Week 45, Day 314, March 7, 2010, Shadow Lands

We've had 2 sunny days in row, and the temperatures were much warmer today.  It's nice to go outside without a hat and gloves. 

The sun was so bright.   I concentrated on the shadows on the snow.  The shadow in the foreground is one of my favorite trees.  I like the color of the barn, and the barn roof as a contrast to the whiteness of the snow.

Lessons Learned:

• Take advantage of whatever the lighting circumstance happens to be.  The bright Sun was fantastic for shadows today.
• I am able to take my camera on my dog walks, and still take some photos.  Our 70 pound lab is very strong, but he's becoming a little more tolerant of my stopping to take photos.  Perhaps he is getting over being a puppy.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/1000 sec, Aperture f/16.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 82mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, handheld (Any blur in this photos is cause by the dog pulling my arm. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-)).

Week 45, Day 313, March 6, 2010, Rebound

Last night was the last Varsity High School game of the season for the Groton team.  They lost the sectional game to Moravia.  Moravia has a great team, and plays very well.  I hope they do well in the state tournament.

I have a great sadness in my heart today.  It's not because of the loss of the game last night.   They are a great group of kids, and have worked hard.  They've had one of the best sports season on record.  Their football team won the Section for the first time in the history of the school, and went on to the State Quarterfinals.  In basketball this is the first time in the past 25 years that they have played for the Section Title.  Their achievements have been fantastic.  I rejoice in those achievements.  They have worked hard to achieve them.

The sadness comes from knowing that these guys will never play as a team again.  My son is a senior this year..  He's been playing basketball and football with the same group of guys since for almost 10 years.  A majority of them will be graduating this year and going on with their lives.  The sadness comes because I'll miss watching them play together as a team.  May they come to treasure these moments in their lives, and have great success in all that they do.  They have learned some incredible lessons along the way.  I think these success will help propel them into successful lives as adults.

As far as the photo is concerned my son is on the left in this photo getting ready for a rebound against Moravia's top scorer.  I thought it was a great action shot.

Lessons Learned:

• Some professional sports arenas have incredible lighting.  This was by far the best place to take basketball photos that I have ever encountered.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/250 sec, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 3200, Focal Length 200 mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 45, Day 312, March 5, 2010, Old Gravel Bed

I'm not sure why I like this one, but I do.  It's the old gravel bed on Conger Blvd. in Groton, NY.  It's been years since it has been used as a gravel bed, and now trees are beginning to grow.  Perhaps that's partly why I like it.

Lessons Learned:

• Have your camera with you always.  I've learned this lesson over and over.  I just noticed the sun setting when I came out of the town hall paying for my dog's license.  I immediately grabbed the camera and began taking photos.
• The 50 mm lens is very small, and easy to carry.
• I took the time to learn how to set the settings on my new camera for the type of black and white photos that I like to take.  I now have a custom setting for it.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/125 sec, Aperture f/9.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 82mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, handheld.

Week 44, Day 311, March 4, 2010, Mustang Mike's Little Friend

Mustang Mike and I met for our weekly lunch.  We stopped at Stellas in Collegetown for our weekly coffee.  Stella's is an old style coffee shop that people come and study, and drink coffee.
Mike leaned his little helper against the wall, and I thought it would make a good photo.  I like the lines in the wood on the handle.

Lessons Learned:

• I think that Coffee helps my creative process.  :-)
• I think that places like Stellas has a lot more character than the chain coffee shops, and have many more opportunities for neat photos.  I think the uniqueness of these places help to make for unique photos.

Photo details: Exposure time 2 sec, Aperture f/1.8, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 82mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, sitting on a table for a tripod.

Week 44, Day 310, March 3, 2010, Bowls and Cook Books

My wife likes bowls and cook books, and collects both.  We have several bowls from local potters (you know who you are.) There's also a bowl from a local artist (you also know who you are.)  There are bowls from Italy, and antique bowls from her mother.  These are just a few of the bowls and cook books that she has.  I like the variety of colors and shapes.

I like the subject matter for this photo, but I think it needs something.  Since this blog is about learning, I'd appreciate any suggestions that you might have.

Lessons Learned:

• I think I'm at the stage where sometimes I can take a good photo, but it takes a very conscience effort.  This isn't one of the great ones, but it has potential.

Photo details: Exposure time 3.2 sec, Aperture f/6.3, ISO 100, Focal Length 17 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, a couple of lamps for lighting.

Week 44, Day 309, March 2, 2010, Foul Shot

My son's basketball team has has one more game for the Sectional Title.  They have played very well this year.  Last night was the semifinal which they won.

It was great being able to talk with one of the local photographers from the newspaper.  We compared camera settings, and tend to use similar settings. (Maybe I'm on the right track after all. :-)).

I like this photo, because I feel like I'm part of the game and very close to the action.  I like the blurred crowd in the background, and the variety of colors.

Saturday Night I'll be able to take photos at the Broome County Arena.  It should be very exciting.

Lessons Learned:

• The Servo focus works a lot better than the AI Focus for sports photography.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/320 sec, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 3200, Focal Length 200 mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 43, Day 308, March 1, 2010, Historical Photo

This subject matter had me thinking.  I see fewer and fewer pay phones.  I think it's probably because that most people now own cellphones.  I think that maybe in ten years younger people will wonder what this is.  Photos that we take today, may very quickly become historical photos.  It gave me food for thought about photographing transient items.

Several years ago a few of us put together a slide show of photos from the past in our town, with current photos of those same sites, or other sites that were new.  Many of the businesses that we had photographed at that time are no longer in business.  It has already become a historical piece.

Here's a challenge for you.  Take a photo of something that you think will quickly become an interesting piece of history.

Lessons Learned:

• Photography expands the way that I think.  (Even thought they are not always deep thoughts.)

Photo details: Exposure time 1/80 sec, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 200, Focal Length 33 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, handheld.