Ice Fishing19 February 2013 -- 50/365Lincoln, Rhode IslandFor today's photo, I headed to Lincoln Woods State Park hoping to find something interesting to capture.  I was thinking along the lines of runners or walkers on the snow-covered trails, but with temperatures in the 40s and a rain storm moving in, I was not expecting to see anyone ice fishing.  This has never been an overly popular hobby in Rhode Island.  Further north, it's all the rage, and various lakes in New Hampshire look like shanty towns with all the huts, tents, and trucks parked on the ice.  Not in Rhode Island where the season during which the ice is safe for travel is extremely short.There are a couple of notes worth mentioning for this photo.  When I arrived at the pond, the ice closest to shore did not look safe enough to risk walking out there with my camera.  I'm not sure where these folks stepped onto the ice, but it definitely wasn't from where I was parked.  I therefore shot this from shore.  I used the 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens with the 2x Teleconverter, and this was hand-held at maximum zoom.  The compression that generates makes it appear that they are almost on the opposite shore, when in fact they were almost smack in the middle of the pond.  Part of the story I was trying to tell is how cold and forbidding this sport can be.  For that reason, I chose to go with a very high contrast process and left off the sepia photo filter that normally tones it down a bit.  I'm hoping the sharp contrast provides a feeling of cold, isolation, and loneliness.  The final comment is about the positioning of the fishermen.  I had several photos where the one standing was walking around and looking at the camera.  I opted not to use any of those shots since they conveyed the exact opposite feeling I was trying to produce.  To be clear, both fishermen were well aware of the photography being done and neither signaled any objections to the shots being taken.Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX.  I adjusted color sensitivity sliders followed by adaptive exposure, regions, boost black, boost white, and protect shadows.  I added a brightness and contrast adjustment in PSE.
Waxing Gibbous over South Mtn. and Pawtuckaway Fire-tower.
Moonrise over Pawtuckaway Fire-tower... February 18, 2013.
Yacht Club Orange18 February 2013 -- 49/365North Providence, Rhode IslandAbout a month ago, I featured a photo of the Yacht Club Soda bottling company.  That photo prompted one of my coworkers to bring in a bottle of Yacht Club Orange Soda since that was my favorite flavor as a kid.  The bottle was unopened for about a month, but today I decided it was time to enjoy a taste of summer.  The -7 F wind-chill outside may have had something to do with that decision.  The good news for my coworker is that his refundable bottle is about to be returned.To setup today's shot, I placed a brown micro-fleece blanket on a TV Dinner Stand and then draped it over my treadmill for a background.  I used four clamp lights attached to the dinner stand, angled slightly upward instead of straight on the subjects.  The bulbs were 40 watt Phillips natural light incandescent bulbs.  I used a remote to control the camera while I poured the soda.Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX.  I then adjusted adaptive exposure, regions, and protect highlights.  I applied a very heavy contrast adjustment to turn the background completely black, and then adjusted boost black and boost white.  A sepia photo filter was added in PSE.
Wind and snow on today's dog walk... February 17, 2013.
17Feb13

lace shadows on avocado leaves.

today marks my 7th anniversary on Daily Photos.

one year ago.

f/8, 1/1600s, iso 2000.
15Feb13

speckled shadows.

f/2.8, 1/240s, iso 80.
8Feb13

back of the front.

one year ago.

f/2.8, 1/900s, iso 80.
6Feb13

foggy morn.

one year ago.

f/2.8, 1/230s, iso 80.
Wind and snow on today's dog walk... February 17, 2013.
Wind and snow on today's dog walk... February 17, 2013.
Wind and snow on today's dog walk... February 17, 2013.
See photo in original gallery.