No announcement on April 22nd

I've been waiting.  Ever since the rumor mill started about Canon's replacement for the 5D, I've been waiting for the official launch.  I was hopeful that it was going to be on the 22nd but the day came and went.  Even the blogosphere didn't have much to say.  Ah well, so much for rumors.

This morning I ventured out toward the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee.  It's a place rich with Milwaukee history and it's also a place with exciting revitalization.  I'm glad to see they are focusing on sustainable development for the area but in a way, I hope some of that rich history is preserved.

I was walking along the 16th St. bridge this morning as was able to find a place through the chain link fence to capture the images above.  I love this kind of photography and the valley seems to be rich in these opportunities.  I guess I'll just have to spend a lot more time there.

Looking forward to new Projects

Now that the CoPA show is behind us, I'm looking forward to getting outside in the is nice weather and start shooting again.  I couple of themes are emerging and I would like to include something environmental.  I'd like it to be a local project so I can there often but I don't want to location to dictate the theme.  Speaking of environmental, I found this image to be one of those ironies that photographers always seem to find.  This was taken in the Menomonee Valley which is undergoing a resurgence.  It has a way to go as evidenced by this image but they look to rebuild the valley in a sustainable way.

I was happy to see that Mamiya just announced an adapter for their 22 megapixel digital back (ZD) that will fit my RB67.  I purchased the RB67 SD a couple of months ago for a fraction of what they were.  I imagine their value may rise with the announcement of the adapter.  Now, if I could only afford the ZD back.  At a mere $7K, I won't be running out to buy the ZD tomorrow.  No word on the price of the adapter either.

A Wonderful Member's Show

Well, I completed my first CoPA Member's Show and I feel like it was a great success.  Friday night was crazy with lot's of traffic.  Friends, co-workers, Cream City Photographers all came out to show their support and say hello.  I talked to many others about my work including one guy who I met on an airplane this week!

What was best of all however, were the CoPA members themselves who were very encouraging and friendly.  I made many new friends this weekend and I look forward to getting more involved in the organization in the near future.  Thanks to Larry Dattilio for his guidance and friendship.  It was great getting to know Mark Stall, Suzanne Garr, Richard Butler, and many other members.  I had a great time.  Now, I feel like taking pictures.

DC Metro

For the past couple of days, I was in our nation's capital, Washington, DC.  No, I didn't see the Pope.  But I was able to visit with some old friends in suburban Maryland.  It was great catching up.  I used the DC Metro (subway) to get from my hotel to my friends.  The DC Metro system is wonderful for getting around Washington, DC but it's also a great place to photograph.  The architecture and people make it quite attractive.   With camera in hand, I was able to capture a few images my favorite being posted here.  This is the view from the Glenmont, MD station.  I love the symmetry.  This was handheld so I needed ISO 1600 on my Canon 5D which I processed with Lightroom and Photoshop CS3 using Imagenomic's Noiseware Professional to reduce the noise.

Fallen

There's a small patch of woods behind the apartment where I am temporarily living.  It's great to bring the dog back there and of course the camera as well.  Deer are plentiful despite the small acreage.  I came upon this fallen tree and found it interesting and wondering what caused it to snap.  

Fisherman's Morning

The final image I will be showing this weekend is one from Legend Lake, WI.  It's just north of Shawano, WI on the Menominee Reservation.  I love this location.  This image captures the essence.  When I'm their, I typically go out fishing, alone, each morning.  When the fish are biting, I fish.  When they're not, I'm photographing the scenes on the lake.  You can tell the fish weren't biting this morning.  A fog began rolling in from the east blurring the sun when I captured this image.  

To me, this image reminds of the that solitude and peacefulness when I'm there.  You can barely hear a sound . . . maybe a loon or two.  Otherwise it's the most relaxing sensation I have ever felt.  I can't wait for summer.  Shortly after I shot this image, the fisherman disappeared into the fog.

Diamond in the Rough

While this image is several years old now, I never tire of looking at it.  I call it 'Diamond Studded'.  It was a day much like last week, thick with fog but it was warmer then.  I was out getting the mail from the mailbox across the street and on my return caught a glimpse of water droplets collecting on the leaves of plants in my flower bed.  Most ask if I sprayed some water to create the effect as they can't believe it.  If I had, I doubt I could have created this scene with tiny droplets on the end of the leaves.   This was taken on a Canon 20D with a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens.  I love this lens.  It's every bit as good as the Canon 100mm macro and while it's a little slower on the autofocus, I tend to manual focus on macro shots anyway.  

Multnomah Falls

This is the second of the four images I will be displaying at the upcoming CoPA Members Show.  It features a well photographed waterfall not far outside of Portland, Oregon.  In fact, the falls are right off the highway in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.  There are falls throughout the park but these are the most impressive.

Multnomah Falls is usually photographed straight on since it's actually a double falls.  It's quite impressive but you don't get the sense of the rushing water when you capture both falls.  I decided to photograph the lower falls from a lookout on a trail leading up to the bridge.  I like this angle for a couple of reasons.  First, I have not seen any images from this location and one can feel the ruggedness of the bridge.  I've been told it looks like something out of the Lord of the Rings.  I was also fortunate that the day I was there, it was overcast and humid making for lush scenery.

A Beautiful Day

It rained so much yesterday, I thought we needed an ark. The weather has been generally lousy.  However, this morning, I thought it was just beautiful.  The fog was really heavy.  I loved it.  I love to photograph the fog.  It can take what is otherwise a very average scene and turn it into something full of mystery.  I probably tend toward a minimalist approach when photographing foggy scenes . . .  a single tree or two for example.  Today, I ventured off the interstate and took the back roads to work.  I found plenty to photograph but I was also very aware that the shoulder on the road was very narrow and therefore somewhat dangerous.  Luckily, traffic was light.

The images above were taken in Racine County on my way to work.  It was a nice deviation from the typical interstate drive and allowed to me to add some images to my 'Morning Drive' series.

North Point

The CoPA Members Show is just around the corner so I thought I would post the images I'll be showing over the next couple of days.  The first is one of my favorites taken in October of 2007.  It was my intent to go down to Lake Michigan and photograph sunrise of the old North Point pier, just south of Bradford Beach.  It had become a popular spot among the Cream City Photographers crowd on Flickr. 

What I had in mind that day was to catch sunrise with the pier in the foreground using a long exposure to smooth out the texture of the water.  I took several images as the sun got closer to the horizon and I was generally satisfied with the pre-sunrise images.  As the sun broke the Lake Michigan horizon, I shifted to the shoot the pier from the north side.  Immediately, I saw the morning glow on the algae covered wood of the pier.  Using a polarizer and a neutral density filter, I was able to keep the exposure long enough to give me smooth water.  

I shoot a lot of sunrises and sunsets but this day reminded me how important it is to look away from the sun.  In this case, it was a matter of simply looking at how the sun was illuminating the subject I was originally using as a silhouette.  I love the image shown here for several reasons (the texture of the wood and algae), but mostly because I left myself open-minded to shift from my original thoughts about this composition that led to the shot.  On another occasion, I might have missed this shot.

Compelled to Blog

I've been delinquent. I've been neglectful. But mostly, I've been extremely busy. However, after last night's meeting of the Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA), I realized that I need to add a post before this whole blogging experiment falls apart.

You see, the seminar session last evening was all about blogging. What is it, how do you do it, the tools (such as Blogger) and some do's and don'ts. Of course, rule number one is the commitment to post! The last thing anyone wants to see are long lapses between blog postings. It kind of defeats the purpose of a weblog (the official name).

CoPA member, Mel Tritten (CigarettesandPurity) gave a wonderful overview of blogging and how it fits into photography. Being new to blogging and being unsure of my intent, I was able to relate to the thought process she provided in starting and maintaining a blog whether for photography or any subject matter. Right of the bat, I felt like I violate a cardinal rule by not posting enough (hence my title for today). However, having set up this site, I had some experiences already that I could relate to in her discussion. The most prominent is how easy this really is to blog, whether I'm getting hits, or even want hits at this early stage. Clearly, I need to find my blogging purpose first.

Mel provided some other photographic blog sites that are on top of the photoblogging world. They include 16:9, The Online Photographer and Conscientious. The each have their place and are extremely popular. I didn't even know they existed but now have them bookmarked. I can't wait to read them through.

Today's image I pulled from the archives. Taken in 2005, it's the front entrance of the Milwaukee Art Museum, a city landmark due to it's striking architecture. I came upon it as I am moving images from PC to Mac but that's another story. I seem to gravitate to images that show symmetry. It's a balance thing. In this case, the image is taken from the far side of the footbridge that leads to the front entrance. At this angle, the image becomes a bit more abstract but the symmetry is obvious.

Racine Lighthouse

I happened to be in Racine, WI yesterday as we finalize the paperwork on our construction project.  We were just a short distance from the Racine Lighthouse, so we wandered there to get a couple of images.  It was about 5:30pm so the sun was lower in the sky and it was (finally) a nice day. 

The lighthouse is easily one of the most photographed sites in Racine.  I saw several images hanging in galleries later that evening in downtown.  It was Racine's 'First Friday' and this was the first of the season.  Basically, many of the shops stay open late including the galleries.  I had dinner at The Yellow Rose which was formerly the Bistro on Main Street.  While the service was a bit rushed, the food was excellent.