Christmas is Better with Grandbabies.

 

It's official, I am entering my first Christmas season as an amateur photographer and a first-time grandfather.  So far I've done two family-requested photo shoots and a third is coming.   My youngest daughter, Makenzie, gave birth in October to a healthy baby boy, Rowan.  We picked an evening about an hour before sunset to walk the square of their little hometown of Smithville, Texas and look for interesting backdrops for family pictures.  I used my Fujifilm X-T5 with a Viltrox 27mm lens.  I stayed in auto-mode--I'm still nervous to go fully manual, but I can tell I'm getting more confident, that will come in time.  

Here's a selection of photos:

NEO Preset filter

NEO Preset filter

NEO Preset

Mercury Sighted

 

Snapped this vintage Mercury sitting in my neighborhood while taking Abigail for a walk.  Finally I had my Fuji XT-5 and not just my camera phone.  I'm getting better at taking the extra effort to carry it, and it pays off.

I had my 16-80 mm lens, wide tracking AF mode, PROVIA/STANDARD film simulation. Did some very light removal of a couple paint chips on the hood.  I threw it in Luminar NEO and cut out the background and threw a solar/lens flare layer behind it. Also did a Neon Skyline preset.  

If you look close you can see my reflection in the front bumper!

Rattlesnake!

Camera: XT5 Fujifilm with 16-80mm lens.  

Picture details:  Automode, f/5.6, 1/140 sec, ISO 160, focal length 34 mm.  

Edit:  Cropped and added Savannah Silverback Preset with Luminar Neo.

I killed this baby 10" Rattlesnake unknowingly while I was weed trimming some tall grass near a sidewalk.  I turned around and laid out on the sidewalk was the snake with part of its guts hanging out about halfway down its body.  I used a stick to pick it up and coiled it up on a rock for pictures.  Fortunately, I had my camera in my pickup truck.  I zoomed in for a close up and when I edited the picture I noticed that part of my body was reflected in his eye!