Photographic Thoughts — 01/09/2022 to 01/15/2022

“When I photograph, what I’m really doing is seeking answers to things.” — Wynn Bullock

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 01/09/2022: Posted photo — Tricky Santa.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 193, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

This figurine looks like my in-laws. My father-in-law is Santa to many people during the holidays. He goes to many parties and events as Santa. Before Covid, he took calls from children on the local cable channel. He likes to eat cookies.

My mother-in-law bakes cookies around the holiday. Some of the cookies she bakes look the cookies on this tray. She is Mrs. Clause to some people since my father-in-law is Santa. Tricking Mrs. Clause to sneak cookies is something my father-in-law would do.

I took this photo today because it is a figurine that I often photograph during the holiday season. We took our tree and decorations down today, so I wanted to post it this year since I have not done so.

Monday, 01/10/2022: Posted photo — Ice.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/60 s, 42 mm.

Not one of my best shots. I took this photo to show how cold it is her today and will be for the remainder of the week. I was hoping the photo came out better than it did. After posting photo for 4393 days in a row, there are a few you do not like.

Tuesday, 01/11/2022: Posted photo — Cold.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60 s, 106 mm.

Yesterday it was cold. Today it was frigid. The temperature did not get out of the single digits (°F) and it was windy. The wind chill was well below 0° F. Last night’s hike was very cold, but it was 10–20° F warmer than today. The cold and the wind do not bother me since I know how to dress for it. Dress in layers.

Your layering system is as follows: a base layer that wicks sweat off your skin, a middle layer that is an insulating layer to retain your body heat and protect you from the cold, and an outer layer that shields you from wind and rain.

“The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.” — From the National Weather Service.

Wednesday, 01/12/2022: Posted photo — Droplets.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/0, 1/125 s, 50 mm.

This is one of my favorite photos. I took this during the summer when the grass in our yard was tall and needed cutting. I saw the water droplets glistering in the sun and wanted to capture it.

I was very happy with the way this turned out.

Thursday, 01/13/2022: Posted photo — Playground.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 125, f/7.1, 1/100 s, 18 mm.

I had a follow up appointment today and took my camera to take a photo in the daylight. The appointment was near Dunn State Park, so I decided to take my photo there. Hiking, canoeing and kayaking, boating (non-motorized), fishing, and cross-country skiing can all be done at Dunn State Park. Sometimes there is a great shot of the water, trees, snow, and blue sky. The sky was gray, so I did not get that shot. What I did see was one of the play areas in the park. It looked to be a great photo that would tell a story about how cold it has been around this area in the last few days. I have hiked the easy one mile trail around Dunn Pond a few time, just hiking it and looking for Geocaches.

“Dunn State Park is named after its benefactor, John Ainsworth Dunn (1831- 1915) who had a lifelong career in the chair manufacturing industry, eventually founding the John A. Dunn Company with a large factory in Gardner and offices across the country. Dunn was seen by the people of Gardner as a man of strong personality who made the city known in the woodworking/chair industry. He was also very involved in the civic life of Gardner. In his will, Dunn gave this park property to the city of Gardner. At that time, a picnic area, 7-acre pond, field for baseball games, tennis courts and horseshoe pits were added. Over the years, Dunn Park grew to the current 120-acre day area that includes a 20-acre pond, playground, beach, picnic area and trails for us all to enjoy.” — From the Dunn State Park Trail Map.

Friday, 01/14/2022: Post photo — Fan.

Settings: FLIR i5, ISO N/A, N/A, 1/30 s, 7 mm.

This is a thermal photo of the fan on our wood stove. The heat of the stove makes the fan blades turn. The faster the turning, the hotter the fire.

Saturday, 01/15/2022: Post photo — Westminster Crackers.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 56 mm.

In my town is the original Westminster Cracker factory. If you ever had oyster crackers, you may have seen this building. The old locals tell me that they use to put out the defective crackers for people to scoop up.

“Not so many years after the American Revolution, at the hearth of a colonial house in Westminster, Massachusetts, our first Master Baker pulled a batch of warm crackers from the oven, and a New England tradition was born. Back then, the bakery’s power came from a horse and treadmill; dough was mixed and rolled by hand, then individually stamped into crackers and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. Neighbors and passers-by delighted in the fresh-baked, hearty goodness of our breads and crackers.” Read more at https://www.westminstercrackers.com/about-wbc.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

My Weebly website is back up and running. I am looking of suggestions on how to make it look better.

Photographic Thoughts — 12/26/2021 to 01/01/2022

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.” — Lewis Hine

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

This week’s post will have short descriptions each day since I am getting ready for Christmas.

Sunday, 12/26/2021: Posted photo — Ice on Mountain Laurel.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/25 s, 78 mm.

Another day of freezing rain today. The good news is that it was only in the morning. We postponed our Christmas gathering until today because of the bad weather we had yesterday.

When I went out to clear off the driveway and to warm up the car, I decided to take a photo of the ice off the mountain laurel that is in our yard.

The other possible post for today was that of the nativity seen at church. Before mass today, I took photos of the crèche and the wooden hanging on the lectern. I have also taken a photo of the altar from the choir loft.

Monday, 12/27/2021: Posted photo — Y12 D361 Wachusett Mountain.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250 s, 91 mm.

Tonight’s challenge, hike Wachusett Mountain on ice covered trails.

Usually not a challenge for me and my experienced hiking partners, it is more challenging when you hike with a group of various abilities. Some of the people in the group have not hiked in the winter.

During the hike, I had on my “rock” microspikes because of the ice cover and not much snow. These spikes are inexpensive, so I do not mind if they get damaged during the hike. That is what happened tonight. One of the chains broke on them so I need to order a new pair. I use my “rock” spikes so that I do not damage my “good” microspikes on the trail. It is less costly for me to replace the “rock” spikes than the “good” spikes. My inexpensive spikes were purchased off Amazon and my “good” spikes are Hillsound Trail Crampon.

Tuesday, 12/28/2021: Posted photo — That Spot Again.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/22, 1/10 s, 35 mm.

Had to run out and do some errands today. I went shopping during the day since it was a day off for me. Because it was daytime, I wanted to take a photo of the dam at Round Meadow Pond. This is a usual spot for me to take during the year and it is many people’s favorite location to see in my photos.

Wednesday, 12/29/2021: Posted photo — Top of the Cascade.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/14, 1/10 s, 62 mm.

A few weeks ago, I did a hike with the AMC leaders and we went past this Cascade in Worcester, MA. Today I was in the city go do some cleaning at my mother’s house when I decided to stop by the cascade with my good camera to take a photo of the falls. This photo was a handheld photo by leaning on the bridge that overlooks the falls.

Thursday, 12/30/2021: Posted photo — Sand Dunes.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/800 s, 95 mm.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Mosca, CO

The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Elevations within the park and preserve range from 8,200 feet to 13,604 feet and keep changing due to the weather. In summer months during mid-day, sand temperatures can reach 150 degrees F. Hike during the morning or evening to avoid heat exhaustion and/or burned feet. Wear closed-toe shoes. This is something that we experienced in the park. We were there in the summer of 2012 and could feel the heat through our shoes.

An amazing thing about the park is that you can see the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo mountains from miles away. When you turn off the main road to the access road, there they are.

Our national parks are wonderful, and everyone should have the opportunity to explore them all.

Friday, 12/31/2021: Post photo — Mom.

Settings: N/A

This year my mother passed at age 95. I did not know what photo to post for the last one of the year, saw a photo of my mother, and posted the photo of her with all her boys.

For your information, here are the final count of photos for the year 2021:

Total
Portrait6
Still Life82
Landscape105
Food8
Sports9
Wildlife25
Macro5
Event11
Documentary1
Weather35
Architectural22
Long exposure8
Flowers48

Saturday, 01/01/2022: Post photo — Cushion.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 556, f/1.8, 1/120 s, 4 mm.

Happy New Year! The start of year 13 of my project. I started on January 1, 2010 and have been taking and posting a photo a day.

The seat cushion on my wife’s aunt’s couch. We had our annual gathering at her house. I normally post a photo of the sunrise on New Year’s morning, but the weather had something to say about that.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Please note that my Weebly page will be working soon.