Thursday Throwback – 21

We visit to an old mill in Hardwick, Massachusetts, filled with intriguing textures of the structure and its interaction with nature.

Even though the image for this week was captured only six years ago, it doesn’t have a true sense of throwback. I enjoy exploring the sites of the old New England mill buildings, as they are filled with interesting textures and have great interaction with nature. As these buildings are not always maintained regularly, vegetation finds its way!

Here’s one such locale…

At the Door

This mill in Hardwick, Massachusetts, appears rather abandoned, and nature is knocking at the door. It might even be that it has entered in other parts of the building, as the roof structure is not full intact. The weathering of wood and brick provides a wonderful contrast with the gentle grasses and vines.

Wednesday Window – pt 23

With this Wednesday Window we’re back at the Harpa Concert and Convention Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland.

After last week’s Wednesday Window taking a look into a lovely holiday tableau, I thought it would be interesting to take a view to the outside. Now, I didn’t want to take a rather obvious approach of looking out through a window. Rather, I was thinking about a bit of indirection.

Here’s this week’s view…

Harpa Loft

We’re looking at the ceiling interior of the Harpa Concert and Convention Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland. They very cleverly made the ceiling an art installation through the pattern, which reminds me a bit of the Q*bert game from the 1980’s. The windows in this image are reflected by the ceiling, allowing us to look outside on a rather overcast day.

Harpa is an astonishing work of architecture, which is filled with interesting bits to photograph. Hope you enjoy this one!

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Travel Tuesday

We’re restarting this series with a visit to the Netherlands, specifically Kinderdijk in 2022.

As I was thinking about what kind of post to put together for today, the idea of re-establishing a series of travel images might be of interest. So here we go, bringing back some of those moments that captured my eye and imagination. Let’s start this week with the country of my birth: the Netherlands.

Here’s a moment from travels back to the home country…

Windmills Abound

In 2022 I visited Kinderdijk, well-known for its abundance of windmills, for the first time. Even though I grew up less than an hour from Kinderdijk, the thought of going there never crossed my mind. After all windmills are all over the country with about 1,200 of them still remaining; once there were 10,000 of them, but technology has replaced most of them.

With this image I wanted to provide a sense of yesteryear, when 10,000 windmills would have dotted the countryside. I’m curious how many of you will be able to find all of the ones in this image…

Monday’s Spectrum Exploration

This past weekend, despite a gloomy weather forecast, I explored infrared photography at Gillette Castle State Park. Join in for some of the mystery that is unveiled.

This past weekend provided some more great opportunities to further my understanding of infrared photography. Despite a not so promising weather forecast, Saturday had a break from the overcast skies. Luckily, I had cameras with me and found some rather interesting views.

Here’s one of the images captured…

Ethereal Foliage

Walking along the paths of Gillette Castle State Park provides a plethora of great vistas that include the Connecticut river. In this image, the river is in the background and the light playing off the water is giving a sense of mystery floating along the river.

A bit of post-processing made for a rather pleasing result.

Sunday Serenity

A short exploration of\ Gillette Castle State Park in Connecticut, highlighting its scenic beauty and benches that offer respite for weary wanderers.

A late post for this Sunday, so I thought it might be nice to bring back a moment of peaceful contemplation. Yesterday, I ran an errand to pick up our knee scooter, as another friend could use it. As a side benefit, I enjoyed a nice lunch and some quality photography time.

This was one of the moments…

Resting Spot

We traversed the paths of Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT. This is a wonderful area to explore adjacent to the mighty Connecticut river. Along the paths there are some lovely benches, as they might be steep and wanderers, such as myself, can benefit from a moment of recuperation!

Colors May Vary

A short exploration of the discrepancy between the view through the camera and the resulting image, showcasing an infrared image of a tree and sky that reveals unexpected colors.

I’m certainly looking for further opportunities to continue my exploration of the possibilities of infrared photography. It’s almost like learning to see again after years of being underground, exposed to a limited set of vistas. One of the challenges is that what I am looking at through the viewfinder is drastically different from the resulting image. I’m seeing the scene as it is processed through the rods and cones connected to my visual cortex.

Here’s another image from last weekend…

Irradiant Sky

As I had just parked my car, I looked up at the verdant tree with sunlight playing through its foliage. That inspired me to create something a little different from that view. And, yes, this is not the beautifully bright green that I witnessed in the leaves, but rather a step or two away from it, something that my mind’s eye created.

And, yes, that is very different from what my camera’s sensor recorded…

720nm Tree and Sky

With wavelengths of 720nm and longer captured by the sensor, deep shades of red are dominant.

iPhone Friday

In this installment we focus on Luxor Temple at night, a unique atmosphere created by dusk and darkness.

It feels like an eternity since I last posted an image from our amazing vacation in Egypt this year. Of course, time is relative, as the true eternity belongs to antiquity. This time I’m going back to one of the early stops in our travels, the stunning city of Luxor.

Here’s a lovely view…

Luxor Temple at Night

Getting to visit this temple complex at night is a privilege. The dusk and darker times provide an additional element of mystery and impressive atmosphere. In this view, we’re looking back at one of the colonnades toward Abu Haggag Mosque. This mosque is part of the temple complex.

Thursday Throwback – 20

A view from a past commute using the byways, allowing me to appreciate scenic views like the somber beauty of Fruitlands Museum on a rainy day.

We’re staying out in Nature this week, even though it is a rather rainy day. There are those times when you’re happy to have a camera with you, so you can capture the mood that the landscape is presenting. A lot of my more local commutes have provided me with those opportunities, as they tended to allow for staying off the highways and partaking of the byways. For me a lot of my commute time was about making that switch from home to work and vice versa.

Here’s an image from one of those commutes in 2016…

Fruitlands’ Rainy Day

On my commute from Westford to home, one of the options was to take a road that goes past the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts. At one point, a wonderful vista presents itself to look across the hills into the distance. On a clear day, mountains are visible. On this warm, rainy day low-hanging clouds presented themselves in many of the valleys, creating a somber, autumnal landscape.

Hope you get to stay dry and enjoy your day!

Wednesday Window – pt 22

This week we go back to a photo taken in 2008 while exploring East Haddam, Connecticut. A shop window gives a glimpse into the holiday season.

Last week, in our Wednesday Window post, we reflected on time spent in the Netherlands during 2020. After that hazy reflection, I figured this week me a good opportunity for introspection. I can already hear you groaning at my punny attempts at humor! Nevertheless, I’m kind of thinking that this image from 2008 may have you looking forward to that special season that comes later in the year!

Here’s a look into a window…

Looking In

When I came upon this view, I luckily had my Canon EOS-1D Mk II with me (that was a while back); my friend George and I had been doing some random photography around the area. As I wanted to get this image with a bit of that dreamy quality, I went for a manual out-of-focus and just enough bokeh. At 1/10s shutter speed there was no need for a tripod.

This view was into a store window in East Haddam, Connecticut, where they had done a fantastic job generating some holiday atmosphere!

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Monday’s Spectrum Exploration – v2

More steps in the infrared creative process, as I’m trying to get to a workflow that fits with what I like in infrared photography.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Monday’s Spectrum Exploration post, I was less than fully gruntled with the result of the initial edits. Part of my problem was that I was cobbling together various pieces of process and probably taking aim at my foot. So, as I was waiting for my new tires for my car (nail in tire during Sunday’s adventures), I did 5 minutes of digging.

Here’s the first stab after I got home…

Exoplanetary Falls

This color palette is more along the lines of what I was trying to achieve. It’s not 100% to my taste yet, but a serious step in the right direction. Interesting is that one of the hot spots in the waterfall appears to reflect foliage.

Also, I took one more step…

Bear’s Den of the Ancients

This B&W result is much closer to what I like and I’m reasonably pleased with this experiment. It has given me some good feedback on what to look for when shooting with the 720nm converted 5D.

Baby steps!