Nature | Daily Plog

February 26, 2010

A Friendly Sunset

Filed under: D90, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Nature Preserve, Outdooors, People, Quarry Park, Sunset, Uncategorized — Tags: Beautiful, D90, Forest, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Park, Quarry Park, St. Cloud, Sunset, Wilderness — Jacob Crosby @ 3:15 am

This photo was taken when my friend Steve (www.srmartinez.net) and I went out for some photography, yes, we went to quarry park again, it seems every time I visit there, I am greeted by some new perspective or view on something. Next time, I think I will use the rule of thirds a bit more prominently, and I will make sure I am closer, as I was not accounting for the effect of the wide angle lens I was using.

This one was taken while we were both still relatively warm. Steve had forgotten his gloves, so later on I let him use one of mine, so we shared gloves… Yes, sharing gloves with another man is a sacred thing, so Steve and I are pretty much blood brothers now.

Back to the photo, I really like this one, however, I used my (cheapo) wide angle lens, and sadly I discovered a severe flaw in the unit. I will give extra awesome brownie points to the first person that is able to identify the problem in the photo, and the distortion which caused it. I will give you a hint, My D90 has a setting that (either on or off) attempts to reduce this effect.

So, for everyone reading, do not buy cheap equipment with an expensive camera, it will only leave you sad, and wondering why your expensive camera is taking terrible photos, until you see the edge-bending effect of your wide angle lens and realize what the problem was, or maybe that’s just me…

I also think it is probably prudent to adjust the photo size I am posting, as much as I love the large size photos, it seems to give a feel closer to being there, since your eyes kind of scan around, much like they do naturally. It seems that many people are running lower resolution monitors, so, if you are unable to see the full image in the window without scrolling (Please make sure your browser is set to full screen view), please just leave me a note here, so I can do things to make it a better viewing experience for everyone…

Thanks!

Rating: 9.7/10 (3 votes cast)

Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Comments (4)

November 30, 2009

Rose…

Filed under: Arizona, Nature, Outdooors, People, Phoenix, Rebel XT/350D, Sedona, Travel — Tags: Arizona, Wilderness — Jacob Crosby @ 12:32 pm

Don’t disturb the beast, the temperamental goat, the snail,
While he’s feeding on the rose,
Stay frozen compromise,
What I will, I am…

Bend around the wind,
Silently blown about again,
I’m treading so soft and lightly,
Compromising my will, I am…

I am, I will, so no longer
Will I lay down, play dead,
Play your doe,
In the headlights,
Locked down and terrified,
Your deer in the headlights,
Shot down and horrified,

When push comes to pull,
Comes to shove,
Comes to step around,
This self-destructive dance,
That never would’ve mattered,
Until I rose, I roared aloud here,
I will, I am…

I am,
I will,
So no longer,
Will I,
Lay down,
Play dead,
Play this,
Knee down,
Gunshy,
Martyr,
Pitiful,
I rose,
I roared,
I will,
I am….

Within the words above I find a certain level of comfort. It seems that in this song the notion that we are able to endure precludes itself. I found that my level of endurance, tolerance, and patience, with regards to the lies, untruths, and injustices of another is finite and is not everlasting as I previously thought it was. It seems that, just as in the words above, there came a point in which “Compromising my will” was just no longer possible and as such, “I rose, I roared aloud here!… So no longer, will I lay down, play dead, play this.” I did whatever I deemed necessary to stop the “Self-destructive dance” that was indeed occurring. I was not able to focus on anything short of what the end outcome would be. My approach wrong, perhaps… Is the outcome what was most necessary, yes, without doubt, and in the same, there is an amount of remorse that penetrates me. Though not enough to cause regret, just enough to, on occasion, cause my spine to tingle, my heart to race, my thought process reduced to what might have been. Though after the abundance of effort and time on my part put forth, it seems that, inherently, people are incapable of change.

We are all faced with challenges, some as simple as getting out of bed, some unimaginable. In the end, we make our decisions based on the rules we have set for our lives, the guidelines to which we tailor our existence. Sometimes, our emotions interfere with a logic that is evident and ultimately undeniable. Perhaps if we could take the emotional variable out of the equation, the decisions we must make would be a great deal easier, but nobody ever said the easy choice was always the right choice, and as I have found, it rarely is.

I have made my bed, and I am fully prepared to sleep in it, and a certain level of confidence burns through me, that I will rest well, and may you also, with all of your regrets and remorse for what you have done to those around you, and what you will continue to do. Only you know the extent to which your behaviors reach, and the irreparable damage you have caused. May you sleep well indeed Chandra.

Since this post was built around a “quote” in the song above, there will be no quote today.

Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Comments (1)

November 21, 2009

All the Fire in the Sky

Filed under: Arizona, Fire, Nature, Nature Preserve, Outdooors, Phoenix, Rebel XT/350D, Sunset, Travel — Tags: Arizona, Beautiful, Fire, Painted, Phoenix, Sky, Sunset — Jacob Crosby @ 12:22 am

The good news, perhaps the best news short of my recent trip to Arizona, is that I had a job interview today. I have been applying at a plethora of places looking for an IT position, and it seems that my level of experience and knowledge is either not enough or far surpassing that of the desired candidate for most positions. Fortunately, Apple seems to think differently (No pun intended) , because I actually had an interview with a company for a helpdesk position troubleshooting Apple products. I feel extremely confident that I will get the position.

The bad news (That is actually good news), I recently lost someone that was a huge part of my life. Don’t worry, she is very much alive. Regardless of the circumstances with which things ended, it seems that it is a great sigh of relief to be able to breathe again. I was so overwhelmed with constantly having to repair everything that went wrong, both emotionally and physically. Constantly needing to be there to pick up the pieces, but every moment a new “toy” came along, I was immediately of no use. Every instant, walking on egg shells, worried that the most innocent of sentences could spark a fire that could not be put out and would become a raging inferno. Ultimately, this is the best week I have had in almost exactly one year. Thank you for freeing me from your undying abuse…

As previously stated I was granted the opportunity to visit a friend in the Phoenix area of Arizona. In Minnesota we have the beautiful reds that turn orange and yellow, the deep blues that fade into purples and pinks…. In Arizona it seems the sunsets are someone setting fire to the sky. When there are clouds in the sky (Which is certainly a rarity), it is a violent torrent of rich orange, red, yellow and mix perfectly with the swirling clouds in the sky. Having said that, there are the beautiful multi-colored sunsets that we experience here, but I did not see them until I went to Sedona.

This photo was taken after a short hike through Lost Dutchman State Park to an area called Flat Iron Peak, and The Praying Hands. Chandra and I had hiked up the mountain top the highest point, which was and area between Flat Iron Peak and the first set of Praying Hands. We got to the top and took some photos of each other, horsed around a bit, and kind of relaxed together and sat down and just cuddled. After about twenty of minutes of that we started heading back down the mountain.

Once about halfway down and having made it partially around the side of the mountain the sky opened up and the name struck me, All the Fire in the Sky. Actually lyrics from a song, it was the first thing that came to mind the moment I saw it. I began running down the mountain, camera and tripod in tow, which, given my medical condition, was probably not in the top three list of “Things I should do to get a nice photo”. However, I knew that at the bottom was my backpack with all of my gear, and fortunately my pain medication. Not that they were necessary as I made sure to take enough prior to starting the hike. I was somewhat out of it during taking most of my photos as any time we had gone hiking I made sure that I took enough to endure the pain of carrying my gear. Due to the fact that I was on pain medication I was not entirely in the best mental state to focus on camera settings and taking good photos. As such, many of the photos I had taken during my stay in Arizona are not suitable for HDR… Sadly.

This photo is not an automated HDR, I actually mapped the photo manually in Photoshop just to see how difficult it would be, of all photos, please comment and rate this one.

Well, after my long story about Lost Dutchman State Park and All the Fire in the Sky of an Arizona sunset, here is the aforementioned photo in all of it’s illustrious glory!

Rating: 9.5/10 (2 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (2)

July 24, 2009

Dreamy Summer Sunset

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Outdooors, Rebel XT/350D — Tags: Forest, Forest Lake, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Sunset, Wilderness, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 2:42 am

A photo taken whilst driving down the road. I learned from a person I would consider a friend, that should you see something you think is picture worthy, it is most likely best to stop and take the photo.

I nearly missed this one as I thought, "I should stop and get a photo." Yet kept driving, I did this for about a half a mile, which seemed like next to eternity, since the voice of Trey Ratcliff was in the back of my mind repeating, "Stop and get the photo, it will be worth it." In some sort of Steven King of nightmarish chant… Sorry Trey, but that is really what happened. Needless to say, I took the advice and avoided the slippery slope that might have been a missed photo.

Now, having said that, this is a bit of an abnormal photo for me, as I do not use Photoshop unless someone specifically requests that I add/remove something. Yet for this photo, I opted to use PS, since again, there was a nagging voice claiming that will a little love this could be a great photo. I am very pleased and will likely add it to my top 5 photos ever captured and processed.

Rating: 9.6/10 (5 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (1)

July 2, 2009

A Good Friend

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Outdooors, People, Rebel XT/350D — Tags: Forest, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, O'Brien, Park, People, River, State, Wilderness, William, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 9:30 pm

This is a photo taken when my friend Andrew and I went to William O’brien State Park. I kind of wandered a little closer to the river and a small ledge of rocks and looked up and found that this was a fitting pose for Andrew. I did very much like the angle, with the tree and the roots in the foreground I think the photo turned out very well. Andrew is clearly far more photogenic than I am, no matter, this is my photography site, not “My Photograph” site.

And please, let’s keep the ratings based on photographic quality and not something like “Hot or Not”…

Thanks!

Rating: 9.0/10 (5 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (0)

“The Artist”

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Nature Preserve, Outdooors, People, Quarry Park — Tags: Forest, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Park, People, Quarry Park, St. Cloud, State, Wilderness, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 1:04 am

“The Artist”, as titled by my friend that both took and processed the photo, Steve (http://www.srmartinez.net).

Steve and I were able to spend a little while together at Quarry Park in St. Cloud, MN and I feel that we both took some great photos that day, some of which I have already posted. This particular photo is a very rare photo I would say, though I may love taking photographs, I am not exactly fond of having my photo taken, so typically they end up being candid shots, as this one shows.

I will state that, in my defense, I do usually notice the faint clicking sound of the mechanics of the typical SLR firing away, and order the photo of me to be deleted, however, for some reason or another, Steve’s Nikon SLR and lens are the quietest combo I have ever heard, or not. Not sure if it is just a fluke that his is so quiet, as I have used them in stores, and a friend (Andrew) also has a Nikon and I have not heard one so magnificently silent as the one Steve owns. Regardless, I am confident that the next SLR I purchase will be the Nikon D90, as it has every feature I could dream of, and still uses a relatively small form factor, so when I have a spare $1,200 to spend on a camera, and a fairly good reason to do so, oh yes, it will be mine….

Rating: 8.3/10 (3 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (1)

June 28, 2009

The Mighty River Erosion

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Outdooors, Uncategorized — Tags: Forest, Minnesota, Nature, O'Brien, Park, River, State, William — Jacob Crosby @ 8:03 pm

I was lucky enough to spend some time with a good friend of mine Andrew. We went on a quick meander down to the William O’Brien State Park and grab a few photos. Unfortunately there was not much of significance with regards to photography, I have only about three photos of note from the day, but I was very struck by this one.

I think that people tend to miss the significance of erosion on the earth, especially in and near river areas. It would be nice to have seen what this area may have looked like hundreds of years ago, and perhaps, due to modern technologies, hundreds of years from now they can look at all of our documentation with photographs and things of the like and see just what the landscape was like in our time.

Rating: 9.8/10 (4 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (2)

June 6, 2009

Sunset Sari

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Outdooors, People, Travel — Tags: HDR, Minnesota, People, St. Cloud, Sunset, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 9:03 pm

Though I did not come up with the name for this particular work, I do enjoy it nonetheless. This is the ever beautiful Chandra in the traditional dress of the Nepali culture. It really is a quite elegant dress with the way it moves in the wind, and compared to the typical drab American colors we have, this is a colorful and quite beautiful piece of attire. I was stunned when she lifted up the loose part of the Sari and the sun shone through it, it was quite a beautiful moment to see.

Unlike some photos of people that are a “pseudo-HDR”, this is not, she was able to stay still just long enough for me to snap the necessary photos. She should be given an award for her ability to stay still, considering her level of energy and apparent inability to stay still for longer that several seconds at a time.

Rating: 8.2/10 (5 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (1)

May 31, 2009

Upper Falls Alcove

Filed under: Gooseberry Falls, HDR, Lake Superior, Minnesota, Nature, Nature Preserve, Outdooors, Travel — Tags: Gooseberry Falls, HDR, Lake Superior, Minnesota, Nature, Waterfalls, Wilderness, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 12:40 am

This area was a bit of a pain to get to, it required climbing down a 20ft. nearly vertical wall with camera, tripod, and remote shutter release in tow. I cannot say it was the easiest photo to shoot, but I will say that the green in the foliage in the foreground was some of the most brightly green colored shrubbery I have ever seen, even this HDR shot does not do it justice.

While I was busy shooting from down below, a friend was up top chatting with another guy that drove from Chaska, MN up to this area for the same purpose, which is quite a bit farther than we drove. I was surprised because he was using a Canon S5 IS, with the CHDK software shooting in RAW and told me he was having some good luck with HDR.

This was one of my first shots of the day, and likely will turn out as one of the best once I get the fine tuning done, but for now, here is the lackluster product straight from the software.

Rating: 8.0/10 (7 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (3)

May 16, 2009

The Path Through the Ominous Forest

Filed under: HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Travel — Tags: Forest, HDR, Minnesota, Nature, Quarry Park, St. Cloud, Woods — Jacob Crosby @ 9:20 pm

Some photos are easily taken, some inspired by a scenic view, some, some are simply a fleeting moment in space and time. We are given our photo opportunities at varying moments in our lives, we may have wonderful memories, or a terrible tragedy may have befallen us.

For me, this photo will fall under the latter category. I was whisked away by a family that missed me in St. Cloud, MN upon the news that some medical issues were recurring and my health was diminishing. Regardless, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend an afternoon with a dear friend of mine, Steve. We decided we would go to the St. Cloud Quarry Nature Park to take some photos. Upon walking the first 30 feet in I knew that this was an area I had to shoot on the way out. Considering the current condition of my health and the idea of the roads we follow and the paths they may or may not lead us down, it was of a particular significance to me. All the philosophical goodness aside, here is the photo in all it’s splendor.

Rating: 8.7/10 (3 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Comments (1)