Photowalk #51 January 30th, 2010
Yesterday I woke up to bright sunny skies in Southern New Hampshire. I’m staying just west of Nashua, so I don’t have to drive very far to get some good scenery. In fact a short drive to the west takes us to one of the most climbed mountains in the world: Mount Monadnock. With its close proximately to a major metro area (Boston), its relative ease to hike, and payoff of a rocky peak at the top, Mount Monadnock is a very popular hiking destination.
Photowalk #50 January 29th, 2010
Yesterday I arrived in Southern New Hampshire in the late afternoon. I had really hoped to get photos of Mount Monadnock. Unfortunately a low cloud layer hid this famous peak from view. I had been battling a winterly mix of snow and rain all day, so I was eager to finish the drive and rest. However my path took my right past the trail head for Pack Monadnock, so I stopped to take a few photos. Having hiked this area for years, I knew the lower cliffs might offer some fun photo opportunities with the snow.
Photowalk #49 January 27th, 2010
Today I dragged my arse out of bed at 4 AM and made the 9 hour drive to the Rochester, NY, area. I’m traveling to visit friends in New Hampshire for the weekend. However I don’t like to drive the full 16 hours in the winter. Therefore I decided to stop a little East of Rochester in a small town called Farmington. That seemed appropriate enough for a naive farm boy from Indiana. Since I got a really good start this morning, I arrived around 2pm. Once settled in my motel I fired up my laptop computer and searched around for something interesting to photograph. This is the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, and fortunately Canandaigua Lake is nearby. So I grabbed my Canon 7D and drove down to the lake to see what I could find. From where I’m staying, driving directly south takes me right to the town of Canandaigua on the north shore of Canandaigua Lake.
Timelapse with a Canon 7D January 24th, 2010
We finally got a break in the weather here in the Midwest. At this time of year, we are often treated to days and weeks of overcast skies. Warmer temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit brought an unstable system that got the clouds moving. I could see the clouds moving with my eyes, so I thought this might be a good chance for a timelapse. Although the skies were threatening to rain, I setup my Canon 7D for its first timelapse shoot.
Canon 5D Mark II and 7D Photo Comparison January 21st, 2010
I made a comment in my last post that I felt the quality of images captured with a Canon 7D rivals that of the Canon 5D Mark II when equipped with an equivalent lens. I made this assumption based on my subjective observations from using both cameras. However since I have both cameras, it’s possible for me perform a quantitative analysis to back up my claim. Perhaps I’ll finally get some use out of that Master’s Degree I earned from Miami University years ago.
Canon 7D: My First Look January 19th, 2010
I recently added the Canon 7D DSLR camera body to my collection of photography equipment. I’m often guilty of impulse purchases, but in the case of the Canon 7D I’ve wanted to own this camera since it was first announced in September of 2009. My primary motivation for getting this camera is that I’ve felt it would be a great companion to my Canon 5D Mark II. Projects that I have in mind for the near future will require two cameras. One camera will serve as the primary image capture device, while the other camera documents the process. This will include both still and video projects. Up to this point my Canon G9 has served as the backup camera. However, the quality of imagery that I’ve captured with the 5D Mark II equipped with Canon L series glass has raised my expectations. Also the Canon G9 has limited video capability, which was an issue for me moving forward. However this doesn’t spell the end for the Canon G9 since it’s still a great point-n-shoot camera that also happens to shoot time lapse.
Photowalk #48 January 17th, 2010
Last week I had the chance to visit downtown Chicago. This is winter in the Midwest, so taking long walks in the windy city is a questionable prospect depending on the weather. Although the day was overcast and gray, temperatures had climbed above freezing which allowed for extended excursions in the outdoors.
Photowalk #47 January 15th, 2010
Above freezing temperatures have returned to the frigid Midwest. I lost track of how many days in a row were below freezing. Most folks are glad to see the return of slightly warmer weather. The good news is now the snow will melt off the roads and walkways making travel easier. The bad news is things here are much prettier with a thin veil of white snow. Last weekend I spent some time walking through the snowy woods at Salamonie State Forest. Knowing the snow wasn’t going to last, I made it a point to go on a photowalk on clear, sunny day.
Photowalk #46 January 13th, 2010
Just south of my hometown of Huntington, Indiana, exists a buffalo ranch. It hasn’t been there very long, perhaps a few years at most. I just happened to stumble upon it one day driving to visit my mother’s house. One might ask, what are buffalo doing in Indiana? The reality is the buffalo were here first. Wild buffalo are now extinct in Indiana, but they were once so numerous that a buffalo was included on the Indiana State Seal. There is also a woodsmen on the state seal chopping down a tree with an axe and perhaps hinting at a reason for the disappearance of buffalo in the Hoosier state.
ikan V5600 Monitor with a Canon 5D Mark II January 7th, 2010
Recently I won an ikan V5600 HD LCD monitor courtesy of ikan Corporation and Dave Basulto from the indie filmmaking website filmmakingcentral.com. Dave puts on an annual live Christmas show for his Filmmaking Central podcast. I happened to be at the right place at the right time, and received the ikan monitor from Santa. This is great timing for me since I’m accumulating DLSR cinematography equipment for an upcoming film project.