Week 31, Day 221, November 30, 2009, What's for Dinner?

Quite a while ago I did a silly photo, and decided to expand upon that theme.  It's a silly photo, but I had a lot of fun with it.

Now it's your turn. 

If you do the same type of photo and blog about it, please post a link in the comments.  I'd really like to see them.

Have a silly day.

Lessons Learned:

• Developing old themes in creative ways can be a lot of fun.
• I've been playing with some Tilt-Shift Photography simulations in Photoshop.  Andrew Broekhuijsen first showed them to me.  I thought they were actual photographs of minitures.  They are incredible.  If you have a chance go over and take a look.  None of mine have turned out as good as his yet, but I'll keep trying.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/4 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 400, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, camera sitting on a container of humus for a tripod. 

Week 31, Day 220, November 29, 2009, Rural Cemetery

I live in a very rural area of the New York.  There are many cemeteries around that date back to around the middle 1800's.  I think many of them started as small family, or small community cemeteries.  Many of them are in rough shape with headstones that have fallen over, and fences needing repair.  It's difficult to raise the money to maintain them.

I find them interesting, and I wonder about the lives of the people who are buried there.  Many of these head stones told how many years, months, and days that the people lived.

This particular one is near the town of Summer Hill in upstate NY.  We joke that it's called Summer Hill because that's the only time of the year that you can get there.  If there is snow, Summer Hill usually has the most in the immediate area.

What places capture your attention, that not many people visit?

Lessons Learned:

• Today I was able to capture my darkest blue skies that I have ever been able to capture.  The closer it is to the first day of winter, the bluer the skies seem.
• I continue to shoot in RAW/JPEG output.  This outputs both a JPEG and RAW image.  Sometimes I like how the JPEG was created, and sometimes I don't.  If I don't like it, I can modify the RAW image, and save it as a JPEG.  (If I'm running low on space I shoot in RAW.  If I'm shooting a sporting event where I need the speed, JPEG is faster on my camera.)

Photo details: Exposure time 1/15 sec, Aperture f/22.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 34mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, circular polarizer filter.

Week 31, Day 219, November 29, 2009, Angry Finch

It's been a very busy 4 days with the family.  We've been very busy and we've had a lot of fun.

I didn't have a chance to post my photo for yesterday, so here it is.  I did take the photo yesterday when we were at my wife's parents house.  They have a bird feeder, and lots of bird.  I stayed inside and photographed them through the window.

I like the expression on this finch.

Lessons Learned:

• The photos through the glass seemed to work fairly well with minimal reflections.  This is a question more than a lesson.  Do any of you photograph birds through windows.  If so, are there ways to optimize this type of photography?
• Photographing birds in lower light at an ISO of 100 wasn't working very well.  The birds are constantly moving, and so I needed to up the ISO to get a faster shutter speed with the widest f-stop.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/60 sec, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 400, Focal Length 200 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 755mm (picasa calculation), Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, tripod.

Weekly Winner in online viewer poll.

Week 31, Day 218, November 28, 2009 Peek-a-boo

Kids can be a lot of fun to photograph, but they can also be very difficult.  They are great subjects, but are free wills.  I think the best photograph are when they are playing, and just being themselves.

I think the composition of this photos, but my camera settings were all wrong.  This is my second cousin.  She was playing peek-a-boo with me behind this post.  She would hide behind the post, and then stick out her face on one side or the other.  The shutter speed is way to slow for this shot.  By the time I realized it, she was on to another activity.  Oh well.

This photo was taken at my parents 50 anniversary party.  Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad.  One of the things that I'm very thankful for is that I had the two of you as my parents as I was growing up.  

Lessons Learned:

• I now know more about the camera setting than I did when I started this project.  I think that with more practice I'll be able to make the right choices more quickly.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/25, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 400, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Week 30, Day 217, November 26, 2009, D Chord, Weekly Winner

It was a busy Thanksgiving day.  I did take some photos of the family laying down on the floor and relaxing after a big meal, but decided not to use that photo.

My daughter's boy friend began playing some guitar, so I tried some new shots. This is the first photo that I have taken that I like the depth of field (DOF) part way into the photo highlighting the fingering for a D chord.  I've been looking for an opportunity to have this type of  DOF, and I think it works in this photograph.

Lessons Learned:

• I have to remember to keep various ideas in the back of my mind.  Opportunities may present themselves that allow me to use these ideas to produce interesting photographs.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/50, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 1600, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Weekly winner in online viewer poll.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Week 30, Day 216, November 25, 2009, Friend Potrait

Tonight we had the First Annual Gallow, and wannabe Gallow's gathering at the Chapter House in Ithaca NY.  For this day everybody is an honorary Gallow.  This is one of the Gallow wannabes.  For those of you who know this gentleman, it's a typical look for him. 

For a dark bar, I thought this photo came out fairly well.

Stay tuned next year, if you also want to be a Gallow for a day.

Lessons Learned:

• In taking a group shot in a dark room, without a flash, on a tripod, somebody always moves.  Oh well.  It was worth a shot.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/50, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 1600, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Week 30, Day 215, November 24, 2009, Man's Best Friend

The holidays are upon us, and family is returning home.  I had about 3 minutes to take my photo for the day.

I figured earlier this week I posted my cat photo, so it was time for a dog photo.  Our dog, Tank, loves my daughter's boyfriend Derek.  When they arrived for Thanksgiving break our dog went crazy.  It's great to have them home.

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, may you have a great day.  I feel very fortunate with many things to give thanks.  One of which is all of you readers and responders.  I've learned so much from the last few months, and I have many of you to thank.

Lessons Learned:

• Some days there just isn't enough time to do the photography the way you want to do it.  It's ok.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/50, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 1600, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Week 30, Day 214, November 23, 2009, Crescent Moon

On the way home a friend of mine noticed that there was a planet near the moon.  He said that it would make a good photo, and I agreed with him.  When I got home I grabbed my camera and tripod and rushed outdoors.

I took a few photos of both the planet and the moon.  I was unable to balance the brightness of the moon with the dimness of the planet.  I decided instead just to photograph the crescent moon.

Lessons Learned:

• When photographing the moon, it seems very difficult to capture the stars as well.  Maybe a special filter would work.
• A crescent moon seems to show the craters in a way that a full moon doesn't.  The shadow of the earth tones down the brightness so the craters near that shadow seem to be sharper.  I have always took photos of the nearly full moon.  I think I'll photograph it at various stages more often.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/125 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 175 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 1663mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, tripod.

Week 30, Day 213, November 22, 2009, Golden Rod

I've been looking at the golden rod for a while, and have been thinking how it has a natural sepia look to it this time of year.

The sun came out again today, and I didn't have to work.  I was able to take some time and try and capture a photo of the golden rod.

I like this photo, but it still isn't quite what I had in my minds eye.  I hope to get another shot at it before the snow comes.  My favorite part is the look of the leaves.  You may have to click on the images to get a closer look.

I'm very inspired by Elisabeth Bacon and her sepia work on her blog Creative--Bits and Pieces.  If you have a chance check it out.

Lessons Learned:

• I've never noticed how brown golden rod gets this time of year.  It's very beautiful.
• I needed a narrower aperture in this photo.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/320 sec, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 100, Focal Length 70 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 396mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, tripod, circular polarizer filter.

Week 30, Day 212, November 21, 2009, The Purrfect Model, Weekly Winner

Our cat is almost a perfect model.  She will allow me to take photos, and just sits there very calmly.  I can move lights around, and have her look in different directions.  As long as the dog isn't around she's great.

This is the second of my indoor shooting. It was a lot of fun.

Lessons Learned:

• I'm freaking out less and less on making sure that I take the perfect photo everyday.
• Some of my earlier lessons are just becoming part of the routine.  I think I notice how I'm shooting, what's in the background, lighting, focal length more naturally.  This allows my mind to become more creative, and think of other things that I'm not as in tune. 

Photo details: Exposure time 1/160, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 1600, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Weekly winner in online viewer poll.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Week 30, Day 211, November 20, 2009, "The Season is Over, but Far From Forgotten"

Tonight was the final night of my son's High School football career.  The Groton Team had a fantastic year, and made it to the state semifinals.  They lost the semifinal game to a great team. 

We're very proud of the team, and I'm especially proud of number 80 my son.  He's been very sick the last few days, but he still went and played hard.  I think that he did not want to let the team down.  He had a great catch, and dive into the end zone for a 2 point conversion.

The stadium, Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester NY, has a large screen at the end of the field.  After my son completed the pass, the camera zoomed on him.  This photos is of that screen in the stadium.

Lessons Learned:

• Each stadium has it's own type of lighting.  It's important to keep checking the settings on a camera, because the lighting conditions change as the sun sets.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/3200 sec, Aperture f/4.5, ISO 800, Focal Length 115 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 187mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 29, Day 210, November 19, 2009, No Whining

I think tonight was the beginning of a lot of indoor photos.  I have really enjoyed outdoor photography, and I enjoy being outdoors.  I've been dreading indoor shooting and attempting to take advantage of what little Sun light that we have during the day.

Tonight, I began looking around, and saw that there are lots of possibilities for indoor shooting.  This will help me to expand my horizons as a photographer.  I realize that I have a lot to learn, but that's ok.  So tonight's title is no Whining. (I can see many of you rolling your eyes.  The only good pun is a very bad one.)

What's your favorite pun?

Lessons Learned:

• I was thinking about lighting tonight.  I used a incandescent bulb to back light the wine bottles.  I wonder if in the future if photos that have used incandescent bulbs will look old.  I guess this isn't a lesson, but more of an observation.
• I think wine bottles are beautiful.  The colors, the designs, the corks.  I think this will make a great future subject as well.
• I tried some photos with a short focal length, and focused on the middle bottles.  I didn't like that effect as well.  I think it would have been better to focus on some of the closer bottles, and blur the background a little more.  There must be some shots that a short focal length with the subject in the middle of the field in focus would be interesting.

Photo details: Exposure time 1 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 26 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 55mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod. 

Week 29, Day 209, November 18, 2009 Let the Games Begin

It's amazing the influence that Rome has had on the world.  The Stadium at Cornell University is no exception.  The Eastern side of the building reminds me of the Colleseum in Rome with it's many arches.

In this photo the leaves have fallen off most of the vines, and the vines have taken over this side of the building.  It was a beautiful morning with the fall sun shining on the stadium.  I stopped on my way to work to take a few photographs.

Where do you see Rome's influence today?

Lesson Learned:

• I'm really liking the Fall Sun.  It's much less harsh than the summer sun, and casts interesting light throughout most of the day.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/60 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 200, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 28mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter. 

Week 29, Day 208, November 17, 2009, Chasing the Sun

Everyday as I leave work the Sun is closer and closer to the horizon.  There are two bus stops that are about equal distance from my building.  One is down the hill, and one is up the hill.  I went to the stop up the hill today because there isn't much of the direct sun at the lower stop.  Today's photo shows the direct sun on just the upper part of the building.

Lessons Learned:

• Always keep a watch for the light.  The opportunities change all the time.  
• Usually I set my camera to collect the photos in RAW format.  When I'm at a sporting event, I use JPEG because on my camera the burst rate is faster for JPEG.  Tonight I used RAW and JPEG, because I usually have to convert the files to JPEG for my photo blog.  When I'm not concerned about space, this helps speed up my processing.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/50 sec, Aperture f/5.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 19 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 31mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter.

Week 29, Day 207, November 16, 2009, Sky through an Arch, Weekly winning in online viewer poll.

On my way from my office to the bus station, there was a beautiful sky.  As I was walking, I was thinking , "What would make a great frame for the sky.  I immediately thought of the arches at the Law School.

I hope you enjoy.

Lesson Learned:

• I find myself thinking more about how to set up shots.  Sometimes I get and idea, and it takes some time to set it up.  I think this is when I get some of my best photos.  I need to do this more.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/50 sec, Aperture f/14.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 28mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter, White Balance Flash setting (it tends to make the colors a little warmer).

Weekly winner in online viewer poll.

Week 29, Day 206, November 15, 2009, Evidence of Superman

It's been a while since I posted a silly photo.  I'll call today Silly Sunday.  Today's photo I call "Evidence of Superman".  I thought the colors were appropriate. 

Was it a bird or a plane?  What's your guess?

Do you have any silly photos to post?  If so, post them on your blog and leave a link in the comments.  I'd love to see them.  We all need to be silly sometimes.  (Gary, you're not allowed to post the links to all of your blogs.)

Lessons Learned:

• Be sure to keep the lens clean.  I need to remember to clean the lens especially after a rain storm, or photographing water falls.  Droplets of water were on the lens, and left a stain.  You can see them in the dark areas of this photo.

Photo details: Exposure time 2 sec, Aperture f/22.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, circular polarizer filter.

Week 29, Day 205, November 14, 2009, Ludlowville Falls

I like these falls. Many times when I go there are only a few of us.  My daughter used to have an apartment nearby, so it also reminds me of her.

  I like the formation of the falls.  There is a large solid piece of limestone over a lot of shale.  It's that large solid layer of stone just above the spout of the falls. This limestone erodes much more slowly than the shale around it.  So there is a little cave behind the waterfalls to the left of this photo.

The cave is very dark, so those photos weren't as nice as this one.  In this photo, I  like how the water flows down in that one pocket, and is lofted into the air.

 Lessons Learned:

• I was thinking about the photo from yesterday.  I was thinking how it's probably a photo that I appreciate more than most of the blog readers because I know the people.  My emotions play a large part of what I enjoy in photography.

What are some of your photos that containing a much greater meaning than the photo itself?

Photo details: Exposure time 1/3 sec, Aperture f/22.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 40 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 65mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, circular polarizer filter.

Week 29, Day 204, November 13, 2009, Sometimes You Need to Prove The Critics Wrong.

Syracuse Post-Standard columnist Neil Kerr predicted, "Why even bother playing this game? Westmoreland rolled through the regular season, it rolled through the Section III tournament, and it will likely roll all the way to a state championship."

Sometimes you need to prove the critics wrong, and tonight the Groton Boys Football Team succeeded.

I'm very biased toward this team, and enjoy photographing them.  My son plays for the team.  If they win the next two games they will be the state champions.  We're very proud of them.

Lessons Learned:

• Stadium Lighting can be very tricky.  Sometimes I'm getting very bright photos, and other times darker photos.  I think I need to switch the Metering Mode to include more of the field of view.
• The sign as a prop helps to make this photo.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/100 sec, Aperture f/4.5, ISO 1600, Focal Length 70 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 114mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 28, Day 203, November 12, 2009, Vine

This is one of those times that I'm intrigued with the subject, but i haven't captured it correctly.  I like the curls of the vine, it almost seems like a language of it's own.

I hope to go back, and take a tripod, and steady the vine from the wind to capture the image better.

What parts of nature capture your attention?

Lessons Learned:

• When I'm stressed it's more difficult to be creative.  I planned on taking photos at lunch time, but was thinking about getting back to work to resolve and issue.  It killed my creativity.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/25 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 200, Focal Length 35 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 56mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter.

Week 28, Day 202, November 11, 2009 The Sky is the Limit

It was a great morning, so I hopped off the bus on North Campus, and walked to my office.  As I was walking I passed the Fuertes Observatory at Cornell University. 

According to the Cornell Web Site, "The main telescope at Fuertes is a 12" refractor, with a mechanical tracking mechanism that is operated by weights, like a grandfather's clock."

I haven't been through the building to see it yet, but it's open to the public on clear Friday Nights.  See the web site for more details.

Lessons Learned:

• I need a good set of gloves that keep my hands warm, and allow me to change the settings on my camera.  If the gloves are to thick, it's difficult to change the setting.  It's very easy to accidentally push the wrong button.  If they are to thin, my hands don't stay very warm.
• I was very disappointed in some of the photos that I ordered online prints.  I just ordered a new printer so that I can more easily control, and see the effects of what I'm printing.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/30 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 28mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter.

Week 28, Day 201, November 10, 2009, Self Reflection

Judy and I met Gary and Maude at the Chapter House after work for some great popcorn, and something to wash the popcorn down.

After the meeting, Judy and I went to one of our favorite restaurants in Collegetown.  It's a Vietnamese restaurant.  The food is very light, and very tasty.

While we were waiting for our food I noticed my reflection in the window, so I decided to take a self portrait.  You may recognize the bar across the road from the Mustang Mike photo.

Lessons Learned:

• Many times reflections require a manual focus.  The camera was focusing on the building across the road, and it was difficult to see the reflection.  With manual focus I could focus on the reflection.  I also discovered (on another day) that a polarizing filter can cause problems with reflections.
• A Water Glass can make a great tripod.
  

 Photo details: Exposure time 1/8s, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 1600, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 81mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, water glass tripod.

Week 28, Day 200, November 9, 2009, Oak Leaves

When my children where younger, I used to pick up oak leaves and put them on my nose, and tell the kids that I had oak leaf (Oakley) glasses.  They would roll their eyes, and I would explain that as a father I had to embarrass them.

The Oak leaves are one of the last leafs to fall off the tree at the end of the season.  As a matter of fact some of them stay on the tree until the spring when the new leaves bud.

With gray skies, I thought these leaves made interesting patterns.

Lesson Learned:

• Nothing new to report today.  It was a rough day.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/800, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 211mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, hand held.

Week 28, Day 199, November 9, 2009, Old Barn in the Fall, Weekly Winner in Online Viewer Poll

It's an incredible day. It's 60 degrees. The sun is shining, and all the leaves are off the trees.

Many times when I photograph things I tend to use specific lens for specific types of photography.  My wider angle lens I use the most.  My telephoto lens I tend to use on sports photography, or when objects are far away.  My 50mm lens has a narrow aperture setting with a f-stop of 1.8.  I tend to use that for people, or very low light when I can get close to objects.

Because I have these options of lens, and usually have access to all of them, I tend to limit how I photograph.  Today I went for a walk with just one lens to try and see things in new ways, and photograph in new ways.  I took my telephoto lens.  I think I shall try this more often.

Lessons Learned:

• Try new things for new results.

Weekly winner in online viewer poll.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/60 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 108 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 176mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld, Changed to sepia with Picasa.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Week 28, Day 198, November 7, 2009, Sectional Champions

My sons football team won Section IV D Class for New York State Football tonight.  This is the first time my son's High School Team has ever done that.

There was lots of celebrating in town tonight.  (Sometimes it's a lot of fun to live in a small town.)  The Team had a Police, and Firetruck escort back into town.  Main Street was lined with people cheering for them.  Norman Rockwell would love it.

This is one of those times of pure joy by all the people in the photo.  It isn't often that these types of opportunities come along.

Lessons Learned:

• I need to remember my memory card.  I arrived at the football game. The proper lens was on the camera.  I cleaned the lenses.  I had my press pass. My memory cards were at home on my desk.  Luckily there was a store over one block that sold them.
• I took horrible photos for the first several minutes of the game.  I was to excited, and wasn't paying attention to the camera settings.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/200 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 1600, Focal Length 70 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 114mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 28, Day 197, November 6, 2009, Cornell Plantations Late Fall

I had some daylight when I left work, so I wondered over to the Cornell Plantations.  It's late fall so many things have lost their leaves, and are ready for winter.

I like the stone walls and the gates in the plantations, as well of some of the few remaining leaves on the trees.  The blue sky was nice to see, and the yellow fall sun shine cast a nice color over the plants.

Lessons Learned:

• In the fall when the leaves are gone, it's easier to see new things that were covered in the middle of the summer.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/4 sec, Aperture f/22.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, circular polarizer filter (I'm lovin the filter).

Week 27, Day 196, November 5, 2009, Sanctuary Candle

We had the first meeting of the Greater Groton Photo Club this evening.  Sixteen people showed, and I had a great time.  There are various levels of expertise, and I think there is a lot that we can learn from each other.

As part of the meeting we took photographs in the Sanctuary of the Groton Community Church.  The photo that I selected for the photo of the day is of my cousin standing next to one of the alter candles. 

I had a great time, and look forward to future meetings.

Lessons Learned:

• It was interesting to listen to people talk about photography.  There was a lot of excitement from the various members as they described their photography.  It's a very energizing environment for learning.

Photo details: Exposure time .8 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 400, Focal Length 40 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 65mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod.

Week 27, Day 195, November 4, 2009, Law School Arches

I was back at the older buildings on the Cornell Campus today.  I'm intriqued by these arches and the lighting at the law school.  I tried to capture them in a unique way today.  I still haven't quite found out how I want to photograph them, or the best lighting.  I have a feeling I'll be back in this area again.

Lessons Learned:

• Some places capture my imagination, but I'm unable to capture it on a photograph.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/25 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 800, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held.

Tomorrow night is the first night of the Groton Photo Club.  (That's not the final name of the group)  We'll be meeting at the Groton Community Church at 7:00 PM.  If you are in the Groton area, and have an interest in photography, please join us.  Everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there.

Week 27, Day 194, November 3, 2009, Duffield Hall, Cornell University

Daylight Savings time has ended, so it is dark by the time I arrive home after a day of work.

I've been taking my camera to work, and taking a few photos as I walk to the bus to catch a ride home.

Most of the buildings at Cornell that I have shown so far have been the older buildings.  I tend to find older buildings more interesting.

I do find this building intriguing.  It's called Duffield Hall.  The large "box" hanging off the side of the building is a wonderful conference room.  It also has a very nice balcony overlooking the Engineering Quad of Cornell University.  Inside there is a huge atrium with lots of study spaces, as well as a nice little sandwich shop.  It's the perfect place to go on a cold winter day.  It has a feeling of the open outside without the cold temperatures.

Lessons Learned:

• I will probably be taking many more inside photos during the week, or attempted outside night shots.  This will be a new learning experience for me.

Do you have any tips for inside photography, or night time shooting?

Photo details: Exposure time 1/320 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 1600, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held.

Week 27, Day 193, November 2, 2009, Corn Focus, Weekly Winner in Online Viewer Poll

I found it interesting in my photo from the other day how monochromatic the corn fields seem.  Then I noticed the little patch of yellow from the corn.  Today I went back to the same spot, and took a closer photo of the corn.  I highlighted it in this photo.

Any opinions on this approach of highlighting a portion of the photo?

Lesson Learned:

• Many times I find something very interesting in my photos after I have come back to the computer, and looked at them for a while.  For this photo, it was fine because I could easily return to the corn field is across the road from where I live.  Other times I may not have a second shot at taking a photo.  Maybe a new camera with a larger LCD will help. ;-)

Photo details: Exposure time 1/60 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter, color manipulation with Picassa.

Weekly Winner in online viewer poll.

Week 27, Day 192, November 1, 2009, Willows at Stewart Park, Ithaca

Stewart Park is a park at the South Side of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, NY.  I have seen several photos of the willows.

It's a great place to photograph.  I like to come to the park to photograph the geese.  When we arrived I didn't see any.   Shortly after our arrival, as if on queue, I started hearing the geese as they flew into the park It was a beautiful morning.

Today marks the 6th month of my journey.  I have learned so much from my experiences, and so much from many of you.  Thank you for all of your wonderful comments.  Your advise has helped bring me a long way.  One of the things that was interesting was that today's photo choice was the first one that I took.  In the beginning, I would have to take a lot of time with setting my camera, seeing the results, and then resetting the camera.  It seems that I can do that much more quickly now.

Lessons Learned:

• I'm making progress.  It was useful to look over the past 6 months.
• In photographing geese on the ground, or in the water, take time.  At first all of the geese were moving away from me.  I took a lot of butt shots.  As I just sat there for a while, they began to move more naturally, and I could once again photograph their heads.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/250 sec, Aperture f/4.0 (higher apertures show the dirt on my CCD in the solid blue sky, grrr), ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 27mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, (I forgot my tripod), circular polarizer filter.