Once again as the holidays approach, it’s my pleasure to announce the new for 2013 Allied Rehab/John Heinz calendar,  published each year to benefit the pediatric programs at those institutions. 

Once again and is my privilege to provide the landscape photography, which depicts places and seasons from throughout the Allied Rehab service area in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The system’s pediatric programs provide services to children, starting in the very early age, and often extending until they reach their teens.  They provide assistance to children with a variety of conditions.  Though medical insurance is accepted by the program, those with an inability to pay are provided care for little to no cost.

The  printed calendar depicts not only local scenery, but something more precious, the images of those children served by the employees and staff of Allied Rehabilitation.

It can be purchased at the Allied Services Website, or at any Allied Services facility throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.

FRONT COVER: One Last Maple Leaf

In the highlands of eastern Pennsylvania, the first fall of snow often occurs in late October or early November before the trees have completely shed their leaves.  I shot this particular image in my neighborhood,  in the beginning of what became a fairly substantial snowfall just prior to Halloween.  I was struck by the contrast of the brightly colored maple leaves, in comparison to the somewhat drab appearing hemlock branches in the background.  It mimics a style of photography where one starts with a color image,   then selects a particularly colorful object in the image, and then converts the rest of the image to black and white.

In this case nature did the work for me.

JANUARY: The Sleigh Ride

Once again the Lands at Hillside serves as a setting for a calendar image.  The Lands at Hillside is a non-for-profit organization whose mission it is to preserve several old historic farms in our region.  They maintain the properties as a dairy operation, preserving traditional methods of farming and avoiding processed feeds, and hormone augmentation of the dairy herd.

I remember that morning several winters ago, when I was invited to the farm to witness the first use of an old sledge acquired by the farm.  My friend Will, who handled driving duties, at one point got the rig moving at a pretty good clip, an event which I was happy to photograph.  It was a marvelous day, and a joy to experience this wonderful traditional form of winter transportation.

FEBRUARY: Winter Fun at Lake Silkworth

I remember driving home, as I recall, from Ricketts Glen State Park down route 29 through the village of Lake Silkworth on a cold winters evening when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed this scene .  Several people had taken to riding their ATV’s in a circular track on the snow-covered lake, as if racing for some imaginary trophy.  I watched for a time, and then realized that there might be a photograph in it after all.  I grabbed my Panasonic G1 which was sitting next to me on the seat, found a good vantage point, and shot several images one of which you see here.  I’m not sure it’s most aesthetic image in the calendar this year, but I enjoy this depiction of  people finding  joy in the winter, when the cold and snow cuts off the summer pleasures of lake living.

MARCH: The Statue of Liberty

The Sunday prior to Saint Patrick’s Day has become a joyful celebration in downtown Wilkes-Barre, and a wonderful landmark to denote the coming of spring.

I know, I know… Scranton has the third biggest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the nation, dwarfing the celebration held in Wilkes-Barre.  But I like underdogs.

I’ve been going to the Wilkes-Barre event for probably 20 years now.  In the beginning it consisted of about 200 of my fellow Irishman watching a 15 minute parade of fire and garbage trucks, and a few modest floats, before repairing to the pub for a pint of Guinness.  It is now grown to a wildly successful event with crowds all throughout the parade route;  enjoying the many new bars restaurants and shops in the revitalized downtown.  In fact there’s a part of me that somewhat wistful for the old event, which was held on Saturday in direct competition with the parade in Scranton.  Changing it to the Sunday afterward increased the availability of parade participants and spectators alike.  And because most people work the following day, the crowd tends to remain “family friendly”.  With its success, there are new issues.  It’s now hard to park in Wilkes-Barre on parade day. Even worse, it can be a struggle to find open bar space to enjoy that Guinness, once the parade has ended (and it goes on a long time now).  Still I’m delighted with the success of the event and look forward to photographing it every year.

APRIL: The Daffodil

Sometimes simple subjects are the best.  I was walking in a neighborhood the Clarks Summit region when I noticed what I suspected was one of the first daffodils to emerge from the warming soils of spring.  I chose to shoot it from the rear of the bloom, a somewhat unconventional depiction of the blossom.  I shot it with a long lens and a wide aperture, in the hope of blurring the pine tree in the background in a pleasant way.  It seems to work, as our committee were fairly unanimous in their selection of the image to represent the month of April.

MAY: The Bridge at West Nanticoke

As I’ve discussed before, when one wishes to find early or late scenery with our four season climate, and mountainous terrain, it is often useful to go down to the river where spring starts  early, and fall finishes late. 

On this cool rainy day, I was exploring in the area of an old railroad trestle on the Susquehanna River at Nanticoke.  This scene, with the newly emerged, rain dampened maple leaves in the foreground, and the bridge in the background seemed interesting, and I shot several angles on it.  It is typical of early to mid May and our region, with the foliage emerging, but the climate seemingly reluctant to let go of the chill of early spring , and to embrace the warmth of summer.

JUNE: Dragon Boats

One of the underappreciated assets of the region is the Susquehanna River which meanders through the Wyoming Valley.  I often think the region has a modest psychological aversion to the Susquehanna, based on a variety of factors, including the local sense that it is somewhat polluted, its propensity to flood and cause great damage,  and the need for physical barrier (dikes) between the city and the river because of this propensity.  I think that the refurbished dike system, with its portals that improve access to the river, are beginning to allow us to exploit this wonderful resource.  There is much it has to offer.  One only has to spend time in other cities such as Boston or Philadelphia to realize the river is a potentially great recreational resource.

I think it’s wonderful that in June of every year (unless the river is over its banks); the region celebrates the Susquehanna with a Riverfest which is headquartered at Nesbitt Park.  There are a variety of activities including a kayak and canoe trip between Pittston in Wilkes-Barre.  There are food vendors, and educational exhibits largely involving the environment.

One interesting event is the dragon boat race, where local businesses assemble teams and compete with each other in a paddling race.  I shot this image during a practice session.  I know at least one of the teams pictured is composed of members of the Times Leader staff.

In many ways, the Susquehanna River is the very reason for the existence of Wilkes-Barre and the other towns up and down the Wyoming Valley.  I am glad that we have begun to celebrate its existence.

JULY: A House in Moscow

This is a simple image, but I think it conveys a pleasant sense about small town living in northeastern Pennsylvania.  I shot it on a Sunday morning in July, sometime late in the month.  To me there is something quite charming about this home. I love the beautiful stone chimney, the patriotic bunting, and the open porch, which in particular, is so much a part of the tradition of small town life.   .  The morning light is important to this image, trans illuminating the flowers, the shrubbery, and the decorations.

AUGUST: Scranton Skyline

I spent a good portion of my life in and around Scranton.  I went to college there, met and wooed my lovely wife there, and visited my in-laws over many holidays and summer breaks.  I really like the town.

It is much different from Wilkes-Barre, where I now spend most of my time.  It feels like a bigger city with a larger grid of downtown streets, and a lively tavern and restaurant community. 

I was walking on the square one late August day this year, when I encountered a reception for the freshman class of the University of Scranton, my alma mater.  It was being held on one of the grassy areas adjacent to the courthouse, with upperclassmen, dressed in “U of S” tee shirts mingling among the crowd.  Tables and tents were festooned with purple and white balloons, and I took several images of the event.  Afterwards I continued my walk, and this view of the skyline caught my eye.  When I returned home and began to edit the photos, I was unhappy with the images I had taken up the reception, but was happy with this photo and its depiction of some of the iconic features of the Scranton skyline.

SEPTEMBER: Garden at Moosic Lake

Labor Day always seems slightly sad.  Even if it is a glorious summer day as it often is,  it tends to denote the end of the cultural(if not the meteorological) season  of summer.  The children  will soon be back in school (if they are not already) and I believe that we adults lose a sense of empathic joy that we feel as we watch our children and grandchildren enjoy the summer vacation much as we once did.

There’s a temptation on Labor Day, to pull in the dock, and stow away the canoes, and to pack away the outdoor furniture.  We begin to retract our lives back into our homes in anticipation of the fall and winter.  Yet I am convinced that September to mid October are the loveliest months to be enjoying the outdoors, with cool, but comfortable temperatures, increasingly colorful foliage, and a dwindling insect population.  A patio fire pit, which can be out-of-place on warm summer nights, can be a great comfort and joy on cool fall evening.

If we let Labor Day stand for the end of summer, then we risk missing the best part of the outdoor season.

OCTOBER: Pumpkin Patch at Grassy Ridge

Obviously, the foliage season in the fall, offers a wealth of opportunity for landscape photographers.  This image of a pumpkin patch was captured in Noxen, on a beautiful October day this year.  I came upon the Grassy Ridge farm stand on the corner of routes 309 and 29, and asked permission to photograph the premises.  The owners were very gracious, and I spent about 45 minutes at the location acquiring a variety of photographs, including the one you see above, and the image and apple baskets gracing the back cover.  I shot the image with my Fuji film X100, a compact camera that allowed me to be inconspicuous, among the families enjoying a fall outing on that beautiful day.

NOVEMBER: November Corn

This image was acquired on a late fall evening in NewtonTownship.  The sun had just set, and the crisp fall later was rapidly growing colder.  I remember shivering slightly as I set up a tripod to make sure the image would be sharp despite the fading light.

In this image (which was featured in another article on this site)  I took advantage of the vivid sunsets one sees in the late fall and winter which I understand are due to the decreasing moisture content in the air as the atmosphere cools.

DECEMBER: The Kirby House at Christmas

The Kirby Episcopal house is a local landmark that I am proud to say, is part of the community of Glen Summit where I reside.  It is a gorgeous estate, originally built in the early 20^th century, by the Kirby family (the founders of Woolworth’s chain).  The main house is constructed of stone said to have been acquired from the Susquehanna River in the valley.  The gorgeous interior has been lovingly maintained and looks much the same as it would have when the Kirbys were in residence over the summer months.

There are multiple buildings on the property, with tennis courts,  a swimming pool and beautiful, ornate oriental gardens that often draw wedding parties looking for a place to capture post nuptial images.

It was a summer home for the Kirby family, until they donated it in the 1950s to the Episcopal diocese of Bethlehem.  It is now run it as a conference center, and is offered for use at a modest fee to nonprofit organizations.  It is busy throughout the summer months.

JANUARY 2014: Winter Scene, Butler Valley

I was driving in southern Luzerne County on a sunny January morning in 2011.  As usual I had several cameras on the front passenger seat of my car. There had been snow over the last 24 hours, putting an end to the drab brown winter landscape that had existed prior.

I spotted these two beautiful animals before they spotted me. I grabbed my D700, on which was mounted a 70-200 mm lens.  I got out of the car, and used a nearby fence post as a sort of makeshift monopod, to steady the long lens.  The longer focal length  allowed me to take several “candid” images before they sensed my presence and moved toward me out of curiosity.

  

I believe a camera upgrade ought to offer real advantages, over the equipment it replaces. 

People obviously do have the right to spend money on what they want. It’s easy though, to become deluded into thinking that new camera equipment will make you a better photographer, will make your images sharper, and your prints better; when in fact your time and money would be better spent on photographic instruction, better lenses, or a sturdier tripod.

That having been said, I(using my impeccable judgment) bought a new camera body several weeks ago.  I had a choice between purchasing a 36 megapixel, pro-level Nikon D800 “refurb” for about $2400, or the newer 24 megapixel Nikon D600 for roughly $2,100.  After considerable thought, I chose that the D600.  It was not the difference in cost that drove my decision, but rather the different characteristics of each model that prompted my choice.

The D 800 is unequivocally the pro-level body.  It is entirely made of magnesium, and is roughly the same size and feel of my D700.  It is sturdy and weather-sealed, and suitable for the rigors of full-time daily use.  Like many professional level bodies it feels as though it would make a pretty good weapon.  I admit that I love the feel of these devices, the weight in my hand, and the deliberate nature of the controls.

As a part-time landscape photographer however much of this robustness is of little advantage to me.  I shoot 3 to 4 times weekly and do not have to abuse my equipment the way that for instance, a full-time photojournalist would. And, I am happily not really concerned about the bragging rights of owning the Nikon “flagship”.

The D600 is built in a matter very similar to my D7000.  It too has a stout magnesium frame, with metal on the top and bottom, but rigid plastic on the front and back of the camera.  It also feels very sturdy, but not nearly as weighty as a pro level body.  It too, is well weatherproofed.  Though it has the viewfinder eyepiece of the more consumer oriented Nikon bodies, the viewfinder covers 100% of the captured image, which is actually an improvement over the viewfinder of my D700.  On the left upper surface of the camera, it uses the consumer level rotary dial to select camera modes, rather than the four button pro arrangement of the D800.  On the D600, they have added a small locking button on top of the dial, to prevent inadvertent control changes, an addition which is well appreciated.  Given this change, I now have little preference for either of the control designs.

The D600 is definitely lighter, and smaller than the D800.  Given my style of photography, this is a definite advantage, especially since much of my work involves hiking over considerable distances to arrive at shooting locales.

I like that the D600 uses the same battery, and the same remote release, as the D7000.

Now, on to the matter of the imagers.  Certainly a 36 megapixel imager, particularly one as fine as the one utilized by the D800 would be irresistible choice.  It is the top rated imager by DX0 Mark and is well-known to have extraordinary dynamic range as well as very high-resolution.  But high-resolution comes with disadvantages.  One of those problems has to do with lens diffraction, which on higher resolution sensors becomes a problem at tighter apertures.

There is also the matter of the sheer size of the files created by a 36 MP imager, and the storage and processing power that they require.

As I’ve stated elsewhere on the site, one can make a perfectly good 20x 30”print from a 12 megapixel large imager camera (micro 4/3 and larger) given good glass and good technique. Generally, this is as big as I need to print. Remember that, for really big prints, stitching multiple images into one is easily accomplished through Photoshop and other imaging software.

The 24 Mega pixel full-frame sensor on the D 600, rates just below that of the D 800 on DX0 Mark site.  More importantly, in terms of its high ISO capabilities, it rates higher than all Nikon cameras, save the vaunted D3s, higher even than the D4, which is also full frame, but only 16 megapixels.  To me this means that it can replace my D700 as a natural light event shooter (though my Fuji X100 remains my favorite for this work) while still serving as my optimum landscape camera body. Remember, this imager has the same resolution (but is otherwise more capable) as that of the $7000 Nikon D3x, a body I have lusted after for years.

If you look at the D600 sample images on DPreview, you can see that the high ISO images demonstrate a fine grain, with mainly luminance noise, and little color noise.  In my experience this cleans up very easily with Photoshop.  The D800 images reveal considerably more color noise to my eye.  This is certainly expected, given the smaller photo sites of the higher resolution imager.

Given this, and because I believe the 24 megapixels is all that I all that I really need, I chose the D600.  I’ve begun to shoot with it, and hope to post my experiences in the near future.  

If its capabilities match its performance on the camera review sites, then I may have a lightly used D700 for sale on Ebay.  Given the quality of the D600 imager, the money from that sale had better be spent on good Nikon glass.

Stand by. I’ll have more in a bit.

In the 1970s, a man by the name of Carroll Shelby went on sabbatical from his normal job, which involved promoting specially built high performance sports and racing cars, and developed a second passion  into a nationwide following that persists to this day.  

His passion was for the cooking of “Texas chili”, his enthusiasm led to scores of people discovering this passion within them,

Mr. Shelby has passed, but his legacy lives on, not only in the thousands of sporty cars that bear his name. It lives on, somewhat  more obscurely, in an almost weekly ritual shared by of large groups of Americans, who packed their car with cooking utensils, and gather in cities and towns throughout the country, to cook chili, swap stories, drink beer, and, oh yes, to compete for the title of best chili.  I was recently invited to attend such a gathering with  award-winning chili cook.

Now I have always liked chili, and even fancy myself capable of producing a reasonable pot now and then.  Then one day my friend Rich, or “Brooklyn” as he is known by his Pennsylvania friends(but probably not by his Brooklyn friends) explained to me, the art of competitive chili cooking.  I realized pretty quickly, my own skills in that regard were at best, crude and unrefined.  A couple of weeks ago he invited me to attend within a chili cook off in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, roughly 2 hours from my home.  He actually suggested that I should cook of batch of chili on my own.  I decided it might be better to watch one time and also to photograph the event. 

I think I was right.

This event was sponsored by the International Chili Society, a group founded by Shelby and his friends in Terlingua, Texas, in the mid 1960s.  Their website is interesting reading, particularly the history of the society, which appears to have had a rather raucous founding in 1965.

It turns out, that the foodstuff that most people think of as chili, that concoction of ground beef, beans, chili powder and tomatoes is not thought of as authentic. The ground beef chili we know is referred to as “home-style”, and only recently has the ICS added a category for it in their judging. The traditional categories include “Texas Red” Chili Verde (green chili) and salsa.

We arrived in Harrisburg around 8:30 AM. We were actually among the last to arrive slipping into the site next to Rich’s friend “Mad Mike”. Rich’s organization was impressive; we went from bare pavement to a functioning portable kitchen in about 15 minutes. The contestants sites varied in complexity from our rather unadorned workspace, to elaborately themed affairs designed to compete for the events “peoples choice” award.

We went to the organizers tent to register, received our sample cups, and various other premiums and souvenirs from the sponsors. Happily one of the sponsors was Miller beer who provided us each with a case of cold Miller light, that I noticed no one seemed to turn down.

 I knew this was a good idea.

 The rules of the ICS specify that all entries are produced on site in the time allotted (generally between three and four hours). Rich planned to enter a salsa, and a green and red chili and I watched with interest how he might accomplish this. He quickly cubed the beef and browned it, then chopped the peppers, tomatoes and onion for the salsa. Meat was then drained and dumped into the pots along with broth and pre-measured spices. Conspicuously absent from the pots were any form of beans, which are verboten in traditional chili entries. Even with no help from me (I did offer), Rich had the salsa done, and the pots simmering, in a surprisingly short period of time.

Though this was a competition, I was struck by the collegial atmosphere. People taste each others entries as they cook, loan each other supplies and spices, drink each others beer, and generally seem not overly concerned with the final results. From time to time one of the other contestants would gift us with novel snack food, generally involving things like peppers, bacon and cheese hot off their Weber grill. Two booths down was Trailer Trash Chili, a fellow entrant who fielded a veritable army of attractive young women in off-the-shoulder tee shirts and shorts to hand out home-style chili (and undoubtedly win votes for that “people’s choice” award).

With all of this happening, I reached deep into the cooler for a cold beer and quickly decided that this was a truly pleasant afternoon.

By Mid afternoon, all of our entries were in the judges hands. It was now time to visit the booths, and sample the various competitors’ efforts. Both the “reds” and the “greens” that I sampled had a definite commonality, but all were subtly different booth to booth. All had some “bite”, but none were particularly “hot” for fear of obscuring the flavors that they worked hard to develop. The best, particularly Rich’s and Mad Mike’s creations, had a robust texture, and offered a complex chili taste with just enough “kick” to induce a modest forehead sweat, after several spoonfuls.

Our team fared a disappointing third for Texas Red, but Mike one first for his “Green” entry which, given the tasting I did, was an award well deserved.

My buddy Brooklyn wants me to enter at least one category on my next trip with him, perhaps next season. I think I just might. I’m less intimidated now that I have seen it done.  Who knows, I might get lucky.

Win or lose, I will be only too happy to participate in the festival of good fellowship, great food, good-looking women, and free beer that marks an ICS Chili event.

 First off, let me say, I’m not really a fan of Apple products.

Now I freely admit that products from Cupertino tend to be beautifully designed and elegantly manufactured. Operating an iPhone or a Mac Book Air, one cannot help but marvel at the pleasant tactile experience they offer. But there is just something about Apple products that bugs me. Maybe it’s just the sense of smug superiority exuded by the employees of typical Apple store, or worse yet, the typical Apple user. Maybe it’s the expense of purchasing and Apple product, vs. competing computing devices. And maybe it’s the touch of inflexibility… the sense that the computer knows better than you do, that seems to be infused into the various Apple operating systems. At any rate, call me a troglodyte, but I tend to be more comfortable with other products.

For instance, rather than the ubiquitous iPhone, I use a Blackberry (albeit a Blackberry 9930 which is considered passé, but is still quite capable). My computers are PC based, running Windows 7. And perhaps my most grievous sin, especially as a photographer, is to own a tablet that is not an iPad.

This is sort of a review of my Asus Transformer TF 300, which I have discovered is an extremely helpful tool in pursuit of photography and a great alternative to its Apple competitor.

How was it that I came to snub the ubiquitous iPad? It started at the retailer. I realized that I needed a tablet to review photography on location and to show images to clients etc. So I visited the tablet display at my local box store, and talked to the 20-something-year-old salesperson about the choices available. He suggested that as I was reasonably computer literate, that I might actually prefer an Android tablet to even the vaunted “new iPad”. After looking all over the various brands, I chose the new Asus Transformer TF 300, which has similar processing power to the new iPad, a micro SB card slot, and the availability of the keyboard that would essentially transform (get it?) the tablet into a net book with an SD card slot, and the USB Port, options sorely lacking in an iPad.

As I drove home with my new acquisition, I called my younger brother who is a computer consultant, to describe my purchase. He reacted strongly, aghast at my decision to spurn the mighty iPad for such a pedestrian device. Recognizing his expertise (and not wanting to hear about it for the next twenty years if the Asus was a problem), I drove back to the store, and also purchased an iPad ( The store has a two week return policy).

I opened the iPad first. There is no doubt that the packaging of the device was very elegant. It appeared that almost as much care had gone into the design of the packaging of the product, as in the product itself.

The device itself was a typical Apple product. The case was slim, reasonably rugged, and beautifully finished. One cannot help but admire the clever magnetic display cover available for the device. The display was admittedly beautiful with great color, and excellent detail. The device was “snappy”. Moving from screen to screen was quick and responsive. “So far, so good”, in terms of my overall impression of the device.

That’s when I actually attempted to use the device in the manner that I intended. Apple is so obsessive about controlling the content on their iPad that, at least for me, they have destroyed its utility. The simple act of loading photos in the device requires one to use the annoying iTunes program I grew to hate with my iPod. I actually specified some photos to place in the device from my computer, and found that the iPad had made it’s own decision, perhaps preferring some other photos to the ones I had chosen.

Annoyed, I attempted to delete the unwanted files, only to find no way to do so. So I called my brother, the iPad fan, and ask how I might proceed with this. We tried a few things, to no avail. My brother then called my older sister, who is considered the actual Apple “guru” within the family. It turns out that there was no way to delete the files, and once they resided within the iPad, they would be there forever (or until it was formatted). Needless to say, I found this extremely frustrating.

I then addressed the Asus Tablet. I noted that the box was essentially identical to the Apple packaging, mimicking the same high quality materials but rendered in black rather than Apple signature white. So thorough was the mimicry,  I assume that this is a somewhat “in your face” gesture on the part of Asus.

The Asus Tablet is roughly the same size and as the iPad (slightly larger, but lighter). It is roughly $120 cheaper than the equivalent “new” iPad. It sports a textured plastic back, rather than the elegant metal back of the iPad which helps, as I understand it, to improve its wi-fi and GPS sensitivity.

Comparing the “guts” of the two tablets, they both have roughly similar specifications. In terms of processors, the third generation iPad has a dual core Apple branded 1.2GHz processor, whereas the Asus tablet sports an Nvidia Tegra 3, 1.4 GHz quad-core processor. PC World has done a technical comparison of the competing tablets here for those who wish to see more specific details.

Then there is the issue of the screen, which as a photographer I thought would give the new iPad an unbeatable advantage. The “new” iPad, as most photographers know, has the so-called “Retina” display with a resolution of 2048p x1536p, vs. 1280p x 800p for the Asus and most others. Numerically the advantage of the iPad seems huge. Using photo files I loaded on both devices, I examined each image closely. Though the Apple screen seem to have a slight advantage in terms of crispness and color, the differences were not that extraordinary, and to me, unimportant for the kind of use I planned for the tablet  (rough screening of images in the field).

Although there are laboratory benchmarks available that suggest that in terms of processing speed, the new iPad slightly outperforms the Asus Android tablet, the difference in real life is imperceptible when one operates the tablet side by side. Both are very responsive and react equally quickly to finger flicks. In both, the installed “apps” run quickly and smoothly.

Now I recognize that the number of apps available in the Apple world far exceeds what is available for the Android tablet, but jeeze, how much is enough? When I shop in the various Android stores I can find more than enough applications to suit me (especially compared to the Blackberry app store, which I still find adequate). For instance I bought an app called Photo Mate Pro for $6.69 that opens my all of my RAW files; allow light edits, and conversion to other file formats. It even has a screen calibration feature.

For me however, the most important attribute of each device is the operating system. If anything, I am slightly more familiar with the iOS OS than the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS that come with the Transformer (I’d never used an Android device), Nonetheless, I found the latter was far more intuitive to me than the Apple OS. There are lots of neat features on the Asus, from the “one click to shut down all processes widget” on the front screen, and the neat way it organizes your apps. I’ve used the device for about three months with no freeze-ups or other maladies.

The deal breaker for me with the iPad was that with the Android tablet, I can hook the device to my computer, root around in the file structure, make new files folders, and then dump images into them, as though the device were part of my computer. I can easily erase files that I don’t want. With the Apple product, I am forced to work through iTunes, which severely limits the control of content I can place on my own device. This annoys me on multiple levels.

Another advantage of the Android tablet is the memory and storage options available. Rather than paying  an outrageous amount for more internal memory, with the Transformer tablet, I can merely buy an inexpensive 36GB micro SD card and insert it in the available slot (not available on iPads), instantly increasing the 16GB in available device memory). I can keep multiple micro SD cards loaded with different files such as photos or video, and interchange them, vastly expanding my options with the device. There’s an available USB adapter for the Asus tablet as well as an SD card reader (much like the Apple products). And again, the available keyboard, it transforms the tablet into and Asus netbook with a full size SD card slot and a USB Port. The keyboard also drastically increases is the battery life of the tablet.

So for me, the flexibility the Asus device, trumps the elegant appearance and higher screen resolution of the “new” iPad. That’s why I ended up formatting the iPad, packaging up all of that elegant white boxing material, and returning it to Best Buy.

It’s why the Asus Transformer is fast becoming an invaluable tool for my photographic pursuits.

Last year at this time, I was in the middle of a photographic slump. 

 I wrote about the problem here.  In brief, I felt as though, at least in my usual haunts, I had captured everything photographable.  This plus some environmental issues, rather drastically lowered my photographic output over the Summer of 2011.  I began to wonder whether I was actually losing interest in photography.

 This year it’s different.  My interest in capturing images is back.  And I hate to admit that I think it’s due to a new equipment purchase, in this case  the Fujifilm X 100.

 Roughly a month ago, I published my initial thoughts on the camera after several weeks of usage.  I have now been carrying it for roughly six weeks, and I think I have developed a better sense of its strengths and weaknesses.

 I do recognize that the novelty involved in any new equipment purchase, can reignite an interest in the activity connected with the equipment.  But that increased enthusiasm can quickly flag, if the results one obtains do not reinforce the initial burst of enthusiasm.  I do think of camera gear that I bought with great enthusiasm, only to be disappointed in the results.  Actually, I made a new gear purchase early last summer.  My disappointment with it probably added to my summer slump.

 This year it’s different.  I find myself looking for reasons to shoot with this camera.  There is something liberating about are relatively compact and discreet camera that produces excellent image quality.  My initial impressions of this camera have only been reinforced.  It has excellent resolution.  The combination of the excellent imager and the fine 35 mm equivalent lens produce rich detail which allows relatively generous cropping when necessary given the limitations of the lenses focal length. It’s not 24 mp, but it’s very adequate. Prints are gorgeous up to the 16”x 22” sizes my printers can handle.

 I love the bokeh this lens can produce.  I find it useful for both shooting portraits, and for landscape work, particularly in close quarters.  At f2 the lens has excellent quality with great sharpness in the center of the field.  Nonetheless, one still has the advantage of an APS sized sensor, which gives wonderful depth of field when stopped down.

 It’s low light capabilities continued to delight.  I still have yet to take the camera off of the auto ISO setting.  I have increased the minimum shutter speed somewhat to 1/60 to reduce motion blur during indoor shooting. I do love the low light capabilities of this camera. I continue to notice luminance noise at high ISOs, but it is relatively fine, and adds a charming graininess to the images  especially when converted to black and white. There is very little color noise visible up to ISO 3200 if exposures are right.

 I have been using the camera with the filter adapter permanently attached.  I bought an inexpensive pinch cap to use on a daily basis, and I am storing the elegant magnetic lens cap so to avoid losing it.  I would like to have it available at the point where I eventually sell the camera.

 I wondered whether I would find the 35 MM focal length limiting.  Certainly this is not a camera for sports photography, but when used as a “walk around” camera,  I’ve not felt the least bit limited by the fixed lens.  Other than cropping, there’s not much of a work around when one desires a longer focal length.  A wider field of view however can be obtained by shooting several images of the same scene and combining them in a panorama which also gives you the advantage of higher resolution for printing.

 There are definitely some quirks to this camera that require a “work around”

 It took me perhaps 5 minutes to capture the image below because I could not obtain an autofocus lock on the flowers in the foreground (the camera kept focusing on the tree in the background).  I did find the manual focusing to be a bit problematic, in part because I had forgotten temporarily how to use the image magnifying feature.  Most of the time however, the autofocus works fine.  When it does not, it most often means that the focus selector button on the side of the camera has become inadvertently repositioned.

Dynamic range in RAW files is certainly adequate but less than my Fuji S-5. There is little retention of highlights; one is more likely to obtain additional information from the shadows, similar to the Nikon D 7000.

Yeah, I know that the battery life is not great.  I also resent the point-and-shoot type battery life indicator which only warns you of impending battery failure about a millisecond before the power quits.  Happily the batteries are cheap and of the same model used by my Fujifilm F31, so it’s not a problem to have several on hand.

I’ve been trying to figure out why this camera makes me want to shoot again.  It’s not nearly as functional and versatile as my Nikon DSLRs which have comparable or even better imagers.  It’s only slightly smaller than my Panasonic GH-1 which at least as a landscape camera has roughly equal image quality.  I have to believe that it has something to do with the quality of the files that the camera generates, which exhibit the rich color palette that I’ve come to expect from Fujifilm imagers.  I think it’s also the characteristics of the lens that I discussed earlier in the article.  I think also I continue to take tactile pleasure in the manual controls and the subjective feel of this lovely little instrument.

I was in a camera shop (remember those?) in Boston this week, and finally got to handle the X100’s bigger brother, the X Pro 1. I actually came away underwhelmed. It felt much less dense and thus, less substantial than the X100, as though the same components were placed in a larger “box”. There no diopter adjustment to the viewfinder, like that on the X100. The shutter on the X Pro 1 is significantly louder. And the difference that I’m seeing in the files is entirely the result of the newer cameras extra megapixels. And of course, the X Pro 1 with a lens, is twice the money of the X 100. For now, I’ll pass.

I’ve been telling people who ask my advice about a camera purchase, that they should not favor cameras because of megapixel count or zoom range, as most often, in compact cameras, those features actually reduce image quality. I now realize that the X 100 is a strong validation of this concept.

This camera bodes well for Fujifilm, and I cannot wait to see what they give us as a follow on product. But for now, I’ll just keep shooting.

Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.
Mark Twain

As wet and cold as it was last spring in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, nothing can be taken for granted.  In March of 2012, nature appeared to be giving us a pleasant reward for our trials and tribulations last spring, when record rain fell in these parts causing widespread flooding, and the temperatures remained low through most of April.

This year, our June weather arrived in March.  By the middle of that month, even here in the mountains, the forsythia was blooming ( this is usually an April event at our location).  Other blossoms followed, as the dogwoods, and even the cherry, and apple trees began to get into the act.

In March, I was somewhat fatalistic about this.  Nature is perverse in the Appalachians; just when you think about opening your swimming pool to capitalize on the unexpected spring warmth, a nor’easter will form, and run right up the East Coast, burying your patio furniture in 8 inches of wet snow.

But in fact, what did happen in April is that the temperatures cooled considerably, back to what would be considered seasonal or even a bit cooler.  The forsythia and other blossoms became “locked in” by this temperature change, failing to progress on to green foliage.  Still the weather remained dry, with little rain. With the lack of a melting snowpack, small streams that normally run until July are already still. It sounds good, except for one thing. 

In these wooded hills, an early spring like this is likely to create a bad fire season.

We tend to see our forest fires in mid spring, when the snowpack is gone but the outback is brown and crisp.

My community in particular, is located on the edge of an interesting plant community known as a scrub oak barrens.  This ecosystem is populated by a variety of fire resistant plants, some of which are unusual at this latitude.  They grow there because of some unique environmental conditions that prevail here.  The scrub oak barrens are maintained by periodic fires, which kill the less fire resistant plants like birch trees and red oak which threaten to over top the native barren plants that are shade intolerant.

Every couple of Aprils it seems we get such a fire, one that often starts on a state road that runs north and south past the our little community.  The fire usually starts north of the development and tracks due west with the usual prevailing winds before either  being put out by fire suppression efforts, a rainstorm, or by just running out of fuel.

Last Saturday was a warm and very breezy day.  I just finished a mountain bike ride, and had just returned home when I got a whiff of smoke.  As it was about 60°, my first thought was to wonder why my son would have started a fire in the wood stove on such a warm day.  Very quickly however the sky darkened, in it and it became clear that the source of the smoke was from a much larger conflagration.

Indeed a brush fire started in the usual spot but due to the unusual winds that day (blowing from the north-northwest) the smoke, and ultimately the fire was headed towards our community.

Happily the response from local fire departments was robust and rapid.  Many units, some from quite far away responded, some with equipment particularly suited to fighting brush and forest fires. 

 A crop dusting aircraft circled low dropping fire suppression  fluid for much of the afternoon.

A neighbor and I, eager to understand the extent of the blaze, took my UTV out  to assess how close the flames approached.  We found the edge of the fire but noted that it was not particularly intense,  burning mainly the underbrush and sparing the larger trees (though they will likely die from the heat damage to the root system).

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a123/Smithcottage/?action=view&current=VID-20120407-00001.mp4

We did our best to assist the fire officials to understand the location of the problem, and to transport personnel to strategic points.

 Now my home is on the southern end of the community, quite remote from any fire risk.

After the hour or so I returned home, only to find my wife preparing to evacuate.  Apparently a community “phone chain” was undertaken to warn the residents about the fire, though perhaps slightly overzealously.

Ultimately the fire did come within about five feet of my most northernmost neighbor’s garage.  There were numerous fire trucks on their property, and in the surrounding woods . Due to the hard work of the firefighters,  by the evening, the fire was controlled, if not completely out.

On the next day which was Easter, I walked the property that had burned.  Though there was no evidence of active flames, a large contingent of firemen and state officials still patrolled the property to watch for any re-ignition. I thanked everyone I saw.

Now that the danger is passed, the fire will have served up a somewhat useful purpose, namely restoring that portion of the barrens ecosystem and preventing it from transforming into less valuable forested land.  For a year or so, the burn area will act as a fire break for our community’s northern flank.  Ultimately however the dead saplings will become a fuel source once again and this will sometimes result in a more intense fire several years after the initial blaze

Several days after the fire, a friend of mine told me that she was driving along the route where the blaze was thought to have originated.  She claims that she got there at a time when the fire appeared to have just started. She and her companion noted three separate locations along the road that may have been ignition points. This was no stray cigarette.

  Standing nearby was a young boy of perhaps 15 or 16, with an unusual smile on his face.

 If this was the arsonist, he, and we, were both very lucky on that windy April day.

When I survey the music scene, I  cannot help but to be struck by the different levels of talent that have managed to lead to successful musical careers. 

There are some musicians would seem by sheer luck and happenstance, end up with a hit or two, based largely on novelty.

Then, there are solid journeyman musicians who, by hard work, solid craftsmanship, clever marketing and good business practices, court a successful career in music.

Then there are those rare musicians are absolutely transcendent.  From them, music flows as though some irresistible internal compulsion compels the artist to create the melodies, and maybe also to perform with a luminance few can match.

In my musical world, just off the top of my head, I think of artists like Oscar Peterson, James Taylor, Louis Armstrong, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. 

I think of composers like, Mozart, Fredrick Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Richard Rodgers.

George Gershwin, both as a composer and a performer, was one of these. 

And I cannot help but think of these two gentlemen, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder.

The linkage between the last two artists is not coincidental. They are not only just both blind and black.  12 years old Stevland Hardaway Judkins was renamed “little Stevie Wonder” by Berry Gordy, who signed the young man to a recording contract in 1963.  One of his first albums released on his new label was “A Tribute to Uncle Ray” with the young artist introducing some new songs, but mainly covering hits of his idol, Ray Charles.

 His early albums did not do well. In 1963, his breakthrough hit “Fingertips”, propelled 13 year-old “Little Stevie” him to considerable success.  Multiple hit albums in the late sixties, seventies, and eighties established  a now adult Stevie Wonder, as a musical icon.

I have never seen Stevie Wonder live.  I have however, seen Ray Charles onstage.  This occurred several years before his death.  I recall a frail old man being helped out to his instrument by rather sturdy looking assistant.  He looked so diminished that it was natural to wonder whether he would be able to give much of a performance.

I was wrong. 

The moment that he touched the keyboard, he seemed to come alive.  For 90 minutes  Ray Charles was 30 years younger, with his characteristic swaying , his unique phrasing, and his ability to transform a song you thought you knew, into a completely different musical experience.

I’ve come upon several recordings of these men and thought I would share them with you.  They feature Stevie’s song: “Living For The City”.  First recorded by the author in 1973, it was the only song I know of, written and performed by the younger man,  but also covered by “Uncle Ray” who in  1975 released his own very distinctive recording (title video).

The next clip is of a young Stevie Wonder in an extraordinarily well restored video of a performance for a European television show recorded in 1974. I actually don’t think he was as good a performer as he became in later years.  At least in this session, he lacks the incredible vocal agility that has later become his trademark. Maybe he was tired. I do wonder whether it took Stevie some time to adapt to his adult vocal range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99gNYaz6YaM&feature=player_detailpage

The second video was probably shot sometime in the 1990s or the early “ought’s”.  It’s a live concert featuring Stevie and Ray in the song they both have in common.  The performance showcases the unique approach to the song taken by both men in their separate recordings.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XJYUSdX-Rps

Probably not long after this, Ray Charles died from liver failure; likely the consequence of a life that included some bad choices.

It is wonderful to watch two such talented musicians, who in some ways were competitors, meld their styles together so beautifully. 

We are lucky to have had the genius of Ray Charles grace the music scene for 40 plus years.

 And we are fortunate still to have a talent such as Stevie Wonder still performing at a very high level even in the seventh decade of his life.

A Pretty Good Little Lens.

I think we all understand the advantages of larger camera imagers. Really we do. On SLRs, “full frame” imagers the size of 35mm film (FX imagers in Nikon speak) can provide cleaner output particularly at high ISO settings.  They allow wide angle, short focal length lenses to have their full field of view. They allow us the shallow depth of field many photographers, particularly those shooting portraits, tend to desire.

Much is also written about the subjective quality of images produced by larger chips.

For landscape photographers, shooting DSLRs, these characteristics are less compelling.  Most of the time, we are looking for lenses with a larger depth of field so that more of the scenery we are shooting is in focus. The ability to go wide is not unappreciated, but there are many “DX” lenses that offer a wide field of view.

The burden of full-frame imagers includes larger, heavier lenses which need to be toted around in order to obtain the full measure of quality the sensor can produce. These larger lenses tend to be more expensive.  The cost of a Nikkor 24-70 mm f 2.8, arguably the finest mid-range zoom offered by that manufacturer, is roughly $1900 US, at B+H Photo as I write this.  Price aside, this big, beautiful optic weighs almost 2 pounds. This is significantly more than the weight of the D700 to which it would be attached.

Because of these issues, over the years, I have developed several workarounds for using my full-frame cameras in the field.

The first work around is that I don’t actually use FX very much for landscape work.  My D7000 body for instance, is more compact and has more resolution.  The smaller DX sensor utilizes lenses that are lighter and less expensive.  I think in particular of my Tamron 17-50 mm f2.8, or my Nikkor 16-85 mm f3.5 both of which are excellent landscape choices.

The second work around is my use of “prime” lenses when I do venture out with full-frame. This appeals to both my lazy, and my cheap side, as these lenses tend to be inexpensive and light.  They also tend to be very high quality, especially at the modest price point at which they can be acquired.  Their small size and weight has made the D 700 very manageable for hiking.  There is however the need to carry multiple lenses, and the problem of changing them in the field, sometimes during conditions that might tend to foul the sensor.

So I’ve been looking for a small FX capable lens, a midrange zoom, of reasonable quality, but small and light enough to keep things manageable on the trail.  Preferably, it should be a modest cost.  And I think I’ve found it.

The Nikkor 28 – 70 mm F3 .5 is a small AF-D lens made in the 1990s.  It is an old school design, of polycarbonate construction, with a metal lens mount, but like many of the AF-D lens line of the time, well made and finished.  It is very reminiscent of my Nikkor 50 mm f1.8, and my 85 mm f1.8 in terms of build quality.  It is slightly smaller in size compared to the latter.

I became interested in the lens when I saw it on multiple websites reviewed quite favorably, especially given its astounding price point.  (I bought mine for roughly $70.00 on EBay).

Now I love a deal..  For $70.00 I’m definitely willing to “take a flier” and see whether it could be a useful addition to my photo kit.

I try hard not to be a “lens snob”.  Certainly there is a minimal quality level that a useful lens has to meet.  I believe that the right scene, the right set up, and the right shooting technique, tend to trump ultimate lens quality.  If the optic has reasonable center and peripheral frame sharpness, with decent contrast, it will not be the reason your photographs sucks. You may have to shoot at F5-F8 for the lens to perform well, but hell I tend to do that anyway, even with better glass.

I took the lens with me this week on several hikes.  I was easily able to carry the D700, with the zoom attached in my small camera bag.  It focuses using a screw drive, and so it requires one of a higher-end Nikon bodies for it to properly auto focus.  On the D700, it focused quite quickly and accurately.

One anachronism about this lens is its rotating front element.  This means that the front of the lens spins with the focus ring. This makes the use of a polarizing filter somewhat awkward in that one has to constantly readjust the filter every time the focus is changed by the photographer, or by the autofocus.  The lens is also unusual in that it tends to shrink and grow with both with zooming and focusing.

An advantage regarding filters on the 28-70 mm is that they are only 52 mm in diameter and thus considerably cheaper than the 77 mm filters on the pro-level lenses.  The rotating front element problem can be dealt with by focusing manually (so nothing moves without your permission) and carefully adjusting the filter to maximize the colors in the viewfinder.  I quickly got used to this technique.

So for the ultimate issue… what is the quality of this $70.00 lens? Actually, it’s quite good.  Obviously an f3.5 lens is not as “fast” as more extravagant models.  For a landscape photographer used to shooting in a reasonable light and on a tripod, this is not much of an impediment.  I find that the optical quality lens is quite good.  I’ve included in this article some sample images shot with this lens both in the field and indoors.

By way of comparison I offer the same image acquired with a similar vintage Nikkor 50 mm f1.8 which is well known to be sharp, and have low distortion.  I shot both at 50 mm and f 5.0 with the camera bench mounted. All processing was the same.  Here is 100% magnification of a peripheral portion of the scene shot.  I think that you can see the differences between these two lenses are fairly minimal.

Now I have no doubt that bigger pro-level Nikkor glass may be better quality, but the tradeoffs of weight and bulk mean that this diminutive midrange zoom is rather useful in its own way.

One last issue.  Apparently this lens is someone obscure.  When I developed photos in Camera Raw shot with the lens, the automatic lens correction defaults to the 70-200mm f2.8 settings. On the PTL Lens plug in for Photoshop, the corrections ar based on a Sigma 28-70mm f2.8. I have no idea whether this is deliberate or accidental, but the lens is not mentioned on the  former software’s Nikon lens list.  Regardless, the corrections in terms of distortion and vingnetting seem modest.

In summary I think for myself shooting this is a worthwhile little optic.  It’s small and rugged enough and frankly, if I drop it off a cliff, or into a pond, I can afford a $70.00 I will require to replace it.  And I think it has sufficient quality that it should never get in the way of capturing an excellent image.

After all, isn’t that what we truly require of any lens?