Events

Photographing in the rain

Part of the fun of having a good camera is using it in all sorts of situations, inclement weather included. It was raining during one particular afternoon last month, and to top it off, it was windy and ridiculously cold (somewhere between 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit). Yet I really wanted to go out and take photos, because I knew I’d get some interesting shots. I managed to talk Ligia into it, and we headed out with our huge golf umbrella. I’m sure we were a sight to behold: two thin people, huddled together, walking in freezing rain and blustery winds, with a huge umbrella and a DSLR in hand. There were no other people in sight. Everyone else was inside or passing us by in their cars, and I’m fairly sure they were giving us strange looks. But I didn’t care, I was out to take photos!

When I’d find something interesting to photograph, I’d stop and ask Ligia to hold the umbrella just right while I took the shot. The poor girl would struggle with that big umbrella in the wind for my sake. What a wife! What a woman! 🙂 That’s why I love her so — she sticks out for me! Her pant legs were soaking from the beating rain by the time we got back in. At any rate, I did get some pretty interesting photos. Good thing neither of us caught a cold!

Magnolia in early spring rain

Wet patches

Water drops on pine needles

This winding brook caught my eye, and I just had to photograph it. If you look carefully, you’ll see a fairly busy highway in the background. I like the way the light shines through the wet tree leaves. There’s a bunch of snowdrops in the bottom left corner, visible as a patch of green.

Winding brook

I thought it was interesting how the two branches crossed like that:

X marks the spot

Rain, when coupled with good light, makes evergreen colors really come alive, doesn’t it?

Ever green

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Thoughts

Patterns in everyday objects

I really like to find patterns and shapes in everyday objects. Whenever I get a few free moments, I look around me to see what I can spot. It’s fun, and it’s oddly relaxing. There I am, frowning, concentrating, making sure I get the right lighting, angle, exposure and focus (or lack of, depending on my preference), yet I’m relaxed. I tune everything else out and focus on the little patch of something in front of me. I even adjust my breathing, sometimes not breathing for 20-30 seconds while I get the shot.

This is a polished aluminum drawer handle:

Speed of light

This is the mesh vent above our stove top:

Grille

This is a detail from a painted, handmade earthen vase:

Well rounded

These are the spindles of a lamp shade. The center black knob is visible in the top right corner.

Game on

This is a macro of a bamboo leaf:

The dream

We all know what this is. The cool thing is that I shot this at 1600 ISO, and yet there’s no noise. The Canon EOS 30D does a really good job, doesn’t it?

iSee

This is a ceiling lamp, and I love the patterns of light and shadow it projects onto the ceiling:

Those dark shadows that haunt us

Finally, this is a detail from a neon light cover:

Tired is as tired does

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Places

The Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Arts Center

Back in February, Ligia and I plus good friends of ours took a photowalk through downtown DC. Our objectives: the Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Arts Center. I used my Exakta EXA Ia to take the photographs. It was a lot of fun to use it, as always. I still love to shoot on film, even though it’s fairly expensive and time-intensive to get the photos in digital format. I say expensive because I’m used to shooting a LOT. I’m not satisfied with a few photos. I use up rolls of film during a session. Then I have to develop them and spend hours scanning them in. It takes about two hours to scan 24 exposures at the quality I want. And then I spend extra time editing them. But the results are worth it, and of course, the experience of using a fully manual, quality-built, metal camera like the Exakta is a treat in itself.

Here are a few photographs from that photowalk. We started down by the marina, walked up the street alongside the Watergate Hotel, then passed the Saudi embassy (which is quite an ugly building btw) and crossed the street to reach the Kennedy Arts Center. It was a cold, windy day and we froze, but I really like the photos I got, so it was worth it.

The Watergate Hotel

Political rhythm

Change of historical perspective

I see, you see, we all see

A modern interpretation of Don Quixote adorns the front of the Kennedy Center, and may I say what an ugly beast it is… Looks like whoever designed it was out to scare people, not inspire them.

He’s at it again

A clear day

Sit, sip, stare

Do, don’t talk

To scale

The day ended with a beautiful sunset over the Potomac River.

Potomac sunset

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Lists

Funny animal videos

This monkey’s got a death wish:

I’d always read about dirty-talking parrots in books, so it’s fun to hear one live. Beware though, this one’s NSFW:

A walrus does situps. Just look at that blubber flex:

Have you ever seen a baby pygmy goat suckle from a bottle? You should, it’s a treat:

Where can you find really cute chipmunks? Under your MacBook, apparently:

Don’t anger your sheep:

You have to see this baby duck feeding the koi fish:

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Events

Happy Easter!

This is a photo of the ceiling mural inside the chapel of Mount St. Mary University. Ligia and I were passing through the Maryland countryside on our way back from Gettysburg, we liked the architecture, and stopped to take photos. I have a ton more to postprocess, but really wanted to post this photo today since it’s Easter. The chapel was very dark and the camera couldn’t focus. I had to focus blindly, and as a result, the photo is soft. It’s also a bit noisy, since I shot at 1600 ISO. Just to round things out, I forgot my tripod at home, so I had to shoot handheld. But it gets the point across. Christ is risen indeed! Happy Easter!

Christ is risen!

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