Exp: 1/350s @ f/8.0, ISO 160

Exp: 1/250s @ f/4.0, ISO 160

Exp: 1/1000s @ f/8.0, ISO 160

For the first 2 posts from Italy have a nautical theme.  Venice and the Chinque Terre are very connected to the sea.  Photographing in Vernazza was difficult because of the time of day we were there.  I normally prefer to shoot in the hour leading up to sunrise to 2 hours after sunrise.  We were here mid day and the sun was hot and harsh.  I struggled to find light that would make for a good image.  I liked this shot because I was able to get up high on the seawall and shoot down on these boats.  This allowed me to get a much better angle to bring attention to the bright paints on the tops and angular dock.

If you missed the first post you can find it here.

Exp: 1/90s @ f/4.0, ISO 320

Well I’m just returning from my honeymoon in Italy.  It was a wonderful trip and my wife and I had a fantastic time.  We visited Venice, Florence, Siena, Pisa, the Chinque Terre, and Rome.  I really used the time to unplug and relax.  My only computer was an iPhone that had limited connectivity because of the $20/MB roaming charges and spotty WiFi.  I also took a different approach to my photography.  Since the trip was not dedicated to photography I was looking for more artistic shots.  I haven’t calculated my keeper rate yet but I’m guessing it is going to be much higher than normal based on my first edit pass.  I’m slowing getting through my images so stay tuned for part 2.

When I go out to do photography I sometimes go with an idea of an image that I want to try to make.  This particular evening I saw that the weather forecast was dicey so I figured I might have a chance of getting good clouds and light over downtown Cleveland.  Fortunately the light on downtown never materialized and because of that I was watching for other things to shoot.  As the sun was setting this tug motored out to meet two incoming freighters.  The water texture and the sun glinting off the hull make this image for me.

Wallpaper

Exp: 1/100 @ f/4.0, ISO 400
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS

Exp: 1/640 @ f/4.0, ISO 100
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS @ 144mm, 25mm ext. tube

Exp: 1/160s @ f/4.0, ISO 100
Gear: Olympus E-P1, Leica 50mm Summicron

This was taken at North Chagrin Reservation. There was an area right in the parking lot full of bluets so I spent about an hour shooting different angles.  This is my favorite.  Proof you don’t have to go far to find a photograph.

Exp: 1/250s, f/4.0, ISO 200
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS,  25mm ext tube

I got up very early two Sunday mornings ago and headed down to Furnace Run Metro Park in Richfield to shoot some daffodils.  The park’s website says that the land the daffodil trail is on was owned by the first metro parks director and he planted the first bulbs along the trail.  There are now more than 30 thousand daffodils every April along the 0.6 mile trail.  I shot this one with a very thin depth of field to showcase the great detail in the flower’s center while producing a background that looks very much like a painting.

Exp: 1/60s, F/2, ISO 400
Gear: Leica M6, 35mm Summicron, Ilford XP2 Super 400

You read the title right this shot was taken at the 2010 Cleveland Autoshow on B&W film.  The digital image was scanned by Dodd Camera here in Cleveland.  I’m starting to experiment with some film since I’ve never owned a film camera other than some disposable ones.  So far I’ve been happy with what I’m getting.  I good tip for getting clean shots at a busy auto show is use a wider angle lens.  Here I used a 35mm.  It forces you to get closer to the subject to fill the frame so people will be less likely to walk through your shot.  It’s also easier to hand hold wider angle lenses in low light.