Theme day - Details

On the first of the month, the City Daily Photo blogging community members choose a common theme that we then post our interpretation of.  This month, the theme was Details.  Click the link to see all the amazing interpretations of this month's theme!

As for me, like most of the theme days, this stretched my comfort zone.  I had literally no idea what to post until out cat Savannah decided to pose, and then all became clear.  Well, not exactly.  She's an indoor cat, a rescue, and she doesn't go outdoors (although she's been known to sneak out from time to time.)  That means taking her portrait indoors.

I haven't got a studio.  No umbrellas, no multiple flashes, no klieg lights.  I have regular fluorescent swirly lamps that screw into Edison sockets.  I could use the on-camera flash, but that tends to flatten the image.  So I started shooting.  Handheld, since Savannah's patience only lasts so long and then she wanders elsewhere.  And so, I made my own luck by managing an indoor shot that wasn't blurry from my hand shake.  Or the cat moving.  Or the autofocus finding a bizarre spot to make razor sharp.  I did shoot in in RAW and crop it in SilkyPix.  I kind of like how it turned out.  There's a lot of detail in her face!

F Number	5.6
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/13
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Autumn rose

Our roses typically have a flourish of blooms in late spring, then settle down to greenery for the rest of the year.  Occasionally, something will spur the blooming of a flower or two later on.  It might be the cooler nighttime temperatures or the length of the day.  Or maybe the roses can hear the geese calling overhead, who knows?  Somehow though, these precious few autumnal roses seem so special.

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/40
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Foggy sidewalk

Another foggy morning.  I can't resist these photos.

Lens	Tamron SP 35-80mm f2.8 MD
F Number	5.6
Focal Length	75.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/25
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Wildflowers

Wildflowers in the sun.  I couldn't resist the purple among the green.

F Number	7.1
Focal Length	38.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/320
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Peek-a-boo

Huckleberry caught can napping.

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/5
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Lance is on the case

Took out my viola to play a bit of a duet with the youngest and Lance took the opportunity to make himself comfortable.  I've always lived with at least one cat who liked to sit or sleep in my viola case.  Lance is by far the largest cat do to do though.  Silly boy!

F Number	4.9
Focal Length	25.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/5
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Harvest moon

The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere.  The story is that farmers used to use this bright moonshine to help them gather the harvest.  Maybe.  All the farmers I know get up early, but it is quite bright; bright enough to cast a shadow and bright enough to walk on irregular fields without tripping every other step.

I took out the old Tamron zoom lens that I used to use on my 35mm Minolta film camera.  Mounted on a tripod, the combination of the Tamron and the Lumix G1 wasn't too bad.  I shot through the opened attic window, used Silkypix to develop the raw file into this jpeg.  I kind of like the abstract look.

Lens	Tamron Adaptall 2 80-210mm f/3.8
F Number	8
Focal Length	420.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/60
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Kid

This is Kid.  He's a horse at Winter Glen Farm, in nearby Guilderland.  The youngest has been taking riding lessons, and he really likes Kid.  Who wouldn't?

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/25
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	400
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Sunset over Bascom Lodge

In September, I go for 5 days to Mt Greylock, MA to participate in a ham radio contest.  When I get back I can hear faint Morse code in every fan and motor.  And it'll take me a few days to use my own call sign on the air after using the contest group's call so often.  It's a good time; familiar faces converge on the place from as far away as Virginia.

This September's contest was a little hard; we had solid rain during Thursday's setup.  It was solid fog with scattered showers on Friday, and Saturday was wet in the morning, clearing into the afternoon.  When, of course, we no longer need to be outside!

This is the sunset on Saturday, 14 Sep 2013.  The building is Bascom Lodge, built in the 1930s.

F Number	5.0
Focal Length	26.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/40
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Huckleberry

Huck enjoying a very nice late summer day.  I had to attract his attention because he'd rather be looking out the window...

F Number	5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm
Exposure Time	1/160
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	160
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire