The Wondering Lenz of olc

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Some old cars

Like most kids, I collected stuff when I was younger I collected stuff. These are are some of the Matchbox cars I had. I am going through the basement of my parents and found a whole collection. I used them as an excuse to work with lighting

What do ya think?
I think I'm gonna have to get some figurines that are scale to the cares and make some tableaus.

olc

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Repost of fireworks(don't bother with the other any more!)

When you go down from this post you will see another picture similar to this one. I don't think it is as good as this one. I cropped out the distraction at the bottom.

What do you think?

olc

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Forth of July

This was taken looking toward Lake Julian, from the Blueridge Parkway. I think my position was about 5 or 6 miles away.

olc

My back yard

Another from the Arboretum

So, I have been posting some of the pics I took at the Arboretum. some are good. Now, this now was just a throwaway shot of a weed. I like it though.

What do you think?

olc

Monday, June 13, 2016

A day at the NC Arboretum

It all started out so well, the sun was going away and the rain would not start for awhile. Perfect for taking pictures outside mid-day. I have not been able to get out and take any pictures for a while and my shutter finger was getting itchy.

The Runtyun was awake and making plans to "do stuff." I loaded my kit into a different bag because I wanted a few choices for the Bonsai at the N.C. Arboretum. In the kit I had the 28-75, 17-35 and nifty fifty. Also, I packed a flash and macro tubes...one never knows. I packed my tripod, too.

With all this packed on the Grinner I started to roll on. Finally, I made it to the bonsai garden and pulled the camera out and remembered the batteries were charging---at home. AW SHIT!

Finally, I got it all together and started shooting. I quickly figured out that I would not be able to get close enough to anything to utilize the Macro tubes. But this O.K., I guess. However this meant the Nifty 50 was added weight.

I think I got some pretty good shots though. The Tamron is a pretty nice lens with the right range of zoom for this kind of shoot. The most difficult part of the shoot was trying to find the angle to get the best shot. Which one is best, your opinion?

I spent a "minute" lookingat each subject, trying to figure the best shot and perspective. Most of the time the straight on angle was boring. I could not get above the plants without exposing to the world my levitation powers, so I decided to go low. Actually, I liked that angle in many cases because I was able to find lines for eyes to follow. But in some cases, I felt like I was looking up some ones skirt.

I was getting hungry. I had a grilled artichoke sub. It was good, but they could have cut the 'chokes a little smaller.

A couple of years ago, the N.C. Arboretum set up a model train exhibit ( what it has to do with its plants, I am not entirely sure, but it works for me). So! I went down and had a look. The exhibit, was pretty elaborate, it looked like a little town around the turn of the 19th to 20th century, except for Thomas the Train. There were 2 trains, the other was a standard style train called The Number 9.

This is not my best picture ever, but I wanted to to post here for all the kids out there who read this fine blog!

For the Model train geeks out there, it turns out these train were remotely controlled and battery powered. I asked the Conductor what would happen if the skies opened and rain, mostly I was wondering about shorting of exposed wiring. He brought the trains over and pulled the top off the car which would hold the coal. This exposed a battery pack and sound system. So Cool!

We talked a minute minute longer and I found out that the town was supposed to be an interpretation of a turn-of-century WNC town. However, from a geeks point of view, I was more interested to learn that the trains were independently powered with their own power pack and remote control.

Well finally the rain came in earnest and the trains were getting put up.

Here are a couple other pictures I was able to get.

And here I am writing this post!

Plz leave a comment

Later, olc

Sunday, June 12, 2016

More Fantasy

I seem to be going in a trend direction, at least for now. Here is another still life. This one has no real political direction, I just wanted Shrek to save the day for the Dad and his kid.

There is another aspect to these images, a more technical one. Both images are the same, yet the coloring is vastly different. The top image is truest to reality, yet the second one is brighter.

Compositionally, I like the second image. The shadows work nicely and the angle is a little more aggressive.

Which one pleases you more?

olc

Political Statement for the day

I call this one Trump in the Future.

Guess which character is Trump. I think I may end up reshooting this, but I sure would like your opinion now.

olc

Monday, June 6, 2016

Columbine at the NC Arboretum

The weather was just right for a little trip to the N.C. Arboretum, a little cloudy but not rainy yet. Here is a columbine which I promised a family would post.

olc

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Sunrise on the Blue Ridge

Well, the Runtyun decided to spend the night with a friend and that allowed me to plan an impromptu sunrise photo-shoot. ...If I could get up early enough to make it happen.

When I finally turned off Netflix, it was about 1130. Sunrise is 615, or so. My mind was racing around trying to plan out what lenses and where to go. What time should I get up to get to...whereever “there” was.

That thought, where to go, stopped everything. The answer, you ask? The Blue Ridge Parkway, but which way to go? First I thought I would go south, the pullouts are closer and more frequent. But, deep down in my heart, I am a Yankee, so North it was.

Well, 4 o'clock came around and my eyes popped open and there was no going back to sleep. I rolled out of bed and put together my kit, including my Father's Day mug 'o coffee from the Runtyun and loaded it all onto the Grinner. Loading it all, or strapping it onto the bike was an interesting feat in the dark, but I got lucky and nothing fell off during the ride, though I need to perfect a plan for the future.

Finally, I made it the the parkway, (Let me just say Town Mountain Road, in the dark, with a wobbly load, is not as much fun as one may think!) and the first 4 or 5 pull outs were either taken by cars, or did not work for me. I was getting a little anxious about time so the next pull out would have to do.

I got off the bike and looked around. Not much color to be seen, except shades of green and nothing much for a subject or perspective. However, the gear was off the bike and I had to own this place and find something interesting. I walked around for about 5 or 10 minutes. I thought, "Sometimes you go out and get nothing.

The coffee was coursing through my veins, so I could not leave.

Then I saw some tall grass sticking up high enough so I could work it to give some perspective to the coming sun and clouds in the distance. I took a couple of shots---here is the best of them.

I have taken better and more focussed shots. This lens was a Sigma 17-35mm and I wonder if it really as sharp as I want.

This could be a better photo, but I don't want to spend so much time in Photoshot.

Looking up at the gear and the bike, I saw something. LEADING LINES, started to scream in my head.

This could be a better photo, but I don't want to spend so much time in Photoshop.

After a bit, the light became stronger thus creating more shadows and I wondered about depth of field, and the sensitivity of my lens and camera. When I took this shot, I figure it would be a throwaway, but now I wonder. What do you think?

Finally I saw this red flower, any one know what it is?

I think there are some OK shots here. It is funny how sometimes when circumstances seem to go against you, the challenge seems to help to step up the game.

olc