Fuji X-T1, XF 18-135mm @ 44mm, f/5.6, 1/680 sec, ISO 1600
I appreciate this signage much better than bright neon lights. This sign has caught my eyes over the years. This day I took the time to capture a composition along with the traditional holiday wreath. The day was comfortable but dreary. I processed this image in Black and White, then decreased the opacity to about 50% to depict the dreary feeling.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 29mm, f/8.0, 1/5 sec, ISO 3200
This is not quite what I would envision as a comfortable lounge chair. It does have its advantages though. For example, you don’t have to get up to go to the bathroom, you don’t have to worry about sliding out of the chair, and you do not have to worry about your head flopping around when you fall asleep. Maybe it might not be to bad after all.
This image was taken at the Dewitt Hospital Museum in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 59mm, f/7.1, 1/7 sec, ISO 3200
Colonial Williamsburg’s Dewitt Museum has a fantastic collection of Revolutionary era hand guns and muskets. These two small hand pistols caught my eye. They look almost too nice to shoot. Composition and managing the light were the challenges for this image. The guns were all mounted behind glass with various lights shining from above and in front of the pieces. I first had to pick guns where details were not obscured by direct and reflected light. I then had to further select subjects that were somewhat isolated to minimize clutter from elements. I was hand-holding my camera, so I used the protective glass as a brace. I felt that this image was not too bad for hand held.
For processing, I used NIK Color Efex Pro Tonal Contrast and Detail Enhancement to pull out the details in the handles. I then added an antique preset in NIK Silver Efex Pro to get the antique tone.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 73mm, f/5.3, 1/5 sec, ISO 1600
The entrance reception hall of the Colonial Williamsburg Governor’s Mansion displays an opulent collection of armaments. The decor was to demonstrate the power of the Colonial Governor’s position and to make visitors humble.
Lesson learned: This image was taken handheld at 1/5 second with an image stabilized lens. I know better than to go below about 1/60 second to get the sharpness needed. I relied on the playback image to decide if it was acceptable. Wrong choice. I should have stuck with the numbers, increased my ISO and shutter speed.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 110mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO 1600
Today’s post includes a few examples of Holiday wreaths that adorn the homes and buildings in Colonial Williamsburg. I just captured a few as my party was walking down the Duke of Glouster Street to our next stop.
A couple of lessons learned here. I shot these images at a high ISO 1600. I was going in and out of shade. Some of the images could have been shot at a much lower ISO for less noise, some couldn’t. Lesson learned: Take my time on each image to get the best shooting parameters … Get out of the mode of shooting a “snap shot”! I did take a little time in processing to POP out the wreath details and colors. It made a difference.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 25mm, f/5.0, 1/220 sec, ISO 1600
On the brighter side of things, Colonial Williamsburg is decorated with elaborate wreaths during the Christmas Holidays. There were many much more elaborate than this simple wreath. The repetition of the wreath on the railing and the door caught my eye in this image.
Dewitt Hospital Room, Williamsburg, VA – Early 19th Century
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 52mm, f/6.4, 1/50 sec, ISO 3200
Sixty years later than my previous post, this was a typical inmate room. What a contrast in how they thought of a person inflicted with mental illness. Things are getting better! The windows were still covered with iron bars.
Dewitt Hospital Room, Williamsburg, VA – Mid 18th Century
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO 3200
Wishing your New Year is better than the poor fellow that lived in this hospital room. The Dewitt Hospital was the first mental institution in British North America. This room depicts how inmates were treated in the mid 18th century. Notice the shackles! The single window was encased in bars. They did not want afflicted people back out in public. How things have changed!
Without getting fancy, I tried to adjust the light tonality to the way I pictured the room.