Broken Pattern of Color

Broken Pattern, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

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Final Day at the Beach

And it already looks like this in my mind... Taken with the Lumix DMC-LX100 and built-in soft focus filter. I think the effect works well in this shot.

 

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Long Shadows - Waikiki Beach

 

Long Morning Shadows, Waikiki, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Sigma 60mm f2.8 Art Lens

 

In this scene, I was struck by the extremely long shadow projecting from the person on the beach, and an even longer one from a palm tree not visible from this viewpoint. This highly directional strip of light was coming through between two large hotel towers. I took this from the 19th floor of the hotel.

 

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Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Our single morning at Waikiki. Off to Maui this afternoon! All shot with the DMC-TS5.

 

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Going Back to Maui!

Summer vacation is planned. We were considering going some place new, but decided to go back to Maui, Hawaii, mainly because it allows us to meet up with my mother-in-law, who will be flying in from Tokyo. And, we love Maui. what's not to love? Scuba, nature, great food, beach, ...

 

Maui, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titanium

 

We'll be heading there in August. I will try to go somewhere new while I'm there, expanding my photography on the island. That could be a new small town, a locals-only beach, or a new mountain trail. I'm sure I can find something that I have yet to explore.

 

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Magnum Workshop Day 5/7 - Focus Pays Off, With One Usable Shot

Okay, at the end of Day 4 I felt pretty confident. I had a few images from the beach and the ladder shot, which reasonably tied in to my "end of the season" in Ptown theme. DAH selected a couple of the images, didn't like the beach exit picture I posted yesterday, and told me frankly that I had more work to do. He did suggest that I head back to the beach to see what else I could make of that.

 

I had in the back of my mind that I may once again find the surf fishermen, but that didn't happen.

 

I threw my Lumix GX7 over my shoulder, grabbed lunch to go in a bag, and biked back out to the shore. I went to the places I'd been the day before, met and talked with a few different people on the beach, and even got a young couple to let me shoot their relaxing day in the sand. None of these made it past my own filter.

 

Making a long loop ride around the seashore as shown below, I ended up at a bike shop near the west end of town.

 

Original Map Source: http://www.visit-provincetown.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/parkingPtown.png

 

Sort of out of options after leaving the beach with no real good additions to show for my efforts, I decided to act on DAH's advice to find a spot and let the image develop. The bike shop had lots of "Sale" signs up, indicating the end of the season. The deli inside the store was already closed for the season, and I photographed that, but not to much effect.

 

Going back outside, I noticed one of the shop employees working there. I struck up a conversation, and found that he himself was a sign of the change of seasons in town. Having come to Ptown for the summer from Bulgaria, this young man was preparing to return home in a couple of days. While he had enjoyed Ptown very much, working very long hours (90 hours per week!), he was looking forward to getting home to see his family. I asked where he had lived during the summer, and he told me he'd shared a space with two other people on the property. Asking if I could photograph his room, he told me that he was not allowed to bring guests in. And, he was working at the moment, anyway.

 

Having to pursue it further, I asked him if he could grab his suitcase, and let me photograph him walking out the door of the shop. Not exactly what I wanted, and staged for sure, it would have at least been something. He politely told me that he'd already been on break that afternoon, and wasn't allowed to take another. I asked him if I could request that his boss make an exception. He replied that his boss himself was on break, and not available. He would not be back for about 30 minutes. I said I'd wait.

 

Now at this point, it was clear that I was pushing hard, and quite possibly had outstayed my welcome. This guy was extremely nice, but was getting a little uncomfortable about my persistence. Anyway, I decided to wait it out.

 

Sitting on a picnic table in front of the store, waiting, I shot a couple of pictures of people coming and going, but nothing with a story. And then it happened. A lady from the neighborhood who'd befriended this young gentleman over the summer came to say goodbye before he left to return to Bulgaria. She hugged him, and told him how much she enjoyed knowing him. Real emotion, finally! I asked her permission to photograph them together, and she happily obliged. Here's the one shot I got from a few hours of pursuit:

 

Goodbye My Friend

 

This one shot made it all worthwhile. In fact, it was the only useful image I got the entire day.

 

That evening back at the Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC), Costa Manos was our featured speaker. Like Bruno Barbey, Costa has been with Magnum for 50 years. Costa was the main motivator for the Magnum Days in Provincetown program. Costa walked us through his amazing career in photography, beginning with his early coverage of a South Carolina island known as Daufuskie. This was where Costa made his first "serious" image, in 1952.

 

(Click Here) to see that image on the Magnum website.

 

It is an amazing image. In fact, it haunted me. Haunted me to the point that I purchased a limited edition print of it. I am not an art collector, but I really wanted to have this image to put on my wall as a reminder of the workshop, meeting Costa, and all of the other great people involved in the workshop.

 

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Magnum Workshop Day 4/7 - Starting to Find My Way

Day 4. Wednesday. David Alan Harvey (DAH) had arrived on Tuesday night, and I knew that I'd be working with him for the rest of the week.

 

My final meeting with Bruno Barbey in the morning allowed me to share my images from Rego Automotive, two or three of which Bruno actually liked. I also showed him my shots from meeting the NYC surf fishermen. Bruno suggested that I try to find them again.

I joined DAH at around 10:30AM, and each of us students shared what we had so far. David was clear in telling us that we didn't have much for being on the third day of the workshop, and I agreed. He shared some of his own work, including a series from a strip bar in NYC, and showed us every exposure. This helped us to understand how he built up to the final few amazing images by working the scene. DAH doesn't believe in walking around looking for images. He finds a spot and sticks with it until a photograph emerges. This was an important lesson for me, and one that would pay off in the end.

 

After lunch, I grabbed my bike and headed back toward the beach, hopeful of finding the surf fisherman again.

 

On the way, I noticed this scene, which has some relation to the changing of seasons in Ptown. Trying to follow directions and work the scene, I shot this one, which I thought was just an ice breaker. Then I proceeded to get close, and shoot images of individuals working. Technically fine, they just showed one or two guys painting. DAH picked this shot below because the real visual draw was having all of these ladders in place on one house. It gives the impression of working to get the painting done quickly. So, this was the only one that made the cut.

 

 

Winter Preparations

I never did find the surf fishing group again. However, on this day, I did finally start to find my groove. It was Wednesday, DAH was in town, and the pressure was on. Walking the beach, I caught a flash of brilliant color out of the corner of my eye. It was this young lady, letting her beach towel blow in the breeze. Walking over to her, I explained that I simply had to have that image for my workshop series. She happily obliged. I knew at this point that things were starting to go somewhere, at least a little.

Golden Towel

 

Then, I happened to catch this amusing little moment. Having my Lumix DMC-GX7 and kit zoom allowed me to quickly capture this image without anyone noticing. One second later and it was gone.

 

Caught in the Moment

 

Not five minutes later, I found this somewhat similar scene:

 

 

A Theme, Perhaps?

 

Deciding that a final day or two at the beach did fit my story line of Ptown shutting down for the season, I was happy to bring these into my image collection. I knew that I would need some pictures of people departing, and grabbed the shot below to try to capture that feeling.

 

Leaving the Beach

 

That shot didn't make the cut. DAH liked the concept, but not the execution. Getting a couple of closing shots would prove to be no simple feat. At least I had a start, however. I went into Wednesday evening feeling much more confident. Maybe too much so.

 

The public talk was by DAH on this evening. Knowing that he'd just arrived after days of trying to fly in from Europe, and had worked the full day that day, I was impressed with his energy and clear thought in presenting his work. There are many great examples of DAH's work to look at. Having been a National Geographic photographer for many years, of course he had stories. One of his latest projects, "Based on a True Story," demonstrates an edgy, energy-filled depiction of Rio de Janeiro. I was very pleased to get a copy of the book, complete with signature, as part of being in David's workshop.

 

So, I had a start. Far from really having a full story, I knew I had to find more good images in the coming two days, but at least I had a start.

 

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Magnum Workshop Day 3/7 - Still Searching

Tuesday. Now I was really feeling that I needed to find a groove and produce some pictures. I knew just how quickly it was going to be Friday.

 

I didn't sleep well on Monday night, thinking of just how I might get a photo story out of this week. Ptown was winding down for the season and I didn't want to shoot the more obvious topics. The Center for Coastal Studies was an intriguing possibility, but the chances of getting together with them while they were so busy were just too low.

 

I knew that I was thinking too hard about it, and needed to pursue something. Stop thinking and start doing. I convinced myself that the best opportunity to go a little deeper was at Rego Automotive. No, it wasn't a flashy story, but Pat was an interesting and talented guy, working hard to make a small business successful in Ptown. Since I didn't really get any photographs to share on Monday, I let Bruno know that I would miss the morning session and go pursue some images at Rego Automotive.

 

I was very pleased to find Pat already hard at work when I showed up, and that he was willing to let me hang around and shoot more pictures. I supplied several images to Pat and his wife, Lacey, to use on their facebook page. I am happy to see them on the Rego Automotive page, and hope they help!

 

Anyway, I spent a few hours hanging out, talking with Pat while he worked, and photographing the course of his business.

 

I left around lunch time, feeling that I had at least pushed a little further into a story. I wasn't sure that I had enough to make a project from, but the experience had been good and in the right direction.

 

In the afternoon, I rode my bike out to the National Seashore to visit Richard Ryder at the Lifesaving museum. Mr. Ryder had answered my email inquiry from before the workshop. There were no special events during my week in Ptown, but he invited me to come and see the regular displays at the museum. I very much enjoyed meeting Richard, and shot some portraits of him in the old station, where his family members had served in generations past.

 

Richard Ryder, Lifesaving Museum Historian

 

There was certainly a good story in Richard's own family history with the station, but the kind of story that's best told by a writer, not a photographer. Pleased to have met Richard, I had to scratch that story off my list as well, and move on.

 

Looking down the beach from the museum, I noticed a caravan of trucks on the beach, and a group of people surf fishing. It was a long walk, but I had to see if I could find something interesting there. The fishermen were all New York City employees - policemen, firemen, sanitation workers. They have been coming to Ptown to fish together for over 30 years.

 

Surf Fishing

 

These guys were super-friendly, and full of stories. I hung around for an hour or so, and shot what I found interesting, which was mainly their personalities. The fishing wasn't productive, at least while I was there. Looking back on it now, this was potentially the "one that got away." If I'd been prepared to spend more time with them, I could have really gotten something good. As it was, I had only my bike and camera, and felt the need to get back to look through my images from earlier in the day and prepare for the next morning's review. If I had it to do over again, I would have done something to ensure that I could reconnect with this group later on. I am sure that their evenings together were as interesting as their days at the beach fishing.

 

When I did get back to review my images, I liked some from Rego Automotive. But, none of them really showed much human emotion or connection between people. I still was not there. At least I had something to show and get feedback on from Bruno the next morning.

 

I did realize how potentially productive the fishing group was, and planned to try to locate them again the next day. I could have helped myself out by getting contact information so that I could ensure success. Lesson learned.

 

On this evening, Bruno Barbey presented his work spanning 50 years in Magnum. So many of his images stuck in my mind, but one of a huge crowd in Poland, umbrellas getting covered in snow, was my favorite.

 

(Click Here) to see this awesome image on Magnum's website.

 

Another thing that really impressed me was Bruno's recent coverage of China. Caroline, Bruno's wife, shared an amazing video of Bruno shooting in the Chinese streets and interacting with the people. It really gave the presentation a different feeling, showing how people enjoyed his presence.

 

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Belizean Kids Selling Mango

We met these two kids on the beach at San Pedro, Belize. They were selling fresh mango slices (which the boy's carrying in the tub on his head). They were quite good at their jobs.

 

Fresh Mango on the Beach, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 200, f5.6, 1/320 sec.

 

I loved how the people in Belize were generally quite happy to have their photograph taken. This image will remind me of their welcoming attitude for a very long time.

 

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Belizean Palm

 

Belizean Palm, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Series II Kit Zoom

iso 800, f11, 1/125 sec.

 

Getting up at sunrise on the final day of our vacation in Belize, I was rewarded with this image. It could only be taken at dawn or dusk, as the contrast would have been excessive at any other time.

 

The Series II 14-42mm kit zoom is really quite impressive. Paired with the diminuitive GX1, they can really deliver in good light such as this.

 

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Belizean Sunrise

I got my butt out of bed at 5AM this morning to catch the sunrise here in Belize. I shot several images, and plan to work on them when I get home, including a plan to try some subtle high dynamic range (HDR) processing. Here's one that I like pretty much as-is:

Belizean Sunrise, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens with 3-Stop ND Filter

iso 160, f16, 1 sec.

 

I liked how the shoreline formed an S-curve, ending at the thatched dock shelter at the horizon. I edited this image in Snapseed on my iPad.

 

More to come.

 

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George, From Belize

Meet George, the iguana. He seems to be the mascot of our hotel here in Belize.

 

 

George the Iguana, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 Mega OIS Lens at 200mm

iso 200, f6.4, 1/400 sec. (handheld)

 

I worked around George to shoot from various angles, and like this shot best mainly because it includes his whole body while focusing attention on his eye with shallow depth of field. I also like the red hibiscus flowers in the background.

 

We're in Belize for a few days of scuba diving and relaxation. Our hotel, Coco Beach Resort in San Pedro, is quite nice if a bit isolated. It's our first day here, so we're still getting the lay of the land. Our plan is to head into San Pedro via water taxi today to do a little exploring in the city. I'll be carrying my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, as it's super-capable, compact, and unobtrusive.

 

By the time this posts, we'll be back in Virginia. Here's hoping for a nice break in a place we've never visited before!

 

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Can't Beat the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 at the Beach!

If you're getting tired of beach shots, you'll be happy to know that this is my final day of vacation.

 

I have really enjoyed the Lumix TS5 on this trip. I have also used my LX7, Leicas, and SFTC camera for this month, the Agfa Record III, but the TS5 is just so easy. It has seen a lot if use. I'll post some pictures from the other cameras after I return home, get film developed, etc.

 

Wave, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Beach Panoramas, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

 

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Huffington Post Reports on Wayne Lawrence's Photo Project - Orchard Beach

by Wayne Lawrence

Image Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/bronx-riviera_n_3781903.html?ref=topbar

 

Wayne Lawrence has produced a striking set of portraits of New Yorkers at the beach, Orchard Beach, in Pelham Bay Park in NYC.

 

(Click Here) to read about the project and see several more images on Huffington Post. The images will be shown at teh Bronx Museum, starting in October, 2013. There is also a book planned.

 

I think this project is really cool. Clearly Mr. Lawrence spoke to his subjects, got their permission, and posed them at some level. I feel that these images capture our current time very well. It is also rather clear that Lawrence uses fill flash, but that doesn't take away from the images.

 

When I think of these images, my mind goes to the historic pictures at Coney Island, capturing a glimpse of not only the people on the beach, but of the time.

 

(Click Here) to see some of Harold Feinstein's historic pictures of Coney Island.

 

I'm heading to the beach next week - I hope this will inspire me to take some different pictures.

 

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Lumix DMC-TS3 and I Go Fossil Hunting Again - Lots of TS3 Images

One of my favorite local activities here in Northern Virginia is fossil hunting. I'm very fortunate to have close friends who really know their Paleontology - both academic and in the field. For more on that -

 

(Click Here) to go to paleoquest.org, my friends' non-profit organization, targeting education in prehistoric science.

 

So, Jason Osborne and I headed out on President's Day for a day of fossil hunting near Liverpool Point in Maryland. I carried my Lumix DMC-G3 and 100-300 zoom in a backpack all day, never taking it out. I did, however, shoot little vignettes of the day, all day long, with my waterproof Lumix DMC-TS3. Here they are (pretty much straight from the camera):

 

 

Bird Tracks, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/250 and 1/20 sec, respectively

 

Icicles, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, 3.3, 1/1000

 

Yes, it was cold in the morning. However, there was essentially no wind, no cloud cover, and it got up into the 40s later in the day. All in all, the nicest day we've seen in a while.

 

Duck Blind, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 160, f3.3, 1/1000

 

 

For some reason, I really like this shot. I knew I liked it when I shot it. Yes, the subject is centered, a compositional no-no. I like the "T" shape made by the combination of the dock and the horizon. I also like the bush sticking out of the roof.

These next two shots seem to me like they could have come from the desert southwest. I'm told this is likely holocene (recent) river bed.

 

 

Sedimentary Layers, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 160, f10, 1/100 (both shots)

 

I thoroughly enjoy shooting with the TS3. I used iAuto pretty much all day, which means that I didn't make any decisions other than composition. The small sensor provides lots of depth of field regardless of settings (except in extreme closeups), so I can trust the camera to take care of exposure for me, and not worry about it. On these fossil trips, I'm usually carrying other stuff, and in this case had multiple layers of clothing to contend with as well. Having the little TS3 in my hand was so simple.

Speaking of closeups, again the small sensor and wide focal length lens allow you to get very close. Here are a few examples.

 

Barnacles (Modern), by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/160

Turritella Fossil, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f3.3, 1/250

Tracks, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/320

 

Oyster, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/320

 

And here's the real goal - a shark tooth. This one was sticking right out of the cliff side. It's nice to find them this way, as the real Paleontologists can see which layer they're in. And, they're not worn down by wave and sand. Beautiful.

 

Tooth in the Matrix, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/160

 

Unlike most days out in the field with Jason, we didn't find anything spectacular on this trip. But, we sure had a good time walking the shore, enjoying some sunshine, and having a laugh or two.

 

The TS3 was a useful tool for grabbing some images along the way. I hope you enjoy them.

 

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There's a newer version of the DMC-TS3, the TS4. I would recommend this camera for a nice balance of image quality and toughness (including shock resistance and waterproof operation).

 

Including People in Your Landscapes? It Can Work.

Kauai Beach, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 Lens at 100mm

iso 400, f7.1, 1/1250 sec

 

Many times, when we think of a landscape image, we picture an untouched wilderness. One of the old rules of landscape photography is to include a strong foreground element, a focal point of some type, to anchor the scene. I can admit that I find myself trying to accomplish the untouched look, and have to search hard to find something interesting to put in the foreground.

 

Including a person is an easy way to achieve the necessary foreground element and focal point. It also has the nice feature of adding scale to a landscape, by letting the viewer see something that they know the size of. In the picture above, what I was trying to show was the steep mountains of Kauai, jutting straight up from the seashore. Yes, the trees would have given some idea of scale, but the two people on the beach do a better job of that. And, the trees were just a "layer" in the composition. They would not have provided a focal point. Without the people, this shot would not have a focal point in the lower 2/3 of the image at all.

 

There is a nice brief article by Matt Dutile on this concept on the Digital Photography School's blog.

 

(Click Here) to read Matt's article and see some nice example shots.

 

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Fossil Hunting in Maryland with the Lumix DMC-TS3

Erosion Forces, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

 
Last Sunday morning, I got up early and headed to a place on the Potomac River known as Liverpool Point, to do some fossil hunting. The video above shows the important parts of the scene - cliffs to the right, literally full of fossil material, the waves coming in from the left, day by day eroding into them. In the middle, beach, and awesome opportunities to find fossils that have washed out of the cliffs.
 
I packed up a Lumix DMC-G3, 14-140mm and 100-300mm zooms, and carried them in a waterproof bag on my back. I never took them out. The TS3 covered everything I needed to shoot. In fact, the TS3 did far better in closeups than I could have done with the G3 and the zooms I had. Of course, if I'd brought along the Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8, that would have been a different story. As it was, I just used the TS3, and never worried about getting it wet, etc.
 
Here's a cross-section of the cliff, showing just how dense the fossils are in places.
 

Cliff Cross-Section, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

 
This area is known for fossilized sand tiger shark teeth. Here's one sticking out of the cliff matrix.
 
 

Sand Tiger Shark Tooth, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

 
I also found a fossilized crocodile tooth - much less common. It's amazing to think that enormous crocodiles and sand tiger sharks once prowled the waters that are now the Potomac River. These ones were from the late Paleocene, approximately 55 million years ago.
 

Liverpool Point, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

 
It is great to be able to get out and hike the shore at sunrise, collect fossils from animals that lived there 55 million years ago, and be home in time for lunch (or nearly so).
 
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BUY YOUR TS3 HERE! CLICK THROUGH THE LINK BELOW.
 
 
 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Goes Fossil Hunting

Fossil Skull? by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso100, f3.3, 1/640 sec

 
I took my little DMC-TS3 to the beach yesterday, where it belongs. The waterproof feature makes it perfect for trips like this. We went looking for fossils, and found a lot. The one above is by far the most intriguing. I'm still conferring with the experts (not me) to decide what it might be, but I'm pretty convinced it's a skull of some type.
 
These deposits are from the Pliocene, about 2-5 million years old.
 
In addition to the big find, there were lots of great shell fossils to peruse.

 
 

Shell Fossils, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso100, f3.3, 1/640 sec

 
 

More Shell Fossils, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso100, f3.3, 1/400 sec

 
 
I loved how this eucalyptus tree grew on the edge of the cliff.
 

Eucalyptus on the Edge, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso100, f3.3, 1/400 sec

 
I am very pleased with the Lumix DMC-TS3. For all of these shots, I used the Intelligent Auto (iAuto) setting. They are all directly out of the camera, with no editing whatsoever. It couldn't be easier to get decent shots in good light. And, the GPS is also very useful.
 
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