Stumped

That's about how I feel.

I try to post a couple of pictures a week, but these last few weeks have been slow going. I really do not have the time (take the time?) to get photos captured. Most of my time for picture taking is during my travel to work, or my travel back home. And usually my primary objective is to get to work, then back home.

Oh, I look for photo ops, but sometimes the rush of the day means I do not take the time.

And, although I have a new work location (along with my new job) the commute is still 75% the same.

But there are always things to notice... I just need to slow down.

Hegedorn's sunset

Yes, another sunset.  But this one is different.

A year ago I would have not shot this with all the "real" in the foreground. Sure, foreground really helps a landscape, but many consider this type of foreground not desirable or beautiful.

Yet there is a quality of being there, and enjoying the colors, along with the real world I live in.

And Hegedorn's is a Webster institution... one of the last independent grocery stores that seems to still be doing OK in 2012.

Winding Road

That's really what it is called... check the map.

And for good reason too.  I guess it adds to the charm of the neighborhood... and slows down traffic as an added bonus.

Infrared experiments

Once again I am bending the intent of this blog (observations of the trivial and unnoticed) but indeed infrared is unobservable by the naked eye, but that is a technicality.

In the past I have experimented with infrared using a very dark filter that necessitated long exposures on a tripod. In the ancient times of silver photography special IR films were available (an may still be) but digital camera sensors are capable of seeing IR without issue.  Camera manufactures realize that this can cause unintended picture issues and so place a filter in front of the camera sensor to block IR.  But if you know what you are doing these filters can be removed.

I have an old Canon G6 camera (about 8 year old, antiquated!) that in its day was considered a pretty nice bit of kit, but by todays standards it is not much.  I recently had it modified by having the IR filter replaced with a visible light filter, meaning it takes photos using only IR light.  This was a moderately inexpensive way to experiment with IR photography while being able to shoot handheld and see a preview of the image on the viewfinder panel.

The results are maybe a bit gimmicky but interesting none the less.  The filter I choose to have installed does capture images with color information, but it is false color which can be manipulated for effect.  At any rate, if you have an interest is seeing some of my experiments, here is a link to a collection of a few shots on Flickr.

Ice cream

Pretty in pink

The optical quality of water

We think of lenses being made of some type of glass, or clear plastic, but any transparent material can bend light in an optical fashion. The ever changing dancing patterns in the bottom of a swimming pool are an example of the optical characteristics of water. If you take the time to notice, it can be fascinating. 

The wave

Fun with a waterproof point & shoot. This wave looks like a mountain. I guess there was a drop of water in the upper left corner of the lens... Or maybe it is my finger!