November 14, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Well we have had our first snow of the season so I figured I would use it as a theme for today's "retro" blog post. It wasn't a lot of snow mind you but it was snow none the less.

Today's photo takes us back to the winter of 1998 at Valley Forge. It was shot with my Nikon Pronea S APS SLR camera. The APS format was relatively short lived spanning from 1996 to 2011. It was a good idea in it's day being easy to load and yielding fairly nice images. I always thought it was cool that you could roll a partially exposed roll of film back into it's canister and load a different roll into the camera and then go back and load the original roll again. This was handy say if you needed to use a different film speed or perhaps change from color to black and white. You also received your negatives back in the film's original canister. You can read more about this unique film format here.

And here is today's photo.

There were many different APS cameras out there ranging from point and shoot all the way to SLR's with interchangeable lenses. I had or should I say have a Nikon Pronea S model. It uses Nikon IX APS lenses but could also use standard Nikon lenses that were designed for auto focus. I would love to take it out and shoot but even if I could find film for it there is no place to get it developed anymore. It is now part of my collection. You can read more about it here.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a trip back in time with me. After all isn't that what photography is all about? Being able to go back in time a get glimpses of days gone by? That's the way I like to see it.

Until next time...

October 9, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

The weather today was picture perfect. A fine day to use up some vacation time at work. And I did just that! Being it was a nice day I thought it would be a great time to drive over to Valley Forge and shoot some photos. Apparently I wasn't the only one. The place was packed with tourists and photographers alike.

I shot almost 200 frames today and I think I got some good stuff. It will take a while to sift through everything and process the good ones but I did get a couple done. Here is today's photo. This is one of the many recreated cabins throughout the park presented in black & white.

And here is another one showing some of the inside of the cabin.

This and all of the cabins at Valley Forge may look sturdy and secure and I suppose to an extent they are but they were barley a match for the severe and frigid winter of 1777 and 1778. Not to mention that not all of the soldiers camped there even had cabins. Add to that a shortage of proper clothing and food and we are only scratching the surface of the hard times that General Washington's troops endured. To learn more I encourage you to check out this link.

Valley Forge of today is a beautiful park with plenty of open space and scenery to enjoy with the entire family. Even man's best friend is welcome there. On a leash of course :) We should however consider the extreme sacrifice that took place there that helped America gain Independence and afford us the luxury of such a place.

Thanks so much for visiting and please check back soon. I have some cool stuff coming up! And be sure to check out the Facebook Group here for some behind the scenes and other extras.

Until next time...
 

A Morning Of Fun and Film At Valley Forge

Every once in a while I feel compelled to go out and shoot the old fashioned way. With film! Today was one of those days. Actually I have been wanting to fire up my Nikon N80 for a while but it needed batteries and I just always seemed to forget to pick some up. I finally remembered yesterday.

I got up and out early today and headed to Valley Forge Park with both my Nikon N80 35mm SLR film camera and my Canon Rebel T3 DSLR. 

Nikon N80 Circa 2006 (Stock Photo)

Canon Rebel T3/1100D 2014 (Stock Photo)

Right off the bat I was reminded of something that I have mentioned here before. When shooting film you have to be more "frugal". Every frame costs money. And these days it is a lot of money. It cost me $11.99 to get a roll of 24 exposures developed. That is on top of the price of film too. I figured that if I shoot 200 frames on film like I often do with digital that between film and processing it would cost me approximately $122.00. Wow! That is a lot of cash! Now think about this. I purchased my Canon DSLR about 6 months ago and yesterday I passed 10,000 frames shot. That would be more than 416 rolls of film at an average of $12.99 per 4 pack. Add to that the developing cost of about $4,987 and we are at a grand total of $6,337.00.

Now I realize that I could save money by purchasing film online and sending the film out for development. But I am trying to compare digital photography with film based on the fasted possible turnaround. The local lab I use is 1 hour which is rare nowadays. At least around here. On top of the hour it takes to receive my photos there is also time involved to scan each photo I want to use online.

Okay, money and time aside what really matters is results. here are similar photos from each camera. I shot these at Valley Forge this morning. Each is presented after post processing in Photoshop. Take a look.

Nikon N80 35mm SLR Using Kodak Ultramax 400 Speed Film

Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Using 100 Film Speed Equivalent

Nikon N80 35mm SLR Using Kodak Ultramax 400 Speed Film

Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Using 200 Film Speed Equivalent

 

Nikon N80 35mm SLR Using Kodak Ultramax 400 Speed Film

Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Using 100 Film Speed Equivalent

What are your thoughts? To me there is no clear winner based on quality. First of all comes the film. I had Kodak 400 speed film on hand and was not going to spend money on more. I would have preferred 100 speed to help with the bright sunshine. Second I had no control over the developing of the film. When I shoot digital I generally save my images in RAW format so in a sense I actually control how the photo comes out even before processing in Photoshop. The machines used for film at any local lab use a default setting to get "average" results. And third when I shoot with film I can't check to see how an image looks and adjust accordingly to get a better result.

All I can really say is that I am so glad I grew up with film. Now, I am by no means a pro photographer and don't claim to be. I am continually learning. That is what makes it fun. I can't imagine "knowing it all" and having nothing new to look forward to learning. I do however think that film made be a better photographer than if I learned strictly on digital. I am usually (but not always) more careful in composing a shot. But the big difference with digital is that after composing I can shoot using different settings such as a larger or smaller aperture or perhaps a different film speed. I also bracket a lot more now than I used to. I do this because it is now "free" to do so.

How about you? Are you all digital or a film purist? Or are you like me and use digital 99% of the time but every now and then shoot film for the sake of nostalgia and for a reminder of why digital is so great? 

Thanks as always for your time and I do hope you come back soon. I should have my "Photo Of The Day" posted a little later in the day.

Until next time...

September 23, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Today I would like to re-visit the "Witness Tree" at Pawling's Farm in Valley Forge Park. Well I actually did visit it this past Sunday but today I'd like to share a couple of pics of it with you. These don't show the tree in it's entirety but give an idea of how big it is. Take a look.

Aside from just how massive the lower limbs are there is something else that I think is so cool. Take a close look and you will see new branches sprouting out of the old branches. To me this confirms that the old tree has a lot of life left in it. I just hope that after how long it has survived and thrived (more than 250 years) that we as custodians of the world around us continue to protect not only it but all nature.

Until next time...

September 22, 2014 - Photo of The Day

When I go out on a photo shoot I usually have a specific subject in mind. In fact just a few weeks ago I went to Valley Forge and spent an hour or more photographing one tree. But that doesn't mean I stay completely on topic. How boring would that be? Sometimes the trip is just as scenic as the main subject.

Yesterday as many of you know I went to Pawling's Farm in Valley Forge Park to get some shots of "The Witness Tree". On my walk along the trail to get to it I shot this.

So quiet. So peaceful. So serene. And that about sums it up :)

Until next time...

September 21, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Early this morning I drove out to Pawlings Farm, part of Valley Forge National Park, to visit the "Witness Tree" that I have previously written about. i wanted to photograph it in better light than I did last time. My first time there was on a Saturday at about 11 in the morning. It was a very bright sunny day. There is nothing wrong with that unless of course you want to shoot photos outdoors. But early in the morning and cloudy like it was today is a great time. I did get many shots and I will share them in a future post but for today I would like to show you this.

Seems like a great place to hang out if you happen to be a bird. I'm not really sure what this building used to be. It seems way too big to be a barn. Maybe some kind of a mill or factory? Anyhow I am a sucker for birds and give me birds on a 150+ year old abandoned building and I will pull out the camera!

Since I am not sharing any of the tree photos today let me share this with you. A short video I made walking on a back trail to see it.

Thanks for stopping by. If you haven't had the chance please check out a larger post I made earlier. You can find it here. I also have a couple of things I am working on to compliment this blog that I think some of you will like. Please be sure to check back soon :)

Until next time...

August 28, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

There seems to be a common theme with most of my photos so far. Nature. Mostly flowers. Hey, it's that time of year. Continuing with that theme I present to you today a shot of another one of our vinca. This time a purple one.

We usually only find red and white but this year we also found purple. I really like them and as I have said before these are very hardy and can handle a lot of heat and sunlight. In fact they thrive on it. 

As a bonus today I would also like to share something else with you. A short video I shot while photographing in Valley Forge the other day. 

 

I am doing this so you can experience, even for a short time, the peaceful and serene surroundings that I enjoyed that morning. If you listen carefully you can hear the bells at Washington Memorial Chapel on the other side of the field.

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit again soon because I have some cool stuff to share.

Until next time...

August 26, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Welcome to day 8 of my "Photo Of The Day" blog posts. I have been having a lot of fun and I hope you are enjoying my little project. Please be sure to check in every day because there is a lot more to come.

Today I would like to share another photo from Valley Forge. This time it is a black and white panorama composed of three of the shots I made while photographing my favorite tree. Please have a look.

You can click on the image to see a larger version.

Most of my landscape work is of course in color. I must say though that I quite enjoy working in black and white too. To me there is something less intrusive about it. I can enjoy the subject without the "reality" of color. Does that make sense?

On a completely different note I would like you let you know that I am slowly tweaking the layout of my blog. One thing I have added in the sidebar is a list of websites that I enjoy and I think you may too. They are mostly photography related. If you enjoy any of them be sure to check back because I will be adding a lot more. Also if you have any ideas that you think I may like feel free to let me know. You can share them in the comments section or in the soon to come "contact me" section.

Well that's about all for today. I know I say it a lot but I really do appreciate you taking a few minutes out of your day to visit me.

Until next time...

August 25, 2014 - Photo of The Day

Sunday morning I took a drive over to Valley Forge National Park and spent an hour and a half photographing one tree. Yep, one tree. 

I always refer to this as "My Favorite Tree" and I hope you see why.

Being that it is now summertime and there are no leaves on this tree I guess it is "dead". But just look at the branches. Such perfect curves. A great place for birds to perch. To me it brings "life" to the park.

I must say that I do worry that it will be taken down one day. I hope not though. It poses no danger where it is. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you come back soon!

Until next time...

August 23, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Hey there! I am posting this kind of late but I have had a busy day.

Kim and I drove to Phoenixville this evening for dinner at a restaurant named P J Ryan's Pub. To get there we had to drive through Valley Forge Park. Since it has been a rainy and pretty much gloomy day there was a lot of fog rolling over the hills and fields of the park and I thought it would make for a good photo to share with you. So here you go.

Like I said, it was a gloomy day and it reflects in this picture. Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer.

That's all for now. Please check back again and thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Dingmans Falls

In my last post I told you about our camping trip a couple weeks ago. During that trip Kim and I visited Dingmans Falls. Part of The Delaware Water Gap National Park. We had originally planned on going to Bushkill Falls, and still may one day, but on the advice of other campers and an employee at the campground we went here instead. What a wonderful place! There was a lot of walking involved but it was worth it. The photos I am posting here can only give you a glimpse of the natural beauty of not only the falls but the entire area leading up to them. Please look on and enjoy!

This is the visitor center. We happened to visit on the opening day of the season. The rangers we met were very friendly and knowledgeable. They did all they could to answer questions we had about the park and also gave us a lead on another set of falls that I will write about in my next post.

Visitor Center

The path that leads to the main falls is wooden and very nicely constructed. I guess you could call it a boardwalk of sorts. oddly enough I do not have a lot of shots of the actual walkway but I do have some of the scenery along the way including the Silver Thread Falls.

Silver Thread Falls

Once close to the falls there is a set of stairs that lead to the top. When I say set of stairs I mean a very large set of stairs! It is a lot of climbing but we paced ourselves and made it.

Here is a shot of the falls on the way up.

 And here is a view from the top.

 On the way back down.

And finally Dingmans Falls.

Dingmans Falls

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have enjoyed my photos and my little "tour". Please check back soon and please feel free to leave me a message. I would love to hear from you.

Until next time...

Spring Camping

Last weekend Kim and I went camping in the Pocono Mountains. It was a beautiful weekend and the weather was perfect. We stayed at The Delaware Water Gap/Pocono Mountain KOA campground. We like KOA campgrounds because they generally have high standards and are usually very clean. This is important when tent camping. At least to me it is:) Here is a shot of us in front of our tent.

I must admit that tent camping is not always my first choice. I prefer cabin camping. Especially in the hotter summer months. Being Spring however it was a very comfortable stay. It also helped that aside from the campers on one side of us that were hardly around at all we were pretty much alone.

Of course no camping trip is complete without a campfire.

And lots of nature:)

Sunrise In The Woods

During the weekend we were going to take a drive over to Bushkill Falls which was only about ten minutes from us but after talking to some of the campsite regulars and one of the employees we decided to check out Dingmans Falls instead.

Visitor Center at Dingmans Falls

Dingmans Falls is part of The Delaware Water Gap National Park. I highly recommend visiting if you happen to be in the area. It's a bit of walking but very much worth it. Of course I shot lots of photos. I'll be sharing some of them in my next post in a day or so along with a couple other places we traveled to.

Gotta go for now but here are a couple more shots at the campground.

View from outside our tent

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be posting again in a day or so so please check back.

Until next time...