Notes from aside the camera
I know, ages again … busy, busy times what with Maymester and all that. We did sneak downtown for a little frozen yogurt one night, though, to celebrate the end of the school year …
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM, ISO 400, 1/1250, f/3.2
And it is nasty. The pollen count this week approached the record, set back in 1983, when 5,733 particles per cubic meter were measured on Tuesday. One week earlier, the pollen count was 17. Seven. Teen.
I washed the cars Tuesday night and, by morning, they were coated in yellow again. Walking in to work early Wednesday morning there were clouds of dust coming up off the sidewalk. Yellow dust clouds.
A little rain cleared some of it out of our Georgia air, but I suspect we’re not done yet … no one in my house is breathing well, even the dog is wheezing a bit.
Easter morning came early, and the small people were excited. Okay, one was excited, the other was all “tweeny-whatevery.” But the excited one was dancing around waiting to find his Easter basket.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 1250, 1/200, f/2.0
My fascination with empty places was well sated this past weekend. En route to a return visit to the Georgia Guidestones, I spotted the Elbert 12 County Fair grounds and had to make a stop.
It was a little visual shooting exercise, one I’ll share a bit here. I thought I knew what image I wanted but it wasn’t right – the following images show how I worked my way into a final image.
1. From the parking lot, a good distance out to give a sense of location. I like the abandoned feel, balancing it with a centered composition.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
2. Decided to give it more blue sky – it was such a great sky.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
3. The broken pavement was saying … something. I don’t know what, so I gave it some more prominence.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
4. But then that sky called again …
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
5. I wanted to get in closer, but the ticket stand was in the way. I drove my truck right up in front of the stand and climbed up into the bed.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/4.5
6. Almost there. But the debris around the edges … top of the roof, power lines … I hate edge debris. So I got up just a little higher (standing on the side walls of the bed of the truck) and got off one last frame …
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/320, f/10
And when I showed the images that evening, one of my heroes said he liked the first one the best. Oh, well – was a fun little shoot. And now I want to know when the Elberton 12 County Fair is and try this at night.
A midday look at empty places and vacant spaces. There were a lot of them in the downtown area, more of them as you drove off into the distances.
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/8, f/3.5
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/25, f/3.5
Another from Elberton this past weekend … several more to come.
I dragged out my old Quaker apothegm again: Proceed as the way opens. Hurled it at some students who were trying to decide what to shoot next while they were over-thinking the situation. As for me, I yielded a bit in what I shot – aside from editors and students, not a single person.
What’s become of me?
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 160, 1/6400, f/2.8
Still up in Elberton, Ga. After a late dinner we were walking back to our cars (the only ones left in the downtown area) when I saw this empty, for rent space. Just two lights at the far end gave it a hollow feel. Almost an anticipatory feel.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 640, 1/80, f/3.5
I’m up in Elbert County, Georgia, for my annual weekend workshop. Did a short walk around the downtown area looking for … for … I don’t know. Light? History?
Have been thinking about abandoned signs for a while and found a pair.
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS USM, ISO 200, 1/1250, f/6.3
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/2000, f/6.3
I don’t post many family-ish photos, but our dog – our southern dog – is very confused today.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS USM, ISO 320, 1/400, f/4.0
This is it – last day of classes, final portfolios in progress. A little panic, a little relief, a sentiment shared with the students.
It has been a long semester. The regular classes have gone well, though the new classes have been a challenge. Returning to my normal courses in January will be a bring back a sense of normalcy.
For the students, everything is hopefully coming into clarity, the lessons of August and September should have been absorbed and sharpened into their daily visions. Some of what I’ve seen shows that, some thankfully have a bit of time left.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24 mm f/3.5 TS-E, ISO 250, 1/1250, f/6.3