Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat [305/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

305/366

Isaac was incredibly excited about his wolf costume, but in the end was not thrilled with trick or treating. Once he'd gotten a few pieces of candy he informed us that he already got a treat, and would not take more candy, and then wanted to go home. Still, we had some fun moments with all his cousins. The rest of my Halloween shots I've uploaded as visible to friends and family only to avoid flooding my contacts streams, but anyone so inclined can view them using this guest pass. I've also included a couple other favorites in the comments.


Taken Oct 31, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/7.1, ISO100.
Lens: EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM @ 17 mm

After the Storm

After the Storm [304/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

304/366

We were very lucky to escape Hurricane Sandy with no damage to speak of - nothing like New York and New Jersey, which are suffering terrible devastation. The wind and the rain did strip quite a lot of trees bare of leaves, and there were leaves strewn everywhere on my walk to work this morning.


Taken Oct 30, 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₅₀₀ sec at f/6.3, ISO200.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy [303/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

303/366

I took a break from Flickr for a few days to recharge and catch up on real life for a bit (and also because I've been very busy at work). I've still been taking pictures, and will be posting them over the course of this week. Unless we lose power or internet tonight because of the storm, I'll dip into your streams tonight to catch up on what I've missed.

Even though living in Massachusetts we are pretty far north of the center of Hurricane Sandy, we are definitely feeling the effects today. The wind and rain are picking up, and the whole state is pretty much shut down. As I was not about to venture out to the ocean to get crashing wave pictures, I decided to try to capture the whipping winds of the storm another way. This shot (plus the one in comments) are ~1 sec exposures of some of the trees around Davis Square, blowing in the wind.

Hope everybody in the path of the storm is staying safe and dry today!


Taken Oct 29, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
1.0 sec at f/14, ISO100.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Wolf at the Playground

Wolf at the Playground [302/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

302/366

On Sunday, we joined in on the local costume stroll in Davis Square: a bunch of families get together with their kids in costume and walk down the bike path to the playground. While the weather was drizzly, it was a great time, and how often do you see a wolf at the playground?


Taken Oct 28, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₅₀₀ sec at f/4.0, ISO400.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Nearly Full

Nearly Full [301/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

301/366

This past Saturday night was strikingly clear, and I decided to make another attempt at a shot of the (nearly) full moon. Yes, the composition is basically identical to a previous 366 shot of mine, but I think this one is substantially better than my previous attempt so I'm going with something repetitive. Compare the two shots original size and you'll see what I mean. I think the main difference is the shutter speed, which was too slow in my previous attempt, and the fact that I manually focused using the live view function and a 10x zoom.

Taken Oct 27, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/9.0, ISO100.
Lens: EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM @ 300 mm

Classic Autumn Shot

Classic Autumn Shot [300/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

300/366

A week ago, before the storm, I decided I should go take a few final shots of autumn leaves before all the trees were stripped by the wind and the rain. I picked this one because, as my two and a half year old was looking over my shoulder, he said "That's beautiful. I love that one." and how could I resist that endorsement? A few more in comments.


Taken Oct 26, 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₅₀ sec at f/10, ISO100.
Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 14 mm

Window into Fall

Window into Fall [299/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

299/366

Catching up on a few shots from last week. Before the storm hit, I decided I had better get my fill of pictures of autumn leaves, as the predicted rain and strong wind was likely to strip the trees of any remaining leaves. So on Thursday of last week, when the weather was beautiful and sunny, I set out to shoot some fall color. I came home with several shots I liked, and I may upload one or two more later, but this was my favorite: a brilliant orange and red maple, reflected in a window, and anchored by the reflection of the blue sky.


Taken Oct 25, 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/7.1, ISO100.
Lens: EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM @ 66 mm

Popcorn

Popcorn [298/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

298/366

Gorgeous colorful popcorn is a staple of autumn in my opinion. We get it from our CSA and the local farms this time of year, and a few ears drying in the kitchen warms up the house wonderfully. So today I set out to take a shot of some popcorn from my sister's farm that we got in our CSA pickup yesterday.

Unfortunately, my remote flash trigger is acting up, and it took quite a bit more time and effort than I was intending for this simple shot. I've been using just a simple pair of hot shoe universal translators connected with a 3.5mm mini-mini cable, but it seems to be failing me - it requires quite a lot of jiggling to get a solid connection. So I think it is time for some new gear, but I don't really have the budget right now for anything expensive. Any suggestions for a cheap but reliable way to remote fire my flash? I have Canon gear (T1i and 430 EX).

Strobist info: Lit with a 430 EX at 1/16 power, fired into a silver umbrella about 5 feet from the popcorn, camera left.

Taken Oct 24, 2012 in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/6.3, ISO400.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm with 12 mm of extension tubes.

Phoning It In

Phoning It In [297/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

297/366

Literally, in this case. I had plans to take a Tipsy Tuesday shot tonight, but I have too much to do before bed, so this iPhone shot I took as a backup on my way home from work will have to do.

Taken Oct 23, 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₉₅₀ sec at f/2.4, ISO64.
Lens: @ 4.28 mm

Boston Woven Hose Co.

Boston Woven Hose Co. [296/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

296/366

On Monday, my wife and I checked out a newish wine bar after work, thanks to the babysitting provided by my parents. The wine bar is in a redevelopment of the former Boston Woven Hose Company factory site, and as we were leaving the light on this tower (formerly one of the stove pipes for the factory) struck me. This is not as sharp as could be, but for a handheld shot after two glasses of wine I think it is acceptable.


Taken Oct 22, 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₁₃ sec at f/2.2, ISO800.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm

Chinatown Gate

Chinatown Gate [295/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

295/366

On Sunday, we went to Chinatown to celebrate my dad's birthday with a big meal at one of my favorite Cantonese seafood restaurants in Boston, Peach Farm. The centerpiece of the meal was a whole (small) cod, live from the tank and steamed with ginger, scallion, and soy sauce. I was hoping to use a photo of that for my picture of the day, but did not get anything good. Instead, here is a shot of the traditional gate at the entrance to Boston's Chinatown.


Taken Oct 21, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₅₀ sec at f/2.8, ISO400.
Lens: EF28mm f/1.8 USM @ 28 mm

Garlic Planting

Garlic Planting [294/366], a photo by timsackton on Flickr.

294/366

Catching up with a few days I've missed uploading to Flickr. This is from about three weeks ago, when we went to help plant garlic at my sister's farm, First Root Farm. Garlic is the first crop to go into the ground for the season - since it is basically a bulb, you have to plant it in the fall to harvest it the following summer. My sister's farm has a big community event every fall, where family and friends of the farm are invited to come help plant next season's garlic. It is always a lot of fun. This year, Isaac was really into it: here is my sister helping him plant a row of garlic. I have over a hundred pictures from this event left to sort and process, so there may be more to come later, but for now, there are two more in comments.


Taken Oct 20, 2012 in Concord, Massachusetts, United States
¹⁄₆₀ sec at f/10, ISO200.
Lens: EF50mm f/1.4 USM @ 50 mm