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Husband and I practiced a little ‘dueling cameras’ overlooking downtown Des Moines last night, playing with various settings including this one with white balance set to Tungsten and an exposure compensation of -1.  Bill took a number of bracketed shots in order to try Photo Merge in Elements to achieve an HDR result.  I’m also working to finesse the use of manual focusing using Live View, BBF and exposure compensation not to mention experimenting with aperture and shutter speed settings, ISO, composition and figuring out the knobs and levers on my tripod. Lots to play with, lots to learn!
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On New Years Day, Bill and I spent a pleasant hour or two reading the paper and sipping our favorite hot beverages in downtown Des Moines. This particular Starbucks, a favorite haunt no matter where it’s located throughout the city, shares retail space with the South Union Bread Café in a grand old building that houses The Temple for Performing Arts.

Both my husband and I work in a suburb area of Des Moines so neither of us is all that familiar with the many wonderful old buildings downtown but the main floor of this locale contains more than a few keys to its past and is a delightful place to sit and relax or grab your camera and explore. Since I couldn’t decide which avenue to pursue, I did both!

This Starbucks has been remodeled and redecorated in just the last year or two
This Starbucks has been remodeled and redecorated in just the last year or two
Courtyard area outside Starbucks
Courtyard area outside Starbucks
Painted pipework, bricks and the exit to the courtyard
Painted pipework, bricks and the exit to the courtyard
Painted trim on columns in the lobby
Painted trim on columns in the lobby
Freemason engravings on door leading in and out of the main lobby
Freemason engravings on door leading in and out of the main lobby
Box office for The Temple of Performing Arts
Box office for The Temple of Performing Arts
Hurry! Intermission is almost over.
Hurry – Intermission is almost over!
Reflections on the library windows next door
Reflections on the library windows next door