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Wander Wonder Wilderness Project | Boston MA USA

November 17, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in Art, film, photography, thoughtTagged Paul Turano, Wander Wonder Wilderness ProjectLeave a comment

About

The human experience of nature through urban wilds is multifaceted, as it can involve not just our appreciation of plants, trees, animals, birds, and phenomena of light and weather, but the more personal interactions and internal ruminations that these environments inspire. These excursions into nature are also a journey through history, as the landscape contains the residue and evidence of previous eras. From geological origins, the first habitation by Native Americans and subsequent European settlement, to the dramatic physical alterations that occurred throughout the 19th century, and the rapid industrialization and high-rise urbanity of the 20th, the artifacts of all these eras are evident upon contemplative bipedal observation. Wander, Wonder, Wilderness will capture how a simple walk through an urban wild can provide an opportunity to engage with the philosophical, socio-cultural, and economic complexity of the ever-changing relationship of humans to the wilderness.

My own personal experience with these locations will be documented in a long form essay film, where I chronicle the insights these spaces have provoked. A companion interactive component of this transmedia project will allow viewer/participants to visit a wide range of these natural locations in the greater Boston area and be provided with an opportunity to both experience dynamic content and create their own – with text, sound, and image – utilizing their smartphone devices. These sites will form a GPS triggered network of locative interactive spaces where a compendium of realizations can be shared with subsequent participants. The project’s website will perform multiple functions: providing a map and guide for participation in the work, and an interactive component where users can view other participant’s contributions and create their own, forming a comprehensive repository of all the media inspired and generated by the work. This community of wanderers will share the wonder that wilderness can inspire, cultivating a broader appreciation for a sustainable relationship to the natural environment and celebrating its profound teachings.

Until we launch in the Summer of 2014, we’re sharing photos of our experiences in urban wilds. We encourage you to do the same! Tag your Instagram photos #wanderurbanwilds and join our collective gallery.
The Team

Wander Wonder Wilderness.

The search for real black | Kodak TMax 100 vs. Ilford Pan FPlus 50 | L Brady

May 14, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in film, photographyTagged Black and White Film, Kodak TMax 100 vs. Ilford Pan FPlus 50, LBrady, The search for real black4 Comments

I was trying to think of something more to say on this but I’ve got nothing! I want real black not muddy brown.
Obviously I’m interested in B/W film. Sometimes I think I would throw all my camera gear away for the simplicity of one very good film camera. Maybe I will. ;-)

These shots were taken with a Nikon F5 and Nikon 24mm lens. I used a 056 Orange Nikon filter on the Ilford Pan and nothing with the Kodak.
They were both developed and enhanced digital scans produced.

Sandy Neck, Barnstable MA. (Ilford Pan)

Gears (Kodak TMax)

Centennial Dam and Stone Mill | Dedham MA. | L Brady

April 17, 2013April 10, 2021Posted in film, photographyTagged Centennial Dam and Stone Mill, Dedham MA, LBrady2 Comments

It’s been a while since I went out on a snowy, rainy day to shoot these. Spring has begun. The original idea was to demonstrate exposure bracketing but as always, I learn much more. I shot three (3) sets of images, in the bracket, and chose to edit the +.7 EV set, using preview to adjust exposure, contrast and sharpness. For some reason, I found it easier to work up from dark to light. I could have also worked effectively with the 0.7 EV set but the -.7 were too bright.

Today, many filmmakers shoot digital with the most neutral camera settings to allow a wide editing latitude in post. I’m sure professional photographers do this as well.

All these shots were taken with an Xpro1 and 18mm lens. I was a snowy, rainy day, as you can see, and you will actually see snowflakes, rain and the like in the images. lb

Note: click on the images for a more detailed view

A Little History…

Mother Brook, dug through from the Charles River to East Brook in 1637, provided a connection with the Neponset River and a source of waterpower for the town’s all-important corn mill. In subsequent generations, that same waterway provided power to roll copper for American coins, to make paper (in three different mills), to support a brush factory and a wire factory, and to run the first water-driven broad powered loom in the entire world. These industries, combined with other enterprises around the town, gave a tremendous economic impetus to Dedham. By 1845, the town’s manufactories employed over 650 people, and produced such varied goods as cotton, cotton thread, woolens, silk, brooms, furnaces, shovels and hoes, paper, chairs and cabinets, tin ware, sheet iron, vehicles, boots, shoes, saddles and harnesses, cigars, pocket notebooks, and marbled papers. http://dedhamhistorical.org/history/

Centennial Dam
This dam was originally constructed to provide water power to textile mills built at this site. This location was the fourth of five “privileges” (locations where dams could be built) along Mother Brook in Dedham, MA, first designated in Colonial times. Mother Brook connects to and drains the Charles River and empties into the Neponset River. A plaque mounted on the dam indicates that the current structure was built in 1894 and rebuilt in 1994. Earlier structures provided power for mills at this site since the early 1800s (and possibly earlier).
This is an embankment dam, with a spillway constructed of concrete with some stone and brick in the side walls. It is approximately 15 feet high.
Fishing is done in the adjacent brook and pond, but signs in the area advise against eating certain types of fish due to PCB contamination.
Canoes or kayaks are rarely or ever used in the area because of limited water depth and limited practical travel distances.
The dam is adjacent to and effectively enclosed by property of the Mother Brook Condominium Association, a group of 86 residential condominiums. Several of the condo buildings were converted from mill buildings, in 1986-87.http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMCY57_Centennial_Dam_Dedham_MA_USA

Stone Mill
When built in 1835 for the Norfolk Manufacturing Co., this mill was powered by the adjacent Mother Brook flowing over what is now called “Centennial Dam.” It was initially used to manufacture cotton. The building was expanded by Mr. Thomas Barrows in approximately 1865-1870 and used to manufacture wool. It was sold to Merchants Woolen CO. in 1872, to Royal and Frederick Storrs in 1875, and again to Merchants Woolen Co. in 1882. In 1894 it was sold to Cochrane Manufacturing Co. and used to make carpets. At some unknown point, a steam plant was added, remnants of which remain in the basement of the building.
This mill is located at the fourth of five “privileges” along Mother Brook in Dedham where dams and mills were erected, beginning in Colonial times.
This building is now part of the Mother Brook Condominiums. It was converted to condos in 1987 along with several other former mill buildings on this site. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMCYJN_Water_mill_former_Cochrane_Manufacturing_Co_carpet_mill_Dedham_MA

And for you guys and gals that must have a little color in your lives ;-).

Exposure Bracketing | return to Mother Brook | Leo Brady

April 1, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Dedham MA, Exposure Bracketing, Exposure Bracketing | return to Mother Brook, Fuji XPro1, leo brady, Mother Brook, realreality productions boston MA, Stone Mill2 Comments

Exposure bracketing is a simple technique professional photographers use to ensure they properly expose their pictures, especially in challenging lighting situations. When you expose for a scene, your camera’s light meter will select an aperture / shutter speed combination that it believes will give a properly exposed picture. Exposure bracketing means that you take two more pictures: one slightly under-exposed (usually by dialing in a negative exposure compensation, say -1/3EV), and the second one slightly over-exposed (usually by dialing in a positive exposure compensation, say +1/3EV), again according to your camera’s light meter.More at http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_exposureBracketing.html

The above link is an excellent tutorial for those interested in learning more about and exploring the technique further.

For my tests, I chose a familiar subject, Mother Brook and added some shots of the dam at Stone Mill. https://realrealityproductions.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/stone-mill-mother-brook-dedham-ma/
I chose an auto exposure bracketing setting of 2/3, which produces an image of normal(0)EV, +2/3(+.7)EV and -2/3(-.7) EV. All these images are jpgs and have been shot large. I also shoot raw. I’m looking for a certain balance of grays and a deeper black from my black and white images. lb

Note: One thing that I never really thought about, with respect to auto exposure bracketing is how the images are shot by the camera (i.e. were three separates images with three different exposure settings produced or did the camera use the same image and somehow produce different exposure settings with the data from the one image, three times?). The camera produces three separate images which are three different moments in time. The image differences are indistinguishable in a static scene but not in a scene with movement. You can see this with the snowflakes in the second series of shots.

Example #1

It was a clear, sunny day. This set of three images below is a good example of what you can expect in good light from the Xpro1 when bracketing is set as mentioned above.

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) f/13 @ 1/420s 0EV

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) f/10 @ 1/420s +0.7EV

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) f/16 @ 1/420s -0.7EV

Example #2

It was a gray, snowy day for this set of three images.

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) 0EV

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) +.7EV

Fuji XPro1 18mm(27mm equiv.) -.7EV

More images to come from the mill complex and dam.

Stone Mill & Mother Brook, Dedham MA | L Brady

March 5, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Black and White, Dedham MA, leo brady, Mother Brook, Stone Mill6 Comments

Fuji XPro1 18mm (27mm equiv.) lens F11 1/420 ISO 200 in B/W Mode *basic cleanup mods

Fuji XPro1 18mm (27mm equiv.) lens F11 1/350 ISO 200 in B/W Mode *basic cleanup mods

Fuji XPro1 18mm (27mm equiv.) lens F11 1/420 ISO 200 in B/W Mode cropped from above, *basic cleanup mods

In Boston and the surrounding communities, many of the old mills still exist but have been converted. This is Stone Mill and Mother Brook.

All images here are shot with a Fuji XPro1 and an 18mm (27mm equiv.) lens in B/W Mode, large, high quality jpgs

*basic cleanup mods – I typically just use Preview to adjust exposure, contrast and sharpness if required. I’d like to start using bracketing more to eliminate even that but…

Nor’easter | Here comes the calvary…. YAYYYYYY | Day 3

February 18, 2013December 9, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Nor'easter | Here comes the calvary.... Day 3, Nor'easter | Here comes the calvary.... YAYYYYYY | Day 3Leave a comment

As day 3 arrives, no sign of the snow plow. There’s 4 feet of snow still in the street. It’s a Sunday. I’m sure the phone lines to City Hall were burning up. We’re a mobile bunch here and we’ve been snowbound since Friday noon. It’s funny to see how some people react in atypical situations. God help the snow plow driver when he shows up. lol

The good news is the sun is out. My neighbors and I have shoveled the sidewalks and around our houses.

Finally, around noon the big yellow lumbering snow plow honors us with it’s appearance. YAY ! Because the city has waited to plow, it may have been better to have a front end loader and dump truck to take some of the snow away. A snow plow essentially just pushes and compacts the snow as it goes. You can imagine where that pushed snow ends up – in the places people have already shoveled.

As you can see from the pictures, people are standing in front of their houses with great expectation. A tremendous psychic pressure is on that driver, you can be sure. The plow inches it’s way up the street filling in all the shoveled places. Some sigh, some yell and some even do a war dance. ;-)

Finally our street is cleared, at least as clear as it’s going to be and time enough to get a little more shoveling in before sunset.

Wish you were here! ;-) lb

click on the images for a more detailed view

02/10/13

12:47:12 Canon 5D MkII 105mm f8 1/400s cropped from below

12:47:12 Canon 5D MkII 105mm f8 1/400s

12:55:00 Fuji XPro-1 18mm f11 1/350s

12:56:00 Fuji XPro-1 18mm f11 1/420s

13:01:34 Canon 5D MkII 93mm f10 1/500s

13:12:37 Canon 5D MkII 105mm f7.1 1/400s

Nor’easter | the rude awakening…. Day 2

February 17, 2013December 9, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Nor'easter | the rude awakening.... Day 2Leave a comment

It had been snowing all night but all things must pass, even nor’easters. These storms remind all of us living here of the awesome power of nature. One gains respect quickly as well as the knowledge to coexist peacefully. I love the wind. And I’m very happy to be in a nice warm house when it’s blowing like the devil outside.

My neighbors and I spent day 2 digging out. We all know each other, some of us better than others but I wouldn’t say we were all very close. But when a blizzard hits our neighborhood, everyone pitches in and helps each other. I’m very happy about that.

Anyway, no sign of the snow plow. The City of Boston has forgotten our street. ;-) And noone is going anywhere. Some of my neighbors are hopping mad with the Mayor and I believe they told him so. It’s probably for the best because it was a snow emergency. I’m sure this was also a way of keeping people off the roads while they were plowed.

But if there was a real emergency on the street, a fire or someone with a medical issue, there would have been no way for help to reach them.That won’t do. lb

All of these images were taken with the Fuji XPro-1. As I said, it produces a cooler tone but I’m sure that can be adjusted to taste.

click on the images for a more detailed view

02/09/13

09:00:57AM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f5.6 1/210s

My back yard under about 4 feet of snow. That tree always falls like that and I always clear it off and get it back up. I tried tying it together with rope but no go.

15:49:49PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f7.1 1/400s

15:49:55PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f6.4 1/420s

15:49:57PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f7.1 1/400s

15:50:06PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f7.1 1/350s

Time to rest until tomorrow. Maybe the plow will come then. ;-)

Nor’easter | And so it begins…. Day 1 / updated

February 17, 2013December 9, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Nor'easter | And so it begins.... Day 1Leave a comment

A nor’easter is a cyclonic storm that moves along the east coast of North America. It’s called “nor’easter” because the winds over coastal areas blow from a northeasterly direction. More about nor’easters

It’s been a busy week and only a week since this blizzard occurred. We always seem to get one or two major storms a year these days but this one was memorable.;-)

I have three days worth of photos. I used a Fuji XPro1 and Canon 5D MkII. I’ll add more detail to the photos and more explanation over the week. lb

Update: I grew up in Boston and even though I’ve moved around a bit, my wife and I eventually decided to buy a house here. The nor’easter is part of living in the Northeast of these United States. When I was young, it seemed like it was snowing for the whole winter. It’s something you must get used to if you want to live here but we have all four seasons to balance.

These images were shot with a Fuji XPro-1 and Canon 5Dmk II. They are all unmodified though I had to rotate one to be horizontal.;-) I’ve been looking for a smaller camera to carry all the time, as I mentioned before, but I also want the best quality images I can get. The Leicas would seem an obvious choice but they are too expensive. I like the Fuji so far but using it is a little different than using a Nikon or Canon DSLR. Still, it might just be the one. I’ll write my thoughts and choice in a future post. lb

click on the images for a more detailed view

02/08/13

12:01:58PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f4 1/140s

A nor’easter always start off slow with a good wind. This is my back yard.

15:53:47PM Fuji XPro-1 18mm f3.2 1/140s

And after a couple of hours…

20:04:02 Fuji XPro-1 18mm f2 1/4s

The street in front of my house. Look at these wires. No wonder the power goes out. ;-) Boston is one of the oldest cities in these United States and some of the infrastructure looks it.

22:10:06 Canon 5D MkII 24mm F/4 1/8s

It’s piling up. Notice the warmer image rendition of the Canon. The Fuji and Fuji 18mm combination is a bit blueish and crisper.

22:10:25 Canon 5D MkII 24mm F/4 1/10s

22:12:18 Canon 5D MkII 47mm F/4 1/10s

All’s quiet on the nor’eastern front but ….. Day 2 is coming.I like this image but I wished I had framed it a bit better.

Treasure Hunting

January 21, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in photographyTagged Treasure Hunting | Leo BradyLeave a comment

click image for a more detailed view

Nikon D100, Nikon 18-70mm 70mm F5 at 1/800s

Massachusetts has an area of its land that juts out into the sea like a curled arm. It’s called Cape Cod. There’s a Massachusetts Bay side of the arm and an Atlantic Ocean side. This picture is taken at the tip of the Bay side near the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Artist or Technician? Are you creating art, or just buying the tools? | Ken Rockwell | kenrockwell.com

January 16, 2013April 24, 2021Posted in photography, thoughtTagged Artist or Technician? Are you creating art or just buying the tools? | Ken Rockwell | kenrockwell.com, Ken Rockwell, kenrockwell.comLeave a comment

Ryan and Katie’s stash, January 2013. (Photo: iPhone 5.) This free website’s biggest source of support is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thank you! Ken.

January 2013 Better Pictures Nikon Canon Fuji LEICA All Reviews

Artists are all about what we create. We couldn’t care less what tools we or someone else used to create something; we’re concerned with the art itself.

We don’t care about the process; the final art is all that matters.

Sure, if we see something really cool we might ask another artist how he got that effect, but we don’t spend much of our time blabbing about tools or techniques when we could be making more art, or exchanging ideas instead.

Poke fun of our tools, and who cares? We take it as a compliment — and it marks you as an idiot. As artists, we force whatever tools we have at our disposal to create what we demand: to take what’s in our mind’s eye and fix it in tangible form.

To an artist, his work is him. His work is his vision realized. He is his work. His art is his own soul. His art is important, while the tools are irrelevant.

Artists are consummate technicians, possessing virtuosic ability to make our tools do exactly what we need then to do — but the tools are just an enabler; never the end result.

If you poke fun of my camera, I take it as a compliment because it means I’m able to work around bigger roadblocks than the next sap to get the results I want. When my kids ask me to fetch a piece of paper, scissors and a red crayon, they certainly would give me a funny look if I said they had a good or a crappy crayon. Who cares when what’s important is making a red heart for Mama from scratch? The end result matters, the methods don’t.

Technicians, on the other hand, are all about their tools. Poke fun of a technician’s tools or how he uses them, and he’ll take it personally. To a technician, he is his tools. His tools are a physical extension of his body, so say something good or bad about his camera, and he takes it personally.

Full Article: Artist or Technician? Are you creating art, or just buying the tools?.