First HDR images

Finally getting around to purchasing the program and experimenting with it. Had a few shots from Fells Point that I worked with the program.

My buddies

With great sadness, my best buddy of eight years passed away recently. His name was Lazarus. He was a Norwegian Forest Cat. Loyal, intelligent, handsome, kind and gentle, he was my friend who was always near me and brought me great joy and happiness. He was probably close to 15 years of age when he pass on to heaven. I miss the nightly sight of him guarding the top of the steps on the side porch, dutifuly watching for intruding felines and scurring voles. I loved my buddy very much.

Loch Raven Morning 2/27

A passing drive through Loch Raven I did not discover too much that caught my eye. The snow had fallen off the trees and partly melted on the ground. The reservoir was partly frozen so I caught a few of the quiet peace of the geese and winter trees.

2/22 Cromwell Valley Afternoon

With about two hours of sunlight remaining on a quiet Sunday, I just jumped into the car for a quick road trip with no destination planned. Starting first toward Loch Raven Reservoir, I realized that the reservoir is closed to auto traffic during weekends from 10-5, so I departed there and headed toward Baltimore County's Cromwell Valley Park. Upon arrival I decided to use only one lens, my 70-200mm f/2.8 for all my images. The light was a bit harsh with a bright blue sky but I tried to work with the dark shadows as a composition element. Leaving the County park, I headed north up Manor Road toward Long Green Road, stopping where there was any safe place to pull off or stop in the middle of the road and not get run over. The snow blanket from the recent blizzards really helped to simply the composition. I used a tripod when I could put off, but other times I just had to settle for a quick grab shot where there was no place to pull off the road.

Seconds on the snow

Feeling house bound, I suited up in my muck master knee boots, down vest and rain parka and headed out to see how the snowfall. I had cut a small hole in a quart sized storage bag just large enough for the lens and its filter to fit through. Then another hole was made where the viewer is located. I slipped the eyepiece over the plastic around the viewer and grabbed the camera from underneath the bag. I made my camera setting before heading out and stuffed a cleaning cloth in my pocket. The blowing snow made focusing difficult with the build up on my lenses. The cloth merely got wet over time and just smeared on the filter and eyeglass lenses. I made some quick shots before the snow gathered on the viewer and lens filter and then stuffed inside my vest. I was using a 18-55mm kit lens with image stabilization and ISO 200.

Sunday at Jerusalem Mills

I made a pre-dusk trip to Jerusalem Mills, a part of the Maryland Park Service Gunpowder River park system. The sun was setting over the hills when I arrived. I forgot that the sun sets earlier here as the river in a valley. I made a bee line upstream from the historic mill parking lot to a spot inside the wood line adjacent to the stream. It was a bit of a hike but worth the calories spent. The snow was knee high in some drift as I made my way to the stream to find a place to photograph. The stream flows with all the snow melt and rain was very fast and high.

12/17 2pm in the backyard as the snow falls faster.

Well, I knew that I was stuck at the house as the snow flew harder and faster as the hours ticked by this day. One more try I said to myself as I bundled up with my camera inside a thick vinyl bag, one lens in my coat pocket and my tripod. Big flakes of snow hit the back of my viewfinder occasionally and the plastic around my lens keep creeping forward in front of the lens as tried to focus. I choose one or two spots and turned in place in the patch of woods behind my neighbors house, trying to work on spot as best I could to try to capture the wintery feel of the afternoon.