Archive for the ‘outdoors’ Tag
Came across this poem by Julie Bruck in a recent edition of the New Yorker, which matched the photos I took just the day before:
Not one of Mr. Balanchine’s soloists had feet this articulate,
the long bones explicitly spread, then retracted,
even more finely detailed than Leonardo’s plans for his flying machines.
And all this for a stroll, a secondary function,
not the greatdramatic spread and shadow of those pterodactyl wings.
This walking seems determined less by bird volition or
calculations of the small yellow eye
than by an accident of breeze, pushing the bird on a diagonal,
the great feet executing their tendus and lifts in the slowest of increments,
hesitation made exquisitely dimensional,
as if the feet thought themselves through each minute contribution to propulsion,
these outsized apprehenders of grasses and stone, snatchers of mouse and vole,
these mindless magnificents that any time now
will trail their risen bird like useless bits of leather.
Don’t show me your soul, Balanchine used to say, I want to see your foot.
This lovely park contains wonderful distractions: lakes with row boats, a childrens’ amusement park, endless trails through sun-dappled woods, the new Louis Vuitton Foundation building, and much much more.
Captured these while at Mohonk Mountain House for a business meeting. Click on any picture to see them in slideshow view.
Captured on the way to Stowe, VT:
Canon 5D Mark II, EF 16-35mm
ISO 200
f/8
1/60 sec
Captured this in Guilford, CT:
Canon G12
ISO 2000
f/2.8
0.8 sec
Driving through Montana I am always fascinated by the wide open spaces, probably because there aren’t many in Connecticut. The bottom one is of the battlefield of the Little Bighorn, site of Custer’s Last Stand.
I loved this ominous sky. It never did rain:
This lonely tree is in the marshland behind our house.
A black&white shot of our little town’s harbor in the winter.
Captured in Clinton Harbor:
Caught in Vermont, after the leaves were gone.
Canon 5D Mark II, EFL 70-200mm f/2.8
ISO 2000
f/5.6
1/640 sec
Found these leaves frozen in a pond in the Vermont woods:
Canon 5D MarkII, EFL 24-70mm f/2.8
ISO 400
f/5.0
1/160 sec
Found this abandoned dock in the marshlands of Clinton, CT:
Canon 5d Mark II, 24-70mm lens
ISO 100
f/2.8
1/2000 sec
adjusted in Analog Color Efex 2
No need for further description:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70mm lens
ISO 100
f/2.8
1/2000 sec
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70mm lens
ISO 100
f/5.0
1/125 sec
This is when beautiful fall turns into a lot of work:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70mm lens
ISO 100
f/2.8
1/800 sec
On a recent trip to Yellowstone, my son and I saw just about every major animal except moose: Bison, elk, coyote, bear (with bear cub), wolves. Here are a few shots I liked:
Canon 7D, 70-200mm f/2.8
ISO 640
f/10
1/100 sec
Shot these two near Bristol, CT:
Hundreds of acres of forest in Yellowstone Park were destroyed in massive fires in 1988, requiring over 9,000 firefighters and affecting almost 800,000 acres of forest (bigger than Rhode Island). The remnants of that destruction can still be seen:
Canon 7D, 10-24mm
ISO 400
f/20
1/160 sec
Not quite as big as the real Grand Canyon, but impressive nevertheless:
This 13-point elk buck was watching over a herd of elk in Yellowstone National Park. I was fortunate enough to sneak up for 2 close-ups without being noticed (well, the second picture he’s looking right at me, so who am I kidding?).
Canon 7D, EF70-200mm f/2.8 with 2x converter
ISO 400
f/5.6
1/400 sec
Shot near Rowe, MA:
Canon 7D
ISO 100
f/5.0
0.3 sec
Captured at midnight over our local beach. Had I waited till dawn, maybe I would have experienced the promised 60-meteors-per-hour experience. Maybe next year…
Canon 7D, EF-S 10-22mm
ISO 1000
f/3.5
20 sec
Fog-shrouded lake in the Adirondacks – captured before sunrise.
The sunset behind our house lit up this field of clover beautifully. A reflector helped me get the great lighting on the second shot.
Canon 7D, 100mm EF 2.8
ISO 100
f/8.3
1/60 sec
Wishing everyone a peaceful 4th of July!
Captured at Esalen, Big Sur, California
Colorful kayaks and boats waiting for their turn in the Long Island Sound.
Canon 7D, EF-S 10-22mm
ISO 800
f/4.5
1/500 sec
Off the CT coastline.
Canon 7D, HDR capture
A gorgeous field of purple clover behind our house provided lots of opportunities to practice shooting at sunset.
Canon 7D, 100mm
ISO 100
f/3.5
1/320 sec
Captured while looking out the window of the train to New York.
iphone
Don Quijote would have had fun here (or gone completely crazy). Captured outside of Palm Springs.
iphone
Fond memories of warmer weather in Costa Rica.
Canon 7D, 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
ISO 100
f/5
1/1000 sec
If I only knew what this is called, that so profusely grows in the field behind our house…
Created by mother nature:
Canon 7D, EF-S 10-22mm
ISO 200
10mm
f/3.5
1/1600 sec
Edited in Silver Efex Pro
This lovely spot outside our house is even quieter in winter, when the snow smothers all sounds.
Canon 7D, EF10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
ISO 200
f/4.5
1/1250 sec
Located in Long Island Sound, Clinton Harbor provides a serene place to keep your boat ( I decided to post a picture that doesn’t feature snow and ice.)
These ice flows were waiting for high tide to float and join their companions in the Long Island Sound:
Canon 7D, EF24-70mm f/2.8L
ISO 250
f/10
1/160 sec
41.259850
-72.521962
The cold winter finally has frozen Clinton Harbor. I braved the cold this morning to capture the scene at sunrise.
Canon 7D, EF24-70mm f/2.8L
ISO 125
f/6.3
1/100 sec
41.288221
-72.528803
Well, it’s abandoned at least until summer returns. For now, the only sounds you hear are the cries from seagulls.
iphone, adjustments with Nik Analog Efex Pro
Snowboarder in Big Sky, Montana:
Canon EOS 7D, EF40mm f/2.8 STM
ISO 640
f/10
1/400 sec
On a few clear nights, I marveled at the stars above Big Sky. Here are three of my favorite shots. Click on any one of them to see them in full screen slide show format.
Tried my hand at sports photography while at Big Sky with my son and his friends. Click on any picture to see them in slideshow format.
Canon 7D, 40mm f/2.8 STM
ISO 1,000
f/5.6
1/1250 sec
Bleach Bypass Filter in Nik Color Efex2
Captured these mountain goats along the Gallatin River on the way to Big Sky.
The temperatures have been low enough that the salt water of Long Island Sound can freeze, and pile up on our town beach. Click on any photo to see them in slideshow mode.
These leaves were determined to hang on for as long as they could.
Canon 7D, 10-22mm
ISO 200
f/4.5
8.0 sec
10x ND filter
Stone wall in Connecticut – who knows how old and what stories it could tell.
Canon 7D
ISO 100
f/2.8
1/125 sec
Captured a few weeks ago. Now everything is black&white…
iphone, edited with Snapseed
It snowed on Thanksgiving in DC. Here’s a view from the porch:
Canon Powershot G12
ISO 100
f/6.3
1/13 sec
Snapshots For Sore Eyes 
