tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331404009068353142012-01-30T07:25:58.118-05:00Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.comBlogger651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-30033282386582922842012-01-29T18:45:00.001-05:002012-01-30T07:25:58.128-05:00

In an earlier post I wrote about the use of lens adapters on the Panasonic G2 that provide for the attachment of "legacy" and other non-micro four thirds lenses.  One evening I tested several "portrait" lenses: Olympus 50mm F2 macro (with Panasonic 43-to-m43 adapter) Nikon 58mm F1.4 (with Cowboy Studio's Nikon-to-m43 adapter) Rokinon 85mm F1.4 in 4/3 mount (with Panasonic 43-to-m43 adapter)

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-76454278962925242792012-01-25T07:09:00.001-05:002012-01-25T11:06:56.430-05:00

I've never before re-posted from another blog, but these words from famous British landscape and travel photographer David Noton gave me chills.  I was reading David's article in photographyblog.com this morning and decided I would re-post a portion of it here.  The article describes many of the mistakes he has made through his career as a photographer, and on page 2 of the article he describes a

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-32380076412947449612012-01-14T07:52:00.003-05:002012-01-14T07:52:00.078-05:00

One of the really cool capabilities of the micro four thirds (m43) cameras built by Olympus and Panasonic is the ability to use old manual lenses from almost any maker via inexpensive lens adapters.  The design of the m43 cameras makes this possible by removing the traditional optical viewfinder (OVF), mirror, and mirror box found in SLRs and dSLRs.   This makes the cameras smaller.  In the case

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-38072007312967346172012-01-07T16:34:00.000-05:002012-01-07T16:34:04.992-05:00

I definitely understand how important it is to have thick skin when allowing one of your photographs to be critiqued or judged.  After all, judging is very subjective.  I find that some judges have very strict self-imposed guidelines as to what makes a "good" image; while others can more  fully appreciate how different styles and approaches can be very effective. The image below is one of my

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-5404304700528820352011-12-30T20:17:00.000-05:002011-12-30T20:17:16.177-05:00

I have been happy with the Olympus E-620, and the purchase a few months ago of the Panasonic G2 was a spontaneous purchase prompted by one of those one-day deals on Amazon... body only for $290! Both cameras are built with the small "slr-look", and they share (I have read) the same 12mp Panasonic sensor. The E-620 is a 4/3 format (43) and the G2 is a micro 4/3 format (m43). The biggest difference

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-33603265541924821612011-11-19T16:45:00.000-05:002011-11-19T16:45:08.422-05:00

While going through this years crop of photos from Maine, I came across these two of basically the same scene.  The first was taken in harsh mid-day sun (2:30 in early July), while the second was taken toward the end of the day (4:30 in October).  The light was much lower in the sky for the second image, and there was cloud cover to diffuse the light.  The first shot has more of a blue color

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-75224340163076185512011-11-12T17:54:00.001-05:002011-11-12T19:02:47.429-05:00

These are my five November entries in my photo club's monthly "salon".  The first two were submitted as prints.  The black and white was taken on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine.  A dramatic sky like this was a hint that it might make a reasonable black and white print.  The butterfly was photographed in a local butterfly house. The final three images were digital

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-56324940815077795082011-10-29T15:25:00.000-04:002011-10-29T15:25:46.637-04:00

During a two week vacation in Maine this summer, I brought along my little Panasonic LX5 and my bigger Olympus E620 dSLR.  I was quite surprised that of the 660 images I have decided to keep (hard drive space is cheap these days!)  that fewer than 100 were taken with the E620.  That's less than 15%! [A few trip pictures are included below.  I have posted about 35 images on my Website, here:

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-16809918843272468642011-10-26T20:18:00.000-04:002011-10-26T20:18:17.159-04:00

I created a new gallery on my Web site for flower photos, and have just today uploaded 80 or so images .  These were taken with a variety of cameras, even a couple of point-and-shoot cameras.  But perhaps my favorite technique at the moment involves hand-holding an Olympus dSLR with a 70-300 zoom lens and shooting at about 1/250th second to eliminate any subject motion from even the slightest

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-28479272331608823082011-10-14T21:56:00.000-04:002011-10-14T21:56:13.454-04:00

While reviewing my pictures from our trip to Maine I noticed a few that are examples of "leading lines"; that is, lines that draw (hopefully) the viewer into the image.  These leading lines are in the form of diagonal straight lines and s-curves.  I found it interesting that there were several red buildings that I was attracted to. 

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-1713646625841397902011-10-13T14:47:00.001-04:002011-10-13T14:49:04.370-04:00

As part three of this series of posts of images from Maine, I thought I would put together some foggy weather images.  Maine is known for its coastal fog; however, we had very little of it on our trip.  But here are a few images where there was enough fog to get a feel for it, but no so much that I didn't dare carry my camera. 

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-62867098662981294752011-09-28T11:30:00.001-04:002011-09-28T11:30:00.520-04:00

In my prior post I mentioned the advantages of image-taking during the golden hours.  On the other hand, this is rather limiting when you are traveling.  All of the images below were taken mid-day.  I took them mid-day because that is the time I was there! I love blue sky and puffy clouds and the sky is often its blueist mid-day and when the sun is at your back.  But you need to watch your

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-19168169438430305672011-09-24T11:02:00.000-04:002011-09-24T11:02:39.786-04:00

The "golden hour" is often viewed as the best time to take photographs.  Typically it's one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.  But I believe this has to be taken loosely, as it depends on your location.  Technically, according to Wikipedia, the golden hour is created when the sun is at an altitude of 10-12 degrees.  In the Arctic circle I think this could last most of the day. The

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-61964637657426457292011-09-18T21:35:00.000-04:002011-09-18T21:35:31.622-04:00

I wanted to get out and take some pictures today.  The sky was awesome and the weather dry and cool, though there with a bit more wind than I like for flower photos.  The drive to Tower Hill is easy for me and I always enjoy stopping at Davidian's Farm Stand for a couple of  Apple Cider Donuts on the way. Overall there seemed to be lots of flowers, but upon closer examination it was clear than

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-7996068062889993292011-09-17T14:01:00.001-04:002011-09-17T17:23:23.450-04:00

I just had some fun going through all of my butterfly images.  I have about 250.  I've selected 55 which I think are good enough to upload to the Web site.  The selection can be viewed at: http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/butterflies

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-57636562534648798802011-09-13T17:25:00.024-04:002011-09-13T17:25:00.445-04:00

This month's salon theme was "Child(ren) at Play".  This image was taken in the spring before the topic was known; so, I feel pretty luck to have captured it.  What fun to run through a field of flowers!  (The rest of the story is that this little girl's mother was soon scolding her for not staying on the path, which you can slightly see in the background.) Galloping Through the Dafodils The

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-7562938627344429622011-09-11T17:24:00.003-04:002011-09-13T20:07:38.634-04:00

The color image was taken at about 5 a.m., near Spruce Head, Maine, while on vacation earlier this summer. The camera was the Panasonic LX5 point and shoot.  I also took images with an Olympus dSLR, but for some reason the compositions I got with the LX5 trumped any improved image quality that may have come from the dSLR with its much bigger sensor.  Indeed, I have been very impressed with the

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-32227709448211680672011-07-18T19:23:00.001-04:002011-07-19T07:03:04.165-04:00

Fill flash seems to be most used (I am guessing here)  to fill in the shadows of people being photographed with the sun at their backs.  But last year my eyes were opened to other uses of fill flash when I saw a flash-aided photo of a sunrise.  Of course, the flash will do nothing to lighten up a distant sunrise, but in this case it was used to lighten up wildflowers in the immediate foreground.

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-43798430293898213552011-06-30T19:26:00.000-04:002011-06-30T19:26:00.657-04:00

This was really supposed to be a day-trip to the Millers River in central Massachusetts to do some trout fishing.  But as luck would have it, I forgot my fishing waders and definitely was not going to wade these cold waters with only in my nylon shorts and open sandals! So, I moved to Plan B.  I had brought along my Panasonic LX5 and decided I would spent a few hours photographing scenes along

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-28528009104471257712011-06-18T20:48:00.001-04:002011-06-19T07:26:41.261-04:00

Early this month my wife and I drove up to the state of Maine for my college reunion.  We couldn't help but drive up the coastal road, as the weather was beautiful and cool and the shore traffic was light.  Here are three images I took using the Panasonic LX5 near Kennebunk.  I used a couple of tricks which I explain in the descriptions below each image. Kennebunk Beach before the summer crowds,

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-80658269540500669672011-06-01T20:32:00.075-04:002011-06-01T20:32:00.285-04:00

Aside from the smaller size and portability of the S90, I believe the LX5 is a superior camera with regard to features and handling (for my purposes). Having said that, it's too bad the LX5 doesn't slip into my pocket like the S90. But if it were built for pocketability Panasonic probably would have omitted the hot shoe and the ergonomic tacky-surface grip. We might also have lost the F2 wide

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-89328050233327042242011-05-30T17:30:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:30:20.815-04:00

Recovering today from a heavy cold, I decided to take a few minutes outside to "experiment" with my cameras.  These are taken with the Olympus E520 and E620, with 70-300mm and 50mm lenses, a Panasonic LX5 with Raynox DCR-250 closeup lens and a Canon G9.  The panasonic is the most fun to use; it's very light, easy to hold, and focuses much quicker than my dSLRs, as both the 70-300 and 50mm do lots

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-72911635495419399872011-05-21T17:56:00.002-04:002011-05-21T18:27:55.452-04:00

The other day I was cleaning out an old camera bag and found a 52mm Vivitar polarizer.  If I bought it, it was at least 35 years ago and probably more like 40 years ago.  It's the same size as the threads on my even older Nikon 50mm F1.4 lens (I wasn't the first owner of this fine legacy lens). The polarizer was a bit cloudy coming out of the little clear plastic case, but I cleaned it up nicely

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-72765655176654799792011-04-26T19:47:00.000-04:002011-04-26T19:47:24.325-04:00

Tower Hill in Shrewsbury is always a great take.  These shots were from last Friday.  I have posted a set of 25 larger images here: http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/botanicgarden2011apr22 Lots of pretty flowers, and stuff was beginning to pop everywhere. 

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-15030958420912422582011-04-11T15:03:00.012-04:002011-04-11T15:41:12.404-04:00

The color image was taken in Bucks Harbor, Maine, while on vacation last year.  For the Salon, I printed it square on 9x12 paper and matted it with a mat with a 8.75" x 8.75" opening.  The camera was the Canon S90 point and shoot. It was taken in June and the high season for lobstering was beginning. I saw many lobstermen loading their boats with pots to take out to their fishing grounds. These

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-87403240892115338612011-04-10T13:52:00.003-04:002011-04-10T13:52:00.695-04:00

These three images were submitted for our photo club's monthly contest.  The red Columbine was entered into the nature category.  The second two images were entered into the open category. The ducks are sitting on what is cut grass, so the "hand of man" is evident and therefore they do not qualify as nature, at least for our purposes.  The butterfly image was taken in a butterfly house.  Like

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-79207916764911666042011-04-02T18:27:00.000-04:002011-04-02T18:27:20.372-04:00

I took an early morning trip to our nearby butterfly house this morning.  They open the doors an hour early for photographers on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month, during the season.  I like that first hour because the fans and heaters aren't yet going full blast, so the butterflies are still a bit sleepy.  I am pretty happy with the shots I took (link below).  All are taken hand-held at

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-60809261025725627662011-03-04T19:59:00.000-05:002011-03-04T19:59:07.476-05:00

Both of these were taken with the Canon S90 point-n-shoot, as that was what was with me at the time.  The first was taken at a late afternoon cookout over Labor Day, 2010 and the second was taken toward the end of a great day of skiing in February, 2011.  The first image was critcized for the overexposed church.  Had I been thinking about it (and not holding a beer or hamburg in one hand) I might

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-77086048554596221212011-03-01T07:50:00.000-05:002011-03-01T07:50:06.315-05:00

This month for our monthly photo club "salon" (i.e. competition) I submitted two "nature" category images and one "open" category image. This first image below was taken near Crested Butte, Colorado.  I like the pattern created by the small circle of aspens within the conifer forest.  Incidentally, part of the nature story here are the Mountain Pine Beetles that have deforested huge areas in

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-9256321609646908962011-02-20T08:59:00.003-05:002011-02-20T09:24:52.490-05:00

I am not a big fan of shooting videos. But somewhere between video and stills is something I am a fan of.  I think it is best called "Sequence Shooting". It is the use of several images to tell a story, shot and presented in sequence.  Fast sequences can often be captured using the continuous shooting feature available in most cameras, whether it be a dSLR or a compact cameras.  My Olympus E-

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-42153255108713205642011-02-13T09:14:00.004-05:002011-02-13T18:09:50.362-05:00

In Part I, I added a lens adapter to the LX5.  This allows for the addition of auxiliary lenses and filters, and I am finding it is very helpful when hand-holding this small (compared with a dSLR) camera. I find I hold the rubbery camera grip with my right hand (as do all users), but I use my left hand to hold the adapter instead of the camera body. Of course, the lens adapter makes it

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-54709641898832182182011-02-10T09:19:00.000-05:002011-02-10T09:19:34.057-05:00

Both of these images were captured with point and shoot cameras.  As always, the best camera for the job is the one you have with you!  The black and white below was taken with my 10mp Canon S90.  There was plenty of light so even large prints will look good.  This one was submitted as an 8" x 12" print. Cumulus Clouds over the Sudbury River  The color image below was taken with my old

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-67564773109939246902011-01-30T16:20:00.000-05:002011-01-30T16:20:11.094-05:00

[Larger images and complete EXIF information are availabe on my Web site, here] I submitted two images for the nature category this month.  The first was taken in early October near the northern rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado.  I like the layering effect of the foreground of grass, the colorful low bushes on the ridge, and the blue sky and puffy clouds.  Though we often think

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-45499622592192466992011-01-23T15:16:00.002-05:002011-02-13T15:30:20.897-05:00

Recently I came to the realization that (for me) the LX5 is not a pocket camera.  While my Canon S90 is such a camera because it slips into my jeans pocket (it weighs under 7 ounces and is only 1.2" thick with retractable lens and self-contained lens cover), the LX5 is a bit heavier (actually nearly 50% heavier at just under 10 ounces) and thicker (1.7" with a lens that sticks out as seen in the

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-55138011194693750862011-01-18T20:33:00.000-05:002011-01-18T20:33:59.107-05:00

I was sorting through some old pictures (not too old, but taken last April) and came across this shot taken at 7:26 pm, just minutes before I walked into the library next door to this church, to attend a photo club meeting.  A few folks were standing and admiring the scene, but I was the only one with a camera.  This is why I love compact cameras... they're easy to keep with you.  And it's not

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-69978250835864833412011-01-09T18:32:00.000-05:002011-01-09T18:32:10.415-05:00

The color image was submitted as a 9"x12" print to match its 4:3 aspect ratio.  The black and white print was submitted as a 6"x12" print to match the 2:1 aspect ratio that I often use to create a landscape "panel". The color image was taken at Cape Rosier, Maine.  It's actually a vertical panorama combined from three shots, moving the camera from the foreground to the middleground to the sky. 

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-27533389238447652052011-01-04T20:31:00.001-05:002011-01-05T11:49:46.462-05:00

These are my digital entries for my photo club's December digital salon: The swallowtail photo was taken at a nearby butterfly house.  Because of limited depth of field when trying to get a good close up image, it is sometimes better to shoot when the wings are fully open so that the entire butterfly is the same distance from the lens, such as I did here.  This increases your chance of getting

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-28033332728603466832010-12-30T11:51:00.000-05:002010-12-30T11:51:47.296-05:00

From time to time I have enjoyed playing around with filters on point and shoot cameras. Typically this can only be done on the higher end models, such as the Canon G series and Panasonic LX series. Also, some of the all-in-one superzooms, such as the Panasonic FZ8 also allow for the use of filters. To get the job done, a special tube attachment called a lens adapter is usually required, and the

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-69571024961195743102010-12-19T18:42:00.002-05:002011-01-04T20:33:50.669-05:00

I was pleased with how these two images came out.  The color entry was an after-thought.  I was reviewing my images from a 2009 trip to Colorado, and found myself attracted to this picture of autumn aspen trees. After making a vertical crop from the original horizontal image I decided it would make a nice print.  I liked the simple composition and of course the colors.  There is a bit of drama in

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-45140152220844375712010-12-03T23:00:00.002-05:002011-01-04T20:34:17.482-05:00

These are my digital entries for my photo club's December digital salon.  The elk was an early morning shot in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The lighting isn't particularly great, but I did get this bull to look up from his munching.  It was past sunrise when I took the picture, but because this meadow was in a valley surrounded by mountains, the sun had not yet risen high enough to flood the

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-63017884665449346222010-11-29T20:52:00.000-05:002010-11-29T20:52:10.351-05:00

I have looked though my fall images and find I really didn't do a lot this year.  The first two were taken while fishing in mid-October.  The other four were taken along the road while traveling to and from work or to visit family or friends.  

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-58496456056628321262010-11-18T17:32:00.000-05:002010-11-18T17:32:20.267-05:00

I wish I could say I traveled to an exotic location, hiked over difficult terrain and scaled a steep cliff to obtain this shot. But actually it was taken at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. This was one of two eagles that I doubt could fly because they were in an open area with a low perimeter fence. In fact, being without a tripod, I rested my right elbow on the top of one of

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-29278820724989273592010-11-07T12:44:00.000-05:002010-11-07T12:44:12.186-05:00

I recently went through my "out west" images from last year, taken during a September/October trip through Colorado and a piece of Utah.  These images were taken along the long dirt road between route 133 and the old mining/ski town of Crested Butte (Colorado Route 12). It is thought that along this route is the largest grove of aspens in the world.  I recall hearing something like 30 miles in

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-22742220150761730192010-10-29T18:07:00.000-04:002010-10-29T18:07:55.654-04:00

I have just added a Flora and Fauna group to my "all galleries" page, and have included two galleries within the group: Dragonflies and Butterflies.  A couple of my favorites are below at the maximum blog size of 650 pixels wide and/or long.  The images will be somewhat larger in the galleries. The dragonfly was taken with an Olympus E520 dSLR and 40-150mm Olympus zoom lens equipped with a

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-14821843588816406692010-10-25T10:01:00.000-04:002010-10-25T10:01:32.344-04:00

My first day out with this fine little camera was in September, when my wife and I made a day trip to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.  I even gritted my teeth and left my dSLR at home. I have kept 40 images and they are here.  (Some are nice and all are worth having in my collection, but I doubt I will print any of them.) In an earlier post I listed the features on the LX5 that impressed me for

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-67981804659135079922010-10-22T19:56:00.000-04:002010-10-22T19:56:59.641-04:00

It has been a disappointing year for fall colors.  The weather has been very strange, and recent rains and wind haven't helped. Here in the Boston area we have had (I think I heard this from one of our local meterologists) the third driest summer in recorded history.  And I have also heard that nationwide we have experienced the warmest year-to-date in recorded history.  I am sure this has had

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-36533422571467641822010-10-02T16:14:00.000-04:002010-10-02T16:14:24.254-04:00

I was going through some summer pictures I took at Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, and I was surprised to see this frog picture, which I had entirely forgotten about.  I do now recall that he was sitting in a small cement pond looking at me among a selection of waterlilies. As it turns out, to my surprise, this is the only image I have decided to keep from the set I took that day! Amazing that I

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-63682172325768131962010-09-12T14:55:00.003-04:002010-10-21T11:08:02.016-04:00

I just took delivery of the new Panasonic LX5, which just this past week began shipping. This was a real splurge for me as with a list price of $500 it costs more than the Olympus E-520 dSLR I bought last year including two kit lenses. But the price of the LX5 is the same as two other highend point-and-shoots: the Canon G12 and the Nikon P7000. The LX5 is also an extravagence because I already

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-53584993250686547302010-08-22T13:13:00.000-04:002010-08-22T13:13:18.698-04:00

Earlier this month I spent the morning photographing butterflies at the Butterfly Place in Westford.  I am partial to the wings-up pose, even though the underside of the wing is often dull in color compared with the top of the wing.  Below are three wings-up images.  I have posted about 10 butterfly images from my outing, showing various angles, on my photography Web site here: http://

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-78655237639513560032010-08-07T16:02:00.002-04:002010-08-07T16:04:55.853-04:00

I am not saying these pictures of the new covered bridge in Pepperell, MA are good or bad.  But I like them because I took them in a situation where most people (even avid photographers) would not have had a camera with them.  I had just parked my car and was walking down to the river to do some flyfishing when I decided to document the new bridge to send to my fishing buddies. My old Pentax

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-67180007202285508052010-07-24T12:40:00.001-04:002010-08-15T12:10:28.908-04:00

The Canon S90 is a wonderful compact camera.  I take it everywhere and use it when a dSLR is inconvenient or intimidating.  In particular, for images that have strangers in it (and for what is called "street photography") I find the S90 to be unintimidating to others and less likely to draw attention to me. (tip: for real stealth, turn off all sounds). But the S90 has the same problem that many

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-77377513809138615772010-07-12T18:28:00.000-04:002010-07-12T18:28:38.102-04:00

I loved the view of the clouds from this bridge, so I eagerly parked the car and walked back to the middle of the bridge.  This is a good example of why I (almost) always keep a camera with me, and is why even the most serious photographer should (IMO) own a decent pocket camera. The camera I used for these images is the 7 ounce Canon S90. These shots were taken in the P-mode with about 1-stop

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-48652120319799547382010-07-10T13:14:00.000-04:002010-07-10T13:14:01.282-04:00

We all know how important the light is when it comes to getting an image with impact.  I was going through a few images from my Colorado trip this past fall.  These two were taken in the morning (about 7:30am) in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I would not have remembered that they are both of the same Elk bull, until I looked at the exif information and discovered that the images were taken about

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-56790064852059729072010-06-09T14:54:00.005-04:002010-06-20T08:31:25.426-04:00

On my main Web site I've added a "recently added" page, which shows as an additional tab across the top of the home page here: http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/. Though all galleries (old and new!) can also be accessed via the "all galleries" tab on the home page, a "recently added" page will make it easier to see what's been added since your last visit.

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-75600343580525514052010-05-31T19:54:00.005-04:002010-11-04T10:36:41.618-04:00

In my prior post I outlined the procedure I am using to duplicate my old slides.  But I started with a set of Kodachromes taken by my dad when we left the Boston area and drove out to Los Angeles, where my dad worked in 1955 and 1956.  Below are several of my favorites from that batch of slides (I'm the bigger of the two boys):

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-23239395932144946602010-05-09T17:45:00.000-04:002010-05-09T17:45:58.291-04:00

For a few years I have been wondering what to do with my old slides.  I am now ready to bite the bullet and get them digital-ized. It is just so much easier to show images on a computer or televison or digital projector. I have about 3000 slides taken between about 1968 and 1984. And my dad has some great Kodachromes from the 1950's taken with his Kodak Retina IIIC rangefinder.  As the slides age

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-891439544205025202010-04-18T09:24:00.001-04:002010-04-26T13:28:33.241-04:00

The gardens at Tower Hill are beginning to bloom.  The blooming trees are fabulous.  My favorite is the pear tree, which has a unique flowery-peary-smell to it and was covered with very happy bees.  The second to last image below, showing white flowers is from the pear tree.  The final picture, though it shows a bee, is some other pretty flower. The field which later in the season will be

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-78245110506164060572010-03-25T19:41:00.007-04:002010-03-26T19:41:17.882-04:00

If you live in eastern Massachusetts I highly recommend seeing the exhibition "Treasured Land: The Fifty-Eight U.S. National Parks in Focus".  It features about 100 photographic prints taken by photographer Quang-Tuan Luong over a fifteen year period during which he photographed all 58 national parks with a large-format camera.  The exhibition is at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington,

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-7300886481296576912010-03-19T19:42:00.002-04:002010-03-19T19:58:35.769-04:00

I'm lucky to live near two butterfly houses. My first experience with captive butterflies was last spring when our photoclub went to The Butterfly Place in Westford, MA. We rented the facility for an hour for a small fee, which provided us with access on a Saturday before the normal 10 a.m. opening. We could stay as long as we wanted; but the advantage of that first hour was the greenhouse (for

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-77808851836371060662010-03-08T20:18:00.003-05:002010-03-09T10:30:41.874-05:00

A few weeks ago my photo club asked Fred LeBlanc to come to Westford to present his "Field Guide to Maritime Photography". Fred loves the old wooden sailing vessels and has spent years documenting them under sail.  He follows the Windjammer fleet of Camden and Rockport, Maine, and gives two workshops each summer aboard the 145 foot schooner Heritage, which sails out of Rockland. Besides showing

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-65674551657215706752010-02-28T19:45:00.027-05:002010-03-02T07:15:39.829-05:00

I spent two more days of skiing with the S90 in my parka pocket. Both days were at Windblown XC Ski Center in New Ipswich, NH and within eyeshot of snowcovered Mt. Monadnock. So far I have been shooting the highest quality and largest resolution JPEG files.  I'll check out RAW files sometime in the future. Like most cameras, I find the S90 has a tendency to underexpose snow scenes.  Metering

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-73452644316663400462010-02-10T20:34:00.005-05:002010-02-15T17:17:53.318-05:00

Last weekend Robert O'Toole gave a fantastic workshop on wildlife and nature photography.  It was held at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford, MA, and was sponsored by Nashoba Valley Photo Club (of which I am a member), Hunt's Photo and Sigma lenses.  There were 90 attendees from clubs from several New England states.  All of us were rewarded with some beautiful images and some great tips and

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-40180592690879358742010-02-06T17:57:00.015-05:002010-03-02T07:13:41.030-05:00

This was my first outing in the cold with the pocketable Canon S90, arguably the best (matter of opinion of course) compact camera currently available.  A compact camera in my opinion must be sleek enough to not only fit in the front pocket of a pair of jeans, but also slide easily into that pocket.  To do this it must have a retractable lens.  It also has to be light enough to be barely

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-90798764964622404372010-02-02T20:17:00.006-05:002010-02-11T02:20:37.137-05:00

The shutter click made by a dSLR can disturb wildlife if you are close enough for it to be heard.  As you can see in these three images, the male Downy Woodpecker shown here came closer and closer to locating me.  I am sure it was the shutter click that attracted his attention.  This three-image sequence was taken with my Olympus 70-300mm lens at the full zoomed-in 300mm (600mm equivalent field

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-833140400906835314.post-88882408686154117512009-05-06T06:30:00.104-04:002011-11-27T11:04:53.291-05:00

(last updated: 2011Nov20) My years of serious camera-carrying remind me of a barbell: A heavy interest in the early years and a heavy interest now, but pretty lightweight in the middle. My enthusiasm was keen in the late 1960s and 1970s. I shot a lot of Kodachromes during trips to Europe and the American West, and summers on Cape Cod. I taught high school in the '70s and used my pictures

Peter F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15358240600634062387noreply@blogger.com0