Country Roads Take Me Home

Sunday, 25 July 2021

The Wandering Dawgs are hosting this week's Lens Artists Challenge, and they have chosen the topic of "along a back country road".I live in an area that many people in a large city like New York or Boston would consider "country side". Photographing the "country roads" here is challenging. So when photographing hills from these roads for another challenge, I had to think up a creative approach.

To me, a backcountry road can be any road that's off the beaten track. The route can be paved, gravel or dirt. It can take you through farmland, desert, forests, quaint small towns, or in the middle of nowhere. It may even be one with quirky roadside attractions or funny signs you see along the way.

I live among several quaint small towns with roads that traverse woodlands, farmland boundaries with roadside farm stands, and various brooks and streams with, in many places, ditches on either side of the road.

From the top of Grand View Road | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 38.8 mm | 1200 sec at f/5.6 | ISO200

Montgomery Township borders Princeton Township and is bisected by US Route 206, a one-lane, mostly straight federal "highway" that runs through Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. Route 206 is just wide enough for bicycles and cars to share the road safely. But it has no sidewalks, and walking or taking on the side of the road can feel very unsafe. The speed limit is between 70-80 kph (45-50 mph). A few high traffic artery roads such as County Route 518 intersect Route 206 and are similarly wide and straight with similar speed limits and no sidewalks or curb to walk or park safely.

Burnt Hill Road
Burnt Hill Road | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16.5 mm | 1200 sec at f/2.8 | ISO200

In Montgomery Township, Princeton Township and Hopewell Township, there are much smaller and very narrow farm roads that wind around these other roads, with some named for the town they connect. These one lanes are just wide enough for cars but have deep ditches on either side and, again, no sidewalk or curbing. There is no space for large trucks, bicycles, or room for pulling over to take a photograph. And because New Jersey is so densely populated, the traffic is high. I have talked with Bhavna about biking out to the Brick Farm Tavern, getting some exercise and rewarding myself with a pint at the end of the ride, but she’s adamant that it is unsafe and does not approve.

Country Road | 18 April, 2020 | Day 197 | Apple iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro back camera 6mm f/2

The best way to see photographs of these country roads is via Google Street View. I have linked to a Google Street View along a section of Cherry Valley Road, a tree-lined road that runs from Rocky Hill to Pennington. In Rocky Hill, the road begins as Princeton Avenue (it leads to Princeton), then becomes Cherry Valley Road when it crosses Route 206. From there, it runs along the border with Princeton (the northern part of the road is in Montgomery Township), all the way out to Carter Road, where it becomes Pennington-Rocky Hill Road, where it leads into Pennington. Certain sections of Cherry Valley Road are beautiful in the fall when the trees change colour, and on a sunny fall day, the light is spectacular. This is one of my favourite roads.

Servis Road | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm | 364 sec at f/5.6 | ISO200

I have wanted to photograph many sections of my favourite roads for the two decades I have lived here but I have yet to find a safe way to do so. There is no curb to park the car on Cherry Hill Road or Mountain View Road or along Province Line Road with its wonderful roller coaster rise and fall.

I admit that I did something a bit reckless a few years ago when I first attempted to photograph some of these roads. I didn't want to get hit by cars because I focused on composition instead of paying attention to traffic, and I certainly didn't want to annoy other drivers or, worse, get ticketed by the police for obstructing traffic. On a photo drive a few years ago, I rolled down my window and drove slowly with the camera sticking out of the window. That's how I took some of the images in this post. Don't do this!!

FYI, check out Jim Grey's photoblog, Down the Road, where he documents many of the old and new roads around Indiana. Jim is a film photographer.

Spring Hill Road
Spring Hill Road | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 32.1 mm | 171000 sec at f/5.6 | ISO200

Monday, 26 July 2021

My Schiit stack arrived last weekend, but I didn't use it until today. What is a Schiit stack?

A Schiit stack combines a Schiit Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and a Schiit amplifier to interface between a digital source such as a smartphone. I ordered a Schiit Modi 3 DAC and a Schiit Magni 3 Heresy headphone amplifier.

To set up this stack, I needed RCA cables to connect the DAC to the headphone amp and a micro USB to Lightning cable to connect my iPhone 11 Pro to the DAC. The Modi 3+ has two separate micro USB ports for power and audio media transfer. I needed two micro USB cables. But I did not have a micro USB to Lightning cable, and finding one on Amazon proved fruitless. Instead, I ordered a female USB cable to Lightning cable and then connected a male micro USB to a male USB cable.

The Magni 3 Heresy only takes analogue input. To feed the signal from the Modi 3 to the Magni 3 Heresy, I connected two RCA cables which I ordered with my package.

The headphone jack is on the front of the Magni 3 Heresy. If I want to connect a pair of stereo speakers, I can use the RCA outputs at the rear. But for now, this Schiit stack is purely for using my Grado SR60s to listen to Apple Lossless audio from my iPhone 11 Pro.

Schiit Magni 3 Heresy and Schiit Modi 3+
Schiit Magni 3 Heresy and Schiit Modi 3+ | Monday 26 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 1140 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 400

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

As I read Jason Fried's post, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work, I nodded my head. As a consultant, I don't work weekends or long hours, but before that, I would say I was a "company man". It's sad.

... people are working longer, earlier, later, on weekends, and whenever they have a spare moment. People can’t get work done at work anymore.

Work claws away at life. Life has become work’s leftovers. The doggy bag. The remnants. The scraps.

That’s just not OK. It’s unacceptable.


In his post, Thoughts on WordPress for Photographers, photographer Alexander S. Kunz writes about his challenges maintaining a WordPress based photography website over decades.

I’ve been blindsided by my love for the idea of open-source publishing and the community-driven WordPress universe but with regards to my photography website, I can honestly say that I didn’t see the forest for the trees…

Alexander goes on to describe his challenges, and I agree with all of what he wrote. He is considering a move to Squarespace, which I have also considered Squarespace as a new home for my 17-year-old WordPress website. Still, there are many challenges with moving thousands of images and blog entries.

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

The Online Photographer has a rant about smartphone contests.

Not long ago a friend here showed me a wonderful snap of his twin grandsons, toddlers in diapers, who were energetically helping each other climb up into the family refrigerator after bedtime. By chance they were as well composed as putti in a Renaissance frieze**. That's one example of the kind of thing a non-photographer grandpa can get a picture of only because of his unique access and familial intimacy. That's the kind of picture a smartphone can enable that an outside photographer coming in all prepared with serious kit would never get.

I just do not need to see some stupid dead-conventional anodyne desiccated "Abstract" shot with an iPhone as opposed to being shot with an ordinary camera. Who needs it? I've seen better pictures in clickbait slideshows.

Thursday, 29 July 2021

Alphonso Mango
Alphonso Mango | Thursday 29 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 1125 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 3200

This morning Alphonso Mango did that thing he has been doing for several weeks now. Every day after I feed him breakfast, sit to eat my meal, usually at the computer so I can read the RSS updates from other blogs, he jumps up on the desk and insists on laying down on the keyboard. He nudges me and behaves in a very playful manner. I have no choice but to stop and play with him.

I found this interesting video on YouTube that discusses a rarely addressed top, namely the technical nuances of shooting film with darker skin with popular film brands such as Pro 400H or Kodak Portra 400.

Friday, 30 July 2021

This is my brewing guide for Chemex with Able Kone Filter. Brewing coffee with a Chemex carafe and Able Kone metal filter produce a bright-flavoured, full-bodied beverage.


Tonight we had an outdoor dinner and drinks with long time friends Frank and Jennifer. Frank is a photographer, and his wife Jen is the marketing and business brains of the operation. Frank is from New Jersey. Jen is from Alabama. They struggled greatly during the pandemic; business dried up overnight. Jen's father passed away in January and left her his house. They did some math and realised that with the hot real estate in New Jersey, it made sense to sell their home here and move into Jen's former home in Alabama. Frank is bracing for culture shock and adjustment.

Goose Island, Next Coast IPA | Friday 30 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 1300 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 200
Friday 30 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 1640 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 400

Saturday, 31 July 2021.

This week, Bhavna brought home two sugar apples from Patidar Supermarket, an Indian grocery store in North Brunswick Township. It was a rare treat for me. We set the two sugar apples in the cupboard inside a brown paper bag, and today one of them was ripe enough to eat.

sugar-apple
sugar-apple or custard apple | Saturday 31 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 16400 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 400

Sugar-apple, also sweet-sop, is the fruit of Annona squamosa, the most widely grown species of Annona and a native plant of the Americas and West Indies. The fruit was brought to the Philippines by the Portuguese, and it quickly spread throughout Asia.

The Annona squamosa fruit I ate in Bequia were pale green through blue-green with white flesh. Annona squamosa is unique among Annona fruits in that it is segmented, and the segments tend to separate when ripe, exposing the interior.

sugar-apple
sugar-apple or custard apple | Saturday 31 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 16000 sec at f/2.8 | ISO 400

As I ate the flesh of this deliciously sweet fruit, I had flashes of precious moments as a boy with my grandmother on Bequia. Whenever we visited, assuming it was the season for the fruit, she would take us to one of her trees to pick the fruit. I always had fun spitting out the seeds.

The Last Photo

Bhavna and I spent the day at Bhavna's cousin's home. They have just completed the construction of a pool and hosted a pool party with the first and second cousins. I have not processed those images yet, but I wanted to get a picture up for Bush Boy's Last on the Card project. When I looked at the Adobe Lightroom catalogue and saw this image, I was taken aback. What was this? It looks like a face with a pair of creepy eyes staring back at the camera. After cranking the exposure slide, I realised it was my failed attempt to photograph the wood-burning firepit. Per the rules, the image below is the unedited RAW file.

Creepy eyes
Creepy eyes | Saturday 31 July, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 160 sec at f/1.0 | ISO 12800

Family

Tuesday

A friend shared a link to an article by Christopher Brennan the growing trend of "data poisoning", a type of misinformation campaign that researcher Priyanka Ranade specifically targets information security professionals.

“I used to work in a cyber security operations center, and the analysts do use a lot of the cyber threat intelligence that’s out there on a daily basis,” Ranade said.

“I was reading Krebs on Security one day and I thought ‘How does he get all this information?’ He has to do research and probably has people working under him doing research, but what if they come across something that is misinformation that gets spread on these popular blogs. You have all these analysts reading it and they trust these sources.”

Oy vey!


An entertaining piece by science fiction author David Brin in response to people "..that insists on interpreting the legends of illiterate shepherds as physically precise accounts".

Now of course, it is somewhat like shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. Past scholars, uncharitable toward literalist believers in “biblical inerrancy,” have calculated the needed size of the Ark, for example. Were even just all known mammal species shoved aboard, shoulder to shoulder — you’d need a hundred modern aircraft carriers.
...
Alas, that raises a counter question about the fallibility of a deity who had to revise His design. (Not a problem, by modern reckoning! All ambitious projects undergo revision. It is only a quandary – ironically – to the obsequiously devout, who insist on zero-fallibility, a completely unnecessary trait of a creator and, well, a hard piece of flattery to live up to!)
...
… instead of as the vastly subtle Creator worshipped by Einstein, who concocts a vast cosmos of stunning complexity, diversity and extant — a universe truly worthy of respect. A God who — Albert would tell us, if he were here today — must have gotten things started fourteen billion years ago by uttering the stunning beauty of Maxwell’s Equations, in order to command…

“let there be light.”

Thursday

Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. Just a week after homeowners on my street organised to protest the creation of new townhomes and affordable housing on the other side of our fence line in the wooded area behind our units, a blog post in my RSS leads me to see another perspective.

Sightline Institute has a 2018 article by Dan Bertolet in which he describes how historic preservation in Seattle often impacts the need for affordable housing options. While my townhome is no danger of being considered historical, I wonder if my resistance is more about what I would lose versus what my little Central New Jersey town needs.

Who pays when a capricious preservation ruling sacrifices 200 homes? The developers? They just move on: failed projects are built into their business model. The 200 well-off households that would have rented those shiny new apartments? They just compete for other homes in the city in bidding wars that their flush bank accounts ensure they win. But then that sequential process of outbidding steps down the housing market to lower and lower cost homes until the poorest families are left with nothing they can afford. When historic preservation cuts into home production, the people who pay most dearly are those with the least housing security.

The article includes excellent examples of the problems.

Friday

Friday 25 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | 1125 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 3200

On the topic of gear collecting as a hobby, Michael C. Johnston had this to say over on The Online Photographer:

It struck me that wristwatch collecting is probably as close as you can come to a purely passive or undemanding form of gear enthusiasm. It really requires nothing of the collector except that they like watches and want more than one. The only skill required is telling time.
...
At the other end might be guitar connoisseurship. Does it make any sense at all to collect guitars if you can't play guitar and know nothing about music?

Although I'm sure there must be non-playing guitar geeks out there, because, well, because geekery.
...
On the spectrum of "active skills required" (guitar geekery) to purely passive (watch geekery), photography is remarkably flexible. Being a photographer can require a great deal of dedication, visual aptitude, and skills at one end of the spectrum. But on the other, well, anyone can take a photograph—just point it and shoot, as the phrase has it. You might not get a masterpiece, but you'll get something. Anyone can participate.

With photography, you pick where you want to be on the active <—> passive scale. You can just collect gear and rarely if ever use it. Or, your whole focus can be shooting and you can all but ignore the gear.

I don't collect cameras. I use them. I don't collect cars. I drive them. I don't collect guitars. I am tone-deaf. I had a small watch collection, but now I just wear the same watch every day.

I do try my best to collect experiences.

Friday 25 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | 1125 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 2000

Saturday

When I’ve heard vinyl over the past few years, I’ve generally not been impressed. To my ears it didn’t sound better than a CD or even a good streaming service. That evening with my brother-in-law changed my perception completely. He’s been a vinyl collector for many years and has a lovely set of refurbished 1970s hi-fi separates to play his records on. The sound quality melted the wax in my ears.

What utter shite! The sound quality from vinyl does not compare well to the quality of a CD. A listener may prefer the sound from a vinyl setup but to call the sound quality is hyperbole. So what brought me to this article.

I have some vinyl recordings by soca musicians from the West Indies that are not available in the digital compact disk, or digital streaming audio or downloadable digital audio files. The Caribbean studios recorded these calypso albums long before the advent of compact discs. The market for the 1980s soca is limited. I want to listen to them, but I need a record player, perhaps one with a USB output, to digitize the audio for enjoyment on other devices.

But as I started to explain to my wife why large thin disks were arriving in the mail from Brooklyn, I realized more was going on.

When I was a teenager, Dad was very much into Hi-Fi. Over time, he had built an impressive rig. Dad would sit in the living room on the weekends, place one of his favourites on the turntable, and sit back in the “right” spot for a focused listening session. Sometimes I would join him. We sat there, both enjoying the music, the moment broken by just a few words between us.

I lost Dad in 2019. To keep Dad alive in my memory, I want to recreate those moments. Dad’s setup was the high end. He had Linn Sondek LP12, Quad ESL 63 or Bose 901 Series III, NAD preamp, Hafler DH-200 amp, Nakamichi LX cassette tape desk, and electrical power stabiliser.

After his passing, my brothers found Dad’s LP12 in storage in pieces. Termites had eaten the wood plinth, and the metal parts were water damaged. We don’t know what happened to the rest of Dad’s HiFi gear.

I don’t have the budget or space for the level of HiFi gear Dad owned, but according to HFi Setup, I fit the demographic profile for buyers of vintage audio gear, and prices are generally trending down.

…the buyer market is shrinking and not backfilling. The leading profile for vintage audio buyers is ~50+ year old males. Buyer motivation is a mix of appreciation of sonics, mid-century design style and ?nostalgia for gear they grew up with?. When I sell vintage audio gear, almost without exception, buyers are 50+ year old males — while my personal experiences are anecdotal, they represent a small snapshot of a global trend to all HiFi, not simply vintage audio.

I’ve spoken to several leaders in the HiFi world that corroborate even today, the focus market for high-end HiFi gear is male, over 50 years old. Even the contemporary high-end audiophile buyer market is shrinking precipitously. Supporting evidence, the Stereophile Magazine media kit that includes readership demographics, 99% male, average age, 47.

I don’t need expensive audio gear to recreate the moments of focused listening with Dad, and I don’t want an extensive HiFi setup. I listen to a lot of digital audio, and Apple recently updated their Apple Music service to lossless audio. My iPhone is a convenient digital audio source. Apple’s audio catalogue is extensive. Schiit Audio makes capable DACs and headphone amps with phono inputs. I think I can build my audio listening experience around that. It’s not about the gear. It’s about the memories.

Sunday

My brother-in-law Dipan sent out an SMS. Come hang out in the backyard. We'll grill, make some frozen cocktails and hang out. This was fun.

The family get-together provided ample subjects to practice shooting the aperture of the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 lens wide open. I had adapted the MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 to my Fuji-XT2, and with the 1.52 crop factor, this lens offers an angle of view similar to a 76mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera. That's a "short" portrait lens range, and the f/1.7 produced some creamy background.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 14700 sec | ISO 200

While hid Dad, Dipan grilled, Rahul offered up his usual cheesy smile. We chatted about the new 85" TV Dipan had bought to "hang out with your friends in the basement" room. I immediately ordered a copy of the F1 2021 racing game to be delivered. We are going to have some fun.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 14700 sec | ISO 200

Shaan wanted me to take her portrait, which is unusual for my kids. She wanted some headshots and some full-body photos. I took all at maximum aperture.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1/1400 sec | ISO 200

Dipan grilled hotdogs, veggie burgers, mushrooms with a spicy marinade, jalapeno peppers, and corn on the cob while mixing up frozen margaritas.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 116000 sec | ISO 200

Dipan bought a new Honda Odyssey mini-van. I had warned him that although spacious and comfortable, mini-vans were boring to drive. They are young Dad cars. I know. We used to have one. He acknowledged that I was spot on, but the mini-van is what he wants for the long roads trips with Rohan, Rahul and his parents. This summer, they want to spend some time exploring the northeast - the Maine coastline, perhaps Niagara Falls, Canada, etc.

Above, Mukesh talking excitedly with Dipan about the mini-van.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1680 sec  | ISO 200

Bhavna was happy to be with her family. She had a rough week with sleep, and this was a pleasant distraction. I can see the happiness in her eyes.

Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 13500 sec| ISO 400
Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1900 sec | ISO 200
Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7 | 1/2700 | ISO 200
Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1/1250 sec | ISO 400

Later in the evening, we sat on lounge chairs in a circle, having those witty but deeply connecting conversations that families have. Rohan finally sat still long enough for me to capture his portrait.

Rohan | Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1400 sec at f/1.0 | ISO 400

Lens-Artists Challenge #154 – One Photo Two Ways

When I was at my sister-in-law's home last night, I noticed these flowers that she planted along the side of the hose near the garage. I thought it would be great to focus my Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 lens, which I had adapted to my Fuji X-T2, on something other than portraits of the family. Just like with the portraits above, I set this nearly 40-year-old lens at its maximum aperture.

I almost always forget to attach an image for the weekly Lens-Artists Challenge. I am either too busy during the week, don't get outside, or get too busy on the weekend, hastily post my journal for the week, and forget to attach images. I remembered this morning - Monday - so I did some quick editing in Adobe Lightroom and Luminar AI. This week's challenge is One Photo Two Ways.

The original image (below) is underexposed.

flowers
Original | Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1280 sec at f/1.0 | ISO 400

I wanted the brighten the image but still let the flowers play the central role. I increased exposure and white balance and then pulled back the shadows to darken the leaves framing these purple-pink flowers. There is some colour shifting in the flowers.

flowers
Edit #1 | Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1280 sec at f/1.0 | ISO 400

My second edit was a bit simpler. I applied a fade to the image while increasing highlights and whites just a bit.

flowers
Edit #2 | Sunday 27 June, 2021 | FujiFilm X-T2 | 50 mm | 1280 sec at f/1.0 | ISO 400

Enjoying Art

How do you feel about your favourite art, whether it be music, photography, or any other medium?

Over on 35Hunter, Dan James is always serving up interesting conversations triggered by the questions he asks. I find myself writing longer responses in the comments, and at the end, I realise I have written a short blog post. You can say that Dan's blog posts generate writing prompts for my own.

One of Dan's recent posts was entitled, The Purity Of Enjoying Art Detached From The Artist. Would you please visit the link to read it? Dan put this question at the end.

How do you feel about your favourite art, whether it be music, photography, or any other medium?

Do you also have a keen interest in who created it and want to know all about them? Or are you interested purely in the art alone?

From my dad, I learned the joy of listening to the entire record album. Dad loved his Hi-Fi; sometimes, it seemed more than his kids, and he preferred listening through speakers. His stereo was a Sunday morning alarm clock for us boys.

While we enjoyed the music, Dad and I also enjoyed reading the record liner while discussing some of the technical aspects of the performance, the reproduction quality via his equipment, etc., but mostly appreciating the music and being in awe of the creativity of the musician. This is active listening.

I have Apple’s music streaming service and Spotify and tried Tidal, and I think they’re great for background music at a party, etc. But it doesn’t give me the same feeling. It’s not satisfying. These are things I’ve only come to realise recently.

So I have decent Open Air headphones from Grado, which I use for listening to albums on Apple Music. I’m building out a kit. Schiit Audio makes acclaimed headphone amps and DACs, which I’m considering purchasing.

It’s the same for photography. Instagram is a nice distraction when I’m bored. One of my joys is photo walks with fellow photo geeks chatting about the artist, process and technology. Another is reading blogs like this one where the author puts outs questions that inspire long comment responses.

If we are having a cosy evening with a small group of close friends or family around a fire, we bring out the Highland single malt. Hosting a party for work colleagues? Lowlands blend.