ku # 1416-19 ~ a beautiful gloomy rainy day

(embiggenable) • µ4/3

(embiggenable) • µ4/3

(embiggenable) • µ4/3

(embiggenable) • µ4/3

A few days ago I got to thinking that for quite a while, measured in years, I have not devoted much picture making effort to making pictures (ku) of the natural world. This stands in direct contrast to the time, 20 years ago, of my moving to the largest park/forest preserve (larger than the state of Vermont) east of the Mississippi River when I thought I had landed in a natural world picture making paradise.

It should be noted that, for most picture makers who visit or live in the Adirondack PARK, it is a natural world picture making paradise. And, they explore that paradise making landscape pictures which can only be described as of the ain't nature grand and glorious variety. Or, to put another way, romanticized sweeping vistas awash in "glorious" light (sunset / sunrise), atmospheric conditions (fog, mist, etc.) or blazing autumn color. Although, to be fair, some picture makers have diverged from the grand and glorious manner of seeing, but they are part of a tiny minority.

I consider myself to be numbered amongst the divergent picture making contingent inasmuch as, after my arrival in the Adirondacks, I had less than zero desire to be one of grand and glorious picture making masses. However, it should be noted that I was not attempting to be a picture making contrarian. Rather, and in fact, I couldn't be one of the grand and glorious masses (even if I wanted to) simply because I don't see the Adirondacks in that manner.

To wit, my eye and sensibilities are pricked by the more intimate and quiet natural world ... a part which lends itself to intimate and quiet inspection and introspection (go to my WORK page and check out my Thicket, Scrub and Tree Tangles or my Urban Autumn Color work as good examples of what I mean). Consequently ....

As I sat on the Rist Camp porch this Thurday past contemplating both my picture making and a gentle falling rain, I decided to pick up one of my "real" cameras and make a few intimate and quiet pictures. I can report that I found the experience of making the pictures and the results I achieved to be most enjoyable and satisfying.

Which leads me to believe that I will most likely ride that train again.

rist camp diaries # 19-21 (civilized ku / the new snapshot) ~ if a chimney falls in the forest...

mining ghost town chimney/fireplace ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

(embiggenable) • iPhone

(embiggenable) • iPhone

An expanded caption:

mining ghost town fireplace/chimney - adjoining the McIntyre Iron Works there was a 15-20 buildings village. Those buildings, left in place after mine closed c. 1856, had deteriorated and partially collapsed. A few years ago, the building ruins were cleared away leaving 12 (or more - I didn't count them) standing fireplaces+chimneys.

When driving around rural New York State, it is not unusual to see chimneys standing alone where a house used to be. However, walking down the road in the mining ghost town and seeing the standing chimneys surrounded by dense forest and looming hills/mountains creates a somewhat surreal landscape.

rist camp diaries # 15-18 (ku/civilized ku/the new snapshot) ~ blasting way with the iPhone

Erica on the Hudson RIver ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

trout/Wild Center ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

blast furnace ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

Expanded captions:

Erica on the Hudson River - this location is adjacent to the remains of the McIntrye Iron Works (built 1849). At this location, the Hudson is approximately 1/8 mile from the river's source.

trout/ Wild Center - the rainbow trout is in a giant life-like river exhibit at the Wild Center, a center devoted to the natural world of the Adirondack PARK.

blast furnace - the McIntrye Iron Works' blast furnace (built 1849) and iron works was in operation for only 2 years. In addition to the problem of getting the processed iron ore out of the remote location, there was an "impurity" in the ore which made it very difficult to process. The "impurity" was discovered, in the 1930s, to be titanium whereupon a giant mine works was built (in use until 1962) near the original site. The government built a railroad into the site in order to obtain the titanium for use in WWII.

civilized ku # 5264 / rist camp diaries # 14-15 ~ getting on the upgrade ladder

stairs and pilings / Wild Walk ~ Wild Center / Tupper Lake, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

(embiggenable) • iPhone

(embiggenable) • iPhone

Apple has just introduced the newest iPhone - iPhone XS + iPhone XS Max.

My only interest is the camera module for which upgrades such as Smart HDR for more highlight / shadow detail, faster sensor with deeper, larger pixels to improve image fidelity and better low-light pictures and dual OIS are included. The bokeh and depth control also sounds interesting.

At the end of the month, after my return from Rist Camp, I will be checking it out.

Civilized ku # 5265 / rist camp diaries # 12-13 (ku / civilized ku) ~ mistakes happen

reflection ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

star gazing ~ (embiggenable) • µ4/3

Milky Way ~ (embiggenable) • µ4/3

During my stay at Rist Camp there have been too many guests and other diversions of one sort or another for me to keep up with my intended blog posting. I have kept up with my picture-a-day project with those pictures posted on Instagram and the occasional Facebook post.

In any event, in today's entry there is picture, star gazing, which could be labeled as an accidental success. The picture appears to be a double exposure when, in fact, it is a single exposure. The picture is the result of my unintenional shutter activation while I was placing the camera on a stone wall in preperation for making a picture of the northern lights, aka: Aurora Borealis. The shutter speed was long enough to capture, as the camera was descending, the star gazing figure (who was illuminated by light from the camp) and subsequently, when the camera was in place on the stone wall, to capture the northern lights, aka: Aurora Borealis. And, to be honest, I didn't check the picture on the LCD screen, assuming it was just a blurry mistake.

It is often stated that "mistakes happen" but, in my experience, they rarely turn out so well.

rist camp diaries # 8-11 (civilized ku / the new snapshot) ~ update

Raquette Lake dock ~ Adirondack PARK, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

Rist Camp ~ Adirondack PARK, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

W. W. Durant ~ Adirondack PARK, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

camp refreshments ~ Adirondack PARK, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

Been away from camp and my computer for considerable lengths of time attending to a number of unexpected activities. Consequently, I have fallen behind on my picture processing. Today I finally have time to do a little catching up.

Tomorrow I will update more of my 1-a-day Rist Camp Diary pictures.

rist camp diaries # 7 / the new snapshot # 247-48 ~ the good ole fashion way

a visit to Hoss's ~ Long Lake/Adirondack PARK, NY (embiggenable) • iPhone

In yesterday's entry, I mentioned that I was making more than the 1 picture a day (for rist camp diaries project). Consequently, the question arose (in my head), how do I handle those pictures?

Quite obviously (to me), any "serious" pictures will be handled with my "standard" processing and presentation. For the other pictures (iPhone), it make sense (to me) to handle them in the the new snapshot mode.

The reason why that makes sense should be rather obvious. Polaroid film is much more expensive than regular film. That written, it makes economic sense to limit my Polariod picture making to the 1-picture-a-day project and make the rest of my vacation pictures with regular film. Then take the film to the drugstore for inexpensive processing and printing.

At least that's how my dad would have done it.

ku # 1415 / rist camp diaries # 5-6 ~ just watching the clouds go by

early evening /from the porch ~ Rist Camp/Adirondack PARK (embiggenable) • iPhone

As my Rist Camp project continues, I am playing with the type presentation on the Polaroid border.

Fortunately, the Polamatic app saves files in the app's library. Files which can be opened and re-edited. The type can be changed and/or moved. So, while my first-blush type presentation may not be consistent from picture to picture, eventually it will be.

I am also contemplating the idea that, since I am making more than 1 picturea a day, it's also possible that at the end of the project I might change a picture (or a few) for any given day. Although, if I do make a swap, the new picture will have been made on the same day as designated on the Polariod border.