Somehow I find myself back at Handley a lot these days. I just like shooting here. And that’s not dirt or dust on the lens – those are the birds that like to attack my craft. I’m very concerned about what’ll happen to the bird if it gets to close. It’s pretty much a flying weed eater.
Every sunset and every sunrise is different to me, which is why shooting them will never get old. But if you’re wondering “how can I shoot them differently?” Simple answer…turn around. You’d be amazed at what it sometimes looks like behind you.
I’m surprised none of the birds that were attacking the drone showed up in this image. | Check out my other sunset/sunrise images.
I’ve wanted to shoot aerial images of a train. I just think it would be cool, but I just haven’t been in the right place at the right time so far. Today I heard the train, but I was at home when I did. I figured I’d try to catch it. And I did. The image isn’t that impressive, but in capturing this image, I was at the limits of both distances (altitude and distance from transmitter). I have to fly it higher if I want to go further from me to maintain a solid signal between transmitter and receiver. It’s more than a little unnerving when you’ve lost sight of the craft and you’re just about to lose visuals and geo-location in the monitor. It doesn’t look very far on a map, but it’s a good 500-600 meters away from me.
It’s pretty cool that the geo-location of the image includes the altitude – 389.2 feet by the way.
So now that the novelty of “how high does that thing go” has worn off, I’m concentrating on shooting unique images. Images of scenes that people see every day, but they’re unique because I can’t normally get a camera into that position. No crazy 900-foot high photos (although that still is fun) – mostly 150 feet or less. Just enough to get over all the hustle and bustle at street level and it’s a totally different image. Bet you can’t find me in this image (I am in it by the way).
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Happy Friday everyone! I just finished a shoot for a local architect that designed the rooftop for the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. If you haven’t been, you should really check it out. And if you’re traveling through the Shenandoah Valley, check it out. It’s a major upgrade from their location on the Old Town Mall and it’s really only one short block from the mall anyway (there’s even a parking lot situated right beside it). If you need an excuse to go, it’s free tonight from 5-7:30 as part of First Friday in Old Town Winchester.
The new, very colorful rooftop of the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Old Town Winchester. See more images of the museum.
Are you tired of the aerial stuff? I’m not and won’t be for a long while. I think subconsciously I decided to shoot the race this weekend to make sure I still knew how to use my DSLR! Along with so many things, another cool thing about the aerial viewpoint is that I can be in the images and not draw a lot of attention. It’s kinda like “Where’s Waldo.” Maybe I should make a cameo in the aerial images and make you try to find me.
I was shooting for a job today and, although I know this is very novel to many people right now, sometimes I just want to get my shots and move on. I enjoyed talking to a lot of people today though about my work and this new perspective. It’s quite the buzz around town – literally!
Can you see me now? I started with an easy one.
I wasn’t initially going to post this one, but once it all came together I changed my mind. I just like the perspective this one gives to the landscape. By the way, this is the big cemetery in Winchester – Mt. Hebron Cemetery. They advertise that they have space available for the next century! Yeah, it’s huge.
Every city has one. Ours just got a major facelift over the past couple years and it’s really been revitalized. Lots of stuff going on down there. Only thing it’s missing is the view from up here.
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I’m so amazed at the new perspective of architecture that I can get with this new technology. Some things look much more majestic from above and others tend to lose a little something with the elevated perspective. I think the Handley Library actually loses that majestic edge when it’s shot from above. Maybe I’m too high. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing building, but it’s just not the same from above. Certain things are meant to be shot from below, specifically subjects that you want to appear more powerful. I’ve posted images of this building from the ground (and, of course, from inside) on this blog. What do you think?
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I think I should try my hand at a “series.” What do you think?
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I’ve posted “One-A-Day” since January 1 and have yet to actually post a video. It’s about time I did. I’ve been collecting plenty of video footage over the past couple weeks with this new drone and had an idea to create some school videos for various local high schools and universities. What better school to start with than the school that both my kids and my wife attended – John Handley High School. And what better music to accompany than the alma mater. I wonder how many people really know the origin of this tune. The original lyrics don’t really paint a pretty picture, but I’ll leave that up to you to research.
You may know it as “the ubiquitous alma mater song used by almost every school in the universe.” – +oldwhtman
I looked all over for this song and all I could really find was the Kellerman’s Anthem from Dirty Dancing. Or a university glee club singing their own lyrics. Thank goodness for YouTube! And thank you +oldwhtman for allowing me to use your performance of it.
You know when you look out your back window and you see those colors of the sunset and think “wow, that’s an awesome sunset?” Well, you’re right, it is an awesome sunset.
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Sunsets have never been easier. Granted, it’s not the highest quality sunset image that I could take, but it gets me above the power lines and mess of the city and gives me a clear shot at one of the best parts of the day.
Was able to grab the gear and catch the sun setting over Winchester. That’s the elementary school (bottom) where both my kids attended.
AKA Valley Mill Road in Winchester. My wife actually drives this road every day and suggested we stop on the way back from a shoot today. Glad we did. Gonna make a point of going back to see if I can get a fully fanned out peacock image. BTW, Have you ever heard a peacock’s call? I thought it was a cat in some major distress. It caught me completely off guard. But now I know. My wife says it sounds like they’re screaming “help!”
One of the many peacocks roaming free just past the one-lane bridge on Valley Mill Road near Winchester. | See a larger version here.
These days I don’t turn down many opportunities to shoot. It was a nice day and the clouds were just right and, like always, I had my cameras with me.
Daniel Morgan Middle School in Winchester, VA.
I had to call 911 today. And not the kind of call where you’re driving by an accident well after it’s happened and you call just to make sure they know about it. I was the actual first responder. Now, I understand that this kind of thing happens all the time. I’m not naive. This is the first time, however, that it’s really ever happened to me. I’ve seen accidents and been involved in an accident (dislocated my elbow in a wrestling match in high school), but I’ve never actually been the one on the phone with the 911 operator taking instructions until the real first responders arrive.
I didn’t even really realize what was happening at first, but before I knew it I had my phone out and was head-long into a conversation with the operator. Holy crap! And all those things I learned in all the first aid/CPR classes I’ve taken came rushing right back (and in the proper order, too). I was pretty happy about that.
When it was all said and done, though, I had some thoughts on the situation:
And there had to be at least somebody on scene who looked up and thought “now who’s that insensitive jerk who’s taking the picture?” That’s my therapy I suppose.
Cab is a shortening of cabriolet, reflecting the design of the carriage. It replaced the hackney carriage as a vehicle for hire; with the introduction of clockwork mechanical taximeters to measure fares, the name became taxicab.
You’re gonna use this piece of information in a conversation some day. Winning!
The Hansom Cab – designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. Now you know.
That would be how many days until our last high school graduation, but who’s counting? Oh, that’s right, our daughter is.
There’s only one time that you can get a photo of the front of Handley High School without the football goal posts in the shot – graduation. So I got plenty just to have them.
“A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that ‘individuality’ is the key to success.”
– Robert Orben
I’m certainly in a position where the saying “use it or lose it” plays a huge factor. This blog, if anything, is helping me stay sharp and practice my craft. Every once in a while I get the urge to do something a little “wonky” with my images – just for fun. Enjoy.
In honor of all the graduates from Handley this weekend. | Order a print of this image.
“Baseball is like church. Many attend few understand.”
– Leo Durocher
There’s quite a bit of history in the churches of Old Town Winchester. Here’s a neat article on the Old Town Winchester site. | Order a print of this image.
Cedarmeade Studios 