Boarded and Abandoned - Day 91

ISO 160, f/8.0, 1/90th sec

 In the Talbot Wildlife Management Area there is an abandoned building about 400 yards as you hike in on the main trail. It is where I captured this image of a boarded window on that building. The Talbot WMA  spans over 517 acres with 3 miles of trails to hike. Beaver Brook runs through the area as well offering a serene nature vista. This is the 8th architecture image I have created for my bucket list item.

B-52 "Stratofortress" - Day 90

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/2000 sec

 The B-52 "Stratofortress" is an American long-range, subsonic, jet powered strategic bomber built designed and built by Boeing. It has a swept wing design an is powered by 8 jet engines. It was built to and has replaced the previous featured B-36 "Peacemaker". This the 4th of 100 transportation images I will be creating. 

B-36 "Peacemaker" - Day 89

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/3000th sec

 This is another image from the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and was in service between 1949 through 1959. It had a range of over 10,000 miles without refueling and was powered by 6 radial piston engines and 4 jet engines. This is my 3rd transportation image out of 100 I want to create.

Lebanon Town Green - Day 88

ISO 150, f/1.7, 1/2500th sec

 The Lebanon Town Green is quite large from what you can see from the serial landscape image I took of it. It also has several historic buildings along side of it as well. Capturing a photo from above using my drone gives it a nice sense of scale which you really couldn't get from a tradition point of view. This is my 2nd of 34 aerial landscape photos I want to create. 

Closed Shop - Day 87

ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/90th sec

 While yesterday's post was the first photo I took in Danielson this one was one of the last ones. This doorway is more well lite and showcases numerous features and textures throughout. I particularly like the lamp and tiles at the base of the door. I enjoyed yesterday's excursion and it was a departure from my normal routine. This is the 7th architectural photo I have created out of 100 to date.

Door in the Shadows - Day 86

ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/350th sec

 This morning, I found myself walking a portion of downtown Danielson with a camera in my hand. It was one of those days I was just letting myself wander and looking for subjects to grab my attention. This door was the 1st thing to grab my eye but not the last either. I loved how the existing architecture helped frame the door and the shadows of the morning light added a little mystery to the scene as well. This is my 6th architecture detail shot I have created for the blog.  

Unique Window - Day 85

ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/250th sec

 This unique window is found above the main door to the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury. Built in the early 1800s it offers a glimpse into the architecture of the period. It is these details that I am so often drawn to when photographing buildings and churches. This is the 5th unique architecture image I have created out of my goal of 100.  

Minimalistic Yucca - Day 84

ISO 400, f/11, 1/750th sec

 While exploring the area around Skull Rock in Joshua Tree NP I came across this lone Yucca growing atop a large boulder. I knew in a moment that I had the makings for a good minimalistic photo. The lone yucca, the textures and lines in the boulder and the cloudless sky all worked together to enhance this image.   

Joshua Tree NP - Day 83

ISO 400, f/11, 1/750th sec

 This photo has allowed me to check off another item on my bucket list - "Create a print worthy image from Joshua Tree National Park. It was item number 5 on my 70 by 70 bucket list. This image was taken about a half hour after sunrise in the Split Rock area of the park. We spent about 4 days photographing the park and this is one of my favorites from that recent trip. 

Saguaro National Park - Day 82

ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/1000 sec

 This is an image from Saguaro National Park taken on a recent photography adventure with two other photographers. This location was at the end of the Golden Gate road which has a picnic area there as well. This photo allows me to check off my first 70 by 70 bucket list item, number 67 - "Shoot the Saguaro Cactus in Saguaro National Park. 

Check out my complete 70 by 70 bucket list under "The List".

A Quaint Little Church - Day 81

ISO 800, f/6.7, 1/1500th sec

 This quaint little church is the United Methodist Church of Oneco. I have previously posted an image back on day 5 of this blog of the doorway to this church. However, driving by it today I wanted to capture this photo with the nice clouds in the sky. I also processed it with an antique style finish which I have been doing lately with the older churches. 

Abandon & Overgrown - Day 80

ISO 800, f/6.7, 1/4000th sec

The United Protestant Church in Sterling is no longer in use and appears to be abandon and the bushes have become overgrown now. One of the front windows has been broken and is now boarded over. I went with a yellowed style finish to emphasis the current state the church is in. This is the 19th out of 100 churches I want to capture. 

Sunrise Over Kitt Peak - Day 79

ISO 800, f/6.7, 1/1000th sec

 While photographing the sunrise from Gates Pass I remembered an old photographer's adage to always look behind you when photographing a sunrise or sunset. Turning around I saw the sun breaking over Kitt Peak creating this stunning view. Standing at 6,883 feet making it the highest point in the Quinlan Mountains and it is also 45 miles from where I stood at Gates Pass.

Tomcat Teeth - Day 78

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/45th sec

 This paint scheme on a F-14 fighter was captured at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The F-14 Tomcat was made famous in the movie "Top Gun". It was the Navy's supersonic, twin engine, two seat, variable swept wing all weather capable fighter aircraft. The F-14 entered service in 1974 and was retired in 2006. This is my 2nd of 100 transportation images I want to create.

See my entire bucket list under the page "The List". 

Sunset from Gates Pass - Day 77

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/180th sec

 This image is the first sunset from my recent photography trip to the southwest region. Taken from Gates Pass in the Tucson Mountains it overlooks the valley below and mountains in the distance. Located at 3172 feet in elevation, Gates Pass is a popular scenic drive with numerous overlooks for vistas and sunset viewing.  This is my 3rd sunset or sunrise of the year out of 100 I want to capture in 2024. 

WACO-ZKS-6 - Day 76

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/20th sec

 This engine and propeller on a WACO-ZKS-6 was taken at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. This was the first stop of an eight-day Arizona & California photography trip. This model aircraft had a four seat cabin and was a popular corporate aircraft and could be considered the "Learjet" of the time. I processed it in an antique finish to give the image a more vintage look. This is my first of one hundred transportation images I want to create.

Joshua Tree NP Pano - Day 75

ISO 64, f/1.5, 1/1000th sec

 This panorama was taken in the early morning in the Split Rock area of Joshua Tree National Park. I have been using my iPhone 13 Pro more this trip and experimenting with several of the video and photography features it has to offer. In this image I used the pano setting to capture this scene in the RAW format  which I processed in Lightroom. 

Skull Rock - Day 74

ISO 32, f/2.8, 1/1200th sec

 In Joshua Tree National Park there are numerous features that are must to stop and visit. Skull Rock is one of those places to see. Normally people are climbing all around this oddity to get photos however after getting up early for a sunrise session at Ryan Mountain we stopped by and had the area all to ourselves for about 10 minutes. I would highly recommend a visit to Joshua Tree NP if you have the opportunity.

Joshua Tree & Rocks - Day 73

ISO 32, f/2.8, 1/1200th sec

 The lone Joshua Tree stood out against the background of the large rock formation and the blue sky. The Joshua trees are such an interesting subject to photograph and nothing like that I can capture in the Connecticut area. Also the rock formations in the park offer great subjects in themselves as well.

Spanish Dagger Yucca - Day 72

ISO 32, f/2.8, 1/200th sec

 Joshua Tree National Park has so much to offer a photographer from grand landscapes to up close and personal subjects. This is a closeup image of a Spanish Dagger Yucca. The early morning light backlit the yucca highlighting the fibers from the rest of the plant. I took several different images of this particular yucca and this one by far is the one I will be printing in the future.

Arizona View - Day 71

ISO 50, f/1.5, 1/3200 sec

 This is my first posting from a photography trip to Arizona and California on am currently taking with two fellow photographers - Mark Camp and Mark Houde. This image I shot was from Picacho Peak State Park in Arizona. The state park sits between Tucson & Phoenix and is easily accessible from I-10. It was a quick stop for us because we heard that wildflowers were blooming there. However the temps were in the low 50s which didn't help with the blooming of the flowers. There is always a photo to be found though.

Driftwood Details - Day 70

ISO 6400, f/8.0, 1/90th sec

 This closeup photo of a large piece of driftwood was taken along the banks of the Connecticut River in Old Lyme. As I have stated in other closeup shots I enjoy working in B&W because it brings out the details, textures and patterns much better in my opinion. This is the 5th closeup image I have created out of 100.

Large Cedar = Day 69

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/125th sec

 I found this grove of large Eastern Red Cedars (Jumiperus virginiana) in Hopeville State Park. In a previous post I had featured a closeup of Red Cedar bark back on day 20. However, the sunlight was hitting this particular cedar making it stand out from all the rest and I knew I had a good shot. 

Swamp Maple Reflections - Day 68

ISO 2000, f/8.0, 1/180th sec

 Hell Hollow Pond is another location that I visit often and the day I took this photo I was glad I stopped by. There was just a hint of a breeze but not enough to really distract from the reflections in the water. I just loved all the shades of gray this image has produced. This is my 4th reflection image I have created out of 100.

Doorway to the Past - Day 67

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/90th sec

This is one of the doors to the John Bishop Museum in Lisbon. Built in 1810 it is an L-shape Georgian style 11 room farmhouse that has many unique features. It is directly across the road from the Newent Congregational church and the Lisbon town hall. The columns do a good job of framing the door in the image. This is the 5th architecture image I have created out of 100.

Through The Window - Day 66

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/250th sec

 Some of the churches that I have been posting about I have visited in the past to photograph. The Newent Congregational church is one of them where I captured this image. In this case I was looking for a different perspective than I normally had taken in the past. I processed this as a high contrast image to highlight the black and white tones. This is the 18th church out of 100. 

Packerville Steeple - Day 65

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/500th sec

 The Packerville Baptist Church is very small but offered some interesting that I have tried to capture in this photo. The steeple is very short but well detailed and the round window is very unique in itself. I used the roof lines to help lead your eyes up to the steeple and the bottom two help frame the window. This church makes number 17 out 100 that I want to photograph for my bucket list. Check out the entire content under "The List".

Doorway and Lamps - Day 64

ISO, 100, f/8.0, 1/45th sec

 This is another image from the Sterling Hill Baptist church. Again, in this photo I have so many items that help enhance the main subject - the doorway. Different items that help frame the subject like the faux columns the lamps are on. The handrails also help frame the doorway but also help lead your eyes to the doors. I also processed in it in a high key cool tone which I think works so well with the classic white New England style church. This is my 4th architecture image out of 100 I want to create.

Bell Tower & Windvane - Day 63

ISO 125, f/8.0, 1/60th sec

 This is an image that I love to create and its way I am so drawn to photographing churches and architecture in general. The two triangles pointing up, the repeating lines and patterns all leading your eyes to the windvane at the top of the image. I processed it a cool tone to give the winter feel to it as well. This is the 16th of 100 churches I want to photograph for the bucket list. 

Fall Brook View - Day 62

ISO 6400, f/8.0, 1/45th sec

 Some days I just like to wander around with nothing in mind to really photograph. On this day I was walking through Old Furnace state park scouting out locations for future reference. Fall Brook has many great areas to photograph and I will definitely be coming back to this spot. Having only my camera and no tripod I pushed the ISO up to 6400 which causes a bit of noise in the image but I don't mind that in B&W. This is my 9th aquatic image to date. 

Brooklyn Civil War Monument - Day 61

ISO 100, f/11, 1/350th sec

 Just yards down the road from the Israel Putnam monument you can see this monument to the men you served the Union in the Civil War from Brooklyn, Connecticut. It was erected in 1883 and the inscription reads "Erected to the memory of all the brave men who fought on land or sea or the preservation of the Union." It is also worth a stop if your in the area. This is monument 3 of 500 I have photographed.