An Evening at Pilgrim's Landing

One evening back in July I was headed home pretty late from work and I noticed distant lightning flashing against what appeared to be a very clear night sky. I was up late already so I grabbed my camera and tripod and headed for Pilgrim's Landing on the Connecticut River near my home. Here are a few of the pictures I captured from the river's edge while an impressive storm front approached but never really arrived (I guess it passed to the North of us). It was sort of eery standing in the dark watching the clouds and the distant lightning while I waited for camera exposures. I was using a small flashlight and every time the light touched the shallow water it became a roiling mass of tiny eels. I assume they were American Eels as I know they are native to the local rivers. Unfortunately, my attempts to photograph the eels didn't turn out very well in the low light.

Bridge to Old Saybrook

Very similar to the first shot, this exposure resulted in a completely different color temp. I struggled to choose between these two shots for a fair photography contest... I chose this one and won a third-place ribbon at the Guilford Fair.

For a dark cloudy night, there were sure a lot of stars showing through

Mirror-Smooth

The canoe landing

LOLMS - Harmony In the Middle Concert

The LOL Middle School closed out the school year in style last June. One of the classy events of the final weeks of the year was the Harmony in the Middle Concert. Bands, choruses, soloists, and duets performed in a concert held in the beautiful new school courtyard. Parents, students and faculty gathered together to enjoy food, conversation, and great musical entertainment. Hopefully this was not a one-and-done event. I'd love to see it become a lasting tradition!

LOL Middle - Harmony In the Middle See the entire album!

While most parents sat and watched the concert, the students mostly mingled near the refreshment tables.

The Flute Section

Duet

Every middle school band should have a bass player

Peace!

Mrs. Wind

Soloist

Technology!

Yes, we see you!

Saxophone at Dusk

Sundown closed the concert

Zoo Trip

In June we happened to be in Providence, RI so we decided to take another trip through the Roger Williams Park Zoo. It seemed there was more activity than normal among the furry, wrinkled and feathered denizens of the zoo. Seeing the juvenile elephant playing in the deep pool in his/her enclosure was one of the highlights. I had a difficult time picking my preferred pachyderm pics from the passel that I brought home. Do you have a favorite?

Zoo Trip See the entire album!

Watchin' the African Wild Dogs...

Watchin' the Tasty-Lookin' Kid in the Window...

The Always-Engaging West African Crowned Crane

African Elephants

Swishin'

Hot Tubbin'

The Deep End

Snow Leopard

Coolin' Off

Hey, does anyone know if it's alright to drink this?

Basking Harbor Seal

The Day Irene Came to Town

After nearly a week of watching the news, tracking the storm path, and preparing for Hurricane Irene to arrive on the Connecticut coast, arrive she did! Sometime around 5:30 AM we lost power and noticed that the storm was in full swing. The trees were whipping about crazily in the merciless onslaught and the house was being peppered with leaves and twigs. Thankfully, none of those big trees decided to come into the house to escape the storm!

After the tropical storm had passed (without power we didn't know it had been downgraded from a hurricane for a couple of days) we ventured out to take a look around. We were amazed by the sheer number of fallen trees! We were convinced it would be weeks before electricity was restored. For some reason, we actually got power back very late Sunday night (which I blogged about here), but much of the surrounding area didn't have power for around a week.

Here are photos of a few of the more interesting calling cards that Irene left for us in the areas in and around Old Lyme.

Hurricane Irene in Old Lyme See the entire album!

Boston Post Road was blocked in several places.

These cables were down for several days...

Our northward adventure ended here on Sunday afternoon. I couldn't believe the cables were still intact...

Residents began to take inventory of the damage and wondered how long they'd be without power.

Another casualty of the wind.

This damaged tree landed about 900 miles from Chicago...

Go Away Irene - 8-28-11

None of us remember seeing this tree on our beach before the storm.

There was still quite a bit of wind on Sunday afternoon.

This amateur news crew was on the scene

Sand, rope, and floats indicate the path the storm surge took around the corner of this beach home.

Buoys by the Barby

This area is roped off because, apparently, it is not safe for swimming...

Our now sand-bound picnic pavilion

The Dark Night - In Irene's Wake

I have always been impressed by the sheer number of stars I can see on a clear night here in Old Lyme, CT. However, the night sky that followed Hurricane Irene was particularly impressive. With power out all day Sunday for miles around there was almost no discernible glare on the atmosphere from ground lighting. With flights in all the surrounding major cities grounded, there was not a single jet visible in the sky and no con trails anywhere.

I shot some long exposures and was mesmerized by the results I was getting.

In the earlier pictures you can see windows in my home lighted by a battery powered lantern on the ground floor and by a green glow stick in the upstairs bedroom (I couldn't even detect the light upstairs with my naked eye). The intermitent rows of clouds were really moving across the sky and the trees were still being whipped around by the wind. I left the shutter open while I went into the garage to rummage around in the minivan for my earphones (might as well listen to a book while standing for minutes at a time in the silent pitch-black night) and I captured the red LED arm band I was using to see the camera settings along with a surprising 90 degree shift in the direction the clouds were moving.

I captured the Big Dipper, Polaris, and the Little Dipper in several shots and then decided to see what I could get by shooting a few of the infrequent cars that ventured by on the highway.

I set up on the edge of the highway and started my first shot there, wondering how long it would be before another car wandered past. I was just settling in when the big street light right over my head burst suddenly (and loudly) to life, blinding me and nearly causing an involuntary bowel release! The house across the street was the next to explode in a blinding flash, followed in quick succession by each of the other homes on my street. I quickly aborted the shot I was making, certain that all the extra light had ruined it. Turns out I consider that particular shot a keeper. It serves as a reminder of how it felt to be standing out alone in the pitch black night after a day full of uncertainty and destruction when, against all odds, the power was restored. The adrenaline from the initial shock of the light and noise (ever noticed how loud street lights really are?) was soon replaced by an almost euphoric joy! We lost power early in the morning and based on the hundreds of downed trees we'd seen in the area I was convinced we wouldn't have power for days or weeks. (In fact, four days later there are homes within a mile of us that still don't have power.) Cell service was out and since we're on well water we didn't even have cold showers to look forward to in the coming days.

With the power unexpectedly restored my late-night photo shoot was abruptly ended. I headed back inside to reconnect the fridge and freezer to the house current. I plugged in cell phones and set alarm clocks. Then I spent over 20 minutes getting our well pump restarted.

What a day!

Latern in the Window

90 Degree Wind Shift

This shot was long enough to show the apparent rotation of the stars around the North Star off to the left of the frame.

Clouds fleeing over the neighbor's house

None of our trees fell in the storm, luckily

Big Dipper, Polaris, and the Little Dipper

Another shot of Ursa Major and about a million stars.

Can you tell which one is the North Star?

I like the effect of the lighter branches whipping around in the wind.

Car

Long exposure rudely interrupted by the sudden restoration of power!

SayWHAT? - In Concert - Sailfest 2011

After the Irish bands and bagpipes finished up their Friday night concerts at Salifest, a younger band with a much edgier look and sound took the stage on the Custom House Pier. SayWHAT? is a rock band from Chester, CT.

I saw these guys setting up after the Clan O'Cleary concert and was thinking of calling it a night due to the intermittent rain that was giving no sign of clearing up. I wandered up to the train station wondering what was happening on the other stage. What was happening? Nothing. I mean, there was a bevy of young Ford reps showing off the new line of Focus, but there were no bands on stage. It seemed most people were in hiding. So, I took a few Ford trinkets (free backpack for the kids!) and headed back down Bank Street past all the dark vendor tents, deciding to call it a night before it really started pouring.

By the time I got back to the train tracks near the waterfront, however, I could hear SayWHAT? really rocking the end of the pier. So, instead of heading back to my car to get out of the rain I found myself drawn back out to hear the last 20 minutes of the show. In the end I really didn't regret the extra walk or the extra rain because it turned out to be one heck of a good show!

There was intermittent rain falling through most of their set but that didn't keep the die-hard fans from enjoying the show with or without umbrellas. There were even a few that were throwing their hands up and dancing like they were at a club. By the end of the concert there was a break in the rain. Then the wind picked up and started dumping water off of the stage awning with every gust. This kept everyone on their toes, especially a certain guy with a camera that was skulking around under the edges of the awning hiding from the wet...

So, what to say about the band... The first thing you notice about SayWHAT? has to be the huge Afro that their guitar player, Ryan Newman, lugs around atop his sizable frame. Lead vocalist, Grace Carver, more than holds her own on some power rock anthems. The rest of the band is right there, as well, pumping out a serious wall of sound. Then Ryan channels the power of the 'fro' or Jimi or something because he lays down a blistering guitar solo that makes your ears start to bleed just a little and you start to wonder if these guys can possibly be as young as they look!

Catch one of their shows if you get a chance! And, check out the pics of the band, below.

SayWHAT? Concert at Sailfest See the entire album!

SayWHAT? did not go unnoticed by anyone in the vicinity of the waterfront. Even the deaf *felt* their music!

Sometimes a mosh pit of one is all you need...

Note the water blowing off the awning...

L to R: Alex Socci - Rhythm Guitar, Grace Carver - Lead Vocalist, Justus Doane - Bass Guitar

Alex Stocci

The Afro and his Ryan Newman

Ryan and Justus

Grace Carver

Carlin Morris - Drummer, Animal, Comic Relief, Not a fan of cameras...

Sugar - In Concert - Esker Point 2011

Sugar put on one of the capstone performances of the Summer SoundWaves Concert Series, and they really packed the beach with fans again this year. (You can visit the band Facebook page here.)

I saw Sugar perform last year and was really looking forward to seeing them again. Apparently I was not alone. The line to board the shuttle bus stretched down the sidewalk and around the corner of Fitch High School. I debated walking the two miles but wisely decided to wait it out. Once on board the standing-room-only short-bus the higher volume of traffic resulted in a much longer bus ride down to the beach than usual. It was well worth the wait, however, as Sugar put on another great show!

The crowd was treated to energetic dance hits, beautiful beach weather, a bit of Zumba, and an engaging and crowd-pleasing performance all around. The kids packing the stage with the band for the closing number 'Don't Stop Believing' seemed to be having the time of their lives. (Unfortunately, not everyone who wanted to dance with the band was able to make it up on stage...)

I can't wait until next year's show!

Sugar Concert - Esker Point 2011 See the entire album!

Breathtaking Evening on the Beach

My favorite crowd shot.

(This one won a ribbon at the Guilford Fair photography competition!)

Ian Kelly - Drums, Andy Chaney - Bass, and Klyph Johnson - Sax

Natalia Mortrude - Vocals

Scott Boland - Guitar, Marcy Kelly - Vocals, Israel Malek - Keyboards

Ian and Klyph - Cool in Shades

Klyph on Sax

Percussion!

If the sand pit was crowded for the first half of the concert, it was PACKED for the second half which started with a couple of intense Zumba numbers.

Slide! I took my life in my hands to get this shot from amidst a Zumba-crazed frenzy...

Zumba for the People!

Crowds of Adoring Fans

Israel - A Concert Done Well

Sign Me!

Celticity - In Concert - Sailfest 2011

Celticity is another great Irish band that performed on Friday, July 8 2011 at Sailfest. I arrived a bit later than I wanted so I only caught the last couple of songs they played but they sounded great. Celticity warmed up the stage for the New London Firefighters Pipes and Drums and they were, in turn, followed by Clan O'Cleary.

Celticity - Sailfest 2011 See the entire album!

Phred Mileski - Voice, Psaltery, Accordion, Bodhran Drum, Percussion

Phred Mileski, Sylvie Harris (guitar), and Megan Sweeney (flute)

A very young fan of Celticity

New London Firefighters Pipes and Drums warming up with a few pints

Phred stuck around for the Clan O'Cleary concert and practiced some ballroom dancing with a pro dance instructor that just happened to be in the crowd, as well.

Clan O'Cleary - In Concert - Sailfest 2011

Each year Sailfest boasts some fantastic entertainment in various locations around New London. Custom House Pier has been the home to several different Irish bands on Friday night over the past few years. This year Clan O'Cleary took the stage in front of a bit smaller crowd than usual, probably due to the impending rain storm. Those that braved the weather (it did end up raining quite a bit) were treated to a fine performance! Since the only escape from the rain was right up next to the stage I got lots of close-ups of this great band.

This was also the first big batch of photos that I every processed in Adobe LightRoom (along with the Tall Ship Gazela photos from the same evening). As you can see from the gallery I made liberal use of one of the black and white treatments and a split tone treatment that yields a high-contrast sepia tone image. So far I'm very happy with the results I've been able to get with this new tool.

Clan O'Cleary - Sailfest 2011 See the entire album!

Clan O'Cleary plays a variety of instruments

Hands of Richard Hawkes - Drums

Steve Cleary - Guitar, Mandola, banjo, voice

Mike Corman - Celtic harp, recorders, guitar, voice

The steady drizzle didn't slow down the band or the stalwart crowd of fans. It did send me to the cover of the stage awning with my camera, though.

Albert Yost - flute, irish whistle, fife's, concertina (squeeze box)

Denise Yost - Violin

Clan O'Cleary with the Gazela in the Background

Denise loses the hat for better lighting

I presume that's the "squeeze box" Albert's playing

Cleaning up to make room for the next band

Ginger Fox #1

I shot portraits of Erika and her new puppy, Ginger Fox, back in July. I'm just starting on the post-processing and here are just a few shots from before we really got started. Poor lighting? Maybe, but I love the interaction between the two of them. Watch for more puppy pics in the near future!

Coaxing our subject out for the photo shoot

Kisses

Cold Nose Tickles

Puppy Love

Classic Ford Truck

Here's a classic Ford truck I saw in Rhode Island sometime in June. Fair season is fast approaching so I'm starting to think of possible photography contest entries. Are any of these keepers?

 

 

 

 

 

Never Enuff - In Concert

Never Enuff played in concert at Esker Point Beach on July 28, 2011 as part of the annual Summer SoundWaves Concert Series. It was a beautiful night and the concert drew a pretty lively crowd.

These guys really know how to rock! They played a mix of classic dance rock cover songs. Lead singer Mick Marra demonstrated a powerful voice that was equally at ease belting out AC/DC or any of the several more contemporary hits on the set list. The crowd got involved and the show had fans of all ages screaming and dancing with their hands in the air. By the end they had a stage full of kids (I think one of the guitar amps actually got shut off when a kid stepped on a switchboard) and there were people wearing Never Enuff bumper stickers in all sorts of creative places (not sure that was the intent, but folks were sure having fun...) One of their last songs was entirely dedicated to teaching the rising generation the careful art and discipline of head banging!

Once again, I took too many photos, deleted most of them, and still ended up with a huge gallery of pics. I processed them all in one evening in LightRoom and was pretty happy with the results. Here's a link to the full gallery along with my favorite shots from the evening. Do you have a favorite?

Never Enuff Concert See the entire gallery!

Sunset Concert

Dave Siswick plays like he means it!

Jen Hebert - Rumor has it the band found her working in a restaurant wearing a guitar pick for a necklace...

Joe Goddard on drums

Tipsy hoopers daring me to take their picture...

Yeah, I dared.

"It's easier to hoop when I'm not drinking," he told me right after I snapped this.

Jami's Gorgeous Green Guitar

Head Bangin'

Jami Blackwood on guitar. Probably my favorite guitar picture to date.

Jami and Jen Over Cymbals

Mick Marra

Never Enuff

Jen on the Bass Guitar

Last One For this Post...

Ticket to Ride - In Concert

Quite a crowd gathered in front of Koffee Works in Old Lyme this past Saturday evening to watch Ticket to Ride, Connecticut's premiere Beatles tribute band. These mop tops put on a great show! Also, my neighbor Dave plays George, which is pretty cool. As usual, I took too many pictures and then processed them in Adobe LightRoom. Let me know which one's you like. Also, check out the band website at tickettoridect.com.

Ticket To Ride Concert See the entire album!

Beatles through the Koffee Works window

Over the hedge

A four-legged fan and her(?) person

In case the band loses track of which guitar cases belong in their van...

Ringo loves peace

A great way to spend a summer evening

The show included a costume change at intermission

There was some twisting and shouting going on in the audience

I wasn't the only photographer there

Paul

True fans

John

Another four-legged fan

More fans

George (my neighbor) and John. George can really wail on that guitar!

They have a few instruments to choose from.

Tall Ship Gazela - Sailfest 2011

The wooden barkentine Gazela, currently sailing out of Philadelphia, graced the Custom House Pier in New London for Sailfest 2011. Visitors were invited to climb aboard, look around, and talk with the crew.

I enjoyed visiting with several crew members while listening to the New London Firefighters Pipes and Drums performing at the bottom of the gangway. Each of the volunteers aboard the Gazela has an appreciation for their ship and for sailing that was evident in the way they spoke of their different responsibilities and experiences aboard and abroad. They spoke of the different harbors they've visited and described the complexities of running a sailing vessel with a volunteer crew. The art of sailing one of these tall ships is nearly lost, but there are a dedicated few that still find satisfaction in keeping the traditions alive.

I've been playing around more with Lightroom to do my post-processing. What do you think of the results?

Gazela - Wooden Barkentine See the entire album! I'll likely be adding more photos soon...

Securing the Ship

Fog rolled in over the New London skyline ahead of the rain

The Wheel and Compass

Wooden Dories

New London Firefighters Pipes and Drums

Lines in Order

Ship's Bell

Star

Forward Mast with Square Sails

(the rear two masts don't have square sails)

Lines on Deck

From the Custom House Pier

After the Fireworks

After the sparklers and the fireworks had all burned out it was time to clean up. I left my camera on long exposure while we gathered up the leftover singed casings. I was pretty happy with a few of these. Do you have a favorite?

This was a shorter exposure where the stars appear pretty crisp.

This was a bit longer and captured two aircraft.

(Also, more lights were on in the house as the little people were scrubbing off the deet and heading for bed.)

Nice Evening

You can see the beginning of star trails in this longer exposure.

The Best Fireworks Nineteen Dollars and Ninety Nine Cents Can Buy

Being that we can't buy real fireworks (legally) in our area I am pretty stingy with the amount of money I am willing to shell out for ground-bound fountains. That doesn't mean we didn't enjoy our little fireworks display. I was a bit disappointed that even the whistling devices were missing from our assortment this year, but my wife and the neighbors did not miss them!

Up close and personal with the *Giant Golden Shower*

Smaller than a AAA Battery...

Ooh, Sparkles!

It looks like the street is spewing lava.

Four AAA fountains

A few more tiny fountains

The *Grand* finale

Graffiti on Fire

As part of our 4th of July celebration we broke out the sparklers and covered the neighborhood in brilliant temporary graffiti!

I asked one of the kids to bring me a flashlight while I was getting set up for sparklers and fireworks. Success!

Ghostly feet all over the street

The flaming swirling vortex of doom!

A 3D signature?

This one *is* a signature

Possibly my favorite of the sparkler set

Stay tuned for the fireworks show!

5th Grade Graduation

5th grade graduation was another great opportunity to shoot candid event photos. I enjoyed seeing my daughter and her friends in the culmination of their elementary school experience.

It was a challenge to get clear pictures in the low light so I cranked the ISO up to support a faster shutter speed. Then, at the recommendation of a friend I downloaded a 30-day trial installation of Adobe Lightroom and tried it out on this batch of photos. One thing I like about Lightroom right out of the gate is its ability to reduce the graininess and noise caused by the high ISO. Once I adjusted one picture I could easily paste the settings across all the other similar pictures at once and then just make minor adjustments. I can see how this could become a major time saver. It would (will?) be a pretty hefty investment to purchase in another 20 days, though if (when?) I decide to purchase the program.

Center School 5th Grade Graduation 2011 See the entire album!

Please note the exits

Listing a few defining attributes of Center School

Hand shake for a diploma

A hat for Mr. Pomroy

No, thank *YOU* Mrs. Walters!

You're not leaving without posing for your parents!

Stage presence!

Mr. Pomroy - The "Cool" Principal

Citizenship Award Winner

A Proud Mom

Why so blue... er, red and blue...?

The graduates leave in a flurry of flash bulbs

Citizenship Award - An Exclusive Close-up

Goodbyes

Roger Williams Zoo Field Trip

At the beginning of June I got to accompany my kindergartener to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI for her class field trip! We arrived about 25 minutes before her classmates' bus so we watched as one bus after another disgorged its passengers in a steady stream at the zoo entrance. The far parking lot was sea of yellow buses, so we knew we wouldn't be alone. Hundreds of roudy kids from schools all over the area jostled, pushed, shouted in anticipation of the day at the zoo.

It turned out to be a beautiful day!

Here is an assortment of things we saw at the zoo:

Mile Creek Kindergarten - Zoo Trip See the entire album!

Crowds

Dragonflies

Bees!!!

Weed Pulling

Bathing Beauties

Bathing Birdies

Friends

Snoozing Snow Leopard

Alert Red Panda

Dreaming Red Panda

Eagle Spotting

Giant Snapping Turtle

Noble Elephant

Dirt Throwin' Pachyderm

Stripes!

The Crane Who Thinks *HE* Is the One Watching the Exotic Animals Through the Glass

Center School 5th Grade Presents: The Wizard of Oz

So, I followed the paving stone path on into Center School last Friday evening where I was treated to the fantastic 5th grade production of The Wizard of Oz. There were two significant challenges to photographing this event. First, there were very few lights on the actors for much of the production, which made it quite difficult to get clear pictures. And second, there is no air conditioning in Center School which resulted in some very hot and uncomfortable actors, audience members, and photographers. Seats by windows in the gymnasium were at a premium because the outside air provided some relief from the heat and humidity.

I found that there was lots more light near the back of the stage than there was up front so I ended up shooting some from backstage and from the wings to try and get some clear shots. This had the added advantage to putting me close to a few windows and open doors and the extra ventilation they provided(here I discovered a few of the more clever kids also trying to escape the heat while they waited for their next scene).

I was pretty happy with some of the pictures I got of the performance and I hope that the participants find the gallery enjoyable.

Here are a few of the highlights along with a link to the extensive gallery of the production and the after party.

See the entire gallery! Center School 5th Grade Presents - The Wizard of Oz

Center School - Established 1935

Ding-dong, the witch is dead!

Munchkins!

More munchkins!

I'll get you my pretty! (And your little dog, too!)

If I only had a brain...

Follow the yellow brick road...

Please don't pull the mane. It's real!

I've meeeeeelted!

Clever kids escaping the heat

Farmer Joe tries on a top hat

I can haz courage?

My favorite picture of the evening. The curtain call began before everyone was ready. It was delightful to see the all-smiles cast scramble for their places. Bravo!