Sean M. Leahy Photography

I would like to thank the folks at the annual MSU Global Focus Photography Competition for awarding my submission first place in this years 2009 competition.

This image was one of a series of images I shot while on a business trip to Rwanda in October of 2008.  This particular image was shot in a large eggplant farm just outside of the capital city of Kigali Rwanda.  This image caught a moment where this kid was listening intently to the conversations being held by the main farmer and some of my colleagues in the field.  This kid was one of many who came to see what all the action was about, these kids were great, they were so high spirited and engaged in what we were doing.  This trip was an amazing experience that I would one day like to repeat, until then this image and others form that trip will stay in my heart and mind reminding me of the wonderful time I had while in Rwanda.

To see more images from this trip take a look at the original blog post “Into the heart of Africa” from my trip back in October of 2008.

(Click on image for larger view)

A little while back my buddy Joe (pictured above) allowed me to grab a few quick portraits of him.  Unfortunately for my family and friends, they often become the subject of my photographic whim.

All of these images where shot in my small 1 bed room apartment, with 2 speedlights. The setup was rather simple, subject standing approximately 12 inches from white wall, with an SB-800 camera left at 45 degree angle over subjects face in conjunction with a smaller SB-600 camera right also positioned at 45 degrees over subject.

Image details:

• Camera: Nikon D300
• Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm VRII
• Aperture: f5.6
• Shutter: 1/60s
• ISO: 200

In celebration of Labor Day this year, a few friends and I piled into a car and headed up north to Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge.  We went to the bridge to participate in the 52nd annual Bridge Walk.  Every year (for the last 52 anyway) they shut down the bridge on Labor Day and people from all over the country (and World) walk across the bridge.  It is quite the spectacle.  We were lucky to have great weather all weekend, we did have a nice patch of fog roll in on us as we were crossing the bridge, so that made for some interesting atmosphere to both walk and photograph.  The following video is a short compilation of the some 1000+ images I shot while on my trip.

Click images for larger view.

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This was my first skydive and it was an incredible experience. It was some of the most fun I have ever had, a truly amazing adrenaline rush. I can’t thank the team at Skydive Tecumseh enough, they were really cool, professional, and fun. When we got to the airfield we were able to watch the plane-load ahead of us depart and all the jumpers land safely while we filled out our safety waivers. After that we took a short safety course then suited up in our gear. Once in the airplane it was a short 15 minute ride to our jumping altitude of 14,000 ft. A short walk to the rear of the plane was all that was left before jumping out. Free fall lasted for roughly 40 seconds or so before our canopy was deployed. Once the shoot was open it was a short 5-6 min ride to the bottom. I was pleasantly surprised too feel first hand how easy it is to steer your parachute. We came into the drop zone fast and made a super smooth landing. I could not help but smile from ear to ear, what an amazing experience that I will never forget. And yes, I am ready to go again.

I would seriously recommend Skydive Tecumseh to anyone who wants to experience skydiving.

All Pictures courtesy of Skydive Tecumseh (click for larger view).

I recently took a trip to Ireland with family and it was an absolute blast.  I traveled the countryside with camera in hand as we moved our way from Dublin to Galway via the southern coastline.  Most notably I enjoyed my time in Kinsale and Galway (including the Aran Islands).  It was a wonderful trip filled with great beer, family, friends and adventure.  (click images for larger view)

When traveling, I always try and take my travel camera kit, and this trip was no exception.  My kit consists of the Lowpro Fastpack 350 which I must say is rather roomy and not only can it hold all of my gear, there is room in the top compartment for a few days worth of clothes.  Inside the bag I had my Nikon D300 with the “never-leave-home-without-it” Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens, a trusty 50mm f1.8 and of course my Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye.  In addition to that I also had an SB-600 and SB-800 with a host of modifiers just in case.

Cosi HDR

The second annual Worldwide Photowalk is just about here.  This year there are 914 walks happening all over the globe.  You can be apart of one right here in East Lansing!  I will be hosting (leading) this years’ Photowalk in East Lansing on Saturday July 18th, 2009 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.  We will be walking around the beautiful campus of Michigan State University as well as Grand River Avenue in the hopes of getting some great images and meeting other photographers.

What is a Photowalk? A photowalk is just a social gathering for photographers of all skill levels to get together and share their passion for photography while walking around shooting images for a set amount of time in a certain location.

If you are interested in joining, don’t forget to sign up! There’s still time.  To register visit http://worldwidephotowalk.com/east-lansing-mi-usa/

Don’t forget to see the prize list…you could potentially win some really great stuff.

Hope to see you on Saturday!