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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Thawing

The small creeks that feed the Mohawk River are beginning to thaw out.  This one is at the Kiwanis Park off of NY Route 5S in Rotterdam Junction.












F Number11.0
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/160
Exposure ProgramManual
ISO200
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Gulls and geese

Behind the community college, gulls and geese don't mind sharing the same patch of open water.  Looking over the ice to the other side, one can see how low the river is when the lock impound dams are opened up each year.










F Number11.0
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/800
Exposure ProgramManual
ISO200
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Monday, March 7, 2011

Geese at SCCC

There is a patch of open water on the watery cul-de-sac behind the community college.  Canada geese have stopped here; I can only guess that these are an early contingent heading north.  This was frozen solid two weeks ago.

They didn't want to shake my hand, but they weren't too disturbed by my presence either.  You can see how little the ice has receded up the bank.  In a week where I'm standing will be impassable mud. hip deep!


F Number11.0
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/250
Exposure ProgramManual
ISO200
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The ice begins to recede

The March 2011 City Daily Photo Theme Day was My Favourite Part of Town.  So many people posted photos of water that I was inspired to go visit my own water, the Mohawk River.

The city was built on a bend in the river in 1661.  Back then, the river was at the back of the Dutch settlers and the alluvial plain in front of them.  The city gradually expanded along the river bank, and suburbs grew on the other side where bridges crossed it.  Looking at a map today, the political boundaries are easy to see, but looking across from either bank, there are houses looking back.

It rained recently, which means warm water flowing into the river.  The water level goes up and down with the weather.  If there's an ice jam downstream, this will all be under water in a few hours.  For now though, there is a delicate shelf of ice reaching out over the bit of the river bank that's free from winter's grip.

This photograph was taken behind Schenectady County Community College.  I would have embedded the Google map, but the 'embed' was disabled.  Oh well, I was standing at the orange oval to the left of centre.


F Number11.0
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/250
Exposure ProgramManual
ISO200
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Friday, March 4, 2011

Reflecting on ice

Ice is a fact of life here.  We haven't any storm drains, so the water needs to run all the way down to State Street - a whole block - to find a way out.  We had some snow, which meant the snow banks grew out into the street again, and then we had rain.  With the snow blocking the water, there was no place for the water to go, so it formed a giant puddle at the end of the driveway.

Then it froze.

Solid.

It doesn't seem like it, but the reflecting surface is a solid block of ice.  I used the Tenin Technique and placed the camera right on the ice to take this photo.  The lumps are from cars driving on it before it froze completely.

James at Newtown Daily Photo runs a theme called Weekend Reflections. Around a hundred photo bloggers post a photo containing a reflection; beautiful work. Click the link and go see!



F Number7.1
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/500
Exposure ProgramProgram AE
ISO200
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Exercise!

Everybody needs exercise, even when it's snowing!  Dressing right helps a lot, which explains the stylish red vest on the smallest pup.  My lovely bride goes out with a neighbour pretty much every day.  And the dogs do too.

F Number5.6
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/80
Exposure ProgramProgram AE
ISO100
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Monthly theme day - My favourite part of town

It's the first of the monthy, and many people in the City Daily Photo community are posting photos that reflect a common theme.  This month's theme is My favourite part of town
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

That's sort of hard for me to do because I would like to portray Schenectady in her best light, and many people will no doubt think a cemetery isn't that nice.

Well it turns out to be my favourite place.  Vale Cemetery has been seen many times on this blog.  It's one of those Victorian style, sit and meditate sort of places, with wandering paths, trees, a quiet stream and two ponds.  There is an indefinite border between Vale Cemetery and Vale Park; one can wander freely between the two and hardly know where one ends and the other begins.

There is wildlife that little ones can capture, carry and examine and put back.  Frogs, crayfish, fish large and small, turtles are all here.  Crickets, grasshoppers honeybees all scurry about.  There are gooseberries, raspberries, wild strawberries and black caps to eat in season.  Herons, hawks, finches, jays, cardinals and the ever present house sparrow all live here in harmony with the ducks and geese that pass through.

It's actually in a vale, so despite being nestled in between the two busiest streets in the city, it's amazingly quiet, with just the trickling water and your own thoughts to disturb the sound of birds and insects.  I love it here and so does my little one.  He will make any excuse to walk over - did I mention that it's an easy walk from the house?  Here he is, actively engaged with his surroundings.  He's heard a cricket and is wondering whether to catch this one or to march further, to the creek. 

It was taken with my Blackberry 8330.  I don't remember, but I bet he has me carrying something that would thunk the camera, so I left it at home.
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