Rum Doodle

One Cool Goose

Sun, 4 May 2008 02:00:00 -0800

At the time this photo is posted I'll be lining up with 30,000 other ~~idiots~~ adventurous bikers in the Bike New York event. Five boroughs and 42 miles in what is expected to be a rainy day. I bought a Flip Video type camera and handlebar mount in an experiment to capture 7 hours of accident-prone riding and compress it down to a 7-minute street-level flyby - and see if it's even remotely interesting. I hope some stills might be good enough to turn into grainy Holga-like photos.

This photo, on the other hand, was taken in Boston's Public Garden on a sunny day. Canadian Geese always appear so sure of themselves. Park geese are downright huffy.

Wish me luck today. Cheers.

Give me your tired, your poor

Fri, 2 May 2008 16:33:17 -0800

This is a New York shot from a walkabout last year. I was born in New York, and now that I live in New Hampshire I find myself going there an awful lot, taking more pictures each time. It's become a wonderful city, very safe and no end to photo opps. When I get my laptop back I'll post some shots of a recent walk around lower Manhattan.

This is a shot into the setting sun behind the Statue of Liberty from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Thanks to everyone for all the kind and encouraging comments, they are truly heartening.

My name is Deco. Art Deco.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:01:25 -0800

Well, I was going to present some shots from my recent walk around lower Manhattan because of my upcoming visit this weekend for the five-boro bike tour. Unfortunately, my laptop went kaput and in order to keep up my regular job I'm going to forego Photoshop/Lightroom activity until my laptop returns in good order. Syracuse is not east of Vermont, but New York State is so I'm taking some liberties.

This is a closeup of one of my favorite buildings, the Niagara Mohawk building in Syracuse, NY. It is one of the best examples of Art Deco I've seen. This is one small detail from the NiMo building.

Jenne Farm Infrared

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:43:39 -0800

This is the last of the Vermont shots for a log while, I promise.

Jenne Farm is near Woodstock, VT and purportedly America's most photographed farm. It's not all that easy to find, but worth an early morning sunrise trip. When you get there, you'll find a dozen or so photographers lined up already, some jovial and helpful, others snooty and condescending.

Since this farm has been photographed so many times, and since I didn't find anything compelling about it, especially after having spent time at Shelburne Farms, I swapped out my regular SLR for my dedicated infrared camera.

You can see the dawn sky looking the other way in this previous post, and a nearby farm in this previous post (and my friendly posing horses here).

That's it for Vermont farms for a while. Tomorrow I move eastward.

Sniff, lick, moooo

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:23:23 -0800

I thought I'd break up the string of farms landscapes with a fond memory of those trips.

It was suggested I hop the fence and play with the cows. Turns out play was a good word, as these cows act more like puppies than one would expect. In between getting licked by what felt like a cheese grater, I managed a couple shots with my fisheye.

Painted Barn

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:55:37 -0800

The original was nothing much to excite me and even the most careful corrections couldn't help my lack of proper focus.

So, throw it out or try something new? I happened on a discussion which suggested the latter is always worth a try, and sometimes works better with otherwise poor photos (in the same way that Mimosas often taste better with cheap champagne, perhaps).

Here's my feeble attempt at artifying this photo rejection.

Posers

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:55:17 -0800

Farm animals in Vermont are different than what I was used to in upstate New York. In Vermont, they see a photographer, walk up, and pose-and-hold. At least, this has been my experience the past few years of travel to Vermont farms.

Sunrise at Jenne Farm

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:20:10 -0800

Jenne Farm claims the title of Most Photographed Farm in America. I'll post the shot everyone else takes soon. This one is in the opposite direction, shooting toward the rising sun.

Moody Moon

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0800

It was a dark and stormy night.... OK, it wasn't stormy but it was dark and very windy, hence the ghost-like clouds.

Morning Silhouette

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:00:00 -0800

This barn silhouette works well as a foreground with a full moonrise, too, though I haven't had the pleasure of being there on a moonrise. The wonderful morning sky is what captured my attention, the barn was simply a good frame.

Dragon of the Lake

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:00:00 -0800

The dragon on the right guards the entrance to a secret island on Lake Champlain.

Misty Morning at Lake Champlain

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:15:49 -0800

The weather near Lake Champlain in Vermont is predictable only so far as you can expect it to make photography interesting. Not that this is a very intersting shot, but it was interesting to shoot in the early mist of the day.

Drifter

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:19 -0800

Shelburne Farms is one of the most scenic, calming places I've been since the old Nantucketof some decades ago. Twelve hundred acres of rolling fields, woods, Lake Champlain, beautiful giant barns and manors, and views of the NY Adirondacks.

This weather-beaten tree stump sits on a private beach along Lake Champlain. The moody sky is typical of every visit I've made here and always adds, never detracts, from the beauty of the place.

LA Mini Gardens

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:45:49 -0800

I didn't spend a lot of time in California, and mostly to visit with a friend of mine, so this is the second of two I was pleased with from that trip.

Lawns in the the singular homes along the beaches in towns south of LA are measured in square feet or inches, and usually taken up by flower gardens like this one.

California Dreaming

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:06:21 -0800

South of Los Angeles was an odd, inviting place for me. Everyone is in shape, everyone is beautiful, everyone is friendly.

The coastline, and especially the Palisades, were beautiful, save for the haze that obstructed a clear view of anything more than 1000 feet away.

This is a pier on Manhattan Beach. Only one person in the photo (can you spot him?)

Green River Overlook

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:17:33 -0800

This is the last of the Utah shots from this trip. We thought we'd lost the day since the sun was higher in the sky, but then the storm clouds moved in and we happened to end up at the Green River Overlook. This shot is a combination of two images taken to alleviate the lower dynamic range of digital cameras.

Mesa Arch Sunrise

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:11:29 -0800

Another arch in Utah. This time Mesa Arch at sunrise. The rocks in this area are a dullish grayish-brown until the morning or evening sun hits them and they turn into a laval red.

It's difficult for photographs to convey the breathtaking nature of red rock in dusk or dawn light until you see it for yourself. It usually means getting up very early or skipping the normal dinner hour, and then 1-2 hours of hiking, but it's worth it. Fly to Salt Lake City, UT or Page, AZ and getto Moab or Escalante and see for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

One Double Arch

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:44:18 -0800

This is a shot of one of the two arches that make up Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.

I've spent a week or so in Utah with my brother-in-law and fellow photographer Mark each of the past couple years. At one point, I thought I might become a landscape photographer, as it combined outdoor activity, travel, and photography of beautiful things. I still love landscape photography and quite a few final shots appeal to me, but they simply sit on gallery walls and receive oohs and aahs, yet no new parents.

I'll post a few more in the coming days to get it out of my system before migrating where I think my photography is heading.

- John

Spring Rush

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:06:08 -0800

The final in the duotone series of the Fort Rock photos. The coming of Spring means a lot of water in the woods of Exeter's town forests. A few days later, the snow would be gone, the land turned to mush, and "Mud Season" officially heralded in.

Leaf Creatures

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:50:28 -0800

Third of four duotones from the local wood, near Fort Rock in Exeter, NH.

These creatures have the look of leaves all year round.

Water logs

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:23:07 -0800

One day this Spring, walking a new trail in the local woods, we came across a serene section below the trail filled with the last of the Winter's snow. The normally marshy area was brimming with water, which was running off to other parts at the speed of a small brook.

This is one of a series taken the same day within the same 25 square meters.

Winter into Spring

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:22:19 -0800

Each day I walk with my dog for 1-3 hours in one of several forests and trails in our otherwise suburban New England town. Most days, I'm joined by my friend Kevin and his dog, sometime we bring one or more of our children. Months later, there's still a great deal to explore, and often a very interesting find. When I walk alone, I bring my camera.

This photo is but one of a series of duotones taken one weekend day as Winter turned to Spring.

Welcome

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 19:32:58 -0800

Welcome to the RumDoodle Photo Blog. I hope to post at least one photo each week from studio work and wanderings about, but I make no promises.

If you are interested, you may find more photos at online locations listed in the Links section, or at galleries throughout New England - just ask where.

Thanks for looking! Cheers,

John