Midterms - Done!

I just survived my first graduate school midterm exam. Advanced Cognition. Never have I studied so hard in all my life. When I study for a test, I try to guess (predict) what questions the teacher will put on the test, and also I try to only study what don't know, rather than spend time on what I do.

This time, I didn't stick with my strategy and studied way too much. I will trust myself next time. I'm also going to work a little harder at studying as we go, and try not to put too much off to the end. I did keep up with the reading, and I didn't slack off. But I think I can better focus my efforts.

So my reward today was to go out shooting. I think I got some great shots for our annual calendar. Here's one I had time to process before I race out for my Statistics class. Enjoy!

Genesee Valley Park Bridge, Fall 2012

Dawn on Waneta Lake

Dygert Does HDR

I'm just fascinated by the HDR photos I've seen -- My nephew Tim took some at the beach in Hawaii that were stunning -- but I've not tried to shoot any on my own until now. With a week at a cottage before me, I thought I might have enough time to noodle through how to do it.

Setting up my Canon DSLR was the hardest part. Lucky for me, I was able to find an excellent resource on the internet. If you have a Canon 5D Mark II, you will be able to use these instructions too. They are very specific!

So once I got the pictures in my camera, then I had to get them put together via Photomatix software. This software has only one purpose -- to combine the bracketed shots in your camera to make an awesome HDR photo. Photomatix isn't expensive, and the version I bought was actually good for 2 people, so I could share it with J too. Also search around on the internet for a % off coupon. At this writing you can get 15% off the list price with an easy to find coupon.

J and I do a calendar every year, primarily for our own pleasure, and share it with family. This year I think the theme is going to be "pictures that tell a story." I think these HDR photos do just that!

Now on to learning about those filters I bought for my camera!

Francesca Woodman

Yesterday I learned about the work of an incredible artist photographer, Francesca Woodman. You can see her work here. It is incredible to me that she only lived to be 22.

To me, what separates art from what is not art is that art makes you feel what the artist is feeling. Francesca Woodman's work surely does that. You can feel the torturous quality of her life.

Who else do I know nothing of?

Here's a link to a book about her work.

Cold Snowy February Day

J and I went out shooting on Saturday. We have been having such a snowy cold winter. I don't remember one like it in the twenty five years I have lived here.



I got a new lens for Christmas, and I was all hot to use it. So we went to the Rochester pier at Charlotte, and shot these pictures. It didn't take very long for us to be chilled right to the bone. So even though a couple of guys came by and told us that there was an eagle at the end on the pier, we couldn't force ourselves out to see it.


And of course the wide angle lens that I had was not the right one to use for the eagle, but climbing over the snow bank to get back to the car to change the lens, with my fingers all stupid from the cold, well, it just wasn't going to happen.



I'm counting the days until spring. I can't wait for my new bulbs to come up. And for some temperatures above 20 degrees.

Picotee Leaves

We had a hard frost last night!

Fredrick Olmsted Parks Photos

We are very fortunate in Rochester, NY to have 3 Fredrick Olmsted parks. For those not familiar with Olmsted, he is considered to be the "father of the landscape architecture profession." Rochester is one of only 4 cities that have park system, including Highland Park, Genesee Valley Park, and Seneca Park. Here's what Rochester's Landmark Society has to say about Olmstea's design:

Highland Park, October 2010

Olmsted's three major parks in Rochester each represented different landscape styles. Highland Park was created on land donated to the city by horticulturists George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry; in recognition of their gift, the design called for an arboretum of various plants and shrubs that would preserve the dazzling views from the top of the hill. Genesee Valley Park, designed in Olmsted's classic pastoral style, features gently rolling terrain along the river south of downtown. Seneca Park, meanwhile, is an excellent example of Olmsted's picturesque style, with rugged terrain meant to inspire wonder and awe. 

Highland Park, October 2010

When Olmsted suggested setting aside the land for Highland, Genesee Valley and Seneca Parks, some people thought it unnecessary to set aside so much land so far from the center of the city, in relatively undeveloped areas where open land was plentiful. As Olmsted expected, the parks were not on the fringes for very long, as the city quickly grew to surround them. Today, Rochester's three large Olmsted parks provide tranquility and beauty right in the city, while smaller parks and parkways are focal points of their neighborhoods.

One of the reasons that I love Olmsted (besides the obvious reason that his parks are so darn beautiful!) is that he worked from a set of principles. These principles can be adopted to MY garden, too. Here's how Mt. Holyoke describes Olmsted's design principles:

Genesee Valley Park, October 2010

Scenery: Designs of “passages of scenery” with a liberal use of plantings even in the smallest spaces and in areas with the most active use.  

Suitability: Creation of designs that are in keeping with the natural scenery and topography of the location with a respect for and full utilization of the “genius of the place.” 

Sanitation: Creation of designs to promote both physical and mental health of users with provisions for adequate drainage and similar engineering considerations. 

Subordination: Subordination of all details and features (both of natural and artificial materials) to the overall design and the effect intended for it to achieve. 

Separation: Separation of areas done in different styles so that “incongruous mixture of styles” will not dilute the intended effect of each; separation of ways in order to insure safety of use and reduce distractions for those using the space; separation of uses that conflict with another. 

Spaciousness: Creation of designs that make the area seem larger than it is using bays and headlands of plantings forming indefinite boundaries.