Tag: Week 12

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 12: Trash?

I had to look this up. I always thought these little spike balls had no practical value.

These are sweetgum fruit. Inside each capsule are one or two small, winged infertile seeds, which are a naturally occurring source of shikimic acid, one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of Tamiflu.

My daughter made some art from the little spiked balls.

Thief Images Photography asks us to find the story in her image. I see a pet bowl, so perhaps there is at least one story around a dog or a cat. Thunberg and Harvey? I don't know. Too many things here that I don't know much about to find the stories.

The Only D800 in the Hameau shows us the inside of a container at a recycling center. I know that I put way too many boxes into recycling from Amazon.com.

Submitted for my 52 Week Smartphone Challenge.

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark

For this challenge, I decided to visit Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. I drove up to Ocean Avenue from Asbury Park, New Jersey. The road is lined with the beach homes of the wealthy. I imagine it was like driving down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. I don't know. I've never been to Beverly Hills.

To enter New York Harbor, ships need a deep channel. Until the 1900s, that meant sailing next to the shore of Sandy Hook. This gave the small peninsula a big role in the safety and defence of New York Harbor for more than a century before Fort Hancock was built.National Parl Service

Fort Hancock Museums in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams

Fort Hancock is a former United States Army fort at Sandy Hook in Middletown Township, New Jersey. The coastal artillery base defended the Atlantic coast and the entrance to New York Harbor, with its first gun batteries operational in 1896. Between 1874 and 1919, the adjacent US Army Sandy Hook Proving Ground was operated in conjunction with Fort Hancock. It is now part of Fort Hancock Memorial Park. It was preceded by the Fort at Sandy Hook, built 1857–1867 and demolished beginning in 1885. Wikipedia

Kessler Road and Hudson Road at Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams
Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams

I arrived in the Fort Hancock, and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark and drove slowly along Kessler Road looking for an interesting subject. As I expected most of the crumbling buildings had been fenced in. The buildings are favourite subjects for photographers and curious visitors, who have in the past entered the premises and bee hurt. Many of the buildings are unsafe. I turned on Hudson Road and parked in the back of one of the Bachelor Officers' Quarters.

Bachelor Officers' Quarters at Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams

The fort was decommissioned on December 31, 1974. Since then, most of Fort Hancock has served the public as the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The remainder of the peninsula serves as U.S. Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook.

While the recreation area is well maintained, the former buildings and officers quarters are in disrepair. The weather has battered the buildings making them uninhabitable.

Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams
Bachelor Officers' Quarters at Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (35.3 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams
FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (30.2 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams
Fort Hancock Museum in Monmouth County, New Jersey — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (26.6 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), © Khurt-Williams

Trash is your inspiration. Tell a story or create something beautiful.

Image submitted in response to Dogwood Photography’s annual 52-week photography challenge.

Joanna

This weekend Scott Wyden-Kivowitz arranged a studio lighting session hosted by Dynalite in Union, NJ. The event was limited to 30 people. I was fortunate to be among the thirty. Scott started the afternoon with a presentation called " Photography Studio Lighting On A Budget" before handing things over to Dynalite's Jim Morton.

Designed and manufactured in the USA, Dynalite has earned its reputation as the flash equipment with power and performance in a small and lightweight package. Professional photographers from around the world choose Dynalite to satisfy a variety of demanding lighting needs. But there’s more to it than that.

Daryl Meek, a photographer from Hillsborough, arranged for a model and a make-up artist. Our make-up artist, Joanna, applied make-up to model, Gianna Esposito while the photographers looked in wonder at the 79" RiME Lite softbox. That thing is huge, dwarfed only by the 90" version. While Gianna was getting her makeup complete we started shooting our other model, Robert.

I borrowed a Nikkor 85mm 1.8 D from Gevon Servo and got to shooting. I've never seen such excellent images from my Nikon D40! I have Paul C. Buff AB800s and PLM Umbrellas but the light from the RiME Light is beautiful. Daryl managed to persuade Joanna to model for us and I got a few shots of her as well.

The event was a potluck so in between shots I munched on hummus, samosas and sandwiches and quaffed my thirst with Kohana cold brewed coffee. Thanks again Gevon!

The photo was post-processed in Adobe Lightroom and Portrait Professional.

Equipment used:

  • Dynalite SH 2000 Blower Cooled Studio Flash Head
  • Roadmax Power MP800 Powerpack
  • Rime Lite GB79 Grand Studio
  • Nikon D40
  • Nikkor 85mm 1.8D
  • PocketWizard Plus X
Johanna—Nikon D40 + Nikon @ 85 mm, f/11, ISO200
Joanna—Nikon D40 + Nikon @ 85 mm, f/11, ISO200
Joanna—Nikon D40 + Nikon @ 85 mm, f/11, ISO200