Jeff Newcomer Photography

Getting the Most Out of a Few Inches

2012-01-21T19:06:00.001-05:00

Whetstone Brook
Brattleboro, Vermont

About a week ago winter finally arrived in the heart of New England. After the tantalizing late October storm we had no snow cover from November into early January. We were all getting a bit panicked, and as a result the few inches that fell a week ago seemed like a gift from heaven. It always seems that I am locked away in my office on the best snow days, but I tried to get out on every possible occasion for this event. In New England, and especially during New England winters, you have to make the most of what nature gives you and when it is given. With many other responsibilities, it is a challenge to try to structure my time to get out shooting during the best conditions. Fortunately, the photographic natural history of a snow storm generally evolves over a few hours to several days and the recent storm provided an excellent example.

Day One

Guilford, Vermont

The storm started last Wednesday evening. I left a little early for work on Thursday morning and managed to catch a few images from the back roads in Guilford Vermont. The snow was still falling and the countryside was an expanse of soft contrasts. I spent the morning gazing pitifully out my office window praying that the snow would not change to sleet and rain. At noon the snow was still clinging nicely and, because many folks

Stickney Brook
Dummerston, Vermont

had canceled their appointments, I had about an hour to wander along Route 30 toward Newfane. I started by exploring the nearby Whetstone Brook in Brattleboro, but when the clock is ticking I usually fall back on old friends that are close by. Stickney Falls, in Dummerston Vermont, is one of my favorite local waterfalls.

Dummerston Bridge

The volume of water can vary greatly but on this day the brook was beautifully encased in snow laden trees. This was the first opportunity I have had to use the high wadding boots that I have been carrying in the car. It was nice to have dry feet for the afternoon. Sadly after grabbing some shots of the Dummerston Covered Bridge on the West River I had to run back to my office prison, and by the time I was done, all was dark.

Day Two

Westmoreland, New Hampshire

The next day offered a different window on the storm and happily I had the whole day off. With warming temperatures the snow fell from the trees as the morning progressed. To prolong the magic,

Walpole, New Hampshire

I headed north and up and was able to catch a couple of hours when the snow was still covering the branches and while the increasing temperature summoned some lovely mist. This narrow window of opportunity passed quickly. After taking the shot of the clump of trees in the fog on a ridge in Walpole New Hampshire, I literally turn around to capture the field below and the fog was gone. The rest of the day was overcast and dull with the trees looking sadly skeletal.

Fog on the Ridge
Walpole, New Hampshire

Fog Clears

Day Three

Winter Sunset
Chesterfield, New Hampshire

The third day was hectic. The morning was still dull. I was occupied with the weekly dump run and in preparation for a Patriots Play-Off party at our house. The preparations had to be perfect since we were going against both Tebow and God. In the evening I snuck away for my last major pass at the storm. This time the skies had cleared and I was able to catch the first spectacular winter sunset of the season. I was also reminded that snow is made for more than photography, as a local family enjoyed sledding into the fading light coming across the Vermont hills.

As I worked through the pictures that I had collected over three days, I was struck by how many different moods were generated by this relatively minor snow storm. It is typical of the rewards we can reap from persistently pursuing our changeable New England weather. Hopefully by the time this is published we will have more fresh snow to enjoy, but particularly in the winter, it is important to remember that the storms are not events but stories and you don’t want to miss a single chapter.

Finally, I know I said last week that, in hopes of increasing my audience, I was considering starting every blog title with “Naked Women”. This week however the title seemed to require no embellishment.

Naked Women and Three Years of Blogging

2012-01-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

First I should apologize to those who came for the "Naked Women", I will explain this later, but you are welcome to move along. Actually this week I wanted to write a bit about my photography blog. It seems a reasonable time to reflect on the process as I have been at this with varying degrees of dedication for three years. Also, considering the fact that for some time I suspected no one was reading this thing, for me it is an encouraging milestone to see that I recently exceeded 10,000 views. In three years I have ground out 67 posts, averaging a little less than 2 per month, To be fair, until this past year my blog was most notable for cob webs and the soothing chirps of lonely crickets. Over the last year I committed to posting weekly, trying to get something out every weekend. 49 of my 67 posts (73%) have been in the last year, The regular schedule has led to considerable pressure, but it seems to have garnered more interest. I have only recently learned how to review all the statistics on the blog and it is especially fascinating to see who is stopping by. The great majority of the audience is from the US, but the bog seems to have small followings in quite a few other countries, including England, Russia, Germany, India, Australia and Brazil. I am reluctant to report to my Mac friends that 78% of readers use Windows, only 11% Macintosh, although the number surges to 17% if we include iPods, iPhones and iPads. It has been instructive and fun for me to play with the numbers, but I'm sure that if I persist with the stats I will loose the few readers I have left.

Winners and Losers

Of course not all of my posts have been wildly popular. It is not always clear why some have caught on and others have died in obscurity. I suspect one important factor may be the titles. My most popular blog was bravely labeled "Call of the Sea" and despite it being a fairly routine, blatant self-promotion of a show of my seacoast images in Portsmouth New Hampshire last summer, it has received well over 400 views. My least visited effort was, I felt, a reasonable discussion of the value of going on shoots with other photographers. Unfortunately its uninspired title "Flying Solo ?" didn't generate the same interest. Only 7 people dropped by. Titles are important, so from now on all of my blog postings (or at least this one for awhile) will begin with the words "Naked Women". I deeply apologize to all those who have arrived under false pretenses, although I am confident you all left long ago. Good hunting.

A Second Look

Regardless of the reasons, there are a few of my posts that didn't get the interest that I felt they deserved. Perhaps it was the title, but some were published early when I had a nearly nonexistent following. Although they are all my children, I thought this might be an appropriate time to mention a couple that might be of belated interest.

One of the my most exciting recent photoshoots was a winter overnight at the Mount Washington Observatory on the highest mountain in New England. If you want to learn about cold weather photography there is no better place. Try 20 degrees below zero and winds gusting over 90 mph. For my readers in India that's 30 degrees below zero Celsius and 145 Kilometers per hour. To get a feeling for the experience check out my lonely blog from April 2009:
Winter on the Top of New England

New Hampshire's far northern region is usually referred to as the Great North Woods. I regret that I haven't been back to this photographically rich area since my weekend back in the spring of 2009. It is well worth the trip. Check out my brief early post:
New Hampshire's Great North Woods

Goals

In my first post in January 2009 I discussed my reasons for starting a blog:

To improve my ability to talk reasonably about my work without the usual pretentious "artsy" jargon. Sadly no tree, mountain or shrub has ever "talked" to me about how to capture its "essence".
To tell stories about how my images were captured and processed. Story telling is, after all, what photography achieves at its best.
To share what I've learned and as a result expand my own knowledge.
To offer a forum to share information about my special and often under-appreciated corner of New England.

At the start I had no conception of the amount of time and effort this would require, but I find that my goals have not changed and that the task remains remarkably rewarding. Now I have to start trying to find SOMETHING to talk about next week! I'm thinking the snow outside (Finally !) may help.

In the Fog

2012-01-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

It continues to be a tough winter for photography with cold temperatures threatening to freeze my pipes, but not encouraging any insulating snow. I have captured all the images of moldy decaying leaves that I will require for a lifetime so I was excited last weekend when I awoke to find a nice blanket of fog settled on the hills around my house. I guess the rule should be that when the scenery is uninspiring the best thing to do is either bath it in golden hour light or mute it with fog, but fog can add great dimension and mood to your images. Here are a few brief thoughts about how to get the most from your misty opportunities.

First an entirely worthless answer to a question you didn't ask. What is the difference between fog and mist? Actually they are both essentially clouds which have come down to earth, but the difference has to do with how far you can see through the cloud. Fog is thicker, limiting visibility to one km or less, while you can see through mist for 1-2 km. Who decided this? Obvious NOT an American. How far is a km anyway?

Perhaps the most valuable attribute of fog is that it adds a wonderful sense of depth to images. I always look for compositions that accentuate this effect. It can be challenging to find focus and interest in a picture of a distant, uniformly soft misty scene, but a line of trees going off into the distance, boats across a foggy harbor or merely one sharp element in the foreground can make the dimensions of an image pop off the page. I always start by looking for the foreground element(s), and build my composition from that focal point. Consistently soft images can be very effective especially when communicating a mystical mood, but in many situations this choice abandons perhaps the best advantage of the foggy conditions.

Foggy images are most often found with the sunlight diffused through an overcast sky, but when the sun shines through the mist it makes the light dramatically palpable. To catch the brightest rays of light it is usually best to angle your view toward, but not directly into the light. The rays of light may only last for a few minutes as the fog lifts, but during that time you can find some magical images. It is well worth waiting for. Here, as in many other situations, the most dramatic light tends to occur as the weather changes and, to slightly modify the old saying about New England weather; If you don’t like the light, wait a minute.

The penetrating light may also create nice silhouettes whose sharp edges can add depth to the image. The pattern of important foreground elements that would normally be lost in a busy background can stand out nicely when the mist softens the clutter. For example, one of the challenges of photographing spider webs is finding a background which doesn't compete with the delicate pattern. Fog accomplishes this nicely while often coating the strands with shimmering water droplets.

Of course fog can also be dramatic when seen from above. Around here relatively modest increases in altitude can change your perspective from moody and subdued to brilliantly majestic as your view opens to valleys blanketed with puffy white.

In all these situation it is important to keep a close eye on exposure. Fog can fool a light meter, often leading to dark images requiring an increase of exposure by a stop or two. The problem is easily corrected on digital cameras by closely monitoring the LCD and histogram. Finally, when processing these images I always have to be careful to avoid my natural tendency to heighten contrast. With fog it is ok, if not mandatory, to avoid the deep darks and brilliant whites that I usually seek to add pop to my images. I usually feel uncomfortable when the histogram is floating somewhere in the middle of the graph, but here I just have to let it go.

So whether it is fog or mist have a great time out there. Maybe we can forget about the lack of white, at least for a magical misty moment - you can tell that I'm desperate when I descend to alliteration.

Harrisville New Hampshire

2012-01-01T18:11:00.001-05:00

Minnewawa Brook, Harrisville

On a regular basis I have blathered on about the unappreciated beauty of my home corner of New England. I do believe that the Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont is less appreciated and underrepresented in popular photography when compared to the admittedly spectacular northern mountains or the rocky coast of Maine and New Hampshire. But we in the heart of New England, it's true, check the map, live in a more authentically traditional New England in part, because of the fact that we lack the extreme spectacle that attracts, and can be overwhelmed by,the road choking hordes of tourists. Also it is not easy to get to the Monadnock Region. There are no

Mount Monadnock

superhighways penetrating our territory. I often say that we are a community united within itself by miles of bad road. As the popular joke goes; "You can't get there from here.", and in few parts of New England is this admonition more apt. I would never claim that we have been totally forgotten by the outside world. We certainly have our attractions. By virtue of its manageable stature and proximity to cities, Mount Monadnock is one of the most climbed mountains in the world and during the winter we have a number of popular ski areas. But it doesn't take long to wander away from the few beaten tracks to find what has been called the Currier and Ives corner of New England. Of course I am biased, but after years of exploration I think the best way to express the difference is that ours is a more natural and less self-conscious New England.

Harrisville Library
December Ice Storm, 2008

I say this not to trigger the inevitable flaming retorts defending the honor of the rest of the beautiful northeast, but rather as an introduction to what I expect will be a series of posts highlighting some of my favorite photographic locations around my home. Come by and check us out, but don't expect to blown away. Our magic takes time to seep into your soul; then we'll talk.

I can't think of a better place to start our tour than Harrisville New Hampshire. Harrisville is a classic old textile mill village located east of Keene New Hampshire. It is widely recognized as the best preserved example of a small 19th century New England mill town. Harrisville is most notable for its well preserved brick manufacturing buildings, but abundant water power has always been the key to the village's prosperity. The first textile mill began operation in 1794 harnessing the rushing waters of the Nubanusit River as Harrisville Pond drains through the village to Skatutakee Lake. The last mill closed in 1970, but the people of Harrisville have done a marvelous job preserving and celebrating this irreplaceable asset. . The classic textile manufacturing structures in the village center are essentially unchanged from the 19th century and are a National Historic Landmark protected by the Harrisville Historic District. It is not surprising that this is a unique location for photography. Harrisville is a place dominated by the water that made it possible and the opportunities are endless. The brick structures can be viewed across the Mill Pond, Harrisville Pond or composed with the rushing water that literally flows around and through the buildings.

Harrisville Design

At the head of the Mill Pond is a classic old school house which now serves as the village library. The factory building have fascinating architectural detail, with interesting doors, windows and an impressive bell tower. Many of the structures have found new life with other businesses. Perhaps the most interesting and historically appropriate is Harrisvile Designs which has continued the tradition of producing high quality 100% wool yarn and features an extensive collection of weaving products. The Harrisville General Store fits nicely into the village. Owned and operated now by Historic Harrisville it is the perfect combination of a classically preserved New England village store and WiFi. Stop by for coffee, lunch or most importantly to buy one of my New England Reflections Calendars (I told you, I never stop!).

Mount Monadnock from
Cobb Hill, Harrisville

There are many more attractions in the hills surrounding the village. I feel that I have only begun to explore the many beautiful streams, lakes and farms. Hill-top locations often feature nice views to Mount Monadnock to the south. Harrisville Village runs northwest to southeast and can be nicely photographed in both morning and evening light, with the view across the Mill Pond to the Library best in the evening. This is one of the most photographed scenes complicated only by the maddening mesh of wires that ensnare the library. Given the hours that I have spent cloning, I would gladly contribute to a fund to BURY THE DAMN WIRES!

Mill Pond, Wires Gone!

Although I must confess to a touch of reluctance as I share one of my favorite photographic locations, Harrisville is certainly not a secret. I hope you get a chance to explore and I look forward to seeing the fresh angles and locations that you will discover. Just stay out of my shot!

Storm Coming, With Wires

Harisville is located east of Keene New Hampshire (42.94565167, -72.09463333). Coming from the east take Route 101 west to Dublin New Hampshire, the home of Yankee Magazine. Dublin Road heads north from 101 just past the village and goes straight to Harrisville. From the west and Keene. follow Route 101 east through Marlborough then north on Chesham Road to the little train station in Chesham. Brown Road bears off to the right and takes you straight to Harrisville village. If this is all too confusing, get a freaking map! It's worth the effort.

Check out more images on my Harrisville Flickr Set.

Road Gear

2011-12-25T15:44:00.001-05:00

Harrisville Wreaths

As usual things are crazy around the holidays, but despite the last minute shopping and deliveries, I did allow myself to go out shooting this morning. Sadly the snow storm that was supposed to grace us this morning fizzled and we had just a dusting in the higher elevations. I ended up looking for snow in beautiful Harrisville New Hampshire, but was again disappointed. I eventually had to be satisfied with doing a study of the colorful Christmas wreaths decorating many of the old factory buildings. It was about the only color that was available. Without anything more inspiring to talk about this week I decide this was a good time to blog about my road gear,

One of things that I enjoy most about photography in rural New England is the ability to head off in the car and just get lost. I love to find back roads that I have never explored. It is a treasure hunt that almost always leads to fresh opportunities and after several years of unsystematic wandering I am still amazed at the surprises that pop up.
But I don't just head out with my camera and a tank of gas. Over the years I have put together my road gear that allows me to reap the most enjoyment and productivity from these explorations. My wife likes to joke about the fact that I often come in and out of the house several times before I have managed to remember all my equipment. I keep intending to make a list. This morning I was careful to get everything organized. I was proudly ready to go, but then I had to sheepishly return to house having realized that I had forgotten my keys. So here is what will be on that list, if I ever write it.

Wheels
First I must start with my car. I use a rather beat-up old four wheel drive Subaru Forester. The four wheel drive is a necessity on our roads, but the "beat-up" part is especially important since I take this poor thing to places no self-respecting car would ever venture. Anyone who knows about my other job will understand the thinly veiled and intentionally mis-spelled reference on my license plate.

Location Location
Although I enjoy the adventure of getting lost I still want to get home eventually and I would like to be able to find my way back to any gems I may stumble across along the way. To help, I bring three forms of navigational aid. First, no one should venture out without a GPS. I have a Garmin (A), but they all work about the same and reference the same database. These things are not perfect and, particularly in rural areas, are prone to sending you down roads that actually turn out to be impassable cow path. But when you become hopelessly be fuddled it is always nice to be able to press that "Home" button and let that smug electronic voice guide you back. I also use a GPS tracking device (B) (Gisteq) that allows me to tag each of my photographs with my location. It is a bit of a hassle but about every other picture I take is a red barn and it is nice to be able to sort them all out. The tracker records my coordinates every few seconds. When I get home I download the file and then use GeoSetter, a wonder freeware program, to quickly insert the locations into the meta data. Because I always convert my images to Adobe's DNG format the information is embedded in the image and I don't have to worry about keeping track of hundreds of little side-car files. It is wonderful to be able to click on an image and have its precise location pop up on Google Maps. The program also saves track data that I can use at the end of the year to document my mileage for tax purposes. All this technology is great, but there are times when a good detailed map provides a more comprehensive overview of the region than can be packed into any tiny LCD screen. I always carry a copy of the Atlas for each state I am visiting, as well as larger state road maps to give a broader sense of surrounding opportunities.

Tunes
The photo-shoot sound track is very important. I discovered early on that I could not concentrate on the passing beauty when I was listening to words. Whether it is books on tape , podcasts or even just music lyrics, I find my vision turns inward with only enough awareness of my environment to keep me from hurtling off the road. I have my IPod (C) pack with a broad range of instrumental music from classical to jazz. Again the overriding criteria is that the music can not be too involving. I find that music with a rustic quality works best as I explore the country side. Among my favorites are Aron Copland's Appalachian Spring and a collection of traditional Blue Ridge Mountain instrumental folk music. So far I have not found gangster rap to be especially helpful, but your tastes may diverge from mine.

Communication
My cell phone (D) is a necessity. Certainly disasters can occur requiring a call for help, but on most of my productive shoots I inevitably reach a point when a call to Susan is required to apologize for being late for something. Of course, if I forget to call I can always blame the spotty reception in our hills.

Oh Yeah the Camera
One of the advantages of a driving photo-shoot is that there are no real limits on the equipment that you haul around, but in addition to my big bag I usually include a lighter shoulder bag. When I get the urge to wander into a field or down a forest trail it is nice to be able to place the essentials into the small bag and avoid lugging the full kit. Depending on the shoot I will occasionally add other equipment such as microphones and a field recorder for video, my converted Canon 20D for infrared or my 5d which I use primarily for time-lapse.

The Look

Best Friend

The one thing that I can never forget is Nellie. She knowns the signs and hangs around the door as soon as she sees me gathering equipment. For some reason she loves driving and is remarkably patient when skittish animals or dangerous traffic force me to keep her in the car. Nell does give me her "what about my needs" look on a regular basis, but it is always a gentle and irresistibly cute admonition that never fails to bring me back to earth.

Community Church Wreath, Harrisville New Hampshire

Well that is my road kit. I hope it is of some interest. I am sure you all have your own photo-shoot essentials and I would love to hear your suggestions. As I finish this, I am waiting for my kids to awaken for the Christmas morning blitz. The greatest gift is having everyone home. I wish you all a warm and happy holiday with friends and family and most of all I wish you some &?@¥#!! SNOW already!

Central Square Keene New Hampshire, Back when there was something called snow!

Dance On - Bad Light, Great People

2011-12-18T13:29:00.004-05:00

Slim Chance and the Gamblers

I am relieved to report that I have finally finished editing the photographs from the Special Olympics Dance that was successfully held at the Keene New Hampshire Country Club a few weeks ago. With events such as the dance, but most significantly through the crazy Penguin Plunge held every February, our community has always been an enthusiastic supporter of the Special Olympics. Peter Simon a photographer famous for his pictures of Martha's Vineyard and of pop music culture over the last decades was scheduled to photograph the event, but Peter was unexpectedly laid up and I was asked to fill in at the last minute. If I am to be roped into this kind of work, I prefer to be the last minute desperate alternative because expectations are inevitably quite low. What can they reasonably expect, there wasn't a tree in sight. Actually I enjoyed the assignment and learned quite a bit. I had to be at the dance anyway and the job gave me an excuse to avoid all but a token amount of dancing.

Fortunately the band, Slim Chance and the Gamblers, was great and, with the dance floor packed all night, few people noticed me lurking around. The band was not only crazy talented but also very animated and energetic.

"Brains !"

Each performer had his or her own style, and I had lots of chances to catch great moves and expressions. Photographing the folks dancing was another matter altogether. People moving rhythmically to the music can be tolerable to watch, but when their movements are frozen in an image, well, it becomes more than a little scary. Ok, if they didn't want their pictures taken, they should have stayed in the back ravaging the Hors d'oeuvres or, like me, hide behind a camera. I found my best chance to avoid "Night of the Living Dead" images (John) was to get people to dance for the camera, holding eye contact. I still got a full share of crazy (Tom), but at least it was intentional crazy.

My plan was to try to shoot with natural light. I was acutely aware of how frequent blinding flash explosions could distract both the performers and the audience. The problem was that the stage light was extremely low and composed of red spots on one side and blue on the other. In order to stop any action I had to shoot wide open with my f1.8 portrait lens and with ISOs in the 3200-6400 range. Color balance was impossible with opposing red and blue color on every face. At post all I could do was balance for the predominant color and let the other side go crazy. To speed processing I ended up saving red and blue adjustment profiles to apply as required although I still needed to do considerable individual adjustment on each image. Conversion to B&W is another option which I am considering for some of the images. Half way through the second set I finally gave up and started using flash. I wasn't sure how much I would be able to salvage from the natural light images and I wanted to make sure that I had something to fall back on. I used a full CTO gel to balance with some of the ambient light and shot only bounce off the nice clean ceiling. The results were reasonable without too many annoyed glances from the band. The flash images don't have the colorful flavor of the ambient light but they are much sharper. All together I think we ended up with a good range of images from which to choose.

All in all the dance was a great success. Everyone had a good time and we had the opportunity to remind the community about the importance of the Special Olympics. Now I have to get geared up for the Penguin Plunge. At least that will be held in daylight.

Salvaging Stick Season

2011-12-11T15:33:00.006-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been consumed with the usual holiday rush of photography related chores, with very little having to do with actual shooting. Despite the disappointing and spotty foliage this year I still have a significant back-log of autumn images that are begging to be processed. I am working in the studio to get seasonally appropriate pictures out to my galleries in Peterborough, Keene and Brattleboro as well as responding to special orders that MUST be done before Christmas. Of course I am also slogging through prime calendar season, keeping the stores stocked and annoying everyone in town about buying their New England Reflections Calendar; “Don’t you care about your neighbors who struggle with chronic lung disease?”. Thank goodness that nature has provided us with November, perhaps the worst time of the year to find beauty in rural New England. With the leaves gone and winter snow still generally coming only in fleeting doses, it seems that there are few things worth venturing out into the cold. I know there will be those who revel in the challenge, but seriously wouldn’t you rather be shooting almost any other time of year? It seems an act of providence that, during this time of year, when I have so much to do inside, outside "stick season" is so uninteresting.

Despite the congestion in my November to-do list, and the generally dismal prospects I could never totally abstain from taking pictures. So in an effort to get myself uprooted from my desk, i decided to take a fresh look at what might be out there worth the pixels? I have some ideas, but I thought it would be interesting to go back in my archives to search Novembers past for leads. The exercise identified a few general themes for stick season photography and has chased me out of the house looking for fresh opportunities.

Always good to have
someone else in deer colors

First it should be said that, as drab as it can be, late autumn is a perfect time for hiking. The bugs are gone, the air is crisp and with the leaves off the trees you can see farther through the forest. As is true of winter hiking, vistas open up that you would never find when encased in exuberant summer and fall foliage. We on the Chesterfield Conservation Commission often spend these weeks scouting new trails and looking for spots that with a little effort could be transformed into nice views.

Abigail on the Elephant Tree
Putney Mt. Vermont

Naturally, I am the "view" guy on the team. Of course the preeminent rule for hiking this time of year is; "Don't Get Shot!". As the autumn glow falls from the trees it transforms into electric orange vests which hopefully scream; "NOT A DEER!". I am particularly concerned about Nelie and encase her in so much orange that she looks like a black nosed pumpkin.

Pigah Mountain

Looking through my pictures from the the last several years, the most obvious aspect of stick season photography is that it is a time of pattern and not of color. The stark skeletal display of bare trees contrasts with monotonously golden brown of pasture grass or the frequent mists of late autumn mornings.

Leaves don't loose all of their attraction when they hit the ground, but actually evolve through an interesting succession of patterns and colors. Freshly fallen leaves provide a bright decoration whether as a golden forest carpet or by complementing streams, stone walls and farm implements. Sadly the fallen leaves quickly loose their brilliance, but on their way into the soil there are opportunities to find interesting patterns in collections of frosted or frozen foliage.

Of course not all leave are so faint of heart. Oak leaves tend to cling to their branches as winter approaches providing interesting studies in less gaudy tones. Beach trees are perhaps the most persistent providing an unexpected splash of color enlivening many scenes throughout the winter.

Finally there is the light this time of year. We are fast approaching the shortest days of the year and with the sun persistently low in the sky the "Golden Hours" tend to be extended. There is much less harsh overhead light, and the emotional ravages of seasonal affective disorder, are softened by the fact that I can sleep later before crawling out of bed for the sunrises.

Well, I feel better from this exercise. I am sure there are many more great photographic opportunities during stick season, but I have to say that, as the weather grows colder, the wood stove feels awfully nice and I have work to do before the snow saves us.

Chocolate and Photography

2011-12-03T19:41:00.008-05:00

This week I engage in shameless self-promotion, but with a delicious altruistic consequence. For the month of December I will be showing 12 of my photographs at the wonderful LA Burdick Restaurant in picturesque Walpole New Hampshire. I have chosen a combination of local landscapes and Altlantic seacoast images. I have shown at Burdick several times before and although the lighting is not the best, I am always excited to be there. Among the reasons for my enthusiasm unquestionably the most important is that it gives me an excuse to dine at this top quality restaurant. L.A. Burdick Started in 1984 as a fine chocolate company and has expanded to include 3 French style cafe restaurants now in Walpole NH, Cambridge Ma and New York city. Chocolate remains a key
part of their attraction and the desserts continue to die for.

Among the variety of locations to display my work, restaurants offer both advantages and challenges. Perhaps the greatest advantage is that restaurant customers linger substantially longer than those visiting bank lobbies, town offices or hospital waiting rooms. Hopefully, as conversation wanes, they will gaze up to the walls and be enchanted - one can only hope. The major disadvantage is that it seems that, the nicer the restaurant, the dimmer the lights. Why is it that elegant restaurants insist on hiding their exquisitely prepared and presented dishes under impenetrable darkness. Low, candle augmented, illumination may be romantic, but it would be nice to be able to see where to stick my fork on the plate and I would especially like to be able to appreciate the glorious artwork on the walls. I have found a few restaurants that have discovered that tasteful wall lighting can enhance and balance the ambiance without distracting from the tables. Simple lighting systems are not prohibitively expensive and I will continue to encourage the light.

Enough complaining. I am grateful to have the chance to show my work in so many lovely places in the area. I always pay special attention to my location this time of year. Hopefully a few folks will find the perfect Christmas gift while having a superb dinner. Come by if you are in the area.

Check out my show Flickr Set:

L.A. Burdock web site :

Thanksgiving's Visual Feast

2011-11-27T23:16:00.011-05:00

Stephanie and Melissa

This Thanksgiving we celebrated, and ate, with a large contingent of

Susan's family all gathered at her nieces'

Jeremy

house west of Boston. The decision to assemble at Rachel and Michael's home was largely logistical, since they have the two young children. It was a chance to see how fast our great nieces have grown.

It was also a precious opportunity to visit

Abigail

with our children, together, at the same time;

Abigail from Washington DC and Jeremy

from Somerville, outside Boston. On arrival I had every intention to avoid the family photo assignment. There were a number of excellent photographers in attendance with more recent experience in family photography, especially Stephanie and Melissa's grandfather who strives to record every noteworthy and mundane event of their young lives. Also I have a mass of editing to do and no need for added work.

I did admirably for the first half of the afternoon, but I became increasingly aware that I was surrounded by numerous attractive, neatly dressed models. The kids were irresistibly cute, Abigail was gorgeous, and my son found himself in a social environment which
made him less inclined to give me the finger whenever I
tried to take his picture. I couldn't resist. I grabbed my 85 mm f 1.8

Aunt Deborah

portrait lens, cranked up the ISO and began
trying to record incessantly moving children in low light. Shooting at ISOs ranging from 1600-6400 I still needed to use all the light gathering capabilities of my fast lens. The young kids were probably less camera shy than my adult children, but they had absolutely no conception of what posing for a shot entails. Since the worst expressions always followed instructions to "smile", all I could do was follow them around and try to anticipate fleeting moments of spontaneous joy. My own children have learned over years of painful experience that I will not get out of their faces until they give me a reasonable shot. Happily, I discovered that, after dinner, as the Tryptophan induced coma settled in, everyone became much more open to my efforts.

Approaching Coma

Stephanie

The biggest challenge of photography in low light without flash is controlling the paper thin depth of field. Shooting wide open creates beautiful soft Bokeh, but it is a constant struggle to keep the focus point on eyes, where it belongs. This becomes almost impossible when photographing fidgety little children. You often have to shoot bursts and hope that their eyes will randomly wander into focus in at least one of the images. Often when trying to photograph two or more people together

Melissa

your only option is to decide whose eyes are most important to the image

and let the others drift off. Despite the difficulties, it is almost magic that a largely fuzzy image can seem sharp as long as the eyes are in focus.. As a landscape photographer my goal is usually to get the maximum depth of field, but in these situations I just have to let it go. It is remarkable how much selective focus can add clarity and impact to the right subjects.

Stephanie Blurry Eyed Uncropped

Despite my complaining I couldn't wait to get home to start working on these images. In general there was little manipulation required. Camera RAW did a nice job suppressing the high ISO noise. A quick tungsten adjustment got me close to natural looking color balance. I removed a few zits and softened the occasional harsh shadows. I spotlighted the key subjects, cropped and I was done. One interesting challenge came with an adorable picture of 3 year old Stephanie sitting pensively on her grandmother's lap. I only caught one good expression and in that image it was her

Stephanie's Mouth

mouth rather than the eyes that was in focus. It was too cute to throw away, so I decided to go with the mouth. I cropped to skewer her mouth on one of the "Rule of Thirds" points and put my spotlight on the same location. The difference is subtle and the eyes are still a blur, but overall I think the image has much better flow. Hopefully viewers will think I shot intentionally to draw attention to Steph's expressive mouth.

With each opportunity to shoot events I find that I increasingly zoom in on the faces. I have to stop this before my fascination with candid portraiture entirely replaces my long term commitment to rocks and trees.

The Power of Coming Back

2011-11-22T00:14:00.010-05:00

All images from Roads End Farm in Chesterfield, New Hampshire

One of the exciting things about photography is that there are always new territory to explore. I love the opportunity to discover fresh locations and have found that touring with a camera in hand is the best way to fully appreciate the novelty of travel. It is not by accident that the most interesting and beautiful places to visit are also the best to photograph. The challenge of travel to distant locations is that the window of opportunity to catch interesting light is usually quite limited. I can't afford to return to Zion or Lake Louise 10 or 15 times to capture the perfect sunrise, but I can come back to my local sites as often as necessary to capture the magic and that is the power of coming back.

This weekend I went shooting at my favorite local farm and was freshly reminded of the power of coming back. Roads End is a unique horse farm just down the road in Chesterfield New Hampshire. During the summer it is a bustling girls riding camp, but throughout the year it is home to over 60 horses (and one fat cat) all in a varied and beautiful natural setting. Tom Woodman has struggled in these hard economic times to keep the family farm running and his success has preserved 360 acres of lovely pastures and forest. I return to Roads End at least every week to look for new photographic opportunities. It is an unbreakable tradition for Nellie and I to visit after going to the dump every Saturday morning. The remarkable thing is that on almost every occasion, over the last 8-9 years, I have

found something new and interesting. After all I live in New England; the weather and light is always changing and with over 60 horses as subjects I have yet to find a limit to the varying compositions of fields and fauna. Roads End also features a number of gorgeous pastures and glades which change in light and mood with each season.

I have my habitual favorites, but for some time, I had noticed an interesting, unexplored open glade just across from one of the larger pastures. The glade offered a tempting chance to shoot the horses in among the trees especially in the morning when the warm light knifes through the pines. I had never
ventured there in the past in part because it would involve wading through dozens of unfettered horses, some with serious
dominance issues, and also because it required slogging through yards of ankle deep mud. This weekend, however, I came with the right boots. I left the disappointed dog at home to avoid spooking the animals and made my way across the field. Early in the morning the horses were all anticipating the hay wagon. Their interest in me centered primarily on discovering whether my camera bag contained any hay or apples. The trick was to hang around long enough for the curious to stop nosing my bag and for the more timid to accept that I was not a threat. Once the horses resumed acting like horses the glade became a quiet magical place to experience and shoot. The light wasn't the best, but it was a good day to explore a new part of the farm. I will come back when the light is softer through the mist. After years, it is remarkable that I am STILL finding new opportunities I have learned the power of coming back.

As invigorating as travel can be to our photographic eye, don't neglect the special benefits of staying home. Become intimately familiar with the best of your local attractions. Learn the optimal seasons, light and angles for each location. I have several favorite farms in my region; each has it's own attractions, but even more importantly I have come to value the local farmers as friends and protectors of our region's fragile beauty. I frequently share my images with them and they are invaluable sources of information and perspective. A good relation with landowners and farmers can open up a wealth of special opportunities for photography. It is all part of the power.

Check out my Roads End Farm Set on Flickr for more images

The Farm's Web Site is at : http://www.roadsendfarm.com/

Lessons from the Stream

2011-11-14T18:27:00.003-05:00

"Snowliage" Canon 5D 16-35mm Lens

Canon G11

I am happy to report that I am now photographically whole after several weeks with my beloved Canon 5D Mark II and the workhorse 24-105 lens away at the Canon Service Center in New Jersey. My friend and talented newspaper photographer Steve Hooper reassured me that accidents are bound to happen as a necessary price of getting out there for the shot, but I do seem to have a pathological tendency to regularly dunk my equipment in the beautiful streams and lakes of New England. This time I relearned the important rule that one should NEVER leave your tripod unattended. I swear I turned my back for a split second to adjust a branch and the tripod maliciously tipped my camera into the stream. The camera was only partially doused for a second, but it was enough to freeze the shutter button and for water to get on the front element of the lens.

After it became evident that no amount of drying would restore reliable function, I sent the camera and lens off to New Jersey. The service center did a prompt and professional job. I got the camera back in about two weeks in "factory condition" which means that, in addition to the repairs, the camera and lens were cleaned and calibrated. It was of some consolation to discover that my first images had absolutely no dust on the sensor. That won't last.

Canon G11

The whole process provided an expensive lesson in the importance

of scrupulous care of the equipment. The fact that this disaster struck at the best moment of this year's fall foliage only magnified the impact. The late October snow spotlighted the previously dull color and provided a spectacular conclusion to the season that I was afraid I would miss in my crippled state. If there was one positive aspect of the experience, it was the fact that I was evicted from my usual comfort zone and forced to use back-up equipment. The great lesson turned out to be that it is refreshing to work within different restraints imposed by more limited resources and to be reminded that it is the light and not the equipment that is always most important. Of course I was not terribly impoverished when it came to equipment options. I didn't have to dig out my old Kodak Instamatic.

Harvey Pond, Westmoreland, NH
Canon 5D, 16-35 mmm

My back-up Canon 5D is an incredibly capable camera that I have been recently using only for time-lapse. Not a bad fall-back option, but with the loss of my 24-105mm lens, I had a large gap in my focal length range. Everything from 35mm to 100mm was a dead zone. The happy result was that I becaming more comfortable seeing through the perspective of my 16-35mm wide angle lens. Too often I get lazy about changing lenses and routinely accept 24mm as my widest view. It is always surprising what a big difference just a few millimeter can make in the structure of an wide angle image. At the other extreme of focal length, I had no trouble when I could use the reach of my 100-400mm telephoto lens to capture scenes such as the horses in the pastures of Roads End Farm. It turned out to be a creative jolt to be forced to visualize scenes only from the extremes of focal length, but I did have another option

Roads End Farm Pasture
Canon 5D, 400mm

Canon G11

.For more complete coverage, my other camera choice was my Canon G11. I got this camera as a relatively small "carry around" that I could keep with me whenever I didn't want to lug my trailer load of equipment. The G11 is a surprisingly versatile camera with a full range of manual controls and raw capability. The image quality is also excellent especially in good light. During the last few weeks I have become more comfortable with the camera's occasionally confusing menus and buttons and found it liberating to have all that power in such a small package nestled in my hand. The G11 does not have the fine focus control, resolution, or low light capability of the Mark II, but I was surprised to find myself a little disappointed when I finally gave up the camera's easy portability for my massive, neck straining DSLR.

Multi image depth of field with the Canon G11

Canon G11

So the end result of giving my camera a chilly autumn bath was first that, thankfully, I was able to get my primary camera back freshly cleaned and fully functional. I was also forced to approach photographic opportunities in fresh ways and the experience was eye opening. I would not recommend drowning your camera to achieve these in-sights. Instead you might try going out on a shoot with self imposed, not disaster related, restrictions. Use only your wide angle lens or use a smaller camera in situations where your clumsy DSLR may be encumbering. You will be surprised how quickly you start seeing and working in creatively different ways.

Of course I am thrilled to have my camera back, but I should mention one final lesson from this episode. It was in fact a good thing that I bought camera insurance!

How Many Calendars Do You Want This Year?

2011-11-06T13:45:00.002-05:00

I am excited to announce that my 2012 New England Reflections Calendar is out and at a store near you, I hope. It takes many hours to select the images and design the calendar, but the major effort always comes afterwards when I have to market it to the community. This is the time of year when my fall shooting is interrupted by frantic visits to local bookstores, card shops, galleries and any place else I can think of to get the calendar out for the brief prime sales period from now until New Years. This is also the time of year when my friends start looking the other way when I walk by, knowing that any eye contact will be immediately followed by, "So how many calendars do you want to buy this year". I am normally quite reluctant to push my work, but the fact that all the money goes to the Cheshire Medical Center Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program gives me license to be as obnoxious in my hard sell as possible.

The Pulmonary Rehab program has always been very special for me and not just because I have been the medical director since its creation. The treatment of chronic lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and pulmonary fibrosis is frequently complex

2006 Better Breathers

and challenging for both patients and those who care for them. Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene provides a comprehensive outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program to serve the needs of patients in our community. Our goal for those who struggle with these difficult diseases is to improve their understanding, comfort and functionality. Over several years the sale of the New England Reflections Calendar has raise over $40 thousand dollars to supplement the program and assist patients who need help covering the cost.

Brattleboro Vermont

The process of selecting the images and putting the calendar together every year is exciting, but challenging . It is still surprising to me that stores start selling next year's calendar in the middle of summer and I have never been good about getting the calendar completed early enough. I'm lucky if I get mine out by early fall. As each year goes by I find myself increasingly looking for the illusive perfect "calendar shots". In addition to being great images calendar shots need to tell an interesting story that I can relate in a couple of coherent sentences in the caption. It is always helpful if I

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

can remember where I took the picture. Generally my photographic eye gravitates toward vertical images. I suspect this vertical preference comes from my attraction to a wide depth of field, but, given the calendar's format, my pictures must be in landscape orientation. As the calendar deadline approaches, I have a growing stimulus to rotate the camera looking for the horizontal perspectives. I have learned that, regardless of what appears to be the strongest composition, it is a valuable to routinely try to get both horizontal and vertical versions of attractive scenes. You never can predict what a future client may prefer. In general the calendar images focus on my corner of New England. I know my audience.

"Spofford" the Moose

I try to get a fair share of pictures from both the Monadnock Region and southern Vermont, and, of course, any picture which features Mt. Monadnock will sell. Typically I will also include one seacoast image and one wildlife portrait, but this year, with images of Seagulls, Blue Herons and "Spofford" the Moose, the animals rule. In the end the toughest part about image selection is all the pictures you have to leave out, but , happily, there is always next year.

You can check out all the images in this year's calendar in the 2012 New England Reflections Flickr set.

So now for the shameless plug.
If you would like to purchase a spectacularly beautiful 2012 calendar and also support a wonderful cause, I would be happy to oblige. They are only $15 and make wonderful, and inexpensive holiday gifts. Send me an email or give me a call. If you are nearby, you can pick up calendars at many fine local stores, including (so far):

The Cheshire Medical Center Gift Shop, Keene, New Hampshire
Toadstool Bookstore, Keene, New Hampshire
Pocket Full of Rye, Keene, New Hampshire
Heidi's Hallmark, Keene, New Hampshire
Hannah Grimes, Keene, New Hampshire
Ingenuity Country Store, Keene, New Hampshire
Monadnock Imaging, Keene, New Hampshire
JJ Discount Store, Spofford, New Hampshire
Harrisville General Store, Harrisville, New Hampshire
Westmoreland General Store, Westmoreland, New Hampshire
Jingles Christmas Shop, Westmoreland, New Hampshire
East Hill Farm, Troy, New Hampshire, New Hampshire
Gilsum Village Store, Gilsum, New Hampshire
Vermont Artisans Designs, Brattleboro Vermont

So if in the next several weeks we should see each other on the street, just be warned, you WILL be asked "How many calendars would you like this year"

Click Here, for more information about the Cheshire Medical Center / Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program.

First Snow

2011-10-29T21:06:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we had our first snow of the season here in southwestern New Hampshire. No matter the date, first snows always seem to be a surprise, but when "measurable precipitation" occurs in October it is not only surprising , but also a visual treat. Typically our first coating occurs sometime after the leaves have fallen in November, when we are all desperate to cover the drabness of "stick season" with a pristine frosting of white. When winter storms strike early they can blast the remaining fall foliage from the trees, but given the right conditions, they can also spread a beautiful white frosting on the colorful leaves. The stark contrast between vibrant reds and golds and the clean white of freshly fallen snow is fantastic, but short lived.

Roads End Farm, Chesterfield New Hampshire

Friday morning offered such a special opportunity. We live in the hills between Keene New Hampshire and Brattleboro Vermont and had just enough snow to coat the trees without totally obscuring the foliage. I was excited to get out to shoot, but was frustratingly tied to home waiting for the furnace guy to show up for our pre-winter cleaning. As it turned out I was able to get some of my best shots around the house. When I was finally able to leave I was happy to find that the snow was sticking longer than usual. The time after a storm when the snow is still clinging to the trees is a winter "golden hour". David Middleton, a great photographer and teacher from Vermont, calls these his "winter wonderland" shots. It is the time when snow is the most magical, and it is often quite fleeting. As the morning temperature raises above freezing it seems that the snow comes off the branches all at once with one disappointing plop, but yesterday things held together into the early afternoon.

For much of today the "winter wonderland" was only a memory, actually a memory and about 200 images. But this evening the snow has return with a vengeance. By morning we may have over one foot. I have to suspect that all this October winter must be in response to all the whining I have done about the terrible color this autumn. Whatever the reason, in New England, we all know that the only abnormal weather is normal weather and that's why it is such a great place for photography.

Now let's see if I can get this posted before the power goes out!

The Pumpkin Festival Lives

2011-10-24T21:10:00.002-04:00

Keene New Hampshire's 21st Annual Pumpkin Festival

Main Street Clock

Keene New Hampshire's Annual Pumpkin Festival was last weekend and as usual I avoided the mobs and came early. There are considerably fewer pumpkins at 7:30 AM but at that hour you can actually see the mass of gourds without the gaggle of gawkers. The packed crowds of people who show up later in the day tell a different story, but I've taken those pictures before. I'm usually gone by the time the festival officially begins around 10 AM. I have photographed at least ten of the past Pumpkin Festivals and it has become an increasing challenge to try to find something new and fresh to record from the event. I keep coming back because I love the atmosphere and because, against all odds, I generally do find something new every year. I guess this speaks to the value of returning to favorite locations. Conditions are never quite the same and with experience you can get the most from the light. Familiarity also breeds a willingness to experiment with different angles and techniques.

Infrared Pumpkins

This year, by intention and by tragic accident I had the opportunity approach the fesitval from two different directions. I continue to enjoy shooting with my IR converted 20D and It was especially interesting to apply infrared to scenes that I have photographed so many times before and which, in the past have always depended on brilliant color for their impact. Sadly, since I "bricked" my 5D earlier this week by dropping it into a stream, all my "straight" images came from my Canon G11. I usually use the G11 when I want a small unobtrusive "carry-around" camera that still allows full control and RAW format. It was trickier to get accurate focus compared to my DSLR, but it was interesting to use the camera in a more controlled landscape approach. It was also nice to be reminded that with a smaller sensor you get a broader depth of field. Overall I was pleased with how the images came through.

Church at the Head of the Square

This year's festival was, by design, a scaled down event. The goal was to bring it back to a celebration of our special community and away from artificial attempts to break records for pumpkins or people. Hopefully it will continue in this direction.

Bag of Leaves

2011-10-18T09:29:00.003-04:00

Gazebo, Walpole, NH

For the last couple of days the fall colors have shown some modest signs of life although still quite inconsistent. I have no idea what the recent rain will do, but at least it will refresh streams and waterfalls for the next few days. With this year’s patchy show it reminds me of one other cheat that I use in autumn that can enrich images even in good color years, but which may be especially important with our current struggles.

I am sure some readers will be appalled, but when I see beautiful, brightly colored leaves on the ground my first thought is how best to capture the scene, but then my second thought is “where is my plastic bag”. It is the nature of leaves to blow around on blustery autumn days and it is also their natural tendency to end up piling into low spots where they do little to enhance my carefully composed image. In these situations I have no reluctance about scooping up the recalcitrant foliage and redistributing it where it is supposed to be. Sprinkling even just a few leaves on contrasting rocks, along stream banks or next to waterfalls provides a splash of color that can significantly brighten an image and communicate much more effectively what our autumn is all about. So what can be done when there are no conveniently located piles to harvest? This is where the innocent appearing plastic bag in my trunk comes in. When I see nice leaves on the ground I often collect them to use later when nature is not so bountiful. It is important to bag only dry leaves. I don't want a moldy compost heap smoldering in the back of my vehicle. I know I am revealing a shameful dark secret, but I’m among friends here and I know that no one reads this far into my blogs anyway.

Local Leaves

Personally I have recovered from the moral dilemma so my only concern is how to spread the leaves in a natural way. It is important to generate an appearance of randomness. Not all the leaves should be perfectly aligned or with only the colorful sides up. There should be scattered imperfect clumps of leaves. If I am spreading color on the important foreground regions, it is also important to send a few out to the more distant areas. To my eye one of the most obvious give-aways is when the leaves are only close by, looking like someone may had lazily dumped them only where they would have the best effect. My only challenge this year has been to actually find some colorful leaves to collect.

Noone Falls, Peterborough, NH

Stonewall Farm, Chesterfield, NH

I feel much better now. Confession is good for the soul, especially when the sinner plans to transgress again. When finished shooting I will often recollect the leaves to use again. Why should some other photographer steal the benefit of all my hard work? On other occasions I will just walk away. So the next time you find a beautiful fall scene complimented by a lovely carpet of colorful leaves, pause for a moment before you are warmed by a sense of purity. It is always possible that I had just been by spreading autumn’s bounty.

Where is the Color?

2011-10-10T21:35:00.001-04:00

Where is the Color, Putney Vermont

All during our recent trip to central Europe my only recurring fear was that I might miss part of the spectacular fall foliage season. As a New England photographer, the couple of weeks of autumn’s riotous punctuation to summer is the one annual opportunity that simply can’t be missed. I had no notion that I would return to discover that autumn this year is either absent or hopefully just unusually delayed. In our region of southern New Hampshire and Vermont peak color is invariably around the Columbus Day holiday, but this year most trees are just beginning to change and the color is generally drab. Leaves seem to be turning brown and falling to the ground. My opinion is that any leaf which does not have the courtesy of transforming into a brilliant red or gold has no right to fall from its branch. It should hang there in shame and NOT force me to rake it into oblivion! Of course there are various retrospective theories on the cause of this year’s disappointing color. Gobal warming is often mentioned. I have been impressed with our early springs in the last few years, so it might be expected that our fall could be delayed as well. The difference this year, however, is so dramatic that factors beyond global climate change seem likely to be at play. The extremely damp late summer, including the disastrous impact of Hurricane Irene, would seem an obvious candidate. We have seen black fungus on many leaves which is undoubtedly caused by the moisture. I am confident that my right wing friends will insist that this, like every other natural disaster, is caused by President Obama. The political theories probably have as much validity as any other, but in the final analysis the reasons for this disaster are not really important. The crucial question should be how do with deal with it. After being out a few times in the last week I can offer just a few suggestions.

First we can always wait in hopes that the coming cold snap will trigger a late blast of color. I have experienced delayed seasons before, but never this late. In the meantime what can be done to get the most out of what we have.

Fresh Today, Dummerston Vermont

1) Shoot the Few Colorful Trees

Black Brook, Brattleboro, Vt

If you photograph a broad hillside the results will be uniformly dull and disappointing, but there are isolated patches of brilliant foliage. Zoom in on these and no one will know that you are surrounded by drech. Actually, even in good years, I prefer to focus on one or a few spectacular trees. Even at peak color I generally find broad landscapes colorful and crushingly boring.

2) Look for Color in the Right Places

Stickney Falls, Dummerston Vermont

When looking for color the rule is always to; go north, go up or go wet. Obviously color tends to be earlier the further north you travel or when you go to elevation, but color also tends to cluster around wet areas. Marshes, streams and lakes are all good places to look. Stickney Falls in Dummerston Vermont displayed some nice color this weekend with the added advantage of the waterfall.

3) Don’t Photograph Trees

Golden Pumpkins, Golden Light, Westminster VT

In my picture of the pumpkins at Holton Farm in Westminster Vermont, there is not a tree in site, but the autumn gold still shines through. Autumn is prime time for local harvest festivals with lots of great opportunities for colorful shots. Don’t forget the Keene Pumpkin Festival coming up on October 22nd.

4) Spray the Dull Trees with Golden Light

Channel Light, Spofford New Hampshire

Even this year, morning and evening light is still warm and magical. The golden hours can enliven even drab foliage.

5) Transilluminate

Maple Pasture, Dummerston Vermont

It is always great to shoot the light coming through autumn foliage. This is especially helpful when forced to shoot in midday when the light is otherwise stark and flat, but it can also brighten this year’s marginally colorful foliage.

6) Cheat

Golden Bend, Guilford Vt (Last Year)

Finally, as a last desperate resort, you can sit at home and pull images from previous years and claim them as new. I of course would never resort to such shady measures.

Sadly this was today. The same date as last year.
Makes you want to cry

So cross your fingers for a late bloom of color, but in the meantime look for special opportunities. We all love a challenge. From my office window I can see a fully blood red maple a few blocks away. Sadly it is in front of a gas station, but it does give me hope.

Prague to Budapest II

2011-10-02T15:52:00.002-04:00

Hungarian Parliament, Budapest

Salzburg Castle

I apologize for the lateness of this post. We have been back from our Danube River trip since late last Tuesday. I came back with great memories, over 2600 images and a rageingly bad flu/bronchitis. The worst time to develop a respiratory infection is while slogging through ten hours of plane flights to get home. I'm only grateful that I wasn't hit until the trip was over. I will skip the drippy details, and only say that after several days of sleep, antibiotics and groaning, I now feel strong enough to lift my fingers to the keyboard and share a few more images from our fantastic trip. The Groaning, however, continues.

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

The river cruise portion of the trip was lovely although the weather was a bit spotty. I wish we had traveled the river more frequently during daylight, but it was very convenient to have our hotel follow along with us. the itinerary tended to focus on larger cities, Linz, Salzburg,

Melk Abby Library

Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, but I particularly enjoyed our stops at smaller towns that were more effective at preserving the old world feel. Sadly even the small villages were contaminated with tourist traps, but by simply looking up a bit or finding winding back streets I was able to feel transported to medieval times. The cities had their own charm. It was interesting to see how enthusiastically former communist block countries have embraced capitalism.

Vienna Opera House Entrance

For proof, you need only notice that the Communism Museum in Prague is located on the second floor above a MacDonalds Restaurant. Our favorite cities were Prague and Budapest. Both have carefully preserved their old world architecture . By Contrast, Vienna's monumental structures were more diffusely scattered though-out this modern city. We did enjoy a tour

Imperial Crown of Charlemagne

of the Vienna Opera House and the fabulously opulent Habsburg Treasury. It was amazing to see the actual crown worn by Charlemagne over 1000 years ago. Sue and I broke away from the group to spend a relaxed afternoon exploring Schonbrunn Palace, the Habsburg's little 435 acre, 1400 room summer retreat. It was tempting to dwell on thoughts of the starving peasants who lived outside the walls of this glittering monument to criminal opulence, but it was hard not to be captured by the breath-taking beauty of the buildings and gardens which are

Schonbrunn Palace Gardens

now freely open to all. Budapest was a fitting ending for the trip and I'm glad we broke away for a couple days of independent exploration. The city is especially beautiful at night, on the last evening of the cruise we traveled the river under the several bridges that connect the two halves of the city. With the Palace and Cathedral on the Buda side and the brilliantly illuminated Parliament on the Pest side, the city reflected in the Danube was Magical.

Imperial Palace at Dawn, Budapest Hungary

Charlemagne (ISO 6400)

A trip like this would necessarily lead to a few valuable photographic lessons . First I was freshly impressed with the low light capability of my Canon 5D Mark II. I had recently been using higher ISO more regularly, but in the inky darkness of many of the museums and cathedrals I was only able to capture images at the camera's maximum 6400 ISO. Flash was rarely permitted. I was surprised to discover how the noise reduction application in Camera

Ornately Baroque Melk Cathedral
(Three hand helded images)

Raw produced very serviceable images. The only challenge was to remember to turn down the ISO when I went back out into the sun. The tip-off was when I found myself shooting at f19 and 1/5000th! I knew from the work of Trey Radcliff and others that cathedrals would offer a wonderful opportunity for HDR images. While touring with a group it was impractical to set up a shot with a tripod, but I was amazed to discover how well Photoshop CS5 managed three handheld bracketed images. It helped to have the shutter set on burst to capture all images with a single click and here again high ISO was a necessity. Finally, I found that my stripped-down kit seemed to work well. My new bag provided to be easy to carry and accessible. I suspect I will be using it more often at home.

St Barbara's Cathedral and Jesuit Monastery
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

Schonbrunn Palace from Fountain, Vienna Austria

Overall it was a great trip, but it is nice to be home getting ready for the foliage season. I am terribly behind on orders and other projects. Not to mention that the 2012 Calendar should be available for me to distribute in about one week. It will likely be some time before I can start seriously working on the European pictures. I will continue to send some to Flickr, but the more complete set will be building on my web site in the "Out-a-Town" section. This brief discussion can't begin to cover the number of wonderful experiences on this trip. For that you will simply need to come over and watch the entire show. You bring the wine.

For more images check out my "Out-a-Town" page or
My Danube Flickr Set

My first European Posting is Here

Prague to Budapest

2011-09-20T16:04:00.001-04:00

Prague Castle

Over the years Susan and I have generally travelled on our own, shunning large groups. We have valued the ability to plan our own schedule, avoiding large groups. We are currently on a 17 day trip to central Europe and this time we are with an organized tour. We were attracted by the chance to spend 8 days cruising down the Danube between Linz Austria and Budapest Hungary, with an extended stay in the remarkably beautiful city of Prague before embarking. Group travel has some clear advantages, including the ease of negotiating the local language and culture with knowledgeable guides. The scheduled side trips allow efficient use of time, and perhaps most importantly, group trips provide the opportunity to meet and travel with some fascinating people from throughout the US and beyond.

Our Lady Before Tyn Church

Group travel does impose substantial challenges to photography. First the fixed schedules make it difficult to find the best light in any location. Typically tours are scheduled for the middle of the day with stark light, which always seems to be shining into your eyes. Tours tend to move rather quickly making it difficult to spend the time needed to find and capture the best angles and lighting. Too often I have found myself looking up from my camera wondering in which direction my group has disappeared. I always try to find views without gaggles of tourists blocking the scenery. Unfortunately with group tours, we bring our own gaggle whereever we go

Vltava River Sunset
Prague, Czech Republic

St Vitus Cathedral
Prague

Charles Bridge

The most important rule I have found to help me deal with these frustrations is to accept the fact that this is not primarily a photography trip. I try to get the best images that are possible, but sanity requires the realization that I can't always control every factor affecting my pictures. When with a group it is often helpful to either stay in front of the gaggle or lag behind. Patience is also key while waiting for that split second when people finally wander away from my perfect composition. I try to anticipate shooting conditions so that I don't spend valuable time switching filters or lens as the group speeds away.It is better not to find yourself in the dark cathedral with your polarizer still stuck to your lens. Poor light is hardest to manage. Sometimes I just have to except that I am not going to capture that golden light or the dramatic misty image and will have to settle for the best bright "postcard shot" I can construct. Since we were in Prague for five days, I considered our group tours as scouting expeditions with plans to come back on free time to look for the best conditions. In particular the evening light is wonderful as it winds it way through the narrow streets of the old city.

All my complaining aside, Prague is a spectacularly photogenic place. The classic buildings which dominate the older sections are marvelously well preserved. This is due in large part to the fact that Prague survived the second world war without extensive damage. Highlights include Prague Castle, including the massive Saint Vitus Cathedral, which looms over the old city. The old city square features a medieval clock tower and the fairy-tale Our lady Before Tyn Church. There are great vistas all along the Vltava River. The classic architecture is everywhere.

Silver Tomb
St Vitus cathedral

The schedule on this trip is non-stop. It is all I can do to find time to download and back-up my images. So by the time I have finished this blog we have already started our cruise down the Danube. Salzburg was cold, foggy and rainy, but at least the inside of the Cathedral was dry. Coming up on the itinerary is Vienna, and Budapest. I will be working on these pictures for ages after I get home, and of course we will be returning to New Hampshire just in time for leaf season.

Enough. I have some eating and drinking to do. At this point I will shut up and let the picture speak.

Packing for the Danube

2011-09-10T01:19:00.003-04:00

This weekend Sue and I are heading off to Prague, Czech Republic to begin a 17 day trip featuring a boat trip down the Danube ending in Budapest. We will be visiting Linz, Vienna and Salzburg among with other middle European locations. We are excited to explore a new region, but Nelly is getting a bit nervous about all the luggage. As we approach the trip I am immersed in my usual camera gear anxiety. What cameras and lens should I take? How much do I really want to lug around? How much weight can I get on the plane. How will I handle image back-up. How will I keep my gear secure? I typically start by listing the "must brings" and then agonize over all the optionals, knowing always that the one thing I leave behind will be the one thing that I will desperately wish I had. It is always my strong inclination to bring EVERYTHING.

　
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MUST BRINGS:

Canon 5D MII with my workhorse 24-105 f4 l lens

A ton of CF cards (I bought two new 32 gig cards for the trip)

Canon G11 (nice small, full featured, carry around camera as a backup and to use in situation in which I don’t want to display my big DSLR). I have decided not to bring my old 5D as a backup DSLR.

Laptop

Small 500 GB external drive ( have the Western Digital passport). My back-up strategy is to keep copies of images on the laptop and the HD as well as on the cards.

Various small, but necessary accessories : cable release, polarizing filters, lens cloths, batteries and chargers, power adapter, mini bunges (always), lens brush, plastic bag rain cover, and my Giotto air blower. Despite all my efforts, I will undoubtedly forget at least one critically indispensable cable and will spend half a day becoming familiar with the camera stores of Prague.

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OPTIONALS:

Lens are always an issue. My Canon 16-35 f2.8 seemed a no-brainer. I expect to be photographing inside lots of churches and castles, not to mention capturing grand overlooks. A wide angle lens is essential. My major questions was about bringing my beast, the Canon 100-400 f4." I would love to have it , but it weighs 3 lbs. and, since Susan refuses to be a Sherpa, I can't see myself lugging this monster all over the continent. This is supposed to be a vacation after all. But then I remembered my old Quantaray 70-300. This is the lens that I dropped into a brook a couple of years ago. It never stopped
working, but had a bit of haze on some of the internal elements. Just enough to justify getting the Canon 100-400. When I pulled the lens out, I discovered that the haze had largely disappeared. This lens can't be compared to Canon L glass, but it is MUCH smaller and lighter (1 lb.). I will miss the image stabilization, but It is better than nothing, and the sharpness is not bad. It will be nice to have more reach without a lot more lug. So, three lens.

I toyed with not bringing my tripod. I don't expect to carry it around for most of our walking tours, and, although my carbon fiber Gitzo is not terribly heavy, by the time I add the Kirk ball head, it does add some significant weight and bulk. Then I thought about the wonderful low light opportunities, the lights at night and the chance to try HDR on the classic old world architecture. I'm bringing the tripod.

I still haven't decided about bringing a Speedlite and I may decide only when we do our final weight assessment. A compromise might be to take my lighter 430EX instead of the 580EX II. I doubt I will need the extra power and I will not be triggering any slaves.

Well of course, with all this stuff, I had to get a new bag. Photographers can never have too many bags, but seriously all mine seem either too small to carry what I would need on tours or are too bulky. I don't want to be knocking over precious shrines throughout Europe. I finally found a nice compromise National Geographic shoulder bag which I hope will work well.
It has reasonable padding, a comfortable strap and is compressible for packing. I can fit my 5D and two lens in quite easly with room other necessaries and with reasonably easy access. I must confess that carrying a "National Geographic" bag seems a bit cheezy to me, but the thing has a nice feel and does what I need it to do. I may look for a patch to cover-up the logo.

That's about it. We haven't done the final weighing, so things may change. We are excited about the trip and I will try to post when I can along the way.

Art in the Park : Show the Work!

2011-09-04T22:47:00.001-04:00

So I have a tent and a couple display racks, but that does not make me a summer art fair professional. I say this as I am sitting in my Easy-Up 10 x 10 toward the end of the first day of this weekend's "Art in the Park" show in Keene New Hampshire. It is hot and humid, but as long as it isn't raining, I am not allowed to complain. This is the third year that I have done the Keene event. This year there were over 80 artists displaying their work during the two day event. It is a hassle to haul all the work to the Ashuelot River Park along with the tent, tables, display racks, chairs and a cooler full of empty calories to keep me functioning. If you have not done one of these shows,

I want Mike's tall chair

it is difficult to appreciate how exhausting it can be to spend a day meeting and greeting, but I have met many people here who thrive on these shows. They spend most summer weekends traveling from town to town like artistic migrant workers. I assume that they are much more social than I can ever expect to be. I enjoy meeting people especially when they express appreciation for my work, but there are many other lovely thing to do in the summer.

Why do I do it? First this particular show is a community affair sponsored by my Monadnock Area Artist Association and filled with wonderful local artists. It is a great chance to catch up with friends and to meet visitors from throughout the region. Of course it is pleasant to have folks tell me how wonderful my "paintings" are, even though this typically occurs just before they move on to the next tent. I generally sell enough work to make it financially viable, but the primary reason for doing this comes down to the most important marketing technique that I have applied ever since I began trying to establish myself as a regional landscape photographer, SHOW THE WORK. I believe that for a new photographer there is nothing more important than to show your work as often as possible and in every available venue. Of course I have worked to get my work accepted at a number of regional art stores, but in the course of the last 4 years I have also participated in about 15 group shows and over 30 solo exhibitions. I have displayed my work in town halls, civic centers, churches, stores, banks, hospital hallways, and almost every restaurant in the region that happens to have a wall. Sometimes these shows have resulted in sales, but the primary goal is to show the work. I also try to keep my web presence up to date and fresh on my personal site as well as on Flickr and more recently 500 pixels. I have collected a surprising amount of private and commercial business from people who found my work as a result of a simple Google search. Over the last few years my New England Reflections Calendar has raised over $40 thousand dollars for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the Cheshire Medical Center, but it has also been an effective tool for making my images of the region more generally know. What could be better than displaying a fresh example of my work on a monthly basis to hundreds of local families? Increasingly I have been receiving requests for donations of images for inclusion in local charity auctions. These opportunities are valuable on a number of levels. Most importantly it is wonderful to feel that my work can, in a small way, assist in fulfilling the needs and aspirations of my community at a time when support is required more than ever. Of secondary importance is that charity auctions introduce my work to groups of people who might not frequent exhibitions or art stores. I find it remarkable that so many artists view charitable donations as a opportunity to unload unpopular pieces that have been languishing in the old photo bin. The value of your donation to your business is, once again, the opportunity to SHOW THE WORK. It costs me the same to produce an average image as it does for one of my "hero" shots. By only giving my best work both the charity and my business get the most from the donation.

Shows like Art in the Park are just another opportunity to show the work. Sure I sold some pieces and collected some orders, but the real value was that hundreds of local people got to see my photographs. In the future when they are trying to think of a birthday gift for gramma or a going away present for a co-worker, and they want something that reflects the essence of our region, they may just remember me.

How many times did I say "show the work"? Not enough.

More about the Monadnock Area Artists Association

Surviving the Wet

2011-08-29T23:14:00.002-04:00

With hurricane (now tropical storm) Irene drenching my corner of New Hampshire, it seems an appropriate time to discuss approaches to photography in the rain. We all love getting out to shoot in bad weather, the more miserable the better, but rain water has a way of finding it's way into lens and the sensitive electronics of our high tech cameras potentially causing disastrous damage. Recently a new friend took her Canon 5D Mark II out unprotected to shoot a spectacular waterfall that was full with recent rain. Tragically the sky opened up once again and the water transformed her marvelous camera into an inert black plastic brick. It will cost over $700 to get it working again. Although I have never lost a camera, I have had my own rain related "learning experiences". So here are few tips I have learned from my own bitter experiences and some that I have acquired from others.

Get out there
First and most importantly do go out in the rain. Wet misty days can provide wonderful opportunities to capture marvelously evocative and moody images. Instead of staying home whining on Twitter about the terrible conditions, focus on finding ways to shot without major risk to your equipment.

Dressing your camera, many choices.

There are many ways to protect your camera from the elements. An obvious answer is to to shoot from under cover. A porch or car window can work well especially if you are not shooting into the wind. Umbrellas can be tricky to manage unless you have a dedicated assistant and the wind is fairly calm. There are numerous camera covers ranging from a few dollars to close to one hundred.
Some of the solutions are really quite complex, using special materials and elaborate systems to allow camera adjustments.

Kata E-702

Kata produces some of the sturdiest camera bags on the market and their covers are certainly toward the higher end. The Kata E-702 has hand sleeves for internal adjustments and strategically located windows. It seems to have quite positive reviews, but with the extended lens sleeve, it will set you back over $120. Since I only infrequently shoot in the rain, I have generally gone for cheaper approaches. I have the Opt/Tech Rainsleeve which is quite basic and only costs about $7 for a package of two. The rain sleeve is simply a clear plastic tube that attaches to the front of the lens with a draw string and a small opening held to the viewfinder by your eye cup. The tube fits rather snuggly and when the camera is on a tripod, all adjustments must be done through the plastic. I like to get underneath the cover to have a better feel for the controls so I have never really felt comfortable with this approach. My recent solution has been decidedly low tech, but cheap and effective. On my rainy shoot last week I simply cut a kitchen garbage bag to protect the gear. My approach was to slice the bag along one of its sides to allow me to easily slip the bag over the camera. I then added a lens hole on the opposite side of the bottom of the bag. I used a rubber band to attach the opening to the lens. I then had easy access to the controls from the

back and from below, putting my head underneath only when it was time to frame and focus. It does help to know the feel of your controls since in my case the white bag was only vaguely translucent. This worked well although I still had to use my towels to wipe off stray droplets and there was no escaping the need to constantly watch for drops on the filter protecting my lens. I don't believe this would work as well in high gusty winds, but for most situations it is quite adequate and the bags are very easy to stuff into a corner of any bag. Just one additional point is worth mentioning. You should use a clear or translucent bag. If nervous security personal can't see under your black plastic wrap they may assume you are aiming a grenade launcher at that precious national monument. In the end there are many effective ways to cover your gear, the important thing is to do SOMETHING.

A few more thoughts.Now that you have dressed your camera for the weather, it is time to think of your own comfort. Water resistant, breathable rain gear is a must. Since I seldom bother with rainproof pants, I usually bring a couple of large trash bags to cover the ground where I am sitting or knelling. In a gentle rain my lens hood does a good job keeping drops off the lens filter especially if I can keep the camera pointing down most of the time. But when the rain is heavy and blowing, lens cloths can get saturated very quickly. It is wise to bring several cloths on a rainy shoot. Towels are also helpful to have on hand to continually wipe off your equipment and yourself. Finally when you come home after a shoot on a cold rainy day you would be smart to place your gear in a plastic bag to avoid condensation as it warms, but if the weather is already warm a bag will only hold in the moisture and slow the drying process.

Photography in the rain opens opportunities for dramatic images and with a little forethought and planning your camera won't end up paying the price in the shop.

Galapagos Tortoise, Ecuador

"Paint-Out" in Peterborough

2011-08-21T17:42:00.004-04:00

Our Town

The 6th Annual Sharon Arts Center Paint-Out was held last week which means that I spent the last week running back and forth to Peterborough NH, a 45 minute trip, looking for exciting locations to shoot. Every year the Arts Center sponsors this event to draw local artists to a specific locale. This year the location was the classic New England town of Peterborough, the original "Our Town" from Thornton Wilder's play. As in past years the center solicited local property owners to allow access to their land for one week and, at the end, the results were displayed at a Friday evening show. It is a great opportunity to discover a new area and to have access to some remarkably beautiful sites that would otherwise be out of reach.

Noone Falls In the Rain

Rosaly's Garden

As might be expected this format makes for a hectic week. I had to find time to get over to Peterborough (hopefully in good light), to capture the requisite number of spectacular images while leaving enough time to process, print and mat
them for the Friday evening show. This year
was particularly stressful. In my pre-scouting

Contoocook River

the week before, I found some interesting possibilities, but most seemed to be "morning" sites. The way my work week laid out, I only had Monday morning, and of course, it poured rain all that day. No soft morning light. The good news was that I was able to catch the freshly engorged Noone Falls in soft overcast. The light also worked well on the flowers in the many beautiful gardens. The bad news was that, after a few hours, I was drenched to the skin. Fortunately the make-shift camera cover that I had fashioned from a kitchen garbage bag work well enough to keep my camera from drowning, but I did saturate two large towels from continuously drying off the equipment. The weather was substantially better for the rest of the week, but since I had to work Tuesday through Thursday all I could do was try to get back over to Peterborough for the evening light. The thrill of this kind of short schedule shooting is that it adds an extra sense of adventure to your explorations, but it was a bit exhausting. I was up until 2am Friday morning finishing the final eight images.

The Friday evening reception and show was held at the beautiful Sharon Arts Center Gallery in downtown Peterborough. It waswell attended, and perhaps most importantly, the food

The photographer gets the spot
next to the bar

and wine were excellent - and free! As the only photographer participating in the "Paint-Out", I was somewhat the odd man out, but, since I have been unable to convince the Center to change the name to "Paint and Pixel - Out", I had to just struggle along. One major consolation was that I was given the spot right next to the bar. I was disappointed this year that there wasn't at least one other photographer to commiserate with. I guess if I was a real artist I would paint. (note: please excuse snarky comment)

Nubanusit Brook

As in past years, the real attraction of the Paint-Out was all about the refreshing photographic opportunities. In the end I found some lovely spots and probably missed many more. I gained a new appreciation of the photographic attractions in an area in which I was relatively unfamiliar and that will undoubtedly lead to more return visits. Most importantly, I met many lovely people who welcomed me to there properties. That is really what a "Pixel-Out" should be all about.

Check out more information about the Sharon Arts Center's many events and classes at: http://www.sharonarts.org/

I will be adding more images from this year's Paint-Out on my flickr Set

HDR: Bon Appetitt

2011-08-14T15:10:00.020-04:00

"Going Crazy" at Cathedral of the Pines

I have always had a love-hate relationship with High Dynamic Range Photography. I view the ability to capture a broad span of brightness in a way that more closely matches the capability of the human eye as one of the many remarkable advantages of the digital recording of images. Although Digital sensors are constantly improving, they remain inferior to film (especially negative film) in terms of the range of brightness that can be recorded, but digital images are receptive to a array of post processing techniques that can broaden their dynamic range to a remarkable degree. High contrast subjects that, with film, would require a decision to either expose for the highlights or the shadows can be captured with the full range of brightness. There are a growing number of powerful HDR programs that can combine several bracketed exposures to generate a high dynamic range image. Photomatix has been the standard for some time, but others are in the competition. Photoshop has included an HDR function in recent versions, but, for me, this solution remains inferior to other options.

Mt. Monadnock from Catherdral of the Pines : Going crazy again!

These programs perform real magic to an image, but to my taste (and it is certainly a matter of taste) HDR too often is taken miles beyond the rescue of lost contrast and into a cartoonish rendering of reality that may be seen as artistic but in no way reflects how the subject was seen. Before I hear the howls of indignant protest, let me acknowledge that HDR is like seasoning on food, some like a touch and others prefer to pour it on. There are incredible artists out there who create remarkable images with HDR, check out Trey Radcliff's anazing work. Everyone's taste is valid, this is only about my sensibility and capabilities.

I was reminded about all this a couple of weeks ago when I received a inquiry from a designer who was interested in using one of my images on a "gourmet" doggy treat package. I have FINALLY arrived! I was surprised when I learned that the picture he had selected was one of just a few on which I had experimented with what I feel is rather garishly heavy HDR rendering. The picture was a multi-image capture of a farm connected to the beautiful and inspiring Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge New Hampshire. It was fun to "go crazy" with this, but It is not the way I normally choose to reflect what I see and, as a result, I was unprepared to have it attract this attention. I'm not sure whether I will actually make it to the doggy bag, but, my sensibilities aside, I will certainly be happy to license the image.

HDR simply refers to a variety of techniques which are are available to capture the full range of brightness and I feel that this is sometimes better accomplished with manipulations in Photoshop that don't involve bracketed images or dedicated software. There are situation in which I am quite happy to use HDR software such as Photomatrix. Last week, while scouting sites in Peterborough NH for the upcoming Sharon Arts "Paint-Out", I came a cross a nice field of new mowed hay glowing in the evening light. The contrast between sun and shadow was daunting, but three images in Photomatrix did a impressive job balancing the light. Because the images were taken in a burst there was essentially no movement in the trees or clouds to cause ghosting. All I had to do was blend out a bit of banding in the clouds. In the right situation HDR software can be magical and so, when faced with a high contrast subject, I will often take a series of exposures with the thought that I may go into Photomatrix to gently massage out the full dynamic range. The results are usually striking at first glance, but on closer inspection I often start seeing problems that become significant if the images is to be taken beyond a small on-line picture. Coarse grain, ghosting of moving elements, chromatic aberration and loss of sharpness become particularly troublesome when I try to print large images for display or sale. I frequently end up returning to Photoshop to either manually blend a couple of the images or use the software's powerful tools to tame the broad contrast. This inevitably takes considerably more time, but in the end I am usually much happier with the results.

Ok her is an example. Two nights ago, while walking Nelly to the l

Tone Mapped PhotoMatix
Image

ake for a swim, I found the golden evening light highlighting a great old oak at the edge of Partridge Brook. For a long time I have been looking for the opportunity to capture this tree when it would stand out against the background jumble of marsh and trees. This was it. The contrast was too much for my taste so I took three bracketed images, and returned home to get to work. After a bit of preliminary work in Adobe Raw, I plugged the images into Photomatrix and, after experimenting with the program's dizzying number of adjustments, I came up with what I felt was a striking image.
On closer inspection however I found the usual problems. Even with light wind, the leaves were blurred and ghosted. The sky showed color banding and the image was generally quite soft and grainy. I went back to Photoshop. I chose the one image whose histogram showed the best range of contrast and then went back to work. As can be seen from the layers, this was not the simplest approach. I first used the magic Shadow/Highlight tool to narrow the contrast. I used Color Range to select the sky for separate

Photoshop Image

adjustment. This required work to keep the sky selection from bleeding over into the leaves, but Photoshop's new selection tools make this complicated task a relative stroll in the park. Although I was not able to get the same deep blue seen in the tonemapped version without becoming subject to the same banding artifacts, I think the broader range in intensity is more natural. With the precise sky selection in hand, I was able to invert it to make isolated adjustment in the warm tones of the foliage.

At the end, I think I came out with a result that was every bit as effective a the tonemapped version and, as can be seen in the close-up comparison, much sharper and clean. I am sure that HDR software will continue to rapidly improve. Already there are in-camera HDR solutions which I expect will become standard in the near future. For now I think its great that we have so many choices. I will continue to use whichever tool gives me the best control over dynamic range and I am sure others will continue use these tools to create there own images to satisfy the broadest range of photographic tastes. Bon appetitt!

Isles of Shoals

2011-08-07T09:41:00.003-04:00

Sunrise on Rye Beach

Last weekend Sue and I took our annual summer trip to Rye Beach New Hampshire. For years, good friends of ours have rented a cottage on the beach, and we typically plan one weekend every summer to visit. It is our annual dose of beach sitting. Two days of lounging by the shore, rolling my toes in the sand and watching the full range of body types walking by is about all I can take. Fortunately it is also a great chance to shoot the seacoast, one of my favorite activities. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm – that is to say, less than perfect for dramatic ocean images, but there were some special opportunities.

On Saturday we rode a converted lobster boat 6 miles out into the

Oceanic Hotel, Star Island

gulf of Maine for a brief visit to the Isles of Shoals. The Isles of Shoals is a starkly beautiful collection of dry rocky islands which straddle the border between Maine and New Hampshire. We cruised around the major islands of the group and had the opportunity to briefly explore Star Island. Over the centuries the islands have been used as a fishing base for native Americans and early settlers, and more recently as an isolated summer retreat. The islands vary from small tidal ledges to Appledore Island, which at 95 acres is the largest of the group.

The second largest island, and the only one with public ferry service, is 45 acre Star Island. This island is used as a religious conference center affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association. During the summer the organization sponsors conferences covering a broad range of religious and secular topics. In addition to the formal conferences, visitors can come for a “personal retreat” staying for one night or a few days. Day visitors are also welcome to explore the rocky landscape and its well preserved historic buildings. The conferences are held in the old Oceanic Hotel and Gosport House, which are the remaining examples of the Isles of Shoal’s “Grand” hotels that were popular during its peak as a summer retreat. There are also many surviving old stone structures dating back to the original settlement. The most striking of these is the classic 150 year old Chapel which proudly overlooks the surrounding islands from its perch on the modest height of land.

The Ferry from Portsmouth is in.

White Island Light
from Star Island

Despite its diminutive size Star Island provides a treasure of photographic opportunities. The windswept landscape is tough on living things, but there are interesting hardy trees and shrubs as well as an array of wildflowers. There is also a variety of sea birds in residence and seals can occassionally be spotted patroling the surrounding waters. The old buildings provide a wonderful glimpse back into hisory from early colonial times to faded 19th century opulence. It is all set against vistas of the enveloping ocean, punctuated by the rugged surrounding islands, many of which have evocative names such as Appledore, Mingo, and Smuttynose. It is hard to imagine a more classically situated, small

White Island Lighthouse

island lighthouse than the White Island Light, lying just to the south of Star Island. The lighthouse appears as if it had grown directly out of its small strip of rocky ledge. Sadly I only had about 90 minutes to explore the island this weekend and I was stuck dealing with the brilliant midday light, but I am seriously considering reserving my own “personal retreat” in the near future. What a gift to have this magical place for a sunset and sunrise, or perhaps several.

For more information :Star Island Corporation

For more images check out my Atlantic Coast Flickr Set

Calendar Pressure

2011-07-29T15:23:00.000-04:00

This is the time of year that I start getting increasingly nervous about the fact that I don’t have my New England Reflections Calendar done for the coming year. This is why I should be working on the calendar and not slavishly serving the insatiable blog monster. Since I have to Blog, I’m hoping that blogging about the calendar will jump start the project. For 6 years I have been producing a calendar to benefit the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at The Cheshire Medical Center / Dartmouth Hitchcock Keene in Keene New Hampshire. For some time before that I had considered publishing a calendar featuring my New England landscape photography, but I always felt that it would uncomfortable to try to market myself in that way. Then it became glaringly obvious. If I used the project as an opportunity to give back to my community, I would feel less self-conscious about promoting my work. From the beginning I have donated all the proceeds of calendar sales to Pulmonary Rehab and although I frequently donate my work to various nonprofits in the region, it has been the calendar that has given me the most satisfaction. I have been involved in Pulmonary Rehabilitation from the beginning. The program provides an opportunity for patients who are struggling with chronic lung disease to understand their illness and though exercise and education learn to function more comfortably and independently at home. Over the years the calendar sales have brought in over $40,000 to help patients afford the cost of the program and to support supplemental rehabilitation activities such as the annual eager breather’s Fresh Air Day Cruise on lake Winnipesaukee.

2006 Cheshire Medical Center Fresh Air Cruise Crew

So here is what I have to do over the next few weeks. First I must select the images for the calendar. Unfortunately, because the calendar is in landscape format many of my best portrait oriented images are immediately eliminated and, after 6 years I have to be careful to be sure that I don’t absentmindedly include one of the 60 or so pictures that were published in previous editions. I try to strike a fair balance of images from Vermont and New Hampshire while usually adding one Atlantic coast picture. I look for images that are not only attractive but that also tell a story that I can recount in the few lines available at the bottom of each month’s page. I often find myself staring at a nice image while thinking, "What can I possibly say about this picture". I struggle against the urge to simply write "Red Barn in Hinsdale" and instead dive into research to find something a little more informative. Next I have to find banner images that will fit just above each month’s calendar, trying to compliment the large image. I look for thumbnail images to decorate some of the open blocks on the calendar. One of the most challenging tasks is to select a cover image. It is always difficult to settle on the one "hero shot’ that will make my calendar pop off the shelf. After I have selected the images, the next chore is to decide on which holidays to include. Do I list Washington’s birthday and Lincoln’s birthday along with President's Day?, isn’t "Christmas Eve" self –explanatory?, how do I spell "(C)han(n)uk(k)a(h)"? and what do I do about Cinco de Mayo? Happily my new partner is from Pakistan, but even he can’t unambiguously explain to me when Ramadan actually begins. All I want to do is avoid an international incident.

After everything is together in my own mock-up form I can send it to the printer. When the proof comes back I get as many people as possible to review the pages, but, no matter how careful we are, mistakes always seem to slip through. One year we ended up with the Pumpkin Festival on the wrong weekend and last year the designer skipped a day . Seriously! There was no September 26th in 2010! Since the calendars were already distributed throughout the community, I had to go from store to store adding a sticker with the correction to every calendar I could find.

Well that is a brief decription of what I SHOULD be doing instead of blogging. I don't mean to sound negative. Despite the work and the frustrations, producing the calendar has done more to connect me to my community than anything else. I feel strongly that it is important for photographers to give back. Dealing regularly with people struggling with chronic lung disease, I see how valuable a program of rehabilitation can be. It is wonderful that I can use my photography to support that program in some small way.

Now I have several hundred images to review!

You can check out Flickr Sets showing images from the last couple of years :

2011 Calendar

2010 Calendar

Protecting Your Photographic Jewels

2011-07-24T10:20:00.005-04:00

There is an endlessly ongoing debate about the routine use of filters to protect valuable lenses from scratches and smudges. I have always felt that my lenses are my most precious photographic jewels, much more valuable than my latest camera.. With the rapid pace of development in digital technology, it seems these days that I'm lusting for a new camera about every couple years, but great glass should last for a lifetime. When I buy a new lens, the very next thing that I do is to slap on a UV or clear filter to protect my investment and I get sweaty palms every time I change that little piece of glass. I have heard all the arguments against this practice and they are quite reasonable. "What sense does it make to place a cheap piece of glass in front of a $1,000+ collection of marvelously tuned and coated optics". "The extra layer of glass provides more opportunities for reflections and flare. softening the images". "A lens cap can provide all the protection you need". All good arguments, although I should point out that quality filters are hardly cheap any more. On my side I can only offer what happened to me earlier this week.

The weather has been oppressively hot the last few days with temperatures smoldering into the high 90's, worsened by suffocating humidity. One of the only advantages of this weather is that, as the afternoons progress, we are often treated to towering clouds building into impressive thunderheads. A couple of days ago I went out in the evening looking for opportunities to catch the golden light on these castles in the sky. The sky above was clear and deep blue, but closer to ground the hazy air had an almost iridescent glow that made the heat palpable. I set up across a field from a nice farm house in Hinsdale NH and waited for the towering clouds to move across the scene. At one point I ran back to the car to get my telephoto lens. My heart dropped when I pulled the lens from my case. Apparently a wayward AA battery had escaped its container ending up underneath my beloved 100-400mm zoom. The lens cap had come loose allowing the battery to sadistically grind into the lens. As can be seen the polarizing filter that I had left in place was demolished. Holding my breath as I removed the filter I found only a little glass dust from the filter, which was easily blown and brushed away. That polarizer gave its life to protect the lens and I was never so thrilled to loose a filter. It was even the cheapest of my polarizers.

I still understand the arguments against keeping filters on lenses and I do remove them in special situations such as when shooting into the sun. I always get the best filters I can afford, but after this week I feel even more strongly that I should continue to protect my precious photographic jewels.

If you are looking for quality filters you can't go wrong by visiting my friends and neighbors at the Filter Connection, in Gilsum New Hampshire.

Shine a Little Light

2011-07-17T21:47:00.001-04:00

Lost in the Ferns

There is a long list of tools that a photographers can use to draw a viewer’s eye to the intended subject of a composition. Perhaps the most important is to eliminate distracting elements, but also the use of leading lines, selective focus and the impaling of the subject on one of the rule of thirds cross hairs can be effective. Lighting can also be used to draw attention to the central theme of an image and this week I want to share a quick and simple Photoshop technique that I frequently use to draw the eye, as well as to add drama and depth to an image. It's just a matter of shining a spotlight on your subject.

Spotlighted Nellie

My dog Nellie is a great trail dog and she loves to hide herself among the spring ferns in the forest. Although the foliage is a critical part of the story,

Spotlighted
Curve Adjustment

I still want Nellie’s mischievous face to shine out from the jumble. I could create a careful selection of her face and then apply a curves or levels adjustment to brighten her expression, but I find that the resulting contrast is often too stark to seem natural. A simpler, and to my eye a more pleasing, approach is to again use an adjustment layer to either darken the background or lighten her face (or both) and

My Daughter Abigail (not in the ferns)

then apply a circular gradient on a layer mask to apply the adjustment in a more gradual way. If I am brightening the subject I will use white in the gradient tool to apply the effect. If I have darkened the image, then black will screen the subject. You simply start with the cursor on the center of your subject and then pull it outward to create the desired size and feathering. The result can be thought of as applying a soft edged spotlight to the subject. This approach can certainly be overdone, but, if applied carefully, the result is usually not consciously noticeable. The effect can best be appreciated by switching the adjustment layer on and off. Once completed, the intensity of the adjustment and its opacity can be tuned to get the desired result, and the impact can often be surprisingly significant. I frequently use this spotlighting approach in portraits to focus attention on the subject, especially when the background is unavoidably busy. It is much more controlled than if I applied vignetting to the entire image.

Double Spotlight

Spotlighting can also be effective in adding depth and drama to landscapes. In the picture of horses heading home to Roads End Farm, I both darkened the surrounding trees and lightened the horse to draw the eye down the road and accentuate the sense of depth. In appropriate situations this can draw out a sense of dimension from an otherwise flat image.

Spotlight on the Right

Spotlighting does not work in all situations, but it is such a simple technique that it is frequently worth a try. My goal is always is to draw the viewer to see and feel the scene as I did in the field, and this is just one tool that can help to achieve that vision. Give it a try. I would appreciate hearing if you find this useful.

Shooting Chesterfield's 250Th

2011-07-10T20:41:00.002-04:00

This fourth of July weekend the town of Chesterfield New Hampshire celebrated its 250^th Anniversary. It was actually in 1752 that the town was chartered as Chesterfield, but it wasn’t until November of 1761 that the first settlers traveled up the Connecticut River to build near where the current boat landing is located. It has been our privilege to live in Chesterfield for over other 30years and although the natives still consider us "flat-landers", they must acknowledge that our two children have their roots firmly planted in Chesterfield's rocky soil. Over the years we have felt a strong attachment to the town and our neighbors. We have participated in the uniquely American tradition of town meeting government and while Susan has served on the Budget Committee and School Board, I have been a member of the Conservation Committee for over 20 years. Last weekend's 250^th Anniversary was a wonderful and well deserved celebration and I was honored to be asked by the Selectmen and the Historical Society to be their photographer. The festivities were held mostly on Saturday and included a parade, antique car show, historical skits, story telling, coronary artery clogging food and a ceremony honoring the town’s history. Descendants of the early families, many of whom still live in town, were recognized. The whole event was relaxed and low key, much like a big family picnic.

I have photographed a number of events in recent years including the Penguin Plunge and the Stonewall Farm Sap Gathering Contests. I think I am beginning to get a handle on how to approach the job, but every event has its own challenges and opportunities. The 250^th party had the advantage of being in a small area, but I had to split my time between photography and taking my turn at the Conservation Commission table. As usual I especially enjoyed getting in close to the participants to get intimate portraits, but I always have to remind myself to get the broader establishing shots.

Images of the signs and wide perspectives of the field and proceedings are important to give a feel of the overall experience. I try not to get in the way of the activities and for this my 100-400 telephoto was very helpful. Fortunately the day was bright and sunny allowing me to hand hold my big lens without too much trouble, but the bright contrasty light imposed its own challenges, especially on portraits. Where possible I tried to move my subjects into the shade, but I was also able to get more experience with fill flash. By the end I had about 500 images to process. So far, I have over 100 workable photographs, but one things is certain. If I don’t show a picture of every town fire truck that rolled down the parade route, I may not get much of a response the next time my house is in flames.

Due to the vision, dedication and hard work of so many townspeople, the whole celebration came across beautifully. Now back to the rest of those 500 images. I hope to get them done by the time the 300th anniversary rolls around.

Infrared, Seeing Photography in a Different Light

2011-07-05T13:37:00.090-04:00

Photographers love new gear. For me, whether it is a new lens, filter, or camera, it seems like there is always something (or somethings) on my list. With all that magical, shinny stuff out there it is easy to forget that the secret to great photographs is vision and the technique to capture that vision within an image. Ok, but putting all that artsy stuff aside, I want GEAR! So how can we realistically judge the value of new equipment? I believe that the best yard stick is to assess the extent to which a particular piece of equipment allows us to see our subjects in different ways. A wide angle lens, a macro lens or a camera with enhanced low light capability all have the potential to open new windows on the world, expanding our vision. Using this criteria I have found that shooting in Infrared passes the "new vision" test with flying colors (or at least in bizarre colors). Just over a week ago I got my old Canon 20D back from Lifepixel. Lifepixel is one of a few companies specializing in Infrared conversion. In a couple of weeks they transformed my dusty doorstop into an exciting new tool and I'm having a great time.

Prudential Center 1978

Infrared is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum beyond deep red. Although these longer wave lengths are beyond the ability of our eyes to detect, infrared photographs have been captured since the early 1900's. I first explored infrared photography over 30 years ago using special film and development techniques. Early in my digital life I returned to IR using dark filters which blocked the visual spectrum. Images required long exposures and had to be framed and focused before the filter was attached. Also auto focus was useless. The filters were expensive and as I moved to DSLRs the process seemed to be too much of a hassle to be worth the cost. With IR conversion of my 20D it is time to get back into IR once again.

The Conversion:

Digital sensors are actually highly sensitive to infrared light. In fact, digital cameras must have a infrared filter to keep the visual spectrum from being overwhelmed. The camera conversion process involves removing the IR filter and replacing it with one that blocks visable light. Because this all happens behind the mirror on DSLRs, the result is a camera that can be framed and focused like a standard DSLR. And without the dense filter the exposures are similar to those with visible light. Lifepixel did all this for $250. I could have saved money by doing the conversion myself , but for me having the experts do it and stand behind it was a bargain.

Seeing in Infrared:

So how does infrared "see" the world. More correctly, how does infrared affect how I see the world. Most importantly Infrared has resurrected my black & white eye, but it is black & white with a major twist. Black & white and IR photography are both about contrast and pattern, but, in order to find interesting patterns in a the scene with Infrared, we need to understand the differences between what we see and what the sensor records as light and dark. There are some important differences between how B&W and IR "see". Among the most prominent attributes of Infrared images are inky dark skies and the ability to penetrate atmospheric haze. Murky conditions that might be dismal for visual light photography can be clear and sharp in IR (see the comparison shots of Mt. Monadnock from Silver Lake). Undoubtedly the most striking difference, however, is that foliage strongly reflects IR light, transforming green leaves and grass into what may be mistaken for a frosty winter landscape. The overall effect can range from Ansel Adams dramatic to wildly surrealistic depending on the choice of subject and the processing. Actually Infrared images are not colorless. Digital IR images are recorded strongly in the red portion of the spectrum. Often the strong red tint is eliminated by conversion to B&W, but the color can also be used to manipulate the final photograph. In a couple of examples here I was able to bring out a blue color in the water and sky by switching the red channel for blue in Photoshop. Lifepixel has a nice tutorial about how to make this particular switch, but the same technique can be used to bring out other color effects. Finally Infrared is generally horrible for portraits. Skin is turned to a pasty anemic white, contrasting with demonic black eyes. Great for horror movies, but not something that will enamour you to the bridal party.

There is an abundance of information on Infrared photography on the web, but in the end I think the images tell the story best. Needless to say, over the last week, I have been running about visiting many of my old favorite locations to see how IR can provide a new perspective. I have literally been seeing my world in a new light and that is what gear should be all about.

For more Infrared Images check out my Flickr Set

Long Exposure Crowd Control

2011-06-28T00:18:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday I finally got my IR converted Canon 20D back from Lifepixel. Since then I have spent most of my free time running around town experimenting with every subject I can imagine. I look forward to blogging about infrared photography when I have a bit more experience. But this week I have to do something simple so I can get back to IR-ing. Today I will discuss another special approach to "Crowd Control"

From reading a number of my blogs, it may seem that I hate people. I have discussed stacking multiple images and cloning to remove those pesky carbon based life forms from my landscapes. The truth is that I only question the role of humanity when they have the unconscious audacity to come between me and my vision. At the risk of further damage to my social reputation, I offer one more way to nonviolently eliminate people in a special situation.

A few years ago, I happened upon a classic cobbled street in the heart of the wonderful seacoast city of Portland Maine. Wharf Street is a pedestrian passage that gets heavy foot traffic especially on warm Saturday evenings in the spring. I found that I could capture the warm light with an exposure of about 3 seconds, but, with folks continuously walking by, the road was filled with blurred bodies. My first approach was to wait for a magic moment when the street was clear of people, but I was with friends who were increasingly impatient to get to dinner. I only briefly considered returning at 3am in hopes that the lights would still be on, but I quickly decided that a more civilized choice was to try a long exposure.

30 second Exposure

In the second image I was able to stretch my exposure to 30 seconds, f22 and ISO 100. During that 30 seconds a number of couples walked by, but, as long as they kept moving, they disappeared. Of course I tried to maintain an unwelcoming expression to discourge curious people from stoppping in front of the camera to ask what I was doing. A few stationary vagrants remained in the image, but overall I was pleased with the results. This approach might have worked better with a longer exposure, requiring the use of a neutral density filter, but image noise would have become an increasing problem.

Long exposures can be used to remove or de-emphasize moving objects or people, but, as I've tried this in other situations, I have discovered a couple of factors that can effect the success of the approach. First, long exposures work best when the background shines though for the majority of the time. Ideally this would mean folks coming through on random paths with space in-between. A long continuos line of people walking past will obscure the background with a soft blur, artistically interesting, but collectively transforming
the individuals into an amoebic blob instead of removing them. Secondly, any bright or specular light will inscribe trails on the image regardless of how long they are in view. The streaks of colorful light created when capturing a long exposure of a busy road at night can be interesting, but it makes it impossible to hide the presence of the vehicles. As it turns out, Portland's Wharf Street was a good place to use this technique. On the other hand, the image of Main Street in Keene New Hampshire did not work as well. I took a daylight 30 second exposure with a line of cars coming by. The cars were not seen individually but they produced a soft blur which was punctuated by streaks of gleaming chrome. Although I like the soft appearance of the trees, this was clearly not the best situation for this technique.

I plan to continue to experiment with this approach. I am particularly interested in trying longer exposures, up to several minutes. Anything to remove the pernicious impact of humans on our environment!

Floral Photography "Teed Up"

2011-06-19T23:50:00.001-04:00

I am not at heart a floral photographer. I love the brilliant colors and delicate beauty of native and exotic flowers, but, based on a deficiency of both equipment and inclination, I don't seem to be optimally fitted to the task. In terms of equipment, I lack a good macro lens to focus on the fine detail. My workhorse 24-105mm lens has a minimum focal range of only18 inches. As for inclination, I am generally not "inclined" to lay on my stomach in the moldy dirt for hours waiting for a split second of calm air to still the waving foliage. I admire all the dedicated people who do this so spectacularly, but for me, I need to have the flowers "teed up". That is why, in the spring, I love going to Walker Farm in Dummerston Vermont. Walkers is a unique place, combining the best of a wonderful organic farm stand and lush green houses supporting a brilliant array of flowering plants. A few weeks ago I accompanied my wife to the farm and while she was filling the car with flowers for the garden and the gazebo, I was in heaven shooting the flowers. Real flower photographers will undoubtedly be appalled, but for me, photographing in a green house is a joy.

First even on sunny days, the light in the greenhouse is generally soft and diffused, making the colors richer and eliminating troublesome glare and sharp contrast. I seldom need to use a diffuser . There is essentially no wind to contend with and the flowers are elevated on tables or hanging from above - no crawling in the dirt! Most importantly the flowers at Walker Farm are beautifully arranged and uniformly healthy. An added bonus is that the flowers are usually labeled making identification much easier for a botanical moron like myself. The folks at Walker Farm are always very welcoming and have even helped me identify unlabeled plants and flowers. They clearly love what they do and are excited to share their joy with everyone who visits.

There are some challenges that come with greenhouse photography. Most importantly the background needs to be carefully monitored and controlled to avoid distracting elements, such as posts and windows, that could spoil the natural feel of the image. Depending on the color of the roofing material, white balance can be tricky, but a white or gray card can be very helpful in setting a custom white balance that can then be used throughout the shoot. It is especially important to be sensitive to needs and safety of the other visitors. Wandering among all this beauty someone could easily stumble over a protruding tripod leg.

Real floral photographers may argue that flowers are best seen in their natural environment, and they undoubtedly have a point. But when I am shooting in the wild, I tend to look for soft light and calm air to capture flowers to best advantage. If it is argued that achieving those condition in a greenhouse is cheating, I can only quote the profound words of my friend Sarah and say "You Betcha".

Walker Farm is located on Route 5 in Dummerston Vermont just North of Brattleboro. For lots more information and directions check out there website. I particularly recommend the fascinating history page which follows the farm from the 1770's to the present. When you visit you will be unable resist the wonderful produce that keeps our family coming back thoughout the season.

Most areas of the country have farms and nurseries that provide similar opportunities. Find yours and enjoy the delicious experience of cheating with the flowers.

Fixing Polarized Skies

2011-06-12T19:33:00.007-04:00

This week I would like to share a short bit of Photoshop technique that I use to cope with a problem in the sky when using polarizing filters on broad landscapes. Hopefully this will be a quick one since I'm still working my way through the images from the Fields of Lupine Festival last weekend in Sugar Hill New Hampshire. The Festival was a lot of fun and provided one of the best chances I have experienced to find so many spectacular photographic opportunities in such a short period of time and in such a small area. While working through the images, however, I face a number of situations in which the polarized sky effect became a problem.

I love using polarizing filters. Depending on the direction of the light they can work wonders on the depth and brilliance of colors in my landscapes. On sunny days they block the light reflections that often dull the color of flowers and foliage. Many photographs also use a polarizer to darken blue sky and this is were we can get into trouble. The effect of a polarizing filter is directly related to the direction of the sun, being at its maximum when the light is coming from 90 degrees to the side. There is almost no effect when the light is coming from directly behind or into the camera. As we have all seen, when photographing a wide panorama the angle of the light varies across the scene and the polarizing effect varies as well. In the original of this panoramic view of Franconia Notch the sky varied from deep blue on the right to a pale blue-gray on the left. I'm getting better at anticipating this problem and will often limit it by dialing back on the polarizer, but in this situation I wanted to get the full polarizing effect to bring out the varied colors of the Lupines. This called for a solution in post.

Correcting this problem is really not difficult in Photoshop and similar approaches may work in other photo editing programs. The Goal here is to provide progressive, selective darkening to the left side of the sky without affecting the rest of the image. As is always true in Photoshop, there are a number of ways to achieve this. I prefer to make a curves adjustment to the sky and then drop the curve layer into a group onto which I can add a gradient mask to apply the adjustment in a gradual way across the image. Simple huh! ... Ok here are the steps.

 First I do a careful selection of the sky. This is by far the most time-consuming part of the procedure, although newer versions of photoshop have some magical tools that make this job MUCH easier. That could be the subject of a whole series of blogs

Sky Selection

 Next I usually open a curves adjustment layer with the sky mask applied. If you open the adjustment layer with the selection active, the mask is created automatically. Then, looking at the lighter side, I darken the sky to match what the darker side had been. I don't worry that the dark side gets even darker at the same time. I will fix that next. It's also not important to get the curve adjustment perfect since it can be fine-tuned later.

 I then open a layer Group (red dot) and move my Curves Layer into the Group.

 Finally I apply a gradient layer mask to the Group to apply the darkening effect gradually across the image. I experiment with the position of the gradient on the image to find the most natural blend. In this image I actually applied the technique a second time, in the opposite direction, to lighten the dark side of the sky. But that is about it.

There are other approaches to essentially double mask an image or adjustment layer. It is possible to intersect two different masks on a single layer, but I prefer the control that this technique affords, allowing the independent adjustment of both the sky selection and the gradient mask.

Final Image: Franconia Notch
Fields of Lupine Festival 2011

I apologize if these steps seem too technical. Photoshop's learning curve is infinite, but, come back the next time you are faced with this problem. It all may make more sense. The greatest enjoyment comes from playing around until you find your own solution. In the end you will be able to use your polarizer in a more controlled and powerful way.

Now back to the Lupines. I swear, I'm dreaming in blue these days.

Fields of Lupine Festival 2011

2011-06-07T22:41:00.007-04:00

This weekend I finally got up to the Lupine Festival centered in Sugar Hill New Hampshire. In New England, Lupines are one of the most impressive and phallic of our wildflowers and they show up in all sorts of locations. Many of my special places for Lupines in the Monadnock region and southern Vermont are otherwise uninteresting. Near home one of my favorite spots is actually in the traffic circle at route 9 and 91 in Brattleboro Vermont. The only thing exciting about that location is trying to avoid getting run over. Wherever they are found Lupines are bright attractive flowers, but what makes the Fields of Lupine Festival special is not the Lupines, but the locations. In a small area around Sugar Hill, north of Franconia Notch, the flowers are set against some of the most spectacular scenery in all of New England. Within two or three miles, fields of blue, pink and white decorate views of ancient stonewalls, pristine pastures, churches, dramatic mountains, and classic rusting farm equipment.

I was fortunate to be staying in a house in Franconia with a group of friends, none of whom had any compelling interest in photography. We ate well, drank moderately, hiked and enjoyed the perfect spring weather from our deck overlooking Canon Mountain and Lafayette. Somehow, over the 3 days, I was able to shoot the Lupines at sunrise, evening and midday.I was like a kid in a candy shop running from one photographically rich location to another.

For years I have admired the wonderful images from the festival. As I approached the weekend, I was concerned about how to find many of the classic locations that I have come to know from browsing images on Flickr and elsewhere, but as it turned out, this was not a problem. With the help of Jim Salge and other “Flickr Friends” I got to most of the classic viewing spots, and The 2011 Festival Tour Book (available everywhere for $5) had a nice map showing all the best locations.

My morning shoot was the most rewarding, both due to the lovely light and to the relative lack of wind. At dawn in the Lupine fields on Sunset Hill Road I used my graduated ND filters to calm the bright sky allowing the transilluminated flowers to shine through, but most of the time I kept my polarizer on to cut reflection and deepen the rich colors. As the early morning progressed, the warm light played in constantly changing patterns on the flowers and their surroundings. One of the most famous backdrops in Sugar Hill is the St. Matthews Episcopal Church and it did not disappoint. The lupine field below the church draws the eye to the contrasting pristine white structure and I was pulled back a number of times to catch the scene in the changing light. The surrounding mountains, especially Lafayette and Canon also provided a wonderful background and I enjoyed looking for different ways to contrast their stark beauty with the soft carpet of brightly colored wildflowers. On a couple of occasions I had the good fortune to catch horses in the fields oblivious to the riot of color surrounding them. After several hours of gleeful shooting I returned to awaken my friends, drenched to my knees, accompanied by a few friendly ticks, but excitedly anticipating getting the images unloaded for a closer inspection.

I could go on about shooting during other times of the day. Each had its own attractions and challenges. I should note that the mountains are better illuminated at sunset from this location. But you just need to go their to take advantage of this brief yearly opportunity to capture magic on your sensor.

This year’s Fields of Lupine Festival is June 3rd – 19th, 2011. For more information check out the Franconia Notch Chamber of Commerce Lupine Festival site

Want more Lupine? Check out my Lupine Flickr Set.

Let's Get One Thing Straight

2011-05-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

Spofford Lake Leaning

I have just a short rant this week about leaning horizon lines and, for those who just don't care - you should. It just drives me nuts to see beautifully captured images with wonderful color, sharpness and composition, but when I look at the horizon I feel like I'm about to fall over. Of course there may occasionally be legitimate artistic reasons to intentionally throw the horizon out of balance, but in the majority of cases it simply means that the photographer either didn't bother to do the correction or doesn't know how. Sadly, despite all care when capturing images, it is almost impossible to totally avoid unbalanced horizons, so the solution must frequently come at post. The bad news is that a leaning horizon can seriously distract from an otherwise beautiful image. The good news is that the process of straightening horizons is one of the simplest editing tasks that can be performed.

Essentially every photo editing program has a method of rotating images. Often the horizon line can be adequately leveled by eye, perhaps with the help of a grid, but in Photoshop there is a nice way to rotate the horizon into plumb quickly and precisely.

"Arbitrary" Rotation Tool

In the image of reeds on Spofford Lake I was hand holding the camera and inevitably got the horizon leaning to the right. To correct the problem in Photoshop I first used the Ruler Tool to draw a straight line along the unleveled horizon. Going to the "Image Rotation" function in the Image menu drop down, I selected "Arbitrary" and the window opened with the angle defined by the ruler line already entered into the selection box. I Pressed "OK" and I was done - the program rotated the image to make both the ruler line and the horizon level. That's it! All that is left to do is to crop the image as required.

Other editing programs may have different procedures to reach the same goal, but, even if you do nothing else to your images, leveling the horizon is such a simple task that it should be part of your regular routine. Your great images deserve nothing less.

The Dancing of the Ladies

2011-05-22T11:46:00.002-04:00

We New Englanders love to complain about cabin fever, but compared to the trials of the cattle on our diary farms, our winters are a breeze. The Holsteins at Stonewall Farm in Keene New Hampshire have a lovely warm, bright and spacious barn to shield them from the bitter cold, but imagine for a moment that you have been cooped up all winter in the same room, with the same group of gossipy females, eating nothing but dry food. By May, I'm sure you would be breaking down the walls to get out for some clear air and fresh eats. It is not in the nature of the usually placid cows to break down walls, but they do get very excited on the first spring morning when they are finally released to the tender spring grass of their beloved pastures.

In recent years the folks at Stonewall Farm have invited the public to witness the "Dancing of the Ladies", the remarkable morning when the cows are briefly transformed from their usual semi-comatose, grass munching state into crazed, dancing, prancing, head butting, 1500lbs, black and white milk shakes. The girls come running out of the barn like kids on Christmas morning. They really do prance and on occasion kick up their heals. It is common wisdom that the cows prance and bump because they are excited to get to the fresh spring grass, but after watching the show for the

last three years, I am convinced that it is really because they are thoroughly fed-up with listening to the same old complaints from the girls to whom they have been tethered all winter long. Hence the head crashing. This year, as always, the excitement lasted about 15 minutes and then the ladies settled into the real reason for their excitement, the long summer munch.

Perhaps most importantly, the "Dancing of the Ladies is a great excuse to get people on the farm, touring the barns, smelling the smells, and seeing the adorable new calves. It's good to be regularly reminded about all the wonderful ways that Stonewall Farm enriches our community throughout the year.

You can view more images on my Dancing of the Ladies flickr set.

Find out more about Stonewall Farm's year-round programs and learn how you can support this uniquely valuable community asset by visiting their web site :

http://www.stonewallfarm.org/

Nubble Light Gull

2011-05-15T13:52:00.003-04:00

Since hanging a show of my Atlantic Coast images in Portsmouth, NH, I have been wandering through my archive of other seacoast pictures that I never got around to working up. I am always amazed at what I find during these explorations. A fresh eye invariably leads to fresh revelations, "How did I miss that one". An example is the picture of a seagull perched on the public binoculars at Nubble Light on Cape Neddick Maine. Gulls seem to enjoy displaying themselves here as they await donations from the crowd, but, for me, this was the first time I was able to catch the bird against the lighthouse before it flew away. Great, but there were a few problems, and since I live in the great western wilderness of New Hampshire, far from the coast, I had to grab what I could get and then deal with it the best I could. Coming back 10 times until all is perfect could not be a practical option.

So here were the issues with the captured image:

1. First, and most obviously, the lighthouse was crawling with workmen. It seems that whenever I visit an iconic location the scaffolding has just been erected.

2. The day was a bit overcast making it impossible to capture adequate depth of field while still freezing the gull's persistent movement.

3. The sky was a bit flat in the raw images.

I suspect it was these challenges that initially led me to set this image aside, but I may never catch the gull in this spot again, so I finally dove in.

The second and third problems were relatively easy to overcome. The depth of field issue was handled by blending two images, one focused on the gull and the other on the background, I believe I had the camera on a tripod making the registration of the two images fairly simple. I spent some time carefully adjusting the selection to make a seamless transition between the bird and the sky and only a few small areas needed to be cloned where the gull had moved his head.

There were a number of approaches available for the flat sky. I chose to use photoshop's magical Shaddow / Highlight adjustment to restore the original color and contrast and then used a selection to isolate the effect to the sky. I could have double processed the image in RAW or used HDR but Shadow / Highlight worked nicely and was much easier.

The first problem was by far the most time consuming. There is a wonderful catharsis that occurs when you can nonviolently clone away the one meandering duffus who will not move away, and who is spoiling your perfect, award winning image. But in this situation I had nine duffi (?), two ladders and various junk that showed no inclination towards vacating until quitting time. So I made some coffee, adjusted my chair and settled in for some painstaking cloning. Easy areas involved cloning in a little grass, but where objects overlay the house, I had to find sections of clapboard or roof shingles that exactly matched the background. It took an hour or so, but I think the result transformed an interesting photo documenting the restoration work on the lighthouse into an image capturing the iconic nature of this classic structure. I also enjoyed flipping back and forth between the unedited and edited versions of the picture to see all those hard working folks flash in and out of existence!

I have heard photographers who I greatly respect proudly announce that they work to "get the image right in the camera" and insist that they will bypass any image whose editing could not be completed in 5 minutes or less. To me "getting it right in the camera" in the digital world means something quite different. I work hard on location to capture the image that will give me the best chance to craft a final picture that is the purest representation of what I saw and felt while viewing the scene. Often that involves bringing home a picture file that will not look its best straight out of the camera, but will give me the best raw material for all the assets of the digital darkroom. Ansel Adams famously said that the negative should be considered the score and the print as the performance. In the digital world the image file is the score and the best performance comes from intelligently using the remarkable tools we have available, even if it takes more than 5 minutes.

Call of the Sea

2011-05-09T21:06:00.001-04:00

Altantic Dawn, Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Last weekend Sue and I traveled over to Portsmouth New Hampshire to set up an exhibition of my photographs at the Works Bakery Cafe. Showing my work on the seacoast gives me a chance to focus primarily on my Atlantic coast images. Although I am now thoroughly land-locked, I grew up along the North Shore of Massachusetts and spent my summers in Gloucester. Each year I had the opportunity to cruise the New England coast from Acadia to the Elizabeth Islands and I have never lost my attraction to the sea. Despite looking for every excuse, I don't get back to the ocean as often as I would like.

Hauled Up, Peggy's Cove Nova Scotia

In recent years, I have chosen to focus my photography close to home, on the classic New England landscapes of the Monadnock region and southern Vermont. A number of factors have led to this intentional focus. First, our region has an abundance of wonderful farms, forests and streams, and although our mountain are not as starkly spectacular as in other parts of the Northeast, they have a soft, approachable quality that is the perfect manifestation of classic rolling New England country-side. It is for good reason that the Monadnock region is called the Currier and Ives corner of New Hampshire. I also believe I can do my best work exploring familiar , nearby, areas. I have come to know many of the best locations and I've learned when to show up to get the best light. I must admit, however, that the fact that I can sleep later before getting up for a sunrise is another important part of the equation.

Marshall Point Light, Maine

For all of the attractions close to home, the one thing that I have missed the most since settling here is the ocean. Photography by the sea provides fresh opportunities and challenges that always seem to recharge my batteries. I feel a special connection to my seacoast images, but I have always felt somewhat apologetic about showing them locally. Around here, if a picture doesn't have Mt. Monadnock in the background, people start asking "why bother" - believe me, I've tried. A couple of years ago I had a chance to display some of my Atlantic coast images in Portland Maine and now I'm thrilled to have another shot in Portsmouth. The pictures range from Nubble Light on Cape Neddick to Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia and they are a nice fit for this old seacoast town. This is a fairly long exhibition including May, June and July, 2011. The Works is right on the central square in downtown Portsmouth, so come by, check out the images and have coffee and a bagel.

You can preview the pictures in my show set at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27036710@N05/sets/72157626536254407/

A larger collection of my Atlantic Coast images is at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/27036710@N05/sets/72157605282223574/

Memorials at Night

2011-05-02T11:55:00.020-04:00

Lincoln Memorial

Last week we visited our daughter Abigail in Washington DC. Now that she is living and working in the capital, we have taken advantage of this great excuse to explore the special attractions of this unique city. It has been an opportunity for me to get a break from my usual landscapes and, last week, a chance to get a sizable jump-start on spring. In the 4 days we visited the National Portrait Gallery, National Zoo and traveled up to Baltimore to see the Red Sox play (and lose) at Camden Yards. One evening Abby insisted that we tour the Washington Memorials and this turned out to be the most inspiring and photographically challenging part of the trip.

The Washington Memorials at night are wonderfully silent and peaceful without the large crowds and the lighting creates a mystical aura. In Washington, It is hard to spit without desecrating a national treasure, but the loop around the Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials is the most dramatic. Getting a late start after a wonderful dinner, we could only complete a portion of the loop. Sadly, we missed the Vietnam and World War II Memorials. We started at the Lincoln Memorial, which is an entirely different place after dark. During the day it is invariably crowded with tourist sitting on the steps enjoying the view along the reflecting pool to the Washington Memorial. Although still posing a challenge for photography, at night there are fewer people and the general tone is that of quiet reverence. I chose to focus on the details of Lincoln's imposing statue. I have always been fascinated by his hands, one clinched in a tight resolute fist and the other open and compassionate. I am impressed that his expression, seen from each side seems to reflect these two aspects of his greatness. The night-time lighting accentuates the dichotomy with stronger direct illumination on his left (fist) side while more indirect lighting fills and softens his expression on the right. As I was focusing on Lincoln's right side I was surprised to find that I could also isolate a fitting epitaph above his head. For those with an intensely irrational, conspiratorial nature you may also notice that, in sign language, Lincoln's left hand is signing an "A" and his right shows the beginings of an "L". You may take from that whatever you wish. I suspect space aliens ! The view from the steps of the Lincoln to the Washington Memorial tower is classic, but on this night, with a limited telephoto on my Canon G11 and the reflecting pool drained for cleaning, the conditions were not great.

Korean War Memorial

As inspiring as the light is on the Lincoln Memorial, in the case of the Korean War Memorial it is positively spooky. The soldiers are arranged as if on patrol. The lights are very dim just barely illuminating the figures from below. Not wanting to risk my DSLR on these lonely, dark trails, I only had my Canon G11 and no tripod. This image was done at an ISO of 3200 and f4, just barely managing to hold at 0.4 seconds. The G11 is really pushing its low light capability at 3200 and the grain was prominent, but I think the image is still haunting, especially when the color noise is eliminated by the B&W conversion. Photography of all the memorials would benefit from the use of a tripod and a camera with strong low light sensitivity such as the newer Canon & Nikon full frame DSLRs. This would be more comfortable with the security of a big group and an excellent opportunity for a photo walk event. The National Park Services also runs night tours through the memorials.

Roosevelt and His "Little Dog Fala"

The Roosevelt Memorial is actually a seven and a half acre collection of statues, fountains and inscriptions stretching along a walkway. It effectively depicts the many challenges of the Roosevelt presidency from the Great Depression through the Second World War. Again the dim light required high ISOs but on occasions I was able to stabilize the camera on a bench or a rock. Using a cable release on my G11, I could use longer exposures lower ISOs and achieve better depth of field such as when capturing one of the fountains or when including Roosevelt's famous dog Fala with his master's statue.
Check out Roosevelt's defence of his little Scotty against Republican attacks.
Actually the rest of Roosevelt's speech to the Teamsters has a lot to say about our current political atmosphere.

Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial was the next stop along the path, but, at the time of our visit access was partially blocked by construction, and unfortunately from here we had to head home. Exploration and photography of the entire loop would require a full evening, but it is a special experience, well worth the commitment. Give the night a try the next time you are in Washington.