Old Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village is one of the premiere faux colonial towns in the US.  The buildings are all original, albeit transferred from their original locations, mainly from MA and CT.

Still, the setting is great for families, is educational, and a decent settings for pictures.

Olde Sturbridge Village

Olde Sturbridge Village - Blacksmith shoppe

Olde Sturbridge Village - Pre-fired pottery

Olde Sturbridge Village - Covered bridge

Olde Sturbridge Village - Flower garden

Olde Sturbridge Village - Path to ye olde farm

Olde Sturbridge Village - Herb garden

Olde Sturbridge Village - Flowers

Olde Sturbridge Village - Herb Garden

Olde Sturbridge Village - Outside the entrance

Halibut Point State Park

Halibut Point State Park is in Rockport MA, on Cape Ann.  One of the more beautiful man-made places I know of, where you can go to see nature.

The park consists of two main areas the quarry and the beach.  The quarry has filled in water over the years since it was abandoned...

The quarry at Halibut Point State Park

The quarry at Halibut Point State Park

The quarry at Halibut Point State Park

Outside of the quarry, a lookout point was created with the surplus rock.  Fantastic views.

The beach at Halibut Point State Park

Down at the beach, people have used some of the extra rock to create some sculptures.

The beach at Halibut Point State Park

From up by the information center (the lighthouse-looking building), you get a spectacular view of both the quarry and the beach.  It's almost like a huge, eccentric swimming pool.

Haymarket, Boston, MA

Haymarket is Boston's biggest open-air market; located between Quincy Market and the North End.

Haymarket, Boston, MA

Reminds me a bit of the South Station Market in Brussels.  Rows and rows of vegetables.

Haymarket, Boston, MA

Haymarket, Boston, MA

Some "behind-the scenes" action.  The guy in the black seems to be making a documentary about garbage.  Should be interesting, but I still think that I'll wait for it to come out on DVD...

Haymarket, Boston, MA
(Back-side)

This reminded me a bit of the open area outside of the Pompidou in Paris.  No sword or fire eaters, though.  Still, brought back some fun memories.

City Hall, Boston, MA

Quincy Market, Boston

Went out to Quincy Market today, to look at the street performers and try out some action shots...

Outside Quincy Market, Boston, MA
(Custom House Tower in background)

Custom House Tower, Boston, MA

Dress up and hand out fortunes when people give you money.  Seems like a good, well paying gig, based on the amount of movement from the "statue".

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston

Escape artist preparation.  Excellent acting from the audience.

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston

Last minute instructions.  ("Please don't drop me...")

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston

Not sure if I'd trust random people from the audience.

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston
(Fenuil Hall in background)

Posing for pictures.

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston
(Fenuil Hall in background)

Ta-da!

Street Performer, Quincy Market, Boston
(Fenuil Hall in background)

Harold Parker State Park

Went a little bit farther today.  Harold Parker State Park is about 1 mile from our house.  :-)

Field Pond (obligatory location setting shot...)

Butterfly on wild flower

More wild flowers

Remains of a dam

Wild flowers

Dragonfly

Rock in the Woods

Butterfly in the Grass

Backyard Woods

Day 1:  Ventured all the way out to my backyard.

Rustic Backyard 1

Rustic Backyard 2

Waiting for Winter

First Blackberries of the Year

New blog, new camera, new fun...

Today is day #1 of my new blog.  While I have made technical blog posts in the past, this is the first attempt at anything artistic.  I'm looking forward to see what happens.

Quite honestly, I have no idea why I am doing this or what I plan to get out of it.  I originally got the idea from three sources:

1. My good friend, Tom Fakler's photo blog (http://tomfakler.blogspot.com).  I've spent many hours taking and editing photos with Tom, usually while imbibing many bottles of fine Belgian beer and giving into our bizarre American junk food fetishes (imported Cheetos), when I lived in Brussels.  He now lives in Cambodia, where he writes amusing stories and posts some really interesting shots.  Check it out when you get a chance.  (P.S.  Thanks, Tom!)
2. The "Art of Photography" podcast, episode #29.  (http://www.flickr.com/groups/artofphotography/)  Especially for anyone starting out, this is a great resource.
3. Our neighbor and maybe distant relative, Stephen Daly, put together a fantastic show a few months ago.  Very talented and quite an inspiration...

As for my background:  I've been a photography hack ever since I can remember.  My first camera was an ancient box camera that I got from my great-grandfather.  I could easily open it, take it apart, and examine the pieces.  While the idea of making pictures was exciting, I was fascinated by the mechanics of the shutter and the top view-finder.  It made me feel like one of those guys from the 1800s that would hold a tray of powder, which would ignite in a burst of light and energy to take a photo.  Great stuff!

Several 110s, 120s, 35mm SLRs, some borrowed DSLRs, and a few decades later, I now have a Nikon D5000 which I am absolutely in love with.  It has some advanced features and the same CMOS sensor that can be found in the semi-pro models.  Most importantly it fits my amateur needs very well.

In this blog, I am very interested in your unrestrained comments; it helps me to improve.  For the photography pros and hobbyists, feel free to give detailed analysis of composition, exposure, etc.  For *everyone*, please let me know what you think and feel.  Comments of "that picture is pretty" is perfectly fine, and just as valued.

No matter what comments you leave, thanks for stopping by...