September 3, 2009

What a beautiful day weather-wise. Unfortunately I was only outside for a press conference in the morning. Te rest of the day I spent processing photos and framing an enlargement.

I’m tired of sitting at the computer; it’s the one aspect of digital photography I hate. Working in a wet darkroom was a lot different. I miss it.

Today’s photo was made on Tuesday at the golf outing I worked. This photo was made with the Canon 5D and processed with Adobe Camera Raw.

I llove photographing these grass plants. I've posted two other photos of them, After the rain and A Day Late which were both early in my blogger career.

Windshield Rain Drops

I had a fun assignment today photographing an improv troop. It’s a whole lot different from politics and elected people. After I process them. I post one or two.

Today’s photo is of water on my windshield. I took the liberty of processing it with canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomix Tone Mapping programs.

Church & State

For some reason I’m always drawn to the flag and church steeple photos. This was made in Warrensburg New York on the return trim from Potsdam. There are two churches across from each other, and I made this photo when we stopped to gas up the car.

We do have a beautiful state if I may say so and not sound like I’m bragging. Many parts are really run down; some are almost ghost towns. I don’t know why more economic development isn’t done in many of the distressed upstate towns.

This photo was made with the Canon 5D and processed with Adobe Camera Raw.

Everyone should visit my friends The Homegrown String Band, Rick's latest post features one of my photos of them. They are one talented family.

New London Lighthouse

It’s a chilly morning in Canton New York. We helped Brian move into his new digs in Potsdam. He shares half a house with four other young men. It reminds me of one of the places I lived after moving out of my parent’s house. He’ll be fine.

Today’s photo is of the New London Harbor Lighthouse. This is the nation’s fifth oldest lighthouse and the oldest and tallest in Connecticut.

I made this photo from the ferry on the return trip from Vermont with the Canon G10. Processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping Programs.

Adam

It’s only been two days since we dropped Adam off at college and tomorrow morning we leave to take Brian to Potsdam. My wife cried for some time Wednesday, there was nothing I could say or do to help matters any. I’m sure Monday’s trip home will be similar.

This is Adam at Norwich. As usual he’s not happy with me making a photograph of him. I’ve used the old, “It’s for your grandparents in Florida” line; works every time. Norwich University has a long history, and the second photo gives you an idea of that history. These were steps leading from the ground floor of Crawford Hall, the freshman dorms. Maybe they put them there to remind the freshman that they are part of something bigger, older and of sound footing. Maybe it’s to show them they are not alone, many have climbed those steps before them, and they’ll manage.

I can use some of that reassurance myself.

Old Doors

I love afternoon light; the color of the light and the old weathered wood doors caught my eye. I found these doors in Northfield Vermont in the little village where Norwich University is located.

This was made with the Canon G10 and processed with both Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.

Vermont

Vermont is a beautiful state, and I’d bet that it’s better in the autumn with all her green covered mountains aflame with fall colors. We are staying in Stowe / Waterbury at the Best Western. The free Internet worked before we went out to eat, but now I’m not sure what happened to the connection.

I’ll wait and see

Today’s post is not from the trip, I’ll get some of them up in a day or two. I’ve had this photo of golf putters that I wanted to work on, and here it is. Everything was done with Adobe Camera Raw, I made this photo with the Canon 5D.

Busy Bee

I’ve been dealing with this cold and a sore throat for a few days, it’s not fun having a summer cold. This is the first time in my life I’ve hade a cold in the summer.

Tomorrow we leave for Vermont to take Adam to school. There’s a lot of tension in the house; emotions are running high. We are all running around trying to get everything done. Maybe, we shouldn’t have had the in-laws over. We spent all day Sunday getting ready for the barbeque yesterday instead of packing.

Well it’s over and done, move on.

Today’s post was made around 6:00pm tonight. I was looking at how the setting sun was shining through the sunflowers and I say this bee. I wish I had a real macro lens for my Canon 5D.

Processed with Adobe Camera Raw, and cropped about twenty percent.

Gin Lane, Southampton

Across Gin Lane form Agawam Beach is Agawam Lake. Most people know this lake from the village side. There’s a park and a large lawn where the Cultural Center holds concerts in the summer and the tree lighting for Christmas. I don’t know what this plant is but there’s a few of them at the south end of the lake. They make it look like a tropical island somewhere.

I processed this image with Canon Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix, Tone Mapping. It was made with the Canon G10.

Today we’re having the family and friends over for a barbeque to say goodbye to Adam and Brian. Tuesday we take Adam up to Norwich University in Vermont for his first semester in college. A week for today, Brian go back to start his third year at SUNY Potsdam. …my money…I don’t know where that’s going it’s just not staying with me!

Agawam Beach

Went over to the ocean this morning to see what the surf looked like. The tide was coming in and shrinking the beach big time. There were two four wheelers looking to ride on the beach, but what was there wasn’t wide enough to drive on.

I made this image at Agawam Beach off Gin Lane. I think that’s what it’s called. My very first blog post was also made there, but I called the post Carnival Beach because of the colorful bike rack.

This image was processed with Canon Digital Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping software. It was made with the Canon G10.

Sunflower III

It’s another hot, sticky day, but the forecast is calling for rain. Last night I covered a concert at the Smithtown Library for Legislator Lynn Nowick. The hours before the show the library staff was watching a large storm move through New Jersey and head towards the island. Thankfully, we never saw it.

Today, my picture post is another Sunflower photo. These are the so-called Giant Sunflowers. I planted these in the back yard and the Mexican Sunflowers in the front. The regular sunflowers in the front yard are probably self-seeded plants from last years crop.

I made this picture with the Canon G10 in the macro mode, and processed it with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photoshop.

Almost Prefect

What a stressful day, but it’s over. Car shopping is a royal pain, I’m glad it’s over. Everything is done. We took advantage of the cash for clunkers and traded the car my oldest son drives. He’ll get my pick-up truck and I’ll get the new Ford Focus…and the payments.

Today’s post is another Mexican Sunflower from the yard. Processed with Adobe Camera Raw to add contrast and vitality.

Sunflower II

Well, it’s late but summer is here. We have had heat in the ninety and humidity for the past four days. The heat feels good though I could do without the humidity. This is what you get when you live on an island. I’m not complaining. Maybe my tomato plants will catch a second wind. My plants have fallen to the blight that is going around; even though they weren’t purchased at a box store.
Well Mrs. E, today’s post is another yellow on blue. I think I planted Mexican Sunflowers, but this looks like a small regular sunflower to me. Sunflowers are my favorite. Processed in ACR.

Exit

This sign reminded me of the sunflower, the yellow against blue. Might be a message in the obvious?
I processed it in ACR adding a bit of contrast.

Sunflower

This is a sunflower from the yard. I thought I planted Jumbo Sunflowers. These are not large. The two blooms I’ve had so far this year have not been very photogenic. Hopefully some of the next batch to bloom will yield some better images.
Processed with ARC.

58

I find it funny that I’ve been to four car dealerships and all have been too busy to help me. One dealer was out of the car I wanted to look at. The new models will be in the showrooms sometime in September I was told. The lots and the showrooms were filled with SUV and larger cars but the compacts and small sedans are sold out.
Just a few months ago the big three were lining up in Washington looking for a handout. Here I am looking to take advantage of the cash for clunkers and it’s just not happening.
Oh well.
Today I was driving behind this truck and the 58 was looking right at me. This usually happens when I’m driving and that was my reason behind the Canon G10, so I’d have a camera with me all the time. I did wait until he stopped.
Processed with Canon Digital Professional and Adobe Photoshop.

Big hearts

What a beautiful day I had yesterday. I was assigned to go with the Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature to the Sayville Docks to make some photographs of a Not-for-Profit organization. The Not-for-Profit, Every Child’s Dream, was taking 450 homeless, economically disadvantaged and vulnerable youth on a ferry ride for the time of their lives. Breakfast, a ferry ride to Fire Island, real live pirates and pirate bounty, games, a barbeque, swimming, live entertainment and a whole lot of fun. Aeropostale donated bathing suits for everyone, each child got their own pirates tee shirt, bandana and beach towel it was very cool.
And even with the grey skies and the looming heavy clouds, there were over four hundred smiling faces to brighten up the day.
Today’s photo is a snapshot I made from the event. This little guy was so excited when the ferry pulled. His smile also shows a touch of fear as he told me “that’s a big boat mister.”
He should only know that the folks behind Every Child’s Dream have even bigger hearts.

You snooze you loose.

Playing with depth of field, I made this image while on a walk in Rocky Point late this afternoon. I was looking for something else. I saw the sun setting through the trees and how it backlit the green Oak leaves. By the time I parked and found a path into the woods it was gone. That’s the second time this happen in the past few days.
I’ve been watching some Queen Ann’s Lace on the side of the road for a week or so and I went to make a photo of them and the highway crew cut the lawn and the flowers.
On a different note, all the blogs I was following are missing from my dashboard tonight! I think I’ve been googled.
No post processing to speak of. I adjusted contrast and exposure in photoshop.

Faded Stop

I came across this stop sign and had to add it to my sign collection. It is posted at a vacant shopping center here on Long Island.
I used Canon Digital Professional and Photomatix Tone mapping programs to process.

52

Usually in the past I’ve used numbers for post titles only when I had a photo to match. Today, I turned 52 years old.
Today’s post has nothing to do with my birthday or the number 52. This plant is next to our back door. One morning this past week I made this photo as the morning dew covered the grass plant.
This photo was processed with Canon Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.

Walt Whitman’s Wall

What a beautiful morning, the sun is shinning and there is no humidity. Here on Long Island we often have hot humid summer days, today is a blessing.
I’m off for the weekend but I have high hopes of accomplishing a number of things around the house. I’m sure at the end of the day I’ll have wished I were working!
Today’s picture post I made yesterday. I needed to buy a new power adapter for my PowerBook at the Apple Store. At the mall, I notices the outside walls all had verse, but it didn’t dawn on me whose or why until I recalled that I was at the Walt Whitman Mall. Silly me. There is no post production on this image.

A well needed rest.

I need to apologize to my followers for the long hiatus between posts. As a freelance photographer, I have to take work when it comes and I’ve been super busy.
I have made some personal photos but none of them are worthy of posting. I even went for a walk without a camera to try and clear my head and regain a new focus. It's not my camera as much as it is sitting at the computer and processing images.
Today’s post was made last week at the Smithtown Public Library. I was there for a legislator but came across some chalk drawings along the sidewalk.
This was processed in ACR and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.

A day of editing.

Today I spent about seven hours going through the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride photos I made on Friday. One of my favorites is the ride over Captree Bridge. At the beginning of the ride, soldiers change into special prosthesis or just put on their artificial limbs for the ride. They make sure all their equipment is road ready, checking air pressure brakes and gears.
One of the last photos I made was of the bottled water and helmet at the end of the 22-mile ride. At the end of the ride, most of the soldiers relaxed with supports who rode with them, some walk over the ocean. A few have never seen or been in the Atlantic. It’s very cool.

Paper Birds

I had a very busy end of the week, and next week looks like more of the same. As a freelance it’s good to be busy. My wife and I were going over the collage loans for the two boys and we just don’t know how we’re going to make ends meet. It’s a good thing we all like macaroni and cheese.
Friday, I photographed the Wounded Warrior’s Solder Ride. There are three legs to this bike ride for wounded war veterans. The first is in Manhattan, the second is mid-island called Babylon to the Beaches, and the third ironically is here where I live at the eastern end of Long Island. I photographed the Babylon to the Beaches ride.
This is the second year I’ve photographed this patriotic and emotional event. Seeing these amazing men, missing arms, legs and sometimes both pedal twenty-two miles is an awesome sight. It makes you think twice about complaining. I will post a photo from this event in the next day of two.
Today’s post is an origami window display from Southampton Village that was made on a walk through the village while waiting for my son to finish work. I processed the raw image in Canon Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone mapping.

Traffic and Rain

I got my Mac back today and I’m three hundred dollars lighter. Yes it was fast, and I feel I was taken advantage of. It’s fixed and I’ll have to be more careful even though I do have a clue as to how I broke the hinge or stripped the screws.
Today’s photo was made on the way home yesterday. Traffic and rain, when there’s nothing else to do, make a photograph. This was made with the Canon G10, and I increased the contrast in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional.

Business Hours

I came across this men’s barber Sunday. Besides not being able to handle kids, he’s only there six hours a day for three days. Wow.
I broke my laptop. The hinge that holds the screen to the keyboard fell apart. I backed up everything and took it in. Hopefully I can pick it up tomorrow, and it won’t make me a whole lot lighter in the wallet. I really can’t complain, my power book is six years old and it never has acted up or caused me any problems. I very thankful for that.

Sag Harbor Flag

I came across this flag in Sag Harbor yesterday after a fundraiser I made photos at. I couldn’t resist the golden hour light on the flag.

Little Purple Flowers

I found these little purple flowers between my property and my neighbor, Sally’s property. I don’t know what there are yet but they photograph nice.

Puddle reflection

They said it would rail all weekend, but today might have been the best day of summer so far.
Today’s post is a reflection in a puddle. I rotated it so it’s right-side-up and also processed it with Photomatix Tone Mapping.

Small Bottles

Today’s photograph was made in a small antique shop in Greenport. My wife and I love to go into these shops, but we rarely make a purchase. In this shop I found a small rubber stamp that says Christmas Greetings for one dollar. I couldn’t pass it up.
The photo was made on the second floor and the small bottles caught my eye.

Morning Glory

I used to love Morning Glories, how they would vine all around the balusters and handrails on my deck. The flowers open in the morning and close later in the day.
But, after a few years of them, they have become like weeds. I have them all over the yard. This one is growing in the compost bin. It has the largest leaves I’ve every see. I guess I could have worse problems.

July 15, 2008

Sad news on the Basking Shark, it died on the beach. Marine researchers will determine what the cause of death is in the next few days.
Today’s picture post is a composite of two images, one focused and the other deliberately out of focus. I used to do this with Kodachrome 25 by making a double exposure in the camera. This is the first attempt at the same effect with digital.
It’s easier to control with the computer that it was with camera exposure alone.

Basking shark

I covered the beached shark story on Long Island’s south shore today. What a crowd! I can’t believe how many people tried to pose with the 1000 pound, 20 foot Basking Shark. One guy tried to push it back into the ocean.

Garden Gloves

Originally I planned to post this photo yesterday. But I didn’t like the angle I made it at. So, after fooling with it a while I decided to crop it, I’m still not loving it.
Saturday after gardening, I left my gloves outside. It poured rain Saturday night into Sunday morning and my gloves got soaked. I thought the leather looked cool, especially the dirty warn palms. So here’s the final version in grayscale, and the original, uncropped color version.

Greenport NY

Evan left for Boy Scout camp today. My wife Cel and I drove him to the Orient Point Ferry where they cross the Long Island Sound to Rhode Island. As in the past summers, he’ll be gone for a week.
After the ferry left, we went for a walk through the village of Greenport. That’s where I found these signs to photograph. Greenport is very much an artist’s community with all its galleries. It’s easy to be inspired as you walk along the streets.
Today’s image was made with the Canon G10 and processed with Photomatix Tone Mapping software,

Never saw the Beatles

I made today’s photo last night at the Strawberry Fields show for the Town of Babylon. For those of you who don’t know, Strawberry Fields are a Beatles tribute band. They are really good at what they do. Are there Beatle copy bands elsewhere?

July 10, 2009

Today’s photo post was made on Sunday, July 5. I was in Southampton Village and saw this flag and star hanging in a window. I had to make a photo of it. You can see my arm in the bottom right of the blue star field. I cropped out the window frame and processed it with Photomatix Tone Mapping.

Golden Grass

We had a beautiful day yesterday, and it looks like we’re gonna pay for it today. At least I cut the lawn yesterday.

Today’s photo was made with the Canon G10 of some weed grass in the yard. The setting sun added the color, but I did process it with Photomatix Tone Mapping to add a little depth.

New life and old mud pies.

We had a real hard rain last night that woke everyone up. It sounded as if the house was plunged under water and the rush of air and water was rushing past the outer walls. The sun is up this morning; everything is wet and I see no damage.
I was tied last night yet it was hard for me to fall asleep. I had just returned from a wake for a neighbor’s mom, my second wake since last week. Last Wednesday was a co-worker who actually knew my mom. Fran was a very nice lady who never seemed her age. Cancer took Franny.
So today’s photo is of my wife’s niece’s children as they played in the in-laws yard. And not unlike when I was a tot, still making dirt soup and mud pies.

Red door

This door is from a railroad car at the Long Island Train Museum in Riverhead. Like a kid in a candy store I was attracted by the bright colors.

Alfalfa

I know I shouldn’t be saying this…but wow three days in a row of great weather is fantastic. Now I hope I didn’t jinks it. Unfortunately I spent the whole day indoors today doing portraits of summer interns. They were nice enough; I just didn’t want to be there today.
Adam starts his internship in the county attorney’s office tomorrow. He’s very excited. I very excited for him also.

Main Street Main

Today’s photo is from Friday’s walk around Riverhead with my friend Perry. This man asked if we could make a photo of him, so I did. I love his tie.

22

An old friend came back to Long Island for a family reunion and we were able to go out and photograph like we did thirty years ago. It was nice catching up with him and talking about film and digital and where everyone is.
We went up to Riverhead and walked around town and then came down to Southampton Village for a while. Today’s post is from the Village for my number series.
I wish all a happy 4th of July, no matter what side of the pond you’re on.

Red white and Blue Hoop

I’ve had to photograph construction at town parks for the last two days. This basketball hoop was still standing at one and the rust caught my eye. That, the sky and the red white and blue netting was enough for me.
Processed with ACR.

Wading River Farmland

Sometimes I come across a landscape so beautiful that I don’t know how someone can doubt the existence of God.
This image is cropped slightly to straighten the horizon.

Graduation Weekend: the End

It's over. The moving up from 8th grade and the high school graduation and I survived both. There should be a celebration of the parents, except I’m really too tired to do any of the work or the celebrating.

I had an event to cover Monday, in the parking lot of the catering hall I found today’s post. I spent some time with ACR and Photomatix to bring out the glow of the paint.