Tag: Field Trip

Mini Photo Journal - Spring Break Meetup at Ken Lockwood Gorge

I'm carpooling with local photographers Ed Velez and Prasanna. The meet up is at 3 PM, but we decided to have lunch at Hurry Chutney in Somerville. I also think it's an excellent opportunity to test out the photo journaling workflow I developed around Pressgram.

Lunch

This was my first time eating at Hurry Chutney and my first time eating lamb Gungara. The vegetable samosas were delicious. Ed ordered some coconut curry dish, which he says was quite spicy.

man with camera, ken lockwood gorge
Prasanna and his kit.
man with tripod
Ed and his kit. It's cold!!! Too cold for spring.
man standing at edge of water, tripod, ken lockwood gorge
Ed getting shots of white water.

The sky was grey all day, and the greenery was ... not green. The gorge was still in winter mode. So we resorted to long exposure photography. I don't use a neutral density filter, so the best I could do was shoot at f/29 at ½ of a second. I'll post the images from my Nikon in a few days.

Published via Pressgram

Ellis Island Field Trip with the 5th Grade

My daughter’s 5th-grade class went on a field trip to Ellis Island today. My daughter insisted that I chaperone, so I was given the responsibility for seven girls (including my daughter).

We, of course, started our trip on the New Jersey side. I carpooled with another parent. Despite leaving 15 minutes before the school bus, we arrived too late to catch the 9 AM ferry. We got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on I-78 that caused our 90 minutes trip to take 150 minutes. We arrived just at the plank was pulled from the dock. We were in good company though since a lot of other parents were stuck in the same traffic.

I find it odd that we had to go through a security check very similar to the one you see at airports around the country. I even had to take my belt off. At least I got to keep my shoes on.

The girls were given an assignment sheet to complete, so we walked around looking for the information they needed before breaking for lunch. It’s fascinating the sort of questioning, and physical examination immigrants had to endure to gain entry to the United States. Things that we would not tolerate today. There were tests for mental health, financial status (so much about give me your poor), and physical disability. Fail the test, and the person was placed back on the next ship leaving for their homeland. Yikes! Imagine selling all your possessions, travelling weeks and months inside the no-windows cabin of a ship only to be told that you must go back. Some people,e could not bear it, and some jumped into the waters of the Hudson to their death.

I didn’t learn much, though. I was too distracted, making sure I didn’t lose my wondering flock. I think I'll have to make another trip back with the family.

Jersey City, New Jersey —NIKON D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (24 mm, 0.005 sec at f/18, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Jersey City, New Jersey —NIKON D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (18 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —NIKON D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (26 mm, 0.006 sec at f/11, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —NIKON D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (18 mm, 0.010 sec at f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —Nikon D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (32 mm, 0.003 sec at f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —NIKON D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (18 mm, 0.001 sec at f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —Nikon D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (55 mm, 0.003 sec at f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —Nikon D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (55 mm, 0.003 sec at f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Statue Cruises, Ellis Island, New Jersey —Nikon D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (18 mm, 0.008 sec at f/22, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Ellis Island, New Jersey —Nikon D40 + 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ (34 mm, 0.004 sec at f/22, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams