This is the archive for April, 2009.
- Day 120 – Chautauqua Lake Bridge B&W
I took this photo last summer on Chautauqua Lake while visiting my friend Brad. I took this from his boat while we were out on the lake one beautiful day. Click the photo to view it large.
I took the first of five exams today–American Heritage. It was the one that I think will be most difficult, so I am glad to have it out of the way. Tomorrow is poly econ, Tuesday is Dr. Jackson’s freshman honors English and Dr. Steele’s microecon, and Wednesday is Dr. Treloar’s calc II. I will not be home until Saturday, May 9, though, because I have a few things to do on campus.
- Day 119 – Club Euro
Last night, a fraternity on campus threw a “Club Euro” themed dance party to celebrate the end of classes. In between studying, I went to take some photos. I tried out a few new techniques, so I thought I would post the results. The photos below are not edited. They are straight out of my camera. What I did: 1/2 second exposure at f/5 and a rear-sync flash. In one of the shots, I twisted the camera while the shutter was open. Click on the photos to view them larger.
- Day 118 – Magnolia Trees
The magnolia trees in Hillsdale are blooming! Most of the other trees are as well. It is a beautiful sight! I can see why students here look forward to spring.
Today was my last day of classes for the spring semester. I only slept for two hours last night, but I finished my final paper for Dr. Jackson. Now it is time to start studying for finals. I am doing preliminary work tonight so I can get a good night’s sleep and get started right away in the morning. My first exam is Thursday at 1, and I think it will be the most difficult one.
On an unrelated note, we discussed Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince for our last English class. It is a children’s book, but great for all ages to read. If you have not read it, I recommend doing so. It is a quick read, but full of things to think about. Three of my favorite quotes from it:
“You are not at all like my rose,” the little prince said. “As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.”
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .”
- Day 117 – If My Computer Could See Me…
…this is what it would have seen in the last week. A tired Charles A. Grimmett, drinking coffee and typing. After tomorrow, this magnificent view will no longer be owned by my computer, but my American Heritage notes.
Photo taken with Photo Booth.
- Day 116 – Gennady & Wendy Photoshoot
This morning I did a short photoshoot with my friends Gennady and Wendy. They are getting married shortly after they graduate from Hillsdale in a few weeks and wanted some semi-casual photos taken before the wedding. Luckily, it turned out to be a beautiful day, despite the threats of rain early in the morning. It was a little windy, but I think the photos came out well despite this. Above are my favorite shots.
They have been wonderful to spend time with during my first two semesters at Hillsdale, and I am going to miss them. I wish you the best, Gennady and Wendy!
I am still developing my portrait skills, so let me know what you think and where I can improve. Click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
- Day 115 – Long Jump / Musings on Wide-Angle Shots
*Note: It is necessary to view the large version of today and yesterday’s photos to understand what I am talking about in this post. You can do so by clicking on the photos.
I use my wide-angle lens often, and almost always at the risk of taking too much in. The frame gets so many things in it that it becomes too busy. Therefore, I typically try to use it to get very close to my subjects, while still getting all the necessary components into the frame.
Yesterday, I tried something else. I used my wide-angle to try and capture the action and excitement of a track meet, where there is always something happening and never a dull moment. In the photo I posted yesterday, I put my wide-angle lens on and got as close to the water pit as I could, and tried to capture multiple stages at once: runners approaching the barrier, runners jumping over it, runners in the air, runners landing in the water, and runners exiting it and continuing on. Instead of taking multiple photos, I was able to get it all in with one shot.
I tried to do the same thing with the photo above, only there is just one athlete. By being able to see the approach, the sand pit, the sand raker, the ref, the stands, and part of the in-field, I think it tells a more complete story of what happens at a track meet in just one shot. I especially like the jumper’s shadow here. I know I risk having too much in the photo, but I think it works well in some situations. I think these track photos are one of those situations. I don’t plan to use this all the time, but I think it is a useful tool when one can pull it off.
What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment.
- Day 114 – Water Barrier
This is a shot of the water barrier in the steeplechase in the Gina Relays, which are going on this weekend at Hillsdale. I recommend you view this photo at a larger size by clicking on it.
The water on the other side (which starts deep and has a gradual slope, which rewards runners with better jumping abilities) had fish in it! Someone caught about 20 bluegill and bought some goldfish and had them swimming in here. It was quite amusing. For the record, all fish were still alive after this event.
By the way, it got up to 84 degrees today. The weather was beautiful!
…and I got a 95% on a calc II exam I was worried about!
- Day 113 – Overexposure
I took this shot for an art class last year in high school. I was dealing with ways of using overexposure and underexposure, and I liked the way the color faded in from the white. Click the photo to view it large.
