Tag Archives: photo

McHenry House

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wpid11051-AU0E6970.jpgA day of exploring took us on a trip to Modesto. Neither of us had been there before and we didn’t have any particular goal. However, one book we had suggested a look at the McHenry House. This is a Victorian era home that is kept in excellent condition and is available for tours. We were just passing by so decided to forego the interior tour. I tend to like to look at the exteriors of buildings rather than the interiors so this was not a problem for me.

wpid11053-AU0E6976-Edit.jpgThe house is on a reasonably busy street but Sunday was not a particularly busy day in this part of Modesto so we could park easily and have a wander around.   The house and the garden beside it are very tranquil unless you come across a parent and recalcitrant kid who obviously was not appreciating the building tour. Just as well we didn’t go inside!

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

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wpid10997-AU0E6747.jpgAny engineering student will be familiar with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Built in the early part of the twentieth century, this bridge was susceptible to wind induced oscillations which, in certain conditions could set up a resonance condition. Not too long after it was completed, this got out of hand and the bridge bucked and twisted in dramatic fashion until the materials could take it no longer and the structure disintegrated crashing down into the water below. If you want to see this because you are unfamiliar with it (or because it never gets old watching it), the video below will show you what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

The bridge was rebuilt and has lasted since that day although it could no longer manage the volumes of traffic so was joined by a second bridge alongside it relatively recently. I have been over both bridges. However, as we flew past Tacoma, I could see them off in the distance. No great architectural photos here but just something for you engineers out there!

Ardenwood Historic Farm

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wpid10949-AU0E6927.jpgIf you head across the Dumbarton Bridge at Fremont, you will pass Ardenwood Historic Farm. On the right side of the highway as you head towards the bay, this farm has been a feature of the area for over 100 years although it is now a fraction of its former size. However, it is now under the control of the East Bay Parks District and open for the public to visit. It is a combination of little bits of what a farm would be. You could say it perpetuates some of the myths you have as kids about what farms are like since we grow up thinking that all farms have a bit of everything rather than just being a cattle farm, growing a single crop or raising chickens en masse.

wpid10941-AU0E6895.jpgHowever, it does provide an opportunity to see some aspects of an old style farm much as they once were. The farmhouse itself is quite impressive. The family that owned it became quite influential in the area and had the house to match. The grounds are nicely laid out and it was a pleasant spot to spend some time as the chickens that were scrabbling around in the dirt near us also seemed to think.

wpid10937-AU0E6877.jpgThere are goats, sheep, pigs, horses and cows in the grounds. They get a lot of attention from the visitors and we were no exception. The goats were the most active seeming to be more interested in the leaves on a tree above a bench in their enclosure than the food that they had been provided. A couple of the kids were desperately reaching under a fence. I guess the grass really is greener…

Ano Nuevo Coastline

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wpid10900-C59F1843.jpgWhile the elephant seals are the reason for our visit to Ano Nuevo, the coastline there is very attractive itself. When we first got there, it was quite overcast and everything was a little flat. As we started to head back to the center, the clouds broke up and the sun illuminated the coastline. As you can see, it is a great looking place and really not too far from the city.

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Tacoma

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wpid10993-AU0E6763.jpgWhen landing at SeaTac on the northerly approaches, you come across Seattle’s southern neighbor, Tacoma. The approach routing brings you just to the east of the city so, if you are doing this in the morning as I was at some point recently, you get the city nicely illuminated in the early sunlight. The usual issues with shooting through an airplane window still apply but you are lower so the shots can be more forgiving.

wpid10995-AU0E6786.jpgThe city is home to one of the west coast’s major container ports. The view from above clearly shows how the harbor dominates the area. The container terminals and the cranes that make them work are clearly visible along with the transportation connections that take everything out of the port an on to its final destination.

wpid10991-AU0E6749.jpgThe city also has a large dome which is home to many events. It is close to the main freeway from north to south, I-5, and when you drive past it seems to be pretty huge. From the air, it is still clearly seen but somehow it doesn’t have the same impact.

Variable Neutral Density Filter

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Two of my shooting requirements have led me to the world of neutral density filters. Getting a low shutter speed on helicopters often results in very small apertures which can be a pain when it comes to sensor dust. Also, when I am shooting video I also want to be able to slow down the shutter speed. This can sometimes be hard to do and again shows up the sensor dust if it is there and dealing with it on video is a bit more effort.

Consequently, I decided to try out a variable neutral density filter. There are plenty on the market but I decided to go cheap! Why not? I never spend too much cash on photographic equipment!! This was from Amazon and was only about $40 so I wasn’t going to lose sleep if it turned out to be a bust. When the time came available, I decided to do some testing. I shot a clear sky with the filter set to varying levels of light reduction. I then imported these images into Lightroom to see how they looked. The answer was not good. In the mid range, things were actually reasonable. At the low and high ends, there was a significant variation in brightness across the image. This was not going to work.

I then decided to keep things simple. I already have a filter holding system for my old Cokin filters. I decided to buy a couple of neutral density filters for this. Then I can use either of them or both if the circumstances require. Not quite as flexible as a variable filter but pretty close and certainly more reliable without going to the expense of one of the top of the line variable models. We shall see how I get on.

Working Bell 407

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wpid11015-AU0E2633.jpgI was heading back to the airport in Tucson to catch my flight when I came upon a Bell 407 doing some long line work with a person on the end of the line. Normally this sort of thing happens when you are nowhere close to a convenient place to stop. However, this time I was in luck. A turning was coming up and it had a great place off the road to stop. Consequently, I got to spend a bit of time watching the team training.

wpid11017-AU0E2671.jpgThey were from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. I have no idea what that is and as a dodgy foreigner, I wasn’t going to ask. They were lifting a guy from the ground, holding him for a while and then depositing him back on the ground. They also landed briefly during the time I was there. I did have a flight to catch so I couldn’t hang around for too long but I was able to get a few shots of them at work before it was time to take the car back.

wpid11011-AU0E2600.jpgSince they weren’t too far away, I was able to use the 70-200mm. That also gave me some flexibility for playing with low shutter speeds. As I do in these cases when I have the time, I ramp the speed lower and lower. That way I figure I will get some sharp ones and then gradually increase the failure rate until nothing comes out sharp or, as is the case on a sunny day in the Arizona summer, I run out of apertures to slow the shutter speed any further. In this case, I had good luck throughout the range and was able to get some really nice discs for the rotors.

Hawaiian Airbus and Friends

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wpid10999-C59F4283.jpgWhile waiting to get the shot of the Janet flight I posted about previously, there were plenty of other departures from McCarran. The majority of flights were coming out on the westerly runway rather than the one the Janets use so we were not getting the nice topside view of them turning. However, the light was very nice and so a few of them provided interesting targets. The Hawaiian Airbus A330 looked particularly nice but most looked good on those conditions. We were a bit focused on finding out how the Janet was doing so didn’t give them our full attention but some looked too good to ignore.