Straight Eight Cucumber

After picking a few of the straight eight cucumbers this summer I have realized mine are not going to resemble either of those descriptions. A straight eight cucumber is supposed to be long and straight, about 7-8 inches. The first fruit was really fat and short, and while I waited on it to grow, it turned yellow and became compost food. This time I picked it when it looked about right, just not straight or eight. Here is the picture I got of it. On the right side you can see it oozing from the fresh cut. Click on the image below to see the hi-res version on my website.

Based on some articles online this shape is due to a lack of bees getting their pollinating on. I have definitely noticed a lack of bees this year for some reason or another.

Thanks,

Carson Matthews
www.CarsonMatthewsPhotography.com

Cat Photography

Cat photography has never been on my radar. I didn’t have a cat growing up and have pretty much been scared of cats my entire adult life. It’s not an unwarranted fear, they really seem to hate me. Showing houses I have had cats just walk up and bite me on the ankle, leap across the room and shred my mls paperwork, just harassing me. They love to be in my face, almost certainly aware of my fear.

Well this week we got a cat. We adopted her from our neighbor who fostered 5 kittens since they were found about two weeks old under a neighbor’s back deck. Her name is Poppy and she is pretty unbelievable! We are 4 days in and everyone in our family is in love with her, including Cody the Goldendoodle who was also adopted about 6 years ago; maybe he feels a connection with her…

I’m excited about the opportunity to photograph her as she grows from a kitten into a cat. Her markings are really beautiful, and something I assume sets every cat apart. One thing I really like are the five stripes down the back of her head and neck. What made her jump out to me at first was her white paws and the white splotch on her chest. We almost named her Boots because of her white paws, but after a slew of name ideas and changes we landed on Poppy. Watching her play around the name really fits her, she loves to pop around chasing her tail, shadow or whatever has her immediate attention.

Check back here to see how her little kitty life evolves, I will do my best to photograph her often. Hi-res images can be seen and purchased at http://www.carsonmatthewsphotography.com/Photography/Pets/

Thanks,

Carson Matthews
Carson Matthews Photography

Elf on the Shelf 2015

Rudy the Elf on the Shelf is happy to have a Christmas tree to hide in. Photographed while watching U2 play in Paris. As I type this they are teasing Burning Down the House with a cool lady moving in mysterious ways.

Pictures from Altama Plantation, Southeast Georgia

This past week I had the opportunity to visit the Altama Plantation, formerly called Hopeton, near St Simons Island, Georgia.  It is such a beautiful property with a rich history with records dating back as far as 1763.  It was most recently owned by the Jones family that also owned Sea Island.  One of the original owners studied water control in Holland and put that knowledge to work in a diking and drainage system that supported the rice fields of Hopeton. It was also home to sugar mills, and ruins still remain, two of the chimneys pictured below with the year 1899 engraved with cut bricks.  The ancient oak and pine trees are just stunning with drooping Spanish moss, and Gardenia’s like you have never seen before left over from prior owners gardens.  Wildlife is abundant, while only there for 24 hours we saw an alligator, wild hog, tons of deer, a water moccasin, a turkey, several hawks and a massive owl.  Coming from Atlanta it was simply amazing to be in a place like that.

I spent some time looking for information on Altama, and this is one of the best records I could find: Georgia’s Land of the Golden Isles

Below are pictures I captured while there.  All of these images are available on www.CarsonMatthewsPhotography.com/Travel/GoldenIsles

Thanks for reading,

Carson Matthews
www.CarsonMatthewsPhotography.com

Twisted Tree – Chattahoochee Nature Trail

I love this tree along the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area trail.  I’m usually running when back there so never have my camera and certainly not my tripod.  I took both out for a hike on Friday afternoon and got a picture of this twisted tree.

How I did it:

ISO 100
17mm
f/9.0
5 exposures 1/30 sec – 1/500 sec
Shot on Tripod
Processed in Photomatix Pro 5 & Lightroom

View or purchase a high resolution image at http://www.carsonmatthewsphotography.com/Photography/OntheStreets/i-LzQ3Ncz/A

Thanks,

Carson Matthews
www.CarsonMatthewsPhotography.com

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ben’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich looks good enough to photograph!

ISO 6400, 125 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec

Beautiful Atlanta Sky From Phipps Plaza

I have tried to capture this shot before and was stopped by security.  This time I stayed in my car and was able to get the image I was looking for.  The clouds and sky were pretty amazing for about 3 minutes, then it was gone…  This is a 3 exposure HDR processed in SNS-HDR Pro and Lightroom.  The Church on the left is Wieuca Baptist Church and the building on the right is the Ritz Carlton Residences.

ISO 320 @ 24mm, f16

Rest Stop in North Fulton Golf Course

Rest stop on the eastern side of North Fulton Golf Course along Lake Forest Drive in Chastain Park.

 

 

Carson Matthews Photography

HDR Halloween Yard Decorations

Today we capped off Fall Break by decorating the front yard with some Halloween decorations.  Here’s a shot of the scary grave yard.

Wild Mushrooms

This morning I was walking around Chastain Park and came across these cool mushrooms dancing in the morning sun.

Wild Atlanta Mushrooms

Swimming at Chastain Pool

Last weekend we took our new GoPro out for a spin at Chastain Pool. We had a lot of fun trying it out and getting some underwater footage.

 

Carson Matthews

Thanksgiving Turkey Preparation Timelapse Video

Here is a iPhone 6 timelapse video of our Thanksgiving turkey preparation on Thanksgiving morning. After this it went into the Big Green Egg for several hours and came out perfect!

Timelapse Compilation of Sunrise and Weather

Here is a video compilation of time-lapse videos out of our front window. Our house faces East so we get great sunrises and a consistent look at clouds and storms moving through.

Sunset over the Chattahoochee River

Here is a picture of the sun tonight as it began setting over the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta. This shot was taken from the East Palisades Trail of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area looking west to Cobb Parkway as it crossed the Hooch.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8

70mm f/8.0 5 frames processed in Photomatix and Lightroom

Saturday Down South

Saturday Down South