iPhone Friday

Smartphones simplify tasks like taking panoramas compared to DSLR or Mirrorless cameras, which require more effort. Here we get a quick vista of Temples and Towers in Zion.

There are some things that are pretty straightforward to do with our smartphones, but would take a bit of work to accomplish with a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. One example is panoramas. With a smartphone, we simply click a button, pan the horizon with a reasonably steady hand, and it’s all figured out. To do the same with our ‘real’ camera, we should first make sure that the tripod and camera are level, and then we take several shots. Once we have the captures, we then have to stitch them together in our favorite editing software, etc. A bit more work (definitely worth it for an amazing result!)

Here’s the easy way…

Temples and Towers

This is an early morning capture of the Temples and Towers vista at Zion. Majestic, as the sun paints the towers and the temples on top of them. Definitely the easy way out, but not bad with a 40+MP image.

Throwback Thursday – 26

A memorable experience involved a sunrise shoot that was obscured by fog, prompting a creative approach that resulted in unique images.

Photography workshops are a lot of fun! I’ve attended a fair share of them for a blend of reasons. It’s part exploring an area with someone who knows where all the great spots are. Part finding inspiration through learning new techniques and seeing how someone else approaches their photography. And also a lot of fun, as there are always moments of levity.

Today’s throwback is from one of those moments…

Abominable Merman

During a workshop in the Chincoteague area with John Slonina we were slated to do a sunrise shoot at the beach. A great idea, as in November one doesn’t have to get up too early for that opportunity. When we got to the beach, it was fogged in to such a level that the sun was nowhere to be seen!

As we were waiting to see if the fog would burn off (it never did), I decided to use this scene to do something a little different. I set up my camera, aimed it at the sea and dialed in a 10 second exposure. Remote shutter release in hand, I walked into the foggy ocean and released the shutter as I slowly trodded back toward the camera. It took about a dozen shots to dial things in, but it did create something a little different!

Moral of the story: sometimes the foggiest idea is worth trying!

Wednesday Window – pt 28

We’re still in Scotland this Wednesday with a visit to one of its strongholds, Dunstaffnage Castle in Oban.

Just like in the Travel Tuesday posts, we’re going from Egypt to Scotland this week for our window. Even though Scotland doesn’t have quite the same ancient structures as one finds in Egypt, there are plenty of reminders of an often turbulent past. Castles, churches and monasteries tell the stories of battles in a distant memory, as people battled over power, control and religion.

Here’s a window view from that past…

Dunstaffnage Castle

Dunstaffnage Castle, in Oban, was once a stronghold of the MacDougalls, built in the 13th century. It was captured in 1308 by Robert the Bruce and remained in royal hands until 1469. The grounds are a pleasure to visit, as they give a real sense of the Middle Ages and how people built their keeps.

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

Traveling through Scotland we find a memorable location on the Isle of Mull. Idyllic scenes abound!

After visiting the desert climate of Egypt in last week’s Travel Tuesday, I’m taking you to a country with a bit more rainfall. Scotland might be known for getting more than its fair share of nimbus clouds, but during our trip there in 2013, the weather was nothing if not delightful. During our week and a half there, we may have seen about 45 minutes of showers. We brought so much sunshine with us, that some of the locals asked us to stay longer!

Here’s a sunny moment from that trip…

Mull Idyll

There’s nothing better than finding little gems just off the road, where the water cascades amidst an ocean of greens. This lovely spot was on the Isle of Mull during the early part of our journey. A wonderful island with great single-track roads and plenty of opportunity to brake for sheep (they don’t leave the road for a mere car).

A Different Light

Sometimes we get a unique light source, such as in the image featured in this post.

It’s pretty often that I write about light in all its forms, which makes sense, given the derivation of the word photography. Today, I’m featuring a rather different source of light that I captured for the first time during the workshop you’ve heard mentioned over the past week or so.

Let’s take a look at this light source…

Dance of the Lightning Bugs

If you look carefully in the lower righthand corner of the image, you’ll see a string of green lights progressing toward the covered bridge. During this 30 second exposure, a pair of lightning bugs danced into the bridge! A pure moment of serendipity, which made this otherwise mundane image something a little magical!

Follow the light, my friends!

Sunday Serenity

A moment of blue hour serenity from the recent workshop that I attended. Showcasing the A.M. Foster Covered Bridge, an intriguing structure built in 1998.

As I’ve worked through a number of the images captured during the awesome workshop from just over a week ago, there is still a bit more to share. Looking at this image, I find it captures a moment of serenity during what is also an intense learning experience.

Here’s a look at this blue hour capture…

Bridge and Blue

The A.M. Foster Covered Bridge is a bit of an anomaly, as it doesn’t connect any roads across a river. Rather, the owner just loved covered bridges, so he had one designed and built in 1998. Nevertheless, it is a great photography subject and appears in many images.

Enjoy your relaxing Sunday!

Saturday’s Light

The Night Photography workshop with Loren Fisher provided valuable insights and enjoyable learning experiences. Here’s another image from that week.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, the Night Photography workshop with Loren Fisher was a lot of fun and definitely gave me some additional thoughts for future photography opportunities. Loren is great at adapting to the conditions that nature gives us, and keeping the learning enjoyable and appropriate to the level of all in the workshop.

Here’s another one of the night images…

Quiet Barn

This barn sits on the President Calvin Coolidge Historic site in Plymouth, Vermont. This was at the tail end of our shooting during blue hour with Loren lighting up the barn with a flashlight to bring it out of silhouette mode. I kept this image a bit darker, as it gives a sense of mood and the weathered texture that is presented by the structure.

There will certainly be more opportunities in the future to do some of this exploration myself.

iPhone Friday

In this Independence Day iPhone Friday edition, the author celebrates the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, a band that embodies free speech and joy.

For this United States Independence Day edition of iPhone Friday, I cannot think of a more appropriate selection than the one featured here.

Free speech flows forth from these folks…

Grand Slambovians

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams is one of those bands that everyone should experience, as they will lift up your spirits and take you for a ride on the Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express that you will never want to leave! This image is from a show on my birthday in 2023 at the Bull Run in Shirley, Massachusetts. It was a blast and filled with joy!

Now to find them again!

Throwback Thursday – 25

Growing up in the Netherlands there were plenty of locations I had not visited until much later, such as Kinderdijk and Leiden. Here I make up for one of those in 2011.

Even though I grew up in the Netherlands, there are a number of locations that I never visited; or is it because I grew up in the Netherlands. One of these was Kinderdijk (until 2022), which was no surprise to our Dutch tour guide, as all of us in the Netherlands can see windmills just about every day. Similarly, it was not until 2011 that I visited Leiden.

Here’s an image from that visit…

Molen ‘De Put’

Visiting my cousins in Leiden made for a very nice walk around the city and just an all-around great time. Of course, one of these cousins lives in Australia, so she traveled the farthest! During the walk we came across this windmill, named ‘De Put’.

Another windmill, you say! This one is actually a replica that was rebuilt in 1987 and sits next to the Rembrandt Bridge. The original windmill was built in the early 17th century and was captured in an etch by Rembrandt, who lived in Leiden in his early life. So, definitely somewhat special!

Wednesday Window – pt 27

A reflection seen through a window on a Nile lock during our recent cruise.

Welcome back to the windows in my small part of the world, or rather one from my travels. This week’s window features a reflection as the key element of interest.

Let’s take a look into the mirror…

Lock Window

This window is part of the control structure of one of the Nile locks that we went through during our cruise this year. From the upper deck of our ship, the reflection caught my eye and provided some interesting lines to play with.

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