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Water tank, Woodbury, Ct © Steven Willard

I have come back to this subject several times for reasons that evade me so far. I know it is partly because of the fine detail of the pine needles, and partly the texture of the concrete water tank. I also like the ambiguous nature, the mystery if you prefer. There is a touch of the Japanese style, sparse simplicity that also pleases me.

Panasonic GX85 with the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens. It just so happens that this focal length comes very close to the equivalent of an 80mm lens on 6X6 cm such as the Hassleblad I used to shoot with. Processed in PS Express and Snapseed from the GX85 black and white jpeg file.

Stormy Sunset

Stormy sunset, Bridgewater, Connecticut © Steven Willard

The weather people at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) were warning of tornadoes. It was July 1st and it looked as though the fourth of July weekend was going to get off to a rough start.

There were few customers left in the dealership by 5:30 so they started letting us go early, just as it started to rain. I expected the intensity to grow along with the wind, so I went to the RV, closed the door and turned on the computer. It was too early for dinner so I watched an old movie on YouTube-an old BBC Miss Marple if you’re interested. By the time it was over I was hungry and thinking about going for some dinner. It seemed the bad weather had passed right over us, and as I stepped out of the coach I was faced with the most amazing sky. Dinner could wait!

I jumped in the car and headed for high ground so I could see the far horizon and get as much sky in the image as possible; Town Line Road in Bridgewater is just such a place. I parked the car when I neared the highest point and mounted the trusty 20mm f1.7 Panasonic lens on the M1 and left the car. To the west I was treated to a magnificent sunset; gold sun behind massive clouds, but the problem was the foreground. It was too boring, a grassy hillside that rose in front of me. But to the east was the back side of the retreating storm front lit by the setting sun. The wind aloft was really stirring things up; the clouds roiling and morphing very quickly, changing shape almost before I could compose a photograph. On the ground, the warm damp air left tendrils of mist as it was being sucked up into the clouds. It was terrific. I made perhaps twenty exposures using the auto bracket feature on the Olympus then headed off to Sake for some chicken pad thai, and home for a late dinner. It might be a better 4th than I expected.

Olympus OMD EM1 with 20mm f1.7 lens processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro2 plug-in in PS CS4.

Spring offerings

Spring offerings, Woodbury, Connecticut © Steven Willard

I went to New Morning, our local natural food store and restaurant the other day and was welcomed by this display of pansies for sale. We had just had a light rain and some of the blossoms hadn’t quite recovered, but the soft evening light really brought the colors to life.

OMD EM1 and 20mm f1.7 lens.

 

A Bridgewater sunset

Sunset, Bridgewater, Connecticut © Steven Willard

Rolling hills, trees, and stone fences; I never tire of the landscape in this part of Connecticut. We are starting to see new leaves and buds on the trees, and in some cases the first blossoms have opened.

I mentioned in the last post that I have been learning the ins and outs of my new EM1, and last evenings outing was to that end. For those who might have been wondering why the addition of the EM1 I’ll try to explain. The EM5’s images were/are just fine, what I was having trouble with were the ergonomics. The fact that the buttons on the EM5 are just that much closer together; the camera is smaller and harder for me to hold even with the grip I added, was the main reason. The EM1 is slightly more spread out and is easier for me to hold, and the extra dial and improved layout on the top is easier for me to use. There are numerous other small differences, but they all add up to something that works better for me. I’m not certain that the images are better, but for me, the experience using it is. Lastly, with my Parkinson’s tremor, any little thing I can do to make things easier is worth it, and the EM1’s in body stabilization is still considered as good as it gets.

Olympus OMD EM1 with 20mm f1.7 lens processed in Photoshop CS4 from two exposures merged in layers and run through Nik Color Efex Pro2. A grateful thanks to my friend and excellent photographer/teacher Susan Reinberg for a quick tutorial in some PS tricks. I invite you to visit her site at  susanreinberg.wordpress.com.

Lonely Canadian

Lonely Canadian, Bridgewater, Connecticut © Steven Willard

I was on my way to dinner. I had gotten off work at four and had spent a couple of hours photographing, trying to become more familiar with my new OMD EM1. I had spent most of the time with the camera on a tripod, using the auto-bracketing and touch screen features. By this time the sun was full down as I headed to Woodbury on one of my favorite back roads. As I came around the corner I caught sight of the pond with one lone Canada goose. I almost didn’t stop; I didn’t think the lens that was mounted was long enough, and I didn’t think there would be time to put the camera on the tripod. But, nothing ventured they say, so I parked the car and walked quietly back along the road, setting the camera back on auto image stabilization because I wasn’t going to use the tripod. I was using the 20mm f1.7 lens set at f2. and the camera’s HDR set to three exposures 3 EV apart; the camera resting on a fencepost.

In the computer I ended up just using two of the exposures in Photoshop’s HDR merge which I then moved into Nik Color Efex 2 to bring the rather flat tone mapped image to life, and this is the result. I continue to be impressed with the Olympus’ sensor and processor, and the jpegs are so good for my use that I’ve not bothered with their odd raw downloader. The real icing on the cake for me is their terrific image stabilization that almost negates my Parkinson’s tremor.

Olympus OMD EM1 with 20mm f1.7 lens.

Reflected presence

Reflected, Roxbury, Connecticut © Steven Willard

I had stopped at the wetlands on Rt 317 in Roxbury to enjoy that time of day when the sun has just set behind the hills. There was little color in the sky at the time, and very little color anywhere else, save some green grass just starting to show. Pointing the camera at the still bare trees backed by an unremarkable sky just didn’t excite me and I was near the point of heading back to the car, but I had stopped to review the photographs I had made. When I rotated the camera 180 degrees I realized I had something I could use. At the time I intended to convert the image to black and white but later, after looking at the file on the monitor and boosting the saturation, I decided to process it in color instead.

In the end I really like his image. I find the distorted reflection lends a painterly quality and a mysterious sense lacking in a straight photograph of the scene. I put it down to taking a few moments to reflect on what I was trying to capture and the realization that sometimes we get a better look at something when we don’t look right at it.

Olympus OMd EM5 with 20mm f1.7 lens.

Spring, the chance to begin again

Spring forth, Woodbury, Connecticut © Steven Willard

Isn’t it amazing that every spring Nature gives us a chance to start over?

If only we didn’t screw it up every year.

Olympus OMD EM5 with 20mm f1.7 lens.

A mystical place

Joshua tree, high desert, California, © Steven Willard

Shapes, textures, and oh my, what wonderful light!

There are some places that are impossible to describe properly. Joshua Tree National Park is one (Mono Lake is another), where words fail because the total is so much more than the sum of the parts. There is a mystical quality that just has to be experienced.

Olympus OMD EM5 20mm f1.7 lens processed in Snapseed.

“And the winner is…..”

Rapt attention, Washington Depot, Connecticut © Steven Willad

I went to an opening at the Washington Art Association (WAA) last night and was quite surprised by the turnout. Granted, many of those present were artists with work on display because this is the annual Member’s Exhibition through February 27th. This year the juror was Hugh O’Donald, a well known artist whose work has been included in group and solo exhibitions at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and MoMA The Museum of Modern Art. He has been a faculty member at Boston University College of Fine Arts since 1996.

The categories include works on paper, sculpture, photography and painting. First prize in each category was $1000. and may, in part, explain the rapt attention of those in attendance.

There was a lot of credible work on display and a portion of all sales goes to help fund the WAA. Perhaps of more importance was the fact that a bigger portion goes to the artists who almost always are in need of money since one of the first things to suffer in a poor economy is the arts.  Altogether it appeared to be a successful evening. If you are in the area I encourage you to stop by for a visit.

Olympus EMD EM5 with 20mm f1.7 lens.

 

One way forward

Enter here, Woodbury, Connecticut © Steven Willard

The way forward isn’t always obvious

Rejoice when it is

Regular visitors here may want to check out Monochromia (black and white lovers) this Thursday. I have been given the honor of Guest Contributor and feel very privileged to be included in the group. Thank you Joe!