shots worth sharing

HI, Jack! I'm fairly spider-averse but these guys don't bother me--except in aggregations. I actually took this fairly casually for a "No Words" thread and was pleasantly surprised.

Just saw this in No Words, Wow! The shed seems translucent. Lovely colors and rhythms.

Hi, Gord! Yep, I was hoping to bust the culprit astronaut for litterin' but the resolution isn't quite good enough to make out the fingerprints on those Tang boxes ;~)

 

The lens is a big ol' screw-mount and the TC is interesting because it provides AF (once you get close to the focus manually.) This shot was focused manually, though--the hawk showed up very conveniently during the initial trials of the combination.

 

The results aren't *super* tack-sharp and I get a bit of CA (which I can reasonably mitigate in pp) but I'd have to spend 10x as much to do significantly better.

 

The other fun thing is that I'm shooting these from my back porch here in Baltimore where I get great lighting on clear mornings and that (lamented) dead oak is something of a bird magnet.

Ah-ha--the shadows got to you! The answer to your question is "out". This is the old Recreation Pier (a waterfront rec center) which was recently put to use as the police station in "Homicide." I'm not sure whether the barriers are just to keep folks from the possibility of falling in or to limit access to the Moran tugboats which seem to have mooring rights.

 

This was one of those sleeper shots re-discovered in the process of cleaning up files.

Taken through the screen door to the porch. I like the color in the original but the B&W adds a hint of interesting ambiguity.

Thanks, Jack! I know there are technical issues with this but think the content compensates.

Nima, this transports me many miles and years ago to my days fishing on Long Island. You've captured the essence.

Thanks so much, Maija! At 93, Dad is a WWII vet and a long-time civil rights civil liberties and peace activitst. He despaired over recent years that it may all have been for naught.

Thanks, Ruud--the bright sun/deep shade was challenging so your comment is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Jack!

Glad you see that, Ady--it's true.

Mystery solved! You're absolutely right, Ady--thanks!

Thanks, Gord--great to hear from you!

Thanks very much, Jose! Can you explain your negative testing?

You're right, Ady, it is washed out. I tend to 'punch up' my photos a bit and wanted to try punching this one down. It does give it a different feel but it's fairly blatant, I guess. I rather like the way it blends into the pnet background, though. Thanks for looking and commenting!

Thanks so much for your comments! There *is* a sadness in this--fitting in that this rain marked the end of summer, the carefree time of year I love so much.

Thanks for wading through these Shawn! I went a bit obsessive about this bud. Those episodes are always instructive but sorting out the aftermath is always a challenge. I agree this is one of the best (along with 1 & 4, perhaps?) I've just posted a tenth which is also a contender, I think. I'm done with it, btw--finis ;~)

I recently found a rosebud in my driveway and, as sometimes happens, it set me off on an obsessive photographic episode. As usual, it turned out to be an instructive exercise. I used five lenses and must have taken close to 100 shots. Ten of my favorites are in the next folder in my portfolio.

http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=864922

Afterlunch? Actually I think the title may be a bit too didactic. I have to admit I really like this, though. It would make a really good book cover, I think. It also occurred to me that it would be fun to photoshop someone's face into the sun: I can think of some possibilities--none of whom I admire. ;~)

Wonderfully composed and rich quiet color--I like this very much!

I'm so glad you found and liked this, Jack! The order of the day was shooting goldfinches in a friends yard but this caught my eye.

Thanks Richard! I've been making some progress on b&w conversion with the patient guidance of friends.

Thanks Bojan--I'm really very flattered and pleased by your comment!

I agree, Shawn. I posted the others just to elaborate on the alibi (I mean, "explanation ;~)

I'm really quite shy about photographing strangers--just don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. These were all shot at the (somewhat soft) 250mm end of a super-zoom.

 

The departing flights curb at an airport is really a great location, though, because folks are so focused on the business at hand. I wouldn't try it with film because it's so chaotic and fast-moving and a high percentage of shots are "losers."

 

I was trying focusing my attention primarily on the cabbies (lv2 &3), and the "parting exchange" in particular, but didn't get any real winners. This one is probably the best.