A snowy Saturday in the neighborhood!  Great day to try a few things... like shooting in bad weather.  Need some more practice managing the dull exposure and bokeh!

Suddenly it's Fall Everywhere!

I live in a beautiful place....    While it's not especially cool yet, the trees have really started to turn and there are pumpkins everywhere!  It seems that overnight autumn has taken hold.  I'm sure it did not look like this last weekend... we were just at the beach!

Well, here is my first post of the new season.  I was very intrigued with the farm stand we came upon today and it's very massive and bold pumpkin display.  I'll be going back in a week or two once the leaves pop with more color.

Here are my favorites...

Key West

The Florida Keys were in the news this week as TS Isaac passed through on its way to the Gulf.  Seeing this reminded me of a wonderful trip Christina and I took to Miami and the Keys in 2010.  I took over 100 pictures that week!  Here are some of my favorites....

Chasing Waterfalls

Here are some shots from my first attempt to shot waterfalls.  I was going for that real smooth effect on the water that comes from using a very slow shutter speed.   I was excited to see that I could actually take a picture like this, but I learned fast that to make them really good, next time I would have to use a tripod!   I also purchased a nuetral density filter which looks like a sunglass for the camera.  I will help me reduce the amount of light in the exposure so I can slow the shutter down even more.  I'm excited to give this another try come fall!

These pictures were taken at Bushkill Falls in Pennsylvania.

Cut Flowers

One of my favorite subjects this time of year are flowers.  While Christina's garden offers plenty of great subjects right outside the door, some of the most interesting and unusual subjects I find at a roadside stand near our home.  I look for unusual shapes, bright colors and dense compositions.

A trip to the stand never disappoints!  I always get some great shots (here are some of my favorites so far) and Christina always brings home a spectacular bouquet!

Email me for the location of this great flower stand...

The Blob

I just had to work "The Blob" into the blog!  Enjoyed Blobfest 2012 last weekend.  We watched the movie in the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA.  This is the theater featured in the movie.  Remember when the Blob oozed through the projector room walls?  Great special effects for 1957!

Summer Lavender

How about some actual pictures in this blog?
This weekend's project was a visit to the lavender farm near my home.  The plants were at peak bloom this week and I finally made the time to go down there with my camera.  Of course, it was the hottest day of the year!  Still, there were at least a half dozen other photographers who had the same idea I did...  Here are some highlights.

Thanks Doc

I can't go too far with this diary without recognizing the person responsible for my interest in the hobby.  Beginning in 9th grade at Cranford High School (circa  1977) Jay Smith began teaching me the craft.  He taught me the technical details of lighting, composition and exposure.  He taught me how to develop film (anyone remember film?) and make a print.  I spent many hours in the darkroom that he designed and built for the school.

Jay served his country in Vietnam, but, as a dedicated pacifist, Jay refused to carry a weapon.  He chose to carry a camera instead and became a decorated combat photographer.

Pictured below in a yearbook photo, Jay was a popular teacher at Cranford High.     Sadly, he passed away several years ago.  Thank you Jay for getting me started on my lifelong hobby and for the many lessons that have carried me through the years (yes-that's me back row center).

Here we go...

So I posted that I was thinking about starting a blog...  My kids quickly reminded me that if I posted it, I actually have started one!

So here we go...  my photo blog/diary.

I have recently found perhaps the first picture I ever snapped.  I vaguely remember bringing a camera to a second grade field trip.  The attached photo is a scan of a pic from that day.  I found it in an old scrap book!  So second grade puts us circa 1970(?).  Judging by the TP on the ground, I'm thinking maybe fall (Halloween?).  It was probably taken somewhere in Union County, NJ... maybe Cranford or Clark.  The camera was similar to Flexaret shown attached.  It had a large film roll and viewfinder that you looked down into.  This picture has a bit of an Instagram look to it, don't you think?

Opening Thoughts

Test post.

So I'm thinking about starting a blog.  One to catalog my life long photography hobby.  My earliest photography memory is from second grade when I borrowed my parents camera and took it to school.  It was the type of camera that you looked down into the viewfinder.  I'm going to have to look up what it was exactly.

Anyway, my interest in the medium was born.

At 50 I'm using my digital camera.  I'm learning every day.  I think I'll post about my experiences with the hobby.  It will serve as my diary.  I wonder if anyone out there would find this interesting????