashville accepted defeat and sort of quit playing at their highest level. We got another goal to make the final score 4-1. What a game; we became 2-0 going into our third game.

My goal versus the Jr. Predators

Creds to Mr. Anderson

P.S., Sorry about the bad quality, that's the only way I could post the video...

Game Three: Manchester Flames

There really isn't much to talk about in this game... This team was really chippy and it was scary going into the corners with these kids, because they hit, HARD. They weren't very skilled and were 0-2 in the tournament, so they just let out their anger against us. I scored the first goal in this game, and it was pretty nice, just a little patience in front of the net, and then a backhand top shelf. The game ended 5-0, so not too much excitement occurred; although this win sent us to the quarter finals of the national championships (which was HUGE).

Game Four: Seattle Sno-King Jr. Thunderbirds

This game was just as intense as the Jr. Predators game, if not even more intense. This team was really good, and it was even more even than the Preds. All game it was a fight for the net, a fight for the hockey season to continue. If you lost this game, it meant your hockey season was over. Absolutely NO ONE wanted that, so we all fought for our lives. The game was even, but then they scored. It was in the second period, and it was a sick goal. The one player came down hard on the left, and then sauced it over to the other guy crashing hard on the weak side, who shot it right over our tendy's shoulder. It was a sick goal, and we let down a little. Soon enough, there was two minutes left in the game. Our season was about to come to an end; and to hurt us even more, they scored another goal with 30 seconds left in the game. Wow. Our season was over... That thought was in my mind for a while, and I still haven't gotten over it. It was a great tournament, and in my next post I'll describe my feelings over the past year...

Me rippin' a shot against the Jr. Predators
Creds to the Nationals Photographers...

Pre-Nationals!

So guess what's coming up this week? Well if you read my title then you already know, but if you're lazy then I guess I'll tell you: Nationals are this week! This week will be an incredible experience, although it will also be very sad. Yes, it's nationals for hell's sake, but that also means it's the end of the season. So I'm really excited, but I'm also very sorrowful. For this post, I'm basically gonna just describe what's ahead of me this week. From my schedule, to teams, to pre-game stuff, to everything else; I'll describe it all in detail.

To start, we have to go over the schedule. This tournament is the Tier II Bantam National Tournament. Teams from across the U.S. come to compete in this tournament and represent their states. Now not every state has a team represent them, so around 40 teams are coming to Salt Lake City this year for the tournament. So this year, my team got a good schedule, playing teams from across the U.S.. Our first game will be against Mission Red from Arizona. This game is on Thursday morning at 11:45. This game will be interesting, because according to the US Rankings, Mission Red is 249th in the nation. My team, the Grizzlies, are 159th, so this game will be interesting. Our next game is against the Nashville Jr. Predators. This team will be much more challenging because they're ranked at 111th. We beat them last year at Nationals but this year it will be a greater challenge. Our last game for the qualifying round is against the Manchester Flames. This team is basically the same level as us, as they're ranked at 162. This game will be a really evenly-played game, and I can't wait to play this team. If we win at least two out of the three then we will move on. From there it goes into quarter finals, semis and the finals... Now for the preparation...

So in preparation for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I have to do a few things. One major thing I have to do is stay healthy. If you're sick, you obviously won't be able to play at the highest level you usually can. So to stay healthy you have to eat healthy, get to bed early and drink water. Another thing to do before the games is make sure you have all of your schoolwork done. I am a student athlete, NOT an athlete student. So if my work's not done, then I can't play in the games. One last thing to do in prep before the tournament is to shoot pucks and stickhandle. Keeping up your game before going into an actual game is imperative; if you don't keep working on your skills, they won't be present in the games you play in. So all this week I'll be studying, stayin' healthy and keeping my skills up so I can succeed in the tournament! So after this tournament I'll let you guys know how I did! Any comments on how else to be prepared would be appreciated! Talk to you soon!

A sneak peak of the National's medals...
Creds to USA Hockey

Galaxy Shots!

What's up guys?! How was your weekend? I'm hoping you guys accomplished more than I did! I didn't do much at all other than read; thanks a lot Mr. Parker ;(. But anyways, so you guys remember my last post about star trails? Well, I've been researching even more astrophotography and have gotten really into galaxy photos! These photos are sooo sick, and I want to shoot some of these SO BAD. So far quite a few websites have aided in finding information necessary to shoot these photos. In this 'tutorial' I'll teach you how to shoot these incredible photos and show you the sites I used to find the information needed to take these. Just so you know, I have NOT taken any of these photos (yet), so I'm yet again basing this info off of other peoples' experiences, so if your photos go wrong, don't blame me...

A Milky Way Galaxy shot taken by UHD Wallpapers

Finding the right spot is key here. Similar to star trails, light pollution can't be a part of the photo, or else it won't turn out the way you want it to. The moon can't be out or else it'll be a source of light pollution. So after finding the right nights, you have to find the right spot. For this segment, I use the Dark Site Finder, which is a website showing how much light pollution occurs throughout the area in which you want to shoot in. This is actually very helpful and a good tool for astrophotography. Light pollution affects the photos quality greatly, so you want to make sure there's very little of it.

The next steps to taking these photos are to find the right settings and equipment. Finding a DSLR is crucial to take these photos, so all of you white girls trying to be artsy can't just use your iPhone. On that DSLR you need a lens as well, which preferably should be as wide-angle as possible. I've read that a great lens for galaxy photos is the Rokinon 14 mm Ultra Wide-Angle. This seems like a great lens, and I might consider investing in it. Another thing necessary is a tripod. The camera obviously needs to be stable to take a clear photo. Flashlights and other things similar to it would help as well, since you will be shooting in the middle of the night. To focus your camera, use the flashlight as a focal point a ways away. Now here are the settings (and these may vary for your lens, camera, lighting, etc.): ISO should be quite high (around 1600), but from what I've read, 6400 is too grainy. The f/stop should be around 1.4 with a fast lens, but with a slower lens go around f/2.8 (but you may need to raise the ISO with a slower lens as well). Now there's one other thing that I've learned about in galaxy photos: the 500 rule. This rule tells you how long your exposure should be. What you do is divide your focal length of the lens by 500-- this gets you to your optimal shutter speed. So the number you get is the highest amount of seconds your exposure should be. One last thing on settings: USE RAW, not JPEG. Astrophotography is just much better with RAW because of the white balance and other things similar to that. 

So, did that help? That has helped me a ton, and I can't wait to actually try it out this weekend! Tell me how your guys' photos turn out or send me a photo! Thanks for reading, hope to talk to you soon!

Another shot showing how amazing these photos are
Creds to Pix Good

Star Trails

Stars are just an incredible thing to witness. Just the majestic ambiance of these massive balls of fire are incredible. I've always been intrigued by these celestial objects and I've always wanted to capture the incredible essence that these things give off. So one of the only ways to do this is to shoot photos of them. There are many ways to shoot stars, from galaxy pictures to star trails. In this post, I'm going to provide some information on how to create star trails, which are as cool as they sound. Then on the next post, I'll tell you how to shoot some galaxy pictures. I've always had a liking for the galaxy and stars and stuff, and since I want to be an astrophysicist I guess that makes sense. It's so incredible on how diverse star formations can be. With star trails, you'll never look at the stars in the same way.

This is just awe-inspiring...
Creds to 4 Image Gallery

Okay so I have to confess before I start giving tips: I HAVE NOT yet done star trails, so this is mainly based off of other people's accounts of trying it. I'm hoping these people are trust-worthy, because I'm going to go off of their settings as well. So we'll try this together! Later on (once I take some photos) I'll share them with you guys! But for now I'll have to just give you the settings so you can take some pictures as well! 

Finding the right day (well, night actually):

So for this kind of shoot the night has to be absolutely perfect. The moon can't be seen at all, and if it is, then good luck getting a decent exposure. Also, any type of cloud cover will not be satisfactory. If any clouds are in the sky, then the pictures won't turn out well at all because the clouds will blur the photos and white them out. It also needs to be cold, or else the lens will have condensation on it after a while, making the shots blurry. One of the last things you need to do while getting set up is point your camera at the North Star. Since the Earth is spinning around the North Star, once you take the exposures the other stars will have seemed to be circling the N.S.. This is how star trails are created. So to sum it up: no moon, no clouds, no light pollution, must be cold, and you have to point the camera towards the North Star. To find when and what time to shoot these photos, I recommend Photographer's Empheris, an incredible app that's free for download that tells you when it's a good time to shoot these photos. 

The Settings:

So there are quite a few steps to getting the right photo here. First of all, you need to make sure you have all of the proper equipment. Obviously you need a tripod, similar to all long exposures. Another good thing to have is a leveler. This is helpful for obvious reasons. Acquiring the largest wide-angle lens would also help, just to get as much of the scenery in as you can. Now here are the actual settings that I got from Tony Northrup on Youtube. So you set your lens to manual focus to start. Now you must set your lens to the infinity symbol. DON'T go all the way over to the end (past infinity). Set your aperture to the lowest you can get (f/4 or lower) and put your exposure to 30 seconds. ISO needs to be around 1600. After setting this up, you pretty much have everything ready. Now you just go outside during the middle of the night and shoot for around two or three hours. This will take tons of photos (obviously) and afterward, you just use the imaging software known as StarStaxx to compile the pictures to create that circular effect. After that you're pretty much done!

I'll tell you guys how it goes after I try this myself!

Just Incredible...
Creds to Astro Pixels