Category: Events and holidays

Friday December 31, 2010 New Years Eve

WARREN and DABURY CONNECTICUT – I’ve got a couple of images for New Years Eve. We had an excellent sunset, followed by a costume party given by our friends Bill and Bunny Beekman. The sunset is three frames stitched taken with my Hasselblad H4D-60 and a 100mm lens.

Maria went dressed as a nun Here she is in character, taken with my Panasonic GF-1 and a 14mm pancake lens. This is genuinely scary.

Finally, New Years greetings from me, with Francesca.

On this day one year ago: Guess what? A New Year’s Eve party at the Beekmans.

New Year's Eve

Saturday December 25, 2010 Christmas Day

WARREN, CONNECTICUT – So on Christmas Day I abandoned exotic gear and manual settings. I set my Panasonic GF1 in idiot mode, with face recognition focus and the flash turned on. Guess what. This really works for family events where you want snapshots without fail. I’ve put some of them up on my facebook page. These pages are supposed to be about serious photography. But in any event here’s Maria, evidently pleased by her Christmas present.

Maria and her new Emilio
Maria and her new Emilio

Once year ago today: Christmas prickly pear, San Miguel de Allende.

Prickly pear

Friday December 24, 2010 Christmas Eve

WARREN CONNECTICUT – We’re spending the Christmas holiday in Connecticut. We haven’t done this for a while – last year we took our family to San Miguel de Allende for the Holidays (as you will see from the “on this day last year” photos). I caught this view of our daughter, Francesca, trimming our Christmas tree. Leica M9 and a 35mm Summilux II lens.

Francesca trimming a tree
Francesca trimming a tree

One year ago on this date: Monarch butterfly migration. I’m taking the liberty of reproducing this one at full blog size – it’s one of my favorite images since I’ve started this project.

Monarch butterflies

Monday December 20, 2010

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – We had a casual dinner at home in the kitchen with two friends of long standing, Bill and Bunny Beekman. Here’s Bunny Captured with my Leica M9 and the 35mm Summilux II lens, my new favorite lens on this camera.

Bunny Beekman
Bunny Beekman

The out of focus portions of the image are particularly interesting. I shot Bunny at f/2.8, where the lens has the creamy out of focus character typical of the pre-aspheric Leica lenses; wide open at f/1.4 it has a more edgy character typical of the current generation of highly corrected fast lenses. The following is an example. In effect this is two lenses in one – how it draws the out of focus portions depends on f stop.

Brick Presbyterian Church
Brick Presbyterian Church

On this date last year: Gallery in San Miguel.

Statue
Statue San Miguel