Male African Lion on the Kilimanjaro Safari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Must have been the cool December morning which got him up and about. Normally, he is sleeping as most cats do.
This photo is the first of mine to reach 10,000 views on flickr and the only time I have seen the male up and moving on this attraction to date.
For this recap, I have purposely kept the names of the specific locations a mystery as I encourage you to visit and discover each on your own. Each person interpreted the Hometown History assignment in their own way. This created a varied and enjoyable set of personal histories of people’s “hometowns”.
We start off with the Gal from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan who ended traveling miles to visit her real hometown. I would love to say she did it for this assignment but I think she was more worried about the Rapture. Her post about her town when growing up was pure Kathy.
Lei Fraser happens to read Kathy’s blog and decided to show us an interesting historical photo essay of an elephant which looks over her hometown and how he got there. Thanks for joining in, Lei.
Another Kathy reader (I might have to put her on the payroll at this rate), Tracy shows us a township with…well, not much but she explains how it has captured her heart.
Elisa was only going to reply to Kathy’s post (check is in the mail!) and ended up creating a post about not having a hometown which ended up with wonderful photos of a place full of history…in its people and its heart.
The hits keep coming as the Solitary Spinster read Kathy’s blog and questioned if she has a hometown as her life has landed her in many places. Yet, her time walking about her current place of residence is well know to her now and in the past.
Dawn stopped in to share a mechanical marvel found in her small hometown which creates special treasures of a waxy variety. I hope Dawn stops in again as I would love to see it in action.
Bruce Laidlaw bridged a time of Camelot with images of today. I have been where Bruce took his photos and can only image him there…when it happened. I bet it was breathtaking.
Isa contacted me about an issue with her camera and I told her to go ahead and use archived photos for her assignment. I am glad I did as she shows us a hometown reaching back centuries and its continuing evolution to meet the needs of its residents of today.
Denise Heffernan found a point in time which changed her current hometown’s history and people as timeless as it still looks today.
A new comer and blogging neighbor, Deb, takes us for a spin around her current hometown taking us from celestial objects to a sweet and controversial discovery. Hey, you know I believe it’s an upstate invention.
Nye came from Southeast Asia to her current adopted hometown in the Southeastern United States to a place which itself has come full circle which might again stake claim as an All-American City.
My Hometown History consisted of showing the difference between the late 1880’s and now as railroads which once wwere the life blood of a town faded away into history.
The first of my Denmark duo, Birgitte, has been going through a rainy period like many of us this Spring. She takes us from rainy streets with hundreds of years of history to a modern cruise vessel on the edge of European history, I hope it dries out soon so she can fill in more of her hometown.
Truels, who is in the midst of sharing his Australian adventures, took time to take us through a time warp starting 5,000 years in the past through a series of photos taken today and compared to ones taken in the past. Whew…even I had to catch my breath.
Lastly, Gerry takes us back to Michigan and shows us a bridge which is more than just a way to travel over a natural obstacle but a way to connect the present to the past.
Thank you all for participating! Check back for the next assignment in July of a more photographic variety.
As I was leaving Mexico Point Park which lies twenty miles east of the City of Oswego, New York, on a peninsula along the Lake Ontario shore over the weekend, I noticed a sign pointing to a trail leading off into the woods. The sign said the trail would take one to Spy Island. I could not pass up the chance to find out the story behind such a location.
The forest trail afforded a cool walk as the trees have fully unfurled their leaves soaking up the sunshine and producing food while releasing life giving oxygen. I walked past small glades dotted in yellow, red, pink and blue wildflowers. After ducking under a fallen tree and going across a man-made walkway between a marsh on the left and the Little Salmon River’s outlet to Lake Ontario on the right, I arrived on Spy Island. A short climb brought me to the top of a clearing in the mature woods and the reason for the island’s name.
New York State Education Department historical marker at the grave site of Silas Towne at Mexico Point Park near Oswego, New York. NIkon D700/28-300VR, 1/80s, f/4.5, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.
The grave site of Silas Towne is protected by metal tubing and marked with a fifteen foot limestone shaft. A New York State Education historical marker informs people curious enough of follow the trail of Mr. Towne’s daring exploit during the American Revolutionary War.
After Silas overheard the plans from this location of British Brigadier General Barry St. Leger to move on Fort Stanwix near Albany, he braved the fifty miles (80 km) of wilderness to warn the rebels. The British were defeated in the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777. This put a stop to the British plan to squeeze General Washington’s army who were stationed on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River at the time.
Silas continued to spy for the American army taking on assignments along the St. Lawrence River and reporting back on any British and French activity along the northern New York water border. After the war, he returned to the Mexico Point area and settled. Thirty years later and dying at the age of 51, he told a friend to bury him on the island which he was in 1806.
Towne was mostly forgotten except in local folklore until July 4, 1871 when the limestone shaft was dedicated to the “memory of Silas Towne, an officer under Washington.” Today, due to the stone being limestone, it is hard to read the dedication with erosion from rain and lichen and mosses breaking away at the stone. It is a quiet place just as I imagine it was the night the tall, lithe Silas slipped away from the British to become a part of history.
The grave site of Silas Towne, a Revolutionary War Hero, at Mexico Point Park near Oswego, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, HDR Image.
Fittingly, on this Memorial Day weekend, someone had placed a new American flag in honor of Silas Towne’s service to a very young United States of America during a time when heros came from unexpected directions. As I looked upon Mr. Towne’s grave, I gave thanks to him and to all the patriots of the Revolutionary War who fought for the freedoms I enjoy 235 years later.
Have you had enough rain this Spring? I have decided to stop cursing the rain and be one with it. Very Zen of me don’t you think?
Wet conditions at the Lilac Festival in Rochester, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 800, EV 0, 230mm focal length.
The challenges with shooting out in the rain are obvious. Keep the equipment from getting soaked. Cameras are light-tight so a little rain will not harm them. A down pour or long exposure to wet weather will so it is best to be prepared. While I am not a big fan of using a lens hood, they come in handy when it is raining. They stop the lens from accumulating water droplets which cause all kind of havoc when looking through the viewfinder. For keeping the rest of the camera dry, I recommend using inexpensive rainsleeves by Optech.
Coral bark Japanese maple at Highland Park in Rochester, New York during the Lilac Festival. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/5.3, ISO 1600, EV 0, 112mm focal length.
Another challenge you will be faced with are low light conditions. If you are not using a tripod, this will mean having to raise the ISO some to keep a shutter speed fast enough to hand hold. Don’t forget the technique I shared with you called Da Grip where you can hand hold a camera at very slow shutter speeds. I feel comfortable using half of my camera’s highest native ISO. For the Nikon D70, I used ISO 800. For the Nikon D700, ISO 3200 is as high as I like to go though I have been known to surpass it on occasion. 😀
An advantage of photographing out in the rain or on cloudy days is the soft, even lighting coming from the sky. Colors are more vibrant and textures stand out. However, try and keep the overcast sky out of your photos as it is very bright by many stops than the subjects you are photographing on the ground. If you look at your LCD in blinky mode, the whole sky will be totally blown out and flashing If I do get some of the sky in, I tend to crop it out later.
Water on surfaces is something you need to be aware of. Shiny surfaces cause highlights and reflections which are hard to deal with in photo editing. The use of a circular polarizing filter will remove them and give you even better and truer colors. Filters are easier to wipe off than most lenses as an added bonus.
To see many of these tips in action, follow this link of a video by New England photographer Jerry Monkman. Like us, Jerry has been dealing with our wet Spring and shows us how to find peace with it.
Enjoy. If you live in the United State, have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse after sunset from Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York last Memorial Day weekend.
This photo is available for download for use in electronic and print media or as an art print via IthacaStock.com. Thank you for your interest.
to my personal journal through my viewfinder. A place where I leave the world behind and try to find the spirit of what I am seeing.
Feel free to look around at all the posts and pages. If you'd like to borrow a photo(s) for your non-commercial blog or website, be my guest. Please, do not alter the photo(s) and be sure to link back to this blog with a prominent photo credit(s). Thank you and I'm thrilled you dropped in!
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