Reflections of a Forgotten Time | New Bern, NC
There is a section of the Neuse River in New Bern that is littered with what is left of wharves, piers and pylons from industry and commerce along the river banks in the past. Standing behind them is a train drawbridge spanning the river and connecting to Bridgeton.
I’ve visited this spot several times to scout it for shooting, but each and every time I have been there some shady people show up and creep me out. This isn’t in the greatest part of town and to make matters worse, is located in a little corner between vacant homes, piles of junk and abandoned warehouses. I have more plans for shooting here, but they may require some shooting buddies…just in case :-) ‘Strength in numbers,’ as they say.
The shot: Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-105 lens @40mm. f-200, iso-200, f/20. 3 exposures, tonemapped with Photomatix and finished in Photoshop using Nik Software.
A February Storm Chase
After a routine print delivery to Vanceboro, NC, I noticed some neat clouds in the sky. As I drove along, I began to see a really big billowing storm cloud that normally brings severe summer weather. Driving blindly with my eyes on the clouds, I took twists and turns until I had no idea where I was. That’s when I came down a very long, straight road, cut a u-turn, got out of my Jeep and laid down on the road to shoot. I went up and down this stretch of road and I must have been there for over half an hour and never saw another car. There was a brief period where the wind really kicked up and I thought the movie ‘Twister’ was going to play out in front of me, but luckily it blew by with nothing more than a little rain!
Big thanks to Accuweather.com and The Weather Channel for the mention and share both online and on air today!
Best Test Answer, Ever.
As most of you know, I’m a Pittsburgher transplanted to Eastern North Carolina. Growing up around the ‘burgh, you hear a lot about sports legends of the area, particularly of the 1960’s and 70’s. Family members speak fondly of the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Willie Stargell, Lynn Swann, Bill Mazeroski, the list goes on. But one name stands out above the others: Roberto Clemente. The right field wall in PNC Park stands 21 feet tall to honor him (he wore #21 and played RF) and the bridge crossing the Allegheny River beyond the outfield wall of stadium was renamed the Roberto Clemente Bridge. There is even a huge statue of him standing just outside of the PNC Park. Pittsburgh is full of rightful remembrances of a man who’s Hall of Fame career was cut short by a tragic plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake stricken Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve of 1972. There’s so much to say about Clemente that it could fill up multiple blog posts on its own.
My wife, a fifth grade teacher, decided to teach a unit on Roberto Clemente. I think it’s awesome to be spreading a story about a Pittsburgh sports icon to kids here in Eastern NC who likely never heard of him. What’s cooler is what the students took away from the story. Check out this answer that a girl wrote on her worksheet-
Sometimes kids can make the most profound comments. The answer that the sheet was looking for was something along the lines of ‘He was going to Nicaragua to help deliver supplies to earthquake victims.’ But how can you mark something like this wrong?
My wife sent me this cell phone picture of the test in the afternoon and I shared it on Twitter. By that evening it had nearly 100 retweets, something that never happens to stuff I post. The next day, it found it’s way onto Pittsburgh Magazine’s website. Thanks to everyone who took interest in this, it goes to show that the right answer is not always the best answer.
All in a Row | New Bern, NC
Along the railing of the New Bern Grand Marina, you can usually find some bicycles lined up. Belonging to the folks who are staying on their boats, they can hop on a bike and take a quick ride to pretty much anywhere downtown.
Walking along the waterfront at sunset, I thought that it would make a neat shot to get right up against the bikes with my wide angle as the sun was setting behind them. I didn’t get as big a sun flare as I wanted, but this turned out just right.
The shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22. 3 exposures, manually masked together in Photoshop.
Symmetric Sunset | New Bern, NC
After a pretty much grey and dismal day, I noticed the clouds moving very quickly as the sky began to brighten up before sunset. I gathered my gear and decided to go try and grab some sunset shots or maybe a timelapse. As I arrived at the New Bern Grand Marina, the sky cleared and the sun burst through giving the entire area a golden glow.
I was walking along the waterfront when the symmetry of this entrance to the dock caught my eye. It’s a little busier of a shot than what I normally do, but I couldn’t pass up this awesome symmetrical scene!
The Shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22, ISO-100. 3 exposures manually masked together in Photoshop.
