Standout in a Crowd

Posted by Mike on

Standout in a Crowd
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 32mm, f4, ISO 800

I’m fortunate enough to live out in the country. I can walk out the back door and explore the field for hidden (or not so hidden) treasures. Generally I know it is time to go exploring when I see the field light up as the sun sets. It gets a nice warm glow just before the sun dips below the trees. Other days I just go crawling around looking for opportunities among the wildflowers and grass. This picture was one of those opportunities…

Canal Work Horse

Posted by Mike on

When I was exploring the canal park the other day I discovered a canal tug boat was docked at one end.  I have a fascination with the tug boats around the central NY area and I’m not sure if it is the boat or the color scheme used in painting them.  I have a feeling it is a little of both considering my Scandinavian heritage, the colors must speak to me at some level.  🙂

Canal Work Horse
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 32mm, f5.6, ISO 400

When I moved to the side of the boat to capture a different perspective I noticed a wonderful tie down that I could incorporate into the image.  It took a few different arrangements to get the look I wanted. I sometimes neglect to look deeper into a scene to find an image more compelling than the macro scene which caught my initial attention.

Bridled Work Horse
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 400

I then tried to get a little creative. I had just finished a video from Brian Matiash about an image he processed and he had added some selective blur to enhance his subject. I’m OK with the result for a first attempt and maybe a different subject would have been a little easier as a first try

Bridled Work Horse with blur

I know have more learning (and practicing) but trying to be creative is really part of the fun for me. I just have to remember to think out of the box more when processing or even when composing the picture. I have a tendency to be some what literal but when I do stretch the creative I get some cool results.

Bending Reality

Posted by Mike on
From Landscapes

Bending Reality
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 400

While I was at the canal park last night I decided to try for another panoramic image.  I had watched a video by Gavin Hoey on Adorama TV on creating panoramic images and I was hoping the view of the canal would allow me to create what I wanted.  This image is a stitch of 9 portrait pictures taken from East to West between Mill St. and Erie Blvd East in Rome, NY.  I think next time I’ll back away just a little more to get the metal railing in the entire image.

Calm Water Falling

Posted by Mike on
From Landscapes

Calm Water Falling
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50s, 17mm, f16, ISO 400

I returned to one of my favorite spots tonight, the park along the NY State Barge Canal in south Rome, NY.  It is located were the Black River enters the canal.  I decided to look for different compositions and made an effort to not duplicate pictures I had captured before.

This image is from the pedestrian bridge over the spillway just as the river enters the canal.  I was lucky there was no wind so the river was like a mirror.  I loved the contrast between the calm and falling water.  Plus the reflection is pretty sweet too!

Mohawk Valley

Posted by Mike on
From Still Having Fun

Mohawk Valley – B-52G at former Griffiss AFB
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/250s, 58mm, f8, ISO 200

 

I watched a video this morning on Adorama TV by Gavin Hoey about creating a great panorama image (http://youtu.be/xji5MKk-S4c ).  I really wanted to try out what I learned and the closest object was the Mohawk ValleyB-52G on display at the former Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY.  This image is a panorama stitch of 8 portrait images using Photoshop Elements.

If you are interested in more information about this plane, which has been flown in combat missions during the Vietnam War as well as Operation Desert Storm, you should check out this link: http://rbogash.com/Griffiss/griff_b52.html.