Week 42, Day 297, February 18, 2010, Architectural Elements

This time of year daylight is still very short, but we are beginning to have a little bit on the bus ride to work, and it's still daylight after we arrive home.  As I walk from the building that I work to the bus I walk past the Law School at Cornell, and many times I notice new things.  Today I noticed the interesting architectural elements under the windows in the Court Yard.  This one captured my attention.

I also like the effect that the reflected lighting had on the windows. The brighter colors seem to be a nice contrast.

Lessons Learned:

• I cannot believe how many times I have walked past this place, and never noticed this.  It makes me wonder how many other things that I miss day to day.  I need to be more aware, and open my eyes even more.  Have any of you had similar experiences?
• I'm enjoying having 2 cameras.  It's handy to have two cameras with different lenses.  I think it will help prevent dirt from getting into the camera.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/100 sec, Aperture f/2.8, ISO 100, Focal Length 98 mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Week 42, Day 292, February 13, 2010, Catch Some Rays.

We have an Amaryllis in our bathroom, and I noticed that the curtain on the window was pushed back.  It looked as if the Amaryllis had pushed back the curtain to catch some rays.  I thought it would make a good photo.

Lessons Learned:

• I took a few initial photos, and realized that I was capturing too many items, and the photo was becoming complex.  I cropped it, but then realized it was easy to go back and take some more photos.  So, I went back and took some more photos similar to my crop.

Photo details: Exposure time .6 sec, Aperture f/6.3, ISO 100, Focal Length 26 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod.

Week 41, Day 287, February 6, 2010, Barn Frame

I've been looking at this old barn along the road for several months.  Today I finally took a photo.  This photo is facing west, so I've been waiting for the perfect sky beyond the barn.  I still didn't have the perfect sky, but could hold back my shutter no more.

Lessons Learned:

• It's good to look for the perfect shot, but in the mean time take photos anyway.  
• I think the dead weeds of winter add well to sepia photos.

 Photo details: Exposure time 1/20 sec, Aperture f/5.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 40 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, converted to sepia in Picasa.

Submitted to the Sepia Scenes Blog

Week 40, Day 285, February 4, 2010, Carousel Horse

This Carousel was first made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1909.  Today it is part of the Carousel Mall in Syracuse NY.  The horses are incredible, and all hand carved.

I only had a short amount of time to photograph.  Judy and I had purchased tickets to see the live broadcast of the A Prairie Home Companion.  The show was a lot of fun, and the High Definition Filming was incredible.

Lessons Learned:

• I wasn't paying enough attention to my settings.  I should have used a higher ISO so that I could have gotten a higher shutter speed.  I have to learn the lesson again and again. (Especially for indoor photography)

Photo details: Exposure time 1/25 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, handheld.

Submitted to Monochrome Weekend

Week 38, Day 272, January 24, 2009, "Let the Games Begin"

It was a rainy relaxing day at home.  After the past two days of taking a lot of photographs, I took it easy today.

If I had more energy, I'd get a new soccer ball and clean all the dust off the playing field.  I'm not sure which photo I'd like better.  The dust, and the wear on the ball also give it an interesting look.  I may still come back some day, and see how they compare.

Lessons Learned:

• It took me a while to think of a subject today.  It was a lazy, rainy day.  For me, creativity has a lot to do with how I feel.
• This was another case where the live view in the LCD panel on the back of the camera came in handy.  I wouldn't be able to look through the view finder because the camera was sitting on the playing field.

  Photo details: Exposure time 30 sec, Aperture f/18.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 82mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, I used the lens cap to tilt the camera a little.

Week 38, Day 270, Winter Wonderland, January 20, 2010

The snow conditions were just right.  It was warm enough that the snow was sticky, and large flakes.  The flakes would land on the branches of the trees.  It was a Winter Wonderland.

It was still dark when I arrived at work.  I took this photo in the 5 minutes that I had at lunch time.  It would have been a great day to take off, and look for amazing sites.  Maybe next time.

Lessons Learned:

• Sometimes there isn't enough time in the day to learn a lesson.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/20 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 40 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, handheld.

Week 37, Day 260, January 9, 2010, Snow, Icy Trees, and Fog

It was an incredible morning.  The trees near our house had ice on them from two days ago.  Yesterday snow accumulated on the ice.  This morning the sun was playing hide and seek behind the clouds.

In this image there was a haze over the trees in the distance with ice on the trees.  The trees closer to me had a little ice on top, but less ice below.

Lessons Learned:

• Similar to light, elevation can have a big effect on photography.  Just a little ways down the hill from my house none of the tree had ice.  I guess the lesson is to be alert to all possibilities, and look for patterns.  Since I knew there was ice above a certain elevation, I could also take photographs on other hills in the area with similar elevations.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/800 sec, Aperture f/5.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 130 mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, hand held.

.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Week 36, Day 253, January 1, 2010, Bridge over icy water.

It was a beautiful snowy morning for the first day of 2010.

I took several photos this morning.  This was my favorite. It's from a local park.

Lessons Learned (Questions):

• I think that the Circular Polarizer Filter is probably not a good idea for Snow photos when the sky is overcast.  It seems to create a warmer scene.
• When importing a RAW image, I've been looking at the histograms of the colors to correct the white balance in Adobe Photoshop.  It seems that if I just have the blue starting to show on the right side of the histogram, that I'm getting the best color.  Has anybody else worked with this.  If so, do you agree with those results?

Photo details: Exposure time 1/4 sec, Aperture f/22.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 28 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod, converted to black and white in Picassa.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Week 35, Day 249, December 28, 2009, A Walk in the Woods on a Snowy Day

This little trail is one of my favorite places.  It's only about a 1/4 mile from my house, and has a wetland on one side (left side of photo), and a amazing rock wall on the right side.  This photo doesn't do the wall justice.  It's about 4 foot wide, and about 6 feet high in places.

I just photographed this yesterday in the fog.  Today there was snow.

Lessons Learned:

• I made a make shift protector for my camera today.  It was snowing very hard, so I put my camera in a ziplock bag, cut a hole for the lens, and used a rubber band to hold the bag on the lens.  It seemed to work very well.
• The snow sticks to the lens very easily.  Luckily I brought along a special cloth so I could wipe the lens.
• When the weather is right, take the photos.  About 30 minutes after taking these photos it stopped snowing.  The snow falling added a nice effect to many of the photos. (Although it's harder to see it in this photo.)

Photo details: Exposure time 1/2 sec, Aperture f/18.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 28 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, tripod.

Week 34, Day 245, December 24, 2009, Sacred Moments

There are certain places, moments, or states of mind that are very special to me.  I call them sacred because I feel a greater sense than just myself.  I don't know how to describe them.  It's a feeling, but seems to be more than that.

Some of these places/moments/states of mind have been in the Adirondacks with the incredible beauty of nature in front of me, standing in Saint Peter's square at night with very few people around, and lying in bed in deep meditation.

These moments seem very much a paradox.  They feel very personal in nature, but inclusive of something much bigger than myself.  I also realize that I'm far from understanding them.

Usually I cannot predict when they will occur, but Christmas Eve seems to be one of those moments that's most consistent.  Tonight I carried my camera with me to the Christmas Eve service.  There is a moment at the end of our service that everybody moves to the outside walls of the sanctuary with candles.  The lights are turned down, so the room is only lit with candles.  We sing "Silent Night".  I had planned to take photos at that moment because it is the most beautiful to me.  This is the sacred moment that is most consistent.  Once again I felt the moment, and could not bring myself to take one photo.  I was once again caught in the moment.

Instead, I brought the bulletin and candle home and photographed this photo.  I like how the photo turned out, and think it will remind me of the moment.

I'd be interested in hearing about moments like this for you.  I also realize that they are very personal, and you may not want to share.  But if you feel moved, please do.

My wish is that all can experience these moments, and I hope everybody does.

Whatever your beliefs, and wherever you are in your journey, may you find moments to feel the sacred.  Have a joyous Holiday Season.

Lesson Learned:

• There are moments when photography is inappropriate for me.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/2 sec, Aperture f/8.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 50 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 82mm, Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, tripod.

Week 33, Day 237, December 16, 2009, Sunset at 4:25 PM

As I left work to catch the bus, I noticed that the skies were starting to clear on the horizon, and the sun had already moved below.  The colors were vibrant.  I don't think this photo captures the beauty, but it is still pleasant to look at.

Lessons Learned:

• I failed at several attempts at photographing a Christmas Tree from various angles. It may not sound like a lesson, but according to Edison it is. "I haven't failed, I've found 10000 ways that don't work."  I found about 50 ways that didn't work.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/25 sec, Aperture f/9.0, ISO 100, Focal Length 39 mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, handheld.

Week 32, Day 228, December 7, 2009, "More Decorations"

There are probably as many types of Christmas decorations as there are people who decorate for Christmas or other holidays.  Some people have huge blow up Santas, Reindeer, and various cartoon characters dressed as Santa.  Some have lights on every conceivable location similar to Clark Griswald  from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  Others stick to religious "light up" nativity scenes.  Now is your time of year to display your tastes in your front lawn.

This house belongs to our neighbors.  They have the type of decorations that if I had enough ambition, I would emulate.  I like their taste.  First I like white lights.  To me they seem classy.  (I did get a chuckle out of a friends message on facebook the other day.  She has little children, and she said she lost the battle and has to put up colored lights.)  Second, these neighbors don't overdo the lighting.  They have just the right amount of lights on the trees out front, and a flood light shining on their front door with a simple wreath, and a wooden sled with a red ribbon on it next to the door.  Well done Murry's, and thank you for letting me photograph your house.

Lessons Learned:

• I'm finding that many times after I've taken photographs, and bring them back to my computer I want to change some things.  
• In this case, I want to put a blind on this side of the flood light.  The one bush on the left is a little two green where the flood light spills.  
• I really like this angle for the photo, but the wooden sled is behind the large tree in the middle.  I would like to move the sled for this photo to the other side of the door, so that it can be seen.
• I want to try and take this photo when it is a little lighter, but snowing hard.  I want to capture the snow flakes in the air.  This will require a faster shutter speed.  I won't be able to use a faster shutter speed unless it's a little lighter.  

Perhaps the Murray's will be kind, and allow me to take the photo if those opportunities present themselves.  I'll be watching.  Thank you Murray's for sharing your beautiful decorations with the world.

Weekly Winner in online viewer poll.

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 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 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 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 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 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 26, Day 187, October 27, 2009, Gorge Revisted with Zoom Lens

I had all my lenses with me today, so I revisited one of the sites that I had taken a photo about a week ago.   This time I used my zoom lens.  Because of this I was able to capture both the bridge with the local colors, as well as some of the trees on West Hill.

The leaves have changed color in the past week.

I like this photo better than my first one.  I think the beauty of the bridge is highlighted better, and the trees still have some great color.  I also think the sun was more cooperative, and highlighted some of the trees in the gorge.

Lessons Learned:

• Don't be afraid to return to the same site at different times, with different equipment, and look for different lighting.

Photo details: Exposure time 1/125 sec, Aperture f/7.1, ISO 200, Focal Length 70 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 113mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

Weekly winner in online viewer poll. Monthly winner in online viewer poll

Week 26, Day 186, October 26, 2009, An Incredible Day.

October 26th is a very special day around our household.  It's my youngest son's birthday.    He's a great young adult, and were very proud of all his accomplishments.

We were also graced with an incredible day of beautiful weather.  The tower that is in this photograph is part of the same tower that I took a Black and White photo last Thursday. It looks a lot less scary in the sunny weather.

Lessons Learned:

• The sky, in the fall, when the sun is lower on the horizon, and there is less moisture in the air, is incredible!  The skies are so blue.  See Jen, Ithaca can have sunny weather. :-)
• Blogger and JPG images did some odd things at the boundry between the leaves and the blue skies.  It doesn't appear on my Picassa image.  It's very disappointing.
  

Photo details: Exposure time 1/100 sec, Aperture f/5.6, ISO 100, Focal Length 21 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 34mm, Lens Canon EF 17-40mm, hand held, circular polarizer filter.

Weekly winner in online viewer poll.