Monthly Archives: November 2013

Sculptures

Posted by Mike on

This week we are exploring sculptures. It was probably a bit of a cheat for me as there is a sculpture garden on the old Griffiss Air Force base (Griffiss Sculpture Garden). Although I will say the wind was brutal for a beautiful Saturday afternoon and was cutting right through my jacket. I also was unable to narrow my images down to just three, so hopefully my cohorts won’t mind. 😉

This first image is of a fairly new addition to the sculpture park and is titled ‘Freya’. I took many close-up images of this sculpture, filling the whole frame and trying to capture different angles of the light. As I was walking along the path to the next sculpture this view seemed more appropriate. It places the sculpture in the context of the park.

Freya Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1250s, 46mm, f/8, ISO 200

Freya
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1250s, 46mm, f/8, ISO 200

This second image is of a sculpture that I knew was going to be included in my images. It is one of three light columns in the park and a more fitting image would be when it is lit up at night. Since I didn’t think I would make it back for an evening walk, I settled on back light from the sun. I also pushed the processing a little more toward the heavy-handed side to accentuate the illumination.

Blue Light Column Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/2500s, 17mm, f/8, ISO 200

Blue Light Column
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/2500s, 17mm, f/8, ISO 200

This sculpture is titled ‘Chimney’ and I just love the way the polished metal catches the sunlight. This is another sculpture I walked around numerous times trying different angles. In the end, a low point-of-view with the trees and the clouds in the background to help enhance the size of the sculpture was the way to go.

Chimney Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 200

Chimney
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 200

This last image was another I had panned on capturing when we decided on sculptures. It is titled ‘Argonaut’ but I just know it as the snail. The background around the snail is not the greatest so I chose to capture this one almost in silhouette and show off the intricate wire work in the shell portion of the sculpture.

Argonaut Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1000s, 21mm, f/8, ISO 200

Argonaut
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1000s, 21mm, f/8, ISO 200

Looking over these images as I write this post I do notice I was not very imaginative with my captures. Most have the same low angle POV. Next week I’ll have to experiment more…

Wordless Wednesday: The Lonely Path

Posted by Mike on
The Lonely Path Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 32mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

The Lonely Path
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 32mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Wispy Fingers

Posted by Mike on
Wispy Fingers Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 10s, 35mm, f/11, ISO 100

Wispy Fingers
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 10s, 35mm, f/11, ISO 100

MHWA 1670

Posted by Mike on

On Saturday before the snow started falling I was over on the old air force base capturing some images for this week’s theme – sculptures. I also have been wanting to capture this old train parked on the tracks. It is an old GE 80-ton switcher that is now part of the Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern Railroad, but was at one time used by the Air Force for work on the old Griffiss Air Base.

MHWA 1670 Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/640s, 19mm, f/8, ISO 200

MHWA 1670
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/640s, 19mm, f/8, ISO 200

Morning Colors

Posted by Mike on
Morning Colors Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1/3, 1/8 & 1/20s bracket}, 38mm, f/16, ISO 100

Morning Colors
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1/3, 1/8 & 1/20s bracket}, 38mm, f/16, ISO 100

My Playground

Posted by Mike on

This is one of my playgrounds with the camera. The trails along the barge canal provide great opportunities for images. This is a wide angle view of both the Utica Marsh and the Barge Canal from the Route 12 bridge. It still amazes with how much scenery the 8mm lens can capture!

My Playground Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, 1/400s, f/8, ISO 800

My Playground
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, 1/400s, f/8, ISO 800

Graffiti/Mural/Building Art

Posted by Mike on

This week’s theme for our photography adventure is graffiti, mural and/or building art. I was fortunate enough to get out on Saturday while the weather was still fantastic. I had planned on venturing out to a few locations over the entire weekend but Sunday decided to rain on my parade. Luckily for me, my exploring Saturday afternoon provided plenty of image options.

Although I fell back on a familiar location for these images (the barge canal) I tried to compose differently than I normally do. I’m not sure I completely succeeded but I am happy with the results. The hardest part was narrowing down my choices to just three images. I did consciously decide to only use single exposures for this week’s images. I had already explored the HDR method last week…

The barge canal trail in North Utica has been a great location for my photography exploring. The Utica Marsh is accessible from the trail as well as numerous trails along the canal. This first image is off the bridge supports for Route 12 as it crosses the canal. As you can see they provide a large canvas for artistic expression.

Under the Traffic Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/125s, 38mm, f/4, ISO 400

Under the Traffic
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/125s, 38mm, f/4, ISO 400

This second image is a detailed look at one particular piece of graffiti. I felt it wasn’t a very strong composition if I only included the artwork but the juxtaposition of the calm, sunset look of the canal enhanced the art. It was a thought…

Peeking Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 24mm, f/4, ISO 400

Peeking
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 24mm, f/4, ISO 400

To really jump outside my normal methods I threw the 8mm fish-eye lens on for the last few minutes of sunlight. I did manage to capture a few more images of the graffiti on the bridge supports but they are similar to the last image in composition. Although the fish-eye effect does add to the image I wanted to include something different.

This last image is a spotlight on one section of an on-ramp for Route 12. The canal trail winds right along the road and this large section of concrete appears to be another favorite area for expression. The 180 degree field of view and the normal distortion from the lens definitely enhances the look of this robot.

Robot Surrender Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 800

Robot Surrender
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 800