Monday Musings: Miniature Red Roses

I was in the mood for color so I raided my archives again and found a pair of images I took about eight years ago. I remember it was Mother’s Day and my wife received a beautiful miniature red rose bush in a pot. I set the scene on my front lawn and shot these two macros.

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I prefer this first image. I think I got the colors right. I was using my first scanner, not the best equipment, but it did the job and I learned a lot from using it.

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What do you think? I like this image too.

I have no idea which film I used but I do know it was color slide film because that’s all I was using for my macros back then. I have no idea which lens I used either. One of these days I’ll have enough discipline to take notes. Then again, some day I might buy a dSLR and I’ll have the EXIF data.

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This Might Be My Favorite Tree of All

I was hiking along the ridge trail in Ceres Nature Preserve the week before last. It was a beautiful day, shadows deep under the forest canopy and when the sunlight shone through — a marvelous sight.

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I think this tree, with the gnarly roots, might be my favorite tree of all. Such character. And yes, the trail climbs over those roots. The lighting was perfect. Sometimes you just get lucky.

This image helps validate my decision to buy my only new Nikon lens earlier this year (all my other lenses were purchased used). If I’m out with one lens, this 35mm AF is the one — I really like the perspective and the quality of the images I’m getting. I shot this one on repackaged (Freestyle Legacy Pro 400)  Fuji Neopan 400. I’ve been testing several B&W films and this stuff is a keeper.

Drop on by The Weekend in Black & White, especially if you are a monochrome maniac. There’s lots links to some great monochrome photography. And some of the monochrome maniacs still use film like I do.

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Reflections: Ceres in Mid-June II

The last time I visited Ceres Nature Preserve I had two cameras with me. Last week I posted shots of the swamp and Mantua Creek taken with a 50mm ‘normal’ lens. This week I posted shots taken with a 35mm lens.

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I probably should have cropped this shot from the right to get rid of the piece of tree, but I didn’t. This image was taken from the exact same spot as last week’s shot. This shot has more of a sense of place because the 35mm lens includes just a bit more.

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Here’s a shot in portrait mode. I think I like this view better because it has more of the creek and the vertical orientation shows the trees in the background to advantage.

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The tree overhanging the creek was the dominant focus. Here the tree plays a more supporting role. The wider angle includes more of the creek here.

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This last image was taken from the bridge on Heritage Road. I’ve shown this scene before, but this shot is a better one because the lighting was much better.

Not only was I using a different lens for this week’s images, I used a different film as well. My supply of Ilford FP4+ is down to four rolls now. I’m looking for a replacement because the English film is too expensive now. I shot the images above with Fuji Neopan 400 rated at 640. Not only is the Neopan half the price, it’s also almost two stops faster, an important consideration when shooting in the dim light under the leaf canopy. I like the Neopan. Actually it’s rebranded Fuji film sold by Freestyle. Good stuff.

I hope to have new images for next week. This week has been way too hot (except for Monday) to go out on my bicycle with my camera. Fingers crossed for some more seasonal June temperatures soon.

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Bridge Railing: Textures, Tones & Details

I stopped on the bridge where Heritage Road crosses over Edwards Run the other day to snap a few photos. The details of the wood railing cried out “take my picture, no mine, no mine…”

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After parking my bike, I crossed to the other side of the bridge to check out the light. The top of one of the heavy wood support posts caught my eye. The softer portions of the wood grain had weathered away leaving a three dimensional etching. I got as close as possible with my 35mm lens hand held. The textures and tones come out so well in B&W.

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Here’s a close in shot I took a few weeks ago and published for monochrome weekend. It’s the large bolt head and surrounding wood on the hefty horizontal members. I show this again to preview the next shot.

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I leaned out over the end of the railing for this one. Not to worry, I had my camera strap around my neck. This is a close-up of the other end of one of the large bolts showing the nut and washer. This is another hand held shot with my 35mm lens.

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This image puts it all in perspective and gives you an idea of context. I took this picture several weeks ago and published it for Weekend Reflections on June 11. As you can see, I had plenty of room to park my bike and not worry about getting run over.

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Monochrome Photography: Contrast Filters

I’ve been riding my bicycle past this neat old barn for four years and each time I pass I think to myself: “You must photograph this barn John.” I finally did it and will continue the series as the corn grows taller and taller until it’s as tall as an elephant’s eye.

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This shot was taken in the evening. The light was a bit flat and coming from my right. I used a yellow contrast filter to separate the clouds from the sky. Not much contrast among the barn, the foliage and the fence.

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I took this one a few days later on Friday morning (today). There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the brilliant morning light was coming from my left. I bought an X1 green contrast filter last year and believe it or not, this shot is the first time I ever used it.

There’s a huge difference between these images. The first shot was made on Ilford FP4+ with a 50mm lens. The second with Fuji Neopan 400 with a 35mm lens. The time of day put the sun 180 degrees apart. But the biggest difference was because of the contrast filters I used.

I used the yellow filter in the first shot to darken the blue sky and bring out the clouds. Without the yellow filter, the sky would have been white. But the tonality of the red barn and the green foliage are too close so there’s little contrast and the image is dull.

Contrast brings the second image to life. The green filter darkened the red barn because red is the compliment of green while, at the same time, the green filter lightened the green foliage. Notice how the fence next to the silo pops out in this version. I’m pleased with the results and will be playing with my contrast filters all summer. I’d like to see what happens to the clouds and the sky with a green filter.

Drop on by The Monochrome Weekend, especially if you are a monochrome maniac. There’s lots links to some great monochrome photography. And some of the monochrome maniacs still use film like I do.

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Reflections: Ceres in Mid-June

I really wanted to go out on my Bicycle on Thursday and take some nice photos. It was a beautiful sunny morning and not too hot, but a persistent, stiff breeze (call it windy) nixed that idea. I hadn’t been to Ceres for awhile because of the bugs. “Hey! Bugs don’t like windy days either so let’s go to Ceres this morning.” So I grabbed two cameras, stuck a yellow filter in my pocket and off I went to Ceres.

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Back in the middle of April, I posted a few shots of the young ferns (in color) in the swamp. Here they are again, two months later, fully grown. Ceres is like a jungle now with all manner of lush vegetation. I shot this image (and the others in this series) with my F3 and 50mm/2.0  Nikkor H (circa late 1960s) lens instead of using one of my wide angle lenses. I was in a “normal” lens mood.

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Here’s a shot of the Mantua Creek. When I first saw this scene back in March, it seemed bare and a bit desolate. Look at it now — huge difference.

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Here’s another shot of Mantua Creek from the other side of the Commodore Barry Bridge. Really. The mountain bike riders build a bridge over the creek and put a sign on one of the trees. They do have a sense of humor.

I was the only human being in the place. Loved it and I hiked the trails and took photos for the better part of an hour. I had my other Nikon with my 35mm lens and took a few pics with it. I still have about 16 shots left on that roll. I’ll probably finish the roll in the next few days.

It can get pretty dim in the Ceres forest because the tree canopy blocks a lot of light. A few times, I stood and waited while the sun was behind a cloud. I enjoy capturing the light, the highlights that do filter through. When you’re shooting B&W film, you must work with the light and the shadows. I love the challenge.

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Monday Musings: The Old Pear Tree Stump

When I got home after my bicycle/photo journey last Sunday, I realized I had one frame left on the roll of film in my camera. I told myself: “finish the roll John. Then you can develop the film tomorrow.” Not wanting to simply waste a shot, (we film shooters are a frugal bunch) I looked around for a suitable subject so …

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I walked over the the pear tree stump in our front yard and played with a close-up composition. I’ve been meaning to make a decent image(s) of this stump for some time. I did shoot one with my wife’s digicam but it stunk. I like this B&W rendition. I “printed” dark to bring out the textures and forms. I like it.

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Monochrome Photography: Textures & Tones

I shot these images last Sunday on one of my bicycle/photo outings. Both are from the same roll as yesterday’s Reflections shots.

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My 35mm lens lets me get nice and close. Here’s a nice detail shot of the bridge side railing. I was attracted to the weathered wood and the big old bolt head.

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This image will give you some idea of the scale and location. The detail of the bridge was taken on the other side of the road because the wood is more weathered on that side. I like the perspective looking up the hill from this side better. I lost the sun on this shot. In fact it was threatening rain and I beat a hasty retreat after this shot.

As it turned out, I felt a few drops of rain but by the time I got home the sun was shining again. Go figure.

Drop on by The Monochrome Weekend, especially if you are a monochrome maniac. There’s lots links to some great monochrome photography. And some of the monochrome maniacs still use film like I do.

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Cycling & Photography — The Saga Continues

Am I ever having fun. Last week, I wrote about how I went through a paradigm shift and combined riding my bicycle with my photography. The adventure continues this week. On Sunday morning, I took a different camera, mounted my 35mm lens (instead of the 24mm), loaded it with a different film and took an alternate route.

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Remember the old house I photographed last week? Here it is again shot from a new angle and the narrower perspective of the 35mm lens. The window reflections are subtle but the state of disrepair isn’t subtle at all. In all the times I’ve passed by, I’ve never seen a sign of life in or around this old house.

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This image of Edwards Run was shot from the bridge on Jackson Road. Edwards Run meanders all over the place and each bridge has it’s own character. My goal (one of them anyway) is to capture the different moods under lots of different conditions as the seasons change.

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Here’s the same vantage point but with a portrait orientation for the image. Years back, I almost always shot in portrait. Now I like to play with both landscape and portrait. Film is cheap and I’m never quite sure which image will be the best until I’ve processed the films and played with the scanned images in my editor. By the way, none of the images in today’s post have been cropped. They are the full frame.

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I lost three images from the end of the last roll so I recreated this shot of my bike parked on the bridge over Edwards Run on Heritage Road. The 35mm lens is a “wide normal” so you don’t get the dramatic perspective of the much wider 24mm lens. I’ll shoot that one again sometime.

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Here’s a shot of the water from the end of the bridge. The light was not cooperating on Sunday morning. The sun kept disappearing behind the clouds on me. I waited and got a bit of sun in this shot.

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The lighting was flatter in this shot and it’s the next one on the roll. Not bad for flat lighting which has it’s own charm but I like to play with the light and shadows when the sun is stronger. The trees filter the strong light and the contrast can be magical but you must catch just the right light. I’ll be back.

All the images were shot with Fuji Neopan 100 Acros B&W film (repackaged for Freestyle as their Legacy Pro 100). This stuff is phenomenal. Some people think of film as obsolete. It’s not. This film is a state of the art new emulsion that Fuji claims “…is a medium-speed, ultrahigh-image-quality black-and-white negative film that boasts the world’s highest standard in grain quality among ISO-100 films, rich gradation and outstanding sharpness.”

I’m only just beginning to explore the characteristics of this film and how to best scan the negatives. I’m also playing with Fuji Neopan 400 (that’s the film I used last week). I’ve got another camera loaded with high speed Kodak Tri-X that I’ve been playing with and hope to finish and process by the end of the week.

Yes, I am having fun with this and will continue with more new goodies next week. This is getting to be like one of the old Saturday matinee serials when I was a kid way back when. I went for five weeks with no new films developed and now I’m working on my third roll in a week. Yes!

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Reflections on a Paradigm Shift

I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had time to mount a good photo expedition to one of the parks. The last time I went, I didn’t stay long because of the heat and the bugs. Not good places to linger during mosquito and tick season. The weather has been good here lately and Friday was a perfect day for riding my bicycle. I’ve taken my camera with me on my rides in the past but this time I shifted my paradigm and wrote a new script. My plan was to stop and take more photos.

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I’ve passed this old house many times. It looks abandoned from the road with vines growing up the walls and more life reflected from the windows than inside. I stayed back on the road for this image — I didn’t want to intrude if the home was occupied. I’ve stopped to photograph things that interested me on past rides but this time…

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I really shifted my paradigm. This is a shot from the small bridge over Edward’s Run. My usual approach to this bridge has been to build up speed going down the hill, crossing the bridge with my eyes straight ahead and conserving as much momentum as possible for the uphill climb on the other side. I’ve hit 30 mph+ going down one of these short hills. This time I downshifted (for the ride up the hill) and stopped.

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Here’s a landscape orientation of the same image. There isn’t a lot of room on that little bridge, so I leaned my bike on the wall and made sure I was off the road. The speed limit on Jefferson Road is 50 mph.

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I took this one from the other side of the road. I was using my 24mm lens on my Nikon F3 and I like to use the portrait orientation with this lens. I think the view on this side of the road is more interesting.

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I moved just a bit to get a different framing and to include some vegetation in the foreground for this one. After this shot I put my camera away in the ‘trunk’ on the back of my bike climbed aboard and pedaled slowly up the hill.

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Reflections? What reflections? I was reflecting on how neat this farm field looked the other day so I had to stop and take a few shots here. Last year this field was planted with some kind of beans. This year it looks like a grain crop to me. I included this image because it’s in the sequence for that day and because I wanted to share some of the rural atmosphere of my neighborhood here in South Jersey.

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Here’s another bridge over a branch of Edwards Run. The hill leading down is one of the steepest and I usually hit the bridge at high speed. I stopped this time. I took four pictures here but something went awry with the end of my film roll and I lost the last two. No matter, I’ll get the shots next time out.

I have to tell you that I had a blast on this ride. I don’t wear a watch and had no idea of the time and I didn’t care either. I’m going to bring my camera every time I go out on my bike this summer and instead of whizzing by, I’ll stop to make images when I see anything that catches my fancy. This summer is going to be lots of fun.

This is the first roll of film I’ve developed since the end of April. I have a roll of color out at the lab being processed and two of my other cameras are loaded with B&W film. I’m hoping to have my color negs back by the end of next week and I will probably finish and process at least one more roll of B&W.

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