a busy place

Many tourists visit. Few stop to talk to the vendors. In thirty minutes, I didn't see a single sale. At least the weather was nice. (In the comments, opine on the color of this photo. Check it out in black and white on Flickr. Which do you prefer?)

(ISO 100, f/36.0, 1/2s)

long overdue

New year, old picture. This one and possibly another from our trip to Florida for Christmas. Pop's been watching a lot of Food Network lately. The salad he concocted for Christmas dinner was great and unlike any salad or slaw I've had before: fennel slaw with prosciutto & pistachio pesto. You must try it!
(ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/5s)

the clouds roll in

It wasn't too long in the day before the sun dipped below the ridge line, and the clouds rolled in. It was not a particularly warm afternoon on the boulders. The friction was spectacular. Sending temps. I desaturated this final shot of the trio to give the cool, grey mood of the later afternoon. Which of the three do you prefer?
(ISO 100, f/22.0, 1/6s)

with time to caption

I spent Saturday playing amongst the boulders of Northwest Branch, a tributary that eventually winds into the Anacostia River. One only needs to visit this fallen gem in the summer to figure out why the water quality of the Anacostia is so dismal. According to a sign at the trailhead, it was once a favorite urban escape of Teddy Roosevelt during his presidency. It's hard to tell these days with the stench of runoff & graffiti on many rock faces.

(ISO 100, f/22.0, 1/3s)

first in a trio

(ISO 100, f/22.0, 1/4s)

handheld

Hiking with my tripod this weekend was a waste. The shots I took with it attached were throwaways. Terrible composition and execution. This one? Handheld. Go figure.
(ISO 100, f/10.0, 1/2s)

munchkin in motion

As I tried to take static photos of the fall colors with a crash pad on my back and a day pack across my chest, a toddler "ruined" my shot. His parents apologized profusely for the "intrusion". I smiled slyly, knowing that the photo he'd joined had far more character than what I was attempting. Can't you hear his laughter echoing through the hillside?
(ISO 100, f/11.0, 1/4s)

going back

I'm going to head back to Great Falls, for sure. I've been reading up on motion blur techniques beyond my current skill set. Looking at 565 wedding photos taken by an expert tends to inspire creativity. For this one, I'd've loved to be there much later in the afternoon or early morning so I could have a multiple-second exposure to smooth out the ripples in the raging tributary. As Henri Cartier-Bresson said, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." I must be getting close to that total by now!

(ISO 100, f/20.0, 1/4s)

just stick to the rivers and lakes that you're used to

A little more detail of yesterday's vantage point. I did have to crop it a bit to get rid of the vignetting from stacked filters.
(ISO 100, f/13.0, 1/3s, 0.6 ND & polarizing filters)

don't go chasing waterfalls

Inspired by fellow photograblogger SCJack, I convinced my better half to go for a walk in the woods at Great Falls last weekend. We'd been to the Virginia side before and hiked around on the Maryland side, but I'd never been satisfied with any photographs I took. This time, I was armed with a tripod that I left in the car and a stacked set of filters to slow down my shutter speed in the bright afternoon sun. As usual, it was a mob scene, but we managed to find a secluded trail before braving the crowds on the overlook boardwalk. I managed a few good ones that I'll post in the coming few days.
(ISO 100, f/13.0, 1/5s, 0.6 ND filter, polarizing filter)