Tyler's Photo Blog

We've moved!

2010-08-14T09:05:00.002-04:00

As I post more and more of Meg's photos, I wanted the blog to be ours so we have moved to Catamount Imaging. All new photo posts from both Meg and I will be there and in time I'll retire this blog.

Please join us there!

Siena storefront...

2010-08-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

Meg made this wonderful reflective image of an especially busy storefront in Siena. The streets there are filled with small storefront selling panforte, dried meats and wine. The fox and the bird were an added bonus. I was clearly entranced!

Night Statue in Siena.

2010-08-11T06:44:00.000-04:00

After stumbling on one of the best meals of the vacation (ossobuco at Taverna di Cecco), we walked home to the hotel. On the way we passed this empty courtyard and Meg made a wonderful late night image which I aggressively converted to black and white.

This is the way the place felt to me. Quiet, extraordinary and alive. We were guests.

One of the wonderful things about the transition from Rome to Siena was the decrease in the tourist quotient. It's not just the number of people (Siena was actually quite popular) but the tourist culture of people hawking everything from camera tripods to umbrellas (they seemed to magically transform when the sky darkened) to the crazy guys in gladiator suits that surround the Colosseum. It just gets tiresome.

Siena didn't seem to have all that and the tourists seemed like us to be drinking deeply from the medieval well of beauty this city has to offer. Sometimes late at night, there was nobody around at all...

On to Siena...

2010-08-09T06:59:00.002-04:00

It was time to move on from Rome to Siena and we were traveling by bus. The bus was a somewhat less performant version of the bus that we take from the Upper Valley down to Boston when taking such trips as this. It had the habit of very gently and rhythmically bouncing along the narrow (compared to US interstates) A1 heading north to Siena. I was tired and was resting my eyes but Meg would periodically wake me to show me scenes of classic Italian beauty along the way.

As we neared Siena, we remembered that there were four stops in Siena and suddenly it became import to choose the right one. A very helpful local businessman gave us all the info we needed in perfect English before departing and wishing us a good time in Siena.

We checked in and immediately walked down towards the city center to find out what is meant by a medieval city. Narrow streets with slits of sunlight were everywhere.

We settled at a nice bar in Piazza del Campo, enjoyed an adult beverage, and watched the sun set of city hall reminding us of why the crayola boxes have a burnt siena crayon in them.

Three coins in the fountain...

2010-08-08T10:09:00.003-04:00

Young fellow throwing coins in Trevi Fountain...

Roman Griffiti

2010-08-07T06:54:00.000-04:00

Spotted on a hill in Trestavere...

Trestavere

2010-08-06T06:36:00.000-04:00

Across the Tiber River from Rome proper is the area of Trestavere. It's a charming, funky area and was a favorite on our trip to Rome.

The combination of textures and colors in Italy are completely new to me.

While in Trestavere, we found this alley that led up a hill to a gorgeous old church.

There was a wonderful view back over the river towards Rome from this vantage point. The big white building with the chariots on top is the monument to the King that united Italy Victor Emmanuel II. The immense size and burning white marble of the monument has made it a bit punching bag earning names such as the typewriter and the false teeth. It definitely makes an impression.

Return of Son of Rome...

2010-08-05T06:57:00.000-04:00

There are so many pictures to post from our time in Rome, let alone the entire trip to Italy, that it's hard to choose.

That said, ere are a couple more shots from different locales in Rome. The first is of course the Pantheon. Sadly like much of ancient Rome, it's face is marred by reconstruction but this actually did little to reduce it's fundamental awesomeness. A place of worship, for all religions for over two thousand years. This was by far my favorite building in Rome.

The next image is of Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona was a blast, full of life, art, music and perhaps most importantly cold beer. This amazing fountain is the centerpiece of the piazza.

But perhaps my favorite place/experience in all of Rome was Largo Argentina. These ancient ruins lie in the heart of Rome and continue to be under active excavation. But what makes the place so amazing is that it is home to a cat sanctuary! This group feeds, neuters, and cares for the cats while opening every day, here among the ruins, working to get these cats adopted into good homes.

We wandered by late at night twice and both nights this fellow had staked out his (rather large) area for a good nights sleep. Ruins and cats? How awesome is that?

More Rome...

2010-08-04T07:04:00.000-04:00

The Roman Forum on a hot Rome afternoon...

This is Capitoline Hill including the Mayor's Palace and the Museum. This square, including these steps and the statues, were designed by Michelangelo.

Colossus

2010-07-02T12:36:00.001-04:00

The Colosseum is just amazing. It's astonishing that something so old looks so familiar to us today and when you discover all the nasty things the Romans did in there, you start to think really deeply about modern television and movies.

Anyway, here are a couple standard shots of the Colosseum. Whatever you think of what happened here, the place is amazing.

Little Cars...

2010-06-30T21:53:00.000-04:00

While in Rome, we witnessed this convoy of Fiat's zooming by the Colosseum - we believe it was some kind of World Cup celebration/gesture. We've not seen this behavior in East Thetford before...

The Vatican

2010-06-29T07:58:00.002-04:00

We toured the Vatican Museum while in Rome. It is truly amazing, endless, and not a little scary. This nasty little fellow was hanging over one of the doorways...

Łódź Poland

2010-06-27T09:16:00.008-04:00

We've been traveling a bit lately and it's time to catch up and post some pictures! I spent a week in Łódź for work and was able to enjoy walking Piotrkowska Street (shown below) which is one of the longest commercial streets in Europe. It is full of cafes and restaurants, many of which are out on the street which is mostly pedestrian.

It is always interesting to see what is similar and what is different when you are in another country. I was certainly taken aback to see a sign, familiar in Vermont, for a snowboard shop!

Some of the older textile factories have recently been reinvented as an upscale shopping and entertainment experience called Manufaktura. The economy in Łódź seems to be booming; there is a surplus of well educated and affordable (compared to me for example) engineers which is attracting many companies to the area.

I really enjoyed my week in Łódź. There is an optimism in the air that I haven't felt here in the US for many years. Things are getting better and though many challenges remain (apparently you cannot safely park your car in Łódź without using a guarded parking lot), people are really enjoying themselves.

Oh and the food was great! I got to have zurek again for the first time since 1999, I tried beef tongue for the first time and really liked it, and I was able to quench (momentarily) my fondness for Polish beer.

This last shot is from Liberty Square which holds a statue of General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a military polymath who served as the head engineer of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (responsible for securing Philadelphia as well as West Point from British attack) and whose statue graces Lafayette Square near the White House.

Emerging...

2010-06-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

Hosta after hail...

2010-05-30T00:28:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I've posted a photo. The usual excuses apply. To remedy this, I turn to a reliable and beautiful Spring occurrence: our hosta - rendered in nearly black and white.

Our hosta has once again come surging out of the ground like a Saturn Five rocket. However, the other night we - and it - experienced some fairly severe, if short term, hail. The hail was roughly the size of moth balls and in it's short time on stage took it's toll on the hosta and our young maple tree.

The hosta marshals on; elegant in spite of it all and proudly displaying it's wounds.

Heaven.

2010-05-15T09:46:00.001-04:00

Meg and I made a quick stop a couple weeks ago in Asbury Park NJ. which is crawling back from years of urban blight. Through it all, the Stone Pony has endured and we see that Southside Johnny will be there July 2nd with Steve Forbert opening. Road trip anyone?

Spring, Sun, Rain...

2010-05-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

The other evening, after a fairly dismal, overcast, depressing and truly dank day, the sun suddenly popped out at about six in the evening. The odd things was, it just started to rain harder and harder! This went on for a few minutes and then suddenly the clouds descended and we experienced our first thunderstorm of the year.

You gotta love the weather in New England!

Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge...

2010-05-09T14:25:00.001-04:00

While I couldn't resist the black and white conversion of Meg's photo below, this view of the Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge from an observation platform in the otherwise pancake flat area gives a better idea of what it was like to be there. The salt marshes there are home to a gazillion different species of birds most of whom were feeding during our low tide visit.

Jersey Shore...

2010-05-06T21:32:00.000-04:00

We were lucky enough recently to visit the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge outside Atlantic City, NJ. It was a truly amazing place *full* of birds and other wildlife, all within viewing distance of the casinos. Meg captured this juxtaposition under heavy skies.

Skowhegan #9

2010-05-06T07:40:00.001-04:00

My last picture from this walk through Skowhegan is one of the "nearly falling down" buildings on the downtown corner across from Skowhegan Savings Bank. It is hurting for sure but cast a colorful reflection in the early morning light.

Skowhegan #8

2010-05-05T06:59:00.001-04:00

Downtown Skowhegan - early in the morning. Along with a head on shot of the J. Palmer Merrill building.

Skowhegan #7

2010-05-04T06:59:00.000-04:00

The inscription on the Skowhegan Library. What a beautiful old building - though I think my Mom has told me that their roof needs some work...

Skowhegan #6

2010-05-02T06:47:00.000-04:00

Another named building in downtown Skowhegan. It's interesting to me to think of the entire story behind such a building. What is the back story here? Who was A.B. Borden and what did they do? What was their connection to Skowhegan such that they not only built this building but decided to put their name on it? History is lurking everywhere.

Skowhegan #5

2010-05-01T06:58:00.000-04:00

A shot of one of the really nice older buildings in downtown Skowhegan.

Skowhegan #4

2010-04-30T06:13:00.000-04:00

The Island Dairy Treat is a fixture in Skowhegan. Here it is early in the morning getting ready for one of the first Sunday's of the year.

Skowhegan #3

2010-04-29T19:02:00.001-04:00

This lovely little foot bridge is located behind the church which is across the street from the Skowhegan fire station. I've taken several walks over it - generally all early in the morning - and never seen a soul. It's a small suspension bridge with a wood platform and it talks back to you as you walk.

Skowhegan #2

2010-04-29T06:41:00.001-04:00

The early morning water pouring over the dam in Skowhegan Maine. This is such a simple thing but I was completely mesmerized by it. The constant roar along with the endless variations in the way the water dances and bubbles goes on all day every day and yet is - presumably - never exactly the same.

I was also still a little sleepy so it was especially cool.

Skowhegan #1

2010-04-28T06:22:00.004-04:00

I took an early morning walk around town last Sunday in Skowhegan, ME. It was a beautiful morning and the town was relatively quiet. Skowhegan is working hard to survive these very tough times. Businesses seem to be coming and going - with perhaps a bit more going than coming. It is a very handsome old downtown with some well kept buildings alongside those in danger of falling down.

Over the next couple of days, I'll post more photos from this walk. This is a shot of the downtown strip from across the Kennebec river.

Storefront...

2010-04-26T21:33:00.003-04:00

Foggy View...

2010-04-23T08:25:00.000-04:00

Time Off...

2010-04-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

We're almost to spring here in Vermont and the snowplows are getting a well deserved rest...

Tree on a rock...

2010-04-19T07:01:00.001-04:00

This big hemlock lives just up our driveway a couple hundred feet. Over the last three or four years, we've had a number of very strong wind storms which have toppled many trees in the area. This guy, despite being relatively exposed has weathered them all.

I'm still shooting exclusively with my new 50mm f1.4 lens, trying to learn both how to compose with a 50mm fixed lens and what light capabilities this fast lens gives me. So much to learn...

Vermont Mailbox...

2010-04-13T21:53:00.000-04:00

Morning Tree...

2010-04-13T07:45:00.000-04:00

Spring...

2010-04-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

WRJ morning...

2010-04-11T07:16:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to stroll through White River Junction early in the morning. Here is the Gates building caught against a foreboding sky...

This is also the one of the first shots I've taken with my new 50mm prime lens. It's going to take some time to get used to using a fixed lens but I'm very excited to be shooting with such a sharp, fast lens.

Foggy morning at work...

2010-04-07T06:50:00.000-04:00

Monk

2010-04-04T10:12:00.000-04:00

This little guy was busy filling his cheeks this morning and then running over to his hole and filling his pantry. In this picture, he's regarding me before running over to his hole and then...

...vanishing into it!

Morning Snack...

2010-04-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

Vermont Fog...

2010-03-31T06:39:00.000-04:00

Chair...

2010-03-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

The Old Post Office...

2010-03-24T22:03:00.001-04:00

The Korean War Veteran's Memorial

2010-03-23T21:53:00.002-04:00

Figures from the Korean War Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC.

Figures reflected in the wall of the same memorial...

Inscription...

2010-03-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Lincoln Memorial

2010-03-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

Vietnam Memorial...

2010-03-18T20:51:00.003-04:00

Meg took this picture combining an empty Vietnam Memorial with the Washington Monument.

World War II Memorial...

2010-03-17T21:15:00.000-04:00

Capitol Redux...

2010-03-16T08:39:00.001-04:00

The White House in the morning...

2010-03-14T19:22:00.001-04:00

The Mall...

2010-03-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

Air Force Memorial...

2010-03-11T06:51:00.001-05:00

Capitol Building at dusk...

2010-03-10T06:32:00.000-05:00

Weathervane...

2010-03-04T06:17:00.001-05:00

Shelf Shrooms...

2010-02-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

Snow Finches...

2010-02-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

Natural Beauty...

2010-02-26T21:53:00.001-05:00

Snow!

2010-02-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

SquirrelTop Redux

2010-02-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

Spring Light?

2010-02-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

The light this morning had just a hint of Spring in it...

SquirrelTop

2010-02-17T06:46:00.000-05:00

Winter Fruit

2010-02-15T09:50:00.001-05:00

Peaceful Sun...

2010-02-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Run like a deer...

2010-01-31T10:27:00.001-05:00

Gnarly Maple

2010-01-30T16:36:00.000-05:00

Night Shadows

2010-01-29T08:22:00.000-05:00

Pickup Frost

2010-01-24T10:40:00.001-05:00

Peace Dove

2010-01-23T15:46:00.001-05:00

Big Grey...

2010-01-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

Found this gentleman holding court on our back deck today during the snowstorm...

Winter Light...

2009-12-31T21:36:00.000-05:00

Meg took this picture a couple days ago as the sun lit up the tops of the trees...

Ferry...

2009-11-30T00:15:00.000-05:00

A shot off the stern of the ferry from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ. An amazingly beautiful day for late November...

Magnitized frost...

2009-11-21T07:38:00.001-05:00

One milestone of Fall here in Vermont is the day that I line the driveway with stakes so that when there is three or four feet of snow covering it, we know where it is. Some of the lucky ones get a strip of reflective tape; most of them do not.

We've had a couple of frosty mornings lately; just the right conditions to create this sort of frost.

Mini Portfolio: Hope Cemetery

2009-11-15T17:57:00.001-05:00

I've been working over the past couple of weeks putting together the first of what I hope will be a number of mini-portfolios. I decided that the first one would include black and white pictures from our recent trip to Hope Cemetery in Barre, VT.

My goal in putting together a portfolio - if only 10 images - was to bring some focus to my work and avoid what Cole Thompson has referred to as grazing. Like most very simple things, I found this to be surprisingly difficult. I also found it difficult to try to keep it simple; something I seem to learn repeatedly at my day job.

It also brought up the issue of converting my color images to black and white. I've done quite a bit of this over the past couple of years but much of my effort has been put forth combining black and white with color in the same photo to create a new, fun, and somewhat unreal effect.

But of course what I was after here was a much different thing. I did a bit of searching on the web to see what people have to say about converting color images to black and white. What I found was a tremendous number of techniques but very little discussion of the aesthetics of the process.

So I made it up. Most of these images were converted in Photoshop with some noise reduction (blue sky can cause some real problems!), some channel tweaking and a bit of sharpening.

I've posted these ten images here alongside other images. I'd love constructive feedback; I have a lot to learn!

Chipmunk...

2009-11-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

This guy has a condo within this old stump. He was chatting up a storm today, getting ready for the long winter I suppose...

Fall Rugosa Roses

2009-11-07T14:14:00.003-05:00

Halloween in Norridgewock, ME...

2009-11-03T22:38:00.002-05:00

November Flag...

2009-11-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

Return of Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T23:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-30T23:42:00.001-04:00

Hope Cemetary, Barre VT.

2009-10-26T21:42:00.002-04:00

Fall Vista...

2009-10-08T21:16:00.003-04:00

Night Fog...

2009-10-06T21:48:00.002-04:00

Fall Colors (Gomez Addams Style)

2009-10-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

Fall Colors...

2009-10-04T09:40:00.001-04:00

Autumn Lighthouse...

2009-09-28T07:23:00.000-04:00

Autumnal Hosta...

2009-09-26T20:56:00.000-04:00

Red Sky in the Morning...

2009-09-22T06:57:00.002-04:00

Contrail...

2009-09-19T23:01:00.001-04:00

Wet Apple II...

2009-09-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

Illuminated Leaf...

2009-09-07T21:26:00.002-04:00

Sleepy...

2009-09-06T09:02:00.002-04:00

Tired Sunflower...

2009-08-30T09:46:00.001-04:00

Foggy Morning...

2009-08-27T21:51:00.001-04:00

Boston Skyline...

2009-08-16T08:07:00.004-04:00

Local Downpour...

2009-08-11T21:43:00.001-04:00

Mushroom...

2009-08-07T06:34:00.002-04:00

New Harbor Wrap-up

2009-08-03T06:53:00.002-04:00

We sure had a great time in New Harbor. This morning it's back to work. I thought I'd wrap up the New Harbor pictures with an end of day shot from the dock at Shaw's where a lobsterman's end of day included taking his young baby onto the lobster boat.

New Harbor #16

2009-07-31T20:36:00.000-04:00

It started to rain very hard this afternoon...

New Harbor #15

2009-07-31T12:28:00.000-04:00

Early morning lobstering...

New Harbor #14

2009-07-31T11:25:00.001-04:00

Early morning reflection from the window at the Contented Sole - home of the best oysters we've been able to find on this trip.

New Harbor #13

2009-07-30T21:42:00.000-04:00

Last boat to catch light in New Harbor tonight...