Category Archives: Photos
Signs
We see them every day. Some just don’t listen!
Gulls
I have heard them referred to as the rodents of the sky. I have probably reused the phrase a handful of times myself, but for the photographer just starting out, they can be the perfect subject.
For one, if you live or take trips near the water, they are always available for their close up. 
And if you can get to a fish pier, the numbers of seagulls are overwhelming when the boats come in with their catch of the day.
Sometimes they add a different perspective to a common scene. 
And they are always around to practice portrait work.
Gulls – Hubbard Park, Meriden, CT
This is a rare event for me and not one you should get used to, but I’m posting an image from a photo I took today. I needed to leave work early in order to be at an award ceremony for my oldest daughter. She is a very talented piano player and one of only two students from her school to receive this special award for the arts (OK, proud daddy moment done).
So traffic ended up being much better than I expected and I had a few extra minutes to head over to Hubbard park for an image to finish this post. I was actually looking for an image to be up above, but when I saw this one, I decided to make it the feature image. The light from the setting sun was perfect and it took less than 5 minutes to get some nice photos including this one. Happy with what I captured; I was off to the ceremony. I’m really happy with this image but it doesn’t come close to how happy and proud my big girl makes me as a dad. Congrats Cailin!
Squirrel
They usually are bothersome; they usually ruin any bird feeder in the yard; they have no idea how to react to an oncoming car; and yet they are pretty cute when you can zoom in and get up close to them. I had the luxury of our storm door between us on this day, so the outside reflections let me get close without surprising him. After I got a few decent shots I wanted to get one of him looking back at me, so I lightly tapped on the glass with the front of my lens. As soon as he looked up, I captured this shot of the little guy!
Moss Glen Falls
On just about every vacation to Vermont, I have photographed Moss Glen Falls in Granville. It is probably the most photographed waterfall in the state, so I try and get there early in the morning to beat the rush of people. It also makes getting long exposures easier due to the lack of light reaching down into the valley that early.
Closer to the parking area is Little Moss Glen Falls. As the name suggests, it is smaller than the main falls, but it has a special beauty all its own. Other than quick stops with the family on our way home, I like to really take my time finding new and unique ways to shoot both.
Moss Glen Falls – Granville, VT
While on one of our trips back in 2009, I wanted to photograph the falls in a way I hadn’t seen before. Not an easy task considering how many images you’ll find if you simply do a Google image search for it.
So early in the morning, I headed to the falls and looked all over for something different to capture. I took some traditional shots like so many others before me, but then decided to cut off the falls close to the bottom. I tried a few different angles and vantage points before finding this one. I knew right away I had something unique to anything I’ve seen, and more important than that, a beautiful version of my favorite waterfall.
Incoming Pigeon
Since the birds won the big superbowl game tonight, I thought it fitting to post one of favorite bird shots. This was the first assignment for the only photography class I took in college. It was a simple, go to a park and shoot what you see. Well, I saw a boy and his mother throwing popcorn for all the pigeons and then running away from them to do it again from another spot.
There were hundreds of birds flying around and I finally got into a good position for capturing them with my camera when the boy tossed up the popcorn for the last time. I focused on one pigeon as he flew near and snapped off three quick shots. Unlike today, I had no idea whether I captured anything worth keeping, but when I processed the film, I was very pleased with this image.
I was learning to use the darkroom at the same time and I remember focusing a lot of my first few days on this image. I tried many different techniques, but in the end, a straight forward, normal exosure was all that was needed.
Rays From Above
Days pass and we move on
Pain fades but never goes away
Legacies remain yet changed forever
Love carries on and so shall we
Walls protect yet they also hide
We care for others but at our own expense
It is OK to hurt and it’s OK to cry
I miss my friend and will never forget
Sunset On The Bay
Every once in a while, someone will ask me why I don’t go into photography full time. My answer is usually something short about how I like where I work and what I do. That is true, but it leaves out how much I love the people I work with. Sure, we have a few knuckleheads in the mix as my friend and coworker Adam would call them, but what family doesn’t? And yes, we are a family; which makes today an especially difficult one for us. We lost a brother; a father; and a friend, and we are left to be there for each other and try to make sense of the senseless.
Sunset On The Bay – Cape Cod
How can anyone give up the chance to see another one of these?
RIP BD
Buttermilk Falls
Images For Sale
Back when I created the about page on January 1st, I mentioned that my plan was to have the images for sale by the end of the month. Well, with very little time to spare, I have accomplished that goal. As of now, you can click here to purchase any of the featured images from every post (minus the Newtown images. You can download the full sized versions of those here)
25% Off For Fans of After The 9 To 5 on Facebook
Stay up to date with the latest posts, see before and after shots, and more! Like After The 9 To 5 here, then click on the coupon tab that appears to get 25% off on all prints.
Get Into The Woods To Get Out Of The Light
If you listen to most nature photographers, the best times to shoot are the “golden hours” (The first and last hours of sunlight each day). I completely agree with that philosophy, but that doesn’t mean the opportunities to shoot are gone if you can’t be out during those early or late in the day events.
Sunrise and sunset times are less important when it’s cloudy out, and depending on the type of cloud; the light can be spectacular even in the middle of the day. There is also night photography where you can shoot a moonlit landscape with a long exposure. it’s always interesting to see how the camera picks up the colors that our eyes can’t under the low light. On a clear night, bring the stars into the frame and let their streaks create arcing patterns, or zoom in see what details you can capture on the moon itself.
But when I’m itching to get out and photograph even when I know the bright midday sun could cause problems, I head into the woods. The trees offer a nice canopy, providing the shade needed to get decent results and sometimes the sun shines through the branches, creating different and interesting lighting effects.
Buttermilk Falls – Terryville, CT
It was one of those days when I wanted to be shooting and the “golden hours” weren’t going to fit my schedule. I always like photographing waterfalls, so I Googled around for a while and came to a website with a description and photos of Buttermilk Falls. One of the notes was about the wooded trail to access the falls, so i figured it was a good midday location. With it being pretty close to my house, perfect for that day.
Because there was snow on the ground, the hike down the trail was a little dicey at times, but I took away more than a handful of keepers plus this little gem from the trip, so I say it was worth it. I’ve been back a couple of times and it always is. No matter what time of day. Photo
Corporation Beach Sunset
39 years ago today I entered this world and for that, I am taking a day off from writing.
Hope you enjoy this photo from Corporation Beach in Dennis, MA. Always a great spot for sunsets!
2011 Jumpfest Weekend
After photographing the red barn in Washington, I drove around for another hour or so and found a few other spots to shoot, including another red barn (it turned into a theme that winter). But before heading home I saw a sign for a ski jumping meet in Salisbury, CT in a couple of weeks. I mentioned in an earlier post that I played sports growing up. I’m still a fan and play a few sports once in a while, so I took the opportunity to photograph the jumps as a self-made assignment to see how I might fare in sports photography. I even managed to get a media pass after the nice man stopped me as I was walking up the press only area next to the jump (I must of missed the sign). After signing the media pass paperwork, I was free to wander around and shoot. One by one the jumpers slid down the ramp and soared through the air towards the mass of people at the bottom. I’m afraid of heights, so just being on the very steep stairs near the top made me uneasy and wondered if I could ever do what these young men and women were doing.
2011 Jumpfest Weekend – Salisbury, CT
Well, we are 2 weeks away from the 2013 Jumpfest Weekend and I am finally making good on the story I told the man to get the pass. I told him I wanted to shoot for my blog. I already owned afterthe9to5, so it could have been true. I did send a CD with all of the images from the day to the head of media relations for SWSA (Salisbury Winter Sports Association) though. I really did just take them for practice so I was happy they might be getting some use. Shooting that day was a lot of fun. I would climb the stairs all the way up so I could get a good perspective of the crowd below as the jumpers landed.
Half way down the stairs, I took photos looking up at them as they rocketed through the air, learning that for me to get the best results (for my camera at the time) I needed to use one jumper to lock focus on and then shoot in manual focus and snap away as the next jumper passed the same spot. I think the autofocus on my newer camera would have been able to handle the speed of these high flying daredevils, but I didn’t have that luxury then.
The bottom of the stairs allowed me to capture the jumper’s often less than graceful landings, but when they were smooth, the crowd would go wild, electrifying the cold winter air.
And if the crowd or the hot cocoa couldn’t keep you warm, the large bonfire certainly helped take the edge off.
A little hill near the concession stand gave me a nice vantage point for my final shot of the day. Well, not really; I stopped to take another red barn photo on the ride home (I can’t drive passed them without stopping).
If you want to attend this year’s jumpfest, take a look on www.jumpfest.org for the full schedule of events.
