November 2, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

And then some...

That's right. Today I will be posting a daily photo and more. I originally planned on two posts but figured this would work too. Let me explain.

Yesterday Kim and I went to the local Verizon Wireless store to have our phones checked out. You see after a recent update both of our phones started having battery issues. Each was fine the day before but after the update the batteries would wear down about half way through the day. This was too much of a coincidence. So anyhow when we stopped by the store and spoke with a customer service representative about it. We also told her that our monthly service rate was way too high and that we would be shopping around in about six months when our contract was up. Well one thing led to another and we ended up with two new phones and a monthly rate that is about $30 cheaper. All of this with unlimited talk and text and a nice data plan. In fact the only thing we had to pay for was a cover for each new phone. Nice!

So here I am with a new phone. It is a Motorola Droid Turbo. And it has a 21 Megapixel camera. So of course I had to go somewhere and try it out. And that is what I did today. And what better place than Valley Forge Park.

The only issue with today's "test run" was the weather. It's not that it was cold but it sure was windy. Which of course made the mid 40 degree temperature feel cold. In fact at times it was downright nasty. But I did it anyway and now I will share some of the results. While you browse please choose one for your own personal "Photo of The Day". How's that sound?

I am sharing some technical details under each photo. Also each one was adjusted in Photoshop. So here we go, the photos.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting.

16 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting. Arch in the background.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting. My favorite tree.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's Standard setting. Yes that's my shadow.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's Standard setting. Washington's Headquarters.

21 Megapixels Shot with camera's HDR setting. General Washington watching over his troops.

So what do you think? Here's my take.

Overall I am satisfied with the results. In fact for a phone camera I am very satisfied. As you may have seen I included one photo at 16 Megapixels instead of the standard 21. The camera records in 16 Megapixels when it is set for Widescreen. To tell the truth I really didn't really notice a difference. 

The colors are pretty much correct except that I had to adjust the reds in most of the shots. I also adjusted the highlights to bring out details such as the clouds. Other than that I only did some minor tweaks to correct lighting. Much of this may have been necessary due to the bright sun.

Don't get me wrong. The direct out of camera results were decent. I adjust every photo I shoot no matter what I create it with. As far as I have ever seen there is no camera that can accurately recreate a scene exactly as it is.

So there you have it. I will be testing the video quality soon. There is a setting for the new 4K standard. that should be fun.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back soon.

Until next time...

October 18, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Hi there! I know it's a little late so this is going to be a quick one. I just purchased a new computer and still have to get a lot set up. I did install most of my essential software but there is still much to do and a little bit of a learning curve.

Kim and I went to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey today. it was my first time there. I have to say that I really enjoyed it and will probably go back some day. I shot a lot of photos and I am sharing one with you today. And it is not part of the aquarium but rather a view from it.

This is a view of the Philadelphia skyline from the Camden waterfront.

This is not my best work but like I said I was a little rushed today. Tomorrow should be better,

As always I thank you for visiting and ask that you check back soon.

Until Next time...

October 17, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

It's Friday again and that means another "retro" photo. This one is from June 3, 2012.

This is the sunrise shot on the road between Cape May Courthouse and Avalon, New Jersey. I created this image with my Sony DSC-WX9. The quality is not as good as a larger sensor camera but I am pretty pleased with the results.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back soon!

Until next time...

October 16, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

After all of the rain yesterday the sun has finally come out and most of the clouds cleared away. It feels a bit like Summer around here. I can sure live with that! Even if only for a short time before the brisk Fall weather kicks in.

I was out on our deck enjoying the afternoon and noticed how healthy our Vincas are. We get them every year because they are so hardy. And that is what I am sharing with you today. In black and white.

I don't usually present flowers this way because most of my previous attempts have not turned out so well. But I am very pleased with this one. And just for contrast I will also show you the color version too.

What do you think? They both came out nice but I think I like the black and white better.

And before I go I just want to mention that today would have been my Mom's 83rd Birthday. Happy Birthday Mom :) I love and miss you so much but I know that you are always watching over me.

Until next time...

October 15, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Today's photo is yet another one from our trip to the Jersey Shore this past weekend. I just can't seem to "leave" there. At least mentally. The shore to me means warm summertime weather and plenty of sun. Have I ever mentioned that I really don't like Winter? Don't get me wrong though. The Winter is pretty. It's just that I really hate the cold. But I look at it this way. Every day closer to Winter is a day closer to Spring.

Here is today's photo.

This is a view of the ocean from the Music Pier on The Ocean City Boardwalk.

And that's it for today folks. Please check back soon.

Until next time...

October 14, 2014 - Photo of The Day

On the way to breakfast on Saturday while Kim and I were in Ocean City we walked past the front of the motel we were staying at and I saw a few patches of some of the nicest daisies I have seen all season. They look like something you would see in the Springtime. I would normally stop and take a few shots but the rain was really bad at the time so I didn't have my camera with me. But as luck would have it the rain cleared that evening and I was able to get some great results on Sunday morning. What a wonderful difference a day made.

This is from the only patch that still had raindrops on them. I'm sure that in a few weeks they won't be so perky but at least I got to see them and capture some really good images. I will be sharing more at the Facebook group along with the unedited original. Please be sure to check them out.

I am working on yet more projects that I think you will like. Be sure to keep an eye out :)

Until next time...

October 13, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

After I shot the sunrise yesterday morning I started to head back down the boardwalk and to the motel. Because it was a beautiful morning however I made a couple of stops along the way. The sun is so easy to work with in the early hours of the day and with the boardwalk not being very crowded I thought it was a good time to photograph some of the scenery. This is one of my favorites.

This is Gillian's Wonderland Amusement Pier at 6th St and The Boardwalk. It is an indoor/outdoor amusement park that was founded in 1929. You can read about it at the official website here and here is the park's Wikipedia entry.

And continuing a recent theme I would like to share a short two and a half minute video I shot on the boardwalk. This shows how quiet it is that early.

As I mentioned before these videos are best when viewed in 1080P HD. And of course at full screen.

Please be sure to check the Facebook page if you get a chance. I will be sharing the "before" version of today's photo and maybe some others that I shot that morning. I also post links to sites or articles that I think may be of interest for those photographically inclined.

Thanks for stopping by and as always...

Until next time...

October 11, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

The rain is finally over...I think. It seems that the weather people can't get it straight this weekend. Especially down the shore where Kim and I are.

We planned this trip as one last chance to visit Ocean City before most of it closes up for the season. This is also the weekend that the annual block party is taking place here. The rain kind of put a damper (pun intended) on the block party but it did stop in time for a fireworks show over the beach to cap off the night. I will post some pictures of the fireworks in a bit but for now I would lie to share a photo of the boardwalk from this evening.

Still a little wet but I think that makes for a nice picture. And at least it isn't windy anymore.

Before I call it a night I would also like to share a video with you. This is a time lapse of our trip to Ocean City yesterday afternoon. The drive took about an hour and a half but I was able to condense it down to just under two minutes. Please take a look.

 

This was shot using my Samsung Galaxy S4 with an app called Lapse It. The basic version is free and very limited but the Pro version is just $1.99. A bargain in my opinion.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to come back soon.

Until next time...

October 10, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

It's Friday and that means another "retro" photo. Well, I use the term retro loosely because some of the pictures I will be sharing will not be all that old. Some will be but not all of them.

Today's photo is from last year at Jenkin's Arboretum in Devon, Pennsylvania. It is a closeup of a bee that I shot with my smart phone. A Samsung Galaxy S4. I had just purchased it and was trying it out. I must say I am impressed about how far camera phones have come. I don't think that can or will replace DSLR's any time soon but the quality is amazing.

Now there are countless reasons why a camera phone cannot replace a "regular" camera. The biggest one in my opinion is sensor size. The sensors on a cell phone camera are much smaller than that of a DSLR or even a dedicated point and shoot. Therefore they can't capture as much information and in turn cannot produce as large of an image. Sort of like how old 110 cameras were not as good as 35mm film cameras. And don't even get me started on Disc cameras :)

Before I go i would like to share one more photo with you. The sunrise today was so beautiful I could not resist. Take a look.

Thanks for stopping by!

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...
 

October 8, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

Okay, you are probably going to be inundated with photos of the "Blood Moon" today but I was up early today so here is one more.

I was only loosely planing on getting up and shooting today's lunar eclipse but somehow it happened and here you go. I was very lucky to have a clear view after last nights rain. I am also glad I had a nice view from our driveway.

This is an early post for me so check back later for a possible second post. I'm not promising anything but you never know :)

Until next time...

October 7, 2014 - Photo of The Day

As the year rolls on and we close in on Winter the days are getting shorter and shorter. I must say that I'm not a fan. There is one nice by-product however. The Sun rises later in the morning making it easier for me to catch it. Let me share this morning's sunrise with you.

I actually had a slightly difficult time shooting this. The morning was quite breezy and wind is not an outdoor photographers friend. The trees were swaying and though mounted on a tripod there was a little camera shake. The low lying clouds also hindered me a bit. I think it came out okay though. I like the colors.

Have you had a chance to check out the Facebook group yet? If not you can find it at this link. I am still working on it but I think it is getting up to speed. I have been sharing "behind the scenes" information and some "before and after" pics of my Photo of the Day plus some links I think might of be interest as I find them. I also encourage you to share any comments or questions you may have. You can even just visit to say "hello". I would love to hear from you!

Before I go I would like to share a short video I shot at Longwood Gardens on Saturday. Check it out .

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see please tell your friends!

Until next time...

October 6, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

When I am on a photo shoot I am usually concentrating on a particular subject or at the very least a single location. In such a situation it is very easy to overlook the little things. And that is a shame because it is the little things that make up the "big picture". For today's photo I would like to share one of the little things.

This is a tree stump that I spotted along one of the walking paths at Longwood Gardens on Saturday. It would have been very easy to pass by and not notice it. Especially in such a location that is so rich in scenery. Somehow it caught my eye however. And I am glad for that. I think it is the lines that drew me in.

This particular photo is made up of two images I shot at different exposures. One normal and one darker. I blended them in Photoshop and adjusted the colors and tones accordingly. To me it came out very earthy with just the right amount of brighter colors.

What are your thoughts? I would love to her your opinion.

Until next time...

October 5, 2014 - Photo of The Day

For today's photo I would like to share another picture from yesterday's trip to Longwood. This is an anthurium and was shot in the conservatory. A place where flowers thrive year round.

It always feels like Summer there.

I know this is a short one but it's getting late. Please check back soon.

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...

October 4, 2014 - Photo of The Day

Today started out very rainy here but I held faith in the weather people and headed to Longwood gardens with Kim. They said it would clear up as the day went on and for once they were right! Hey, it has to happen sometimes.

It was a really nice trip today. The early rain kept a lot of people away so there were no crowds to contend with. which was great because we wanted to check out the Fall displays. In particular the 800 lb pumpkin. And that is what I am sharing with you today. Check out this big guy.

And that's all I've got for you right now. But I will have some more from Longwood to share with you soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

October 2, 2014 - Photo of The Day

Flowers are one of my favorite things to photograph. In most cases they are stationary subjects unless of course they are outside and there is a good breeze going. But even when they are still it is not always easy to get a crisp sharp image. At least at close range. This is where a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release come in handy. And that is what I used to capture today's photo.

These are Kim's roses. 

I shot this indoors using one of my tripods and my new wireless shutter release. It was fairly dark so I set a long exposure (30 seconds). I used a wide F-Stop (Aperture) to keep everything in focus and a low ISO (Film Speed) to keep grain at a minimum. Shutter speed, Aperture and Film Speed are all about light. And how much light you expose your camera's sensor to is the your Exposure. Remember, photography is all about light. Here is an excellent explanation as to how Exposure works.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to come back soon!

Until next time...

October 1, 2014, Photo Of The Day

When I write a post I like to be as accurate as possible. Especially when writing about something historical. I am working on a full post (not Photo Of The Day) that involves some local history. I am having a problem however. There is not a lot of information online for me to read up on and confirm what I already believe to be true. What I do know I learned over 35 years ago in elementary school. I may have forgotten some details in that time. So I am going to have to take a trip to our local library. Hopefully I will get a chance to do this sooner than later. Until I do though I would like to share one photo with you. And here it is.

This is a spring house which, to the best of my recollection, was used by the Henderson family. Spring houses were common in the days before refrigeration. Built over springs, they kept a consistent low temperature to help preserve perishables. There are a lot of buildings in this area that once belonged to the Henderson's and even a family cemetery. In fact they have a road named after them. I don't want to get too far into their history at this time though because I would rather do my research and present accurate data. I really just wanted to show this to you. It is one of those things that people drive by everyday and don't give a second thought. A side effect of our busy lives.

I would also like to share a short 30 second video with you. I photographed this early on Sunday morning and there were very few cars or other noisy distractions. I thought a video would remind us of what this place may have looked and sounded a couple of hundred years ago when the spring house was still being used. It is actually rather peaceful.

 

 

Until next time...

September 30, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

The end of September has arrived and it's that time of the year when plants and flowers die off and the ground becomes covered with falling leaves. But in the midst of this something interesting is happening right in my own backyard. Wildflowers. Now there may only be a few stragglers at full bloom but there is also a lot of buds. I suppose that as long as the weather remains somewhat moderate and the frost stays away they will also come to bloom.

I know that I have posted a similar photo before but hey, who doesn't like a little reminder of summertime? I had a little fun with this one. I hope you like how it came out.

I rarely use the flash on my camera. On board flashes are not generally a photographers friend but that is a topic for a future post. For this however I used the flash to darken the background. It also let me use a lower ISO (Film Speed) and in turn reduce noise (Grain). This was shot at the beginning of dusk and there was a lot of light from the day left. What do you think?

Thanks so much for visiting! I really do appreciate it! If you like what you see please consider following along by using one of the choices in the side bar. Feel free to leave feedback too using the "Contact Me" section. Also be sure to check out the blog's Facebook Group by clicking this link. And let your friends know too!

Until next time...

September 29, 2014 - Photo Of The Day

On Saturday I showed you a couple of photos from our trip to The Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. In particular the Boone house and the barn and blacksmith shop. today I would like to share a picture from inside of the house. This is the Parlor.

The Parlor was used for eating and entertaining and at one time was even used as a courtroom. The furniture seen in this photo is of period time but probably not used by the Boone family.

You can read more about The Daniel Boone Homestead and the Boone family here and here. Also if you haven't already read my Saturday post you can get there from here.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to check back soon.

Until next time...