Photography – Page 17 – Random Connections

Balloon Chasing

May 29, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Local

Memorial Day means Freedom Weekend Aloft is in town. This is the 29th year of the festival, and it’s hard to believe that it’s been around that long. We decided we would head down this evening and see if we could spot some of the balloons.

FWA started out as a July 4th holiday, and was held at Donaldson Center. It kept that venue and time slot for many, many years. Either because of expenses at Donaldson, declining attendance, or whatever, it was moved to Anderson for awhile. Then its date was moved from Independence Day to Memorial Day, and the venue moved to Heritage Park in Simpsonville. It seems to be doing very well on this date and location.

There was to be a mass ascension between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, so we headed on down after an early dinner. We didn’t want to get mixed up in the crowds, nor did we want to pay a park entrance fee just to watch the balloons. After a bit of driving we found lots of folks in the parking lot of Bryson Middle School, and that’s were we set up shop, too.

It wasn’t long before the balloons started to appear above the trees. Some went up very quickly, others, just sort of skimmed the tree line at a leisurely pace.

Busy Spring Weekend

May 15, 2011 Tom 1 Comment

Family, Miscellaneous

It seems like every weekend this spring has been a busy one, with kayaking, family visits, festivals, and performances. This one was no different. In addition to our outing Friday night to Northampton Wines, this was the weekend for Artisphere and Chip’s Big Pig Gig. I started Saturday morning by heading downtown. My first stop … Read More “Busy Spring Weekend” »

Paddling Lake Greenwood from Souls Harbor

May 8, 2011 Tom 4 Comments

Paddling

My father’s history with boats has been…interesting. Despite having served in the Navy during WWII, the boats he seemed to wind up with during later adulthood were quirky, at best. There was the time we went fishing and I wound up with battery acid eating through all of the life vests, as well as the jeans I was wearing. We didn’t catch anything. There was the time the passenger seat snapped loose, at speed. We didn’t catch anything that trip, either.

But what would life be like without these adventures, and the tall tales that they inspire? Some of my fondest memories are of exploring the north end of Lake Greenwood and the rivers that feed it. We took one boat far up the Reedy River, and another boat far up the Saluda. On one of these trips we watched a bobcat jump into the river and swim alongside the boat, terrified that it might take a notion to jump into the boat.

Saturday I was able to replicate one of those trips, this time from the relative safety of a kayak. I joined the Greenville Canoe and Kayak Meetup for a trip from Souls Harbor on Lake Greenwood up the Saluda River. Although there were no bobcats this time, it was still a 14 mile adventure.

In Search of Blue Ghosts

April 28, 2011 Tom 8 Comments

Local, Science

Wednesday evening is normally our night to watch Ghost Hunters. This evening, however, we decided to hunt for our own ghosts. Specifically, we were after the elusive Blue Ghost Firefly, Phausis reticulata.

Blue ghost fireflies only glow during mating season, and are only found in isolated areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Both the males and females give off a constant bluish glow, unlike the fireflies in our area, which pulse on a regular basis. The males hover about head-height off of the forest floor, while the pale, wingless females glow along the bottom of the forest. The effect is mesmerizing, as these bluish orbs float through the woods.

The fireflies have a very limited range. They are found in undisturbed forested areas, often in the Smokey Mountains and in Dupont State Forest in North Carolina.

Read More “In Search of Blue Ghosts” »

Bad Creek Views

April 18, 2011 Tom 2 Comments

Local

The weather Sunday was beautiful, albeit a bit brisk. We decided that we needed to get out of the house for a bit, so Laura, her mother, and I hopped in the car for a drive and a picnic. We started by driving up scenic Highway 11 past Table Rock, then on up toward Lake … Read More “Bad Creek Views” »

A Couple of 3D Favorites

April 14, 2011 Tom No Comments

Photography

I haven’t been doing much with my binocular camera setup lately. Quite frankly, I find the dual camera system a bit awkward and clumsy. There is a little carnival set up at Haywood Mall this weekend, and I’m hoping to take it over there for a few shots of the rides, etc. In the meantime, … Read More “A Couple of 3D Favorites” »

Lowcountry Unfiltered Does Ebenezer Creek

April 11, 2011 Tom No Comments

Paddling

For our April Second Saturday Lowcountry Unfiltered trip, the group decided to head back to Ebenezer Creek. The last time our group had paddled this tributary of the Savannah River was a snowy February in 2010. I had planned to go on that trip, but a rare snowstorm prevented my joining them. I heard tales and saw photos of a cold snow-covered paddle through beautiful cypress cathedrals. I hated missing the first trip, and was really looking forward to this one.

Ebenezer Creek flows into the Savannah River at Ebenezer Landing, about 10 miles above where I-95 crosses the Savannah. The area is overflowing with history, as the site of one of the earliest settlements in Georgia, and the location of one of the worst betrayals of the Civil War.

Our plan was to put in at Log Landing and paddle down to Ebenezer Landing for a 10.4 mile trip. This added about 3 miles to the group’s previous trip.

Cool 3D Tools

April 6, 2011 Tom No Comments

Photography

I’ve discovered a treasure trove of 3D tools. Japanese developer Muttyan has put together HUGE collection of applications for viewing and creating stereoscopic images and videos. These include side-by-side stereographs as well as anaglyphs using a variety of color and polarizing schemes.

Online since 2003, the site design looks like it’s stuck in the 1990’s, but the content is current and comprehensive, and that’s what matters.

I first stumbled onto the site looking for a way to create 3D views of Google Earth. I had wondered if there was a way to create an off-set image that could be converted to anaglyphs. I found Muttyan’s Stereo Google Earth page, and started exploring.

This page uses two instances of the Google Earth plugin to present side-by-side images of chosen locations. I started with an overhead screen capture, such as this one of downtown Greenville…

Experiments with Stereo Photography

March 27, 2011 Tom No Comments

Photography

Since I had been working some much with old stereographs and converting them into 3D anaglyphs, I wanted to try my own stereographs. My first attempts were OK, but not great. I was attempting to use one camera to create two images, but the results were often unpredictable.

I did learn a a trick with this process, though. Fairly decent results can be obtained by first putting your weight on your right foot and snapping a shot, then shifting your weight to your left foot and shooting. That gives just about the right amount of separation for a good stereo image.

Unfortunately, this process has some drawbacks. First, it’s awkward if you want to get a shot that’s not easily taken from a standing position, say, a low show of flowers or a still life. Also, it won’t work if there is any movement. You need some way to snap two images simultaneously.

I did come up with a way to do just that. I found a couple of VERY cheap cameras online. My only criteria was that the cameras had to have at least 3 megapixels, have a tripod mount, and have a self-timer. My solution was the Global Point Trekker camera, which cost me a little over $10 through Amazon.com (ignore the $34 price on their home website.)

A Collection of Stereographs

March 25, 2011 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography

I finally got my hands on an actual set of antique stereograph cards. This is a collection of 32 cards by the H. C. White Company, and includes scenes from Havana, Cuba, Manila in the Philippines, several other interesting locations. There are also some humorous staged scenes included in the lot. These are all polychrome color cards, and have the copyright date of 1905 on them. I found some of the subject matter fascinating. This shot of the beach at Atlantic City is a far cry from today’s image of Jersey Shore…

If you look closely at the individual in the foreground, you’ll see that it’s a man and not a woman. He’s just wearing a weird yellow hat.