Discovery Island, Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World
Morning Stretch
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/400s, 38mm, f/4, ISO 400
Pbbth!
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/320s, 200mm, f/8, ISO 400
Everybody Look Left
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/400s, 86mm, f/5.6, ISO 1600
Stop Pointing That Thing at Me
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 135mm, f/5.6, ISO 1600
This is the first week on a new adventure! When I was on vacation, running around Disney with my camera like a mad man, I met a lot of photographers. I know, no surprise there since it was a photography event, but I guess what I really should say is I connected with a lot of photographers. There was one couple in particular that every time we ran into each other we would stand and talk like old friends. I wish we had spent more time exploring together but we have stayed in touch since returning to our respective communities.
It is with these new (old) friends of mine that I will be adventuring. We are going to work on our photography together. Selecting a theme each week, getting out with our cameras, posting the results and discussing each image. The main goal is to get ourselves out with the cameras with a subject in mind. Explore some themes outside each of our own comfort zones and basically have a lot of fun showing off our communities. The first theme is bridges!
The weekend weather didn’t understand that with the shorter days I needed to use Saturday and Sunday for my exploring. I did manage to get out around sunrise on Sunday for about an hour before the rain eventually forced me back inside. I had a few bridges in my head that I wanted to explore, one I had even captured before but I was going to go for something different this time. I also found a covered bridge about an hour away but those plans fell through. It made my list of places to visit in the future…
Both of these bridges are in South Rome next to the barge canal. I have typically used the second bridge in a supporting roll for the images I capture of the canal. This time is was the main player. The first image was something I wanted to capture while trying to bring out all the detail. I liked the fact that this railroad bridge also had asymmetric tunnels for the cars. Both images required multiple exposures to capture all the detail. I did push the HDR look of the first a little farther than I normally do but one of my goals for this adventure was to try different things. So it is what it is.
Bridge for One, Tunnel for Two
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (0.6, 1.3, 2, 3, 4 & 6s bracket), 28mm, f/16, ISO 100
Support
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1, 2 & 4s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 100
Scott is back from his traveling hiatus with a new assignment! The vacation theme is very appropriate this time of year and lucky for me I recently returned from one. I encourage everyone to participate and maybe take a second look at your vacation images with an eye toward finding something out of the ordinary or take this opportunity to try out some new processing. With the weather here in Upstate NY taking that turn toward winter I would love to see some warm images! 🙂
Have you taken a vacation in the last year? Maybe you call it a holiday. Either way you call it, such times give us an opportunity to relax, improve and renew our lives. While many people use vacation time to travel, others may use the time for other projects or events.
If you have not guessed, this month’s assignment is for you to share your Vacation photos. You will not bore me. I promise! 🙂 So…where or what did you do on vacation?
As in the other assignments, do not send me your photos. What I would like you to do is post them on your blog, flickr, Google+ or other photo sharing site, personal website or any place on the Internet where you can place a link to it here by making a comment to this blog entry. Then, we can all visit those sites and enjoy everyone’s
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Up The Down Staircase
Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R, 1/5s, 15mm, f/5.6, ISO 400
My first night in Disney was a flurry of running around the Magic Kingdom. The park was open until 1am and I walked through the gates around 10pm. There were a lot of night images I had in my head that I wanted to capture. This image out in front of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was near the top of the list. I had tried to capture this on previous trips but the process to do it properly had eluded me. With the new techniques I had learned in the year since my previous visit and some added patience I was hopeful I would be able to do it justice.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, (10, 25, & 30s bracket), f/8, ISO 200
Strata Flow
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 3s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 100
Way back in early September I received an email from Scott Thomas of Views Infinitum about a photography show he puts on for Hospice of Central New York. I know many of you reading my blog also know Scott (mostly because I ‘found’ a lot of you through Scott’s blog) so you will see information about this show from a few sources. I was very honored and excited that Scott thought of my images for this show. The theme Scott chose for this year is ‘Our Beautiful Parks’ which could include local, state and national parks. Right up my alley!
I quickly replied to the email with a resounding ‘yes’ (well after doing a little happy dance around my office!). The next part was harder, picking the 5 images. I didn’t think it was going to be as hard as it was. You create an image, display it on the intranet, some people might like and comment on it and you move on to the next image. Reviewing your own images with a critical eye is something I decided I need to do more often. I learned a lot about my photography during this process. It isn’t easy but something I recommend every photographer do from time to time.
Anyway, back to the main purpose of this post… the Fine Art Photography Show. Here is the ad Scott created for the show. We have already hung the images at the Hospice offices but the formal reception is scheduled for December 4th.
Our Beautiful Parks
Fine Arts Photography Show
After about a week of internal debates I was able to select the five images I thought would be good for this show. I emailed Scott my choices and he responded the next day that I could get them printed and framed. We met at the Hospice offices this past Wednesday to hang our pictures. I don’t even remember the drive out to Syracuse. I was on cloud nine! It was great to meet the other photographers in the show and view their beautiful images. I always love seeing what other people capture. It gets my head thinking of new ways see and fills me with ideas for images to create. I’m looking forward to December 4th!
Just for those who don’t live near Syracuse, here are the images I picked…
Pools
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 3s, 24mm, f/20, ISO 100
Chittenango Falls
Chittenango Falls State Park
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/10, 0.4, 1.6s bracket), 32mm, f22, ISO 200
Smooth
Chittenango Falls State Park
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 4s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 100
Water Carving
Watkins Glen State Park
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 13s, 38mm, f/18, ISO 100
Summer Awaits
Delta Lake State Park
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/20, ISO 200
If you are local to central NY then I encourage you to visit the Hospice offices during the show. The images are incredible and will remind you how beautiful this country we live in really is. If you can make it on December 4th then please look me up and say hi!
One aspect of Disney photography that has eluded me is dark ride photography. Getting images inside an attraction while the ride vehicle is moving with minimal light and ‘no flash photography, please!’ just was not something I was able to accomplish. The very first group event at Photo Magic 2013 was riding The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios. Oh boy! I listened to the advice being offered by members of the group. I switched to my fastest lens (35mm f/1.8) and thought… ‘I can do this!’. OK, maybe I didn’t actually think that. I was still unsure of myself but what the heck, it was only space on a digital memory card and the delete button would be right there.
The fixed lens did present a few challenges. I know there were a few scenes I was not able to capture and some close up opportunities that escaped me but I did manage to come away with a few good images. I learned a few tricks, got a better appreciation for using the higher ISO settings on my camera and figured out how steady myself as the vehicle was moving. In the end it was a great experience. It was fun riding the attraction with such a large group of photographers and listening to the click of the shutters as everyone was trying to grab their view of the ride. Heck, I might even spend more time next visit trying to get those scenes I missed…
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/200s, f/3.5, ISO 6400
MLCreations Photography 