Learn To Fly
Focal Length: 58mm | Aperture: f13 | Exposure: 1/2500 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
I highly recommend freely wandering the grounds at Shelburne Airport. It’s the closest you’ll probably be able to get to any aircraft in this day and age. I was in and out of hangars, peeking into cockpits, and just generally nosing around and exploring without a hint of authority looming over me. I was respectful, of course for there is that constant fear that your being watched even if it seems no one is around, so I played by the rules. When I stumbled upon the flying lesson hut, I fell in love with the sign “Learn to Fly” because it doesn’t specifically state that interested parties will be instructed in aeronautics or general aircraft piloting. And who doesn’t want to learn how to fly?
South End Grit
Focal Length: 20mm | Aperture: f4 | Exposure: 1/125 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
I was lucky enough to link up with friend and Chicago-based photographer Ian Merritt (IDM Photography), the day after Thanksgiving and ramble through what has become one of my favorite wastelands of industrial decay in the South End of B-Town off Flynn Avenue. I really cherish the exploring via the lens with a chum who shares the same excitement for photography and grimy subject matter, you find yourself feeding off of each other’s energy, almost pushing each other to find the ideal grab. It’s also really fun to see how the same place or subject is captured through another’s cam, what catches their eye, how they frame the shot etc. Ian is no exception, his work is incredible and I very much enjoy his keen eye and prolific body of work, swing through his kick-ass blog and be sure to peep the 50 Portraits Project he has underway, he also Tweets much more frequently than I, under the handle of @IDMPhoto.
Lusciously Mundane
Focal Length: 28mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/400 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
So let’s be honest: I fucking adore color, especially in often overlooked everyday circumstances. The bright orange of a traffic cone set against the dull and dirty background of asphalt, vibrant graffiti lining the walls of an avoided alley, the vividly colored plastic of trash or recycling bins on the sidewalk, I love all these things. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by such occurrences on a daily basis (most of us are), the trick is putting effort into actually observing and appreciating the splashes of color that are apparent in our everyday lives. Take a walk and soak it up.
Lost Highway
Focal Length: 18mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/4000 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
A little less than 1.5 miles of an empty four lane freeway spur off of I-89 spans from South Burlington into Burlington. The project was abandoned in the 1980’s due to funding and a few other programs that weren’t in the right place at the right time, deadlines were missed and eventually ideas shifted. Now this stretch of asphalt lies dormant and untouched, plants have begun to stake claim in cracks resulting from the ground shifting over the years. Jersey barriers adorned with colorful spraypaint block off the ends and a portion at the intersection of Industrial Ave. and Pine Streets has been turned into a makeshift parking lot for nearby businesses. It is a wasteland, an eerie graveyard of a public works project gone awry, a monument of what could have been. It’s also great place to add some miles to the shoes and snap a few rounds with the cam.
September Sky
Focal Length: 55mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/4000 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
The clouds were the first thing I noticed when I relocated to the Green Mountain State of Vermont from California. NorCal has some clouds, sure and some fog too but neither can hold a candle to the utter awe and dynamic structure the billions of water droplets band together to create above us here in VT. I’m consistently blown away on an almost daily basis, there’s big fatty dark looming clouds, skinny streaky wispy clouds, clouds that look as if a rake had been dragged across the sky and mountainous clouds that billow into pillars that make Everest look like a dinky ‘ol pile of pebbles. I’ve come to make an effort to photograph exclusively on days offering some cloud cover, as opposed to my favored clear blue sky shooting on the San Francisco Streets. The clouds add additional dimension and character, ya dig?
Petrol Tanks
Focal Length: 35mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/1250 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
I was able to wander down Flynn Avenue today and let my eyes lead my feet through the industrial wasteland. I was practically in heaven, a bevy of grit and colorful dilapidation laid before me, and the clouds were incredible. I nailed down a handful of decent slams that I look forward to posting here in the days to come, but I wanted to throw this image up first as I adore the simplicity of it.
Burlington Brick
Focal Length: 31mm | Aperture: f9 | Exposure: 1/320 | ISO: 250 | Post: CS4
Delicious simplicity, texture, color and composition. I love how you can see where the city has made an effort to remove the graffiti from the brick, yet traces of it linger…
Patriotic Minimalism
Focal Length: 22mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/320 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
This past Saturday, I ventured into Essex to check out the Champlain Valley Fair. I hadn’t been in over a decade, and well… not much has changed really. Murphy’s Law was in full effect as the one day I attended was the only day it rained, and the rain almost amplifies the level of depression at the fair. Lot’s of stuff you don’t need for twice the price, agricultural exhibitions, rickety rides, and oh yes: fried dough. Discovering the red white and blue Winnebago out behind a poultry showcase was what made my day, I adore simply composed pictures with color and grit. Yum.
Vacant Domicile
Focal Length: 40mm | Aperture: f5 | Exposure: 1/4000 | ISO: 1000 | Post CS1
The Stockbridge neighborhood in Charlotte, Vermont consists of maybe a dozen upper-class homes all plopped on communal acreage. One of the first houses as you enter the development has been abandoned for quite a few years, weeds and shrubs have taken over the windows and walkways, the pool is murky with flotsam and jetsam, the paint is making a break for it and there’s a car in the driveway that has actually sunk into the asphalt as a result of not moving for several years.
Main Street, Bristol
Focal Length: 125mm | Aperture: f8 | Exposure: 1/1600 | ISO: 400 | Post: CS1
Old and colourful storefronts line the (about one city block in length) main drag in Bristol, Vermont. A pristine yet glorious specimen of a small “anytown” USA.
Autumn Vibrancy
Focal Length: 18mm | Aperture: f8 | Exposure: 1/250 | ISO: 1250 | Post: CS1
For a very brief two weeks in the Fall, the deciduous trees in Vermont explode into saturated hues of yellow, orange and red. The mere sight of them contrasted by the deep blue of the October sky is why the word “awesome” truly exists. In a matter of days, the ground is blanketed by the same colors, leaving the trees naked for the frigid days yet to come.
The Breeding Barn
Focal Length: 18mm | Aperture: f22 | Exposure: N/A | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4 and PhotoMatix Pro
Focal Length: 18mm | Aperture: f22 | Exposure: N/A | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4 and PhotoMatix Pro
Focal Length: 18mm | Aperture: f22 | Exposure: 1/8 (+1.67) | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4 and PhotoMatix Pro
Sporti’s Burlington
Camera: Ilford Sporti | Film: Ilford HP5 120 | ISO: 400 | Post: CS4
I bought my second Ilford Sporti a few months ago off eBay from a chap in Britain. They seem to be quite rare in the states as my first Sporti was also from the UK. It’s a great little medium format (120) point and shoot camera built in [West] Germany during the 1960’s. It’s about as basic as you can get: two shutter speeds, focus from 5′ to infinity all encased almost entirely in metal so it’s pretty rugged for such a “cheap” camera. I love it’s retro looks and heft in addition to it’s medium format protocol.
There’s no metering whatsoever, nor is there through-the-lens (TTL) focusing, so there’s quite a bit of guess work involved which quite honestly, is half the fun for me. I shot a few test rolls in Burlington, and I was able to get them developed a few days ago. (Transferred from musingsviabones.com)
Pancho
Focal Length: 55mm | Aperture: f5.6 | Exposure: 1/640 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS1
Man’s best friend indeed, this guy is the shit.
Cross Processing
Focal Length: 22mm | Aperture: f10 | Exposure: 1/320 | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4
Within Photoshop, I manipulated each RGB channel in the Curves pane to reproduce a cross-processed effect. I love how it juices up the contrast and color saturation, maybe a little too much. Yum.
[Old] Dairy Barn
![dairybarn02HDRa [Old] Dairy Barn](http://roamandclick.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/dairybarn02HDRa.jpg "dairybarn02HDRa")
Focal Length: 19mm | Aperture: f22 | Exposure: N/A | ISO: 1000 | Post: CS4 and PhotoMatix Pro
A thunderhead rises just beyond the former Dairy Barn at Shelburne Farms in Vermont.
