Blog Archives

A Photographic Blog by Robert McKay Jones

Morning Dove

1/31/2015

Do you see it? Of course I had to end the month with coldness. There was another option which you can see on my Flickr page, but this month has been extraordinarily cold. It was 4 degrees when this picture was taken. Wind chills were a reported 10 below. The reflection of the sun on the ice caught my eye and it was clearly a morning dove I saw. More than 4,000 pictures were taken this month of which, a select 31 were committed to this series. See you next month.

Nikon D610, 1/180 sec at f16, ISO 100, 28mm (28-300mm f3.5-5.6) - 7399

The End of an Era

1/30/2015

What a wonderful structure. A beautiful cupola with railing. I can only imagine the view atop this magnificent testament to times gone by. Farming was huge in New England in the 19th Century and well into the 20th century. The forests were clear cut making way for farms of all kinds. Unfortunately, they are in decline with a few exceptions.

Nikon D610, 1/90 sec at f6.7, ISO 100, 28mm, (28-300mm 3.5-5.6) - 7350

Sunrise on Green Hill

1/29/2015

I need to rise before dawn more often. It inspires me with quiet and color. Even with the cold (+2F), it was so gratifying. You can see the other side of this picture on my Flickr page. Green Hill Golf Course is quite beautiful, maybe more so in winter. This picture is taken from the deck of the club house where someone was nice enough to snow blow a path for me. Just me and the birds this morning. This is three images stitched together.

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec at f4, ISO 100, 28mm, 28-300mm - 7153
42°17'15" N 71°46'45" W

Heavenly Bodies

1/28/2015

I love night photography but it has been so cold I have been resisting. Night photography takes time. It requires a tripod and a great location. Tonight, I took the chance and think I was rewarded. The night skies have been clear but after the storm yesterday, there were some lingering clouds. It makes for a wonderful backdrop. The stars and the moon were particularly clear. I love this shot of the mostly frozen West Waushacum Lake. The moon, also shot tonight, was added in post-production. You can't take a 10 second shot of the moon, it is too bright.

Nikon D610, 10 sec at f3.5, ISO 400, 28mm (28-300mm f3.5-5.6) - 6972
The moon, screened into this shot in post was taken with the D610, 1/350 sec at f5.6, ISO 100, 300 mm

Birds in Flight

1/27/2015

Learned a great deal today! Catching a bird in flight is an exercise in obsessive persistence, a great lens, fortuitous focusing and a lot of luck. Thus, 612 pictures later, we have this shot. Many more on Flickr, but this was the one I liked the best. It was what this day was all about for the birds. getting a meal. They seemed pleasantly frantic around the feeders in blizzard conditions making me stand at the window for longer than I should have.

Nikon D610, 1/1500 sec at F2.8, ISO 400, 105mm (105mm f2.8) - 6923

Great Architecture

1/26/2015

So many choices today! Big storm hitting New England. Visited Wachusett Mountain thinking I would get some pictures of people enjoying the snow. But at a windy 19 degrees, there weren't many people on the slopes. Most were inside enjoying the warmth of the lodge. I stopped and took this grand panorama. It was drab. I continued on my way down the mountain into Princeton and decided to stop and take this shot of the Princeton Public Library. What a stunning building. As you can see, it is almost 4:00PM and the storm is about to start. I'm off to find shelter.

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec at f8, ISO 1100, 28mm, (28-300mm) - 6306

Majestic Mountains

1/25/2015

I took more than 150 pictures before 9am this morning. It was a beautiful morning as the day after a snow storm always seems. As the sun rose it made way for what appeared to me to be cloud mountains beyond the young forest. I may as well have been looking at the Grand Tetons in the distance. It was strikingly beautiful and eerily realistic. For a moment, I was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in quiet serenity.

Nikon D610, 1/30 sec at f22, ISO 400, 45mm (28-300mm) - 6119
An Enlarged view is available on flickr.

Grasping at Straws

1/24/2015

Looking at different ways of seeing the mundane is a surprisingly enlightening and gratifying exercise. You can look at more mundane objects in a different light on my Flickr page. The mind begins to race with possibilities. Given time and patience, the game of what-if plays out in a rainbow of colors.

Nikon D610, 6 seconds at f/22, ISO 100, 105mm - 5902

The Hess Collection

1/23/2015

It has been a long time tradition that the Hess Truck of the Year be added to a pristine collection adding to our endless supply of games and toys. Although the annual fulfillment has passed from Nana Turbett to us, these trucks, jets, planes and motor cycles with blinking lights and sirens are undoubtedly the most popular toys we have. They are inevitably driven from the toy room to the living room so that little minds can devise all sorts of imaginary scenarios. These are the building blocks of childhood memories that will no doubt last a lifetime.

Nikon D610, 1/90 sec at f 4.8, ISO 100, 100mm - 5753

Spice of Life

1/22/2015

The objective here was to arrange something pretty mundane creating something that might even be considered artistic. We see this spice every day and don't give it a second thought. We will now. It is remarkable. Amazing variety and beauty.

Nikon D610, 1/180 sec at f16, ISO 100, 105mm, Flash Fired - 5624

The Treat

1/21/2015

One of the big treats of life is a good cup of coffee. Mix in a jigger of Bailey's Irish Crème and you have a wonderful treat. I can't do this everyday, but... I tell myself it is a reward. I must have done something good to deserve such a treat!

Nikon D610, 1/60 sec at f5.6, ISO 100, 100mm (28-300mm) - Flash Fired - 5544

Turbine Reflection

1/20/2015

The Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner is powered in part by two turbines that rotate endlessly. In turn, they are powered by what seems to be ever-present winds. When you are close, you can hear the blades cut through the air as if inflicting a wound. This photo was taken on the other side of Crystal Lake, a lovely reservoir serving the Gardiner community. I was taken by the reflection of the sky on the ice. So beautiful.

Nikon D610; 1/250 sec at f/13, ISO 200, 56mm, (28-300mm f3.5-5.6) - 5440
42°35'13" N 71°59'40" W

Falling Water

1/19/2015

I gravitate to moving water in January. It lifts my bleak winter spirit. In years past, this water wheel was a working wheel. No longer. The sound of the falling water is what captures your attention. It is soothing to the eye and the ears. Taken just off Mason Road in Holden, MA.

Nikon D610, 1/180 sec at f/8.0, ISO 400, 20mm
42.401018,-71.8509933

Dreary

1/18/2015

What a contrast in days! This picture more than any other I took today captures the dreariness. You can see the cold and sense how slippery the roads are especially under foot. The roads have been in a deep freeze for a fortnight. The rain instantly morphs to a frozen state of slickness. The filth of the road snow just adds to the sense of depression. The light at the end of this tunnel? The Pats against the Colts.

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec at f/2.8, 20mm - 5259
42.4216508,-71.8264031

Magic Moment

1/17/2015

There are only a few places where you can see sunset over a large body of water (ice) in Worcester County. This is probably one of the best. It is at the Clinton Dam which holds back the Wachusett Reservoir. Finding others can be a challenge, but it is made easier with a couple of sun follower tools I use (See my Newsletter). Again, the golden sun against the blue sky is such a wonderful combination. You can see more sunsets over Wachusett here.

Nikon D610, 1/180 sec at f11, ISO 100, 20mm - 5148
42°24'9" N 71°41'13" W

Paying Homage

1/16/2015

Even ugly things can make nice pictures! Meet my furnace. It has been through child hood and even adolescence, it has even survived the teenage years. As an adult in its mid 20's, it seems to be working harder than is ever has. For the past couple of weeks, temperatures have fallen to the teens and single digits most nights with little reprieve when the sun rises. Unfortunately, I fear its life is nearing an end. With this photo, I am showing my deep appreciation for the more than two dozen years of dedicated service. Mario, this is for you!

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec at f/6.7, ISO 200, 20mm (20mm f2.8)

Wheels of Time

1/15/2015

A lot of choices today. Ended with this one. The draw bridge in Mystic, Connecticut. The weights allow the wheels to turn and the bridge to rise and fall. Remarkable study in balance and engineering

Nikon D610, 1/20 sec at f9.5, ISO 200, 20 mm - 5038
41.3546624,-71.968211

Mundane

1/14/2015

Now I am just messing around. It's like looking at the clouds as a kid and seeing animals. This project makes me look at everything just a little bit differently. Including this. Can you tell what it is? Can you tell me what you see? I have my own ideas. I am interested in yours. Enjoy!

Nikon D610, 1/5 sec at f/4.5, 55mm, ISO 100, (28-300mm f/3.5-5.6)-4962
42.4224184,-71.8270212

Nahant

1/13/2015

I envy those lucky souls that spend time near the ocean. I know they take it for granted - they have told me so. I do not. Not for one second. Even when the temperatures are in the teens, this scene brings warmth and serenity. Again, only in nature do the these colors merge so effortlessly. This is Lynn Beach looking south towards Nahant with the sun setting over the Boston skyline to the west.

Nikon D610, 1/45 Sec at f/16, ISO 100, 28-300mm (3.5-5.6) - 4717
42°27'49" N 70°55'40" W

Post-Apocolyptic

1/12/2015

This one-picture-a-day project is changing how I look at things. It is changing how I see and what I see. It also skews how I develop a picture. This photo is what is called Fitch Basin. It is part of the Wekepeke Aquifer which covers roughly 11 square miles in northern Sterling, Massachusetts.When I arrived, crows were all around giving it an eerie post-apocalyptic sense of desolation.

Nikon D610, 1/180 sec at f5.6, 10mm - 4496
42.4678815,-71.7831094

Golden Idols

1/11/2015

Finding color in winter is not hard, but you have to look close. The green moss, the lime lichen, the golden leaves still hanging from the trees. Nature is incredible in the way it mummifies a still-hanging leaf allowing it to live on for yet another season. As if to recognize it for nobly surviving the adversity of death unlike so many of its brethren.

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec at f/11, ISO 100, 300mm (28-300mm f/3.5-5.6) Off-Camera Flash Fired
42°25'18" N 71°49'36" W

The Birds

1/10/2015

I took a number of bird pictures today while the little guys were busy around our feeders. I couldn't decide which to post, so I took some creative license and merged a few of the pictures together into one scene. We have always had the Tufted Titmouse and the Chickadee, but the Cardinals just began visiting last year. What a treat! We spend a small fortune feeding these little creatures but we savor the rewards.

Nikon D610, 1/60 Sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 300mm (28-300mm f/3.5-5.6) - 4307, 4322,4345
42°25'18" N 71°49'35" W

A Place of Flags

1/9/2015

A couple things happened this week that made me choose this image to close out the week. The first was a Vietnam Veteran I met, Larry Stoddard, who wrote a book "Blood in the Water" about his time surviving the Vietnam War. He told me he wrote the book to help people understand the Vietnam War was a real war and the veterans of that war deserve the same respect and honor as those who served in the wars preceding and following, regardless of the politics of the times. The second was a story about a fallen soldier taking his last trip home and those special people that made that trip respectful, honorable, and so very emotional.

This is one of the images you will see at the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Worcester, Massachusetts. The other images are huge stone monoliths carved with the last letters home from a few innocent soldiers lost far too soon.

Following our morning snow fall and in the bitter cold and gusty winds, it was a quiet and somber visit to the Memorial. It made me realize that capturing these images each day requires not only a camera, but presence of mind and at least a brief moment of mindfulness and respect.

Nikon D610, 1/350 sec at f19, ISO 1600, 28mm, 28-300mm - 4118
42.2810105,-71.7836429,21

It's Cold!

1/8/2015

This morning, it was about 4° this morning when I shot this with the wind gusting to about 20mph. I could only spend a few minutes with my gloves off to shoot. This is a waterfall on the Quinapoxet River as it falls into a stream that feeds the Wachusett Reservoir.

Nikon D610, 1/30 sec at f/38, ISO 400, 300mm (28-300mm) - 4044
42°23'13" N 71°48'6" W

Snow Caps

1/7/2015

These cattails grow in a drainage basin connected to a recently constructed bridge. Highway management now recognizes that the filtration of highway runoff is better handled by natural methods. There is something about cattails I like. I also like the contrast of blue against yellow. Blue, the color of shadow on snow and yellow, the color of cattails in sunlight. The white snow caps adds to the character.

Nikon D610, 1/125 sec f/16, ISO 100, 145mm (28-300mm f2.5-5.6) -3928
42°26'0" N 71°48'39" W