Self Assignment...

Iris - Lebanon, NH

Every once in awhile I like to challenge myself.

Today's "self-assignment" was to find and photograph at least two visually interesting subjects within 50 feet of my home.

Further more... the goal was both shoot and post-process the photos within 30 minutes start to finish. 

The genesis of this challenge came from a conversation I was having with a friend the other day.  I had been trying to explain to him what it was like to work as a news photographer in the mid-19080's when you had to shoot an assignment, process your film, edit negatives, make prints and write captions under a deadline.

While the technology of producing and distributing photos over a network has changed wildly in the past 30 years... some things have not.  You still need an eye for composition and content.  You still need (some) technical skills and you need to be able to function effectively under a deadline.

This image was shot with a Samsung mobile device and processed using PhotoShopExpress.  While I'm not a huge fan of shooting with mobiles the results can be good properly handled... and since it was also raining during this challenge to myself... I didn't really want to expose my DSLR's to the wet weather.

"Umbrella 2"

Umbrella 2

"Umbrella 2"

Since it's a rainy day today... seems like there's no better time to post another photograph from my recent "umbrella series".  And since I believe in giving credit where credit is due - I have to admit that these photos were inspired by a very good friend of mine and excellent photographer in her own right. :-)

Shot with a Nikon E8700 and processed in Nikon Capture NX2

"Teamwork" - 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers

"Teamwork"

This image is a throwback to 1979 when I was just beginning to cover professional sports for the local newspaper I was working with at the time.

I've always believed that some of the best sports photographs are not necessarily "game action" photos, but shots of the action "behind the scenes".  These are the photographs that give insight into the personalities and the passions that drive players to train hard and play harder to reach the pinnacle of their sport.  Which, in the case of these players, they did as I believe these are the hands of linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert.

This photo was shot on the sidelines of a Pittsburgh Steelers game in 1979 and to me conveys just those ideals.  The touch of hands symbolizing teamwork.  The tape and ace bandages probably due to trying to "play though the pain" and prevent further injuries suffered during a long season.

Shot with a Nikon F2/MD2 and 300/4.0 lens on Kodak Ektachrome E-6.

"Umbrella 3"

"Umbrella 3"

Recently I spent a few minutes shooting a display of umbrellas in a local retail location.  And to be honest I was inspired to make these photos by the work of a very good friend of mine.

I was attracted to the different colors, patterns, textures and the mixed lighting present.

Situations like this offer endless opportunities to try shooting at different angles and focal lengths to create different compositions.  The mixed light sources (in this case daylight and industrial track lighting) can be used to enhance the colors in your photographs.

This is part of a series I did using an Android device and PhotoShopExpress.  I plan on returning with a DSLR to follow-up on my initial shooting of these colorful subjects.  

Stay tuned :-)

"Sea Grass" - Bunche Beach, FL

"Sea Grass" - Bunche Beach, FL

This image was shot early one evening as I was walking the beach in search of sunset photos... which weren't happening.

Turing my camera and attention inland and away from the ocean, I shortly came upon this composition.

What makes this photograph appealing to me is the sense of warmth, peacefulness and tranquility it conveys... which were the exact feelings I had while walking the beach that evening.

Over a year later I can still feel the gentle breezes off the water swirling around me and the warmth of the setting sun on my back.

A combination of compositional elements come together to make this image work.  Shooting somewhat tight on the grasses gives the photo an abstract and texture while the alternating strips of shadow and sun creates an almost 3 dimensional sense of depth.

Shot handheld with a Nikon D90 camera and Nikkor zoom lens... although I forget which one :-)

HRM1 vs MioLink...

This graph is a supplement to a comment I left on DCRainmaker.com concerning my results using the new MioLink optical heart rate sensor from Mio Global.

My testing was done using a Garmin HRM-11 chest strap (the original old style supplied with the Forerunner series units) paired with a Garmin Edge 500.  The MioLink was paired with the TrainerRoad indoor cycling application running on a PC.  Both tracks were recorded using the ANT+ protocol.

At the beginning of the activity the MioLink was intentionally moved on my wrist (Link was worn on left wrist) to create a "break" in the HR track for further positive identification of the MioLink's track.  As the graph above shows... after about one minute the tracks began to match fairly well and continued to do so throughout the activity.

Overall I would consider the results to be very respectable if you are using the HRM1 as the "standard" the MioLink should match.  Critical users will not that certainly, it’s not a perfect fit.

But personally I really believe power is the ultimate precision training tool anyway.  Heart rate is only a rough indicator of how hard I’m working because there are so many variables that can affect it. But power is power, whether you like the numbers on any given day or not.

However as a supplement to power (or when riding a bike/wo a meter) I think overall the Link would appear to do a decent job. Over the course of a long ride I really don’t feel the need for second to second correlation of heart rate with another device.

I think ultimately it would boil down to a decision about whether you want to wear the strap or not. And there are probably times I still would… like for longer events. If anything battery life is the biggest reservation I have about using the Link.