John LeJeune dot COM

Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

2010-02-26T21:28:00.003-05:00

A wonderful take on an Aerosmith classic by Pomplamoose

Something's Fishy About My New GPS

2010-02-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Garmin Salmon from Darrin Hofmeyr on Vimeo.

February Fishing on the Swift River

2010-02-16T20:16:00.000-05:00

Photo Zach Johnson

Took a mid winter trip yesterday to Massachusetts' only true tailwater stream, The Swift River. The weather cooperated, so no rod guides were iced up. The toes complained a bit, being immersed in frigid Quabbin outflow the entire day, but overall we were pretty comfortable in our winter gear. The party included Kevin C. a new friend from Trout Unlimited and Zach Johnson of Taking Out Line Guide Service also from TU. We had a good day using the tiny stuff. You know the kind of midges and nymphs so small that a dozen can fit on a dime. But they proved once again, they work in this unique flow. Zach has a nice trip summary at his blog. Please go over and take a look.

The goal this year is to fish at least once a month the entire year. A largemouth bass trip in Florida covered the month of January. Two months down! I hope to see you on the water!

Merry Christmas Everyone

2009-12-24T14:05:00.000-05:00

Thank You

2009-12-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the readers and commenters of this blog. It is a real lift to know so many of you follow along during this adventure called NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month. This is the third year this blog has participated in the event. Coming along for the ride this year was an old friend from high school, Ken with his blog; A passionate Engagement, a new found relative, my wife's cousin Lauren; right brain dominant and a cyber fly fishing buddy John; Whiskey Creek Fly Fishing. They all participated and got their thirty posts up. I hope they had a great time too. I enjoyed reading all their posts an commenting when I had something to say. Ken sorta blew the doors off NaBloPoMo with over ninety posts and averaging three to four postings a day.

This year focused more on photography, because I thought it would be easier and save time. Not true on either account, but it was less angst ridden. Writing is very hard for me, so posting mostly photos this year was a nice respite. Going out and shooting and then processing the images was actually more time consuming. Total images posted for the month was thirty one. Of those seventeen were shot during the month. All the images were post processed in Photoshop Lightroom before being uploaded. Some had minor tweaks, while others had many adjustments made to them. I'm still learning but I know my former experience has helped in some ways.

Thanks again and I hope you'll be back soon.

Looking Out

2009-11-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

River Foam

2009-11-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

During a light rain, this foam on the North Branch River produced a wonderful abstraction. I'm glad I was able to capture it with my point and shoot camera.

Soft Water

2009-11-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

From the North Branch of the Contoocook River in New Hampshire. I wanted to experiment using long exposures with moving water. Looks like I need some neutral density filters to exceed one second exposure times. This was a lot of fun though.

The Ernsts

2009-11-27T10:10:00.007-05:00

This is the Ernst family. They were kind enough share their holiday with us this year. There was much talk of photography since Fred is the owner of a new D90 camera. To show our appreciation, I dusted off some portrait skills and did their family portrait. It is easy with such attractive subjects.

Thanksgiving Angel

2009-11-26T07:59:00.004-05:00

May you all have a wonderful day with family and friends in celebration of gratitude. To all those who must do work, render service or protect us from harm today, we thank you.

Good Friends

2009-11-25T19:05:00.003-05:00

Last Swiss Chard

2009-11-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

Here is the last of the swiss chard crop before it was harvested this past weekend. It will be part of this year's Thanksgiving bounty. With one last hurrah It's vibrant colors salute autumn's gold before we see winter's white.

Melting Cap

2009-11-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Sometimes My Camera Tells Me Things

2009-11-22T04:45:00.000-05:00

And what it tells me may not be the best advice. . .

Autumn Zoom

2009-11-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

................. ...... ........................BAM!

Here's a fun camera technique that allows you to achieve an amazing motion effect. The non-manipulated image is below. This effect is achieved not with my trusty Lensbaby, but with a zoom lens and a slow shutter speed. That's all! I used my 18 - 55mm kit lens for this shot. First you'll have to select a shutter speed that will allow you to record the motion. Try something like 1/8 or 1/4 of a second. Adjust your f-stop accordingly for the correct exposure or use shutter priority exposure mode. While exposing the image turn your zoom ring smoothly either in or out while pressing the shutter. Start the zoom just before you press the shutter and continue to turn the zoom ring after the shutter closes. Starting before and ending after the exposure assures you that there are smooth zoom streaks during the exposure. You can use a tripod, but It is not necessary at these shutter speeds. I was able to make this exposure hand held. Go ahead and experiment with different motions and speeds. You will come up with your own unique and interesting effects.

Blue False Indigo

2009-11-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a somber image from the garden. This is Blue False Indigo or Baptisia australis. The flowers are beautiful in the summer when the plant explodes with delicate blue pea like blooms. In late fall it turns what looks like black, but it is really a beautiful deep indigo. The pigment is unmasked by migrating chlorophyll and displayed upon a decaying brown canvas. The color is deep and rich. This day the Lensbaby offered up a very sharp foreground leaf, adorned with a single droplet of water. The image was exposed using the f4 diaphragm magnet. This was taken at sunset on an overcast day at the same time this one was taken.

Saint Gaudens

2009-11-19T20:19:00.000-05:00

Olson House - Stove Pipe Vent

2009-11-18T22:11:00.000-05:00

Olson House - Back Door

2009-11-17T20:31:00.000-05:00

When I visited the site of one of Andrew Wyeth's most famous works, I was deeply moved as I viewed the interior and walked the grounds. Many images were recorded that day as I tried to capture what I was feeling. Our Canon PowerShot A40, a two megapixel point and shoot camera was used to record the images. From that experience, the seed was sown for reentry back to my abandoned craft. Upon subsequent viewings, I've experienced disappointed that I have not evoked the same feelings I had during the visit. As I start to convert these images into black and white, the feelings have begun to return.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

2009-11-16T20:18:00.000-05:00

From the garden as it prepares for dormancy. This spectacular plant is showing some of it's "winter Interest." This was taken during a very gray sunset yesterday. I love the way the LensBaby has caused the color shifts with the background. There was no blue, purple or magenta to be seen until the image was rendered.

Heads or Tails

2009-11-15T09:18:00.000-05:00

Heads or Tails {Trailer} from Mad Phil Media on Vimeo.

I hope this teaser turns into a full blown production. I'm already "hooked"!

Unseen Consequences

2009-11-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

From one of my favorite blogs. Moldy Chum:

We've all heard about the giant islands of floating trash in both the Atlantic and Pacific. These photographs of albatross chicks were made in September 2009 on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

There is a reason the Marine Pollution Control Act specifically forbids the disposal of plastic ANYWHERE in the ocean. It never goes away. Yes, as you can see by the pictures it breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces. In fine plankton nets dragged several miles by ocean research vessels, plastic is becoming the prevalent content in these nets, not plankton. Next time you go out on the water, remember to bring a container so you can bring your trash home with you. In fact, plastic is no longer trash, it is for your recycle bin. I am elated that in my community we no longer set limits on what type or "number" the plastic must be to get recycled. All types are accepted. They even allow wax milk cartons. Please remember to think when you are out on the water. No one wants to have an albatross around their neck.

Fresh Kill

2009-11-13T17:35:00.000-05:00

Since I am going to a birding club meeting this evening, I'd thought share picture from an avian event I witnessed a couple of years ago. This happened one snowy day very shortly after I took possession my new digital SLR camera. I noticed a dark flash and a commotion in the front yard. A pigeon size bird then flew off into a nearby tree. I grabbed my camera and went out to investigate. There were feathers an bits of frozen blood in the snow where the altercation had taken place. An unfortunate tufted titmouse had become prey. I noticed where the predator had perched and started taking pictures.

Over a hundred shots in strong contrasty light had been taken. They captured this sharp shinned hawk enjoying the spoils of the hunt. This image is heavily cropped and taken at a low resolution. I know better now how to get better results, but thankfully, the automatic modes still managed to document the event.

Red Building

2009-11-12T23:35:00.000-05:00

Wingaersheek Dunes

2009-11-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

It is sometimes hard to believe the diversity of landscape in my own back yard. This is very close to my home, as is Ravenswood noted in recent posts.