Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Rock at the Mac


Going to the UP for the weekend.  And always have to stop in Mackinaw City.  And always have to take a shot or five of the MAC.  On our way up, the weather was just great.  And for a Michigan spring this is a real bonus!  I was walking along the shore to the bridge and saw this larger rock.  This was fairly easy to picture in my head.  When the light is there - it is easy.

1/640 f/14
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 18 mm (24 mm for 35mm film)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Bottle Rocket


This is one of my fireworks photos from last summer of a bottle rocket taking to flight.  I like the silhouette of the (IC Lite Beer) bottle.  This was a fun project.  For fun, I did a B&W version.  That turned out really well.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Rt 381


Route 381 - through Rolling Rock Farms.  In fall, no place other place I'd rather be.  So I don't live there, but every fall it is worth the trip back.  This is a very neat piece of road - lots of line here.  The road, road paint, fence lines and trees are all very interesting.  When I first posted this shot, I liked with with more saturated colors.  I'm starting to dial back a bit of the saturation.  I'm still against a 'true' photo shot and lean more toward an 'enhanced' shot - but I'm moving a bit.  The one characteristic of this shot that isn't where I'd like it to be is the sky.  It is so flat, it is washing out part of the tree line.  Some time I will get back when it all falls (get it - fall) together.

1/60 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 200
Focal length 32 mm (48 mm for 35mm film)

Crisp Point Lighthouse - 2009


This is one of my favorites of Crisp Point.  The whole area is a great place to take photos, not only of the lighthouse but of all the natural landscape.  The area is not littered with lots of traffic - you just don't come across this place.  It is a destination.  And even with the best of directions, good luck.  A GPS helps.
In the foreground are the remains of a pier.  What stories this pier could tell! 
Now to the photo stuff.  This is one of the first photos I really had to THINK about what the final image would look like.  Depth of field is everything here - as well as the angle of the shot.  To say I was grounded would not be stretch of the imagination.  To a certain extent I was very lucky.  It was a mostly cloudy day and for about 30 minutes the sky cleared a bit to what is shown here.

1/400 f/10
Auto
ISO 200
Focal length 18 mm (27 mm for 35mm film)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Sailboat Row


This is another photo lost during the blog changes.  This one hangs over the home fireplace - I like it that much.  In the final days of February last year, we took a trip to the UP.  I wanted to see ICE.  And I was not disappointed.  We stopped in Mackinaw City on the way to the Soo.  It was snowing - so as with a lot of my winter shots there is no sky.  When we got up there all the worker's cars were gone from this area and this sight just got to me.  In one of the rare moments of thought process, I had enough focal length to keep the masts straight.  This time around, it was not a mistake.  A year ago - I took this with an AUTO setting.  These days, the set up would be much different.  And then again, maybe the numbers would be the same.  Great depth of field - that could have been a disaster as well.  All in all - a good AUTO shot.

1/250 f/8
AUTO
ISO 100
Focal length 35 mm (52 mm for 35mm film)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

CSX Car


Way back when - before I started this the third blog - I had published this photo.  This photo was taken in August of 2008 while on the Somerset County Covered Bridge tour.  Between the Pack Saddle Bridge and the Baronville Bridge is an area where trains have to stop while waiting for another engine to arrive to help them up the next series of grades.  (I know this because I talked with the engineer of this train.)  In 2008 I wasn't sure of my photos - or what I was trying to tell with them.  Lucky I got this one!
This photo means a lot to me for a few reasons.  I am not a train person - but being that close to that much metal is pretty amazing.  I have a few train friends who are borderline fanatical about the subject and have turned their basements into shrines to prove it.  I can see why they are who they are.
One of the reasons I like this shot is the opening door on the front of the engine car.  It is very dark in there, yet I can pull out the interior well enough to read the stenciled message.  This is the first photo I worked with where I could get the trees along the track to look the way I liked them.  With this photo, I started to see photos differently.
The other reason I liked this shot is it taught me one of the first lessons about the subject of a photo setting.  I entered this shot as an after-thought in one of my club competitions and it scored well.  I was amazed - partially because the other shots I entered that I liked didn't do so well and this one did.  When were were talking about the shots after the judging, I found it it did well because there is no guessing what the subject is and the environment around it is nice, but not threatening.  I practice this when I can - but.........
This shot was taken with the camera on full auto - from settings to focus.  The most exciting science to this shot was I probably used a polarizer filter.  Now, I shoot most new shots with Aperture priority to control the depth of field and auto-focus off to better 'see' what I'm doing.  (All the other times, just point and shoot!)

1/200 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 125
Focal length 75 mm (112 mm for 35mm film)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Next Steps..............

As this hobby is moving along, I'm moving (slowly) to a more complete product.  I want to move on from DIGITAL presentation and smaller print formats to PRINT in a larger format presentation.
I am passing the year mark since Channer turned me on to HDR and that leap has really provided a hobby that entertains me.  There are so many great photographers - I really wanted to find a niche that I liked and was extremely comfortable with.  I'm OK with some saying it is not real photography I am doing with the blending of light.  I'm happy with ART.
I am continually inspired by my association with the Flint Lensmen Camera Club and have learned much from them.  (Even Bob....)  The members are all very diverse with a wealth of experiences and different takes on what is good, bad and ugly.  Most of all, although there are a few hecklers in the rear, no one has tried to change my style - just hints on how to be better technically.
So the next step to 'building' a final product is the presentation.  I didn't think much of this aspect until talking with some of the club members.  A few meetings have centered on the art of mat cutting.  So I bit and bought a mid-range model.  I've been working with it for two weeks - and aside from a few mistakes the results are fairly good.
For now - it is an exponential gift.  Another layer to my ART.
These are my first three efforts.  
The first effort is a black mat on a B&W (Algoma Steel) photo.  It is fairly idiot-proof.  I'm sure I still have a lot to learn on what colors to mat a photo with - what adds to the final product.


The next effort is a photo of seven birds on a rail that really doesn't translate well into a 'standard' photo size.  With the mat, I can size the photo to any that best enhances the photo.  That was an unexpected gift.



The third effort is a double mat.  This photo of the Rockland Breakwater light in Maine is a real favorite.  My dilemma was what color to go with - either a green or red.  Went with green.  Worked great.


 Still have a long way to go - but this is fun.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

10th Street Bridge


I've been away from Pittsburgh for so long, I'm not sure why they paint the bridges yellow.  At one point, the bridges were a blueish-purple.  There may be a few that still sport that color.  But I like the yellow.  I'd like a better color sky.  There was enough low clouds in an otherwise flat sky that I could work with.  It will be good to get back when the weather is nicer.

1/80 f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 20 mm (30 mm for 35mm film)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Seven on a Rail


While walking around Pittsburgh (not really around - we were heading for an ice cream parlor...) I saw a number of these bird sitting around on the fences and posts.  And then I saw this seven.  Being Super Bowl week - I saw an interior line. There is the Center, Guards, Tackles, one tight end and a slot receiver.  Made sense to me.
This photo is interesting to me on many levels.  The wire and the top rail are actually level.  The building blocks are a bit off due to the angle of the shot.  One of the unknowns is that the sky was so crappy that I was happy to use the wall as it was.  I also like the multiple shades of brown on the back of the birds.
This is also first attempt at a photo in a non-standard size.  I have an old 3 4x6 photo frame that I used for this.  I cut a mat - still made some rookie mistakes but... - and put it all together.  Looks good.

1/125 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 360
Focal length 130 mm (195 mm for 35mm film)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Under the 10th Street Bridge

Trip home to Pittsburgh offered a great opportunity to shoot subjects that are new to me.  No wilderness, no ice formations, no lighthouses, all new STUFF.  I have seen some interesting HDR shots of bridge undersides.  Just had to get my own.  In a perfect world - there would have been blue skies with a wisp of a cloud or two.  But this is Pittsburgh - in February.  I'm happy it wasn't snowing and windy!
This is a true HDR shot.  I'm getting better at hand holding the camera in these situations.  Still not comfortable lugging the tri-pod around...........  This brings out the best of a HDR - light on the underside.  Not sure this is suitable for much more than a screen saver - but it does give me high hopes to get this is a better light in October.

1/15, 1/25, 1/13   f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 24 mm (36 mm for 35mm film)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Flint River Walking Bridge


This is a walking bridge across the Flint River in a county park.  The area is really nice and a favorite photo shoot destination.  With the recent snow, the bridge is looking really nice.  Not many people around - in fact none.  The park is closed to traffic although snowmobiles are allowed.  So it was a nice hike out here.
We finally have some blue sky - first time we've seen the sun in a week.  There are a lot of small trees around - which takes away from the scene to me.  I thought I'd post this shot because of the sun - pretty bright.  I had some different angles but I like the sun position and the reflections on the glass.  I'll probably enter this in a club competition - just to get a discussion going.

1/100, 1/320
Aperture Priority
ISO 400 f/5.6
Focal length 70 mm (105 mm for 35mm film)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

South Haven Light in January


This is the South Haven Light - in January.  Lots of ice build up here - and it was snowing heavily.  The lake effect was producing lots of squalls.  And it was cold.  On this trip i learned a lot about shutter speed and what it does with the snow patterns.  This weekend, the snow was horizontal.  I had to keep the speed down a bit because I wanted to keep the DOF a large as possible.  So the snow isn't showing the travel pattern - but they are large.

1/320 f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 130 mm (195 mm for 35mm film)

Thursday, January 27, 2011

St. Joseph Light in January


It was COLD.  Really COLD.  Last year I was out on the west coast of Michigan in late March and at that time all the ice was gone.  I think it is still growing at this time of year.  Unfortunately it was snowing all the time - I'd say lake effect was in full motion.  It is really tough to separate the sky and ice and snow.  This shot cleaned up well.  The front range light is covered/caked in ice - and that was the point of the day.  The shot may be on the dark side, but adding any more flattens everything.  And in a weird coincidence, this light is actually on the right side of the histogram!

1/320 f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 170 mm (255 mm for 35mm film)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tahquamenon Falls Trail


This is the trail to the Tahquamenon Falls from the upper falls lot.  There was a fair amount of snow.  I didn't expect to see the amount of leaves that survived fall.  I like the texture of the trail and the clouds in the sky.  I might work this a little more to get the green of the trees in the background to come put a bit more.

1/160 f/18
Aperture Priority
ISO 100
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Algoma (Essar) Steel - Redux


I really like the B&W effect on this shot.  What I didn't like on the previous shot was some of the sky in the center right of the photo was washed out - no definition.  The effect may work at some point - but I wanted more definition in the sky.  The other shot is a single HDR photo.  This shot is seven different exposure levels - and the sky came out much better.  There is a lot more definition.  Seven levels is the most I've ever tried before.  I like this much better.  New Trick.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Algoma (Essar) Steel


This is a photo from last - well now two - year.  The Soo Lock Boat tour includes a pass through the Algoma (Now Essar) Steel property,  Depending on what time of day you get through there - a lot can be going on.  Anything from freighters to large equipment to gas blow offs can happen.  So what happened here?  Not much going on - but great backlighting!  So I was cruising through some old photos and thought this might be good in B&W.  Exceeded my expectations.

1/640 f/13
Auto
ISO 400
Focal length 32 mm (48 mm for 35mm film)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Whaleback Light

This is a shot of Whaleback Light at the head of the Portland River from Fort Foster park.  A bit deceptive, but the light is a fair distance away from land.  This was an interesting shot with the light between the trees.
The real story about this shot is the processing.  I'm trying to frame the shot better by lining up major points of the shot into the rule of thirds.  The water level fits in nicely for the rule.  The trees could go either way, but this line up seems to work for me.

1/200 f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 85 mm (127 mm for 35mm film)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Rockland Breakwater Light II


Wow - that is dark.  Certainly the day was dark - it was threatening to rain most of the time.  If it wasn't threatening to rain - it was raining.  So I'll go back to - Well everyone has a sunny photo of this.  
This is a single photo HDR.  I had forgotten this series until I saw one of the breakwater photos used as a screen saver this afternoon.  I do like the photos of the lighthouse.  The rust drainage on the wall is very interesting.  (Note to self - next time take a close up or what you like.......)

1/100 f/11
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 38 mm (57 mm for 35mm film)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Bike in Woods - Winter


This is the same bike I photographed earlier in the year.  To get to the location was easier earlier in the year - it is just off a trail that is easily accessible.  This time of year, the best term I can use is trudge.  I had been thinking about this shot for a few days and was not disappointed.

(1/320, 1/640, 1/160)   f/10
Aperture Priority (HDR)
ISO 400
Focal length 70 mm (105 mm for 35mm film)

Monday, December 20, 2010

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays!


This is the photo I sent out this year as a holiday card.  This is the Gazebo in Ligonier on Christmas Eve - 2009.  The photo itself is a true HDR.  This is one of my first successful efforts of using a tripod, setting the camera bracket settings, using a remote release so I didn't have to touch the camera, aperture priority, manual focus, etc.  I should have used written notes.  After the shot - I didn't know what I had until I returned home and started working with it.  Initially - I had a real had time believing I could get a photo like this without a flash and all the issues that brings up.
I really like how the surfaces of the brick and the rock of the gazebo foundation stand out.  there is enough "light" to see the definitions on the gazebo roof.  The light on the trees is only from the street lamps.
After this shot - I was a HDR convert.
So with this - I say Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays.  Thanks for looking in.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Highland Drive Sunset

Last December at this time, I was in Pennsylvania to celebrate the holiday season.  When we arrived, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground - with the forecast of rain the following morning.  After a few hours of rain, the temperature would then drop below freezing for the next week.  
Now to the photo.  This series was taken the following night - just before actual sunset.  And, this is a true HDR photograph.  Instead of showing all three - I've shown the original RAW image and the final result.  Keep in mind that the photo was taken looking into the shadows and yet I can get some great colors and reflections off of the top layer of ice.

The original 'normal' RAW image:  (The normal image)


The Final Image:


On RAW images, the file is directly what the camera 'sees'.  It does not get the final enhancement that Nikon wants to present to the world.  But you get the idea.  If I were to do a HDR demo - this would be one of the projects.

On most of my shots, I use the one image workflow.  (I usually don't carry a tripod - and some of my subjects move around.)  So this was a real opportunity to compare both images to see if the three image process is any different than the one image process.  After this, I will carry a tripod more (and maybe use it) .  In a small setting there isn't much difference.  Blown up to screen saver size - the colors are fuller.  There is a difference.  

The four items I really like in this are the greens of the trees, the three bands of light in the sky and the ice of the road and the reflection of the trees on the ice covered snow in the lower right.

(1/20, 1/80, 1/5)   f/4.5
Aperture Priority
ISO 100
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Marquette Loader


With the snow getting ready to fly, I was going through some photos taken last February during some travels through the UP.  This is an ore loader in Marquette - no longer used.  This is one of the largest standing objects I've ever seen.  The theory is that train cars loaded with ore would take an elevated bridge to the top of the loader and dump the ore into holding bins.  Freighters would then come along on either side where the ramps would be lowered and the ore would drop to the ships.  This loader is in the middle of town.  Unfortunately it was closed off - would have been interesting to view the inside.

1/160 f/6.3
Aperture Priority
ISO 100
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Marshall Point Light - Part II


The Marshall Point light as many interesting angles.  Both the house and the light make interesting subjects.  While shooing on location, from the other side is all grass and green.  Here is just the opposite, New England rocky shore.  I like the way the colors in the rocks come out - along with some green on the right.

1/160 f/3.5
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 18 mm (27 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Rockland Breakwater Light


This is the Rockland Breakwater light in Maine.  The sky doesn't tell half the story - it was a miserable day.  This product is a combination of two photos.  In each shot, there is a person who was just strolling around.  Sometimes people add to the shot - but in this case it did not.  Elements has a function that will allow the combining of shots and selective removal of areas.  The location of the person was on the walkway in the middle of the shot.  In one shot, he was in front of the door at the top of the stairs and in the second shot he was on the far right of the walkway - just past the building.  Neat trick.  Instead of waiting for the 'perfect' shot, just took multiple shots.  As far as trying to 'clone' or blur, the door at the top of the stairs would have been very difficult to reconstruct.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Lincoln Highway


Not your usual Lincoln Highway photo.  This Lincoln Highway is a ski run - that hasn't seen any skiers in 5 years.  The sign looks pretty good for being in the weather for that long.  This is a sneaky photo.  The more I see it, the more I like it.  In the original, there are heavy shadows.  With enough post processing - not only could I get dome light in dark places, but great fall color as well.  (And the B&W version is a new screen saver.)

1/640 f/13
Aperture Priority  EV -7
ISO 400
Focal length 38 mm (57 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

RT 381 Fence


I like RT 381 in the fall.  I could almost do a book.  Lots of shadows here and the original is fairly dark.  I tried working on the middle rail of the fence and could not get it right without washing out the whole shot.  (A challenge for the next rainy day!)  As everyone has favorite settings, I'm starting to focus in on fences it seems.  I like the lines.  Who knows, maybe the book will be fences..........
This effect is not quite blown out as some of my other fall shots. This is somewhere between most of my third and fourth shots in the series.


1/200 f/5.6
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 70 mm (105 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Leaf in Sunlight


This was an opportunistic shot.  I was walking along the State road and I saw this red patch in a field of green.  I couldn't tell what it was.  At the time I was passing this, the sun had lit up the small area of the leaf - like a spotlight.  I took a few shots of this and this one is the most wide angle.  This shot can crop out many different ways.

1/80 f/13
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 100 mm (150 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Fall Cat Tail


This is from a few weeks ago from the last Pennsylvania trip.  This stood out to me where I could really work with depth of field and not in a gradual way.  The cat tail is elevated above the carpet of other plant life, so I really though the clear subject would stand out.  The colors are just where I like them.  Good fall photo.

1/320 f/13
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 78 mm (117 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Monday, November 8, 2010

Fence and Tree in Fall


After yesterday's photo of a snow covered road - I needs some warmth.  So back to fall.  This is an unnamed driveway off Rt 381 into Rolling Rock Farms.  To remember, this fall provided great weather and tree colors.  Any scene with a wood fence and a tree with autumn leaves will get my attention.

1/100 f/16
Aperture Priority  EV -7
ISO 200
Focal length 18 mm (27 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Highland Road in Winter


Highland Road is only a few weeks away from looking like this.  This was taken in 2008 with the D80.  If I were shooting this today - well I probably wouldn't change much.  The shot was with the AUTO setting.  Now I try to control the photo a bit more.  It probably works because the scene is much darker.  If the sun were out it might not have turned out like this.

1/200 f/3.9
AUTO
ISO 400
Focal length 26 mm (39 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Why I do what I do........

I spend a fair amount of time on my photos.  For the most part, I don't do family photos.  I try to find what I would consider 'interesting'.  And then I try to translate that moment to print.

That's only the first part - seeing and taking the shot.  What comes next is how to 'help' that moment.  As much as I like the equipment, there are some aspects of the shots that the camera itself will not handle.  Even set to make the images more vivid, that still is not enough.  To go along with color management is light management.  Since I rarely have the luxury of waiting in one spot all day for perfect light, my photos have to be 'adjusted' for light deficiencies.  

I came across a photo that illustrates on many levels why I take the time with photos I like to share.


The original:



And my take:

Old Lobster Traps


This was taken along the walkway to the Rockland Lighthouse.  All along the breakwater were old broken and dented lobster traps.  The yellow colors of the 'seaweeds' along with the green(?) of the plastic coated traps made for an interesting sight.

1/25 f/11
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 50 mm (75 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Monday, October 18, 2010

Rt 381 Post


All along Rt 381where I like to shoot are these wood fences that border the fields.  I really like some of the colors that come out of the wood - and the textures.  With the added addition of the great sky and tree colors - this is a pretty good shot.  I thought I'd like the sign a bit better - and maybe in this case less would be more.  Who knows?

1/2000 f/5.6
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 50 mm (75 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Friday, October 15, 2010

Laurel Lodge - Alternate View


This is certainly an effect that either appeals to you or not.  I tried the same effect on the Point Betsie Lighthouse.  Need to look at it more in different scenarios.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Laurel Lodge


This building, a ski lodge, hasn't been used for years.  Of all the winter buildings I've ever seen this one has an outdoor fire place which is unique.  The ski area could be open next year.  The building is in great shape for being abandoned and I expect there won't be many changes but this could be an empty spot next year.
I really like how the rock and wood come out in this.

1/640 f/13
Aperture Priority  EV -.6
ISO 400
Focal length 18 mm (27 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Bike in the Woods


This bike has been here for at least three years - probably more.  How it stays upright is amazing to me.  (Or how come a bear didn't take off on it?)  Usually when I've been around, the light hasn't been real accommodating to a good photo.  This time around, there was plenty of light - or enough to get decent DOF.  I didn't have to bump up the ISO too much.

1/50 f/5
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 30 mm (45 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fall Pathway


Fall 2010 is here!  This is from a wonderful weekend in Pennsylvania - where the combination of blue sky and the colors were the best I've seen or been a part of.  This is in Linn Run State Park on the top of the mountain.  It is a gas line path that has been there for years.  When I was a kid - yes I tried to get through there on a (motorized) bike.  At that time it it was mostly a mud pit and if I remember correctly I wound up pushing the bike through the mud.  Now, it looks like a beautiful pathway.

1/80 f/16
Aperture Priority  EV -.7
ISO 200
Focal length 46 mm (69 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Point Betsie Splash


This is just below the Point Betsie Lighthouse - a seawall to keep erosion at bay.  This was taken last March, still a bit of snow around but no ice in the water.  This has a lot of color to it.  I like being able to bring out different blues in the water.  The seawall color is great as well.

1/320 f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 50 mm (75 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set

Monday, September 20, 2010

Westward


We were returning to Gloucester and passed this fishing boat.  I was captivated by the sunlight hitting the vessel and the oranges.  As it turns out - the hull isn't that deteriorated but this looks great.  We were going a bit faster and I have a number of shots that all turned out well, but the sun was shining on this one.  (A current screen saver....)

1/400 f/5.6
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 92 mm (138 mm for 35mm film)
Photo Set

Winter Waves


This is a breakwater next to the walkway to the light at St. Josephs on Lake Michigan.  This was at the first stop on the Lake Michigan tour last March - and I was instantly captivated by this piece of wood along the rocks.  I have read a number of stories about wrecks off the shores - and I can picture this coming off an old wooden schooner.  (It looks more like part of a pallet - but it is my daydream....)

1/250 f/10
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 30 mm (45 mm for 35mm film)
Photo Set

Old Gloucester Warehouse



Motoring away from Gloucester, we passed this building.  I like this shot but it will probably never see the light of day past the blog.  On the left is a modern house and light pole that just destroys the setting.  I like the writing on the building walls - big block white letters.  The different colors and textures of the roof are interesting.

1/320 f/5.6
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 85 mm (127 mm for 35mm film)
Photo Set

Gulls on Boat


This is a fun shot.  These two were yakking for about 20 minutes.  They were hopping around - just plain showing off.  Shortly after I took this, they departed - probably for another tourist show.  In this shot I like the carvings in the wood - looks busy.  The water came out OK as well.

1/320 f/8
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 170 mm (255 mm for 35mm film)
 Photo Set

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Eastern Point Lighthouse


Eastern Point Lighthouse is at the entrance to Gloucester.  The lighthouse itself is mentioned in the movie "Perfect Storm".  It is the last lighthouse seen by any sailor that does not return to Gloucester.  This was taken from the water on the way out to the whale watching area.  Most of the photos I have of this are in the shadows.  Luck  and weather was on my side - as the boat passed, so did the clouds.  I really like how the color of the water came out.

1/1000 f/6.3
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 220 mm (350 mm for 35mm film)
Photo set

Marshall Point Lighthouse


This is the Marshall Point Lighthouse.  I have posted the light in an earlier post.  Doesn't change the situation - it was pouring rain when I was there.  And truth be told, I was OK with that as everyone probably had a sunny photo of this shot - but I dare to be different.  Post the rainy one.  Another plus - no one else was there!  I like the reflection of the house on the pavement and the light coming from the inside.

1/400 f/3.7
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)
Photo set

York Inlet


One of the first 'official' stops turned out to be York, ME.  This is the beach area.  Being on of the first times I'd seen a New England coast, this really got to me.  I really like the buildings along the coast.  After the photo was taken and I could review it - I knew I'd like the sky and how it would turn out in this version.  In most photos I can see crop possibilities - but this one presents problems.  If I remove some sky, I'll lose some of the beach - and I don't want to do that.  Problems - Problems.......

1/320 f/10
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 42 mm (63 mm for 35mm film)
Photo Set

House on Stilts

For the New England trip, one of the shots I was looking for was buildings on the water - literally on the water.  This scene is at the end of a small inlet.  We were looking for Kennebunkport and this was along the way.  In a perfect world I wouldn't have the red house or the more modern house on the right.  Looking at it now - I'm OK with the house - great color contrast.  The house on the right still would have to go.

1/400 f/5.3
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal length 78 mm (115 mm for 35mm film)
Photo set