Fan Clubmoss - Day 121

ISO 400, f/11, 1/10th sec

 I really like the textures and patterns I found on this cluster of Fan Clubmoss on a short hike in Pachaug State Forest. It's always interesting on what you find when your really not looking for anything in general to photography. Though most people tend to look up and forward when walking in the woods I tend to be looking down. This is my 8th flora shot out of 1000 i want to capture. 

Lowden Brook - Day 120

ISO 100, f/22, 0.3 sec

 Lowden Brook in Pachaug State Forest is one of those places I go back to photography time and time again. It's a very peaceful location that is easily accessible most time of the year. Plus the area surrounding the brook also offers some great nature and flora subjects as well. This is my 11th aquatic image I have captured.

Saints Thomas & Anne Steeple - Day 119

ISO 400, f/11, 1/1000th sec

   I used the roof lines as a framing tool to help focus attention on the steeple for the Saints Thomas and Anne church in Voluntown. They also provided good leading lines in the composition as well. The clouds provided a very nice background too. This is the 28th church I have captured in eastern Connecticut out of 100. 

Dandelion - Day 118

ISO 400, f/11, 1/250th sec

 This image is of a Dandelion in full bloom a few days before it starts the process of changing to a puff ball of seed pods that will blow off in the slightest breeze. Believe it or not, dandelions are edible. The leaves can be used in a salad or cooked like spinach. You can also make a tea or wine out of dandelions as well. This is the 7th flora image I have posted to date.

Moss Phlox - Day 117

ISO 400, f/11, 1/500th sec

 These Phlox were growing along a stone wall. I got in close to capture this image. When I look for flora and nature subjects to photography I like some chaos in the image. Your eye just wanders through out the scene looking at all the details it can find. This is the 6th flora image I have posted to date.

Window & Cherry Blossoms - Day 116

ISO 400, f/11, 1/350th sec

 This stain glass window can be found on the Baptist Church in Voluntown. The flowering tree made for a nice counterpoint to the window. I have been looking to add more objects to my church and architecture photos that add a different perspective that you might not normally see in similar images. This makes the 27th different church I have captured here in eastern Connecticut to date. 

Pine Bark Textures - Day 115

ISO 400, f/11, 1/30th sec

 Closeup images in nature have always intrigue me and this shot of a section of pine tree bark is no exception. In B&W you can really get a feeling of the textures in the bark. I enjoy looking more closely at nature this way and it helps you see things a little differently than you normally would. This is my 8th closeup image I have posted.

Large Round Window - Day 114

ISO 400, f/11, 1/350th sec

 I am always on the lookout for unique architectural details of any kind. I found this large round window on a church. I have never come across a window like this before with all the different panes and the interesting woodwork for the framing. This is the 15th architectural detail I have posted to my blog for my bucket list project.

Steeple & Cross - Day 113

ISO 400, f/11, 1/1500th sec

 This steeple image is from the St. Francis of Assisi church on the Lebanon green. The steeple and cross were well lit by the late afternoon sun and stood out against the overcast sky. I also had some great leading lines from the roof line to help draw your eyes to the steeple section as well. This is the 26th church I have photographed to date. 

Daffodils - Day 112

ISO 400, f/11, 1/90th sec

 A sure sign of spring in eastern Connecticut is Daffodils in bloom. You can find them in gardens, along stonewalls and in randomly in fields and pastures. I photographed these besides a well-maintained row of evergreen hedges. I really like the different patterns and textures between the grass, Daffodils and hedges. This is the 5th of 1000 flora images I want to create.  

Details In the Pediment - Day 111

ISO 400, f/11, 1/500th sec

 A pediment is usually a triangular gable forming the end of the roof slope over the portico. This particular ornate pediment can be found at the First Baptist church on the Lebanon Green. Though the original church was built in 1805 this section was clearly added at a later date. However, it is a wonderful piece of architectural detail. This is the 25th church I have photographed, and it puts me on a pace to complete this bucket list item by the end of the year.

Architectural Details - Day 110

ISO 400, f/11, 1/500th sec

I am blessed to live in a state that is rich with historic and old buildings. With that comes many unique architectural features and details that can be photographed. You just have to take the time to search for them while out and about. Case in point is this photo of the woodwork and top of a column of a church built in 1805 and is still in use today. This is the 14th architecture image I have created out of 100 I want to produce for my bucket list.

Overgrown Basement Door - Day 109

ISO 400, f/11, 1/20th sec

 Walking around a section of Rogers, a small hamlet in Killingly, I stumble upon this scene. The door was located on the back of an abandon church which led to the basement. The worn-out bottom of the door and the overgrown vines highlighted the current state of the church. The cross on the door is the only indication of what the building was. This is the 13th architecture image I have posted to date.

Stonewall Shadow & Light - Day 108

ISO 400, f/11, 1/125th sec

 Part of my love for B&W photography is the interplay between the shadows and light of a particular scene. In this image of a stonewall it provides a nice contrast between the two. You still get good details in both sides of the wall too. This is my 7th closeup image I have created out of 100 for my bucket list to date.

A Path Less Taken - Day 107

ISO 400, f/11, 1/125th sec

 This is a pedestrian bridge along the Airline State Park Trail in Pomfret. I love using composition tools like leading lines in my photos. Here the numerous lines of the bridge help focus your eyes through the image and down the path in the distance. Spring is upon us here in eastern Connecticut and soon these bare trees will be covered in leaves.

Old Station Window - Day 106

ISO 400, f/11, 1/180th sec

 This photo of an old train station is the reason I enjoy architecture photography. There is just so much to see and enjoy in this image. In my opinion B&W works so well with this scene as well. From several of my photos posted here on the blog I like a photo with some symmetry to it. Add the textures and patterns to the view and this in a nutshell is what I want to create. This is the 12th architecture image I have posted on the blog. 

Hanging Lamp - Day 105

ISO 400, f/11, 1/250th sec

 Though I enjoy photographing architecture in general it's the details that really draw my attention. Case in point with this hanging lamp on a local church. After a spending a bit of time working on photographing the church I kept coming back to this particular lamp. Though this is not a usual composition by placing the lamp in the center of the image I think it works well here. This is the 11th architecture image I have posted to date.

Early Spring Steeple - Day 104

ISO 400, f/11, 1/250th sec

 As you can tell from a few of my most recent posts I have been doing a lot of church photography. This steeple image was taken of the First Congregational Church of Pomfret. I liked the contrast between the high clouds, the bare trees and the church. This photo is number 24 of 100 churches I want to capture here in eastern Connecticut.

Church Details - Day 103

ISO 400, f/11, 1/60th sec

 One of the numerous reasons I am drawn to photographing churches in general is the details you find throughout the architectural design. This image was taken from the Most Holy Trinity church. The stain glass windows and lamp were located above the front doorway. I like the repeating elements in the image and the items that help frame the windows and lamp too. This is my 10th architecture image I have posted to date. 

Steeple Scene - Day 102

ISO 400, f/11, 1/250th sec

 This steeple scene is from the Most Holy Trinity church in Pomfret. It sits at the intersection of routes 97 and 169 and is a quaint looking church. The sky was a nice backdrop that day with high wispy clouds breaking up the blue. This is the 23rd church I have photographed here in eastern Connecticut in my pursuit for 100. 

Bell Tower Contrast - Day 101

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

 Besides trying different points and views and composition styles I have been expanding my techniques in my digital darkroom workflow. In this case I used a high contrast setting to draw the eye to the very bright face of the bell tower of the Federated Church of Christ. There is still enough details in the shadow side of the tower and the bare tree offers a good framing tool as well. This is the 22nd church of eastern Connecticut I have photographed to date. 

Climbing Ivy - Day 100

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/15th sec

 While photography several churches one morning I happened upon this English Ivy climbing up the brickwork. I used the leading lines of the metal handrail to draw the eye to the base of the ivy which allows you to explore the rest of the image. I enjoy placing flora against hard surfaces to give the feeling of soft and hard in the photo. This is my 4th flora image out of 1000 I want to create. 

Looking Through - Day 99

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/90th sec 

 As I photography more churches in eastern Connecticut, this being number 21, I have been working with different points of view and unique compositions. I think this photo of a window from the Unitarian Church in Brooklyn fits that bill. I thought looking through this window and out through the other two gives you a different perspective.

Rooflines & A Bell Tower - Day 98

 

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/350th sec

This bell tower is part of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Connecticut. The church sits right at the intersection of routes 6 and 169. The stonework on the church works so well with B&W photography and is prominent throughout the entire exterior. I used the rooflines to help frame the bell tower and lead your eyes to it as well. This is my 20th of 100 churches I want to photograph in eastern Connecticut.

Wiley Outhouse - Day 97

ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/60th sec

 This outhouse is part of the historic Wiley Schoolhouse along route 49 in Voluntown, Connecticut. The one room schoolhouse was built in 1856 and was used until 1939 by the town. It now serves as a meeting place and a museum for the local historic society. This is my 9th architecture image I have created for my bucket list project. 

Sunset Over Sprague - Day 96

ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/200th sec

 This drone image of a sunset over Sprague was taken above the Shetucket River at about 150 feet. I really enjoy using the drone to capture a different point of view that you normally don't see or expect. I haven't flown much in the last few months due to the weather but I am going to make an effort to using my DJI Mini Pro 3 more in the next several weeks. This is my 4th sunset image of 100 I want to take this year. 

Mount Misery Brook in Motion - Day 95

ISO 100, f/19, 1 sec

Besides architecture and churches in general, I am also drawn to photography water in motion. This can be of rivers or waterfalls and in this case a small brook. I enjoy working with my shutter speed and aperture settings to get the desire effect in my image. In this case I ended up with a shutter speed of 1 second to create this image. However, I have used speeds from 1/2000th to 15 seconds to get the look I wanted in my photos. This is my 10 aquatic image I have created and posted to date.  

Swamp Grass Chaos - Day 94

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/90th sec

 I took this image about 200 yards down the trail from where I took yesterday's post in Pachaug SF. I got down low and in close to capture the textures and details in the scene. I like that your eye never really rests on one spot but is constantly look throughout the image to see all it has to offer. I like the tension it creates as well for the viewer. This is my 6th closeup image for item 62 on my bucket list.

Stumps and Swamp Grass - Day 93

ISO 3200, f/16, 1/125th sec

 Pachaug State Forest is another place where I wander and take many of my photos. It is where I captured this image one morning. There was no wind and the water was like a mirror which allowed me to capture these reflections on the stumps and swamp grass in the foreground. It is intimate landscape scenes that I am most drawn to when I am looking for a landscape to photograph. This is the 5th reflection image I have created on my quest for 100. 

Monthly Update #1 - Day 92

ISO 400, f/11, 1/250th sec

 On the first of every month, I will provide a quick update on the progress I am making on checking off items on my photography bucket list. My recent trip to Arizona/California has allowed me to complete 2 items on my list. Number 5 on the list, create a print worthy image in Joshua Tree National Park and number 67, shoot the Saguaro cactus in Saguaro National Park. I have also been working on several other items most notably photographing 100 churches in eastern Connecticut which I have 19 to date.

Please feel free to view the entire bucket list under the page "The List".