Week Fifty - "Living a Rockwell"

The week after the Trolley Museum in Maine I was headed out to the western part of Massachusetts to cross off something from my Lifelist. So Shoot #18 found me in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting - his classic, "Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas." There were festivities going on all weekend but let me skip ahead to Sunday's culminating activity - recreating the painting. Here is the classic car with a tree on its roof

"1956 Mercury with Tree"

Other antique vehicles began to line up as early as 9AM and the spectators were not too much later! It was a festive weekend.

If this event is NOT on your Lifelist, add it now!

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

The Carwash Rule of Weather. . .

No matter how clear the skies are, 

a thunderstorm will move in five minutes after you have washed the car!

Steven Wright's Witticisms

It may be the early bird gets the worm,

 but it's  the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Week Forty-nine - "It's a Weather Vane!"

In photography we are reminded to look behind us as we get ready to click away. Well, it is equally as important to look up. In this case, Bill Johnson had this nostalgic vane on his museum. For me, this business brought back memories of an uncle who used to take us to this place on Friday evenings. He used to amuse us with his trick car which knew when to pull into this exact parking lot.

So I dedicate today's blog to Uncle Nobby! 

"??????"

What business would have had this vane atop its building?

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

O'Brian's Law

If you change lines, the one you just left will start to move faster than the one you are now in.

Steven Wright's Witticisms

Why do irons have a setting for *permanent* press?

Week Forty-eight - "Vintage Collector!"

Part of Shoot #18 included a visit to a vintage antiques collector, Bill Johnson. His house and grounds were filled with more than you could imagine - cars, signage, glassware, and everything else! He led us on a grand tour of his "museum" with enough stories to keep us there for hours! While doing further research for this posting, I learned that Bill had passed away on November 22nd while attending an auction.

I feel fortunate in that I was able to visit with Bill and take in his tour. He talked about being on "American Pickers" and the tough time they had dealing with him. There is an "American Pickers" poster in the front window that is signed by Mike and Frank.

"A Collector's Collector"

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

Paulg's Law:

In America, it's not how much an item costs, it's how much you save.

(This might have one of Bill Johnson's mantras!)

Steven Wright's Witticisms

What's another word for Thesaurus? 

Week Forty-seven - "Old Orchard Last Run"

In early December, I joined a handful of fellow photographers from Stony Brook for a couple of days in Maine. One of our intended stops was the Trolley Museum - which would be my seventeenth shoot of 2013!

Once a year the yard is opened up after hours for some creative lighting up of the selected trolleys. For some reason this year turned out to be over-subscribed as some thirty photographers with tripods lined up along the tracks (past years, it was closer to six or eight). The organizers had some scrambling to do to make sure everyone got their chances to capture the mood and the scene.

"Old Orchard Last Run"

For the above shot, we lined up on one of the inactive tracks while the organizer and his assistants walked around with spotlights. We were instructed to open up our shutters for about thirty seconds. during this time period, various parts of the trolley were hit with a beam of light.

I took this image into PhotoShop and eventually to NIK's Silver Efex Pro 2 to do some selective coloring. I left the majority of the scene as a monochromatic and brought back the color only on the trolley.

FYI - that was a real person as the conductor!

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

Glyme's Formula for Success

The secret of success is sincerity. 

Once you can fake that, you've got it made!

Steven Wright's Witticisms

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Week Forty-six - "Look What I Found!"

Who would have guessed that when I was traipsing (another word I love getting into a conversation or writing) around the Southwest that I would have come across not one but two. . .

Weather Vanes! 

And, of all places Death Valley!!

"The Panhandler"

"The Prospector"

And, the beauty of these two finds is that they fit right in to their rooftop settings. Both vanes sit atop "Scotty's Castle" - a national park on the outskirts of Death Valley. The story behind "Scotty's Castle" is a fascinating one that you need to read for yourself to believe. Here is Wikipedia's review of this unique national park:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty%27s_Castle

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

Dean Martin's Definition of Drunkenness

You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.

Steven Wright's Witticisms

Borrow money from pessimists - 

they don't expect it back.

Week Forty-five - "Pratt Farm, Middleborough"

"Frozen in Time"

                

                                           

                                  

                 

                 

                                       

            

Thank you for allowing me to finish my Southwest Trek. Great news, I am working on the images from SW Trek II. Sorry, you'll have to tune in next year for the results and some interesting anecdotes.

I am a member of a couple of meet-ups in the area and continually check their calendars to see if there is an interesting shoot planned.

The Pratt Farm is a hidden gem in Middleborough, MA. There are trails and photo ops throughout its acreage. This catch was within a few hundred feet of the parking lot and for me was the shot of the day. Over time this metal wheel managed to get itself absorbed by the tree! I was amazed no one had tried to pull it out at the onset. Pratt Farm was my seventeenth shoot of 2013!

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Fresh out of them - so . . .

Just enjoy shooting!

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

Law of Airports

The distance to the gate is inversely proportional to the time you have to catch the flight!

Steven Wright's Witticisms

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

Week Forty-four - "Sneak Peekl"

"North Rim Sunset at Overlook"

                

                               

               

              

                    

           

             

                

                       

            

Because you have been so patient with me this year, I decided to give you a sneak peek at what next year holds.
To date, I have processed mostly what I shot at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and, I hope you like sunrises and sunsets because i have lots of them. Breathtaking, if I might say so.

That drop in the middle of the cloud is NOT a funnel cloud, it was rain. Rain that, fortunately, never reached my location but provided an interesting addition to an already amazing sunset!

Weekly Photo Suggestion:

Never lose an opportunity to capture a likeness of anything beautiful. . .

        for beauty is God’s handwriting.    

                                               Emerson (sort of)

 A Pearl of Wisdom. . .

Agnes Allen's Law

Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.

Steven Wright's Witticisms

If Barbie is so popular, 

why do you have to buy her friends?