Sunday July 24, 2011

KAREN, KENYA – Here we are in this suburb of Nairobi which either is or isn’t named after Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen), depending on who you talk to. Karen was the site of Blixen’s coffee plantation which forms the backdrop of Out of Africa. Back in the day this was the bush, now it’s a suburb.

We’re staying at a relatively new hotel, Hogmead, in Karen for one night to catch our breath from travel and to wait for Maria. Hogmead is in a large, beautifully restored, colonial house. I wonder how they get away with the Harry Potter name? They’ll probably be getting a nastygram from Harry’s legal team. Here it is captured with my Alpa TC, Phase One IQ 180 back and 35mm Schneider Digitar lens.

Hogmead
Hogmead

On this day last year: Jim.

Jim

Saturday June 25, 2011

WARREN CONNECTICUT – Second day with my loaner Phase One IQ 180. Very high performance photo equipment is like a very high performance car – the photo equivalent of noise, vibration and harsh ride are part of the experience. This thing doesn’t auto anything, and getting the most out of it takes some work. I spent part of the day experimenting with shifting the back on my Alpa Max technical camera. Initial results are technically good but uninspiring as I focus on technique rather than seeing. Here’s our pool in Warren and the perennial border next to it with the IQ 180 on the Alpa Max and my 47mm Schneider Digitar.

Pool Warren Connecticut
Pool Warren Connecticut

On this day one year ago: Baptismal Iglesia de San Roque

Iglesia de San Roque

Baptismal Iglesia de San Roque

Tuesday June 14, 2011

BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS – I managed a quick walk in the rain in downtown Boston before being sucked into daylong meetings. I captured this in the small park across from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. It’s an Allium Giganteum, an ornamental onion. I recognized it because we have a lot of them in Warren – because of the savage winters the palette for perennial gardens is fairly limited.

Allium Giganteum
Allium Giganteum

On this day one year ago: Lipstick Building.

Lipstick building