Categories
-Woody's Picks Icon Travel

Saturday February 18, 2012

GASPARILLA ISLAND FLORIDA – The beach club at the Gasparilla Inn provided a demonstration today by a professional sand castle builder. That’s right. A guy who makes a living on the beach making castles (or whatever) out of sand. Makes the rest of us feel like we’re kind of doing it the hard way. Given that it’s Presidents Day weekend (for those of you outside the US we used to celebrate Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays separately, which happen around now, whenever they fell; more recently Presidents Day is celebrated for both of them on a Monday in February, making a three day weekend), a Presidential theme is appropriate.

Our sand castle architect chose an image of a Purple Heart because it incorporates a silhouette of Washington. The Purple Heart is a democratic decoration: it’s given to all who are wounded or killed in action. I received one during my Marine Corps service in Vietnam. It is the only decoration received by most Marines, soldiers and sailors who are killed in action. At the start of the Gulf War I started wearing a Purple Heart lapel pin (which I continue to wear today). I can’t articulate why. It’s with some difficulty that I write these sentences. Anyway, here is the Purple Heart rendered in sand, captured with my Sony Nex-7 and a 24mm Leica Summilux lens.

Purple Heart
Purple Heart

On this day two years ago: Vietnam Memorial. I’ve looked back two years here (rather than my usual one) because on February 18, 2010 I photographed my shadow on the Vietnam Memorial (shooting infrared) in DC. The juxtaposition is a coincidence and I understand that it borders on the maudlin.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Categories
Icon Landscape Urban

Wednesday February 15, 2011

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Well. Another long day at my day job. I managed to get out for a few minutes and catch this at Lever House with my Sony Nex-7. Not brilliant (the light was flat and ugly today frustrating my attempt to get something decent on the street at sunrise, but it’s a picture and I’ve promised you a picture a day.

Lever House
Lever House

On this day last year: the lady wears red.

The lady wears red
The lady wears red
Categories
Icon Landscape Street

Tuesday February 7, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – I equipped my Sony Nex-7 with my Leica 35mm pre asph. Summicron (v.IV), which I’ve previously identified on these pages as the “Bokeh King” (“bokeh” refers to the quality of the out of focus image). I took it to the office on the subway (“riding with the king”) and then walked a bit in really good morning light. The camera is very, very responsive in terms of shutter lag – I was able to catch a person standing on the platform as a train sped by.

Subway
Subway
Lipstick
Lipstick

On this day one year ago: A picture of our firm’s logo. Taken with the Bokeh King – the out of focus portions of this image really are lovely. Another from the “King and I” series.

pLIMPton
pLIMPton
Categories
Icon Landscape Urban

Friday February 3, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Now we’re beginning to understand the Nex-7 a little better, and beginning to rock and roll. Here we are on Lexington Avenue in the 50s with a fairly typical take for me on Citicorp Center. Taken with the Nex-7 and the Sony Zeiss 24mm lens.

Citicorp
Citicorp

On this day last year: Time Warner

Categories
Icon Landscape Urban

Thursday February 2, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Well here we are on Groundhog Day. I had an early evening meeting in midtown just off of Fifth Avenue so I took the opportunity to walk over to Radio City Music Hall to capture this with my Sony Nex-7 camera and a Sony Zeiss 24mm lens.

Radio City
Radio City

On this day one year ago: /study date.

Francesca at work
Francesca at work
Categories
Icon Interior Work

Monday January 30, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Well here I am in my office with my new Nex-7 camera and a Leica 35mm Summciron v.4 lens, the “bokeh king” (“let’s strap the king onto the new camera and see what happens”). So here’s my Lava Lamp. The photograph in the background (from the Jim Dow courthouse series) is out of focus and the bokeh looks pretty smooth – score another win for the king. Click through the bokeh link if you don’t have any idea of what I’m talking about. Anyway, here’s the Lava Lamp:

Lava Lamp and Jim Dow
Lava Lamp and Jim Dow

On this day one year ago: remains of the blizzards.

Reality
Reality
Categories
Icon Landscape

Tuesday January 3, 2012

TAOS SKI VALLEY AND TAOS NEW MEXICO – Maria, Alexander, Laura and I snowmobiled in the morning, guided by a local legend and egregious name dropper called “Big Al”. Really fun racing up and down the mountains in two-cycle engine exhaust miasma. Here’s the village in good light and Maria.

Taos ski village
Taos ski village
Maria does a snowmobile
Maria does a snowmobile

Later in the day Laura and I drove down to Taos and visited the Taos Pueblo, one of the most photographed and painted sites on the face of the earth. From an editorial standpoint I’ve had failure of self control here.

Horse
Horse
Sagebrush
Sagebrush
Taos pueblo
Taos pueblo
Cemetery Taos Pueblo
Cemetery Taos Pueblo

On this day last year: a clear day in Connecticut.

Tanner farm, Warren Connecticut
Tanner farm, Warren Connecticut
Copy Protected by Tech Tips's CopyProtect Wordpress Blogs.