This skittish Mourning Dove often greets me as I leave the house each day.
The APS-C lens landscape has changed
16 hours ago
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Mount Washington in April
The remnants of winter cling to the coldest slopes of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunset from the side of the road
In the time it took me to pull over, grab the camera and run about 15 feet behind the car, the colors faded by about half. But it was still pretty striking and I'm glad I got it.
View more photos at my SmugMug galleries.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Canon announces entry level DSLR with video
Since Nikon first introduced high res video in a DSLR with their D90, there's been plenty of buzz that this would be the new must have feature. Canon followed with higher res video in their EOS 5D MarkII and today announced the T1i in the US, (elsewhere to be known as the 500D). This 15.1 megapixel DSLR will retail for about $900 with an 18-55 kit lens. More info here. DPreview has posted a side by side comparison with the D90 and a hands on preview. Amazon already has a listing with loads of specs. Looks like the race is on!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Rugby: Holy Cross v Bentley
Last year's Div 4 Champion College of the Holy Cross met Bentley's Division 2 Champs. The play was fierce and it was a rousing competition.
The calendar said "first day of spring" but the frigid temp made me wonder "how do these kids run around in shorts?"
That's Pete in the upper right corner:
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunset on the Southeast Expressway
I couldn't decide which one I like better...
...or...
Both of these were taken during my drive home with my trusty Canon point & shoot. Remember: Be prepared!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
30 Days of Photography: the wrap-up
We started this assignment 30 days ago with the simple objective of taking and posting one "good" photo everyday for 30 days. Now I know there are people that do this everyday for months, a year and longer, and so I know that this wasn't going to be any great feat in the grand scheme of things. But for me, (like many of you), with a family, a busy schedule and many responsibilities, I recognized that 30 good photos in 30 days would be a challenge. What I didn't expect was the things I would learn along the way. Here are a few key realizations:
As the Boy Scouts say: "Be Prepared". Having known this previously (or I thought I did), I've always carried my Canon point and shoot with me. Naturally, for this assignment however, I brought my Nikon D90 DSLR, with either an 18-200mm zoom lens or a smaller 50mm lens with me everywhere I went. 30 days of carrying the "heavy hardware" made me respect true photogs: the dedicated hobbyists and true professionals. But having the Nikon etc. with me meant I was in a better position to capture the good pics. That's not to say that the camera makes all the difference - that's a discussion for another post. But better features like low light performance and higher megapixels allowed me to do more.
So with gear in hand, (or on shoulder or in briefcase or under seat of car), I set out to capture National Geographic-quality photos. But wait, just because I was ready to take the picture of a lifetime, didn't mean it was always right there, lying in front of me like a discarded winning lottery ticket on the sidewalk. As they say, timing and preparation are everything - many great photos are born because someone was in the right place at the right time and able to capture the scene. Did you see the first "Miracle on the Hudson" photo taken by a person on a ferry with his iPhone? He and others got their shots because they were there when it mattered, and had a way to capture the photo, even if it was only a camera phone. Photographer and blogger Scott Bulger has a great post on the subject here.
Some of my daily photos were captured only because I was there, aware and ready. Some examples are here and here.
You have to make it happen: But a great photographer doesn't only respond to random situations as they arise. Great photogs seek great photos and 
take steps to create them. That's the difference between "taking" a picture and "making" one. I recently attended a photo exhibit with my daughter at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. I was struck by the number of photos that were of simple, everyday subjects, that we look at but don't necessarily see: the wrinkles on the back of an elderly person's hand or a woman dashing to an unknown appointment, a look of concern on her face. First you must see the potential around you then take steps to capture it in a photograph. I waited for an hour to take this sunset photo. I had no guarantee it would be any good, but I had in my mind's eye what I was trying to capture, and took steps (equipment, timing, knowledge and a patient wife) to make it happen. During this assignment, I learned to think ahead for everyday's opportunities, based on where I planned to be, anticipating the scene, the lighting (natural or not, considering weather, timing, etc.). As you can see, some days I planned better than others!
Varying your shooting style ain't easy: I found myself falling into familiar patterns during these 30 days - thinking about the day's shot in advance and gravitating to the places and conditions I was comfortable with and/or that were convenient. But for fear of having 30 pictures of the orchids in my office, I forced myself to vary what I was looking for. In retrospect, I think I could have done that even better. This post from the Digital Photography School has some good ideas for mixing it up. We expand our photographic knowledge and skills by stretching ourselves, by trying new techniques and subjects under differing conditions. I plan to continue "stretching".
In retrospect, I'm more than happy that I undertook this assignment with my brother Rey. I feel that I've learned a lot and have a few photos I am truly pleased with like this one, this one and this one, and others that were, shall we say, acts of desperation: this one, this one and this one, ugh.
Bottom line - like riding a bike or learning to cook, you have to actually do it and do it often. Challenge yourself to capture great photos everyday for a month. You'll be surprised at what you accomplish.
And Rey, if you're reading this - nice job. I especially liked this one, this one and this one.
Technorati Tags: photo a day,ed spadoni
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
30 Days of Photography: 3-14-09
"Boston's Museum of Fine Arts"
Runners up can be viewed at my SmugMug site.
Technorati Tags: photo a day,ed spadoni
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
30 Days of Photography: 3-09-09
"Spring is just around the bend..."
Runners up can be viewed at my SmugMug site.
Technorati Tags: photo a day,ed spadoni
Sunday, March 8, 2009
30 Days of Photography: 3-08-09
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
30 Days of Photography: 2-21-09
Friday, February 20, 2009
30 Days of Photography: 2-20-09
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
30 Days of Photography
Several years ago, my brother Rey gave me as a birthday gift, a one day class at the Nikon School of Photography. The instructors imparted us with much useful information, the bottom line of which was: get out there and shoot! They recommended creating photo assignments for yourself, consisting of a defined theme, or technique, or location, etc., where you focus on taking the best photos you could, then study them, learn from them, and take what you've learned on to the next assignment, and so on. Rey and I have done exactly that, and many of my assignments have been posted to my SmugMug gallery.
Well, the latest assignment is beginning, and it's an ambitious one: take and post one (really good, or at least pretty good) photo per day for 30 days. We'll start on 2/14 (Valentine's Day) and end on March 15. You can view my photos here and at Rey's blog. I'm sure that some days will be better than others, but you be the judge!
Technorati Tags: Photo a Day,ed spadoni
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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