Post one favorite photo you took (max 1 per day) with some details.

Growing up in a farm town, I have this thing for barns. Being someone who likes the look and smell of them, I had to take a picture of this one.

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This was another ride-by where it suddenly hit me what I had passed, so I did a quick 180 and got the shot - of an old bank barn with a ramp to the hayloft. I hadn't seen one of these in over 60 years. Also, there's some seriously valuable barnwood on that structure.
 

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There's a story here:

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Immediately after taking the above photo, the camera went crazy and had a complete and total breakdown. The focusing square in the viewfinder broke up into little pieces that moved randomly around the screen. The lens zoom quit working and none of the buttons or controls would work. After some great help from the manufacturer's support center, I learned that camera computers, like their desktop counterparts, occasionally need a shutdown, reset and restart. Knowing how to do this is something you should take on the road with you, as I now do.
 
Photography & Art: There is a grey area between artistry and photography where images taken with a camera are then further rendered by hand to make them more visually interesting and/or appealing. Often, Photoshop is the medium for this, where a number of digital tools are used to change the image. Beyond Photoshop, there is now a plethora of other tools, both standalone applications and image filters that can be used to alter the image. It is perhaps like working on multiple sheets of canvas with multiple brushes, tools and palettes and then merging the various canvas impression together using a variety of merging (i.e., blend mode) techniques. Below is the result of one such set of mergers.

may9_2021_boyalston_beaver-pond2.jpg


The original photo was taken at high noon with a lifeless, hazy sky that came out over-exposed, thus reflecting in the water as such. With a bit of work on the sky and atmospherics (e.g., spectral light, haze/fog, moisture, clouds, etc.), the scene changed from one of midday "BLAH" to one of dusk color without disrupting the overall natural beauty of the scene captured by the camera.
 

JonDouglas said:
Photography & Art: There is a grey area between artistry and photography where images taken with a camera are then further rendered by hand to make them more visually interesting and/or appealing. Often, Photoshop is the medium for this, where a number of digital tools are used to change the image. Beyond Photoshop, there is now a plethora of other tools, both standalone applications and image filters that can be used to alter the image. It is perhaps like working on multiple sheets of canvas with multiple brushes, tools and palettes and then merging the various canvas impression together using a variety of merging (i.e., blend mode) techniques. Below is the result of one such set of mergers.

may9_2021_boyalston_beaver-pond2.jpg


The original photo was taken at high noon with a lifeless, hazy sky that came out over-exposed, thus reflecting in the water as such. With a bit of work on the sky and atmospherics (e.g., spectral light, haze/fog, moisture, clouds, etc.), the scene changed from one of midday "BLAH" to one of dusk color without disrupting the overall natural beauty of the scene captured by the camera.
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wow...so what did you use to alter this ? (y)
 
hollydolly said:
wow...so what did you use to alter this ? (y)
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Hollydolly, I used a good number of different tools in a number of different applications, specifically DXO Photolab, Photoshop, Luminar and various Topaz apps. First was conversion from RAW to JPG format with lens correction thrown in. Next was some cropping and perspective correction due to lens compression. Next was color and contrast adjustments. Last was sky, water and atmospheric changes.
 
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JonDouglas said:
Hollydolly, I used a good number of different tools in a number of different applications, specifically DXO Photolab, Photoshop, Luminar and various Topaz apps. First was conversion from RAW to JPG format with lens correction thrown in. Next was some cropping and perspective correction due to lens compression. Next was color and contrast adjustments. Last was sky, water and atmospheric changes.
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Far too complicated for me I'm afraid... but it makes your photos look very professional
 
A Haunted Bridge? Below is the Eunice Williams covered bridge. There's a tragic story here.

may20_2021_eunice-williams-dr4.jpg


In 1704, Mohawk Indians raided the frontier town of Deerfield, Mass, capturing the local pastor John Williams, along with his family. Williams' wife, Eunice, had just given birth. Still weak from childbirth and having walked almost 10 miles in the snow, Eunice was unable to cross the river where the bridge now stands. As was the fate of those who could not keep up, Eunice was slain by one of the Mohawks. Legend, lore and locals say her ghost cries out at night in anguish under the bridge. I cannot help but think of that poor woman every time I ride across on my way north and west.

For a more complete story, see Deerfield History Of Eunice Mather Williams
 
What could be more enjoyable to someone who likes trains than being tableside to a minty-fresh, old EMD GP?

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When a kid like me who likes trains needs a train "fix", the place to go is where the chances of seeing the most trainage in the shortest period of time is the greatest and the seating most comfortable. One of my favorites is the old train station in Palmer, MA, where two railrod lines cross - CSX and NECR. Now a restaurant, the old station is a great place for railfans to hang out and one I head towards when the old body needs a rest from the bike and the mind a rest from the constant situational awareness required to ride safely.
 
Below are two pictures of the Bridge of Flowers, which is a repurposed old trolley bridge in Shelburne Falls, MA. The bridge is a favorite photo spot I like to visit once or twice a year.

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This subject takes at least two photos, one of the bridge and another on it.

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Newly reopened following the covid lockdown, there aren't as many buds blooming as usual but time will fix that and we'll ride back there for some macro photography.
 
Droning On A Bit: After several flights today, I am starting to gain better control of the drone and form some hypotheses about what makes for a good picture. Today, I went to the town common in an attempt to find an open spot that gave me reasonable POV access to the local church. I was worried about the only open spot because there was a woman sitting on a nearby bench holding her pet (support) duck. Acting like support ducks on a leash were a common thing, I asked if flying the drone would upset the duck. She said no and told me to please fly as it would amuse the duck (I am not making this up) but don't take any pictures of her. Anyway, I launched the drone and figured I would go up to a height above the small trees and at or slightly above the roof line of the church. The resulting pic is below.

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What I learned was this idea (i.e., shooting about or slightly above the roofline of the subject building) turned out pretty well, perhaps well enough to be a rule of thumb for future shots. An added bonus was the drama of the sky to put the whole picture into a greater perspective and context. I am pleased with the picture.
 
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I like the picture.
Did you have to touch it up?

We were out & about today,,had one of those should have bought my camera with us.

Were driving though a small Amish area,, could see what looked like a 2 wheeled cart pulled by a horse, ahead.

As we passed it, there was a light boat on it with its driver sitting on a board.
We guess he was heading to small lake to go fishing.
 
Sliverfox said:
I like the picture.
Did you have to touch it up?

We were out & about today,,had one of those should have bought my camera with us.

Were driving though a small Amish area,, could see what looked like a 2 wheeled cart pulled by a horse, ahead.

As we passed it, there was a light boat on it with its driver sitting on a board.
We guess he was heading to small lake to go fishing.
Click to expand...
If you're referring to the church pic above, I did run it through an AI program that auto-adjusted the "gamma" (i.e. what translates between our eye's light sensitivity and that of the camera). If you'd seen the original, you'd have said it was too dark/underexposed. I am not good at adjusting the camera's ISO and other settings while flying it.
 
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