Wedding Intro Test

This is a test version of an intro for a wedding video -  I used Trapcode's Particular (several layers) and SoundKeys to create the dancing light bits -- and Particular for the leaves.  It was all done in After Effects - After Effects has got to be one of the best programs ever created. Would love to get some feedback on this. . .       Ed

BTW the music is Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar - nice. . .

Great Video On Creativity

Belief Design - Chain Reaction from Alex Fuerst on Vimeo.

This is just an amazing look at creativity... thought I should share.

Happy New Year to all who visit. I really appreciate you stopping by and taking a peek at my work and what I like to share. Looking forward to posting a lot in 2011 -  I haven't been lazy recently (maybe a little) although it must seem that way. This is just a busy time of year.  I have some things I will post soon that I have been working on.  Been doing some video projects and FX work - maybe I should post some of that here..... hmmmmmm.

The Shad Factory Pond

Sunset at Shad Factory

Megan and I went down to the Shad Factory Pond a couple of weeks ago and I just got around to processing this image.  I always loved this place, it is about a mile from our old house in Rehoboth and always brings back memories. It was fun to go here with Megan to shoot, but we missed the actual setting of the sun by about 2 minutes....

The Seamen's Bethel

The Seamen's Bethel, New Bedford, MA (click image to view panorama)

"The Seamen's Bethel was specifically constructed for the many sailors who called New Bedford their home port (mostly whalers), who considered it a matter of tradition that one visited the chapel before setting sail.
The bethel was immortalized in Herman Melville's epic whaling tome, Moby-Dick, as the "Whaleman's Chapel" in a scene where a fire-and-brimstone sermon is given from a bow-shaped pulpit." - Wikipedia

This is rehearsal day for Erin and Shawn's wedding.  View the panorama here.

Docking Tapestry - High Speed

A short video of coming home to the dock with Tapestry.  I sped this up 4 times regular speed using Adobe After Effects -  this three minute video was originally 12 minutes long before I changed it. Tapestry is our Great Harbour 37 - a very comfortable cruising boat. This was our last great / long cruising weekend of 2010.

Tapestry - Great Harbour 37

The Interior renovations

Andi and Carol make decorating plans

The interior layout is fantastic and keeps the spirit of the cottage alive but greatly increasing the views of the bay with the 'bay' window. This will be the breakfast nook --- I would be eating breakfast all day long.
Panorama here

The Exterior of the cottage

The Exterior

The view of the cottage from the 'front yard' - the water side.  Looks like there may be some scrap to haul away, or maybe a beach bonfire is in the future.... Panorama is here.

On the beach at Prudence Island

View of the house from the beach

This is a view of Van and Andi's Prudence home from the beach.  Tapestry and Psyche are anchored off the beach. Andi and Van are completely renovating this beach cottage.  Likely the most spectacular view of the bay - from Providence to Portsmouth.  A full 180 degree view of the bay.

Cross Sound Ferry J. Henry

Leaving New London

Heading out to the jobsite on Long Island for Vibco with Karl on the 7:00 am ferry J. Henry. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the ferry ride was easy with good conversation and great views. This is the front of the boat as we left the harbor. And this is the view from the back deck as we were returning later in the day, going through Plum Gut.

A video project

Primitive 5 seconds from Edward Huff on Vimeo.

This is a very short video (5 seconds) I created for a contest at www.greyscalegorilla.com - could only use primitive shapes and the video could be no longer than 5 seconds. I created this using Cinema 4D and After Effects

The Flume

Along the Flume trail (click image to view panorama)

On our way back from Maine we hiked the flume trail. I shot this panorama handheld as I lost my tripod canoeing on Saturday. New Hampshire was beautiful and I would certainly recommend the flume anytime of year.

Also of note, the exhibition "Crossroads" has gone live at the World Wide Panoramas site.  I have already shared my entry of Crossroads (see below) but typically nearly 300 panorama photographers participate in this quarterly event.  Check it out here.

Crossroads

Under the crossroads

This is going to be my entry for the upcoming World Wide Panoramas exhibition.  The theme was crossroads and the new Iway Project seemed to fit the bill nicely.  This was taken at sunrise on the last day of summer. . . To view the panorama click here.

Dee's Place, East Providence

Dee's Place, Tuesday Morning

Once a week for the past twenty years or so my friend Christopher and I have been meeting for breakfast on Tuesday mornings. For the past fifteen years it has been here at Dee's on Warren Avenue in East Providence. As the days get shorter we seem be be arriving in darkness. If ever you want a good 'home cooked' breakfast, try Dee's Place.

New Blog Posted

New Blog!  Ben and Pappa are going to chronicle their adventures on their own blog!

www.benandpappa.com

Gloucester Harbor

Lobster boats of Gloucester

We took a drive up to Cape Ann in Massachusetts today. I shot this on the Gloucester waterfront. I had a frustrating day with the camera.  Only got a few good shots and that was in spite of myself. Suffering from bad focus, camera shake and a number of maladies.. better hunting next time. Just feeling old this weekend... damn.

Newport International Polo

Newport International Polo • Washington Trust Cup

Today we went to a polo match in Portsmouth Rhode Island and watched the Washington Trust Cup where Newport got trounced. The final Score was 17 to 8 -yikes! Newport really got beat. It was a great day and lots of friends showed up.

New Rhody 360 URL

In case you haven't noticed, Rhody360 has a new address.  It is now rhody360.com. While trying to work out some blog things for VIBCO (www.vibco.com) I created a domain for Rhody360 so now it is even easier to remember and to get to.  Hope this helps. The old address will redirect you and both www.rhody360.com and rhody360.com should get you here. And coming soon will be a great new blog for VIBCO and all things concerning vibrators, vibration and the Vibration Nation.

Wicked Thrift, Cape Cod

Wicked Thrift Shop, Cape Cod  -- Click on image to view panorama

We stopped at this thrift shop during our weekend with friends on Cape Cod.  It was in West  Dennis, on Rte 28 on Cape Cod and although they had lots of cool stuff, we found nothing to buy. But it was still a pretty cool place. You can visit their site here.

Just clouds

This was an experiment I did at work.  I set up the camera (Nikon D300s) and shot at intervals. No music, no action, just clouds.  I was one of those beautiful summer days with the puffy cloud thing going on. I am going to use this footage in a Vibco project.. I think it would make a great title intro. The resolution here is crap... the original is very nice.  I still gotta clone out a coupla birds. . .

Beach Ave, Block Island

A runner on Block Island

This panorama was taken at the bridge on Beach Avenue on Block Island early one morning while we were cruising.  As I was setting up my camera I could see this lady running far down the road - I awaited her approach and shot as she made it to the bridge. The day before as we were leaving the beach there were about twenty kids jumping off the bridge - directly over the sign that says don't jump off the bridge.... ah to be young again.

St Columba Memorial Chapel, Middletown, RI

St. Columba Memorial Chapel, Middletown (click image to view panorama)

I took this panorama several weeks ago and just had not posted it.  We had stopped by the chapel to visit the cemetery and I decided to shoot the chapel as well.  I should have shot HDR images but felt pressed for time. I think I will go back and shoot this place again. This one feels incomplete.

Block Island, Early Morning

Along Dodge Street, New Shoreham, Block Island

Early morning on Dodge Street. I shot this early Saturday morning on the 7th of August when we were cruising.

Robins Island, New York

Sunrise, Robins Island - Click Image to view Panorama

We anchored here in the lee of Robins Island in about 7 feet of water along with Psyche, Gypsy Sole, Pepsea and others. Robins Island is in Peconic Bay. This is a large file so it takes a while time to load.  A lot of the time was speculating about the owner of the island.  Here is what we found in Wikipedia:
Robins Island is currently owned by Wall Street financier Louis Bacon, who purchased it in 1993 at a bankruptcy court auction for $11 million. Bacon has invested considerably in restoring the neglected island, going so far as to import full-grown oak trees to replace ones harvested for lumber years earlier. Some non-native grasses were removed from the island and replaced, and hunters reduced an overgrown deer population. The island has the healthiest turtle population in the state, which includes the Eastern mud turtle. Bacon is known for hosting traditional English "driven pheasant" hunts on the island for wealthy guests.

Early Morning on Payne's Dock

On Payne's Dock in the early morning - Click on image to view 360º Panorama

I had gone out for a pre sunrise walk to take photos and when I returned the dock was beginning to come to life. This shot shows just how crowded the dock were.  The boat in the foreground on the other side of the picnic tables is Psyche, our friend Van and Andi's Nordhavn. The were able to get this boat to open water without removing any other boats... these guys are amazing to watch.  Video to come soon.....

Paynes Dock from the roof of Tapestry

Payne's Dock, New Harbor, Block Island - Click Image to view panorama

We arrived here on Thursday afternoon after a 5 hour cruise from Pawtuxet Cove in Cranston. We thought it was crowded, but they were able to put many more boats in here. I have never seen such boat handling at the dock, squeezing boats in and out all day long... amazing.

New Shoreham, Block Island At Sunrise

New Shoreham and Old Harbor

This is a view of downtown New Shoreham, the main village on Block Island. The National Hotel and the Surf Hotel dominate the 'skyline'. Taken just after sunrise and a nice long walk. This is a rather large file so it may take a minute to load. Ed

Jumping

Some footage of kids jumping off the boat the other day.

Back in the tunnel

East Side Access Project • Somewhere Under Manhattan

I made a trip back down to New York for Vibco this week to visit the tunnel project I was at last year. The East Side Access Project consists of eight new subway tubes connecting Long Island City (Queens) to Grand Central Station in Manhattan.  It was a long walk from Long Island City. . . and muddy. . . and humid. . . and hot. . . --- I ended up exhausted ( I left for the city at 4 am) -- covered with mud, (I walked for an hour and forty minutes to get to this spot) I was hungry and thirsty --- I had a blast.  Everyone should have the opportunity in life to experience new things. Trust me when I say that I was way out of of my comfort zone, but it makes for a good story and you all know how much I like a good story.

So I haven't been blogging for a while so I will try to catch up here a bit. Tapestry is back in the water and we have spent some time cruising nights and weekends. The Bamboo Wars are ongoing as the enemy has doubled it efforts this year. While we were traveling this spring Benny pulled over 160 bamboos from our front yard.

Basically I got busy and lazy at the same time and the blog suffered but I will try to do better.  I have actually shot a lot, just haven't been posting. So maybe I can pick up from here and move forward.  We are planning some cruising soon and I am hoping to get lots of good shots then.  I have also been watching with amazement as my daughter is rapidly becoming THE photographer in the family.  Check out her blog here.

The Final Four -- well maybe. . .

This good looking group is the Huff family.  Dave (youngest brother) and his wife Kathy, Carol and me - and my big brother Dan. This picture was taken at Rick's Cafe in Omaha last Saturday night where Dave treated us all to a very nice dinner. Thanks little brother. The next morning we flew back to New England, and it was a completely uneventful day of travel - everything worked like it was supposed to.  But let's get caught up to date.  We we were last traveling we were in Deadwood which is a long way from Omaha.  Overnight the wind began to howl once again and we awoke to about 2 or more inches of snow and ice on the car and the roads covered and slippery. Carol and I got underway early and took route 14 back up to Sturgis where we got coffee, but only after I spilled my cup all over the store... Once on 90 East we decided to stop at the Wall Drug Store (link to their site) in Wall, South Dakota for breakfast. We had heard about Wall Drug from just about everyone and had seen signs all along 90. As it turns out it is the only thing to see from Deadwood to Omaha. They serve a pretty good breakfast and coffee is only a nickle... and I didn't even spill any.

Wall Drug Store Outside

Wall Drug Inside

Once we got beyond Wall, SD things began to flatten out and even though there wasn't a lot to look at it was still an interesting ridge, albeit a long one. East of Wall we turned south on Big Foote road to get away from the highway and take a look.  Not much here either...

Big Foote Road

Late in the afternoon out little GPS took us across a small piece of Iowa, (Pottawattamie County) and into Nebraska and right to David's door where my brothers were waiting outside for us. It was so good to catch up with them as we all hadn't been together for a while.

At Dave's

We had a wonderful visit and a great vacation all around. Special thanks to Jason out on the west coast and to all his friends who welcomed us with open arms and showed us such a great time, and to Dave for his generous hospitality, and to Dan for making the trip from Illinois so we could all be together. Thanks to all the folks back at Vibco for picking up the slack while I was away and thanks Karl for for the time off at this busy time, (I'm afraid I missed more than one circus) and especially the loan of the big lens.... so many cool shots. Keep an eye on the blog as I will continue to post and am working on a picture gallery of the trip - start to finish.  I also took a 78 shot panorama of San Francisco with the large telephoto which I haven't stitched yet and many other panoramas... so there are still things to be done.

Cody to Deadwood

Mount Rushmore - Looks like they are crying

As you can see by the image above, our good weather is beginning to run  out.  While here a Mount Rushmore today we had fog and snow and rain.  Later it cleared and even later it snowed again.  Temps ranged from 21 in Spearfish Canyon to 45 in Keystone... go figure. So our journey began with family in San Francisco, Jason, Megan, Dan, Ben and Gracie and tomorrow we journey to Omaha and join my two brothers Dan and Dave, so we end with family. This is a great trip.  Thanks for all the feedback from everyone who has kept in touch.  We often curse technology but it has really enhanced our experience on this trip, so to the folks at work, friends at home and away and family across the country, thanks for being a great part of this trip. OK, enough sappy stuff, here is what you really want - the photos.  First off - it is a long drive from Cody to Deadwood, but we liked the Cody Historical Museum so much we went back for a while before heading out on the road.  This first shot I took in the firearms part of the museum - wow what a collection. They didn't allow tripods and I didn't have my 8mm lens so I shot this one hand held, six shots with a 10.5 mm lens. It didn't stitch all that well and since I had a lot to stitch I didn't fuss with it too much but you can see some of the issues that arise when doing this stiff.

Cody Museum Firearms collection

Once on the road we settled into landscape watching and it didn't disappoint.  This is a varied landscape.
Here is a sampling from along the route (s)

Routes 14-16-20 - a Barren spot off the road

Museum of Flight - a bit west of Greybull - this place was littered with dead aircraft

Routes 14-16-20 - Near Shell, approaching the Bighorn Mountains

As I had mentioned before, Carol isn't too keen on heights and the Bighorn Mountains kept her alert...
Climbing up the Bighorn Mountains we followed Shell Creek (My brother Dave suggested that we stop at the falls -- they were closed to repair the facilities) where we found this overlook and met a happy camper named Terry and his dog Wiley who has been there in his trailer for a while, (couple of months) hiking the mountains looking for antlers.  He said he gets $8 a pound. This was a beautiful spot.

Shell Creek Overlook 1

Shell Creek Overlook 2 with Carol and Terry

This is where the climb really began and we reached 9033 feet at the summit

Bighorn Summit

Bighorn Overlook 1 - Called Fallen City because of a landslide

Bighorn Overlook 2 - The missing trees on the far hillside is from a tornado in 1959 - that's what the sign said!!!

Once out of the mountains and we were eager to get to Sheridan as we had seen signs for Dan's Western Wear and I needed a western shirt.  Sheridan didn't disappoint and we had lunch at the local brew pub, food was great - the local beer was not so hot. Just east of Sheridan we crossed a huge coal strip mining operation and saw many oil wells pumping.  In the shot below far in the distance is a train full of coal and it is behind an oil well...lots of energy out here.

Route 90 near Sheridan

As the day progressed, and because of our late start we hemmed and hawed over going to Devils Tower but decided to go even though it would be late in the day.  We arrived just before 7 pm as it was getting dim if not dark.  We saw many deer, pronghorns, turkeys and prairie dogs along the way.  The decision was the right one as we loved Devils Tower and wish we could have arrived earlier in the day.  The light was poor and we didn't have too much time for hiking.  We hiked up to the base of the skree but it was getting darker so we opted to head out toward Deadwood, an hour away.

Devils Tower from the approach

Devils Tower from the visitors center.

We arrived in Deadwood just after dark and just before it began to snow. Perfect timing.  We are at Cadillac Jack's casino which came recommended - thanks Missy. This is a good spot although there seems to be an age and weight requirement for the women here this week -- lot of old fat ladies.... maybe it is a club or secret order or something.  Today we struck out in the snow to climb to the Mt. Moriah Cemetery and visit the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane and other notables of the old west.

The grave of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane

From there we went back down into town and did a bit of shopping, found some jewelry and even visited the local museum (doesn't compare with the Cody Museum) and then took off for Mount Rushmore and of course the snow began.  We took the scenic route down along 385 and it was spectacular.  We had Mountain Goats at the entrance to Mount Rushmore.  Here is a shot from the viewing area - they really are big, but don't look it here.  I talked to my friend Bob today and he told me that the market took a nose dive... it looks like these guys are crying, maybe it is about the market.

Mount Rushmore

The small village of Keystone at the base of Mount Rushmore caters to us tourists.  We had a turkey melt at the family restaurant here - pretty good. If you ever need a Mt Rushmore/South Dakota/Black Hills souvenir - this is the place.

Keystone, SD

On the return from Rushmore we took a swing through Sturgis.  My brothers ride over here every summer for the great gathering -- I felt like such a poser walking around here driving a Ford....... Cool town and with the countryside I understand why people return year after year.  There is a lot of really really nice sculpture here.  The shot below doesn't do justice to this piece but I tried.  I love this.  Zoom in and check out that it is made from saw blade and wrenches and leaf springs... so nice.

Sturgis sculpture

After returning to Deadwood I dropped Carol off at Cadillac Jacks as she needed to use the exercise room, it has been a sedentary vacation.  Spurts of hiking and long time sitting in the car.  Should have been the other way around.  Anyway, I took a drive up through Spearfish Canyon which is as beautiful as just about anything we have seen.  I hiked down to photograph Spearfish Falls... very cool spot.

Spearfish Falls

Near Spearfish Falls

So that is about all I have for now.  I shot a lot more images than I am posting here tonight - time is the limiting factor today as we will be up at 5:00 to head out early tomorrow. Am eager to visit with brothers and catch up on everything. No gallery today.... maybe over the weekend.....

Yellowstone to Cody

The drive to Yellowstone from Idaho Falls was an uneventful relaxing drive.  When we arrived it was a cold and windy day, later as you will see in the photos it began to snow and rain.  The hot springs and mudpots and the whole geothermal nature of Yellowstone was amazing.

Hot springs

Mudpots - just boiling bubbling and stinky mud

Geysers Mudpots and Fumeroles - Oh my

We stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge which is just across from the famous Geyser.  We arrive about ten minutes before Old Faithful was scheduled to blow so I set up my camera and waited. This is of course the precise moment it began to rain and snow and the clouds  moved in and the flakes got big
and well, damn, I took about the worst panorama ever... bugger!

Old Faithful

The Snow lodge was a beautiful building.  Carol and I loved the architecture and the way they decorated the whole place.  We had some really bad service but when we checked out, I had a chat with the manager, who was very gracious and the result was a complete refund for our stay. I don't normally complain but this time was a bit too much.  Anyway - Here are a couple of pix from the Snow Lodge.

Snow Lodge Lobby

Room 1010

This morning after all the hubbub at the registration desk I scraped the ice off the windshield and we got underway right at 8:00 - on the snow and ice covered roads.  More snow was predicted but we had blue skies and still had the high winds. The route to Cody (112 miles east) was closed so we had to drive 100 miles north to Livingston then 120 miles east and then 75 miles south - some detour. It is 50 miles to the north exit in Gardiner, MT and these 50 miles took us two and half hours because of the snow and ice, and some road construction too. The roads were awful until the last five miles where the snow completely disappeared, the sun came out, and the temps went into the forties... go figure.

A branch of the Yellowstone in the park - many animal tracks in the dirt here, I saw deer, elk and maybe wolf tracks.

The exit

Near the gate in the panorama above you can maybe make out an Elk and to the left of the sign there is a small herd of deer - white tails. We had also just passed wolves working on a carcass of something.

The wind was high and when we were on route 90 heading east we saw a tractor-trailer blown over on the other side of the highway. Leaving route 90 and heading back south toward Cody we traveled route 72

Route 72 - somewhere in Wyoming

Clark Fork of the Yellowstone - a tributary

We arrived in Cody at about 4:30 and checked into the Irma Hotel.  This is the hotel the Buffalo Bill Cody built in 1902 in this town he founded.  The bar in the restaurant was a gift from Queen Victoria and valued at $100,000.00 in 1902.

Irma Hotel

Irma Hotel Restaurant and Bar

We visited the Buffalo Bill Museum which is home to the Whitney's Museum of Western Art.  Spectacular. We only had time for a tour of the art gallery but so may paintings and sculptures of the west by Remington, Russell, Catlin and others.  Amazing.  We are going back in the morning before heading to Deadwood.

And of course a gallery, this one of shots from around Yellowstone - yesterday and today

Gallery

Hope you enjoy these photos

Grand Canyon Time Lapse

This is a time lapse I shot while at the Grand Canyon at Yavapai Point.  I shot this with a Nikon D300s  with my 10.5 mm fisheye lens at an interval of 5 seconds and it is plays back at a rate of 15 frames per second. This is best viewed in HD at full screen.

Bryce Canyon to Idaho Falls

 Standing on the rim at Bryce in the snow - 24 degrees out!

This morning we got an early start, well, earlier start.  We checked out from Ruby's Inn and began a tour of Bryce Canyon.  It had snowed during the night and the temps dropped to the low 20's. Hiking the trails was an impossibility as they were covered in ice and snow.  The scenery with the snow was spectacular.

Ruby's Inn Lobby

Paria View, Bryce Canyon

After leaving Bryce Canyon proper we drove in blowing snow for a few hours. The driving conditions were deplorable.  Once we traveled about 50 miles on Interstate 15 the snow began to diminish and the sun tried to come out but it wasn't until we were north of Salt Lake city that the weather really cleared. We had planned on stopping in Salt Lake city to visit an old friend and his family but decided to press on as the weather is beginning to box us in. Sorry Shane, next time. . .

Typical gas stop along Utah I-15 with snow squalls

North of Salt Lake City we made a quick side stop at the Willard Bay Marina... had to shoot a pix of the lake.

Willard Bay Marina South

We drove on to Idaho Falls and arrived at about 7:00 pm so it was a long day of driving indeed... and we still didn't finish another book CD.  Idaho Falls took us by surprise as it is quite a quaint and picturesque town.  We found a great  motel, The Driftwood Inn, right at the falls. Before supper we walked along the Snake River River Walk and shot several views of the falls and of the river.

Idaho Falls

Snake River Bridges

The weather looks dicy and we have discovered that the East Entrance to Yellowstone is closed until May 7th -  this may add several hours to our drive to Cody.... we will see how it all works out.  Up early tomorrow and off the the Snow Lodge in Yellowstone, across the street from Old Faithful and to see how all the road conditions are. . . . We may be out of contact as the internet connections and cellphone service was non-existant at the Grand Canyon and at this point it is an unknown at Yellowstone, so until next time, so long for now.

Catching Up -- Sedona to Bryce Canyon

Carol and I on the rim of the Grand Canyon

OK, so it has been a while since I posted due to lack of internet connection... it also gave me an evening off from stitching images and such. So let me catch you up on things. (12 panoramas and a photo gallery linked below) That last morning in Sedona, after the sunrise shoot, Carol went for a walk in one direction and I in another.  I shot the following image on the back side of Cathedral Rocks while hiking there.

Backside of Cathedral Rocks, Sedona

We then took off toward the Grand Canyon and had a great time riding through the Coconino National Forest and came upon this fantastic overlook. Many Navajo ladies were selling jewelry and Carol almost bought some turquoise that was native made, but she restrained herself thinking that she would buy some as we drove through the Navajo reservation.

Coconino National Forest, Route 89, Arizona

The drive from here to the Grand Canyon was uneventful. We pulled off the main road and went down a dirt road somewhere off of route 64 to eat lunch and were greeted by a herd of elk. After lunch we had a short drive and arrived at the canyon at about 4:00. We had supper in the Bright Angel Lodge and stayed the night in the Yavapai Lodge. (More elk by the Bright Angel Lodge) This morning we got a good start and stopped may times along the rim. Here is a couple of panoramas. (More to come soon, I hope.  I have shot so many and they do take a while to create.)

Grand Canyon evening arrival

Grand Canyon Morning

After leaving the canyon we traveled east on route 64 and arrived at the town of Cameron, AZ, where we had breakfast at the Cameron Trading post. I shot these two after we ate.  I also found out that Navajo Bread, which I ordered, is apparently the western name for Doughboys, definitely not on my diet.

Cameron Trading Post

Old bridge on Little Colorado River

A few miles north of Cameron, back on Arizona route 89 we came across a strange land formation which looked like a bunch of desert boobs... so we went offroad once again to drive around in this unusual landscape.

Desert Boobies -somewhere in Arizona

A bit further up the road we traveled up and over this high pass... the Navajo were selling their jewelry along this high bluff. Carol missed her chance to get Navajo jewelry as she was not too keen about getting out of the car at this precarious location. The natives wouldn't let me take pictures of their work or of them but I got the shot of the view.

Amazing Overlook of valley - No really this is amazing.

As a side note, we have brought along several audio books knowing that long hours in the car would lend itself to listening to books as we do when we travel around New England. The scenery here is so fantastic that we haven't made it through the first couple of discs of the first of six books. . .
Anyway a while later we arrived at the Glen Canyon Dam which creates Lake Powell. Now this is an amazing shot.

Glen Canyon Dam - Way cool shot

And now into Utah. One of our stops in Utah was to have lunch - once again way off on a side road. This time it was near the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  We found a coyote head along side of the road with it's ears cut off - maybe for a bounty or something??? Here is the view from where we stopped.

Long and winding (?) road

Finally we approach Bryce Canyon and the landscape once again changes completely.

Approaching Bryce Canyon

And into the Park proper.  We registered at Ruby's Inn, which we think is appropriate for a fortieth wedding anniversary, since ruby is supposed to be the gift, and then on into the canyon. We were greeted at the entrance of the Park by a heard of mule deer and later saw whitetails near the same location

Bryce Canyon Trail

OK, so I have just about bored you completely -- but wait that's not all, if you order now --- I also have a gallery with photos taken along the way, ending of course with a Cowboy Dinner Show.

Todays Photo Gallery

It is nearing 1:00 am so am going to sign off, so in the spirit of the cowboy, Happy Trails, until we meet again.
Ed

Sedona Sunrise Walk

This morning, Friday April 30th, we had perfectly clear weather and I took a hike up to Bell Rock once again to see what I could shoot. This is my early morning collection.

1.  Walking up to the rock at 5:15 am to catch the 5:38 sunrise. It was 21 degrees out and everything had a frosty coating.

2.  Before sunrise - a 49 shot HDR image

3. The first rays reach the far side of the valley.

4. From the knoll overlooking the valley

5. Back on the trail again and the sun a bit higher in the sky.

6. Ahhhhh, a cup of coffee.

Most of these shots are 21 images in an HDR composite. Sure wish we had a few clouds to give the sky some color.....
And here is the link to the gallery of shots I took yesterday, April 29th.

Sedona Arizona

Today started a bit later than usual as we slept in until about 8:00.  I got up just before sunrise and it was completely overcast so I went back to bed. Today we toured Sedona  and did a lot of hiking as well. We had every sort of weather today from warm sunshine to cold winds and hail and rain, go figure. I think tomorrow we may be driving in snow. . .  We hiked the trails near Bell Rock early this morning, walking there from our motel. We then drove to...

Cathedral Rocks. We hiked up and over a ridge and then down into the valley where Oak Creek flows.  This first image is taken from the middle of Oak Creek looking back toward the Cathedral Rocks. We also saw a wedding going on here near the creek. Carol was using my monopod as a walking stick, which seemed a good use for it. Hiking down from the ridge we found this arroyo and I had to take a shot. From the Cathedral Rocks we drove over to:

The Chapel of the Holy Cross. This Sedona landmark is a fantastic chapel set high in the rocks overlooking Bell Rock to the south. The wind was blowing up here at about 50 knots which made for difficult walking.  Just below the chapel was a fantastic house with it's own observatory, waterfalls and a 4 car garage... it can be see in this panorama.

The Wildflower Inn has been home for a couple of nights and I thought I would share the view from our balcony. Carol is on the phone in this shot talking with Jason.  Tomorrow morning we are off to the Grand Canyon, just a couple of hours up the road.

Las Vegas to Sedona

Today was another great road trip with lots of interesting stops along the way. After a good breakfast at the Big Kahuna we checked out of Treasure Island and underway, but not before shopping a bit. . .  Our first stop was:

Hoover Dam on the Nevada Arizona border.  Construction is well underway on a new Route 93 bridge and highway expansion.  The new bridge can be seen in some of these panoramas. The Memorial to the workers is certainly inspiring with it art deco styling. Since I was here last a new parking garage and gift shop was built. We also discovered an ice cream shop. . .

Desert In Bloom.  We took a side road somewhere in the Arizona desert south of Kingman to get a closer look of what was in bloom.  All I can say is that every color seems to be represented out here in the springtime. These plants are amazing.  Pictures of the dam and the flowers can be seen in this gallery.

Jerky.  We passed may roadside places each with it's own speciality.  This was a Jerky stand and it's owner, Gus, makes his own style of Jerky.  It was very tasty.  A lady we talked to there said that the desert is only in bloom for about a month each year.  We are here at the right time.

Bell Rock, Sedona.  We arrived in Sedona just in time for a spectacular sunset. This image of Bell Rock is an HDR image composed of 49 exposures. We are staying at the Wildflower Inn which is just about a half mile from our door.  I see lots of hiking in our future as we are here for a couple of days. Keeping it short and sweet today, need to get up early and go hiking.

Weather Update

Just a quick note - the wind here in Las Vegas is gusting to over 50 mph and apparently doing about the same in Sedona.  We were just watching the weather channel and it looks as though Yellowstone has had 28 inches of snow - I may be buying boots, coats and a set of chains soon. They also had a lot of snow last night in Yosemite... we just got out of there in time. But right now it is 80 degrees and sunny and we are off to get breakfast before hitting the road.

Yosemite to Las Vegas

Today was a long driving day.  We left the Yosemite Cedar Lodge around 8:30 this morning and began our drive to Las Vegas.  Sometime around 10 am we had breakfast in a roadside breakfast place in a town who's name I can't remember. I had biscuits and gravy while Carol was a bit more responsible with pancakes.  Sometime later we stopped in Kingsburg CA, a town of all Swedish decent and it is also the home of SunMaid Raisins.

SunMaid Raisins Company Store... good stuff but a very small store.  We purchased several varieties of figs and raisins. Carol's comment was that this is the other use for grapes. I had to shoot a panorama in such a scenic place...???

Windmills on Route 58 East.  We were amazed at the sheer number of windmills and i am afraid that this VR doesn't do them justice as they are a bit far off.  But we were also amazed at the color in the desert - everything was green.

Valley Wells Rest Area on route 15.  This is later in the day, I would guess a couple of hours from Las Vegas.  The wind was really whipping it up out here and was it ever hot and dry.

Las Vegas at last.  We arrived here right as the GPS said we would, at the front door of Treasure Island at 5:49. This is my first shot on the strip just after sunset and I think likely the best of the strip as the color in the sky was fantastic.  It was still very hot and windy here.

In the shopping area at the Bellagio.  I wanted to get a shot of the water show they put on at the Bellagio for my son-in-law Dan who highly recommended the show... we walked the 800 or so miles down here to find that it had been cancelled because of the high winds, but I got his shot of the inside of the shopping area.

The Venetian - Walking back along the strip I took several more shots, and thought this one turned out pretty well.

So that is about it for the photography from today.  I put away my camera and Carol and I had a genuine Las Vegas buffet at Treasure Island (yum - I forgot my diet for a while), where we are staying, and then went to see Mystere a Cirque du Soleil performance.  WOW what a fantastic extravaganza. I would highly recommend this show to anyone visiting Las Vegas. So now it is about 1:30 am and I am trying to finish this up -- tomorrow off to Sedona AZ for a couple of days.

Carol on route 120

We stopped along Route 120 to stretch and I snapped this shot of Carol... it is amazing just how fast the scenery changes in this part of California when you are driving from west to east. This was cattle country as you can see by the cattle loading chute behind Carol. Our SUV turned out to be a Ford Escape and seems a very comfortable car. This will be the last post this evening I promise.

Halfdome in Yosemite

A view of Halfdome - not a 360 just a snapshot. I must have taken a hundred shots from this spot. Many with a large telephoto lens -- thanks for the loan Karl.

3 views of Yosemite National Park

I am sitting in a hotel lobby (the only place to get internet and I have no phone signal) along route 140 in the town of El Portal just outside the gates of Yosemite National Park where we spent the afternoon. It is 9:59 Monday evening here as I write this.. it has been a long day.  We traveled from our son Jason's house this morning out across the valley where we had fresh oranges and almonds and of course bought some souvenirs. After an amazing drive up the serpentine route 120 (hundreds of switchbacks) we arrived in Yosemite, and it was mid afternoon. We thought that we would drive straight to the valley visitors center, but it was necessary to stop about every hundred yards because the views just kept getting more and more spectacular. The image above is a view of El Capitan from the valley floor.  NOTE: These may take a while to load as they are a bit higher resolution than I normally post here.  Click on the image to view the 360 degree panorama.  A view of the river just below Bridal Veil Falls is here.... I love this shot as I shot it at f22 with a long exposure time blurring the water.  Another interesting shot is of an area we drove through which had been burned over. I hope you enjoy these shots... I took many more and may post them later. ... after all, it my vacation..... Will post again tomorrow.  We are off to Las Vegas in the morning

Jacuzzi Vineyard

While touring Sonoma Valley on Sunday we stopped here at the Jacuzzi Vineyard.... you just can't travel this area without stopping at a vineyard.  We had a great time touring the valley, but poor little Benny was a bit ill -- by this morning he was feeling much better.

Monday Morning Update

Just a quick note.. We had a great day yesterday going off to wine country and touring around SF.  Watched the sunset over the pacific from the beach and then a great time with family in the evening.  It is noe Monday morning and we are packing to got to Yosemite.  Will write again later.  So far, a great trip. I have taken a lot of photos and should be able to stitch and post some this evening.

Overlooking the Golden Gate

The whole family overlooking the Golden Gate from the highlands. This was just one of our stops today... Click image for larger view.  More to come

San Francisco View

The trip begins. We have arrived in San Francisco and made it to Jason's house which rests high on a hill overlooking the sunset, Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge as well as downtown SF. We are having a good family reunion... I have all my kids here.

Rhode Island Statehouse

Today we visited the Rhode Island Statehouse where Karl Wadensten, the President of Vibco broadcast his daily radio show which focuses on Lean business practices. Governor Carceiri, a friend of the show, stopped by and chatted on air for a while. Whenever I stand in this rotunda I stand there in awe of the sheer beauty of our statehouse. This image is a composite of 35 exposures and blended using HDRI techniques.

Warren Avenue at dawn

Shot this yesterday morning before breakfast - still need to get out earlier. This was an interesting shoot as it was cold and I forgot my jacket and in the middle of the shoot my friend Chris came along and walked through the shot. So all in all it turned out OK. Still a little too light for my liking so will reshoot but the Bradford Pear trees have already begun to turn green.

Quick animation

Here is a link to a quick little 30 second animation I did for Vibco. They created a new even more powerful dumpbody vibrator that will just shake the snot out of a big truck. Our guy in the field said that when they ran it for the first time you could feel the vibration in you chest while standing a good distance from the truck, and it emptied the truck completely. So I made this little ditty a bit dark and tried to get the feeling of something that is all business and doesn't take any s*** from anyone. I really didn't spend much time on this and didn't develop any 'story line' -- just took off --- even created the logo while making the piece. I got a lot of good feedback and encouragement from everyone at work, thanks guys.

4/15/10 UPDATE: The guy who bought the first one just ordered another 10 units! Works well!!

Opening Day at Frosty Hollow

Opening Day at Frosty Hollow. This well stocked little pond is a popular place for kids to come and go fishing as it is only open to people under the age of 14. There are some hidden messages that you can rollover in these two panoramas as we had some 'high drama' while we were there.

Ben and Dan and I had a great time fishing even though it was a bit chilly and we didn't catch anything.

Frosty Hollow

Click on image to view panorama

Yesterday morning we all went fishing and our first stop was at Frosty Hollow Pond just off route 165 in Rhode Island. This is well stocked pond for kids only and try as he may Ben just couldn't land anything. I walked down along the river and took this shot. I think this is the upper reaches off the Wood River, but it may just be a tributary. Shot with my Nikon D300s, this is a seven shot image and is not an HDR panorama.

Westminster Street, Thursday Evening

Along Westminster Street in Providence, Rhode Island. I shot this returning from my friend Allen's place as I was heading to the car. This is an HDR panorama composed of 35 exposures, shot with my Nikon D300s and a 10.5 mm lens. Each view was bracketed at 5 exposures one stop apart. I made the mistake of shooting this at low resolution as I was shooting a stop motion animation earlier in the day and forgot to reset my image size in my camera... going feeble I think. All in all I think it turned out OK but this area has great possibilities and I may go downtown in the near future and shoot some more.

World Wide Panoramas time once again

It's that time again that I participate in the World Wide Panorama event, which is held at every solstice and equinox. I had already posted my panorama here of the us having lunch at Vibco. I thought that maybe you would like to check out the work of the other photographers that participate in this event.

Old Stone Dam just after the flood

The flood came on Tuesday the 30th and I couldn't get near the river as the National Guard had all the roads blocked off and they were flooded anyway. On Thursday morning after the flood waters began to recede I took this shot of the Old Stone Dam on the Wood River which was still raging. I know you must be getting tired of seeing my car in these shots but there was no place else to park this time....

Flood in Pawtuxet Cove

The great flood of 2010 in Rhode Island hit the Pawtuxet River especially hard. The river crested at over 20 feet, the highest crest in recorded history. It has torn up some of the docks here at the Pawtuxet Cove Marina in Cranston, RI. This is the marina where we keep our boat, Tapestry. Thankfully she is out of the water for the winter and will not be launched for a couple of weeks. I hope the marina can get all the docks back in shape for the season.

The Big Jump

Ben and I made this short clip over the weekend. Shot with my Nikon D300s and composited in Adobe After Effects. We followed a tutorial we found on AETuts+ -- worked out pretty good.

Great video

This is a fantastic video I found on Motionographer. It was done by Prague based designer Pavel Fuksa who designed 178 fake matchboxes for this new music video for The Navigators. This is just a great little video..

Bold Point East Providence

Another early morning view. This is the view from Bold Point in East Providence overlooking the Seekonk River and Fox Point Park as well as the Providence River and Providence. It's about a mile from my house. The red channel buoy is in the Seekonk River while everything left of the three stacks is the Providence River. I am going to shoot this again, even earlier - I feel as though I just got here a few minutes too late.

The Woonasquatucket in Providence

I shot this sculpture on my way into work the other day. I was picking up a friend and as I passed this I couldn't resist. Someone must have said let's build something big and shiny and put it in the middle of the bridge.

Wood River Again

Another shot from yesterday morning of the Wood River running high. It is nice to have such a scenic place so near my place of work. There was some frost on the ground but by noon the temperature rose to over 60 degrees!! This morning I could see that the water is beginning to recede from some of the places I passed along the road.

Lunch time

It's lunch time at Vibco, the premiere industrial vibrator company in the USA. Each day the crew at Vibco have lunch together and discuss the issues of the day. Yours truly is proud to be a part of this crew... (the old guy eating carrots with the startled look, and yes it is another diet) I shot this today as a candidate for the World Wide Panorama exhibition I participate in at each solstice and equinox. The theme this time is food, and here I had a willing audience. Thanks guys!