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April 28, 2008

Wisteria in Bloom – backroads of Montgomery County, MD

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under 35mm SLR, Autofocus, Color, Composition, Digital, Driveby, Flowers, Hand Held, Landscape, Lenses, Lighting, Nature, Photo Opportunism, Photo Technique, Photography, Places, Seasons, SLR, Sony A700, Sony Alpha 700, Sony Alpha DSLR, Sony Lens, Sony SAL18200, Spring, Super Telephoto, Zoom | Tags: Gaithersburg, Maryland, Montgomery County, SAL18200, Seasons, Sony Alpha 700, Spring Flowers, Wisteria |
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The sheer prodigality and variety of blooms in this part of the country amazes me – Spring in Maryland and Virginia is a cornucopia of beautiful blooms in succession and just when the dogwoods were peaking and the redbuds leafing out, I suddenly started seeing cascades of lavender-purple flowers tumbling over fences, drooping over country roadways – most of these are hard to photograph, since it’s hard to pull over in the heavy traffic conditions.

Even when one is able to find a good spot close enough to park and walk over, the lighting may be just plain bad. The subtle colors of the wisteria require just a bit of warming sun to bring out the purple, otherwise the flowers come out looking overly blue. The best time is morning or late afternoon light, when there is a tinge of red present…

The best way to ensure that the lighting is okay is to mark your spots, preferably where one can park safely for a few minutes and return at a later time when the sun is just right. However, one can get lucky, as I did a couple of days ago on my way back from work. I spotted these magnificent specimens on Glenview Road and on Travilah road in Gaithersburg, MD. I had the Sony Alpha with the Sony 18-200 and a polarizer, and the zoom range of the Sony lens allowed me take these without leaving the car.

Wisteria in April	Wisteria in April
Wisteria in April	Wisteria in April

Wisteria in April

Photographed with a Sony Alpha 700; Sony 18-200mm f/2.5-f/6.3 lens; Polarizer.

olympus/zuiko by Ajoy Muralidhar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
text and images © 2008 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners. thank you for visiting olympus/zuiko.

April 23, 2008

Flowering Dogwoods and Wild Mustard – Carroll County

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under 3rd Party Lens, 50mm, Autofocus, Color, Driveby, Filters, Flowers, Hand Held, Landscape, Lenses, Lighting, Macro, Macro Lens, Macrophotography, Nature, Photo Opportunism, Photography, Places, Seasons, Sigma, SLR, Sony A700, Sony Alpha 700, Sony Alpha DSLR, Sony Lens, Sony SAL18200, Spring, Trees, Zoom | Tags: Barn, Carroll County, Dogwoods, Farmland, Flowering Dogwood, Gaithersburg, Maryland, Mustard Blossoms, Mustard Fields, Redbud, Sony Alpha, Sony SAL18200, Spring in Maryland, Spring scenes, Westminster |
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Mid-April is the time for flowering dogwoods and vast expanses of wild mustard growing in the fields all over Carroll County… later in the year, these fields will be planted with Soya beans or Corn, but for now, they are just a golden mass of flowers, gently swaying in the slightest breeze. The dogwoods are something to look forward to, as they appear just as the Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias are fading, and they are much more durable blossoms. April is also the time of heavy rainfall here in Maryland, and delicate blossoms like the cherry don’t hold up well. Here are some of the pictures I took in Gaithersburg, and along Rte 27 north of Mount Airy, on the road to Westminster, MD. Mostly flowering dogwoods and fields of mustard blossoms – and a few redbuds.

Dogwood and Mustard	Dogwood and Mustard
Dogwood and Mustard	Dogwood and Mustard
Dogwood and Mustard	Dogwood and Mustard
Redbud	Redbud
Redbud	Dogwood and Mustard
Dogwood and Mustard	Dogwood and Mustard
Pin Oak flower	Birch flower

Dogwood and Mustard

Redbud

Dogwood and Mustard

Thistle

Dogwood and Mustard

Photographed with a Sony Alpha 700 and Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom lens. I used a Polarizer. Close-up of Pink dogwood photographed with a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens with Tiffen 812 warming filter

April 20, 2008

Ft. Armistead Park, Baltimore MD – Sony A700 with Sony 18-200mm

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under Digital, Driveby, Filters, Hand Held, Landscape, Lenses, Photo Opportunism, Photo Technique, Photography, Places, Seascape, Sony A700, Sony Alpha 700, Sony Alpha DSLR, Sony Lens, Sony SAL18200, Waterscape, Wide Angle, Zoom | Tags: Baltimore, Curtis Bay, Fort Armistead, Francis Scott Key Bridge |
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Ft. Armistead Park is a little out of the way location on the Chesapeake, quite close to the Francis Scott key Bridge. It has a great little boat ramp, and a brand new pier, and it’s hardly every frequented.

Getting to it is a breeze – From 95 to 695 south and then Exit 1 to Rte 173. Once off the ramp, a quick right and a left (watch for the jug handle) and a left again near Cookies Cityline Diner will put you right on the road to the park – no where else to go, really. By the way, if the mid-morning hungries hit, the Diner serves a great tuna half-sandwich and soup of the day with if you’re feeling like a light lunch, just enough to keep up the flagging energy levels.

This is a great location to photograph the FSK bridge… I spent a little over an hour there in the morning, between 9.30 and 11 am, and the lighting was great. I had the Sony Alpha 700 and the Sony 18-200mm lens with a polarizer to cut the glare.

There’s no beach, really, just a strip of sand by the pier, where flotsam and jetsam from the Bay has accumulated over time. I even found an old Computer Monitor washed up on the rocks. The driftwood was interesting, though. The ubiquitous broken glass was everywhere, too, but work smooth by the action of the waves and sand, making them beautiful too. The views of the bridge are spectacular, and there’s plenty of waterfowl – ducks, gulls etc.

The pier has been rebuilt anew, since the old one was lost during Hurricane Isabel a few years ago.

Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park
Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park
Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park
Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park
Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park
Ft. Armistead Park	Ft. Armistead Park

Ft. Armistead Park

And by the way, here are some pictures from Cookies Cityline Diner. The food is is great, prices reasonable and the service excellent.

Cookies Diner	Cookies Diner
Cookies Diner	Cookies Diner

Cookies Cityline Diner

Photographed with a Sony Alpha 700 DSLR, Sony 18-200 f/3.5-f/6.3 lens and Circular polarizer.

April 12, 2008

Christman Park, Gaithersburg, MD – Sony 18-200mm and Yashica Yashinon DX 50mm f/1.4

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under 3rd Party Lens, Color, Hand Held, Lenses, Photo Opportunism, Photography, Places | Tags: 50mm, Alpha 700, Christman Park, Gaithersburg Parks, Geese, Montgomery County, SAL18200, Sony Alpha, Yashica, Yashinon |
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Christman Park is located on West Deer Park Road in Gaithersburg, MD set in a residential neighborhood, surrounded by a couple of large apartment complexes. Deer Park Road connects MD 355 (Frederick Road) to Muddy Branch Road and it’s a quiet and very serene. There’s a small pond, a few benches and a stand of fine old trees. The Park honors a young officer killed in action during the Vietnam war, and there is a plaque with a citation for his bravery under fire and his heroic action against heavy odds. I was at the park a couple of months ago when it was still cold and frozen and haven’t been able to get around to posting these pictures until now.

I used the Sony A700 with the Sony 18-200 lens, but I also had an old M42 screw mount 50mm f/1.4 lens from the Yashica TL Super that I wanted to test.

These are the pictures taken with the Sony 18-200 lens.

Christman Park	Christman Park
Christman Park	Christman Park

Christman Park

Photographed with a Sony A700 DSLR and a Sony 18-200mm f/3.5 –f/6.3 lens

The Yashinon 50mm f/1.4 is a fine old lens, and I mounted it on the Sony A700 using a Minolta AF-M42 adapter. The adapter doesn’t push the pin at the back of the lens down, so the lens doesn’t stop down on the A700. I was shooting wide open – at f/1.4. On a bright and sunny afternoon, it requires a shutter speeds of 1/5000 second just to be able to get the shot. I’ll have to figure out some way to keep the stop down pin pushed in – perhaps some super glue or maybe some mastic gum. The wide open aperture meant a shallow depth of field with some interesting bokeh. Here are the pictures.

Christman Park	Christman Park
Christman Park	Christman Park
Christman Park	Christman Park
Christman Park	Christman Park
Christman Park	Christman Park

Christman Park

Photographed with a Sony A700 DSLR and a Yashica Yashinon 50mm f/1.4 M42 Screw mount lens. I used a Minolta AF-M42 adapter.

March 16, 2008

More Landscape Photography: Meyer Farm in Carroll County, MD

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under 3rd Party Lens, 50mm, Architecture, Autofocus, Cheap Awesome Lens, Color, Composition, Digital, Driveby, Landscape, Lens Compatibility, Lenses, Maxxum, Minolta lens on Sony, Photo Opportunism, Photography, Places, Prime Lens, Sony A700, Sony Alpha 700, Sony Alpha DSLR, Tokina, Wide Angle | Tags: Bachman's Valley Road, Carroll County, Farmhouse, landscape photography, Maryland, Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7, Red Barn, Tokina AF 20-35mm f/3.5-5.6, Westminster |
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These were taken on Bachman’s Valley Road – the old Meyer Farmhouse. The owners are in the process of restoring the buildings as much as possible, but it’s going to take a long time. The Farm is over a 100 years old, and all the barns and outbuildings are in fairly good condition, but the exterior could use some preservative and paint. I took these pictures on the way back from Union Mills. The light was tricky, overcast, but with patches of sun shining through.

Meyer’s Farm

Photographed with a Sony Alpha 700, Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7

March 4, 2008

Landscape Photography: Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 and Sony Alpha 700 at Union Mills, MD

Posted by ajoy muralidhar under 35mm SLR, 50mm, Architecture, Autofocus, Composition, Digital, Driveby, Hand Held, Landscape, Lens Compatibility, Lenses, Lighting, Maxxum, Minolta lens on Sony, Photo Opportunism, Photo Technique, Photography, Places, SLR, Sony A700, Sony Alpha 700, Sony Alpha DSLR | Tags: A700, Civil War History, Minolta 50mm f/1.7, Rte 97, Sony, Union Mill Homestead. Carroll County |
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A few days ago, I had my Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 lens mounted on the Alpha for some family pictures. (The lens is a 75mm equivalent on the A700, and thus serves as a very fast medium telephoto lens ideal for framing ‘head and shoulders’ shots, especially effective indoors for Available Light photography. I’ll be posting some of the “candid” portraits in another post soon). Anyway, I was out in Carroll County, and driving up on Rte 97 north when I came upon the Union Mills Homestead and Grist Mill.

I’ve documented my use of the Minolta 50mm f1/7 as a landscape lens on my 35mm AF Minolta Dynax 800si elsewhere on this blog since I’ve had great fun with the Minolta 50mm lens in Colorado and other locations. Now that the Minolta is an effective 75mm, its still great for landscape and building photography, especially for capturing architectural detail – it’s a challenge if there isn’t much room, though.

I would recommend a 28mm or 35mm lens on the Sony Alpha for close-up architectural work. For old farmhouses and general scenery where you can step back far enough, the 50mm (75mm) is a fine choice, especially in low light conditions.

These photographs were taken at Union Mills Homestead, just off MD Rte 97 in Carroll County. Union Mills dates back to the 1790’s and has many stories to tell… being on the way to Gettysburg, it saw its share of Union and Confederate activity. You can read all about Union Mills Homestead here. I got to the site late in the afternoon – it was clearing up after a storm, and the post rain sunlight coming through the clearing clouds was bright and clean. Everything had a just-washed clean look.

Union Mills Homestead	Union Mills Homestead
Union Mills Homestead	Union Mills Homestead
Union Mills Homestead	Union Mills Homestead
Union Mills Homestead	Across the Road from Union Mills
Across the Road from Union Mills	Union Mills Homestead