Friday, October 30, 2009

Looking down

Here' another image looking down at the kaleidoscope of colorful leaves at the public parking lot in Deer Park.I get sent there to record freight trains parked on the rail overpass in the middle of town. The town supervisor made it a priority to get these trains not to lay-up on the downtown overpass.

This was made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Mattituck Barn

I made this image last Monday in Mattatuck at the train station. This is an HDR composite from six frames of different exposure.

I'm still not happy with how hot the sunlit white door is but it will do. I made this image with the Canon 5d and processed it in Photoshop.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Birch

Kids, they can drive a sane person crazy. Sometimes I wonder when mine were mentally high-jacked by aliens without my knowledge. I need to calm down. After a busy day anything could be stressful.

Today's photo was made on Monday in Mattatuck. I made a few images that day with the Canon G10, this is one of them. I processed this with Photomatix Tonal Mapping.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Coffee and a photo to go.

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Well, the nice weather ended today. It’s cold and wet and gray outside. But that didn’t stop me from finding autumn colors to photograph. I made this image today at a 7-11 convenience store in Commack were I sometimes stop for coffee. It was raining at that point in the day and I didn’t want to get too wet. I exposed two frames and both had my shoes in them.

Today’s image was made with the Canon G10, and processed in ACR and is cropped.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Fun with red.


What a great day I had today. I covered a press conference on the east end of the north fork of Long Island, Cutchogue. I made a point of heading out early so I'd have some tome to do some personal photos. The weather was perfect and so was the colors. I felt like a sugar addict loose in candy store.

I've come to the conclusion that when we have a wet summer, fall colors are better. I'm gonna have to look this up to see if it is fact or something I'm imagining.

These two images came from Mattatuck, the sign was at the train station. The leaves were a few blocks away. Both were made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR.


Sunday, October 25, 2009

49

Here's another number for my number series. I found this house marker up in Rocky Point on Wednesday while waiting for a press conference to start. I found it kind of quant snuggled among all the ivy.

I made this image with the Canon G10 and processed it with ACR.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Yellow Pine Needles

This is a close-up of yellow pine needles I made with the Canon G10 in macro mode. I processed the photo with ACR. This is another image made last Tuesday. It is also the last.

I stopped at the ocean this morning after dropping Evan off at football. The beach lost four feet of sand. Where we used to be able to walk straight out to the water now is a four foot drop. The Indians say that what sand the ocean takes, the ocean will return. We’ll see what happens in the winter.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Stain glass leaves III

This is the last of the series of stain glass leaves. This was also made on Tuesday wit the Canon G10.

I just returned home from along day, the end of which I spent outside for three hours under-dress for the temperature. It feels good to be under a warm blanket.

Tomorrow we are expecting rain and Evan has a football game in the morning. So I’d better warm-up tonight.

Stain Glass Leaves II

Here's another photo of back-lit leaves. On the original post, georgia b commented on photosynthesis ans almost seeing the science inside a leaf. It got me thinking about how the leaf veins how they look like little roadways. If I could get close enough, would I see tiny workers carrying out the process of collecting sunlight and turning it into sugar? What do they put the sunlight into once they collet it? Could make a Disney movie.

This image was made on Tuesday with the Canon G10. Post processing included iphoto and Photomatix tone mapping.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Stain glass leaves.

I love backlighting and rim-lighting, so give me colorful leaves and a bright sun and I just go crazy. I as at the doctor's office Monday and I couldn't wait to get out of there. All these green and yellow leaves and blue sky were calling me. The office building she's in also had these beautiful planters by the entry and I made a few images there.

This was made with the Canon 5d and processed in ACR.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Lawn signs don't vote!

This past week someone took two political lawn signs I posted at the end of my driveway and tossed them in the woods. It annoyed me, no it really pissed me off. Whether or not you agree or disagree with my candidate, I have the right to show my support by displaying a lawn sign on my property.

By removing my lawn sign did you think I'll change my opinion? Oh, look my lawn signs are gone I'll have to vote the other way.

Do you think that by removing lawn signs other voters are swayed? You must believe that people vote based on the number of lawn signs they see. What, if they don't see my lawn signs maybe your candidate wins another vote.

Or is it that you just don't believe your candidate is strong enough on the issues and people shouldn't be aware there's another person running for their seat.

The truth of the matter is I too hate lawn signs. Mostly because people put them along highways and roadsides, nowhere near their homes.

I think lawn signs should be restricted to individual lawns and any found on any municipal property should be discarded as soon as it is seen. After all, aren't they for supporters to show their support.

When you see a lawn sign in the middle of a divided highway what's that say? It tells me that a particular candidate doesn't have a lot of supporters or they aren't very good money managers and purchased too many signs. Not too good either way.

Sorry for venting about my lawn signs. But is my right to show my support if I desire.

Back to the blog, today's photo is of the ornamental grass by my back door, made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR. I love making images of this plant.

Monday, October 19, 2009

A Beautiful Day

It warmed up nicely today. I had two outdoor photo-ops and a bit of computer work to get done today. It all went well.

I made this photo Saturday on my walk with my wife and dog. It's the Peconic Bay, the body of water between the fish tails of Long Island's east end.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Apple Crisp

How do you make a horrible day look good? Photoshop it! It's cold, windy and rainy, a good day to catch-up on things around the house. I made an Apple Crisp that just came out of the oven and it smells great. The fall and winter are the seasons for baking, something I love to do. I just wish Adam was home, he loves Apple Crisp.

Today's photo is of the screen in the front window. I processed it with ACR and pushed up the fill light, black and clarity sliders all the way.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Red Oak Leaf

It was a nice day today, a bit cold but sunny. They predicted rain for today, and a ribbon-cutting that was scheduled for this morning was canceled. I got the second coat of spackle done in Adam'd room, sized the photos I made yesterday and sent them off to get printed. I even had time to take Isabel for a walk with my wife. Now, after a nice Saturday and a good diner, we're watching Independence Day. All in all it was a nice day.

Today's photo of a Red Oak Leaf was made earlier with the Canon G10 and processed with Photoshop.



Friday, October 16, 2009

Wall of Textures

I worked in Howard Beach, Queens at a luncheon today. Federation of Organizations hires me for their three major luncheon, this one being the final one of the year. Today's keynote speaker was Joe Pantoliano an actor who played Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos HBO show. He was the guest speaker at their first luncheon here on Long Island, they liked him so much, they had him back. I was not impressed.

Howard Beach is about two hours away from me so I left early because of the lousy weather. Traffic was not as bad as I figured and I had time to make a few images, today's post being one of them.

This was the side of a restaurant down the block from the catering hall. The shapes and colors were intriguing. Made with the Canon G10 and processed with Photomatix Tonal Mapping program.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

A keeper on a bad day.

It was not a nice day today, windy, cold and rainy. I'm sure days like today was made for big bowls of soup. Soup wasn't on the menu today, but my better half did make a great diner that hit the spot.

Today's photo was made in Quogue. I was driving to the photo lab in Westhampton when I saw this field of wind blown grass. I set the camera on the tripod and made a bunch of long exposures. This is the image I like the best.

Made with the Canon 5d and processed it with Photoshop and ACR.


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Bee

I'm using OpenOffice.org Writer program to write today's post. My son Adam introduced me to it a while ago, and like many old dogs.... I've learned a new trick.

The look and feel of it is much the same as the big MS version, it has spell check, and a grammar feature. I like the big tool bar at the top, much easier to read that MS. I guess the best feature is it's free and it works on a Mac. That's big, at least to me. I've used Mac's for years and you hardly ever find a good freeware.

Today's photo is a bee on the Butterfly Bush, a dead bee I afraid. Sunday, on our way to church, I saw this little fellow on one of the last flowers. He was still there when we returned. So I made a picture of him. Later in the day, he was gone. Anyway, I used the Canon G10 in the macro mode and processed it with Canon's Digital Photo Professional and Photoshop.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Just the smile I needed.

My son Brian was home from college for the weekend. He needed a ride to East Islip to meet his ride back to Potsdam at 7:30. That meant we needed to leave at 6:30. I didn’t need to be at my first assignment till 9:00 so I took the long way and found this smiley in Central Islip.

I made this image with the Canon G10 and processed it with Canon’s Photo Digital Professional. And Photoshop.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Red Reed

What a day. I did manage to get a coat of spackle on Adam’s wall, but that’s about it. I couldn’t sand the spackle because it didn’t dry. Sometimes I just don’t know where the time goes. Tomorrow, I have the October General meeting of the Legislature in the morning and a press conference following that.

I made today’s photo yesterday. My eye was drawn to the red reed surrounded by the green leaves of the ornamental grass. This was made with the Canon 5D and processed with ACR.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sky and Puddle


What a gorgeous day today was. Mums, and Montauk Daises all in bloom as well as those Garzania’s I found at Lynch’s Garden Cent in town. I finally started to patch the hole in the sheetrock in Adam’s bedroom. I just hate working with sheetrock, but it doesn’t look bad. I thought I had some spackle so I could get the first coat done, but I can’t find any in the basement.

I have a job tonight for a legislator so I need to get cleaned up and on the road. I have the day off tomorrow so I’ll be able to get back to the tape and spackle then.

Today’s photo was made on Friday of a couple of leaves floating in a mud puddle. I was drawn to the blue sky reflecting in the puddle. I made this with the Canon G10 and processed with Photoshop and Photomatix tone mapping programs.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Red Maple Leaves

The little Red Maple tree in the yard has started to change color. I’m surprised that it still has any leaves after the two days of heavy winds.

This photograph was made with the Cano 5d and processed in Photoshop.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Thursday


This picture is from my Vermont visit with Adam. I have a problem with the Canon G10 and can’t seem to download anything any longer. I’ll call support tomorrow.

This was made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Self Portrait

Yesterday I worked a golf outing here in Southampton. It’s very nice to work right here in my hometown. Sebonic Golf Club is a private club that hosts outings for not-for-profits. It’s nice to get a peek at how the other half lives.

My self-portrait was made in the serving dish cover before they put out lunch. My reflection is also in the glass door in the background. I made a few frames, but I liked this one the best. The awning and the second reflection helped me choose this one.

Fashion photographer great, Irving Penn passed away today at 92 years old. Penn never cared about the separation of commercial photography and art photography. He just always stayed true to his style. He died in his apartment in New York City.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Checkers

I made this photo two weeks ago and never had a chance to post it. I started to edit photos last night after a political fundraiser, but I feel asleep at the computer.

This is the side of a Checkers Drive-thru. I was attracted to the red on black and white. It reminded me of the joke that the boys used to ask me when they were small. What’s black and white and red all over? A newspaper. I made this photo with the Canon G10 and processed it with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and resized it with Photoshop

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Rugby Helmet


This photo is from last Saturday's Rugby match up in Northfield Vermont. Some of the players wore these helmets. They don't look like like they offer much protection, I guess it protects you from getting your hair pulled.
I made this with the
canon 5d and processed it with ACR.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Sayville Diner

I had an assignment in Sayville tonight and to save on the mileage, I decided to eat at the Sayville Diner. What’s so special about this place is that I used to frequent this place about thirty years ago. This was the small village diner that we went to after a night on the town. I’m sure we were thrown out once or twice for being too loud.

They redid the place with a retro look, which I found a bit funny. It didn’t look like this thirty years ago.

The Greek Salad I ordered was very good, and too large for me to finish.

Today’s picture is of the diner rendered in grey scale. The image was made with the Canon G10 and processed with both Canon Digital Photo Professional and Photoshop.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

October 1, 2009

I can’t believe how fast this year is going. Another month, gone, and before I know it I’ll be writing 2010. When I was a kid, I use to think about what things would be like in the yea 2000. It’s not like the Jetsons that’s for sure.

Some of the new autos look futuristic but still no hover cars. I didn’t give much thought to communication technology back then, but I think I would have thought that cell phones would be fairly futuristic; especially the Bluetooth devices people walk around with in their ears today. I most definitely didn’t give any thought to the future of photography. Digital capture, the Internet, blogging, it all would have seemed unbelievable back than. No more mini labs on every corner. Well when I first started making photos, you sent film away to get processed. What will the next ten or twenty years bring?

Not so long ago I went to a 100-year birthday party with the Town of Babylon Supervisor. It was in the basement of a church, he had a proclamation he gave her and he talked about the things a person would have seen being alive for 100 years. The first flight and all the advancements in air travel, men in space and on the moon. How about the atom bomb, the end of the cold war and Sept. 11, 2001 for change? I made a photo and showed her the back of the camera. Another technological advancement.

Technology happens so slow and nonchalant in some ways. Computers evolve, from desktops to laptops to web books. Where will it all end?

Today’s picture I made this morning while waiting to make foursome photos at a golf outing. This golf outing was from hell, a very disorganized event. These backlit leaves were about fourteen inches long. I couldn’t pass them up.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Rockin & Rollin

I had my annual physical today and my doctor says everything is looking good. That surely helped me to feel better, especially after hearing about my dad falling again and my younger brother getting admitted to the hospital because he lost his vision. What a week.

Monday I needed to photograph a town building at a park complex in Babylon. The schools were closed because of a holiday and the skateboard park was rockin’ an rollin.’

It’s wild! Some of the older boys are really good at what they do on those boards.

Today’s picture is from the skateboard park at Tanner Park in Copiague. I used ACR to pump-up the contrast.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Autumn


Autumn is a reflective time of year for me. I think about life and about death. With two sons in college and the third just starting high school I think about age more than I want to. Every ach means something different now.
Calls to my parents in Florida are not like they once were. My mom tells how dad fell again, how she’s getting too old to look after him. She wants to find a senior care facility they can live in. Autumn in their lives doesn’t look the same as autumn in mine.
The feelings I’m having are best summed-up by Carrie Newcomer’s song
“Leaves Don’t Drop, They Just Let Go.”
Leaves don’t drop they just let go,
And make a place for seeds to grow.
Every season brings a change,
A seed is what a tree contains,
To die and live is life’s refrain.
It’s a song about letting go, and that’s what autumn is to me.
I’ve quoted this song before on this blog. Carrie is a awesome songwriter.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009


I’m home again after a great time at parents weekend up at Norwich University. The leaves are starting to change and nights are getting colder in Vermont. Adam seems very happy and well adjusted, Norwich is agreeing with him.
Parents weekend included us seeing the school football team win and the rugby team lose. We met Adam’s wrestling coach and team and went to dinner with all the parents.
That’s a story in itself.
Today’s photo is the view from the third floor of the Kreitzberg Library; made with the Canon G10. Post processing was with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photoshop.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

40

Here’s another number post. It’s from the track around the football field from Tuesday’s game. I was drawn to the design, color and the opportunity to compose the number and lines and create negative space.
I used the Canon 20d and processed it with ACR.
My wife and I leave in the morning for parents weekend at Norwich University. Adam called twice tonight. He's looking forward to our visit. I miss him.
Because of the condition of my laptop, I wont be able to post again until Monday. Have a good weekend.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Pop football

Yesterday was a busy day. I hade a press conference in the morning, Evan’s football game late afternoon and a little league team getting a proclamation from the mayor photo in the evening. I was wiped when I got home.

Today’s post is from Evan’s football game. (They won!) I used the Canon 20d so I could take advantage of the magnification factor the small sensor has on the telephoto lens. The 200mm becomes a 320mm.

I used ACR to process this image.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Stemware, less stems

Well, it was bound to happen. After six years, I finally dropped my laptop and now have a smashed corner. What’s worse is my Power Book doesn’t recognize the airport card, long story short… no more internet on the laptop. As of right now, everything else is fine. I am considering repair at this point, I can’t afford a new laptop right now.
Today’s picture is a still life of wine glasses lined up in two rows. I made it with the Canon 5d and processed it with ACR.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Bay Shore

I just returned form the surf fishing tournament and now I’m watching football with my son. It’s what he lives for. Unfortunately his favorite team is not playing a good game. Oh well.

Today’s post is from last night. Babylon Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Inspection and Awards Dinner held in Bay Shore. While I was waiting for things to start, I saw the reflection of the American flag in the window. Bay Shore is one of Long Island’s struggling communities. Once a prosperous community with a thriving downtown and a beautiful waterfront, it fell early due to a large shopping mall. It’s had several eras of revitalization, but it still suffers.

Looking out the catering hall window one would never know you were in the same Bay Shore. The harbor boat slips are all full. I guess it’s the economy that’s keeping, many of the boats moored on such a beautiful night.

Made with the Canon 5D and processed with ACR.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Chasing Butterflies

It’s that time of year when butterflies and yellow jackets are abundant. I went chasing butterflies twice this week and both times I wasn’t successful in my quest for a photo. I guess I need to get up and out earlier.

Today’s post is of another Gazania in the yard. I really lucked out when I found these at Lynch’s Garden Center in town.

This is a straight photo from the Canon G10. I tried to fiddle with the color in Photomatix, but nothing looked better than it God given color.

Friday, September 18, 2009

17 to 23

Friday, the end of another week. I have a light weekend with a fire department inspection dinner Saturday evening and the end of a fishing tournament on Sunday. As a freelance you take work when it comes around. Next Friday we are going up to Vermont for parents weekend. I can’t wait to see Adam. He sounds so excited about college.

Today’s post was made at self-storage units at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. These units were ammunitions storage units in building D, which was a post, a few days back.

I used the Canon 5d and post processing was with ACR.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Raindrops

We had some rain yesterday right before dusk. I was able to make this image of the sky reflection and raindrops on the roof of my car before the sun set. I made this image with the Canon G10, processed it with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fence and Wall

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I was intrigued by the color of the fence post and the peeling painted bricks. This was the back wall of a law office in Hempstead. I made this image on Sunday when I went to see Kara’s photos in the group show. The photo doesn’t do the area justice. As I walked the block to the gallery, the smell of urine and bleach assaulted my senses. I needed to step over litter and broken bottles. Needless to say Hempstead is a very poor community.

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

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sunset through the Pines

I’m always a sucker for the glow of the setting sun through leaves or grass or anything really. This is a Black Pine with yesterday’s sunset behind it.

Made with the Canon 5D and processed with ACR.

Monday, September 14, 2009

The letter D

I had a rough day today. I accidentally erased a compact flash card without downloading the photos first. It’s very embarrassing to have to call a client to tell them. I should know better, this is the second time I’ve done this. I think it’s time for a portable back up. I started looking at them today.

My post today, the letter D, I found at an old ammunitions storage unit in Westhampton. They use the property now for self-storage units and when we were between homes we stored our stuff there.

This image is an HDR creation from three exposures. I finished the HDR file with Photomatix Tone Mapping program.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

East End Vinyard

What a day. A former student invited me to a juried photography exhibit; she was awarded Best in Color for a wonderful abstract. It was good for me to see some quality printing; it has been a long time since I saw good local photography. Kara Reyes has a great eye and is a talented photographer.

Today’s picture post was made yesterday on my way home from Greenport. The east end of Long Island has become our own wine country. At one of the vineyards along Main Road in Southold I saw these grape trellises with white netting. Most of the vineyards use black netting. The white looked cool and I thought it might make an interesting photograph. So here it is after being processed with both Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone mapping program. I made this image with the Canon G10.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Push Down Hard

We had another rainy day today. But I was able to get in most of my son Evan’s football game and an outside photo-op. Later I was in Greenport for the Suffolk Count Police Department’s Annual Conference where the Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature was honored as Man of the Year. Bill Lindsay is definitely the Man of the Year.

Today’s photo is from Greenport. I had some fun with the color in Photoshop.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Queen Ann's Lace

We had buckets of rain today, buckets. My morning assignment was cancelled after I got there. And my afternoon assignment was moved indoors. Between, I was able to make a few personal photographs of a barn.

Today’s photo was made a few weeks ago. It was inspired by another blogspot. Georgia is very talented and her blog is an inspiration.

I made this photo with the Canon 5D and processed it with Photoshop.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Bohemia

I didn’t make any personal photos today. It started out as an ok day, but it declined fast, even though I did get a lot of work done.

I needed to drop off a disk of headshots in Bohemia, the town I grew up in. While I was on Church Street, I stopped by St. John Nepomucene’s cemetery. I have a bother buried there, a brother I never met. Thomas was born early and died a day or two after being born. He would have been 46 years old this year. I just was wondering what he’d be like, married, children, what would he be today if he had lived?

All my family live down south, I don’t get to spend any time with them. I wonder if we would have been closer.

Today’s photo is from the comedy troop job. This is a worked photo, processed with Adobe ACR.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Habanero Peppers

I was given some pepper plants this spring from an acquaintance and four of the plants turned out to be habaneros. I am going to attempt to make a habanero pepper sauce. If nothing else, I was able to get a nice photo.

This image was made with the macro mode on the G10. It was processed with Canon Digital Photo Professional.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Sasha

Cats are funny animals, and Sasha is no exception. She is the dog in the family. Isabel, our adopted Greyhound is a couch potato, even though she’s not allowed on the couch.

(She has been found on the couch many times, it’s a favorite spot when we are not home). Sasha makes all the noise in the animal part of the family. Her loud meows wake Isabel and I up in the morning, “time for breakfast.” Isabel sometimes whimpers, but rarely barks.

This is Sasha on the windowsill being a cat. She’s always been an inside cat, so the sill is her view of the big outside world. She sits up there and watches the birds and she’ll meow at Isabel as she runs around outside. Sometimes, like today, she just enjoys the heat of the sun. I made this image with the Canon 5D and processed it with ACR.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

sunlight

What a day, I am very tired. The Town of Babylon had its’ annual Beach Blast with live music, ice cream eating contests, water balloon tosses and more. I’m exhausted

from photographing all of it.

Today’s post was from a walk I took yesterday morning. I liked the way the sunlight illuminated just what I was to see. Made with the Canon 5D and processed with ACR.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Clouds


Driving home from Potsdam on Monday these clouds were in the sky in front of us for almost six of the eight and a half hours. I couldn’t help thinking of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. A favorite song by a favorite artist.
Years ago I heard a Pete Seeger version of this song with a verse that he penned for Mitchell. If I remember correctly it was a live recording on Folkways Records. Although I haven’t see that record in decades, I often think about that version as well,
This was made with the Canon G10 and processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional and Photomatix Tone Mapping programs.