tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56695272011-04-21T23:55:26.326-04:00Live from Cleveland, from a lifelong Clevelander who actually likes this place. I'm using this as a space to explore my new muse, photography and my adventures at becoming a really amateurish photographer.Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-30721941611287751512008-10-01T21:32:00.006-04:002008-10-01T21:43:01.100-04:00

Yes, even I needed to take a break from scraping and painting the garage, and stripping all the paint off the porch and repainting it (which has been going on for TWO YEARS now ... but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm almost done!) ... and so like every year, it was VACATION TIME in early September, as we returned to Cape Cod, for yet another week of peace and quiet, rest and

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-54963907418224520412008-08-29T20:43:00.002-04:002008-08-29T20:57:59.417-04:00

There's that thrill that comes when you're out with your camera, exploring a rural area, and you stumble across an old building, obviously abandoned for decades, dilapidated, looking like it's only held up by the very paint that's flaking off like dandruff. Buildings like these make excellent photo subjects, and also great backdrops:Sigh. If only that were true. No, truth be told, this

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-52569213025275157782008-07-25T22:32:00.005-04:002008-07-27T16:35:57.397-04:00

Okay, so I dropped our little Canon PowerShot A75 while we were walking around Chicago. Seemed to work fine, although I messed up the settings when I pulled it out of its case to take a shot ... so a number of my shots were vastly overexposed. But then that evening, when we were trying to take pictures of Jack and Claire, the Cutest Nephew And Niece In The Entire World, the flash wouldn't fire.

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-15905639704018891512008-07-20T17:45:00.005-04:002008-07-21T21:01:40.568-04:00

Here's a couple of shots from the weekend in Michigan a month or so ago ... We were visiting the Saugatuck/Holland area. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice area, but there wasn't a whole heckuva lot to see and do there, and we exhausted nearly all the possibilities in the first day. We almost left early, but stuck it out, and actually enjoyed ourselves on the final day, as the weather had FINALLY

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-43903622179168684792008-07-20T17:09:00.004-04:002008-07-20T17:26:18.394-04:00

No, I'm not dead ... I'm just spending my summer trying to strip and scrape the paint off my front porch and garage, so that both may be repainted. In short, it's worse than death. But it's the price you pay when you get a century-old house, and once they're done, then I need not worry about them for a few years, and frankly, next time I paint them, I won't need to strip them bare again,

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-36273502707558456962008-05-05T22:01:00.004-04:002008-05-05T22:13:40.248-04:00

A few more pics ... I will confess that these were originally shot in color, but I've turned 'em b/w in Photoshop. I dunno, I guess spending all that time looking at David Plowden, the FSA photographers, and years of digging through old archival photos has made me favor b/w ... color's nice, especially for landscapes, but in industrial settings, it's kind of pointless, because there's really not

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-74298131047211786992008-05-04T21:19:00.006-04:002008-05-04T21:33:13.772-04:00

Sorry I haven't been around lately ... not much to take pictures of, unless you like artsy photos of me working in the backyard, or trying to fix a gutter. And frankly, I'm not that a good ... a photographer, though I'm not that good at home maintenance, either.Though an opportunity came up to take some neat industrial photos, and I jumped at the chance. I belong to a group called the Society

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-33243717498178001122008-04-05T09:29:00.002-04:002008-04-05T09:36:07.712-04:00

Awwwwwww .....We've come to a turning point with Brewster, the Wonder Dog. Heretofor, he'd spend his days at home in a cage, as my wife and I didn't want him roaming the house freely, because he's been a tad destructive. But over time, he's really mellowed out, so we've decided to get rid of the cage. And now he spends his days at home right here ... on the couch.

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-45208517124761380672008-01-28T23:22:00.001-05:002008-01-28T23:31:08.928-05:00

Okay, I obviously like taking landscape pictures (and even more obviously, landscape photos from Cape Cod). However, my one abiding love in photography is industrial photography ... I love pictures of factories, trains, mines, ships, etc. I wish I could say why, but there's just something really stirring to me about good industrial photography. I have shelves crammed full of books by David

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-22267399915401146792007-12-23T22:04:00.000-05:002007-12-23T22:22:18.896-05:00

Hell, I might as well go look for Bigfoot or something ... because frankly, the perfect shot only occurs when you DON'T have a camera! Case in point ... back in 2004, my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I drove out to the little rural community of Mesopotamia, Ohio, which is about 45 minutes due east of Cleveland, in a heavily-Amish area. Out there is a delightful little general store, called the

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-91774892864400010752007-12-07T21:53:00.001-05:002007-12-07T21:55:09.835-05:00

Sorry, haven't taken many photos lately, but hopefully soon ...In the meantime, here's another article about David Plowden's new book from Madison.com:Capturing lost Americana (with slide show)Jacob StockingerDecember 5, 2007To hear photographer David Plowden tell it, the 75-year-old author of more than 20 books stopped taking pictures not because he left the subject matter, but because the

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-50886142479583990862007-11-14T20:47:00.000-05:002007-11-14T21:12:44.865-05:00

I can't wait for Christmas ... not because I'm going to get all sorts of fancy new photography equipment (though to be honest, I am asking for a tripod ... I was going to ask for a lens, too, but that's a bit pricey), but because I did ask for a major new photography book, David Plowden's career retrospective, "David Plowden: Vanishing Point: Fifty Years of Photography"Plowden's one of the best

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-18445562715972871872007-11-11T21:56:00.000-05:002007-11-11T22:05:59.406-05:00

Okay, that sounds morbid, doesn't it?? But in a way, there's the whole symbolic thing, as nature shuts down for winter, the whole "lion in winter" thing about aging, etc. But actually, it's because in Cleveland we have the Lakeview Cemetary, one of the best in the nation ... and it's MORE than a cemetary, it's a gorgeous park, with immensely beautiful statuary, carved by Italian master

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-62946381504975767072007-10-17T22:12:00.000-04:002007-10-17T22:15:52.799-04:00

I was walking by my wife's flower garden the other day when I spotted this big bee in one of her flowers. I ran to get my camera, hoping that the bee wouldn't fly away, but when I got back, I found out it wasn't going anywhere in a hurry. For some reason, it was completely moving in slow motion. Covered almost entirely in pollen, the little guy was acting like he was stone drunk! So it didn't

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-88793243845691142492007-10-07T22:07:00.000-04:002007-10-07T22:19:17.404-04:00

Hell, I took 640 photos ... so I have plenty to spare. Though to be honest, I only like about 160 of the ones I took, which isn't bad ... and of those, there's probably only a couple of dozen that others would say are good. But those aren't bad photographers. I watched the documentary about master photographer David Plowden, and he'd be shooting pictures all day; if ONE came out good, he

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-5842211329052560362007-09-25T21:52:00.000-04:002007-09-25T22:39:38.822-04:00

While on our trip to Cape Cod a few weeks ago, we took a day trip across Nantucket Sound to the island of Nantucket ... which was pretty neat. Pretty damn expensive, too ... houses on average sell for $2 million apiece there. There is some SERIOUS cash playing on Nantucket, but yet the place still keeps a small-town feel. That is, if your small town has a Polo Ralph Lauren shop, and

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-18346131970559305772007-09-23T22:22:00.000-04:002007-09-23T22:56:02.284-04:00

okay, I've finally sorted out all the Cape Cod pics, now I need to start posting some of them. Which I was working on, but this past weekend I had to put all that away temporarily, because it was my niece's first birthday in Chicago. This of course, is a Command Performance, so we headed out to the Windy City, which is always a joy to visit. A bit hot and humid on friday, and too hazy to suit

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-71122292143828140072007-09-12T22:40:00.000-04:002007-09-12T22:48:00.775-04:00

So I'm back.And I've got 640 pictures of my week in Cape Cod ... yes, it's a bit much, but the thing is with Cape Cod, that EVERYWHERE you look are great photo subjects. I've never been in any place like that where you just want to shoot everything! Okay, maybe Moscow was that way, but that was just because it was new and exotic, and I knew I'd never go back ... but I've been to Cape Cod

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-5874109289841964522007-08-31T22:00:00.000-04:002007-08-31T22:06:31.465-04:00

Just being ironic ... actually, this photo isn't a good indication of how welcoming Rocky River Park actually is. It's a lovely little beach park, with a great new playground for kids, a picnic shelter, plenty of benches and swings for people to sit on and enjoy the water view, and of course a great view of the sunset every evening ... which is truly a bonus of living along the southern shore of

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-68121638596756455352007-08-27T23:17:00.000-04:002007-08-27T23:22:52.692-04:00

I'm sorry, but I had to do this. Just like every photographer who has kids is obligated to take endless photographs of said kids (usually the first one ... later ones get less and less photos taken of them, so that the youngest invariably wonder if they were actually adopted ... I know I did, a feeling my brother encouraged greatly). However, I have no children at this time. This is probably

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-48331465604422529582007-08-24T22:14:00.000-04:002007-08-24T22:24:19.804-04:00

Well, last week saturday dawned beautifully ... cool, low humidity, sunshine, and blue skies. So we headed to one of our favorite parks in the region, Mentor Lagoons Park, located in the Cleveland suburb of Mentor (hence the name), and on the lakefront. It's probably one of the only undeveloped beachfront parks in Ohio, at least on this side of Ohio, so it's pretty special. There's only some

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-22552419870704462502007-08-22T22:11:00.000-04:002007-08-22T22:18:02.876-04:00

One of Cleveland's great treasures is the West Side Market, which has been around since 1912. Unlike some other cities, it's not a "festive marketplace" or some sort of touristy place. No, it's a food market, owned by the city, but populated mostly by ethnic grocers, some of whom have had their stands in the family since the day the market opened! The outdoor market is for produce, and was

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-43664745201489160652007-08-21T21:51:00.000-04:002007-08-21T21:56:01.600-04:00

Okay, it's been raining here nonstop for the past few days, including some deluges that are absolutely biblical! I've had enough, thank you!However, I did run out during a break in the storms when the sun peaked out, and shot a few pictures of my wife's flowers. Still using my Digital Rebel XT with the Sigma 17-70mm lens, though I'm really zooming in and using the macro feature on these. But I

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-58070215658810812862007-08-15T21:52:00.000-04:002007-08-15T22:03:29.395-04:00

I'm always amazed when I read my photography books (not how-to books, which I have several, but collections by noted photographers, of which I have dozens) when they describe the endless time they took to get certain shots. The results certainly speak of their determination, because the results are absolutely wonderful.But I wonder if I could do that. In a book of photos of Cape Cod by Jon

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-36963680076738992082007-08-14T21:53:00.000-04:002007-08-14T21:55:52.690-04:00

Yes, the sun does occasionally shine in Cleveland ... and one of the great bonuses living on the Great Lakes is that we get sunsets over water ... which much of the world does not get! Their loss.Taken at the foot of Webb Avenue in Lakewood (down the road from my house), August 2007. f11 @ 1/320, ISO 100, 70mm.

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-45958335266343527002007-08-14T21:40:00.000-04:002007-08-14T21:57:30.353-04:00

These photos were taken in Dennisport, on the bay side of Cape Cod. I'm not sure of the beach's name, I think it's Sea Street Beach ... whatever it is, we can walk to it from the cottage we stay at, which is right over the line in Brewster. One thing I love about this, and other Cape beaches is the tide coming in and out ... when it's low tide, the water line can recede upwards of a mile from

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-47563478184086465332007-08-14T21:25:00.000-04:002007-08-14T21:53:39.973-04:00

Taken with my cheapo Canon 50mm lens ... it only cost about $75, but it's got some great qualities to it!Photo taken in my wife's flower garden ... f1.8 @ 1/800, ISO 100, 50mm.

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-5334035650821215072007-08-13T21:39:00.000-04:002007-08-13T21:47:20.650-04:00

One reason I decided to take up photography (after putting it down repeatedly, but that's another story) is Cape Cod. My wife is a New Englander, and started dragging me to the Cape every year for a vacation ... and I found that I loved the place. It's gorgeous, it's relaxing, and it has the most amazing light. Now I see why artists and photographers have flocked there for years ... it is the

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-53906964322682923832007-08-10T23:00:00.000-04:002007-08-10T23:06:52.882-04:00

Since the Canon 18-55mm kit lens pretty much sucks (sharpness is a BIG issue with me), I've invested in a new lens. Since I want a basic walkaround lens, I did some research (which I'll talk about later), and ultimately decided to go with a Sigma 17-70mm f2.8. It's the range I want, and the reviews were favorable.I just haven't had time to experiment with it much. Since I've gotten it, the

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669527.post-40061824253141794632007-08-07T21:43:00.000-04:002007-08-07T21:47:31.713-04:00

This is just a test ... I wanted to test out posting a picture to the blog ... and why not post a picture of Brewster, the Wonder Dog?We thought he was afraid of the water, but when we took him to Rocky River Park, he walked right into the lake! Big surprise for us, but a delightful one!Photo taken with my new Canon Digital XL ... with the lame-o kit lens (18-55mm), pretty small f-stop to give

Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095497229757780372noreply@blogger.com0