# 277 - "Reflections. . ."

”When people ask me what equipment I use 

              – I tell them my eyes.”     - Anonymous

f/8 @ 1/100 sec. ISO 200

Mel’s Diner in Neon

Lately, I have been waiting round for the evening hours when I am visiting theme parks and the like. It has nothing to do with the amusements but more to do with the signage – preferably, neon signs. Shortly after dusk when the evening sun is fading, the neon lights begin to glow. This time of day allows me to show some of the edifice where the sign is displayed, although I do like when the background is totally black.

Another great place for neon lights would be restaurants and bars. Most liquor companies have their product proudly displayed around the establishment – just be a little discreet shooting them.

Mel’s Diner was in Universal Theme Park and modeled after the classic TV sitcom of the same name. I also transformed this into a monochromatic but the one shown here won a place in this challenge.

Bonus Image

With the national parks shut down, the state parks have come through with interesting photo opportunities. This is Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Kanab, UT.

Good to hear voices from home - Michelle, Tony, Peyton, EMO, and Michael K.

# 276 - "Reflections. . ."

“Quit trying to find beautiful objects to photograph. Find the ordinary objects so you can transform it by photographing it.” 
     - Morley Baer

f/7.1 @ 1/400 sec.   ISO 200 Polarizer

Capsized 

Recently, I used some timeshare up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of the side trips was to a town called, “Duck.” To promote its business and coast, the town built this meandering boardwalk. Being early spring, there was not much flora or fauna to shoot. I came across this semi-submerged boat in the reeds just off the walkway. I took a couple of shots and thought nothing more of it. When I was reviewing the images from Duck, I was attracted to this capsized boat. I was able to pull out its uniqueness in post processing.

As Morley Baer commented, “find the ordinary objects to transform.” “Capsized” was certainly ordinary.

I HAVE a good internet connection so here is today's

Bonus Image

 "Little House on the Vermillion Praire"

Thanks for sticking in there for the past few days: Milt, EMO, Joani, Joyce, Tony, Michael P., Michelle, and Peyton. 

# 275 - "Reflections. . ."

“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” 
     - Ansel Adams

f/6.3 @ 6sec.   ISO 200 on a tripod

Nubble Lite Brite

Photo Phun! A long exposure gave me an opportunity to “play” around with my lens and the Christmas lights at Nubble. With my camera safely secured on my trusty tripod, I was experiment with several long exposures (two to six seconds). When the shutter opened, I slowly twisted the lens barrel while the camera was making the image. I varied my approaches – twisting from wide angle to tight and vice versa. A couple of times I stopped turning in the midst of the exposure. This ability to experiment allowed me to “make this photograph.” My final rendition reminded me of the children’s toy from Hasboro, “Lite Brite.”

# 274 - "Reflections. . ."

What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” - Karl Lagerfeld

f/38 @ 1.5 sec.   ISO 140 on a tripod Polarizer

Icy Blue

When winter comes, cameras generally go into hibernation. One cure for the winter blahs – if cold enough - is to visit a local waterway and look for ice. One of my favorite local spots is my town park that has water flowing throughout it. After walking around the various water routes, I came across ice along the edge of a stream. Upon closer inspection, I found the right spot to capture what was happening around me.

Here, I set up my tripod and added my polarizer filter as I wanted to enrich the blue in the water as well as get that silky feel from the flow. With a small aperture (f/38) and low ISO (140), I could muster up an exposure of one and a half seconds – slow enough to get the effect I wanted in the water! Numerous shots were taken to find the right combination of detailed ice and the silky water texture.

“Icy Blue” was that final image!

# 273 - "Reflections. . ."

“You miss one hundred percent of the shots you never take!” 
        - Wayne Gretzky’s Dad

f/8 @ 1/250 sec.   ISO 140   Polarizer

Out of Commission

A World War II reenactment was the setting for this capture. “The Battle for the Airfield” is an annual event put on by the Collings Foundation in Stow, MA. There was an Allied Camp and one for the Axis. Attention to detail would be putting it mildly – the uniforms, the military vehicles, the weaponry, the camp, and the ambience. You walked freely around the German soldiers and you felt as if you were in their camp. The Americans brought in British and Russian soldiers to their bivouac.

At noontime, the battle began - tanks, machine guns, and exploding shells!  The German soldiers were hunkered down at one end of the cordoned off area while the Allies took cover.

Then, out of nowhere appeared a German fighter just above the airfield. After several passes over the enemy, it took a direct hit and was falling fast. 

My thinking behind making this a B&W was to honor the photojournalist who risked their lives to bring the stories home to America.

Bonus Image

Greetings from the Upper Antelope Canyon where I shot in three separate slot canyons. Thanks to Michelle, Phil, Lisa, Deana, EMO, Peyton, Michael P., Doris, Tony, and Michael K. for their support that the national parks open up soon!

# 272 - "Reflections. . ."

You don't take a photograph.  You ask, quietly, to borrow it.  - Author Unknown

 f/6.7 @ 1/20 sec.   ISO 400

Volta Spiral

There is something mesmerizing about the spiral staircases that fill up the interiors of lighthouses! I especially like it when you can position yourself at the base or at the top and see the architectural beauty of repetition.  I think I shot this spiral staircase about fifty times! 

Thinking about capturing this staircase? You will need to book a flight to Como, Italy and then take the funicular to the town of Brunate!

Bonus Image

Took advantage of my FOUR AM rising this morning to capture the sunrise around the "Mittens!"

# 271 - "Reflections. . ."

“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” - Ansel Adams 

f/6.3 @ 6sec.   ISO 200 on a tripod

Nubble Lite Brite

Photo Phun! A long exposure gave me an opportunity to “play” around with my lens and the Christmas lights at Nubble. With my camera safely secured on my trusty tripod, I was experiment with several long exposures (two to six seconds). When the shutter opened, I slowly twisted the lens barrel while the camera was making the image. I varied my approaches – twisting from wide angle to tight and vice versa. A couple of times I stopped turning in the midst of the exposure. This ability to experiment allowed me to “make this photograph.” My final rendition reminded me of the children’s toy from Hasboro, “Lite Brite.”

Ansel was right, I didn't "take" this photograph, I "made" it!

Bonus Image

This iconic shot was pure luck - sorry, Ansel! At the last minute I decided to take this tour into the Valley this morning. As we pulled up to John Ford Point, the cowboy strolled onto the point!

Back on live internet so here are yesterday's responders: Phil, Tony, Michael P., Michelle, Deana, Joyce, Doris, and Vacationing Mike D.