The first offering is of an odd statue I only recently spotted next to a local gas station beside a freeway on-ramp. Adding to the the quirky, ambiguous nature of the effigy is the fact that it is propped up at a relatively considerable height in the midst of thick hedges, staring blankly into nowhere, from the confines of a private residence.
While this tableau does not depict it, the torso bears a sad set of wings which fails to settle the question of fallen angel, or fairy? (Fear not, this mysterious being will be featured in future posts.)
The second image is from the first outing with the new lens (taken when the evening was still young - see this prior post for the full story). Thanks to the joy of having a remote shutter release (range: 100') I can create such poses without having to dash across terrain, then scamper to adopt an obviously feigned "relaxed" stance before a timed-shutter goes off . . . In this case the main challenge was picking the focus point accurately, as this lens has a rather shallow depth-of-field. Having made my best estimate I was able to casually stroll to the desired spot, settle in comfortably, then trigger shutter from my assigned seat with a small device hidden in my hand.
(In fact I was far enough from the tripod-mounted camera -- perhaps 60' -- that I couldn't hear the release over the din of the freeway underneath; I had to guess when the camera would be ready for subsequent shots at various exposures . . . This submission is a composite of two such images, one exposed at —1/3 EV and the other at +1/3 EV. Blending them allowed me to tone down some hot spots and internal lens flare present in the brighter original.)
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Ennui / Lark Avenue, #3755
© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: January 26, 2011; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/500 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 300mm.
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Self-Portrait, Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge, #3631/3632
© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: January 21, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400; 78mm.
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