Woody Campbell

Monday April 9, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Monday April 16, 2012

HARTSDALE AND NEW YORK NEW YORK – We went with Alexander to look at a house in Hartsdale that he and Laura are interested in buying. Remarkably I got an ok image from the trip. I’m on a roll. Sony Nex-7 and 15mm Voigtlander lens.

This from later in the day back home. Taken with my iPhone, which doesn’t handle the saturated yellows very well (or for that matter saturated reds), possibly as a result of jpeg compression. I wish Apple gave us a raw files option.

On this day one year ago: White birch. Weird. I shot a group of white birches yesterday. Maybe its an early spring thing. Or maybe there are only about 10 species of tree than can survive Litchfield County’s savage climate so the same subjects come up over and over again.

Tags Alexander, New York

Landscape

Sunday April 8, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Sunday April 15, 2012

WARREN CONNECTICUT – Easter. At long last, a good picture. From a technical standpoint I’ve been operating with two left feet this weekend (really stagnating), probably because I’m the cook in the household and I’ve been distracted making sous vide brisket for the Novogrods’ Seder and smoked, roast leg of lamb for Easter dinner today. But enough whining and excuses. There was a moment this morning, right after the rising sun broke out above a low rim of clouds, when the birches looked positively radioactive. Really. Amazing. It didn’t matter where I stood or what I shot. This was done with my Sony Nex-7 and Leica 50mm Summilux lens.

On this day one year ago: In the Conservatory Garden. Pictures from gardens in the Spring usually suck. At least mine do. That wasn’t the case last year – I managers a nuanced effort on a rainy day. This shows the Leica 24mm Summilux at its best. Maybe there’s an April 8 phenomenon.

Tags Birch, Connecticut, Trees

Events and holidays Family and friends

Saturday April 7, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Sunday April 15, 2012

KENT CONNECTICUT – Passover and Easter are on the same weekend this year – a quite unusual event I’m told. We attended a Seder given by our friends Nancy and John Novogrod – I actually contributed a sous vide beef brisket to the occasion. The Seder was deeply affecting.

Unfortunately the photographs did not live up to the event. I was again plagued by bad technique Same camera and lens. I’ve resorted to a low resolution presentation here.

On this day last year: Street. Boring.

Tags Connecticut, Parties, Seder

Garden Landscape

Friday April 6, 2012

WARREN CONNECTICUT – Glowing morning light in the stand of white and red oaks and sugar maples next to our house. Nicely seen but badly executed. Somehow nothing I shot today is in focus. It seemed like I was doing what I always do but the results are wildly defective. How can this happen? I’m going to fuss with my gear a bit to make sure everything is ok (this particular rig – the Sony Nex-7 and 24mm Summilux lens has never let me down before, and indeed this combination does not demand a high level of technique). I’m worried. I overcooked some past earlier this week and Maria was quite testy about it. I’m putting a small version of the image up because at this resolution you can’t see the defects.

On this day last year: Bricks and more bricks. At least last year I got an in-focus image.

Tags Connecticut, Trees, Warren

Landscape Urban

Thursday April 5, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Saturday April 14, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YOUR – Good light in Manhattan comes at odd times. Out there in the non-urban landscape good light predictably arrives around sunrise and sunset – the so-called “Golden Hour”, but it really doesn’t last an hour. Manhattan is fine at a distance at the Golden Hour but at street level that early or that late everything is bathed in deep shadows. Magical light in Manhattan is more often caused by sunlight reflecting off of a large building and acting as a fill light at street level. The first of the images for today is an example – taken at about 2:30 in the afternoon, a generally poor time for landscape anywhere else. The second image is just a reflection of Citicorp Center ending up in an odd place. Both taken with my Sony Nex-7 and 50 mm Summilux lens.

On this day last year: Big yellow teddy bear lamp (no kidding). So last year there was this big yellow teddy bear in the plaza between the Seagrams Building and the Racquet and Tennis Club . . .

Tags Manhattan, New York

Family and friends

Wednesday April 4, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Friday April 13, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Maria and I had dinner with Patrizia Chen, her sister and some friends. Patrizia entertains remarkably so it was, as usual, a fine evening. I took my Nex-7 and a Leica 50mm Summilux. As you’ve noticed all of my “event” style work is in available light. I find that I can simply disappear after the first two or three images – impossible with flash. Its also helpful that the Nex-7 is small and quiet (more so than my Leica M9).

On this day last year: Chrysler Building, sort of. And a Breuer chair – the 1930s redux.

Tags Manhattan, Parties, Patrizia Chen

Events and holidays Family and friends Food and wine

Tuesday April 3, 2012

Post author By Woody
Post date Friday April 13, 2012

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Tonight we went to a benefit for the Paris Review. I usually hate these things and most often send a contribution rather than attending. But this was a lovely evening. It was quite dark so my Sony Nex-7 and Leica Summilux struggled at bit. I’ve got a Leici Noctilux on order – the extra stop and a third would have been meaningful here. I’m generally find this camera easier to focus in poor light than my Leica (aging eyes). Anyway here’s one of many images from a long evening.

On this day last year: Look up! I don’t know what happened to the blues in this image – it looks like they were mugged on the way to the web.

Tags Fund raisers, Manhattan