Orpheum Theater and State Street

Kristine Jarman & Micheal Herman were married at the Orpheum Theater in Madison Wisconsin September 18, 2010.  Earlier in the week I watched the forecast change from sunny to rainy, with thunderstorms expected in the afternoon.   But when Saturday actually came, there was not a drop of rain until the late evening.    It was also the first  Badger football home game of the season, so I am certain they were happy for the fair weather, too. 

The Orpheum Theater is on State street in Madison.  It is a very beautiful historic theater.   Notice the ornate features with a grand staircase on both sides.

   Orpheum Staircase2 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

The ceremony and the reception both took place in the foyer, with the wedding party in the balcony. 

Orpheum 22 Orpheum Theater and State Street

 A view of those who attended the wedding.  Again–notice the staircases. 

Orpheum 32 Orpheum Theater and State Street

The following are some shots from State Street and near the Capitol.    Showing in the iPhone is a family photo that I took earlier. 

Krissy Michael 5 Orpheum Theater and State Street

This fun shot is of them throwing candy in the air with the goal of catching most of it in their mouths.  I think Micheal must have tossed his candy up several feet, because it can’t even be seen in this picture. 

Krissy Michael 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Here’s a shot of the candy again.   I have to give Kristine high marks for being a good sport.  She had some concerns about this happening right. 

Krissy Michael 2 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Here is Kristine & Micheal walking back to the Orpheum theater.   It is interesting to see some of the other street activity.  One of the great things about State Street is that you can often walk down the middle of the street without a problem because regular traffic is not allowed on major sections of it.   

Krissy Michael 6 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Before the ceremony the staff at the Orpheum set up the tables, chairs, candles, etc. for the dinner later that evening.  Originally there were more seats on the ground floor.  A few hundred chairs were removed to make room for receptions.  With the wedding party table on the stage and the red seats on the other side, it makes for a beautiful reception venue.

Orpheum Theater 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Here is what it looks like with the candles lit and everyone seated.  While most of the people do look out of focus in this picture, the people at the bottom of the picture are in focus.  Use of my 50 mm 1.4f lens (an excellent low-light lens) causes one part of the picture to be in focus while another part of the image is out of focus. 

Orpheum theater crowd 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Dessert was not the traditional wedding cake, but pie from the Hubbard Avenue Diner.  I had the chocolate and peanut butter cream pie.  It was the most delicious pie I have ever eaten.  As I was ready to leave for the evening, Kristine handed me a whole pie neatly wrapped in a box.   It was a very nice way to say good bye.   

Pie 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Next was a fantastic dance reception lead by Tim Thai of Isthmus DJs.  Tim and his associate did a great job the rest of the evening.  They had a fantastic sound coming from their speakers.  And the party lights were very modern and interesting.  The people were clearly enjoying the whole experience, as everyone was energetically singing and dancing with the music. 

Tim Tai 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Kristine and Micheal clearly had a great time the whole evening!

Dance3 1 Orpheum Theater and State Street

Governor Dodge State Park

My family and I spent a day at Governor Dodge State Park on August 19, 2010.  Though we had never been there before, it is very likely that we will return.  It is a much bigger area than we imagined and very beautiful. 

Since I brought my camera along, after lunch I went out looking for interesting things to photograph.  I used my macro lens for getting most of the following images.   The shot below is just a weed in the grass but it is still kinda pretty. 

Govenor Dodge State Park 1 Governor Dodge State Park

I love the detail I get with the macro lens.  It is very cool to see the transparent wings of this insect.   Also, his tail is very good camouflage because it looks like it could be a type of grass or weed. 

Govenor Dodge State Park 7 Governor Dodge State Park

As I was walking back from my little hike I met up with a couple of boys.  They were frog hunting and found two frogs and captured one.   Below is one of the frogs in its natural environment.  He or she blends in pretty well.

Govenor Dodge State Park 2 Governor Dodge State Park

The boys took very good care of the frog and eventually released him.   But here is a picture of him close up. 

Govenor Dodge State Park 5 Governor Dodge State Park

The following is another view of the frog.   You can tell the boy is pretty proud of his catch. 

Govenor Dodge State Park 4 Governor Dodge State Park

And the following is my favorite shot from the day.  The frog looks like he is completely content and could be a life-long buddy. 

Govenor Dodge State Park 3 Governor Dodge State Park

Governor Dodge State Park has a pretty decent water fall.  I thought it would be pretty small when I heard about it but I was pleasantly surprised.  To get to it we had to walk down a trail into a gully area that is largely covered over with trees.  The whole area is very nice and a very good place for taking pictures. 

Govenor Dodge State Park Family 1 Governor Dodge State Park

Photography and scrapbooking

Photography for fun is always good.  I am trying to introduce my daughter Sarah to photography with the hope of making it fun.  Today we were discussing some of the basics related to how the camera is able to affect lighting–o.k., that is not terribly exciting.   We went out shooting together and came across Dave and his dog, Lilly.  I took a few pictures of Sarah and Lilly together.  Then I got the idea to show Sarah that photography can be fun by way of scrapbooking.  Below is my first attempt at it.  

Lilly 1 Photography and scrapbooking

Monarch butterfly’s anatomy

I decided to go back to the neighbor who has the butterfly bush, otherwise known as the Buddleia davidii or ‘Pink Delight’.  Click HERE to see the previous post on butterflies. I have since discovered that they not only draw butterflies, but also hummingbirds.  When I arrived at the plant today, again there were several butterflies fluttering about it.  As I was positioning my camera, a hummingbird came over, ready to enjoy the fruits of the plant.  I looked up at him and he looked at me for a few seconds, but before I could get my camera in position Mr. Hummingbird darted away.  Bummer; that would have made a sweet picture!   Well, I have never been so close to a hummingbird– it was less than three feet away. 

I brought my macro lense this time, hoping to get some close-up images.  The photo below is one of my first images from today.

Butterfly 1 Monarch butterflys anatomy

Though the initial images are not any closer than the ones from yesterday, I can zoom in and get some amazing detail.   Here is the same photo cropped closer for greater detail.  Notice that toward the end of the thorax of the butterfly ( just back from the head) is what looks like hair or fur.  In this picture one can also see the compound eyes of the butterfly.   

Butterfly 2 Monarch butterflys anatomy

The following picture is a different butterfly.  Notice its beautiful coloration.

Butterfly 3 Monarch butterflys anatomy

As I cropped in closer, I could see some pretty cool features.  Notice the appearance of a fur coat around the thorax. 

Butterfly 4 Monarch butterflys anatomy

The next image is still the second butterfly image, except it is cropped in closer still.  Notice the wing material.  The texture looks like cloth or carpet.  

The web site How Stuff Works states this about butterfly wings: “They’re made of an extremely thin, transparent material called chitin stretched over a series of vein-like structures. The forewings are closer to the butterfly’s head and are roughly triangular. The hindwings are closer to the tail and are shaped like fans or seashells.  The colors and patterns come from layers of tiny scales. It’s easy to think of these as similar to fish scales, but they’re structured more like short, tiny hairs. These scales protect the wings and provide insulation.”
 

 Butterfly 5 Monarch butterflys anatomy

One more view of the same butterfly reveals a more detailed view of the fur and compound eyes which are excellent for detecting color and nearby movement.  My 100mm macro lens gave me some interesting shots today. 

Butterfly 6 Monarch butterflys anatomy

I also took some pictures of bees.  I love the detail shown in these pictures. 

Bee 1 Monarch butterflys anatomy

Bee 2 Monarch butterflys anatomy

Monarch Butterflies & Birds

Today my family and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, except they did most of the walking.  Since I had my bazooka-like camera with me, I took the shortcut while they put in the mileage.  It’s a good thing I took the shortcut, because I noticed a bush with many monarch butterflies getting nectar.   I was using my 70 to 200mm lens with a doubler attached, giving me up to 400 mm.   This first shot was zoomed out to 400mm, but I soon learned that I could walk closer to the bush without scaring off the butterflies.   Click HERE for the second day of shooting butterflies.

Nature 1 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

The photo below was shot with the lens at 280 mm.   The butterfly’s colors and patterns are crisp and beautiful. 

The monarchs like to winter in Florida,  Texas, and Mexico,  following the same migration patterns every year.  During migration, huge numbers of butterflies can be seen gathered together so thick they blanket areas.

Nature 2 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

The monarch butterfly is not a tasty snack for natural predators, such as birds, because it is poisonous.   The monarch larvae eats milkweed, which is toxic to birds.  The monarch’s bright colors announce to predators that its makeup makes them sick when digested. 

Nature 3 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

The photo below is my favorite butterfly picture of the day.  Just look at the detail in the antennae and the spots on the head.

Nature 4 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

I then meandered over to this interesting bush, where some birds were fluttering.  This first bird is likely a house sparrow.

Nature 6 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

This spectacular specimen is the tufted titmouse.

Nature 7 Monarch Butterflies & Birds

Are you dating?
 Monarch Butterflies & Birds