Strolling by the Water, while Thinking about Photography

One of the reasons I started this blog here is because I like photography. It used to be my hobby since I was very young. I didn't always have the same intensity or commitment to it. It lapsed for several years, until about 4 years ago when I got my first digital camera--an Olympus Camedia C-5060. I'm still using that camera though it's unnecessarily complicated and too slow, among other limitations. It the world of electronics, a four-year model is almost ancient. So, I estimate I've got over a thousand digital pictures since I resumed photography.

I rarely print the pictures any more. I enjoy them as a screen saver. I find it relaxing to work on them, nothing fancy mind you. I primarily use MS Office Picture Manager, and this great freebie, Paint.net.

Funny thing, I got this camera when I got a political job in 2004 (remember, it was another presidential election 4 years ago), and I thought it'd be cool to take some pictures of an actual political campaign. Well, I did manage to take a few pictures including a few of Cleveland, Ohio, but I was too busy to be carrying my camera around taking pictures.

I have to say that 98% of my picture-taking is not poses, unless the character's face is a story in itself. Actually, I tire after the 150th picture that people show me of themselves in the same location (often with the background out of focus) in slightly different poses. I mean, it's OK, life is about collecting and reinforcing memories. But, how many pictures does it take to tell the story of something or to document an event. OK, on some occasions (like weddings) it's worth taking a few extra pictures...

I think those who like photography are persons who have an eye for noticing details, for framing, for finding a story in the surroundings. Sometimes, the story varies. It can be descriptive of the locality, the buzz, the people there. Or, it can be about a particular detail, a specific experience captured through the camera's lens.

I just took a stroll by the Hudson River. I often do that. It's a huge river that originates way upstate New York (see map) and empties into the NY Harbor. Actually, around Newburgh, NY [60 milies/100 km north of NYC], the river blends with salt water coming up from the Atlantic Sea.

Once, I found a little stream, just inches deep and a few yards wide, and a sign "Hudson River"! This Hudson River. Visitors to New York wrongly think that Manhattan represents the large state. Look at the map. Manhattan is not even visible; it's to the west of that big chunk, Long Island. A trip along the hundreds of miles of the banks of this river is a worthwhile experience. The Adirondack park's many mountains supply the Hudson with lots of water. I will write about this park (the largest publicly-owned in the continental US) in the near future, because I've spent countless days, in different seasons up there. It's an amazing place for those who like the great outdoors.

Anyway, the pictures today are from my latest stroll, looking south towards the George Washington Bridge. The sun had just set (early, around 4:30 - 5 pm), its refracting rays highlighting the bridge. The air was cold, and it was a bit foggy. The first pix was taken in normal mode, the other--when the lights came on--in night mode (longer exposure).