Monorail Monday
Walt Disney World
Figment
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, 1/500s, 40mm, f/11, ISO 400
Figment
Monthly Archives: October 2017
Mornin’ Lights
Bellamy Harbor Park, Rome, NY
Although it seems I am always looking out the car windows for a photographic opportunity and I have mentioned before how I see differently now due to photography, I did not notice the new lights on the General Cable water tower near Bellamy Harbor Park. From what I have been able to piece together via Google search, the city of Rome accepted a gift from the Rome Common Council to add lights to the old General Cable water tower in Bellamy Harbor East.It is kinda cool as the lights change color in interesting combinations.
With Saturday probably being the only day this weekend with decent weather I went out early to grab some pictures at dawn. I liked the view of the tower as I looked down the street. I was still standing by the car deciding the best vantage point to capture the tower. Luckily it is a dead end street with barely any traffic at 6:30am on a Saturday. I plopped the tripod down in the street and grabbed this image.
New Lights
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 40mm, f/8, ISO 800
I apparently was a little focused on my own routine when I heard a voice behind me ask if I was performing a survey. I explained I was only a photographer trying to grab a few pics of the new lights on the water tower. I was then regaled with a story about this cool camera he wanted that practically sees in the dark. It was out of his league and he only had the phone on his camera to take pictures. I attempted to interject that I take quite a few pics with my phone’s camera but the story was being told and any interruptions were not to be tolerated. After a few minutes I explained I had to get to my next location before I lost the light. We parted ways and I headed across the walkway bridge to my favorite spot for a panoramic view of the park.
After I was happy with my capture (last image in this post) I finally did something I had been thinking of doing for a while now. I climbed the embankment for the bridge over the canal and walked to the middle to get a shot of Bellamy Harbor park from that elevated vantage point. In my head it was going to be awesome. As you can see from the image below, it didn’t turn out so great. I will have to make my way back up there once the gates in the canal are lowered. I think this view will be different without those huge obstacles in my way. I guess the good point of the story is I overcame my hesitation and did it!
From the Bridge
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 19mm, f/16, ISO 800
This last image is the view I can capture from the canal wall in front of the gates. The wind was picking up as the morning passed on but I like how it rippled the water. I’m always a fan of the reflected lights on the water and even though it is a wide angle shot, you can see the effect of the new lights on the water tower. I like that the city is investing in this park. It might not be the greatest location in the city but I appreciate a place to get away from everything.
Mornin’
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 5s, 23mm, f/16, ISO 800
Heading to The Seas
The Seas with Nemo, Epcot, Walt Disney World
Heading to The Seas
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 16mm, f/5.6, ISO 800
Games Pieces Project
Game Pieces – GP10
A couple of weeks ago I started thinking about a winter project or projects to keep me occupied creatively with my photography during the coming winter months. I still have high hopes I will be able to get outside often as I do enjoy photographing winter scenes. But, I know that I need something to prevent me from plopping my butt down in front of the TV… 🙂
I really enjoyed my Game Pieces Project which I began back in February of 2014. As you can probably tell from the number associated with this post I managed to create at least 9 images in that series. I want to revive that project. So, I sat down and created quite a long list of additional subjects. I focused on a lot of the old games from my childhood. I’m thinking I’ll be able to find a good portion of them somewhere. I do know I am not planning on keeping them so one of the local charities is going to be happy with me doing this project again.
I took another look at the images I created originally and although they are some of my favorite monochromes, I reworked a few for something else I wanted to do for a friend at work. Anyway, the originals had an interesting border but when I mount the pictures in a frame most, if not all, of that border is obscured by the matting. One of the tweaks was to remove that border. I’m not positive how I feel about that as I look at these new images on the screen, but I know it will make creating a framed image a lot easier. I also tried to improve the look of all the images with a more consistent tone.
I think, in reality, this post is a small warning! Alert! More of these game pieces are on the way…
Dominos II
Original Version
Checkmate II
Original Version
Jacks II
Original Version
Slinky II
Original Version
Midday Autumn Dream
Old Erie Canal State Park, DeWitt, NY
There are days when when you really need to get away. Yesterday was not the perfect day for weather but it sure was not bad. Plenty of rain in the morning but by the the time lunch rolled around there was some sun poking through the clouds. The workday was mirroring the weather for me as well. So when I noticed the sun making an appearance I quit thinking about work, drove over to the Old Erie Canal State Park, changed into my hiking boots (always keep a pair in the car, along with my tripod) and relaxed for a few minutes along the bank of the canal.
The autumn colors have moved past their prime and the the leaves have been abandoning the trees in droves. There was still some color to be found if you took the time to look. With the clouds, a fairly calm body of water and the narrowed view from my telephoto lens I was able to capture the scene below. I also was playing with capturing some of the leaf colors against the reflective backdrop of the cloud filled canal. We’ll have to see if I was successful n a later post.
The day was a little surreal being near the end of October and the temperatures still reaching into the low 70’s. It may look like autumn outside but it is still short weather here in Upstate New York. To be honest I’m almost looking forward to the cooler weather (almost!) so I do not have to keep mowing the lawn.
Anyway, the whole lunch time experience felt like a dream as I looked back it after dinner. It was a nice break to the day and gave me the same added burst I would have received from a short nap at my desk… LOL. I guess that feeling influenced my processing of the picture, as I ran the final version through one of my Topaz Labs plug-ins to give the image a slight painterly look. It also contributed to the image title…
Midday Autumn Dream
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, 1/200s, 49mm, f/11, ISO 200
Exposed
Delta Lake State Park
Exposed
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/125s, 32mm, f/16, ISO 100
Earth, Seas & Monorail
Monorail Monday
Walt Disney World
Earth, Seas & Monorail
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 5s, 26mm, f/8, ISO 400
Slipping Under
Squared – SQ117
Delta Lake State Park
Slipping Under
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/80s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 100
MLCreations Photography 