El Popo

I spent most of the month of August near a town called Atlixco, in the state of Puebla to the south east of Mexico City. I had a wonderful time and took lots of pictures. I was most fascinated with this volcano, which everyone refers to as "El Popo". You can see the rest of my Popo pictures on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe/sets/72157601635260839/

Lucky Duck

This morning I made one final attempt to get a decent picture of the ducks in the pond along the bike trail in the Casa de Campo but even with my 75 - 300 mm zoom lens, it was impossible.

On my way out of the park, I decided to pass by the boating lake. I saw some birds in the water quite close to the bank and decided to try my luck. When I approached the water’s edge, they swam out a short distance from the shore but stayed close enough for me to take pictures.

You can see the rest of the pictures at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

Elusive Duck

There is a small river running through the Casa de Campo. Many times when I ride through the park I notice some ducks in a small pond along this river. Several times I had tried to get a picture of them but they would always swim away or hide when I approached. Last Sunday I decided to insist. I found several spots around the pond where I could sit and hide. It was a beautiful day and I was prepared to wait as long as necessary to get a nice picture. I chose my spot put my camera in silent mode and sat down to wait. It was not long before I realized that the ducks were totally aware of my presence and refused to parade in front of me. The best I could do was the picture you see above. This guy was the lookout.

flickr

I've decided to open a flickr account to share my pictures with friends and family and to display my best pictures with everybody. For me, one of the best ways to get ideas and improve the quality of your pictures is to look at other peoples' photos.

Here's one of my latest pictures. You can see the rest at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

It's Not The Camera!

As an avid photographer I really like my Sony DSC-R1 10.3 megapixel digital camera. It combines all the features of my old reflex cameras with the advances in digital technology. But it doesn't take better pictures than my film cameras, not yet.

What it does do is make it cheaper and easier. But the quality of the picture depends on the photographer not the camera.

We have 3 tulips in a pot on the window sill. I can't get a good picture from the street.




It doesn't look like there's any way to get a good picture from inside the house either.



But if I move the pot to the left and shoot from a low angle I can get a decent picture with the sky in the background.



It's not the camera!

My Weekend

On Saturday I took the camera with me to the Casa de Campo and I'm glad I did. You never know when you're going to have a photo opportunity. This is the wall along the northeastern limit of the park. This is as close as you can get to the mountains. Click on the pictures to see a larger version.



After taking a few pictures I continued my ride. At one point I heard a siren off in the distance which I thought might be an ambulance. It's not unusual. Some of the biking trails are dangerous. It wasn't long before I discovered what that there was race in progress.



I realized that the circuit or a large part of the race was being held inside the park and that there were still many laps to go. It was a great photo opportunity. So, I got off my bike, sat on the ground and started shooting away. I like taking action shots. There are a lot more things to calculate.



This was a lot of fun!









I wonder how old he is!



This guy doesn't need snow!



I checked out the flowers on the way home.







In the afternoon I went to a demonstration. We were protesting against the way the government is dealing with the terrorists.



It was nice to see so many young people and families. The government claims that only the right wing extemists and members of the opposition party participate in these events. So what does that make me?



As you can see there was a festive atmosphere. The government says that we shouldn't display the flag at these events. I don't understand this.



Sunday was an unusually clear day so I got some nice pictures in the park. This was the most difficult picture of all mainly because I took it myself. I must have spent a good hour here before I got what I wanted.



There's still some snow in the mountains.



I love these trails!











See you in the Casa de Campo!!

Memory Dignity Justice

On Saturday I went to a demonstration in support of the families and friends of the 25 people that were killed over an 18 month period by a single ETA terrorist whom the government is preparing to set free after spending 19 years in prison. This man has never apologized for his crimes and has written threatening letters to judges and elected officials from his cell that have been published in newspapers sympathetic to the separatist terrorist group. Ever since the government initiated its so-called peace process the victims have become the criminals and the criminals the victims.

I took the camera with me just in case there were some photo opportunities and also to have something to entertain myself with during the long wait before the event got underway. I always prefer to carry the camera and take no pictures than to not have it and miss a great shot.

As it happens I was in a pretty good spot and the light was good. I had no idea that during the event one of the volunteers was going to approach me to suggest that I go up onto one of the TV platforms that had been set up for the event but was not being used. When I climbed up the ladder and stepped out onto the platform and gazed out at the sea of faces below me I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The courageous relatives who volunteered to tell their stories, many addressing the terrorists and political officials by name, pleaded for memory, dignity and justice.

Forum Etiquette

There was a post in my forum asking about the difference between the words small and little. This type of question is very common in foreign language forums where native speakers of a language help learners. If you put yourself in the position of the teacher you will see the problem with this question. Imagine that someone asks you what they should wear but they don’t tell you why they are asking. You’re certainly not going to waste your time explaining what clothes to wear in every possible situation. Not knowing how much information will be necessary to satisfy the learner, there is a good chance that the teacher will skip the issue all together. However, if the student writes a few sentences using the words in question then the teacher will be much more inclined to make corrections and can, at his or her discretion, add an appropriate explanation.

I Get Paid For Doing This

The other day a new student joined one of my group classes. Fortunately, for both of us, we were alone for this first encounter which gave us an opportunity to get to know each other. At one point in the conversation she said to me that I loved what I did. This reminded me once again that I was among the privileged few that get paid for doing what they enjoy. Had I not become a self-employed language teacher/consultant/coach five years ago I would most likely be facing forced retirement or unemployment with little or no way of earning an income. I consider myself very fortunate.

To Flash or not to Flash

As a general rule I make every effort to avoid using a flash as the main source of light in my pictures. If the light is low and my subject is not moving then all I have to do is secure the camera and, for more precision, use a shutter release cable or the internal timer. When there is movement and I don’t have enough light I use some remote flash units, positioned at different angles from the subject. In the house it’s sufficient to place a couple of these flash units around the room and point them at the ceiling. The effect is amazing. Before I discovered this simple trick, all my indoor Christmas pictures had too much contrast between the bright and dark areas.

In order to take a picture of this fast moving fish I had to use three flash units; one on the camera and two remote units. I positioned one above the tank and the other one to my left, being careful not to pick up any reflection off the glass. The most difficult part was determining the exact area inside the tank where I would take the picture, manually focus on that point and then shoot every time one of the fish passed by.

It turned out to be much more difficult than I had expected.

3D Printer

One of the companies that I work for, which sells, leases, installs and services office printing equipment, recently added a 3D printer to its portfolio. The machine is located in the same room where we have English class which gave me an opportunity to see it in operation. It wasn't long before I volunteered to take some pictures of the different models. The design and manufacturing applications of this device are limitless.

We have a Winner!

The other day I was browsing through the featured pictures section in Wikipedia when I saw this incredible picture of a match igniting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Streichholz.jpg
My first thought was that I could surely take a similar picture.

When I got home that evening I got out my camera, a tripod, a box of matches and a lighter and took everything into the kitchen. After inventing a system to hold each match, I set the timer on the camera and started taking pictures.

The idea was to light the match just before the camera took the picture. I figured it was going to be just a question of practice and luck. In the first 20 or so pictures you could see either an unlit match or a burning match, nothing to write home about. But eventually I managed to synchronize everything and after getting 4 or 5 “winners” I decided to call it a day.

When I compared my “winners” with the original Wikipedia picture I realized that I was doing something wrong. I had forgotten to use a flash and for that reason there was no visible smoke in my pictures.

The following day I made another attempt and this time, after adjusting the position of the external flash, I got the definitive pictures!

Winter

The winters in Madrid are nothing like the winters in Boston. I've been living here since 1980 and I still can't get over the fact that in the month of December I can enjoy the flowers on the outside window sills of my flat.

Mud & Stuff

The first thing I came across today were these mushrooms. They looked like they were covered with some kind of thick substance.



From there I headed straight for my favorite spot to see if I could get myself in the picture.



There were leaves everywhere. The tires of the bike don't make a sound when they roll over this bed of leaves.



There was a bright blue sky which contrasted nicely with the colors of this tree.



For the first time in my life I actually got stuck in the mud. The bike literally came to a halt and I couldn't move it at all. Finally I managed to lift it out of the mud and carry it to dry ground.



I had to use a stick to remove enough of the mud to be able to push the bike to the nearest puddle. I couldn't believe how thick and hard the mud was. Now I understand how they can build houses with it.

This picture was taken at 1.10 pm and I got home at 3 pm so I had to have spent a good hour there with the water and the stick before I could ride the bike again. On the way home I rode through every puddle I could find.

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep

To avoid the dangers of being a weekend athlete I always try to get in some physical exercise during the week. This year I’m lucky because four days a week I have a midday class which I can walk to, 30 minutes each way.



I managed to squeeze in another bike ride to the Casa de Campo yesterday morning. I took my camera with me but since I didn’t have much time nor was I particularly inspired by what I saw I only took a few pictures. I spent most of the time practicing taking pictures of myself. The camera has a semi-detachable display screen.








I was heading back when I heard the sounds of a flock of sheep that are allowed to graze in certain areas of the park and I decided to check it out. There were quite a few sheep but they wouldn’t let me get close enough for a good picture so I had to zoom in from a distance.







Then I noticed a lamb that was all alone and apparently oblivious to my presence. I approached to what I considered the minimum distance to obtain a decent picture. I then proceeded to take successive pictures getting closer and closer for each shot.

For the last couple of pictures I was now on my knees. Well, you guessed it. After all this effort not to disturb this little guy I was now an arm’s length away waiting for him to open his eyes, turn his head and pose for the picture. I started making noises until finally he reacted. The minute he realized I was there he jumped up and ran off.

Here’s a cropped area of the previous picture.

Unseen Beauty

There is so much around us that goes unseen, unnoticed; like the drops of water on these blades of grass.

On my way to the Casa de Campo on this cold, foggy, late November morning I decided that my goal would be to find a lonely tree with brightly colored leaves that nobody would otherwise have noticed and display it here for all to see.

I was taking pictures of this horse path when this rider appeared. It completes the picture and my entry for today.

Casa de Campo

A few kilometers from my house is the “Casa de Campo”, an enormous park just on the edge of the city. There you can find all kinds of people practicing sports or simply enjoying nature. There are people riding bikes, others walking or running. Sometimes I’ve even seen people in roller-blades. One day I happened to see a group of painters with their easels gathered out in a field. Another day I heard a musician playing the bagpipes. It was neat! There are also people on horseback. And what about me? I’m one of the cyclists.