Floating Heads

I went out for a Flickr meetup at North Point Park in Charlestown. It has a great scenic view of the Zakim Bridge, and the West End, along the Charles River.

I've got plenty of shots of the bridge, so I decided to play with my flash.

Aruba vacation pictures, part 4

The lobby of the Riu has this wonderful stained glass ceiling panel above the main chandelier.


Who wouldn't want to spend some time relaxing on the beach?




These kids are able to swim at the beach at the Westin.

Model shoot with Luna-bella

Yesterday afternoon, I shot a model shoot with a local model from Model Mayhem.

It was my first actual model shoot.







I certainly have much to learn about posing and directing, but we all have to start somewhere.

If you are interested in booking her, contact her through her Model Mayhem page here: http://www.modelmayhem.com/Gothicdeva

Exacta VX IIa and lenses

A friend from the South Shore Camera Club lent me a couple old film cameras to clean and photograph.

This one is an Exacta VX IIa with a Westagon f/2 50mm lens, and a Meyer-Optik Trioplan f/2 100mm lens. Built like a tank and hefty, this copy is from 1958-60.

Aruba vacation pictures, part 3

A local fishing crew came in with a fresh catch. Here, he is bailing out bilgewater.


There weren't many iguanas around this early in the season, but they aren't really shy. This one took a leisurely stroll across the sand as people took pictures and freaked out.


This green hung out in this tree sunning in the afternoons.




The lobby of the Hotel Riu Palace. It's an upscale hotel, almost out of place for a beach resort.

Aruba vacation pictures, part 2

I popped my flash into the underside of the chikee hut to open up the shadows and to try to make something creative with the flash.


We were on our way to do some gambling at the Hyatt's casino when I stopped to get this shot.


One of two pirate themed moored up the beach from our hotel.

Aruba vacation pictures, part 1

My wife and I went to Aruba for a week with her parents for a relaxing time on the beach.

Now, I can do a little bit of time on the beach, but not all day. I did catch up on some reading, but I took time to seek out interesting things to shoot.

If you are on vacation and want to get a different perspective on things, use your hotel's height to your advantage. For a couple of these, I shot from the top floor looking down to the property grounds. For others, I shot up into trees with flash to get the iguanas.



This is an example of the property (Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, Aruba) that is best captured from a height. Taken at ground level, there is no way to get anything like this.




When I took this, I was on the outdoor stairway and was trying for pattern shots of the fronds. I saw the birds perched there and took a lot of pictures trying to get a clear shot. The trade winds blow constantly, and at 40 feet up, the palm trees are always moving. I didn't even see the iguana until I was reviewing the picture later.


This tree is home to a couple iguanas that sun in the afternoon. If you didn't know they were there, you'd easily miss them up there.