Autumn Collage

I'm still having a blast with autumn. For me Spring and fall are the two seasons that offer the most opportunity for me, photographically.

This was made on a walk though East Quogue. I love the colors and tones.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Calverton Tracks

I've been trying to use the new 100-400 a lot so I can be totally familiar with it. Unfortunately I've only had the opportunity to use it on still subjects. I really need to get out to a sports event to give it a true workout. It's a difficult lens to handle with out a tripod or a monopod.

Today's post is a HDR photo made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop.

I love Autumn!

My new lens

If you have followed this blog you know I've moaned for a macro lens forever. Tuesday, I ventured into the city and didn't purchase the macro lens of my dreams, but a long telephoto zoom.

None of the services I offer or the clients I service require me to have that macro lens, but I do have the need for the 100-400 zoom.

Today's post was made on the steps of the post office in Manhattan. People sit and enjoy their lunch, the sun or the pigeons. Actually, on this day, there were almost as many pigeons as people.

This was made with the Canon 5d and the Canon 100-400 at the 400mm setting. It's taking me a little while to get the hang of this big lens. It's a single action, push pull zoom. My 70-200 has two rings, one for focus and one for zooming. I know that sports photography will not be easy without a monopod, it's a hard lens to hold.

On a different topic, I just finished The Stones Cry Out, by Hikaru Okuizumi, a beautifully written 138 page novel. It was the winner of Japan's most prestigious literary award, The Akutagawa Prize. There are some beautiful thoughts in the story.

New York Vote

I took a train ride into the city yesterday morning to trade-in my 4X5 film camera towards a 100-400 zoom lens. What a great trip! I've never been to the B&H Photo superstore. As a collage student I shopped at their 14^th Street store was was big, but nothing like the superstore. It reminded me of Wily Wonka's chocolate factory with the lights and conveyor belts and all.

On my was to the store, I came across this fellow with a message for his fellow New Yorkers.

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

The Mid-term election

I dread this election like a student dreads the tests with the same name. As a nation we are probably more fragile than ever before. Our enemies know this, we should too.

Americans are out of work in large numbers while we have a man here running for Congress that support tax brakes for companies that outsource work. He made millions of dollars in the business of sending jobs to India and other countries and now he wants to be a Congressman. Why?

Why does someone who can spend three million dollars of his own money on a campaign for a congressional seat want to earn $174,000 a year plus benefits?

I can't see him wanting to make life any different for people that want to work but can only take a customer service job or a job on an assembly line. My brother worked as a customer service rep in the financial services field until his job was outsourced. He's not lazy, he wants to work, but the opportunities are drying up. I doubt that a person who takes jobs from Americans has any altruistic characteristics.

Power?

The power to protect the billions he made, and the power to protect his right to send more jobs to Singapore or India or wherever, that's how I see it. Selfishness.

It's a two part problem.

First, we can't afford to keep sending jobs, any jobs abroad. Second, we must support education, including programs that re-train Americans for hi-tech opportunities.

I can only hope that today, if nothing more we learn something.

I hope the people in my Congressional district look beyond what is rotten with government and see that it's all about people, nothing else. God mad man, not boundaries or classes. We are brothers and sisters not by choice but by His Creation.

Weesuck Creek

There's a creek in East Quogue on the west end of Shinnecock called Weesuck Creek. If I were this creek, I'd change my name.

This is the first time I uses the G10 to make a HDR image. I steadied the camera on a dock piling and made my three exposures. I used Photomatix Pro and Photoshop to process the results.

Halloween

I understand that Halloween was a pagan holiday and many Christians don't allow their children to take part in the festivities that take place. To me, Halloween, as well as Christian holiday's have become overly commercialized. The meaning of Halloween has become character costumes and candy, not devil worship. I doubt many kids know what trick or treat even mean. I wasn't prepared to do any tricks when I was young. If someone said no when I said trick or treat, I, would have just moved on. Today, I think the pagan beliefs are even further removed.

So tonight, when the announcer for the New England Minnesota football game wished me, the viewer, a Happy Halloween, I said thanks and likewise.

Today's post I found on a walk I took a while ago. Made with my trusty Canon G10 and processed with ACR. The colorful autumn leaves are all turning brown.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween.

One Way

I came across this One Way sign in my travels the other morning. It beckoned to be memorialized.

This photo is a HDR photo made with the

Canon 5d mkII. Processed with Photomatix Pro.

Calverton Cornfield.

Coming home from a job yesterday I passed the corn fields and had to turn around and stop. There's something about a cornfield in October.

This photo is an HDR composite converted to gray scale.

I used ACR, Photoshop and Photomatix pro.

orange maple leaf

 

On a short walk yesterday I came across autumn happening in full blast. Long Island is at the beginning of peak. I love autumn.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

daises

I played around with a still life of daises. I started with a HDR composite added a layer for diffusion and another for the corner burns...

The second image is the HDR composite and a texture layer made by Kim Klassen, and a layer of yellow. I love what she does with her textures. She has a great site, and some excellent images. If you love creative photography, check it out.

Comming and going

My wife and I went to Vermont to visit Adam on Sunday. I was a little nervous because of the high winds we had Friday and Saturday, but the Captain said the conditions were calm. My wife gets sea sick easily, and calm was a relative term on Sunday. It was a good thing she took some Dramamine because I'd call the conditions rolling. We made it over fine. I was even feeling a bit queezy.

The colors were beautiful on the way up. Connecticut's leaves looked pretty much like Long Island; colorful, but still a lot of greens. As we entered Massachusetts, the colors intensified and the reds and oranges were explosive. By the time we got to Northfield, just south of Montpelier the mountains were all done. There were a few yellows left and some brown, but most green firs and gray branches.

Still it's always beautiful.

It was parents weekend at the school, but we just came up for Sunday. We take him food shopping and out for a restaurant meal. And of course, bring up winter clothing and take home anything he doesn't need any longer. He has classes on Monday morning, so it was just for the day. We had a great visit.

On the way back to the ferry, we decided to drop in on an old friend that we have been very concerned about. She hasn't been returning our phone calls. And her husband doesn't work.

We tried all sorts of ways of getting in touch with her. Our visit was a last resort. Thankfully, she is ok, just overworked with three jobs and a husband as lazy as an August day.

We don't know what we can do to help her but pray for her.

Today's photos were made At Orient Point NY on Sunday morning, and New London Connecticut Monday evening. The sunrise is an HDR photo, I was able to steady the camera on a ledge. The sunset was made at a very slow shutter speed, 1/6 of a second, I couldn't make the minimum three exposures for a HDR photo.It was also cropped so the horizon would be straight. Both were made with the Canon 5d mkII.

Thanks for putting up with my long windedness!

Charlotte

The morning sky was filled with gray storm clouds, rolling in an anticipated evening storm. I wasn't happy with the photos I made for the County yesterday at the Maritime Museum, mostly because of the sky, today's sky was perfect.

The photo of the port side was made yesterday, the bow was made today. There's not much sky in the bow photo, but enough.

Both photos are HDR images made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop.

I finished the Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy. All were definitely thrillers, but I liked The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo best. Larsson is an engaging writer and develops his characters as if he is writing a biography. So the books start slow, but build to the point where I couldn't put them down.

I'm starting Hemmingway's To Have and Have Not,  today.

Never confuse movement with action.

Ernest Hemingway

Sailboat at the Maritime Museum

For me, one of the gems of Suffolk County is the Maritime Museum in Sayville. It houses a visual history of Long Islands rich maritime history right on the water. This sailboat, with its beautiful wood details, is on of the displays still in the water. How beautiful it looked, and how much work it must be to keep it looking beautiful. The place is small, but packed with great stuff.

This is a HDR photograph made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop.

Autumn Reds

On my bike ride today, I saw a lot of reds, the ivory, sumac, and hydrangea caught my eye today.

It was a beautiful fall day today after a night of crazy rain.

I used the Canon G10 and ACR for all three images.

Autumn Yellows

 

I was interrupted from my yard work and had to snap a few photos. The shinny Greenbrier leaves are slowly turning yellow. The wild grape leaves are further into their slow decline. As they change, they remind me of a Jackson Pollock interpretation of Autumn. Or God's interpretation of Jackson Pollock.

The late day sun added some depth and contrast to both.

I used the Canon G10 and processed both with ACR and photoshop. The Greenbrier leaf is cropped.

No such thing...

Yesterday, I covered a peace rally in a community that lost a sixteen year old boy in a street shooting. It's sad, very sad every time I need to cover these things. I only imagine that as the income gap between the richest Americans and poorest widens more, communities like these will get worst.

I saw this sign across the street from the rally and had to photograph it. I guess when my father taught me there was no such thing as a free lunch, he didn't know about about the Mercy Inn.

Made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with Adobe Camera Raw.

Green Water

I loved the way the branches are reflected under the floating leaves.

Made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with ACR.

The Wind

It was gray and rainy most of today then, at about three this afternoon the clouds broke and the sun came out. I set with my tripod to try for a HDR photo, but changed my mind once I saw the wind.

Made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with ACR.

Hers

I found this sign at Overlook Beach, naturally it's the sign for the ladies comfort station. Oddly, the men's bathroom wasn't labeled. I was thinking of His and Hers, but all I got was hers.

Made with the Canon d5 and processed with ACR.

Greyscale grey skies

I was at Overlook Beach today and was moved by the grey clouds that hung above the Great South Bay. The sky was beautiful all day even though this was the only chance I had to make a photo. I'm glad I had time to make this one.

This HDR photograph was handheld using the Canon 5d. I processed it with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop. I cropped it slightly to correct for a crooked horizon.

Early Bloomer

The first of the Montauk Daises are open and in a few days the small bushes will be covered with white flowers. I didn't know until today they were part of the Chrysanthemum family. They are usually the last flowers to bloom in my yard. They'll have flowers till the end of October.

I haven't been feeling my usual chipper self these past few days. Mostly, I'm just feeling down.

I think part of it is the political climate of this mid-term election. There's a lot of mean spiritedness and raw hatred, especially here in New York.

I don't know, I have a doctor's appointment for blood work on Monday and a visit for a check-up at the end of the week. I'll see if my diabetes has anything to do with my mood.

Today post is my 501^st. Wow. Thanks for visiting.

Will you Take Me As I Am

 

I just finished Michelle Mercer's book “Will You Take Me As I Am, Joni Mitchell's Blue Period.” Mercer is a good writer, though I was a bit disappointed. Probably too much information about Mitchell's long list of lovers. Other than that is was ok.

One of the things I loved about her was her ability to paint a detailed landscape with her poetry.

Today on my walk I was looking for detail in a landscape. This study is more like a Georgia O'Keeffe than a Joni Mitchell.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Habanero Peppers

These have to be the prettiest peppers along with the hottest. It has a Scoville Heat Unit rating of between 150,000 and 325,000. For comparison, a Jalapeno is 5,000 and a Cayenne Pepper, 40,000.

They are not the hottest peppers, but very close to it.

I grew these and made a Barbecue Sauce, a hot Barbecue Sauce. But before I chopped them up I had to make a photo.

Made with the Canon G10's macro mode and processed with ACR.

Butterflies

For the past seven years I been trying to get a great butterfly photograph. We have a number of Butterfly Bushes in the yard and like the name implies, they do attract butterflies. So I've tried for years to get something respectable.

This is the second time I used the Canon G10 to photograph butterflies, but it's the first time I had some success. I used the camera's macro setting and processed them with ACR.

Poison Ivy

Among the first leaves to be changing color was this Poison Ivy leaf. Nice to look at, not to touch. Some people, like my friend Pete, only have to be in the vicinity of Poison Ivy in order to get a bad case of itching.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Connetquot River

Today's photo was made this morning on a walk through the Connetquot River State Park. I'd never been in the north part of the park, the head waters.

It was in the eighties today and some of the leaves are starting to change, especially the poison ivy.

I wish the photo was sharper, I can't be sure if was the moving water or me.

Made with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR.

Sting Ray in Blue

At the golf outing yesterday there were three classic cars in the parking lot. I took a liking to the Corvette and made this photo.

I had some fun playing with the sliders in Adobe Camera Raw.

Monday Monday

Today I worked at my last golf outing for the season, what a long day. This was my first time working for the Plumbers Association. They hold an annual outing to raise money for a charity. Nice bunch of guys!

Today's photo, and yesterday's post were both made on Friday at the Peconic River boat launch in Calverton. It' one of the places I like to stop at for inspiration.

This was made with the Canon 5d and processed and converted to gray scale with ACR.

Indian Summer

 

We had a great weekend here on Long Island, a classic Indian Summer. My wife and I transplanted six bushes and planted a new Beach Plum that was given to us for our twenty-fifth anniversary. Our anniversary is not for another few days, it's my in-laws way of making sure I don't forget.

I was able to squeeze some time to make a photo here and there. I just was too tired to sit at the keyboard and post them.

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

The Bike Ride

 

I took a short bike ride this morning, what a beautiful day. The morning was still and dry and mother nature was out in full glory. I just love the colors and shapes in this scene I found in the parking lot of Lobster Inn.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Sunflower Seeds

My sunflowers are all over and I guess it time to make bird food. But, not before a photograph or two.

This gray scale image was made with the Canon G10 and converted with ACR.

Football has started

Well the season has started. Evan's first game was Saturday. He's giving us a hard time about playing football this year, and this is the first time he actually looks good out on the field. My wife and I have this rule that while in high school you must play a sport, any sport each season. He's not happy with us, but seems to be pulling his weight on the team. Saturday he made two important plays. The youngest always has to push their parents to the limit.

I finished the Betty Smith classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, this weekend. I don't know how I missed reading this book when I was younger, it's fantastic.

Today's photo was made at Saturday's game. I keep seeing numbers, this time it's 30 with the three in the box and the yard marker, the zero. I used the Canon 20d and processed it with ACR.

Coindre Hall

 

Today, I had a job to photograph this place and the property it sits on for the county. This building is now being used as a catering hall, but there's another building down on the harbor that's all boarded-up.

It looked very interesting to me, the only info I could find on the net said it was built in 1912 and modeled after a French Chateau.

This HDR image was made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with Photomatix Pro, ACR and photoshop.

Fall Colors

I guess that the extremely hot and dry summer made some of the trees and bushes turn sooner this year. On our trip up to Vermont two weeks ago we noticed some leaves changing and down here on Long Island the same is happening.

I love the colors of fall. I found this bush yesterday, outside the H. Lee Dennison building in Hauppauge, NY. It was early in the morning and the sunlight was still warm.

Made with the Canon 5d mkII, and processed with ACR.

The End of Summer

The highway traffic is heavy tonight with vacationers heading home. Many of the schools start tomorrow. Except for Friday, business here in Southampton seemed to be booming. Maybe Long Islanders just stayed local instead of traveling this summer.

I remember going to Maine for the Maine Photographic Workshops. The locals hung a huge sign on the highway overpass saying good by. I've thought about hanging on at the end on my driveway...see ya next year.

This is a Morning Glory from the garden, a volunteer growing between the Iris plants and Sunflowers.

Made with the Canon G10 and processed with ACR.

Boots

 

While we were up at Norwich University this was a typical scene in the windows belonging to cadets.

Norwich is half military and half civilian. Adam is a civilian there.

Most of the boots were just but on the window ledge. The owner of this pair was a bit more creative and hung his pair. I had to record it; it's just something you do get to see often.

Recorded with the Canon 5d and processed with ACR and Photoshop.

Sunny Skies

The skies were blue and the wind was blowing today. There were no signs of Hurricane Earl. The real problem I see and all the news reports and prep work getting ready for the weather event and then nothing happens. 
What will people do next storm?

This Thistle photo was made with the Canon 5d mkII. I should have checked depth of field to include the whole flower head.

Earl, the Storm

 

As far as Hurricanes are concerned, Earl has been mild so far. The ocean waves are awesome, and it was worth getting wet to make a few photos. There were plenty of people watching the ocean take away the beach sand. Erosion will be the big problem after this storm passes.

My wife and I were married the day after hurricane Gloria in 1985. That was nerve racking, but it all worked out. Most our guests never forgot our wedding.

These photos were made with the Canon 5d mkII and processed with ACR. They were made just after 6 PM, two hours before the peak.

Beautiful eyes.

I saw this little gal eating ice cream and looking out the ferry window as we were pulling out of New London. I pointed the camera and she looked at me and I squeezed the shutter release.

Converted to gray scale in ACR and made with the Canon 5d.

The Cross Sound Leaves New London

I love making photos on the ferry. It reminds me of Walker Evans. I have a captive subject like Evans had in his subway series. He hid his camera, I don't.

This photo needed to be altered in photoshop, there was a guide line coming out of the first little lady's head. I tried a couple of different angles as a snapped photos, but none of them worked for me like this one.

Hey, isn't that way we have photoshop anyway? Well you can call it cheating, and even I would if it were a news photos. But, in the world of looking and seeing an making photos because you can, alteration to make a stronger image is fine by me.

This was made with the Canon 5d and processed into a grey scale image with photoshop. I used the clone tool to get rid of the guide line and cropped the image to make a better composition.