A little DIY

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Slowly, I’ve been souping up my office. The other weekend, I made and hung some simple, dark-stained, pine wall shelving. And then yesterday afterwork, I pulled the trigger on my most recent plans for a classic gear rack/organizer for my mountaineering & photography gear. My house was built in the 50’s and the office I’m currently “souping”, albeit small, has some real potential for a hip, vintage, vibe. With this in mind, I opted for classic brown, peg board, mounted with brass screws and finishing washers for a little bit of style. Loving it so far!

Instant classic

It’s deceptively cold outside this morning! My son and I spent all morning playing on the floor. My house gets amazing light nearly all day long, so I grabbed the Leica Instant camera for some old school instant film fun.

Nature photography

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I’ve got a pretty great set up in my backyard for capturing shots of the seasonal birds who have been dining at uplandphoto Headquarters. I’ve always enjoyed watching the birds and even the squirrels who raid the feeder on a regular basis. All are welcome. Below are a few shots of a white breasted nuthatch, red-bellied woodpecker and house finch.

All images were shot at 1/1000 sec at f/6.7, ISO 6400.

Photo mash

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Thought I would post up a few images taken over the last couple of weeks. Typically, when I go out shooting, I try to post only my best one or two images from the day. Sometimes it’s hard to decide which images to post. These ones didn’t make the cut originally, but still have some redeeming qualities, so I thought I’d share them. Let’s call them a photo mash.

Washington Crossing Bridge

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I’ve always been interested in bridges. They’re a great mix of function and form. This bridge; Washington Crossing Bridge, spans the Delaware River very close to George’s icy night crossing back in 1776. It’s so narrow. It’s deck; made of riveted steel grid. Simple. Pretty.

1/320 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/160 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Sleighton Farm School

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1/80 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 19mm, Sony A7C

The image below was fun to create. It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite photos I’ve ever taken waaaaay back in the day; 2006 or so (Check it out). Still, I had a hard time framing these hanging switches. One of the biggest challenges is in photography is composing your shot in an interesting way. I wanted the switches to be the subject and wanted separation between them and the background, so I stopped down to f/1.7 However, I left a bit unsatisfied with the way I framed this shot.

1/50 sec at f/1.7, ISO 200, 28mm, Leica Q2

Try again

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I’d taken a photo of this chair the other day on a walk around my neighborhood, but was lazy, and accidentally missed focus. Tonight I stopped back, fearing that I’d lost the light for the day. To my delight, the streetlights lit this scene perfectly for a hand held exposure and composition I am happy with.

Sometimes you just have to go back and try again.

1/50 sec at f/1.7, ISO 2000, 28mm, Leica Q2

Neighborhood Walk

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Despite the rain, I was able to get out for after work, with my camera today, and make a few images from scenes around my neighborhood. Rainy days can provide creative opportunities in the form of reflections.

1/200 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/100 sec at f/3.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/100 sec at f/3.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/400 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/80 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Water Tower

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I’ve often considered working on a water tower series. I ought to do it. I find their stance, shape, and vintage signage so photogenic. It seems most of them are quite old; their paint bleached by the sun. The one in my images below, is no longer in use and has developed some great colors through it’s decay. The underbelly of that tank specifically. To me, those interesting colors are part of the allure of the urban decay genre, and why I enjoy shooting it so much. I like the thought that these complimentary colors, tones, and textures developed organically, so very slowly over time. Perhaps, just waiting for me to come along this afternoon and freeze the scene.

1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Old farm

Enjoyed myself today, making these images. I’m loving the effects created by the circular polarizing filter I have been using in front of my lens. It really makes those clouds punchy and pulls more contrast out of the scene. I love this old farm and enjoyed crawling all through it.

1/250 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/200 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/640 sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/2.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

The Cats

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…Catskills that is. (My quick fix when I’m dying to get out in the mountains with my camera). From my house, to the Adirondacks is a long 340 miles. This place is an easy 180 miles and worth the 3.5 hour drive. I threw the sleeping bag in the back of the Outback and will most likely sleep at the Slide Mountain Trailhead Parking Lot. I hope that’s ok. This will be my first time sleeping inside the Outback and I’m stoked to see how it goes. My -20 bag is so thick and comfortable, I am already looking forward to sleeping!

1/250 sec, at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/125 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2