Cliff Diving in Boston Harbor
The Red Bull cliff diving championship took place recently in Boston, outside the ICA.
The event drew huge crowds on a beautiful spring day. I got there a little early and set up under the board.
I brought the Leica SL3 and old faithful, the 24-90 ASPH. I set everything to manual, including focus, mostly so I didn’t have to deal with tracking and auto-adjustment issues in the moment.
The SL3 isn’t known as a great sports camera but 6 FPS worked well enough for this situation.
I saw one woman shooting nearby with an old Hasselblad with a film back and winder. Props to her! Hope she got something good.
This is my favorite shot from the day. More photos here. Some were flipped for a no gravity effect.
Skútafoss
Driving out of Hofn, on Iceland’s southeastern coast, heading up towards Egilsstaðir, I knew that there were a few places worth checking out and Skútafoss was one of them. It’s not the most dramatic waterfall in Iceland, but it is a nice one.
It was a short hike from the road. The rest of the group stayed behind to hang out with some very loud sheep and I headed up the ravine with my gear.
As you approach the falls you can see the two main streams. It was late August so not a lot of water was flowing. I set up the dreaded tripod and took a few shots. There was no one around — or at least I thought there was no one around.
As I was shooting and enjoying the solitude, two people appeared from off to the right under the falls. Apparently there was a small cave. They saw my camera and tripod and told me that I could get a better view in the cave. I followed their advice and this is the shot.
I used the Leica SL2 with the very versatile 24-90 ASPH. I do hate using a tripod but in this case it was necessary to get the streaming effect I was looking for.
Then it was back to the road and up through the Oxi Pass, which is a story in itself, but one for another day.
Windblown Trees
This photo was taken in the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, MA — a great place for a short hike. When I go I almost always bring a camera.
There was something about these asymmetric trees that caught my eye. I’ve returned to photograph them on a number of occasions, in different seasons and conditions. Maybe it’s because they reminded me of the apple trees in the Wizard of Oz. (Watch out, they might reach out and grab you!) They have a kind of fascination for me.
Anyway, this particular image was taken in late September, 2020. I used the Leica SL2 and a Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN, a standard portrait setup. That combination allowed for some nice background blurring and gave the wildflowers and tree in the foreground a 3-D effect. So yes, this, basically is a portrait of a tree.
Click on the image for a closer look.
Retirement
We were in Sicily in 2009. I was looking for interesting shots when I saw this line of older men sitting on a long stone bench outside an old church in the middle of the day. I like images where people are in a relaxed environment and their individual personalities are out on display. I managed to get the shot without disturbing the situation.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the image out of the camera. I had used a wide focal length and because of the distortion, none of the lines looked right. That, combined with the diagonal pattern in the plaza tiles, made it look dizzying, and distracting from the subjects.
But I really liked the image. The blue against the brown. The different postures and expressions. And the wear on the wall where the men were sitting, implying that this was a regular thing.
It took a few attempts over the years to get the perspective corrections right. The tools in Lightroom have improved and I think I'm finally satisfied with this result. There's still a bit of distortion in the far left but it's not overwhelming. The shot was taken with a Nikon D200 and the lens was 20mm.