At 4:30am, I hiked out to the coastal headlands and arrived at White Head shortly before sunrise. Although the weather was hazy, the pre-dawn light in the sky was interesting and beautiful. As the sun rose to the horizon, the colors begain to fade and I believed the show was over, so abandoned my perch atop the cliff, 160 feet above the sea, and hiked north along the coast.
Fifteen minutes later, I spied this oddly shaped tree atop an exposed cliff and made the image shown here, a silhouette against a grey sky.
Balsam Fir silhouette
The hike to the north had brought me down to sea level and the cliffs now loomed above me. Unexpectedly, just to the left of the tree, the sun was beginning to rise behind the cliff. The show wasn’t over yet. The time was almost 6 a.m.
Scrambling along the coastal rocks, I positioned myself such that the tree was in front of the rising sun. The second shot here is 15 minutes after the grey-sky shot. Then, the final image is an additional 5 minutes later, about 6:20 a.m.
You can create your own custom books and wall calendars by uploading your photos to an on-line Print On Demand (POD) service, which prints the product and ships it to you. Order as few or as many copies as you like. This is in contrast to traditional offset printing which is used for print runs over 200 copies.
More than a year ago, I printed my calendar in two separate print runs, each with a different provider, VistaPrint and Photobook America. As the calendar was essentially identical, I can offer you an apples-to-apples comparison.
First off, I have to say that both calendars provided very good image quality. One was a touch better than the other – the color on the cover image is not perfect. But nobody would know without placing the two side by side.
The Photobook calendar includes 15 images, including front cover, rear cover, and a page (following December) which shows 12 months of the subsequent year. The VistaPrint calendar includes 13 images, including the front cover. Score one point for Photobook.
Both calendars are spiral-bound. When opened, a photo appears on the upper page and a one-month calendar on the lower page. The Photobook calendar pages are 8×11” and each one-month grid is 5” high by 9.75” wide. The VistaPrint pages are 8.5×11” and each one-month grid is 6” high by 9.25” wide. As this grid offers more space for writing, score one point for VistaPrint.
VistaPrint includes an easy to use interface for assigning holidays and other special days. Photobook does not. Score one point for VistaPrint.
In the October-November time frame, both companies offer promotional discounts that brought the price per calendar to less than $9 each. Don’t pay full price; discounts of 40% or more are quite common.
A print of this image will be exhibited in a juried art exhibit this month. The framed print is 18×24 inches. The uframed print is 12×18 inches (because that is what I can print on my 19″ Epson printer).
This is a composite of three images while the camera was fixed on a tripod. As I was working, the row drifted around its mooring. The reflection at the top of the frame is from a lobster boat. I feel that the lobster boat serves to anchor the image, while remaining abstract enough not to be a distraction.
The exhibit at Maryland Federated Art is entitled “Waterworks”. With a total of 580 pieces submitted, the jurors selected 54 for the exhibit. I submitted two, one of which was selected. Here is a link to all the works in the exhibit: http://mdfedart.com/portfolio/49/
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The phrase “tall ships” means tall-mast rigged sailing ships. Historically important … modernly fascinating … and just plain fun. These ships remind us of the golden age of sail, before the rise of motor power.
The largest tall ships are referred to as Class A, having a length more than 40 meters. (The bowsprit is Not included in that measure.) Vessels shorter than Class A are designated as Class B, C, and D; these are not the largest but are still very impressive.
Today, we have more than sixty Class A tall ships across the globe. More than half are European and eight are American. This includes the U.S.S. Constitution, which is based here in Massachussetts. U.S.S. Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides (a nickname earned in active battle), is retired from service but retains the title “the world’s oldest commissioned naval ship”, meaning it is officially staffed with Navy officers and sailors.
A gathering of tall ships is often referred to as Operation Sail or OpSail; but these events do not happen very often. The largest gathering in my memory occurred in 2000 under the moniker Sail Boston. We last saw OpSail on the east coast in 2012, in part to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Sail Boston happens once again in 2017 – more than fifty tall ships!
>> SailBoston.com
Upcoming 2015 tall ship events
Philadelphia PA … June 25 – 28, 2015 … more than a dozen ships
Among dozens of annual sand-sculpting competitions across the United States, some are open to amateurs, some are limited to proven master sculptors, and some include both. Of the master competitions, two occur within New England. By invitation only, master sculptors participate and compete to win cash prizes.
You can visit during the competition and see the artists at work, or you can visit during days following the competition. Sculptures are created at a distance away from the surf, so that they will not be washed away. Barring rain or strong winds that erode the sculptures, the completed works may remain on display for a week or more. A visit at sunrise or sunset can be particularly rewarding as the warm light of the sun rakes across the beach.
Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Competition (Hampton Beach, NH), June 18-20, 2015. Now in its fifteenth year, this competition will bring together ten master sculptors. Also, one giant sculpture will be created by a team of sculptors on behalf of one corporate sponsor.
Website: www.hamptonbeach.org/sandcastle-competition.cfm.
Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival (Revere, MA) , July 24-26, 2015.
An annual event since 2004, this festival also includes live music and a fireworks display. Revere is close to Boston and you may choose to visit via the MBTA public rail system; Revere Beach Station is only one block away from the beach.
Website: reverebeach.com.
More master sand sculpting events beyond New England:
AIA Sandcastle Competition (Galveston, TX), American Sandsculpting Championship (Fort Myers Beach, FL), Arts In Action (Port Angeles, WA), Blue Water SandFest (Port Huron, MI), Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest (Canon Beach, OR), Headlands BeachFest (Mentor, OH), Navarre Beach Sand Sculpting Festival (Navarre Beach, FL), SandSations (Long Beach, WA), Sandcastle Days (South Padre Island, TX), Sanding Ovations Sand Sculpting Competition and Music Festival (Treasure Island, FL), Siesta Key Crystal Classic (Siesta Key, FL), U.S. Sand sculpting Competition (Sand Diego, CA), Virginia Beach International Sandsculpting Championship (Virginia Beach, VA).
The grey season. In the northeast, wintertime without snow is a drag, particularly for outdoor photographers. I need some snow here. Not just on the ground – we need snow sticking to tree branches.
This winter has brought a fair amount of precipitation, but it’s been rain rather than snow. What little snow we’ve seen has quickly washed away as snow turned into rain. So here are a few shots from last winter.
Old grist mill, in winter
The first is an old grist mill. It is pretty – I hope that much is obvious. However, the light may not be obvious. The orientation of the mill and surrounding trees doesn’t catch much direct sunlight. The sun is setting on the other side of those trees. The light is what it is and there’s no changing it.
In photography, we have to be aware of the orientation of the subject with regard to the light. When the light on the subject is not what we would prefer, you can sometimes move the subject, but not if the subject is a building. You can sometimes move the light, but not if the light happens to be the sun. You might come back at a different time of day, when the sun is in a different position. However, I believe this mill is in shadow of the trees both morning and evening.
Church at sunset
Sometimes, in outdoor photography, using only available light, there’s nothing you can do to change the light on the subject. But you might find a different subject to photograph. Across the street, a church was catching the light of the setting sun. So, I photographed the church. And next to the church is a historic one-room schoolhouse. Nice light, eh?
(To see a larger view, click on any image. )
One-room schoolhouse
I included this last image (schoolhouse) in a recent 2015 wall calendar.
As recently as 1983, the world record for largest pumpkin was still less than 500 lbs.
Just twenty-nine years later, 2012, the world record had increased four fold … 2009 lbs, established at the Topsfield Fair. The first pumpkin ever to weigh more than one ton.
The photo here shows the giant pumpkin weigh-off competition at the 2012 Deerfield Fair. A new world record was established, but the record only lasted one day, as the record was beaten the very next day at Topsfield Fair. (Happily, I was preset at both these competitions.)
In 2014, the title moved to Europe. 2323 lbs, grown in Switzerland.
Bright colors. That’s pretty much what it’s all about when photographing amusement park rides. Daytime photographs pale in comparison to night photographs of the rides.
Long exposure of midway rides (at Washington County Fair)
This photo here is from the Washington County Fair (Rhode Island). Although there was a fabulous pink sunset, I did not see it in time, so missed that photo opportunity. In this photo here, there is just a hint of the pink color in the bottom left background.
The best time is dusk. Just after the sun sets, there is still some light in the sky, but it’s darker than the lights, resulting in some contrast.
OK, so … it’s dark. Can your camera make a photograph? Sure. But you may need a long exposure, longer than 1/30 second. This shutter speed for this photo here is 1.3 seconds.
A slow shutter speed implies the camera could move slightly during the exposure and mess up the photo. So you need to stabilize the camera. Tripod is the right solution to this problem, but in this example here I had a monopod (just one leg). With the camera on the monopod, I braced it against something solid. A telephone pole will do; in my case, it was an above-ground pool, on display near the midway.
The last ingredient in this photo is, of course, the zoom effect. With the camera set to 2-second delayed shutter. I pressed the shutter button and poised my hand on the zoom ring of the lens. When the shutter clicked open, I rotated the zoom ring.
Boston is buzzing with the bright colors of flowers and flowering trees. Hands down my favorite time of year in Beantown.
Boston Spring Blooming
The crown jewel is probably Boston Public Gardens, but there is much more. The Esplanade along the Charles River is bursting with flowering trees … and B.U. students out enjoying the sunshine.
In the narrow streets of Beacon Hill, you can find some surprising small displays. For photography, be aware that the light changes dramatically in these tight spaces sheltered by tall brownstones.
A long winding stretch of busy roadway known as The Riverway skirts along the edge of the Emerald Necklace. At the northern end, close to Kenmore Square, are the Kelleher Rose Garding and Fenway Victory Gardens. (Though, there’s not much to see right now at the Rose Garden; too early for roses.) Heading south into Jamaica Plain, an hour or two at the Arnold Arboretum is always nice.
My friend Charlie drives a taxi in the city of Boston; he doesn’t much care for the busy heart of the city. But as I occaisionally make time to walk the streets, I am frequently surprised by gems of natures splendor, whether planted by the city or by residents tending what small patch of ground is available to them.
At the tail end of September this year, I photographed a couple of events where giant pumpkins were weighed in competition. I overheard a fellow make a comment about one particular giant, “There’s something weird about that one.” I leaned over and offered my own uninvited follow-up comment “There’s something weird about all of those pumpkins.” The guy grinned and enthusiastically agreed, “Yeah, they’re all huge!”
Giant fruits and vegetables are generally peculiar. But a crowd of a hundered people eagerly watching pumpkins get weighed on scales, that’s peculiar too. Even more surprising is the uproar and applause when a new contender puts up a number (on the scale) bigger than any other. Stranger still, some people carve out the giant pumpkins, float it in water, climb inside and paddle it as a boat. I love New England!
