11-APR-2009
Day 101 - Reflections
I went down to the pond to get a long exposure of the falls and was a bit shocked to find them pretty much non-existent. I tried to capture a loon that was close to shore, but by the time I had setup, it was 1/2 way across the pond. This scene looked interesting while I was out there. I liked this tighter shot that shows the base of the birch tree and its reflection much better than the wider shot with the whole tree, sky, etc.
10-APR-2009
Day 100 - Aftermath of a magic trick
When I came home this evening, my two youngest had a magic trick to show me. They'd put together a stage, complete with a "Box" that was covered with a blanket. My son crawled in and promptly disappeared. He was also able to be brought back. Shortly after the trick, I asked them to hang out for photos. This is something like the 4th shot, things broke down fast, we went from posed shots on their 'stage' to "Hey, let me hold my Brother". . .
09-APR-2009
Day 099 - 22222
I wasn't actually planning on this as a semi-Self Portrait, but my helmet & camera are in the reflection off the bezel. If you look close enough, you can see that my riding gloves are still on for this shot. I was able to get the LX3 out of the tank bag, opened up, and shoot all without removing any riding gear at all. So the main point of this shot is the odometer though, I am just shy of 1,000 miles this season. If I do the rate that I intend to this year, I should see 33333 right at the end of this riding season (November/December).
08-APR-2009
Day 098 - Golden Barn
I almost made it to my intended location for today's PaD. Another 100 feet or so and I would be posting a shot of yet another waterfall/rapids. This barn has alluded me for years, I've always wanted to shoot it, but it has always looked like, well, just a barn. This evening I was driving in this awesome light, the sun had just popped out from behind some pretty serious clouds, about a 1/2 hour before setting. I noticed this golden glow coming off this barn as I approached it and never thought twice, I pulled a little further forward so as to not cast a "Car shadow" onto it. I tried to handhold at first, but at ISO 400, I was still borderline. I had the tripod with me, with the RRS QR plates, it literally takes a few seconds to get all set up, so I played it safe (good thing too, the handheld shots weren't that great).
07-APR-2009
Day 097 - After the rain
There are so many good places within my town to shoot rapids & waterfalls. After the rainstorm we had over the night, I crossed the bridge into New Hampshire to get the lower rapids beneath the train bridge (beside an old mill). There is an excellent vantage point to shoot from behind the mill. Great solid, dry place complete with a parking lot. I took a few shots without an ND filter, one with a 1.8x and a few with the 3.0 ND filter on. I settled on this one wiht the ND 3.0 filter. I normally jump to the ND 3.0 and then struggle to get any kind of focus. Today, I gradually worked my way down, setting the MF without any ND filters then tweaking lightly after each filter change. With the ND 3.0 there is very little light coming through, so AF is impossible. It is also very tough to Manually Focus as you can't see anything. I might head back and use my 70-200 tomorrow and go for a slightly different composition.
06-APR-2009
Day 096 - A fitting opening day shot
I wanted some kind of baseball theme for today's shot. This morning we had sunny skies and cool, crisp weather. The Red Sox opener was postponed before it even started. I imagine that I could have cropped a little tighter and called this "Fenway Park" and it would look the same (deserted). Of course, I'd have to add about an inch of water to it too. We are in the middle of a huge storm right now, I imagine tomorrow's theme will be water based again. Spring is here!
05-APR-2009
Day 095 - Part of me
I'm actually shooting into my bike mirror for this shot. A mirror that hasn't been cleaned in a little while. The mirror is pretty small, not your average SP mirror. I have the 100mm Macro on the front of the camera which helps a lot. I am actually in my garage, the lighting sucks. I'm not sure why I didn't take the bike outside and shoot this in the shade. Actually I know why I didn't, I had someone coming over to look at our popup camper and I looked a little odd straddling my bike with a tripod and a camera, shooting into a side view mirror. I wish had a bit more grain but I am too tired to muck with this in PS right now.
04-APR-2009
Day 094 - Trophies are sooo cool
We had our Pack's pinewood derby today. I am still tired from it. My son got 2nd place for the "Wolves" and 6th place overall. He was in something like 16 races and had an absolute blast. He had been looking forward to this event for weeks, the past few days were an endless "I can't wait!" - fest. His car is in the foreground, lower left of the image (blue with green, yellow, and red). He pretty much did all of it, including cutting the car on the band saw (with dad's help). I'm not sure who is going to sleep better tonight, him or me (I'm ready now).
03-APR-2009
Day 093 - Resting in peace
There is more than one reason why I'd like to be buried in this old private cemetery. This morning it provided a very tranquil scene that I had to do a One-Eighty to capture (Again, I set off for a different destination). The real reason I'd like to be buried here is that it is on a golf course. I was standing off the road, just above the 18th hole. I was able to crop out the green & got in tight enough to keep the clubhouse (to the left) out of the shot. Two foggy mornings in a row, tomorrow will be different as we are in the middle of a very large rainstorm, I might have to go capture some of the cresting rivers. That is, after the big Pinewood derby.
02-APR-2009
Day 092 - Farm in the mist
When I saw the heavy fog this morning, I had a couple of potential destinations in mind, this was what I envisioned, I had actually forgotten about this particular farm. From this angle, the farm doesn't look as run down. If I moved about 500 feet to my left to shoot the barn from the side, you'd see that the topless silo was hiding a pretty huge rift in the roof and side of the barn. The silo isn't in great shape either. It is, however, very picturesque, especially with the stalks left over from last season (which allows me/us to see this barn from this angle).
01-APR-2009
Day 091 - Spring Falls
Trying a different set of falls, this angle was not achievable last year (at least not easily achievable). This is the bottom of the falls, the lower portion of the photo from yesterday, anyone falling off the ladders would plunge into this rocky area below. It is amazing how such a beautiful scene such as this is right around the corner from my house, but I have never seen this angle. I might not get a chance to see these falls from this angle again either. I was standing at the edge of a parking lot for a new set of condos that just went into this previously vacant (wooded) lot.
31-MAR-2009
Day 090 - Photoboothed
Not sure if this is an actual phrase, but after a very long day where I had hoped to get an evening (dusk) shot, but I come home at 9:30, I am turning to my Mac to get today's PaD. Ever the optimist, I didn't realize that there were such cool effects built right into Photobooth. So, technically, this is "Right out of the camera" also.