Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Graveyard of Trees

I haven't been shooting much. Various factors have played into this, not the least of which is the fact that I ABHOR the heat. It has really knocked out my motivation.

I am not entirely happy with this shot but it was a shoot that was cut short. I was out exploring some new areas and the weather was iffy. It was sunny one minute and then threatening the next. I came upon this scene on a nice tract of state land that I could see from the road. I was down in this marsh setting up my camera and I could still barely see my car parked on the road. The area is extremely secluded (it's not too far from Lake Desolation if that name tells you anything) and there are no houses for at least a mile.

I had my tripod set up and started adjusting the camera and I noticed a mini van that had driven by once already, drive by again slowly. I went back to my business and a few minutes later the van came back and briefly parked directly behind my car and then took off. I am a paranoid person and get annoyed easily. I grabbed my gear and started to head back to my car and as I got back near my car and looked back at the scene, this beautiful golden light was bathing the whole marshy area from over the tree line.

At this point I was fuming and hustled to get back down there. By the time I did the magic was gone and this is what was left. It would have been a spectacular shot.

I don't know if the person in the van was looking for a hiking trail, thought I was a suspicious person or was casing my car. I don't really want to know but would like to be able to head back to this spot at a later time. Stay tuned.....

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Sensor Cleaning & Photo Images in Glenville, NY

Anyone who has shot with a DSLR and has done some small aperture work (i.e. f/22) has probably seen some small black specks in their photos. This is what sensor dust shows up as in your photos. Most of the time this dust is so small you can't see it with your naked eye but chances are if you have been shooting for a while and have changed lenses, it's there! Normally, locking the mirror up and using something like a Giotto Rocket Blower, will do the trick.

Recently, I took a landscape photo at f/22 and noticed that my photo was riddled with sensor dust. I locked the mirror up and tried the rocket blower several times and the dust wouldn't budge.

What I learned was I had some "welded dust" on my sensor. In this hot and humid weather (and horrible) the dust has a higher likelihood of sticking or welding itself to the sensor in your camera. When attempting to blow the dust off your sensor no longer works it's time for step 2. This is where Glenville's Photo Images comes in.

I walked into the store this morning and after a very brief wait, my camera was looked at. The associate (Steve) was excellent and swept my sensor until it was clean (about 5 passes or so). The price couldn't have been more reasonable (less than $22 bucks) and was half of what other local shops wanted to charge. What was even better was that I was in and out in less than a half hour. Some of the other shops wanted a 4 or 5 day turn around.

If your in the Capital District, or even if you have to drive an hour or so it's worth it to take a trip to Photo Images in Glenville. They are at 19 Glenridge Road.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy 4th


Happy 4th
Originally uploaded by UpstateNYPhototaker
Happy 4th. Enjoy this photo of a beautiful Galway Lake sunset.