Photography

Nash Hood Ornaments

James — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:49:48 +0000

My camera’s still in the shop having the shutter replaced, so I’m spending a lot of time re-editing some older images. Here’s four ne takes on a Nash hood ornament. All of these were made with the Flare editing app.

Nash Hood Ornament

Nash Hood Ornament #2

Nash Hood Ornament #3

Nash Hood Ornament #4

Six Figures

James — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:50:21 +0000

I took a stab at different edits of a single image using Flare, then combined that with TurboCollage.

Six Figures

The original image was made in the Aotearoa (New Zealand) section of the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, Hawai’i. The figure is from the inside of a Whare Runanga or meeting house. In the Mauri culture human forms were carved in this highly stylized fashion.

Wilton Reservoir Falls

James — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:58:54 +0000

My regular camera (a Nikon D300) is in the shop for repairs, so I’m experimenting with the iPhone and various apps available for it. Today I visited the Wilton Reservoir Falls. These were all made using the Slow Shutter Cam.

Mill Brook

Mill Brook, edited with ShockMyPic .

Mill Brook

Wilton Reservoir Falls, edited with PhotoForge2

Wilton Reservoir Falls, edited with Flare .

Mill Brook

Wilton Falls, edited with ShockMyPic .

Flickr’s April Fool’s Trick

James — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:24:16 +0000

I had some fun today with Flickr’s April Fool’s Day trick. Click on a thumbnail for a larger version:

North Vermont Covered Bridges

James — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:56:24 +0000

I took a drive up to the northernmost covered bridge in Vermont, with a few stops along the way. Here’s what I found:

Sanborn Covered Bridge, Lyndonville, Vermont

Small version of the Sanborn Bridge I found on the bridge.

Sanborn Bridge view, also shows the signs of age and wear on the old bridge.

Weathered Sanborn Bridge Sign

Randall Covered Bridge, Lyndon, Vermont

Randall Covered Bridge (infrared)

The Randall Bridge and the Passumpsic River

Another infrared view of the Randall Covered Bridge

Lords Creek Covered Bridge, Irasburg, Vermont

Detail of the Lords Creek Bridge

Lords Creek Interior

Irasburg Covered Bridge

Irasburg Covered Bridge, also known as the Black, Coventry, Lower, Orne, or River bridge.

River Road Covered Bridge in black and white

River Road Bridge Interior

River Road Covered Bridge, Troy, Vermont

Tonto National Forest

James — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:41:07 +0000

I had a Hummer ride through the Tonto National Forest this afternoon. Here’s what I caught:

Click on a thumbnail for a larger image

Arlington National Cemetery

James — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:29:40 +0000

Kennedy's Flame

Two weeks before he was laid to rest here, President John Kennedy visited the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath on Armistice Day (now known as Veteran’s Day).

In a visit earlier in the year he had commented that the view from this spot on the hill before Arlington House was so magnificent that he could stay forever.

Jacqueline Kennedy requested the eternal flame, similar to the one she had seen for the French Unknown Soldier in Paris.

The Old Amphitheater, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, USA

The Old Amphitheater was dedicated on the first Memorial Day holiday in 1868. The podium section is called the Rostrum and includes the inscription “E pluribus unum” or “Out of many, one”. The amphitheater was used for speeches and ceremonies until 1921 when the larger Memorial Amphitheater was completed.

L'Enfant's Tomb, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

Pierre Charles L’Enfant was born in France, trained as a painter in the Royal Academy in the Louvre, and served in King Louis XV’s court. At 23 in 1777 he was recruited to join the American Revolution. He later served with General Washington, including the brutal winter in Valley Forge.

He’s best known however for laying out the city of Washington DC.

He died in 1825, but it was not until 1909 that he was reinterred atop the hill before Arlington House, overlooking the city he helped design.

Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

Members of the Army’s 3rd Infantry, known as the Old Guard, watch over the Tomb of the Unknowns 24 hours a day, everyday. They perform a precise walk along the mat, with their rifle held on the side of the crowd to show the they stand between the tomb and any possible threat. Here the guard is performing a shoulder-arms to make the change. They call this position “rocked out”.

Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

First and foremost Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for men and women who’ve served our country. It’s solemn place for reflection on sacrifice.

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Dawn in DC

James — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:54:52 +0000

Lincoln's Temple

The inscription over the famous staute of Lincoln reads “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln in enshrined forever”. The memorial building itself is in the form of a Greek Doric temple.

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Maryland Covered Bridges

James — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:59:24 +0000

I finally had a chance to visit a few of the covered bridges in the state of my birth. There’s only six remaining in Maryland and I visited half this morning.

Gilpin's Falls Covered Bridge

The Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge is a great example of why these structures are now so rare, but also why any still exist at all. It was built around 1860 and was in regular use until the 1930′s when it was bypassed for a concrete bridge. The bridge was not well maintained and in 1958 heavy snow finally collapsed the roof. The bridge was described a year later as a “skeletonized ruin”. Fortunately it was restored that same year.

Another 50 years passed and in 2010 the bridge was again restored, this time by some great folks from New Hampshire.

If you’re lucky enough to visit the bridge, be sure to check out the decking. It’s a unique system I’ve never seen before. The planks are secured in a kind of rail at the ends, but not nailed down. Many of them spring up and down as you walk on them. An internat acquaintance of mine was among those doing the recent restoration and has this to say about it – http://bridgewright.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/11/ .

For free interactive maps of all the covered bridges in Maryland and the rest of the United States visit coveredbridgemap.com.

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Fading Away

James — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:15:55 +0000

Long abandoned storefront, Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA