The Smith Avenue Bridge…

…At least, that’s what I assume it’s called. After leaving my friends’, Andrew & Carrie’s, wedding in Saint Paul, MN, I went straight instead of taking a left turn. I ended up going under this bridge, and started to turn around right after the bridge. I thought the lights on the bridge looked cool, so I decided to stop for a few photos of the bridge. Unfortunately, the old UV filter I have on the wide angle lens I like to use (the Nikon 20mm f/2.8) that came with the lens when I bought it used, was actually literally, old.  Anyway, the old “haze” filter left some haziness in the flare of the lights, so those didn’t turn out so great. But, here are a few others which turned out pretty good, I think, anyway.  Let me know what you think.

Meanwhile, I’ll probably start browsing for a new multicoat UV filter for my lens, or remember to remove it for those kind of shots.

Seeing Stars… aka Star Trails

While in Colorado earlier this month, I tried to capture a few star trail photos.  I understand the concept pretty well; basically long exposure shots of the night sky, but without having done them before, they aren’t as easy as they look.  The key to getting some interesting shots is to have a good foreground to anchor it.  Otherwise, it’s just some arcs of light.  I think even a silhouette of something would work.  Here’s a few from a campsite just outside of Fruita, CO.  These trees were illuminated by a nearby tungsten light from the campgrounds.   Luckily, it was a relatively windless night, keeping the leaves still enough to get some detail.  Anyway, I’m pleased with the results.  I’ll be trying it again sometime soon, but now that I’m back in Michigan, the mosquitoes are not really convincing me that I want to spend time outside at night… But perhaps, when it gets a little colder, I might try to make it out for some photos.

This last one is actually from later in the week, in Estes Park, of what I believe is Long’s Peak.

Sandy a la Mode – Assignment #2: Night Photography

Sandy’s second photography “assignment” was about night photos…

http://www.sandyalamode.com/2010/02/01/dark-skies/

It’s a good thing I decided that I’d undertake her photography blogs as a reason to get out and shoot.  It’s nice to have a focus/purpose when going out to take photos; just try not to get that tunnel vision and overlook any other photo opportunities should they come up during that time.

In any case, I took the opportunity to grab my camera (Olympus E620) and a couple lenses (Olympus ZD 12-60mm f/2.8-4.5 and the Olympus ZD 8mm Fisheye), along with the tripod my pops gave me (when he upgraded to a nice carbon fiber one, and a steel one… he’s more of a photo gearhead than I am.)  The following photos are taken from areas within walking distance from my apartment.  The photos were taken near the Loring Park area, with shots taken from a pedestrian bridge, or from within the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden.

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