WARREN CONNECTICUT – Our Callery Pear trees, running at full throttle. These aren’t really pears – they are a distant cousin of the rose, originally from China, but now widely used as a cultivar here. They are highly valued for their symmetry and dense, long lasting foliage. This is very early for them – we’ve had a warm, dry spring. Taken with my Alpa TC, Phase One back and 32mm Rodenstock lens.
On this day last year: a dreaded travel day. A lounge at Newark Airport.
SPRINGTIME IN THE BERSKSHIRES – It’s hard not photographing Spring in Warren, here in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains (actually where I grew up the Berkshire mountains themselves would be considered foothills, and just barely at that). You’re going to have to suffer through flowering trees and shrubs on weekends for a few more weeks. I’ll try to keep it gritty during the week. Taken with my Alpa TC and 32mm Rodenstock lens.
On this day last year: One of Will Ryman’s roses on the Park Avenue Divider. Faux spring. This was taken with a Voigtlander 15mm lens on my Leica – I kind of liked the blue cast on the edge so I didn’t correct it.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – Easter. At long last, a good picture. From a technical standpoint I’ve been operating with two left feet this weekend (really stagnating), probably because I’m the cook in the household and I’ve been distracted making sous vide brisket for the Novogrods’ Seder and smoked, roast leg of lamb for Easter dinner today. But enough whining and excuses. There was a moment this morning, right after the rising sun broke out above a low rim of clouds, when the birches looked positively radioactive. Really. Amazing. It didn’t matter where I stood or what I shot. This was done with my Sony Nex-7 and Leica 50mm Summilux lens.
On this day one year ago: In the Conservatory Garden. Pictures from gardens in the Spring usually suck. At least mine do. That wasn’t the case last year – I managers a nuanced effort on a rainy day. This shows the Leica 24mm Summilux at its best. Maybe there’s an April 8 phenomenon.
KENT CONNECTICUT – Passover and Easter are on the same weekend this year – a quite unusual event I’m told. We attended a Seder given by our friends Nancy and John Novogrod – I actually contributed a sous vide beef brisket to the occasion. The Seder was deeply affecting.
Unfortunately the photographs did not live up to the event. I was again plagued by bad technique Same camera and lens. I’ve resorted to a low resolution presentation here.
On this day last year: Street. Boring.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – Glowing morning light in the stand of white and red oaks and sugar maples next to our house. Nicely seen but badly executed. Somehow nothing I shot today is in focus. It seemed like I was doing what I always do but the results are wildly defective. How can this happen? I’m going to fuss with my gear a bit to make sure everything is ok (this particular rig – the Sony Nex-7 and 24mm Summilux lens has never let me down before, and indeed this combination does not demand a high level of technique). I’m worried. I overcooked some past earlier this week and Maria was quite testy about it. I’m putting a small version of the image up because at this resolution you can’t see the defects.
On this day last year: Bricks and more bricks. At least last year I got an in-focus image.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – The Garuda again. This time a portrait. An ugly little guy. Taken with my alpa max and a 120mm Schneider lens, with about 6 degrees of tilt.
On this day one year ago: Marine Corps benefit.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – We had some statuary sent back fro Bali when we were last there (probably a decade ago). This Garuda is still with us. We put it in s small nook in the garden that had become overgrown, but we cleared it out last fall to expose the statue again. The Indian version of this god, which you can see by following the link above, seems almost protestant comapred to the Balinese version, which looks like it’s on acid. I took this with my ALPA Max and 120mm Schneider lens with about 2 degrees of tilt.
On this day last year: look up! Taken with a Hasselblad back on my Alpa TC.
