and I was also hoping, that this being the third time, it was going to be a charm for the Chester County PA Photography group…
A hardy group gathered on this Sunday night (4/21)… the temps in the low 40s, with a slight breeze… to bear witness to the fable Lyrid meteor showers…
Shannon Chambers McMahon
Margaret Smith Reif
Daniel Potter
Brian Arters
Andrew Seymour
Around 20:30 PM, we setup our camp of tripods, near the middle of the parking lot, on the Boat Launch side of Marsh Creek State Park, and started to peer North-East, looking for the elusive light trails in the night sky.
We knew that the constellation Lyra would be rising around 22:00 PM, and the darkest hours where hours away, at 03:37 AM Monday (4/22), just before the moonset…
A potentially long ‘school’ night for the Parents…
Group Picture of Light Painting
Light Painting
During the general chatter of a meet-up, someone mentioned that they had sparklers with them… knowing, that I have been wanting to do a Light Painting session!
With giddy delight, we lit some of the sparklers, and started to trace words and shapes in the night air.
With a little further guidance, the apprentices took over, and the light ‘markers’ began to dance in the darkness.
Lightning Signature
And we experimented!
Sparklers – A tried and true favorite of every celebration!
LED Head Lamp into Glass Jar – Please Post the “Heart Beat”
LED Flood Light – The magic marker of the night
Many ideas and jokes were tossed about as folks tried different things in an effort to capture something new and different.
Finally, as the Phillies baseball game ended, the last of the group backed up and headed home!
Light Logo
Once again, no new discoveries in the skies of Chester County, but Light Painting maybe the next big thing!
Back in March, Madison brought home an announcement about the Brandywine Valley Association doing their “Red Stream Blue” program for the fourth-graders at her school, and they were looking for some parents to volunteer their time for the day.
If you have been following my photographic work at all, you’ll know that I have preference for running water, and I have been to a variety of places in Chester County, so this seemed like a fun opportunity to get to know the local environment a little bit more.
At 9 am on April 3rd, we gathered in the faculty lounge at Uwchlan Hills Elementary School for the morning training session.
We had a delightful instructor by the name of Connie Shapiro, who walked us through the eight stations that we would be presenting to the children later in the day.
During the program, parents and students are taught about the cycle of water as it falls from the sky, lands on our roofs, lawns, driveways and street, then is channeled into gutters or streams, and into the creeks, through water treatment plants in local townships, and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
Connie cheerfully explained each stage of the water cycle, and answered questions as we prepared for the afternoon presentations.
After the initial morning training, we then got to choose which stations we wish to work at, and I selected Station 4 Macro-invertebrate Mayhem!
This was the station with all the bugs or should I say larvae, nymphs, snails and worms.
The good stuff!
After lunch, we set up the eight stations in the fourth grade pod, and fine tuned what we were going to say when the kids during our 10-12 minute presentations.
To say I was nervous was an understatement, and thankfully I was joined by Eileen Hazard from the Brandywine Valley Association (BVA), as she brought in another bucket full of critters she had collected on her way to the school!
Finally it was time to begin.
In the main meeting area, with all the teachers, students, volunteers and BVA folks, Connie started in, and captured the interest of a room full of fourth graders quickly. Robert Struble, Jr. gave a short little introduction to the program, just before Principle Giering was partially mummified to illustrate how much water our bodies contain.
At the conclusion, Eileen and I rushed back to our station, and made the final preparations.
I asked Eileen, if she could please demonstrate first, because I was not sure what to say in such a limited amount of time. Each group was with us for only about 10-12 min, and there was a fair amount of information to cover in during such a limited amount of time.
When it became my time to demonstrate, I was glad that I was sitting at a table. The table hid my rapidly twitching legs, as they moved up and down like pistons in a car.
I was surrounded by a group of fourth graders, and if you have not done this in a while, it can be very intimidating.
Thankfully I recognized a few faces, or in other cases they recognized me, which helped ease my nerves as I began to speak.
When the second group arrived, my daughter, Madison, came running up, and give me a big hug and kiss just before my demonstration. Some needed reassurance for me.
It was delightful to see the children so happy and inquisitive, and I was very surprised with the lack of screaming, as many of these kids were being introduced to these ugly critters for the first time!
During the two hours of the program, we did eight presentations, for nearly 100 children, as they rotated from one station to another.
There was a final group wrap-up meeting, and we broke for the day.
If you happen to have the time, and chance, I strongly recommend that you volunteer in this program.
There is no doubt that during the course of the day, you will learn something about the streams, creeks and rivers within the Brandywine Valley and how integral they are in our local environment.
You will also get to work with some wonderful parents, neighbors and BVA Staff, and if nothing else, you do get a chance to work with children, and maybe spark some sort of curiosity into science!
Woke up this morning, and there was 2-3 inches of snow on the ground…
The 5th Day of Spring… Go figure…
Got the kids on the bus and headed to the Marsh Creek Lake Dam area for maybe the last snow of the season.
In the woods, I was getting bombarded by snow, as it fell from the trees.
When I finally reached the Dam plateau, the snow was coming down hard, and it was nearly impossible to keep the front of the lens clean, so most of the shoots are looking south, with the wind at my back.
MCSP Dam Spring snow 004
MCSP Dam Spring snow hdr 05
MCSP Dam Spring snow 069 efex
MCSP Dam Spring snow hdr 04
MCSP Dam Spring snow 001
MCSP Dam Spring snow hdr 01
MCSP Dam Spring snow 010
After about an hour of wondering around, I headed home…
At the time, I got to work with many different setups, and knew what I wanted, but just could not justify the costs. I did know, that what every tripod I bought, I wanted it to last.
And my Bogen has lasted.
So far, the ONLY thing that has broken on it, is the stitching on one of the loops for the carrying strap!
It “broke” on me while out on a nature walk, and I just took the remaining strap, and tied a half-hitch back on the D-ring, and have been using it ever since, well over a year ago.
Easily, my Bogen is one of the best purchases in my life!
My Bogen was also there when I took the winning photograph.
After a few coordinating emails between LandscapePhotographyMagazine.com, Manfrotto and I, the box arrived late last Friday afternoon.
I was very surprised to have it arrive so quickly, and very eager to see what 30 years tripods was like!
Raising the Legs
At first, I was concerned because there was only one box.
I was expecting two, tripod and head, but was pleased to find the head included in the main box.
Silly me.
When I removed the tripod from the box, it did “feel” lighter then my Bogen, but the head was still not on.
The next thing I did, was to extend the legs, and as I did, they seemed smoother and quieter then my Bogen, but this could that be due to age, or is it, aluminium vs. carbon fiber?
Time will tell.
Opening the small box with the ball-head, was very exciting for me, because I always wanted one, and now I had one!
There had been numerous times, over the years, where the three twisting arms of my Bogen head, made it much more difficult to setup for a shot, whereas a ball head was going to be a joy!
Or so I thought…
In the Studio
When I first heard that I had won, I looked into accessories for the Manfrotto, namely a carrying strap, and for the first time, a quick release system – another little item that I always wanted…
Finding, Ordering and Receiving these two items took considerably much longer then expected, and is still needing to be resolved, as I ponder the subject for a new post.
While waiting for the tripod accessories, I decided to try the tripod in my little studio doing some shots that I had been contemplating for some time now.
In setting up given shots, it was funny to note my ingrained movements towards the knobs of my old tripod as I made final adjustments.
For all intensive purposes, I went from three knobs, down to one.
It just felt weird!
During the course of the day, I managed to set up and photograph, several scenes with the new ball head, and finally into Lightroom for basic review.
It was in Lightroom, where I began to notice subtle shifts in my bracketed exposure sequences due to movement between exposures.
When taking an exposure, I normally use the cameras onboard interface, to change the settings, then use my remote trigger for the actual exposure.
This is of importance to me, since I do a lot of HDR work, and it is critical for the various exposures to be aligned.
With my Bogen, these physical exposure adjustments on the camera, were not nearly as bad as what I was witnessing with the new Manfrotto.
At the moment, I’m just going to make myself mentally aware of being more careful when making the adjustments, or rely on AEB more often.
Going for my first walk
Finally, I got the tripod strap and quick release systems!
I was rather impressed when I first opened up the tripod strap. There is a rather large padded sleeve that fits over the actual strap, and I could easily see where this might be very comfortable after a long day of carrying the tripod. I also like the idea of having a quick release on the strap where one would connect it to the three legs.
I also installed the quick release system on the tripod and camera, and smacked my head on why I had not bought one of these before, but at the same time, knowing that I just had had movement issues in the studio, I also now had to consider this.
Be that as it may, I went off for a walk to test my new toys in the field!
Generally, when I start one of my walks, I have not attached the camera to the tripod yet, and swing both of them over my left shoulder, and start on, allowing me to freehold the camera if I see something of interest.
As I walked, the first thing that I noticed, was how completely different this tripod felt on my shoulder.
Gone was the feeling of the knob arms hitting you like blunted porcupine quills as you walked and moved through the woods, but at the same time, I still need to figure out the best way to attach the strap and cushioned padding.
It feels weird, but once again, time will tell.
Conclusion
Once again, I want to thank both LandscapePhotographyMagazine.com and Manfrotto for this opportunity, and I look forward to years of great use!
That being said, it is far too early to make a definitive conclusion about the two tripods.
Manfrotto does feel lighter in weight, but I have NOT actually done a side-by-side, and the carrying strap needs some fine tuning in the field.
I am looking forward to using the ball-head more, and I should be able to adapt to the minor adjustments issues, by tightening the one knob more. (I do have a zoom lens that I worried about…)
Right now I’m still in the honeymoon stage with my Manfrotto, and with any good marriage it takes time… 30+ years is hard to break.
But some questions linger… Am I cheating on my Bogen?
Will Bogen get relegated to the studio, while Manfrotto journeys forth?
