New Deck and Patio

Since the weddings sort of slow down during the summer months, I have taken advantage of free weekends to get some projects done around the house. Don't worry, this blog will not turn into a boring account of my non-photo related activities. And if it does, at least there will always be lots of pictures to accompany those boring posts. It took many hours, materials, sweat and even a little bit of blood, but it's (almost) done. My good friend Jordan (aka Smoov J) pitched in big time and his efforts are much appreciated.

The finished product. To keep this post photo-related: lit using three flashes; one on the ground to the left (visible in the shot), one on a stand camera left, and one high on a stand camera right lighting the deck. Waiting another 10 minutes or so would have been ideal, so the brightness of the sky would match the level of the interior lights. This would have given a nice warm glow to the house.

Entering the patio from the side yard. This was after completing the pavers, but before the deck. You can see our nice private forest and our hammock if you look close enough.

Karen peeking out at our day's work. Smoov J and I layed all these bricks in one day!

The finished patio. Our poor furniture is in that pile of junk somewhere. After living on a mix of mud/dirt/grass I am sure it was ready for a new home.

Closeup of the fire-pit that helps connect the patio and deck.

This is when the light is getting to be about right. The blue sky matches the inside lights. The shutter speed was still a little too fast in this image so the sky and interior are a little dim. I was kind of in hurry and just wanted to capture the patio and deck. Another real estate photography tip: get on a ladder.

There was a house fire in our neighborhood the other night. Keep an eye out for those pics tomorrow.