Staying in Shape

A few days ago I had a most frustrating experience photographically, one which I have not had in many decades—I could not record the shot(s) onto my CF Card (it was full).

The last time this ever happened to me was when I was shooting with actual photographic film (Kodak)—I had none in the camera.

The circumstances were thus: I had been hoping to get photos of the New England Patriots Plane taking off with the team on it to one of their games. I live very near T.F.Green Airport which is where the Patriots Plane is stored and from which the team departs to away games.

As luck would have it I was driving by the airport and noticed the plane loading with gear and players. I hurried home to get my camera and arrive at a City park right next to the airport which had a vantage point (not an optimal one, but acceptable for when the plane actually immediately lifts off) where I could shoot unimpeded. I was elated. But drawbacks were: it was cold with a northwest wind chill making it below freezing, and I was shooting into the setting sun.

Nonetheless, I figured that when the plane became airborne I would get some great clean shots. I was imposition and freezing (with numb fingers), the plane was lifting off a few yards from me, and the camera suddenly became unresponsive. All I could do is watch the Patriots plane fly beautifully off into the sunset without my glorious captured photographs of it.

My CF Card was full. I knew I had many photos on the card but was remiss in not deleting them.

The lesson I learned is you can not forget the basics of being prepared for the circumstances of shooting fleeting moments. Whether it’s weather, gear, knowing the circumstances, or things as lens cleaners, batteries, recording media, whatever. Attention to details means everything.

The posted photo is of  Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, RI, on a blustery day in November, 2016, where again I was not prepared, since because of the wind, I was not able to get as many clear photos due to camera shake. I was on a tripod and about 1.5 feet off the ground but nonetheless, I was not prepared. The photo was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens @ 185mm, f22,1/80″, -0/67, ISO100, post processing with DxO Optics Pro 11, Adobe Camera Raw, using a gradient map in Photoshop, and Nik Color Efex Pro.

Blowing in the Wind

Today I had the opportunity to travel down to Little Compton, RI. This is a rather remote area of a small state, which is deceptive since despite its diminutive status the state has a road system which makes it not easily accessible to certain areas. If you can imagine that Rhode Island is the 13th State, meaning that it’s been around since colonial times, and the roads in all likelihood were build upon old cow paths, as they are won’t to say in these parts._77a3403_dxo11efexpro

In any event, I thought I would take the opportunity to fit some photography in while I was down in this part of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the elements of tim
e and weather did not fully cooperate, since I was there at around 10 AM and the weather was blustery (25-35 mph winds). Nonetheless, I pushed onward, especially since the area I wanted to shoot in was not visitor friendly. What this means is this: I was interested in shooting Sakonnet Point Light which lies off the southeastern coast of Rhode Island on a little rock jutting out of the sea, whose name is Little Cormorant Rock. Getting a good visual viewpoint of Sakonnet Light is not easy, at least from land. Most of the area is privately owned and very little parking is available to make access easy. In any event, I did manage to find parking (particularly since at this time of year anyone in their right mind under these weather conditions would not be here).

The wind was merciless when I finally set up my tripod on the shore directly in front of the Light. I proceeded quickly since I was freezing (mid 30s temperatures with a wind chill of mid 20s). I captured about 70 shots and felt pretty good about my efforts. Little did I know that although I did everything by the book, with tripod and cable release, my shots were less than sharp simply because of the wind moving my tripod ever so lightly, even though I was about 2 feet off the ground.

The currently posted shot of Sakonnet Light was the only shot I was able to salvage. It was shot with a Canon 5DS, EF24-104mm f/4L IS USM @ 105mm, f/11.0, 30″, ISO 100, using a Heliopan 10 stop ND filter, processed with DxO 11 Optics Pro, Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, and Color Efex Pro 4