photography

All posts tagged photography

Orion and Pleiades in the Trees

Posted by Photonstopper on March 5, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photo: Orion and Pleiades in the Trees while Others Float Above. Photo by James Guilford.

Orion and Pleiades in the Trees while Others Float Above

Clear skies have been rare this winter so when a cloudless sky presented itself this night, I had try a little sky shooting. The air was still and that was a very good thing … it was +19F degrees out there. I wanted to try out the new fisheye lens a bit more, even under our heavily light-polluted suburban skies. To my eye, I could make out the brighter stars and planet Jupiter; the celestial objects floated on a field of gray, due to the aforementioned light pollution. To my surprise and delight an eight-second camera exposure revealed numerous stars though, unsurprisingly, missing the clouds of the Milky Way. The photo above is my favorite among the few shot tonight. I’m excited to take that camera and lens to the country and darker skies and see what may be seen from there!

Image: Star Map - SkySafari Simulation

Star Map – SkySafari Simulation

Testing… testing!

Posted by Photonstopper on February 28, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

 

Tight Crop from a Full Frame Image – Black Capped Chickadee

 
Trying out a new camera lens, we paid a brief visit to the Summit Metro Parks’ F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm. Always a favorite are the North American Cardinals, Nuthatches, and Black-Capped Chickadees that watch for visitors offering seed handouts. The birds watch the trail and, when visitors pause with hands out, come out of the woods to land close or on their human benefactors. The new Canon lens performed excellently well, as expected, focusing fast and accurately on my tiny subjects. Returning home, I did testing of another sort; I’m in the middle of a 10-day free trial of Affinity Photo, a very capable new photo editing software. As I grow more familiar with Affinity, I like it more and more. All that is missing is an integrated or associated light-table application. So today’s testing was enlightening and rewarding thanks to a fine little bird.

Affinity Photo

Nice to see the lake again

Posted by Photonstopper on February 14, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photo: Guardrail and sign covered in thick curtains of lake water ice. Photo by James Guilford.

No Lifeguard

Taking advantage of a cold but sunny Sunday afternoon, we made a quick trip to the shore of Lake Erie. The shoreline was piled with snow-covered ice, in wave-shaped mounds parallel to the coast. Ice that formed on a guard rail made glistening caramel-colored curtains, even walls, joining the steel tubes of the framework to each other and to the ground. And a stream flowed beneath a bright, snowy ice layer, visible sometimes, down a rocky fall and, under cover ice once again, to the lake. Nice to see the lake again.

Photo: Ice coats and drips down from a fallen tree branch as water flows over exposed rock. Photo by James Guilford.

Ice Palace

A Mink, I think

Posted by Photonstopper on February 10, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photo: Mink carrying a fish. Photo by James Guilford.

Emerging from the Grass with a Prize!

We paid a mid-winter visit to Lorain Metro Parks’ wonderful Sandy Ridge Reservation on Saturday, February 6. Usually, when we visit the wetland area, we are treated to an abundance of waterfowl and other birds. Indeed, we saw plenty of Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks, and even a rather clumsy Red Tail Hawk (more on this one soon).

Photo: Mink running on earthen path. Photo by James Guilford.

A Little Jog on the Path

The only resident mammals we generally see at Sandy Ridge are Gray Squirrels and assorted Chipmunks, though we certainly have seen some signs of Beaver activity! This day was different. We stopped on the path out of courtesy to a fellow photographer who was staring at the grass at the edge of the path. We watched to see what he was looking for and suddenly there was a stirring in the brush.

Photo: Mink heads into grass with fish. Photo by James Guilford.

Heading Home with the Goods

Out popped a long, dark brown, very wet critter who quickly loped on to and across the sandy path, then into the grass on the opposite side! It was carrying something … a fish! And that was it. Gathering some groceries was a Mink, I think!

Beautiful, snowy Monday

Posted by Photonstopper on February 8, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

A rainy morning transitioned to a snowy afternoon . Photo by James Guilford.

A rainy morning transitioned to a snowy afternoon .

 
Driving back from a car service appointment, I paused for a while to enjoy the quiet beauty of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Hinckley Reservation. The only camera I had with me was in my little iPhone 5s but I got a couple of nice shots out of it; this is my favorite.

Changeable skies

Posted by Photonstopper on February 1, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photo: Old weathered barn and dramatic sky. Photo by James Guilford.

Ancient Barn under Changeable Skies

February started off cloudy and gray, as many days have been of late. During an errand to Medina, Ohio some blue sky and sunshine appeared through gaps in the rolling clouds; we headed to the Medina Woods Park and its Chippewa Inlet Trailhead. Strolling along the trail encircling a major wetland restoration area. Weather has been cold enough to maintain a thin layer of ice on areas of open water. Geese, ducks, and a pair of Trumpeter Swans stood on the ice, eyeing us warily.

Photo: Spooked - Canada Geese Take Flight. Photo by James Guilford.

Spooked – Canada Geese Take Flight

Patches of sunlight shifted across the scenery, now and then illuminating an ancient barn on the property and bringing out colors in pond ice.

Photo: Dramatic clouds, sun, over wetland area. iPhone Photo by James Guilford.

Changeable Skies – iPhone

As we headed back to the parking lot, gaps in the cloud cover closed and overcast saw us off. Changeable skies, indeed.

Beautiful without snow

Posted by Photonstopper on December 28, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Photo: Christmas Morning 2015: Ottokee, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Christmas Morning 2015: Ottokee, Ohio

Visiting Northwestern Ohio on Christmas Day, we found the scenery to be without snow. This year’s El Niño weather influences gave us higher than normal temperatures, so any precipitation was liquid rather than crystalline. Although a snowless December 25 is not unusual for the northwestern farmlands, a coating of snow hides the brown fields and decorates bare-branched trees; it was missed. Still, there was beauty to be seen where sun, air, and cloud conspired to make the day beautiful without snow.

Photo: Christmas Sunset 2015: Napoleon, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Christmas Sunset 2015: Napoleon, Ohio

Blast from the past!

Posted by Photonstopper on December 5, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment
Photo: Antique photo of family and their home in War Eagle, Arkansas.

Mother Guilford’s Brother John & Wife

Spending a cold and cloudy Saturday trying to declutter, I came across a couple of antique photographs I’d nearly forgotten about. Lost in stacks of documents, the two pictures represent points of history, my family’s history (apparently), in Ohio and in Arkansas! On the back of the mounted “Mother Guilford” photo is the handwritten inscription: “this is Mother Guilford’s bro. John + wife at their home in War Eagle. Ark. Benton Co.” I didn’t know I had relatives in Arkansas but it looks like quite a family in this picture, filling the front porch!

Antique Photo: Big Locust Farm, Delta, Ohio, April 15, 1903

Big Locust Farm, Delta, Ohio

The second image, labeled “Big Locust Farm” was taken April 15, 1903, according to a handwritten note. The printed label reads, “Big Locust Farm, Capt. J.J. Waffle, R.F.D., No. 3  / Delta, O. /  Phone — Via Wauseon 5 rings on Winameg line.” I don’t know if Capt. Waffle was any relation to me nor do I know if he was the subject of the photo (with two other folks) or the photographer! Capt. Waffle would be a good name for a kids’ sweetened breakfast food.

So far these are the most valuable artifacts I’ve uncovered in my efforts this day. Mostly, I uncovered dust.

2016 Wall Calendars Available

Posted by Photonstopper on December 2, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2015-11-30 at 4.39.02 PMNow available: my Sights Seen: 2016 wall calendars featuring some of my best photographs from the past year. The calendars measure 11″ X 17″ open, and are printed on thick, coated stock for best reproduction. Copies are available at $10 plus postage.

I don’t have an effective e-commerce presence for this item so can accept checks and money orders only, no credit cards. Email me via the “comment” form to be found on this page for purchase particulars (total cost including postage): guilfordpix.com/about/

Pretty pleased about this…

Posted by Photonstopper on November 23, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments
Photo: Finalist Certificate for James Guilford

Nifty Certificate

My photo was selected as a Finalist in the Annual Spring Photography Contest staged by Photographer’s Forum Magazine. In the great scheme of things, it’s really not that big a deal: out of about 10,000 entries (if I remember correctly) my photograph was chosen as one of 1,500 finalists. My entry didn’t get beyond that level in the judging process but will get published in the magazine’s Best of Photography 2015 book and today I received a nifty certificate proclaiming my achievement. If they’re publishing 1,000 pictures in their book, I expect mine will be pretty small, so it’s unlikely I’ll purchase a copy but they are making tear sheets available and I’ll be ordering a couple copies. I rarely enter contests so to have gotten this far, well, I’m pretty pleased. Here’s my entry (below) “Under the Shelf”, which looks far better on a big screen!

Photo: Shelf cloud of thunderstorm in Northwestern Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Under the Shelf; Storm Bearing Down