Indian summer

After rust, green is my favorite color.

Photo Enforced

 

Back in the days of film, few people thought about the legitimacy of a photograph. Things were retouched, but usually at a great expense. Then along came digital photography and the need to question every picture we see. Was it retouched or was someone photoshoped out or maybe photoshoped it?

The new fad here on Long Island and I do believe in New Your City are Red -Light Cameras. Digital cameras with motion detection are set at intersections, they get triggered if you cross the stop line after the light has turned red. Talk about a full circle.

I covered a legislative meeting were we watched video of infractions. It was funny to recognize some intersections. Our county estimated they would gross twenty million dollars in the first year at $50.00 an infraction. We only grossed a little more that half that amount. Bad for the budget, but good to know drivers aren't as bad as government believes.

So... in the tradition of black and white film and hand made prints, I bring you today's digital image!

 

Rust

A highway billboard. 

There's a few with the same message.

Hey, why such a long....

 

Shadow?

Yep, that's me.

I'm really not that tall.

Row 26

I was up on the North Fork this past Sunday and found 26 for my number series. This was off the beaten trail, so maybe this is where the good grapes come from.

Laurel NY

This is one one the most photographed barns on the north fork of Long Island. I was surprised when it didn't come up on google images for Laurel NY. One of my favorites was a black and white made in winter, everything was covered in snow. 

I passed this place a zillion times and never wanted to make my own photo because of all of the others I saw. But when I saw the sky and the colors in the field, I knew I should make one of my own.

I've been thinking...

No that's not me. I do most of my thinking as I walk. My legs need to be moving for me to do serious contemplation. Fresh air helps.

I've been thinking about all the turmoil the postal service is going through and about a friendship I made about 15 years ago.

Back in the days of film, I used slide film and Kodak shipped the slides in little Kodak orange boxes. Our mailman at the time, Joe was very concerned about leaving these little boxes in the street mail box and would carry them up our long driveway to the door. Is that personal service or what! Over the ten years we lived in that house I photographed Joe's second wedding, his daughter's wedding and is sister's wedding. We still keep in touch, but now he's behind the counter in a different location and I've moved away. I don't have the same relationship with the new mailman. Maybe Joe spoiled me.

I've always enjoyed getting a letter in the mail. As a child, it was special and fun to run down to the box and collect the mail. It's something I still enjoy.

I feel bad that the post office is not doing well. Here's another industry hurt by modernization, the internet. We don't send letters any longer. And many people pay bills on-line. This may be fine for most of the time, but what about birthday cards, Christmas cards and other holiday cards? Do you have a family tradition with cards? What if there were no longer a postal service? Will we be decorating with e-mailed card?

I'd like to help my fellow men and woman at the post office and send a note to anyone who wants one. I'll start with the folks I know and extend it to anyone who wants to join me. Just e-mail me or post your address and I'll send you a note.

Sunday's 9/11 10 year Anniversary Ceremony was a beautiful memorial. I made a slide show using 

Jo Ann Biviano's I'll Always Remember. It's worth checking out just for her beautiful song.

Four days of remembering.

 

Today was the last of the 911 ceremonies I covered. It takes a toll on me for sure.

While driving home today, the clouds were beautiful. They seemed to be weaved together, and it reminded me of a photo from yesterday's 911 ceremony. Yesterday, I covered the unveiling ceremony for the 911 First Responders Memorial, the first in the country. It was a very moving ceremony. Children of lost 1^st responders, and 1^st responders that have died since 911 all took part at the end.

I wanted to put the photographs up together, maybe today's clouds was God's way of saying something about togetherness, about being unified. Not only in good time, but always.

 

Solemn times...

Last night started the 9-11 Services I'll cover this weekend. Covering memorial services are not my favorite thing to do. I just feel it's a private time for inner reflection. I know it's part of our history and needs to be recorded, still it's difficult. 

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost a loved one on 9-11-01 and in the wars that followed.

Busy as a bee.

Found this little guy on a Butterfly Bush that is growing at the bottom of the steps from the back door. They are like weeks in my yard!

I've be working hard on a wedding I shot a week and a half ago. I need to get it out to the printer.

Orient Point Lighthouse

 

In the wee hours of Monday morning, while party-goers are hoping from nightclub to bar, we took Adam back to collage. Due to Irene, the Cross-Sound Ferry was not yet running, so we drove around through the city.

We were fortunate in getting on a returning ferry that evening. This photo was made on that trip.

The Orient Point Lighthouse sits at the end of a reef that stretches one-third the distance between Orient Point and Plum Island in a mile-wide passage called Plum Gut.

Plum Gut is a boaters nightmare. At ebb tide, the currents can exceed five knots (5.6 mph). It's hard to believe that there used to be a keeper out there. You can read more about this place at the lighthouse friends web page.