Category Archives: People

Queens of the Diamond: Pride and Joy

“Pride and Joy” marks the final week of the “Queens of the Diamond” summer photo series. The four images above depict my daughter both in the field and at the plate. She is a phenomenal young woman and as her Dad, I couldn’t be prouder.

Sports photography is not my forte but when the softball season began I set out in an effort to expand my photographic range and to capture a few magical moments for my daughter’s fastpitch team. These four final image mark the end of this creative journey for me and although I know I am only starting to push the boundaries I am pleased with my growth and the results of my efforts. I hope you have enjoyed this summer series and hope you will check back often to see what new adventures I may chronicle at Greg’s Blog. Please take a moment to let me know what you thought of the series, I look forward to any feedback you may have to offer. Thank for following along.

Image Details (Clockwise from top left):

Image 1
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 102mm | 1/1250 sec. at ƒ/2.8 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Image 2
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 200mm | 1/8000 sec. at ƒ/2.8 | ISO1600.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Image 3
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 200mm | 1/1600 sec. at ƒ/3.2 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Image 4
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 200mm | 1/1600 sec. at ƒ/3.2 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Images 1, 3, 4 captured in June 2022 at the Dundalk Baseball Diamond, Dundalk, Southgate, Ontario.
Image 2 captured in May 2022 at the Steve Brown Sports Complex, Brantford, Ontario.

Copyright 2022 Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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Queens of the Diamond: Batterymates

This week features two images, the pitcher and catcher also known as “Batterymates“. They represent the twelfth and thirteenth images in the “Queens of the Diamond” summer photo series. In fastpitch or any similar game such as baseball the term ‘battery’ refers to the pitcher/catcher tandem. This weeks images depict both halves of the battery, one showing the pitch moments after it has left the pitcher’s hand, the other shows the catcher receiving the pitch and framing it for the umpire as they await the call.

There was going to be a third image showing the batterymates celebrating an inning-ending strikeout as they ran off the field however as is often the case the images did not turn out.

Sports photography is not my forte but I have set out to capture some special moments for my daughter’s fastpitch team. I will post some of the best images here on Greg’s Blog throughout the summer. I hope you decide to follow along as I chronicle the girls’ journey while expanding my photographic range. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Please leave feedback in the comment section below.

Pitcher
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6.8 IS.
Settings: 55mm | 1/500 sec. at ƒ/5.6 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Catcher
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 200mm | 1/1250 sec. at ƒ/2.8 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Images captured in June 2022 at the Dundalk Baseball Diamond, Dundalk, Southgate, Ontario.

Copyright 2022 Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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Queens of the Diamond: Rip-It!

“RIP-IT!” is the eleventh image in the “Queens of the Diamond” summer photo series. Just as it says on her helmet the batter looks out at the pitcher from the home plate, fully loaded and ready to RIP-IT, the pitch, back through the box.

As I have stated throughout the series, I am attempting to expand my photographic chops beyond my usual subject matter. This is an example of that growth. Although I am satisfied with the overall quality of the image I believe the composition would benefit greatly if the batter’s hands and the entire length of the bat had been captured in the initial picture. I should have used a shorter focal length (or step back from the subject) to include the missing elements and more of the background. You can always crop out extraneous bits in post-production but details that are not captured can never be recovered.

Sports photography is not my forte but I have set out to capture some special moments for my daughter’s fastpitch team. I will post some of the best images here on Greg’s Blog throughout the summer. I hope you decide to follow along as I chronicle the girls’ journey while expanding my photographic range. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Please leave feedback in the comment section below.

Image captured in June 2022 at the Dundalk Baseball Diamond, Dundalk, Southgate, Ontario.
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: 200mm | 1/640 sec. at ƒ/2.8 | ISO100.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Copyright 2022 Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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Queens of the Diamond
RIP-IT

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God of the Sun

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The Sun God “Ra” was one of the most powerful deities in the Egyptian pantheon. The ancients did not approach scientific discovery using the methods employed today but they understood the power of Ra’s life-giving energy. The ability of the sun to affect our moods in positive ways is undeniable.

Prayer to Ra

Oh RA, You God of Life, You Lord of Love,
All men live when you shine.

You are the crowned King of the Gods.
The Goddess Aset embraces you, and enfolds you in all seasons.
Those who follow you sing to you with joy, and they bow down their foreheads to the earth in gratitude for your radiant blessings.

Oh RA, You the King of Truth, the Lord of Eternity,
The Prince of Everlastingness, You Sovereign of all Gods,
You God of Life, you Creator of Eternity, You Maker of Heaven.
All the Gods rejoice at your rising.

Oh RA, You giver of all life, the Earth rejoices when it sees your golden rays.
People who have been long dead come forward with cries of joy to behold your beauties every day.
You go forth each day over Heaven and Earth.

Oh RA God of Life, you Lord of Love,
All men live when you shine.

~ Prayer to Ra from the tomb of Shep-en-Mut (25th dynasty)

Living in a Northern climate I can very distinctly recall that moment each spring when I could feel the warmth of the Sun’s rays soaking into my soul. That tingling of warmth on my skin after a long and noticeable absence throughout the cold of winter.

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Queens of the Diamond: Pregame Photoshoot

“Pre-game Photoshoot” is the seventh image in my “Queens of the Diamond” summer series. The girls were getting ready on the bench before first pitch and saw the camera. Not missing an opportunity to pose they quickly assembled for a couple of shots before heading out onto the field.

Sports photography is not my forte but I have set out to capture some special moments for my daughter’s fast pitch team. I will post some of the best images here on Greg’s Blog throughout the summer. I hope you decide to follow along as I chronicle the girls’ journey while expanding my photographic range. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Please leave feedback in the comment section below.

Image captured in May 2022 at the Proton Community Park, Hopeville, Southgate, Ontario.
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Settings: ISO100, 70mm, f2.8, 1/640 sec.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Copyright 2022 Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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Queens of the Diamond
Pre-game Photoshoot

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End of the Roll

Back in the day, Bushboy’s Last on the Card challenge may have been called Last on the Roll. Film cameras and the silver halide strips we put in them are pretty much relics from a bygone era. I have a huge collection of both negative and positive (aka slide) film packed away along with two Minolta and one Pentax cameras. The task of converting the volume of film into digital files will be monumental should I ever get around to it.

Today we take pictures from our phones, by the hundreds. All of today’s camera systems take images using a charge-coupled device (CCD). Believe it or not, this terrific device led to Eastman-Kodak’s Steve Sasson inventing the first digital camera in the early 1970s. The images were stored on magnetic cassette and would be available to view on any television screen. When he presented the technology to the company they were less than impressed. Sasson discussed management’s reaction to the invention in a New York Times interview years later:

“They were convinced that no one would ever want to look at their pictures on a television set. Print had been with us for over 100 years, no one was complaining about prints, they were very inexpensive, and so why would anyone want to look at their picture on a television set?”

Kodak was the dominant U.S. photography brand and they didn’t want to cannibalize their own film business. A shortsighted decision that prevented them from filing patents and when they did make the switch to digital eighteen years later it was too little, too late.

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Queens of the Diamond: Pre-game Ritual

Summer is here when the girls take to the field. I spent the weekend photographing my daughter and her team hit, pitch, throw, and catch their way into the quarterfinals of the Queens of the Diamond, Division 1 fastpitch tournament in Brantford, Ontario. Sports photography is not my forte but I set out to capture some special moments for my daughter and her teammates. I will post some of the best images here on Greg’s Blog for all to see. I hope you decide to follow along as I chronicle the girls’ journey while expanding my photographic range.

“Pre-game Ritual“, the first in the “Queens of the Diamond” series depicts the Girls of Summer huddled together moments before the first pitch. Every team takes a second to block out the noise, get the adrenaline flowing, and set their focus on the battle at hand. The photograph seemed an appropriate starting point for this project. I hope you enjoy the images I’ll post throughout the summer and look forward to any feedback you may have.

Image captured in May 2022 at the Steve Brown Sports Complex, Brantford, Ontario.
Equipment: Canon EOS 60D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
Additional processing via Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop.

Copyright 2022 Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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Queens of the Diamond
Pre-game Ritual

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Singular Focus >>

Up Next…

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The Bottom of Nine

Trailing by two in the bottom of nine,
A single, then double, stroked down the line,
On second and third they jostle about,
While eight and nine both swing and strike out.

Ace steps to the plate, set on a mission,
Wielding his bat with reckless precision,
Direct from the mound comes a red-stitched pearl,
Did he throw straight heat or spin up the curl?

Nary a twitch as it whizzes on by,
“Strike!” shouts the Umpire,
“Hey blue, check your eye!”
Not even close, ’bout a foot off the edge,
The Babe couldn’t hit that with a six-foot sledge.

Next comes a bender, left hung out to dry,
The crack of the bat, it’s a monstrous fly,
If it stays fair it’ll sail off in the night,
Instead, it drifts foul, a long and loud strike!

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Sweet Dreams

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Nate finished his special milk knowing what followed.

“It’s Bedtime,” I said.

He’d protested momentarily before asking, “Daddy, please read the ‘pigeon’ book.”

He’d be fast asleep before the story’s end.

“Good night my little one,” I whispered and kissed him goodnight on the cheek.

Week #241 of Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt.
Word: Goodnight, Count: 45
Additional information: Good Night vs Goodnight

Photo credit: Greg Glazebrook @ GMG Photography

This is the pigeon book referred to in the story above. I highly recommend it for your children and children of all ages.

Copyright 2021 / 2022 Greg Glazebrook / GMG Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Christmas Message 2021

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As December draws to a close and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season reaches its crescendo we all begin to reflect on the year that was 2021.

Of course, COVID continued to play a significant role in all our lives. Vaccines and variants became household words and we’ve all become expert virologists. Well, not really, although some of us are certain we know something our doctors and scientist just can’t figure out. For the record, you don’t. These people along with our nurses and other healthcare professionals are working tirelessly to save lives. Trust them, trust the science. Most importantly do everything you can to protect yourself, your family, and your community and get vaccinated. We’ve all got or are scheduled to get our third doses here and there have been no side effects, I mean other than the three Microsoft computers I was compelled to buy shortly after each shot. Damn Nanobots!!!

Personally, it has been a busy year. In August we moved into our new home and we are now pretty much settled in for the long haul. Of course, there is still some unpacking to be done.

In preparation for Christmas, I built some decorations for the yard. I built these three colourful trees out of wood from old pallets. It was a fun project and as you can see Nathaniel was an excellent helper. I hope to build a snowman for next year as well as another tree for inside. Expect to see them in next year’s message!

It is hard to believe Nathaniel is five this year (and only a couple of months away from six) He has grown so much. Below he is catching snowflakes on his tongue from early December of this year. I have also assembled a collage of images from Christmases past. Where has the time gone?

That’s all folks! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.