Open Window

The Thank You Art Show

2012-01-24T12:12:06-05:00

Ashawagh Hall, Springs, East Hampton, NY

Last weekend, Hamptons Photo, Arts and Framing sponsored the 3rd annual Thank You Art Show at Ashawagh Hall in Springs on the east end of Long Island. This is their way of thanking their customers for their patronage over the years. More than 100 artists showed their paintings, photographs, sculptures, and more. There was even edible-art in the form of cupcakes for sale, with the proceeds going to charity.

Edible Art Cupcake

The turn out on Saturday night was excellent despite the snow and slippery roads. The hall was abuzz with people enjoying refreshments, music by William Falkenberg, all of the art work, and each others' company; and, Sunday was equally as rewarding for the artists, as there was a constant flow of visitors right up until the show closed at 4:00 p.m. Live music by "Icepack" Jackson and friends provided a lively background to this day's event. Although the primary intent of the show was to provide a venue to display artists' works, several were also fortunate enough to sell their pieces too. At the end of each day, the hall was filled with a resounding "Thank You" from all of the artists to Dave and Ben, from Hampton Photo Arts.

I've created a brief slide show of photographs I took of just a fraction of the art that was on display to share with you the variety of art that was there. Peter and I each displayed a photograph, he displayed "Duck" and I displayed "Timeless", a photograph of a 1957 Flame-Red T-Bird.

I must say, I would be hard pressed to say which pieces in the show were my true favorites, although I had a real soft spot for the acrylic paintings of three young brothers, Andrew, Charles, and MJ Schaefer, who range from 9 to 3½ years old. Their pieces were displayed together, vertically, in order of oldest to youngest. I think you'll agree that there's just a little bit of artistic talent in that family!

Paintings by the Brothers Schaefer

So The Thank You Art Show is Hampton Photo Arts and Framing's way of thanking the art community on the east end of Long Island, and this post and slide show are my thank you back to them.

Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Music: Woodstock's Theme from the soundtrack of Snoopy (The Musical)

Art Show at Ashawagh Hall

2012-01-19T10:23:59-05:00

Hampton Photo, Arts and Framing is a small shop in Bridgehampton but one that supports the art community all over the east end of Long Island. They provide art supplies of all sorts, printing services of nearly every kind, and of course framing, and have been doing so for over two decades. This coming weekend this local business is saying a big thank you to the art community they've come to know so well. For the third year in a row, Hampton Photo, Arts & Framing is sponsoring THE THANK YOU ART SHOW at Ashawagh Hall on Springs Fireplace Road in East Hampton. Over 100 artists will be displaying their artwork which will vary from painting to sculpture, from origami to photography, and Peter and I are participating. This is my first foray into the art community of the Hamptons, so I'm both nervous and excited. I can't wait to see the variety of art that is going to be on display and to meet the artists and creators.

THE THANK YOU ART SHOW begins at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday January 21st and will run until 11:00 p.m. with music, food, and art in abundance. The show will also be up for viewing on Sunday January 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with music and refreshments available as well.

This should be a fun event and we encourage you to come to say hello, if you're in the neighborhood. We'd love to see you and we know you'll enjoy the variety of the show.

Taking a Break

2012-01-16T06:00:00-05:00

After two years with nearly four postings each week to this beloved blog, we're going to take a short break.

I love creating posts and photographs for Open-Window, and love our interaction as a result, but as you may well imagine, it is nearly a full-time job. I've made some resolutions this year and find that they require my full attention right now, so we're taking a short break. I can't predict the exact date that we'll be back to regular postings, but expect it will be well before spring. In the meantime, I ask for your patience and perseverance. Please don't remove Open Window from your email subscriptions or your Google Reader, for if you do you may miss the return and new posts after that, and I'm likely to post at least a photograph or two in the interim as blogging is quite addictive and I don't want to go through complete withdrawal.

So, as the French might say, "à la prochaine" which means "until the next time".

Roquefort Soufflé II

2012-01-15T08:51:54-05:00

Assembling a soufflé, savory or sweet, can be intimidating but, in reality, it shouldn't be. When we recently made one of our favorites, a Roquefort Soufflé, Peter made a video of the process to demonstrate just how easy it is. The hardest part of this recipe is separating the eggs and watching the soufflé begin to deflate immediately upon being taken from the oven. Do not despair, that light airy texture and those divine flavors are still there. Just serve as soon as you possibly can, the warmth of a soufflé is part of its divine pleasure.

So here's the video to show just how to prepare this soufflé and the recipe is here once more for your easy reference. Next stop? Chocolate soufflé!

Roquefort Soufflé*
(Serves 2-4)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the soufflé dish
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for dusting greased soufflé dish
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter
====================================

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Butter the inside of an 8-cup soufflé dish 7½ inches in diameter x 3¼ inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the ¼ cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tarter, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the soufflé dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on the top with the spatula to help the soufflé rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375℉. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

* This recipe is from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris.

Open Window's Second Year

2012-01-09T11:26:23-05:00

It's official, Open-Window is now two years old. I can hardly believe I began this blog on a cold January day, sitting at the island in my kitchen, 730 days ago. In the past two years, Open-Window has focused my days on creating stories, snippits, and photographs that I hoped you would find entertaining, sometimes informative, and maybe even amusing. We've covered a lot of ground and many diverse topics over this time ranging from Hawaii to Paris, Hamburger Relish to Caviar, Horse Racing to Airshow Acrobatics. As time has passed, we increasingly focused on the images and slide shows that would accompany a post, and have worked diligently to improve the quality of all that we delivered. Peter has continued to emphasize wide-angle HDR (high dynamic range) photography whether on his DSLR (digital single lens reflex-camera) or his, ever-handy, iPhone, and I have continued with my love of all-things-macro, although we each dabbled in the other's specialty just to keep it interesting.

Mexican Train Tiles and Turtles
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward

Over the past twenty four months, we've made 388 postings to Open-Window which is an average of almost 4 per week, nearly every one containing at least one photograph and 60 of which included a slide show with music. When we embarked on this endeavor, we expected to focus on travel, food and photography. As it's turned out, the focus has been just that ... but in reverse - photography, food and travel. See, we'll photograph nearly anything - food that we eat, games that we play, children at the beach, machines of any sort, flowers and their residents, landmarks and landscapes, moon-rises and sunsets, and even light itself.

The Outer Banks of North Caroline
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward taken with the iPhone using the Pro HDR App

This year has been quite a journey photographically as well as geographically. Peter and I traveled over 14, 500 miles. We drove the entire east coast from the east end of Long Island to Orlando, Florida, traversing Florida, and turning north to reach Memphis Tennessee. We crossed the states of Tennessee and North Carolina end-to-end (west to east), photographing some of this country's most beautiful scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains. When we reached the Atlantic Ocean, it felt like we'd returned home, for tidal waters are in our veins, and the days on the Outer Banks are now cherished memories. Early morning sunrises over the ocean, wild horses on the beaches, hang gliding from the dunes, and fish tacos are just a few of the things we captured in-frame. With tornadoes nipping at our heels from western Florida, to Memphis and eventually to eastern North Carolina, we headed home just hours before their destruction hit the locales we'd come to know and love. Atlantic City was our refuge from the storms, before returning to the calm, untouched East End.

Spanish Mustang on the Outer Banks
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward

Thirty days and thirty nights, and 4,000 miles on the road gave us a tremendous, renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this country we live in. A couple of hundred more miles were covered seeking out horses at Saratoga Springs in August. For one who isn't known as an animal lover, I do love photographing them. Whether in their stance or stride, they speak volumes to me and hopefully that is being captured by the lens. Finally, the balance of those miles (nearly 10,000) were accomplished by a trip to The Big Island of Hawaii, where we were able to photograph the incredible diversity of this island's landscape and all of its beauty from a helicopter.

Antique Hood Ornament
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward

More locally, we visited Belmont Park just a week before the Stakes were run and attended the Hampton Classic Horse Show every single day it was held over Labor Day weekend. There were at least three Antique Auto Shows, one Road Rallye and a Mini Cooper Scavenger Hunt that we shot as well. Our beaches on the east end of Long Island are some of the most breathtaking in the country (right up there with North Carolina's) and we spent many happy hours either hip deep in snow in January or ankle deep in sand in August, capturing the undulating shapes of their dunes draped in snow or the power of their seas after a storm.

Light Painting for New Year's
Photo © 2011 Peter Tooker

The holidays that dot our calendars were also not ignored. Memorial Day is always an homage to the "Opening" of the Hamptons season. Flag Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season were all duly noted and celebrated with photographs too.

Meaty Tomato painted by Barbara Andolsek

Let me also add, ever so humbly, that I have once again been thrilled that Barbara Andolsek continues to make paintings based on some of my photographs. Barbara and I have yet to meet but feel a friendship beyond pen-pals. Nearly 3,000 miles apart but with a shared appreciation for the beauty of the world around us, Barbara and I have forged a friendship that could only occur in this wonderful 21st century. It still astounds me at how incredibly open and selfless so many people are using the internet to connect, communicate, and share. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of it.

The word "blog" is derived from the expression "web log", which originally was an online journal of sorts and has morphed, over time, into a platform for communicating and exchanging information and ideas. I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and support over the last two years but more importantly for your participation - "communication and exchange" are exactly what has occurred when you've left comments for us, and you've made it just that much more fun and interesting.

So here is a slide show which represents a snapshot of Open-Window's second year. It's shorter than last year's and yet still longer than most at just under 10 minutes. Perhaps you can set aside a little time next Sunday morning. We've made this for you, to enjoy and remember a year that we shared, and for that I want to say with great sincerity "Thanks for the memories".

Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker © 2011
Music: Concerto in E-flat Major for Trumpet & Orchestra: 1. Allegro Con Spirito by Wynton Marsalis, National Philharmonic Orchestra & Raymond Leppard

P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you thought of year two and if there is something you'd like to see more of in the coming months.

Whimsical Moon Photographs

2012-01-03T10:02:46-05:00

"Playing with the Moon" is what this photographer calls this whimsical series of photographs that I found thoroughly enchanting and ever so clever. I don't often feature other photographers' images on Open-Window, especially ones I don't know, but these are so much fun and so original, I just had to; I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

To see the photographs, double click on the words "Moon Photographs" and then scroll down through the collection. I think these are so imaginative and original. A friend sent me the link and it was entitled "Vorsicht! Monsuchtgefahr", I say this in the spirit of full disclosure and giving credit to the creator - I hope.

Moon Photographs

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:27:51-05:00

Peter and I spent New Year's Eve afternoon Light Painting - having an absolute ball. We have and arec learning so much and are having so much fun together! These are but a few of the images we created yesterday - and are our close to 2011.

Bonne Année!

Light Painting

2011-12-30T06:00:00-05:00

Photograph by: The collective efforts of Claudia Ward, Peter Tooker & Sarah Ward

Most of you know that I've been taking an eClass on Night Photography. This week's assignment has been Light Painting. Quite honestly, it's not the easiest form of photography to explain, but I encourage everyone to explore the subject in detail with Kent Weakley in his classes.

For the purpose of this post, let me simply say that light painting is done in a completely dark environment, with sources of light like flashlights, pen lights, and small LEDs. For this kind of photography, shutter speed is almost a "none-event" ... you can open the shutter, paint a still-life scene with various colored lights and when you're done simply close the shutter. It's a very different way of thinking ... at least for this photographer. The results are unpredictable at the start, happy accidents as you practice and improve, and thrillingly dramatic and artistic as you give yourself to the process, and the freedom and creativity it affords.

Now picture this: my little sister, my husband, and me, all in a roughly 8x8 bathroom, in the dark with the windows covered to blacken the room. We are all dressed in black and bent over a small bench which is draped with a black cloth, holding a sometimes empty and sometimes full martini glass. One of us is holding multiple flashlights covered with colored gels, one of us is operating small battery operated LED lights, and the last of us is counting out seconds .... in the dark. This environment is electrified with anticipation but also dangerous, because who in their right mind would put three grown adults in a small, dark room, with expensive camera equipment, a tripod, and fine glass ... no one I know!

The images in this slide show are the results of our very first foray into Light Painting. We had fun and can see the potential, we hope you do too. PLEASE, let us know what you think and if you have suggestions, we'll gladly receive them too.

BTW, Happy New Year to One and All! "see you on the flip side!"

Photos & slide show: the collective efforts of Claudia Ward, Peter Tooker and Sarah Ward
Music: West End Blues by Bob Barnard on Jazz Giants - the album

Roquefort Soufflé

2011-12-29T06:00:00-05:00

I can't decide which of Ina Garten's cookbooks is my favorite, but I can say I'm predisposed toward Barefoot in Paris - no surprises there. My favorite all time lunch is a slice of Leek Tart (made from Patricia Wells's recipe in her Bistro Cooking cookbook) with a green salad dressed in a mustard vinaigrette, but a very close second is a serving of this incredible soufflé with a salad. Light and airy and full of that wonderful cheese flavor - this is divine, and so much easier to make than you'd think. Don't be intimidated, it's never failed yet. My husband is the world's number one cheese lover and when I serve him this soufflé ... well let's just say he's in heaven.

Roquefort Soufflé
(Serves 2-4)

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Butter the inside of an 8-cup soufflé dish 7½ inches in diameter x 3¼ inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the ¼ cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Montauk Lighthouse at Christmas

2011-12-26T17:43:17-05:00

Night photography and Christmas are a marriage made in heaven. Peter and I never knew that one of our favorite landmarks here on the east end of Long Island gets all decked out for the holidays until his cousin told us three days ago. So on Christmas Eve, my sister, nephew, husband and I drove out to eastern-most point on the island to see what kind of subject this would make for our nighttime photography class.

The Montauk Lighthouse was trimmed from head-to-toe in white lights and looked stunning in the blue hour atop it's small hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Photos and Slide Show ©2011 Claudia Danforth Ward
Music: "A Telegram" by Thomas Newman from the Soundtrack of Little Women

To see the highest quality slide show, click on the HD and then the words "watch this video in high def" and you'll be taken to Vimeo to see the slide show.

Happy holidays everyone!

Bokeh

2011-12-22T12:39:25-05:00

Christmas Tree Bokeh?

In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh is not how far something is out-of-focus, bokeh is the character of whatever blur is there. The word bokeh comes from the Japanese word "boke" (pronounced bo-keh) which means blur or haze.

Rocking Santa with Christmas Bokeh

In our night photography eClass, we're now focusing on man-made light and what better time of year for that than Christmas. Streets are lined with colorfully lit holiday decorations, homes have candles in their windows, and Christmas trees are trimmed with bright lights and shiny bulbs. I love creating images with the bokeh of these lights as a background for nearly anything else - another tree, a rocking Santa, and even a a reindeer. Recently, we even brought out our best crystal for Peter's shot.

Christmas Crystal and Bokeh

I hope you enjoy these.

Shooting Stars

2011-12-18T06:00:00-05:00

Shooting Stars © 2011 Claudia Ward
Nikon D90 55mm, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 5 minutes 33 seconds taken at 11:57 p.m.

Photographing the stars requires planning and patience but the rewards are striking and slightly magical images. Besides planning and patience, this photography requires a steady tripod, a remote release for the camera, and a flashlight. To be the most successful shooting the stars, it should be as dark as possible, meaning there needs to be little to no light from streets or towns, or even the moon ... thus the need for a flashlight. You can't check your settings without one.

Streaming Stars ©2011 Claudia Ward
Nikon D90 55mm, ISO 200, f/5.6 for 10 minutes 55 seconds taken at 12:11 a.m.

Shooting the stars in a long exposure results in the star looking like streams of color in the sky, some blue, some white, some pale yellow and they can form an arc or circle - evidence of the earth's rotation on its axis. I've just begun shooting the stars and can say it's quite exciting. These were my first two attempts, on an evening when the moon shone brightly. Kent Weakley, in the Night Photography class I'm taking, pointed out that the North Star, which is directly above the earth's north axis never appears to spin unlike all of the other stars in the galaxy. Our mission in the next several weeks is to see if we can get a great time exposure of the north star with other stars spinning around it. Wish us luck!

SmugMug

2011-12-16T10:46:59-05:00

What is SmugMug? Only the best digital photo sharing website on the internet (in my opinion). Established in 2002, SmugMug prides itself on its independence and service to photographers of all kinds, amateur and professional. It's a relatively small company focused on featuring and securing my photographs the way I want and need them to, not on growing big enough to be acquired and garnering lots of advertising revenue in the meantime. Over the years, I've worked with Picasa, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Kodak and even Flickr, but hands down, my preference is SmugMug. Why?

Thunderbird © Claudia Ward

First, the photo-sharing site you can create for yourself is "way cool" and easy to build. It's a cinch to get answers for any questions through their user-friendly help and fantastic DGrin forums. (DGrin stands for Digital Grin which is their distinctive logo!) You can protect your photos in several different ways and you can even store your 1,000s of photos in the SmugVault. It's all about me and my photos, not them.

As a photographer with a fledgling business, I also love the Pro features of SmugMug, most of which I won't elaborate on here and now, but I do love the ease with which I could set up my Pro account to offer print images on paper, canvas and even metal, or mouse pads, coffee cups, aprons, and note cards adorned with any photo in my galleries.

So this is the official launch of my SmugMug store and I encourage you to visit and browse. If you see something you like, add it to your cart, and I promise you the watermark will disappear before your selection arrives on your doorstep. I'll be updating the galleries frequently so return often to see what's new. Feed back and suggestions for the sight are also welcomed.

So Happy Holidays one and all, and thank you for your support throughout the year.

P.S. The images displayed on the post are all available in my SmugMug Store and are indicative of the types of photos you'll find there. There's still time before Christmas.

P.P.S. Just in case you are wondering, SmugMug isn't giving me anything to say these nice things, this is just my candid opinion of their company and products.

Morning Moon Photography

2011-12-14T12:09:15-05:00

Setting Moon in the Wishbone Tree © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 55-200mm zoom at 62mm, ISO 100, f/11 for 1/100 second taken at 7:07 a.m.

The day before a full moon, the moon does everything "before" the sun - it rises before the sun sets and it sets before the sun rises. On the day of a full moon, the moon and the sun rise and set very close to the same time, and the day after a full moon, the moon will rise and set nearly an hour after the sun. Thus it was on December 11th, as the sun was getting ready to appear on the eastern horizon, the moon was still quite high over the western horizon.

Setting Moon in the Arms of the Wishbone Tree © Claudia Ward
Nikon D 60 55-200mm at 55mm, ISO 100, f/11 for 1/100 second taken at 7:06 a.m.

We live on a tree-lined street on the east end of Long Island and directly across the street is a tree I have dubbed "the wishbone tree", for what I hope are obvious reasons. Over the years, I have enjoyed watching brilliant sunsets offset this tree in dark silhouette, and sometimes during the summer the sun even sets directly between its arms. Well, the moon is now nearly as far north as it's going to be and the morning after the full moon, it set directly between those arms.

Moon Setting During Early Morning Blue Hour © Claudia Ward
Nikon D90, 18-55mm at 22mm, ISO 200, f/14 for 10 seconds taken at 6:44 a.m.

These are the images I was able to capture, and one was even in the final moments of the blue hour! Let me know what you think.

Shooting the Rising Moon

2011-12-12T13:28:51-05:00

Moon Rising over the Beach © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:05 p.m. EST

Once a month, the day before the full moon, the moon rises before the sun sets. Did you know that? I didn't consciously know it until this Night Photography eClass I've been taking with Kent Weakley. Sure I've seen the moon still in the sky early some mornings and thought "that's a little odd" but never did I focus on it as I have over the past week.

The full moon here was on Saturday Dec 10th, so to capture a sunlit landscape image with a nearly full moon in it, we packed up our tripods and gear and headed to the beach on Friday afternoon, to a wooden deck that straddles the sand dunes and provides a perfect panorama of the dunes, beach, ocean and hopefully, the moon.

Rising December Moon in the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 80mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:09 p.m. EST

The moon was scheduled to rise at 3:42 p.m. and the sun was scheduled to set at 4:21 p.m. so there was a 39 minute window in which we might be able to get a photograph of the rising moon in a well lit landscape. Well, 3:42 p.m. came and went; we saw nothing. There were a few cumulus clouds along the horizon but nothing anyone would consider cloud cover, so hope persevered. By 3:52 p.m., I was walking the beach, peering around dunes, to see what could be hiding our precious moon - to no avail. We checked our iPhone apps to reconfirm exactly where the moon should appear, and we knew it should be there.

Moon over the Hamptons © Claudia Ward
Nikon D90, 55mm: ISO 320, f/9.0 for 1/15 second, taken at 4:29 p.m. EST

It was nearly 4:00 p.m. before the moon made its appearance, just above the clouds, as a large pale white disk rising slowly in the sky. We were thrilled.

Rising Moon at Sundown © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 135mm: ISO 200, f/11 for 1/30 second, taken at 4:16 p.m. EST

The winds were brisk, off the ocean, and it was mighty cold on top of that platform, but Peter and I had a ball and kept shooting until the sky to the west was nothing but fiery orange and black. It was a challenge to firmly anchor the tripods but I think we got some good shots and hope you agree. This is the first post on "Shooting the Rising Moon", more to come.

Full Moon in December © Claudia Ward
Nikon D60, 200mm: ISO 200, f/5.6 for 1/100 second, taken at 4:20 p.m. EST

Let us know what you think and if you have any tips on shooting the moon, feel free to pass them along.

Shooting the Moon

2011-12-09T17:55:03-05:00

Shooting the moon at the beach on a cold winter's night.

That's me!

Sent from my iPhone

Beach Weekend

2011-12-07T10:20:04-05:00

Beach Weekend painted by Barbara Andolsek

I get such pleasure out of seeing Barbara Andolsek's paintings of my photographs, and if I were to be quite candid, I often prefer the painting to the photo. I truly believe there's a frustrated painter inside of me and her only means of expression is through photography - thank goodness! - but this painterly side of me gets immense satisfaction from seeing Barbara's paintings.

Thank you so very much Barbara, I'm so glad we met.

Night Photography - Blue Hour II

2011-12-05T10:22:24-05:00

Water Mill Windmill: f/14 for 15 seconds at ISO 100 taken at 4:47 p.m. EST

Night Photography in the Blue Hour is a lot of fun and the results can be incredibly beautiful with a deep cobalt blue sky starkly offsetting a well lit skyline, bridge, or monument. No extra fancy camera equipment is required. No super expensive lens, remote control, or high tech tripod need to be purchased to get good to great results. Although, I should add, you do need each of those pieces of equipment. My kit includes a Nikon D60 with a Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens that came with it, a Nikon remote control and an aluminum Manfrotto tripod, none of which would be considered very "high-end" and I find that it serves me very well. What is required, in my estimation is an investment on the part of the photographer.

Water Mill Windmill: f/14 for 30 seconds at ISO 100 taken at 4:54 p.m. EST

First and foremost, the photographer must know her equipment, how it operates in automatic AND manual modes, and the wonderful marriage of trade-offs between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Armed with that knowledge, there are just a few other things required for Night Photography - Planning, Patience and Tenacity.

As Kent Weakley has taught in his Night Photography class, most blue hour night photography requires sky and artificial lights. On the east end of Long Island it takes some real planning to find places that might be good at l'heure bleue. This is flat farm country, with an emphasis on country, where we don't have a lot of artificial lights and we definitely don't have any skylines or bridges, so I've been focusing on our monuments - things like churches and windmills. Patience comes into play, after you set up, and is needed to endure the trials of anticipation and, at this time of year, falling temperatures. Tenacity is required to keep you on location despite a desire to return to your warm, bright home wafting the wonderful aromas of a well-deserved dinner. You must be steadfast to stay in place until the Blue Hour has come and gone, and headlights are required for your trip home. Pack all of this when you head out to shoot something at the Blue Hour, and you're, more than likely, going to be quite pleased with your results.

Water Mill Windmill: f/4.5 for 30 seconds at ISO 100 taken at 5:10 p.m. EST

Dungeness Crab Cakes

2011-12-01T06:00:00-05:00

Dungeness crab inhabits the waters on the west coast of North America and every time we pass through Seattle, Peter and I always pick up a couple of crabs at Pike Place Market to bring home. The fish markets all pack the crabs, or fish for that matter, in traveling boxes that are acceptable to the airlines, so we can savor the flavors from the Pacific Northwest even after we return home.

Pike Place Seafood Market - Seattle, WA

It's amazing how much wonderful crab meat Peter can extract from two Dungeness crabs. This time Peter made a crab meat dip that we enjoyed as appetizers and snacks several days in a row. We also made a delicious crab salad but our particular favorite was these crab cakes, the recipe for which was derived from the one posted earlier this year for Trout and Crab Cakes. What we especially like about this recipe is that the crab meat is the center of attention with little else holding them together. We did serve them with a chipotle sauce but found that it was just too overpowering for the this delicate Dungeness crab, a squeeze of lemon was all that we wanted.

Dungeness Crab Cakes
(Makes 4 servings of 2 Crab Cakes Each)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 green onions (scallions), white part only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
10 ounces fresh Dungeness crab meat, picked over for shell
Flour for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
====================================

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, egg. mustard, Old Bay seasoning, onion, cilantro, and bread crumbs. Gently mix in the trout and crab. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each about 2½ inches in diameter. They will barely hold together. Spread the flour on a plate and lightly dredge the patties, coating evenly. Place the patties on a plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and cook half the trout cakes until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Repeat for the remaining cakes. Arrange 2 trout cakes and a wedge of lemon on each of 4 plates and serve immediately.

Night Photography - Blue Hour

2011-11-29T11:15:17-05:00

ISO 400 / f/5.6 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 5:17 P.M.

Did you know "the blue hour" comes from the French expression l'heure bleue, no wonder I'm falling in love with it. It refers to the period of twilight when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. A "blue hour" happens twice each day - once in the morning and once in the evening, and is a brief period of time (not an hour) when the quality of ambient light for photography is superb.

Without going in to too much detail, I should mention that there are three widely accepted subcategories of twilight and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) defines them as follows:

Civil Twilight: the time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. At this time, there is enough light for objects to be clearly distinguishable and that outdoor activities can commence (dawn) or end (dusk) without artificial illumination. Civil twilight is the definition of twilight most widely used by the general public.
Nautical Twilight: the time when the center of the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon, and only general or vague outlines of objects are visible. During the evening this is when it becomes too difficult to perceive the horizon, and in the morning this is the point when the horizon becomes distinguishable. This term goes back to the days when sailing ships navigated by using the stars.
Astronomical Twilight: the time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon. It is that point in time at which the sun starts lightening the sky. Prior to this time during the morning, the sky is completely dark. During the evening, this is the point where the sky completely turns dark.

The "blue hour" straddles the end of civil twilight and most of nautical twilight. To us lay-people, it's after sunset and usually when we would pack up our gear and go home, but we shouldn't for the best is yet to come.

I'm learning so much in this Night Photography eClass I'm taking with Kent Weakley. First I've learned that the "blue hour":

does exist
is incredibly beautiful
can't necessarily be seen by the naked eye, and
happens "come rain or shine".

To get the best results shooting at this hour, you have to have a tripod, and a remote control or timer on your camera because your exposures can be very long. Some of mine went a full half minute, and many wanted to be even longer, and I could never have stayed still handheld for that long.

It's also a big help to have an app or two to help you pinpoint exactly when l'heure bleue will be. I've been using an app called "Daylight" for the last couple of years which shows exactly when the three twilights are on a twenty-four hour clock. (An added benefit is that it also shows the phase of the moon.) Kent introduced me to another app called The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) which is available for free for a computer and for a charge for handheld devices. Ephemeris, according to my very good friend Merriam-Webster, is "a tabular statement of the assigned places of a celestial body for regular intervals" which means it shows you where the sun and moon are or will be. Both are helpful tools if you want to capture l'heure bleue.

These are my first attempts at Blue Hour photography? What do you think?

ISO 200 / f/10 / 15 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 4:54 P.M.

ISO 100 / f/18 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:24 A.M.

ISO 100 / f/20 / 3 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:36 A.M.

You'll rightly note that the evening and morning shots were taken quite late. I'll get out much earlier the next time.

Jelly Fish

2011-11-27T08:48:07-05:00

Today's post is a "guest post" from a former colleague of mine, who lives in North Carolina where they have been having an issue with an inordinate number of jelly fish. Jelly fish have been in the surf for over a week, along the coast, which is being attributed to unusually high winds.

John got these great photos just after the tide washed them ashore and before the dried up. You're right John, "One of those 'being there at the right time' camera moments." Wish I could have seen them too, I love the color. I never knew a jelly fish could be so attractive!

Night Photography

2011-11-25T10:24:37-05:00

I love learning and for the past two and half years I've been "teaching myself" how to become a better photographer through books, online tutorials, and following other photographers online. The journey has been rich and rewarding but every once in a while it feels a bit too solitary. I've been following one photographer for a while now named Kent Weakley and recently learned that he offers eClasses online. When I saw his night shots and then saw that a 6-week long class on Night Photography would be starting on the day after Thanksgiving, I had to sign up. So I did and I signed up my little sister too. I thought it could be great fun to be doing this together.

So for the next six weeks I'll be sharing with you all some of the results of this class. We'll be covering the Blue Hour, the Moon, Stars, Fireworks, Nighttime Motion Photography and something called Light Painting. I expect to learn a lot and hope you'll find the results interesting too.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:57:24-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Sent from my iPhone

The Big Island of Hawaii

2011-11-22T19:07:20-05:00

The Big Island of Hawaii has every kind of terrain there is on the continental United States, and that was a surprise.

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We landed on the west side of the island, on the Kohala coast, where we would be staying for the next five days and were quite surprised by the desolate volcanic desert that surrounded the airport. This was just our introduction to the diverse terrains of the big island. On this, the largest of the Hawaiian islands, there are deserts, rain forests, volcanoes, farm land and cattle ranches, small island-cities, and tropical beaches of every color - white, black, and green.

To see the Big Island, you either drive around it or fly over it, and Peter and I were lucky enough to do both, safely. On the ground, we saw desert that could have been in New Mexico, ranches that belonged in Texas, tropical shorelines that could have been in Florida, and rain forests that could be in Washington-state. From the air, we saw volcanoes that could be in Oregon, farm land that could have been in the western plain states, and dramatic coastline that could rival the east or west coast of the mainland. It's remarkable and unique.

Hawai'i, created by volcanoes, occupies just over 4,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, and continues to expand with their lava flows pouring in to the ocean. The two you notice the most on the island are Mauna Kea (White Mountain, because it gets a snow cap in the winter), and Mauna Loa (Long Mountain, because it is long and low). Mauna Kea is dormant and Maunea Loa is still active.

Despite cautionary concerns from friends, we booked a two hour flight on Blue Hawaiian helicopter tours at 7:00 a.m. one morning, flying out of Waikoloa, on the north west coast of the island. The route we took was southeast over the desert, flying past Mauna Loa, toward Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

In this flight path, we skirted the base of Mauna Loa in the stark bright sunlight of early morning, and then dipped under the clouds and smoke that hover over the lava fields which were once a rich landscape with over 200 homes. As we circled over the lava fields, it was amazing to see this molten matter in so many different stages of its existence. Our pilot explained that there are two main types of lava both of which we could see from the air. Pahoehoe (pa-hoy-hoy) is smooth and dense and flows like molasses. A'a (ah-ah) lava forms porous, jagged, light-weight rocks that tumble over and pile up on each other.

To see the earth with this much natural, creative - yet violent - energy was fascinating, but as we flew further north the slate gray lava fields gave way to lush green farmland surrounding the city of Hilo, and then the cliffs of the Hamakua coast. As we entered the valleys near the northern tip of the island, places you can't get to except by flight, it was amazing and nerve-racking to fly towards the walls of these mountains.

We saw hidden waterfalls and land untrodden by man - then turning on a dime our helicopter climbed westward to the crest of the mountains. It was here that we saw the extreme contrasts in this island's terrains. Behind us was the green lushness of the steep valleys falling to the ocean behind us with its black sand beaches, and ahead of us was expansive, dry ranch land spreading west toward the white sand beaches of the island's tropical resorts. It was like the two sides of that drama mask.

We enjoyed seeing the island and are so happy that we saw it from the air too. We told ourselves this would be "a once in a lifetime" experience - and it was. Sadly, a Blue Hawaiian helicopter crashed two weeks after our flight, and that has probably convinced us to remain on terra firma in the future, but "thanks for the memories" Blue Hawaiian, and these wonderful photographs.

Enjoy the slide show. Note: When you see the photograph of the helicopter "head on" you'll be able to see where we sat. We were in the front with the pilot. Noah, the pilot was on the left, I was in the middle and Peter was on the right ... the best seats in the house with windows everywhere!

Photos and Slide Show © 2011 Claudia Ward, All Rights Reserved
Music: Hawaiian Jazz by the Hawaiian Music Party Squad

If you're interested, and I hope you will be, check out Peter's video of the helicopter ride on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Hawaiian Volcano

2011-11-21T06:00:00-05:00

These are my two favorite "Volcano" images captured from a helicopter that we took to see the Big Island of Hawaii from the air.

The volcanic gases pouring forth into the atmosphere seemed so ominous and forboding, and the patterns in the hardening lava suggested continued motion for some time to come.

Let me know what you think.

Yorkshire Pudding

2011-11-19T06:00:00-05:00

iPhone photo by Peter Tooker

As the holidays approach, it seems everyone is practicing for the family holiday. The question is whether to cook traditional turkey or to do something different like a ham or perhaps a roast of beef. Being no different, we've been practicing too, this week with an Herb Roasted Turkey Breast (more on that later) and last week a roast of beef. The true benefit of the latter in my estimation is the ability to make Yorkshire Pudding from the drippings.

Yorkshire Pudding, a crisp, light, roasted bread laced with the flavor of the roasted beef. My mouth is watering just writing about it. Generally, Yorkshire Pudding is made with the drippings of beef, but Peter and I have even been known to make it with the drippings from a roast leg of lamb ... yum! Many will make individual puddings, in muffin tins, but I've always made one large pudding in a roasting pan and then sliced it in to large squares. It's indescribably delicious either way.

Old Fashioned Yorkshire Pudding
(6 servings)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cold water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted roast beef drippings
==================================

Preheat oven to 500℉.
Mix flour and salt in a small bowl, add milk, a little at a time, beating with an electric mixer until smooth. Add water and eggs and beat until bubbly. Cover loosely and let stand in a cool place (not the refrigerator) about 1/2 an hour.
Pour 3 tablespoons of melted roast been drippings into a 13" x 9" x 2" roasting pan and heat in the oven 2 minutes.
Meanwhile beat batter until bubbles appear.
Pour batter into the pan and bake 10 minutes, reduce heat to 450℉, and bake 12-15 minutes longer until well browned and crisp.
Cut unto large squares and serve immediately.

Corn Soup with Cilantro and Smoked Paprika

2011-11-18T11:01:22-05:00

Corn soup rather than chowder, was a novel idea to me but I wanted to try it because it sounded so simplistically good. We've had a spectacular corn season here on the east end. We don't remember a year when the corn was so consistently sweet, so we've wanted to use it in every possible way we could.

I love corn chowder but it, admittedly, is quite rich and generally laden with calories. This corn soup, from Patricia Wells in her Vegetable Harvest cookbook is simply corn, 1% milk, and a few herbs and spices. The corn is the star which is a signature characteristic of Patricia's cookbooks. Find fresh, local ingredients and prepare them to simply bring out their best features, this is her mantra and she's sticking to it. In my experience cooking from her cookbooks, you can't go wrong with this approach to food.

Corn Soup with Cilantro and Smoked Paprika
(Makes 6 serving)

3 ears fresh corn, shucked
6 cups 1% milk
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
About 1 teaspoon smoked paprika for garnish
==================================

With a sharp knife, slice and scrape the kernels of the corn from the cob. Place the kernels and the cobs in a skillet large enough to hold the corn in a single layer. Add the milk and the salt. Cover, bring to a simmer over low heat, and cook at a bare simmer for 45 minutes. (Watch carefully so the milk does not boil over.)
Remove the corn cobs from the pot and discard. Transfer the corn kernels and the cooking liquid to a food processor or blender and purée: This may have to be done in batches. The corn kernels will break up, but the mixture with remain slightly chunky. (The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated.)
Serve warm or chilled in shallow soup bowls. Garnish with cilantro and paprika and serve. (Note: The smoked paprika makes a real, and special, difference.)

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The sweetness of the fresh corn is what this soup is all about, whether it's served hot or cold, or with or without a garnish or two.

Tarragon-Sherried Mushrooms on Toast Points

2011-11-17T05:30:00-05:00

Tarragon-Sherried Mushroom on Toast Points
iPhone photo by Peter Tooker

I've never met a mushroom I didn't like and we love using them in salads, as salads, in dressings, as a vegetable, as an appetizer, and for the main course for lunch. Years ago, I cut this recipe out of some magazine and just recently stumbled upon it once again. I bought a huge package of cremini mushrooms at Costco and we've just had to use them up some how. Alas, we've had these delicious, creamy tarragon-sherried mushrooms on toast points twice this week. The good news and the bad news? The mushrooms are now gone.

These are a wonderful, easy appetizer for a dinner party - everyone thinks you worked so hard, and they're a perfect fall lunch accompanied by a salad of tossed greens with a light vinaigrette.

Sherried Mushrooms
(Makes two servings)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound mushrooms, sliced (white and/or cremini are what I use)
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry or Madeira, to taste
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Four pieces of thin-sliced bread, lightly toasted

==================================

In a medium skillet, heat the butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside.
In fat, sauté the mushrooms and shallot stirring until mushrooms begin to give off their juice.
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook mixture, stirring for one minute.
Stir in the broth, sherry, tarragon, parsley, and salt and papper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in yogurt, arrange toast points on 2 plates. Spoon mixture over toast points.

iPhone Photos from 10,000 Feet Plus

2011-11-15T08:18:29-05:00

iPhone Photo from 10,000 feet - Mauna Kea on Hawaii

The iPhone 4 has an incredible camera in it. I dismissed it for the longest time as a toy until we went on a 30 day road trip last spring and then it became a working participant in my small arsenal of cameras. Recently, Peter and I flew nearly the entire breadth of the United States, from New York City to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, stopping in Seattle each way. These are long flights and what do you do on airplanes these days, when everything on board is mediocre and expensive? Answer: Look out the window. Just look at what I saw Flying High Above the Clouds.

iPhone photos & slide show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: "Le Matelot Club" from the soundtrack of Victor/Victoria

The apps I used to take these images included the Camera app that came with the iPhone 4, Camera+, and HDR Pro, however, few of the images taken with the latter app survived because it still detected and showed movement. I'm thrilled with the quality of the images from the other two apps which were only straightened and sharpened in Adobe Photoshop Elements later. You'll see that I've included some images in the slide show that I might not show standing on their own because of the graininess, but they help advance the story of a setting or rising sun, so they're here. There are points at dusk and dawn when the light is not sufficient enough to overcome the graininess ... but, usually in those circumstances I'd have my DSLR on a tripod, just not this time at 34,000 feet in a 767.

Remember, to see the best quality slide show, click on the HD and then the words highlighted in blue "watch this video in High Definition". You'll be taken to Vimeo, where this slide show resides, click on the play arrow, and enjoy. Thanks.

Reflections: Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

2011-11-11T17:12:20-05:00

Reflection of a Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

Veteran's Day - a day to remember and thank all veteran's who have protected this wonderful country of ours and the freedom that we should all cherish. We thank you all ... for all of your sacrifices, because we know that they were not small.

Tomatoes - Can You Ever Like Them?

2011-11-10T12:05:26-05:00

iPhone photo © Peter Tooker

Tomatoes were a real challenge for me to eat when I was a child - perhaps it was the acidity, perhaps it was the 1960's "hot house" tomatoes which were hard as rocks, barely red, and absolutely flavorless. Whatever the reason, I didn't like them and I avoided them at all costs ... until one summer day, when my mother brought a fresh tomato home from a farmer's market. She cajoled me into trying this one, one she promised would be different. She also knew she was working with an impressionable child and "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down".

I watched her slice into this incredibly beautiful, bright red, juicy tomato and could hardly believe this is what a tomato was supposed to look like. She placed a slice each on two plates. She walked me to the living room (where we were never allowed to eat anything), invited me to sit cross-legged on the floor, handed me a napkin, sprinkled each tomato slice with a dusting of granular sugar, and, by example, picked hers up with her fingers and began to eat this wondrously special fruit.

I was mesmerized by this special moment with my mother and the fact that we were breaking "the rules", but I have to say I fell in love with the tomato that day ... the real ones, the ones that grow in your own garden or at least one in your own town.

My younger sister is still, to this day, trying to find a way to eat tomatoes that she will like. The Tomato and Mustard Tart last summer "sorta" worked, for all the wrong reasons, but I now submit this recipe to her for a sincere "try". This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is so wonderful, with a medley of flavors that features the tomato but isn't "all about the tomato". Please little sister, and any one else listening, you should try this recipe. Full of flavor with just a touch of heat. I truly believe a doubting-tomato-eater, could become a convert.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Serves 6-8

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
28 ounces canned plum tomatoes with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock
=================================

Preheat the oven to 400 ℉.
Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Hapuna Beach on Hawaii

2011-11-07T13:58:31-05:00

Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is a long stretch of pristine white sand framed to the north and the south by dark lava reefs. The tropical blue waters are warm enough for a long swim and yet cool enough to be refreshing but not cold. The clean waters permit snorkeling and the shallow surf provides for some fun rides for the younger boogie boarders on the beach. As the center of the Hapuna Beach State Recreational Park, the beach is easily accessible. It also has free parking, rest rooms and showers, a snack bar, and beach chairs and umbrellas for rent.

We spent two lazy days walking the beach from end to end, bobbing in the water basking in the beauty all around us. Mauna Kea, the often snow capped mountain on the island, overlooks this beautiful beach, and could be seen or perceived below, behind, or in the clouds, depending on how the wind would blow. The western part of Hawaii is largely desert in nature, and is the only side of the island that has these beautiful white sand beaches - delightful treasures nestled in along the coast.

Enjoy the slide show. If you want to see it in HD, and I recommend you do (the quality is so much better and is what I shot), click on the HD in the lower right corner and it will tell you that you can "watch this video in High Definition on Vimeo". Click on those words and you'll be taken to Vimeo where you simply click on the play button to see it in HD.

Photos and Slide Show © Claudia Ward
Music: Wood Wind by the Henry Paul Band

Wish you were there?

Tomato Art

2011-11-03T13:51:57-04:00

"Meaty Tomato" painted by Barbara Andolsek

If you've followed me for any period of time, you know I love the paintings of a California based artist named Barbara Andolsek. Despite the fact that we've never met, we've become quite good friends over the internet, one of the delightful and rewarding benefits of the 21st century. Barbara sources the subjects of her paintings all over, as she has a keen eye and a life-loving spirit, and I'm hugely complimented by the fact that she has chosen to paint a number of my photographs. I'm always surprised and thrilled to see them on her blog, which I encourage you all to follow.

Once again Barbara has painted one of the images posted to Open-Window just last month. She calls it "Meaty Tomato" and rightly so because that's exactly what that beautiful heirloom was. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Jack O'Lantern

2011-10-31T09:00:00-04:00

Jack O'Lantern

The Jack O'Lantern has always symbolized Halloween to me and I've always loved the expressions carvers give to them and the light that peaks through their eyes. Some look jovial and full of laughter, others look demonic and others look just plain scary. To this day, I still get a kick out of carving a Jack O'lantern from a pumpkin; however, the ones I carve these days are a fraction of the size of the ones I carved when I was young - patience is an issue.

I wondered about the origin of the Jack O'Lantern and what I learned surprised me. "They say" the Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. Well I have ancestors who were Irish perhaps that's my attraction.

JACK O'Lantern

Happy Halloween everyone. Please stay safe, don't let the goblins get you.

Birds in Hawaii

2011-10-29T15:42:12-04:00

Day two of our trip seemed to be all about the birds.

Exotic Crowned Bird

Common Myna Bird

House Sparrow

House Finch Waiting Impatiently

House Finch Enjoying Our Leftovers

Exotic Hawaiian Bird "Hooked" On Himself

Hawaiian Parrot

Preview of coming attractions: We took a two hour helicopter ride around the Big Island of Hawaii. What an experience that was!

Hawaii - Day One

2011-10-27T15:29:10-04:00

The big island of Hawaii is where we are and we're thoroughly enjoying all it's treasures and its diversity. It's history is rich, its resources seem boundless, and its beauty speaks for itself. Here's a sampling of what we saw on our first day on the island of Hawaii.

Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, the City of Refuge on Hawaii

The City of Refuge - Hawaii

Statues in Hawaii's City of Refuge

Hawaiian Butts

Local Fisherman on the Big Island of Hawaii

Honu - The Green Sea Turtle - Hawaii

Sunset at Kahalu'u Beach Park - Hawaii

34,000 Feet Over the Pacific

2011-10-24T16:01:11-04:00

On our way to Hawaii.

Sent from my iPhone

Tomato and Mustard Tart

2011-10-21T09:07:39-04:00

Tomato and mustard tart ... how could that possibly be bad?

If you've followed Open-Window for any length of time, you know that I love a tart of nearly any kind, so when I find a recipe for one I've never seen or cooked before, I'm thrilled. Patricia Wells has once again opened my eyes to how good fresh ingredients, assembled simply, can taste.

But first, I want to share a funny story about the first time I made this tart. It was this past summer when my younger sister was visiting. She's never cared much for tomatoes and was hoping that this might be one way that she would. I bought a special bottle of Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard just for this tart - a "real" French Moutarde de Dijon.
Preparation and assembly was easy, it looked wonderful going in to the oven and coming out. We sliced the tart, plated it with a green salad, poured a small glass of white wine, and set about to enjoy our lunch.

ALERT: Unlike Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, Edmond Fallot Dijon mustard packs an incredible punch when it's first opened.

Following instructions, I spread the newly opened mustard over the tart pastry, then layered on the tomatoes and the herbs, and baked it. When we took our first bites of the tart, we at once felt the fire of this new mustard, to the point that my sister came to tears. As she heroically (and politely) continued to eat the tart, she began to laugh, with tears in her eyes, as only she can do ... saying "this is one way to get me to eat tomatoes ... when I can't taste them!" Sadly that was true, we couldn't taste the tomatoes for the heat from the moutarde. We all persevered with the help of the chilled green salad and that chablis, and I vowed to make this again and I did.

This time, I used only Grey Poupon, I used a Pâte Brisée rather than the whole wheat dough, added some sautéed shallots for fun, and we found the tomato and herb tart - without fire - delicious. Make your own version, it's all wonderful.

Aftermath Footnote: Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard is only fiery hot when you first open it. Rather like horseradish, it begins to mellow the minute you open it.

Tomato and Mustard Tart
Makes One 12-inch Tart

2 large tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)
Flour and corn meal for dusting
1 recipe Quick Whole Wheat Bread Tart Dough, shaped into a ball
½ cup sharp imported French mustard
¼ cup mixed minced fresh chives, parsley, and basil
Extra-virgin olive oil spray
==================================

Place the tomatoes on several paper towel layers to drain.
Place the baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500℉.
On a generously floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch round.
Sprinkle a wooden pizza peel with corn meal and place round of dough on the peel. Working quickly to keep the dough from sticking, assemble the tart: Spread the mustard evenly over the dough; Arrange the tomatoes on top of the mustard; Sprinkle with the herbs.
Slide the dough off the peel and onto the baking stone. Bake until the dough is crisp and golden and the top is bubbly, about 15 minutes. With a metal pizza peel or a large spatula, remove the tart from the baking stone. Transfer the tart to a cutting board. Spray it with olive oil. Cut it into 6-8 wedges and serve immediately.

NOTE: If you don't have a baking stone and a wooden peel, simply sprinkle the corn meal on a baking sheet, place the round of dough on top, assemble the tart, and bake on the baking sheet.

Quick Whole Wheat Bread Tart Dough

¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup bread flour, plus extra if needed and for dusting
1 package (2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
==================================

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the whole wheat flour, bread flour, yeast, salt, and sugar, and pulse to mix.
Combine ½ hot water and the olive oil in a measuring cup.
With the motor running, gradually add enough of the hot liquid for the mixture to form a sticky ball. The dough should be soft. If it is too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more hot water. If it is too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball.
Transfer to a clean, floured surface and knead by hand for 1 minute.
Cover with a cloth and let rest for at least 10 minutes before rolling. (The dough will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Punch down the dough as necessary.)

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The tomato season, sadly, is coming to and end, so, if you can, treat yourself to a version of this tart. It's easy and delicious and beats any sandwich you could ever conjure up for lunch (or dinner).

The Film "The Artist"

2011-10-17T11:02:30-04:00

At the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) last night, "The Artist" was featured as one of the Spotlight films for the closing night.

Once or twice in a lifetime, you will go to the movies and find that when the lights have been turned down low, you are transported to another place or time, one you don't want to leave until you absolutely must. That was the experience I had in East Hampton last night. "The Artist" is a 2011 romance film directed by French auteur Michel Hazanavicius, starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The story starts in 1927 and is about a leading man in silent films who balks at the idea, let alone the reality, of talking films, and a young star-wanabe woman who falls for the charismatic leading man unwittingly. Not only is this striking film about the era of black and white silent films, but it is one!

"The Artist" is beautifully made. Everything about this film is magical. The acting, the directing, the art, the characters, and especially the music. You can't take your eyes off the screen nor do you want to. I can honestly say I have not enjoyed a festival film this much since the "Stand-ins" which was shown at the HIFF in 1997 and is a beautifully done period piece about stand-in actresses in the 1930s.

If and when you have an opportunity to see "The Artist" I highly recommend that you do. I believe you'll find yourself feasting on everything you see and hear, and wanting more, just as the audiences here did when they awarded "The Artist" with the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. You might also be interested in knowing that Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

P.S. If you're in or near East Hampton today, Monday October 17, 2011, "The Artist" will be shown again in Theater 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Antique Hood Ornaments

2011-10-16T13:11:36-04:00

I adore antique hood ornaments. I think they are truly works of art, created in a time when care was taken in the design of every aspect of an automobile. Most of my favorites are from the 1930s and they come in all forms - a winged lady, airplanes, birds of many varieties, a lion's head, bullets, ships, rams, even indian heads. They represented strength, endurance, and/or speed and proudly graced the hoods of Packards, Cadillacs, Plymouths, Franklins, Chevrolets and even the trusty old Dodge.

Do you know, these would never be permitted today because of the fear that someone would be impaled on them in an accident? How sad, they are so beautiful and expressive.

1937 Dodge Ram Hood Ornament

Tomatoes

2011-10-12T13:54:49-04:00

It's nearly the end of tomato season and I can honestly say this saddens me. Local tomatoes of all sizes and heritage have been wonderful this year and we've learned to do many new and different things with them.

At the beginning of the season, we would showcase them in a salad all their own - dressed in the simplest herbal dressing to show off their exquisite fresh flavor. When friends joined us for dinner one night, we finished the meal with that wonderfully delicious Tomato Tarte Tatin that we wrote about last year, and fell in love with it all over again.

As the season progressed, we wanted to be creative so we made tomato water which added a subtle tomato flavor to many a summer cocktail and homemade tomato jam became a standing complement to leftover cold chicken. By late August, our blender nearly burned out making batch after batch of Heirloom Tomato soup which was cool and delicious on those really hot late-summer days.

Here we are at the end of the season wanting desperately to extend it any way we can, so we're making several tomato sauces that we can freeze to use throughout the winter (if they last that long). We use them on homemade pizza and pasta, in casseroles, and to dress vegetables like zucchini and eggplant. Patricia Wells is our source for these two sauces (Vegetable Harvest), and we will be grateful to her all winter long.

Chunky Fresh Tomato Sauce
(Yields 5 cups)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds garden-fresh tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and quartered

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt (do not substitute fine salt, it may be too salty)
Several celery leaves
Several fresh or dried Bay leaves
1 head of plump, moist garlic, cloves separated and peeled
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
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In a large, heavy-duty saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
Cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring regularly, until the tomatoes have collapsed and are cooking in their own juices, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
Remove and discard the celery leaves and bay leaves.
Place a food mill over a large bowl. Using a large ladle, transfer the sauce to the food mill and purée into the bowl. (I don't have a food mill and used a food processor, with satisfactory results.)
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for six months.

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Rustic Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
(6 servings)

3 pounds garden-fresh tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and halved crosswise (do not peel)
Fine sea salt
About 2 teaspoons dried oregano
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Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, side by side on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Rub the oregano between your palms, showering the tomatoes with the fragrant herb.
Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and roast the tomatoes until very soft, about 40 minutes.
Transfer the tomatoes and any juices to a food processor or a blender and purée until smooth.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for six months.

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By looking at this page, it must become fairly apparent that I fell in love, not only with eating these summer beauties, but with photographing them as well. Two passions merge! Enjoy!

Columbus Day Poem

2011-10-10T11:58:47-04:00

Every year at this time, Columbus Day rolls around and I hear the beginning of this poem reverberating around my head, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" but I've never known the rest. So, just in case you have the same affliction, here it is in its entirety. I hope this gives you a sense of closure too. Note: I'm unable to easily find who was the original author.

IN 1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But “India” the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he’d been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

Note: From what I can tell, Columbus never set foot on any land that later became part of the 50 United States of America. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Corn Salad Recipe

2011-10-10T11:30:33-04:00

We published this in September but omitted the recipe. Mea culpa!

It's fall and the corn crop on the East End is still going strong, despite all the late summer storms.

We love fresh corn, any way we can get it practically. On the cob, steamed or grilled is obviously fun and always brings back childhood memories of family cookouts and watching my father eat the corn as if it was a typewriter, chewing all the kernels, left to right, to the end and then saying "Ding" to indicate he'd reached the end of the line. (If you know what I'm referring to, then you knew a typewriter well, and I know roughly how old you are!)

Sautéed fresh corn is fabulous for those who may not want to negotiate the cob (we shared that recipe last year), and corn salad is just plain, and simply, wonderful. It's easy to make and lasts for several days in the fridge - that is if any is ever left over.

Corn Salad
4-6 Servings

5 ears of corn, shucked
½ cup small-diced red onion
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup chiffonade fresh basil leaves (optional)
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In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse corn in ice water to stop the cooking.
When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.
Toss the kernels in a large bowl with red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Just before serving, you can toss in the fresh basil. (I do this only if I know it will all be eaten in one sitting.)
Serve cold or at room temperature.

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Thanks again to Ina Garten in her original cookbook The Barefoot Contessa for making a simple yet delicious recipe.

Note: This year we even made corn ice cream, believe it or not. It was a little challenging, but tasted creamy, cool and corny when frozen. Sadly though, we learned that this ice cream did not have a long "freezer" life, and tasted quite odd a week or two after it was made. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Hopefully you still have late corn where you are and can enjoy this salad before next year.

Sanderlings at the Shore

2011-10-08T08:48:25-04:00

Photographing birds at the beach I always find entertaining but this group kept me busy for nearly an hour. Running to-and-fro, chasing the waves and pecking for lunch, and then taking flight in a flock for no apparent reason but flying only yards from where they left, sanderlings are in constant motion. No wonder these birds are so svelte! They use up the calories they consume pursuing the next morsel.

I found their behavior fascinating and their colors against the sand and sea captivating, I hope you agree.

Roasted Shrimp with Feta

2011-10-05T15:06:43-04:00

We stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago and thought ..."Why not?" We don't have shrimp very often and, true to The Barefoot Contessa, this looked easy and flavorful - and it was! I assembled it before we went out to shoot a horse show, and then just threw it in the oven when we came home. So I did steps 2-5 and 8 early in the day and then covered everything. When we returned, I turned on the oven, and assembled and cooked the dish according to the rest of the directions. Does it get any easier than that?

The wine, garlic and tomatoes complement the shrimp without diminishing its role completely, the herbal bread crumbs add texture, and the feta cheese added a surprisingly pleasant tang (along with the lemon). This is a repeat for us, how about you?

Roasted Shrimp with Feta

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1½ cups medium-diced fennel
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 (14½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Pernod (we use Anisette)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1¼ pounds (16-20 per pound) peeled shrimp with tails on
5 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (4 slices of bread run through a food processor)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 lemons
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10- or 12- inch heavy oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is tender.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned buts. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod/Anisette, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet.
Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp.
Serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

Surfer Off Montauk - Photo Study

2011-10-02T08:58:29-04:00

Peter and I love to photograph outdoors, especially events like the Engine Run at Foster's Farm and the Antique Auto Show, but an especially favorite subject of ours is surfers. We've been shooting them now for several years, amateurs and pros, kids and old hippies - we don't discriminate because they're all interesting. The challenge in shooting surfers is obviously motion - the surfer's and the ocean's, and the objective is to stop it when something interesting is happening. Of the thousands of shots we've taken over the years, we probably have a handful that honestly and effectively stop the motion.

In Montauk, near the lighthouse, there's a park called Camp Hero and from the cliffs, which are at least 50 feet tall, you can look down on the surfers in Turtles Cove. A telephoto lense is a must and this day I was using my 120-400mm zoom lens - full out. My favorite setting for shooting surfers when I'm on the beach is the sport setting on my Nikon D90 which gives me the shutter speed to stop the action and a shallow depth of field which focuses attention on the surfer, so I used that setting here too.

Generally I'm pretty pleased with this shot - I was lucky that the barrel wave was breaking at the same time this surfer caught his wave - but we can always do better. What would I do differently next time? Well, given the distance between the surfer and my camera on top of the cliffs, I'd probably use a monopod for stability and perhaps turn off Auto Focus and switch to Manual - at least I'd give it a try. I also might go to Shutter Speed setting and try shooting at 1/500th instead of 1/1000th. Any suggestions?

End of Summer

2011-09-30T00:41:36-04:00

Soon the barbecue will be packed up in moth balls for yet another year.

Baked Stuffed Clams

2011-09-24T02:00:00-04:00

A friend's son went clamming over the weekend and made quite a haul, so he shared some of it with us. A dozen 4-5 inch chowder clams, the largest of the quahog (pronounced CO-hog) family, were delivered to our doorstep, and Peter and I immediately resurrected a recipe for Baked Stuffed Clams that another friend shared with us years ago.

The effort to make these is not onerous but it's also not insignificant, and the results are divine - so we went out to our local fishmonger and bought a dozen cherrystones, the next smallest quahog, to complement the catch.

Peter loves a good baked clam and is always sampling them wherever we go, with disappointing results most of the time. What makes a baked clam disappointing? Too much bread, too little clam, too dry, and garlic (in any proportion). So, what makes a baked clam memorable and worthy of repetition? A moist proportional mixture of bread to clams - remember they're called baked clams, not baked bread with clams, subtle herbs and a little cheese (to hold things together), and no garlic, it simply overpowers everything.

In his opinion, based on decades of research, this recipe produces one of the best baked clams he's had. If you want the maximum clam flavor, bake some immediately and enjoy. These freeze beautifully and we enjoy them all winter, but we have noticed the distinct clam flavor is reduced a little once they've been frozen. Personally, I'll take them any way I can get them, and hope our clamming friends continue to share their haul.

Baked Stuffed Clams

2½-3 dozen medium clams - "chopped"
1 (14 oz) pkg Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 cup hot clam juice
¼ lb butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon (heaping) parsley
3 Tablespoons (heaping) Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon (level) dry mustard
Pepper to taste
½ cup cubed Swiss or Gruyère cheese
1 3-inch onion finely chopped
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Open clams, trying to preserve the shells. Separate the clams from the shells; place clams and as much juice as possible in a bowl. Scrape the shell clean of all muscles. Rinse shells well and let dry. (TIP: If the clams seem to be a challenge to open, place them in the freezer for about 20-25 minutes, you don't want to freeze them just confuse them, so they'll be easier to open.)
Remove clams from juice, rinse under running water to remove any shell fragments, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the clams are chopped, NOT puréed.
Strain the clam juice through a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth. Do twice if necessary.
Measure out 2 cups of clam juice (add store bought clam juice if there isn't enough). Place juice in sauce pan, heat to a simmer. (I found that the clam juice evaporated incredibly fast, thus the reason for measuring out 2 cups when you only need to use one.)
In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of hot clam juice over the stuffing and stir together.
Add the melted butter; stir to blend.
Add the milk; blend.
Add the parsley, Parmesan cheese, dry mustard, pepper, Swiss/Gruyère cheese and the onion. Stir.
Add clams and toss together to blend.
Stuff each clam shell.
If you are going to cook them immediately, place the stuffed clams on a cookie sheet. (At this point, Peter sprays each clam with a touch of butter spray to ensure browning.) Bake in a preheated 350℉ oven for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.
If you are going to freeze them, freeze them on a cookie sheet, stacked with wax paper in between layers, and wrapped in plastic or foil. Once the clams are frozen, put them in freezer bags so you can easily remove the quantity you want at any time (without them being frozen together). When you are ready to enjoy some, defrost them and then cook according to the instructions above, or (if you're in a hurry), defrost them in the microwave (Peter uses the Speed Defrost setting for about 5 minutes). Then, place them on a cookie sheet, spray each with butter spray (if you like), and bake in a 350℉ oven for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.

Enjoy ... these are really good!

MINIs Hunt the Hamptons

2011-09-23T15:03:43-04:00

Last Sunday, the Mini Cooper Club held a scavenger hunt in the Hamptons called MINIs Hunt the Hamptons. A friend told me about the event and said that she and her mother were going to participate and she encouraged us to come see what it was all about. So at 9:00 a.m. we were in the parking lot at Duck Walk Vineyards in Southampton watching a parade of Mini Coopers assemble to collect their maps and instructions for the day. We chatted with the event's organizers and they said we could join in if wanted to since there had been a few last minute cancellations. So we did!

The packet we received had a map of Long Island, a list of 14 items to be collected and a list of 21 questions to be answered by traveling the specific route outlined in detail in the materials. We had really come to photograph the event but now figured we could get some great shots if we got ahead of the pack and shot them arriving at a Town Landing, or turning a corner near the country club. This video/slide show highlights the day and underscores the enthusiasm of the Mini participants. The route took us from Southampton, through East Hampton, deep in to the woods of Amagansett, and back - on some roads that Peter hadn't traveled in 30 years. We think we got some fun shots and hope you agree.

Photos and Video by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker
Slide Show compiled by Peter Tooker
Music: Notice Me by a local girl, Alexa Ray Joel

If you too are a Mini enthusiast, I'm sure you know the movie The Italian Job which was originally made in 1969 featuring Michael Caine and Noel Coward, and was remade in 2003 featuring Donald Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg, and Ed Norton, but in both movies the stars are the Mini Coopers. Peter's video clips of the parade of Minis rounding the corner near the Maidstone Club certainly bring this movie to mind.

Girls in the Window

2011-09-22T14:46:54-04:00

I love this photograph taken in HDR on my iPhone in Memphis, but .... what's wrong with this picture?

Sent from my iPhone