DesBrisay Museum park

I had some time to soak up, this morning (I hate church services in the afternoon!), so I wondered around Bridgewater with my camera gear to find something interesting. I decided to visit the DesBrisay Museum park area. With D80, 70-300mm VR and 500D close-up lens in hand, I was able to get some worthwhile captures. Thankfully, the wind was not an issue so I was not frustrated in today's efforts to do macro work.

Playing with the 500D close-up lens

I haven't had much of a chance to do some macro photography, it's usually windy in the morning or too bright and sunny. The best time to do this sort of work is just before it rains, when the wind is almost nil. I find this imaging to be very challenging and frustrating at the same time, I often think I should get a dedicated macro lens and be done with it. Still, not too shabby results using the AF-AS 70-300mm VR.

This reminds me that I need to clean the D80's sensor, maybe a good dusting is all that's required.

The edge of the day

I didn't do much in the way of personal shooting, this week, concentrating on doing a couple listing sets for both myself and fellow agents - I was trying to "show" a couple properties to out-of-towners, the best way was to get more detailed images. TBH, the bright sun and dry conditions did not excite me to do much shooting, but I was able to capture the last tidbits of yesterday. I used the 70-300mm VR and some help from the built-in flash on the D80.

Some early grab shots

With the onset of dawn around 6:15am, it's up and at it as early as possible if you want to catch the best light. I was hoping there might be some fog, this morning, it didn't happen. Still, I was not disappointed.

Fast glass = late-night shooting opportunities

The Tamron 17-50mm proves its worth in low light imaging, and is invaluable when the light is almost next-to-nothing as it is during twilight hours. Still, I was able to shoot reasonable apertures (say f/4) and shutter speeds (1/30th sec and faster), especially for the afterglow files.

A few from last night

It was a glorious spring evening, the days are long and lots of light until about 8:45pm. I am trying to use the nifty little Tamron 17-50mm for more general-purpose shooting. It has great optical and mechanical quality, but somewhat limited range. Still, it's a keeper.

Colorful flowers on King Street

I drove around this morning looking for photo opps, nothing was happening - no mist nor fog, just bright sun streaming into the day. I was fortunate to find this floral display on the corner of Kings and Dufferin Street, the bee was just a bonus. No fancy equipment, just the D40 and 16-85mm VR zoom.

Shooting with my fast two zooms

It seems I sometimes neglect my Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 50-150mm zooms. I have pretty much settled on using those with the D40 forming a "fast glass" kit when it's needed. The D40's quality high-ISO performance makes it a great package to use with f/2.8 glass.

The lighting was glorious last night, the days are long enough that yo can get that lingering late-evening glow. I was able to record an above-average number of "keepers" during last night's walk. Too bad the flies are such a nuisance as it makes it tough to fully enjoy this time of year, it seems it won't be long before the days are getting shorter, again.

Old boat at rest in Stonehurst

During a recent drive down to this shore fishing community, I cam across this abandoned boat. The images I got of it were not to my satisfaction due to poor light - I pledged to myself I would try again. The Nikon 12-24mm and some fill-flash with the SB-800 seems to have worked.

Moody sky over farm

Sometimes the magical light just happens without any special effort. Clouds can be a source of great drama if the conditions are just ideal. A I drove by this farm, the silos against the sky with the sun bursting out was too good to pass up - I turned around and went back, and got what I needed by intentionally underexposing. After some messing with NX2, I am satisfied with the result.

Bayport government wharf

These small ports of call that are government-sponsored are usually a treasure for nice images. Each time I go to visit one, soemthing is different that it was before - new boats, traps on the piers, etc. The key is to have good lighting no matter the situation. The Nikon AF-S 12-24mm is a very useful lens not only for RE work but for my own personal preferences in images.