‘Curves’
Badlands National Park, SD
The first time I was in the Badlands, I was driving my little red sports car. It was early spring and not many people were visiting the park. I had a great time driving the windy roads and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It was just not quite the same this trip, driving my Jeep Grand Cherokee! At least with my Jeep, I was able to pull off more frequently along the side of the road and create an image or two.
Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Could this be an abstract of the rings of Saturn … No, it is just a hat. But is it a hat … Not really, to me it is a cool collection of curved lines and textures.
Philodendron Leaf, Hawaiian Botanical Gardens
I enjoy photographing botanical subjects. When reviewing my work, many times I quickly pass over an image that at first does not catch my eye as a “select”. I was going through some images that I photographed a year ago in Hawaii. This image just grabbed me. Instead of a leaf, I saw bright lines radiating out, I saw shadows and voids. I saw a triangular shape inserting itself into a void. The green color did not add anything to the image, I thought black and white. The image emerged.
Large Pothole – Drumheller Channels
Water did this! During the Missoula Floods water rushed through Drumheller Channels at about 55 miles per hour. The water level was about 200 feet above the mesa on the upper right corner of the photo. Through the Drumheller Channels the water followed multiple channels. Turbulent circular, tornado like, flows cut potholes throughout the area. This one is unique due to the outcropping in the “eye” of the swirl.
A short walk on the Upper Goose Lake trail will bring you to this amazing phenomenon. The uniqueness of this area continues to amaze me.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-135mm @ 49mm, f/9, 1/280 sec, ISO 200
This image was taken at the “Garden of Memories” near Newtown, PA. The Gardens memorialize the 9/11 tragedy. Along its spiral walk it memorializes the 2973 people killed, the the 58 Pennsylvania victims, the 42 children from Pennsylvania who lost a parent, and the 18 Bucks County victims. On the inner ring of the spiral, the Bucks County victims are etched in glass. It is a quiet and peaceful place. A place to walk, sit, and reflect. Remember … on this Memorial Day!
Ponce de Leon Hall, Flagler College, St. Augustine, FL
Canon 7D, EF10-22mm @ 10mm, f/4, 1/40 sec, ISO 1600
I could not help posting another image of this wonderful architectural work. This image is a wide angle view of the photo posted yesterday. Being brought up in the home-building trade and having a love of fine woodworking, places like this intrigue me. At times I feel like I was born a couple of generations too late.
I remember taking this image a year ago. I was pushing my hand holding capacity to the limit. I also remember counting the lights and balancing the tile work in the corners to get a balanced, symmetric composition. It turned out pretty good for a hand held image.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 53 mm, f/10, 1/75 sec, ISO 800
I had just walked this path covered with ice, almost falling several times. I turned around, the sun broke through the clouds and I caught a glimpse of the warm bright grasses and leaves encasing the ice covered path. I thought, “What a beautiful painting”. The sun went back behind the clouds before I could capture the feeling. I tried several times with the sun behind the clouds, but could not get the warm feeling. I was in no hurry, so I just waited until the sun broke through again for a few seconds. I was ready!
When I processed the image, I took my advice from yesterdays post. I had thought of the image as a painting when I saw it. I therefore processed it as a painting using Topaz Impression. This is what my mind saw.
Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm @ 22mm, f/18, 1/160 sec, ISO 400
During my walk in Longwood’s Meadow, I saw this single tree with the path curving around it. The leading line and isolated tree caught my eye. The wide angle helped place the tree in perspective with the expansive meadow. Again, my thoughts for the day were to work on wide angle perspectives and just enjoy the day.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-55mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/420 sec, ISO 400
The reflections of the window frames within the windows are what attracted me to this perspective of the Kimmel Center. The frames remind me of giant metal claws.
I tried working with B&W on this image. I liked the sky blue and the structure blue-grey interaction over the grey scale of B&W.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-55mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/3 sec, ISO 1600, handheld
The curves of the balconies and acoustic structures inside the Kimmel Center main concert hall are fascinating. I recall attending a classical concert and getting lost gazing around all the curves and listening to the musical score.
Balancing the composition of all the curves was the challenge for this image. I wandered about the hall with my camera to my eye to balance the curves, shadows, and lights. I took multiple shots to get acceptable sharpness at 1/3 second shutter speed. I can’t wait to come back and do more exploring.