Bad photo

We all have them. We don't like to talk about them and we certainly don't post them on our blog for our friends to view
 
or do we?


Our local township recycles Christmas trees. They grind them up and make mulch, which is good for Mother Earth. What you can't see is the sign behind the pile of trees that tells you to "Drop Christmas Trees here". Forgive the out of focus. I didn't check the camera LCD.  Shame on me. 

I love taking these shot - things that contradict themselves or just don't make sense.  Here's a link to one I posted last summer, but it's a bit more subtle.  

Canon EF 24-105mm L f4 IS USM lens
55mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/15 sec @ f4.0
ISO 800
Curves adjusted for contrast

Help!

 We have a troll in out landscaping.  He seems to be having a bit of difficulty after our recent snowstorm.  The black thing in front of him is an  LED landscaping light.


Canon EF 24-105mm L f4 IS USM lens
47mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/380 sec @ f5.6
ISO 200
Curves adjusted for contrast

Snow!

Well, we got a bunch of snow last night and this morning.  I measured 12 inches this morning, but the snow did not stop falling for several more hours.  I think we finished with ~16 inches (~40cm).

I shot a bunch more later in the day.  The sun came partially out and cast a beautiful, orange shade on the snow.  I'll post them some other day. 

Here's Zephyr up to her ears (literally) in the white stuff.  Silly me, the camera was in aperture priority mode at f10, and she was moving like a rocket, but your get the idea.

Canon EF 24-105mm L f4 IS USM lens
45mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/50 sec @ f10
ISO 500
Curves adjusted for contrast

My oldest son has only been driving for one year and being the overprotective parent, I drove him to work today.  On the way, I noticed that the train tracks were covered, indicating that the trains were not running. 



Canon EF 24-105mm L f4 IS USM lens
24mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/320 sec @ f13
ISO 200
Curves adjusted for contrast

Near my home, we have a one lane bridge that crosses the Reading creek.  The bridge is thought of as a nuisance in this modern, hurry-up world, but I find it the be almost charming - a throwback.  Here's a shot of the creek.


Canon EF 24-105mm L f4 IS USM lens
35mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/160 sec @ f10
ISO 200
Curves adjusted for contrast

Bridge of 8 arches

This is a shot of the 8 arch bridge that spans the Neshaminy Creek (you see that name a lot in this blog, don't you?).  This bridge is directly parallel to Rt 263 (York Rd) just north of Middle Bucks Institute of Technology.  I literally stumbled upon this as I was driving around at lunch one day.  This bridge is closed to vehicles, but it's OK to walk across. Behind where I'm standing is a modern, ugly, 4 lane bridge that carries all the traffic.  Those traveling it probably don't know this gem exists.

This google map link below shows the two bridges.  You make a turn off York Rd as if you were entering Big Brothers/Big Sisters, then turn left before you hit their parking lot.  You'll be driving towards the bridge.  Just before the bridge, you can make a left and pull into a parking lot.

James, I finally followed the reflection rule #1 (photo contains a visual reflection).  I tend to get caught up in the moment and neglect that little fact.  For more reflections, visit Newtown Area Photo

Note that all these shots all made use of a circular polarizer, which enhances the blue in the sky. 

Wide angle view of the entire bridge.  We had snow the night before, which has enhanced the ice.


Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.4-3.5 USM lens
10mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/160 sec @ f8.0
ISO 200
Curves adjusted

Here's a closer shot revealing the reflection of the arch in the water a little better. 

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.4-3.5 USM lens
10mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/125 sec @ f7.1
ISO 200
Curves adjusted

Here's a shot from the bridge deck. Not all that exciting.


Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.4-3.5 USM lens
10mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/320 sec @ f11
ISO 200
Curves adjusted

Lastly, a shot of the creek from the bridge.

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.4-3.5 USM lens
10mm Focal Length
Exposure 1/125 sec @ f7.1
ISO 200
Curves adjusted

Baseball

My oldest son, Nick, has loved to play baseball since he was four years old.  Years ago, my wife made a mold of his hand throwing a two-seam fastball.  I always thought this was really cool.  It's frighteningly realistic. 

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 1/125 sec @ f3.5
ISO 100
Curves adjusted for contrast

 

Wooden bowl

I like warmth of this shot; the colors, the grain of the wood, and the subtle reflection.  This bowl sits on a shelf in our bedroom and is illuminated from recessed fixtures in the ceiling. 

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 4 sec @ f14
ISO 800
Aperture priority
Curves adjusted for contrast

Reflections of a watch

I thought these would be neat for Weekend Reflections #18.  I took a ton of shots, playing with camera angle, aperture, and shutter speed.  It was quite educational and I encourage you to experiment under controlled conditions like this.

For this shot, I should have gone for a smaller aperture, like 10 or higher, to get the bottom left of the camera lens in focus. 


Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 0.8 sec @ f5.6
Aperture Priority
ISO 800
Curves adjusted for contrast

This one was done with shutter priority.  I'll let you figure out what the shutter speed was. 


Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure (you figure it out) sec @ f10
ISO 800
Shutter Priority
Curves adjusted for contrast