Daily Photo - Sep. 16-30
For 2020, I am photographing every day, and posting the best of each day in half-month increments.
2020 September 16, Wednesday
Birds, birds, everywhere! It seemed to be a rather busy day out on the estuary. I like how the one on the branch seems to be looking away, as if to say, "Don't mind me, I'm just waiting for a bus".
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 1250
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 17, Thursday
They say the cobbler's children go barefoot. I've felt a bit like that being an architectural technician with a front deck that wasn't up to code. Finally, though the time came to install that long-awaited rail.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 18, Friday
The second day of work saw my Dad and me start the pickets. A lot of thought went into exactly how the rail should look! I was keen on going with something white to match the rest of the Haven's trim.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO 320
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 19, Saturday
I haven't gone very far afield for most of the year. With the pandemic in a slight lull, however, I risked a trip to Halifax to visit my friends Erin and Jamie. We went for a walk in the park (wearing masks, of course). Now, it's a big no-no among the wildlife photography community to bait animals. Someone else at the park was throwing food to the birds, though, and I took advantage of the morally-grey opportunity. I've been itching to snap a bluejay for ages.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 6400
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 20, Sunday
On Jamie's birthday we drove to the scenic town of Windsor, the birthplace of hockey. We had a delightful meal at a local café and strolled around the town chatting and snapping shots. We visited the local war memorial, which is quite large and features some interesting sculpture. I'm always keen to visit cenotaphs when I get the chance.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 21, Monday
We complain about cloudy skies, but without them we wouldn't have fantastic sunsets. No matter how many I see, I am always taken aback by the range and depth of colour thatthey pack.
Olympus E-PL9: f4, 1/250 sec, ISO 320
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 22, Tuesday
Autumn is typically the wettest part of the year here; remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms make their way up the Atlantic coast, bringing wind and rain. This rainy day comes thanks to Teddy. It was the nineteenth named storm in a hurricane season that has kept pumping out systems well past the end of the usual alphabetical list - after that they move to Greek letters.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 23, Wednesday
Teddy finally made landfall near the town of Ecum Secum - less than a hundred kilometers almost directly South of Antigonish. The wind and rain continued, but on the whole it was an easily-weathered storm.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 6400
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 24, Thursday
The process of railway track maintenance passed by my house on September 24th. After being unbolted, worn ties were removed. New ones were slid into place and fixed to the rail. It was interesting to watch, but a brief sight; soon the crew had moved farther down the track.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/500 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 25, Friday
My camera has a built-in HDR feature. In quick succession it takes multiple shots at various exposures. Basically it splits the image into regions. For each region it chooses the exposure which provides the most detail, then composites them together into one extra-vibrant picture.
I finally got a chance to try it out on this decorative lighthouse in Masstown. It was the beginning of a long day of work. I travelled to a site in New Brunswick, took some measurements, and then travelled back - all in one go.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.6, 3.2 secs, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 26, Saturday
Usually, I think of Autumn being nicknamed "Fall" because of falling leaves... But fruit falls, too! I came across this rather voluminous dropping of crab apples not far from my house.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 3200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 27, Sunday
It's tricky to get a picture of the Sun looming large over the horizon. Firstly, it has to be near sunrise or sunset (In this case, sunset). Secondly, there has to be something on the horizon to create a sense of scale (In this case, trees). Finally, the camera lens has to be at a high zoom level; topography can help with that. In this case, I was on a hillside, shooting across a valley with the Sun nearing the opposite hill.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/6000 sec, ISO 3200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 28, Monday
One of my takeaways from this photo-a-day project is just how varied plant-timings are. I'd always known that some plants flower early in the Spring and some later, but I have been constantly surprised with how well-rounded the plant world is. Each species fills a particular niche, blooming at a particular time. So here we are in Autumn, with new and fascinating blooms to consider.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.9, 1/200 sec, ISO 2500
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 29, Tuesday
I must confess, this is a staged photo. I found this fascinating leaf and brought it to my patio so I could shoot it against the mottled grey concrete. Those spots just really get to me.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 4000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
2020 September 30, Wednesday
I was sad when my computer failed. It was with a heavy heart that I kept pushing myself to take photos, not knowing when I'd be able to edit them. I felt a bit guilty, too, since it's such a privileged problem to have when so many people are beset by real, significant challenges. Still, I was very pleased when my new computer arrived. The process of selecting a replacement was a bit stressful, but so far I am very pleased with the choice. Among other things, it has a snazzy illuminated keyboard.
