Hark's 2015 and 2016

[hark]

Here are a few more from this afternoon. There were several photographers out today, this guy being one of them.

I am always amazed with the size of these trees.

It's selfie time! I wonder if they can see me in the background of their photo.

A couple enjoying today's weather--temps were in the mid-70's.

 

[hark]

Here are a couple more photos from yesterday's outing.

This little tyke was playing King of the Hill. This post was the tallest on the dock, and it was all his.

And after seeing several photographers walking around, this gal showed up. I chuckled when I saw the white lens and told her, There's no mistaking that is a Canon lens! She laughed and asked if I was a hobbyist. She is, too.

 

[hark]

Posted in the March monthly contest but not sure if it will make the cutoff.

I am working on a wall calendar for my church to be used as a fund raiser for 2017. I brightened up this shot since it was somewhat overcast--the sky was a little darker than it appears here, but this looks much nicer. Not sure what photos will be used in the calendar, but at least I was able to get some shots before the trees completely lost their flowers. The Magnolia tree already dropped its flowers. Not sure what type of tree this is...other than an out-of-focus one.

 

[hark]

Practiced a little bounce flash this afternoon. Still need to work with it more.

This is Cherub. He was a stray kitten when I adopted him along with his mother. He is 12-3/4 years old.

This is Keilah an Australian Shepherd. She is 5-1/2 years old.

And this is Stache. He is 15-1/2 years old. Sadly he won't be with us much longer. We are trying to make him as comfortable as possible. We adopted him as a stray from a rescue organization back in 2000.

 

[hark]

Yesterday when I took this photo, I knew Stache wouldn't be with us for much longer; however, he took an unexpected turn for the worse this morning and sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

I'm glad I took some pet photos as it isn't something I do often enough. Please be sure to take the time and capture your friends, family, and pets before they move on from this world. :sorrow:

 

[Marilynne]

Sorry to hear about Stache. It's tough losing a pet!

 

[hark]

Sorry to hear about Stache. It's tough losing a pet!

Thanks kindly, Marilynne. Although we've had pets since I was in 3rd grade, it is never easy.

 

[hark]

Earlier this week I was asked to take some photos during my church's Youth Group. They met later in the day when the sun started to set. Since the church doesn't often offer evening services, there aren't any blinds or curtains blocking the sunlight.

As I headed through the Narthex towards the Chapel, I looked through the etched glass windows that separate the Sanctuary from the Narthex. The light was streaming in intensely on a diagonal although this was the only pane of etched glass that was backlit. Despite the glass being smudged with fingerprints and dust, I wanted to get the shot. I cleaned up what I could in PCC without affecting the grain of the etched glass.

The colored lights are from the small stained glass windows on the front wall of the Sanctuary. They remind me of celestial stars. And as I took the shot, I couldn't help but think of an Ansel Adams quote: Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter.

 

[hark]

Ansel Adams quote: Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter.

Last evening I returned to the church to photograph the Men's Bible Study. One of the men asked if the etched glass panels would be good for a background so we decided to take the photo there. Since I wanted to check my exposure ahead of time, I took a few test shots before the men came over. Behind me are several sets of double doors all with large glass windows. Here is a crop of what showed up last night (before the men assembled in front of the glass). Please note the reflections of the doors, cars, and houses. In the past, I tried using a CP filter to cut the reflections, but it would never get rid of everything.

The backlit etched glass I photographed the other night lacked the reflections--which really makes me believe Ansel Adams' quote.

 

[hark]

It seems when I have time to photograph this bridge, either the sky is completely blue without any trace of clouds, or it is overly cloudy with little trace of shadows on the bridge. It was still a nice day to be outside. :encouragement:

 

[Needa]

It seems when I have time to photograph this bridge, either the sky is completely blue without any trace of clouds, or it is overly cloudy with little trace of shadows on the bridge. It was still a nice day to be outside. :encouragement:

View attachment 209231

Keep at it you'll l get what you want. Nice even if the sky isn't exactly how you want it.

 

[hark]

Another one from this afternoon. An aqueduct carries the Delaware Canal over Brock Creek--in Yardley, PA. The Yardley Grist Mill is visible in the background. If I had taken a tripod, I would have used my 10-stop ND filter. This was handheld which I don't do all that often (tend to use a tripod or monopod more frequently).

 

[hark]

I used this image in the May monthly challenge. It's something I've wanted to photograph for a while, but it tends to be completely in shadow most of the time. Guess my timing and the angle of the sun during this time of year were right for once!

 

[hark]

Sometime within the past couple of months, there was a local article about dead fish in the southern end of the Delaware Canal. I thought they were supposed to allow fresh water into this entire southern end. Not sure if it happened here. Although I didn't see any dead fish, there are quite a few styrofoam cups and a bottle floating on the algae.

This isn't the type of photo I enjoy taking, but I do share these with some of the Delaware Canal organizations--most of the key organizations are situated closer to the northern end which is 60 miles away.

 

[hark]

Here is another shot of the algae in the Delaware Canal (along with quite a bit of trash).

 

[hark]

Went in search of a scene that would work for the May monthly contest (wide angle lens using either leading lines, rule of thirds, diagonal lines, etc). Not sure if I will use this for the contest. It is one of the enormous trees on the grounds of Pennsbury Manor--William Penn's former estate.

 

[hark]

Here are a couple more from this afternoon.

This was William Penn's house built in 1683 that provided a nice place to get away from the hot city of Philadelphia during the summers. It sits along the Delaware River (which is behind where I was standing).

Climbing the steps and turning around, this is the view from the walkway of Penn's home. For more information on Pennsbury Manor, please visit their web site Pennsbury Manor.

 

[hark]

After seeing a pano shot this morning that @Blacktop took, I noticed the sky here was pretty ominous...so I just had to get out there and take it in response to his photo. Pete, this one's for you.

And since someone was getting a boat ready to go fishing, I waited a little bit. The sun became a little brighter, too.

 

[cwgrizz]

Here is another shot of the algae in the Delaware Canal (along with quite a bit of trash).

View attachment 212346

I have to admit that when I first looked at this photo, before reading what you had written, I thought it was a walking path. Ha!

 

[hark]

I have to admit that when I first looked at this photo, before reading what you had written, I thought it was a walking path. Ha!

You would be surprised at just how beautiful most of the canal is from Easton down to Bristol. It covers a distance of around 60 miles, yet there is this stretch that they don't seem to care about. They found some fish had died due to low oxygen levels so they temporarily allowed in fresh water. It's too bad they don't seem to have the money to fix this part of it. I even sent them some photos...and while they expressed concern, they tend to look the other way. It's sad.