Author Archives: Mike

Pre-Sunrise over the Thruway

Posted by Mike on

My plans changed this morning when I received a text from an operator at work and I decided it was easier to drive in to help him. I ended up staying about an hour getting some parts in place to make tomorrow a little easier. As I left work around 6:30am the sun was just making its presence known in the sky. I decided it would be a good time to capture the image I have been wanting from the pedestrian walkway over the NY State thruway.

I had the lens as close as possible to the chain link fence but I just couldn’t keep it out of the image. I suppose if I didn’t have the wide angle lens on the camera it would have been easier to not include the fence. The colors in the sky and the light trails from the cars is what I really wanted anyway. Mission accomplished…

Pre-Sunrise over the ThruwayNikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 15s, 70mm, f/22, ISO 100

Pre-Sunrise over the Thruway
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 15s, 70mm, f/22, ISO 100

Forgotten Hero

Posted by Mike on

I decided yesterday that I was going to get out of the office during lunch and go for a walk with the camera. It had been over a week since we had any time together. Of course, as soon as I walked out the door it started to snow but I didn’t let that stop me.

I headed toward the town park which is only a quarter mile up the road from the plant with the hope of finding a few image possibilities. It didn’t have to be anything majestic, I was just looking for a few clicks of the shutter. Just about half way to the park I passed a very old cemetery in the woods across the road from the walking trail. I noticed an old flag fluttering in the wind and couldn’t resist exploring.

The fenced in area wasn’t any bigger than 30′ x 30′ and looked like it hadn’t been visited in years. The trees have grown so large that their roots have disturbed the headstones. You could see where some attempts had been made to support them but it was obviously a losing battle. The flag that caught my eye was a memorial to a war veteran. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was for a Revolutionary War veteran. The information on the headstone had been all but polished away by the elements over the years but someone has tried to keep this veteran’s service honored.

I never did make it to the park…

ForgottenNikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/15s, 38mm, f/8, ISO 400

Forgotten
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/15s, 38mm, f/8, ISO 400

‘Tis The Season

Posted by Mike on

Well, it is time to end my recent hiatus, I just wish it could be with a new picture. The weather, shorter daylight hours and quite a bit more activity at work as the year ends has kept me away from my camera. I even tried to enjoy today off from work but the constant drizzle outside and grey, overcast sky has left me with no opportunity to go exploring. To partially remedy this situation and relieve my posting withdrawal symptoms I decided to recycle and old image.

This image is from almost a year ago. I was still using my old point & shoot camera to learn on and was about three weeks into my attempt at a 365 project (that project eventually ended after 91 days, but that is another story). I had just finished hanging the lights on the house and realized I needed a picture for the day. I liked the way “cool blue” lights looked against the surrounding blackness.

As you can see from the original I was still learning my way around Lightroom. The Sony only saved JPEG images but I generally was able to create the image I wanted. I still hadn’t learned about blown highlights or white balance. The changes I made to this image are subtle. I corrected the color of the lights and recovered some detail in the highlights. I applied a little more noise reduction and sharpened the image with the newer techniques I have learned.  Small differences but I do like the new image better.

Xmas Lights Original Sony DSC-H20, 1/20s, 12.7mm, f/4, ISO 200

Xmas Lights Original
Sony DSC-H20, 1/20s, 12.7mm, f/4, ISO 200

Xmas Lights Redo Sony DSC-H20, 1/20s, 12.7mm, f/4, ISO 200

Xmas Lights Redo
Sony DSC-H20, 1/20s, 12.7mm, f/4, ISO 200

Rock Beach

Posted by Mike on

We interrupt the regularly scheduled snowfall to bring you this alien landscape from one week ago…

Rock Beach
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/3, 1/13, 1/50s bracket), 17mm, f/18, ISO 200

Calendar Contest

Posted by Mike on

Last week I did something a little out of character for me, I submitted some of my pictures to the local paper for a contest to be in their 2013 calendar. The Utica Observer-Dispatch distributes a free calendar each January in its paper and every fall it holds a contest that allows local photographers to submit pictures which will be voted on by the readers. Trust me, this is not something I would have normally done, but I have been having some real good feedback about my pictures online and thought ‘What the heck? What is the worst that could happen?’.

A friend at work brought me the entry information and I went out on a limb and sent in 6 pictures. Two of the pictures have made the cut and are now in the voting phase. The voting runs from November 27th through December 3rd at Utica OD Calendar Contest. The paper selected three images for each month and the picture with the most votes will be used for that month. I have an image for February and June.

My daughter hopes the June picture wins because it is her birthday month. Personally, I’m just excited to be included. After the voting is over I’ll let everyone know how I made out…

Good Start, So-So Finish…

Posted by Mike on

The day after Thanksgiving found me having to get out and moving early. Not to shop but to work off all the food I ate the day before. Luckily, it was a beautiful morning and unusually warm. We had traveled down to my mother-in-law’s house which is next to the heifer barn on the family farm. I went for a walk out into the fields and was greeted with an early color show prior to the official sunrise of the day.

Good Start, So-So Finish
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 42s, 21mm, f/16, ISO 100


My plan for the day was to leave early on the trip back home (I have to work on Saturday for a few hours) and stop at a few waterfalls south of Syracuse. There is a great website New York Waterfalls and Nature that Scott Thomas at Views Infinitum had clued me into. I had already mapped out a plan and the cloud cover that was building suited me just fine since I didn’t want a bright sunny day.

I headed out a little after noon planning on making it to the first location around 2pm. My enthusiasm started to wane as I approached Cortland and a steady rain settled in for the remainder of my trip. I drove by both stops making a promise to myself to return at the first opportunity.

At least the day started off right…