July 2014 Comings and Goings
I've been in NY for nearly two months, and still in "vacation mode"! Before you ask, "No I can't tell you what I am vacationing from!" I seem to be running around a bit more, fishing less, playing pickleball and a bit of photography.
The fourth of July and subsequent Ring of Fire Night provides me with a great opportunity for fun shots. This year with the 5th falling on a Saturday there were some folks who shot their fireworks then. When talking with my Dad, he planted a seed about what he thought would make a good photo opportunity. He mentioned a spot off a local county road which has a nice view of the two lakes.
Pat and I went to the spot and got quite a nice view of the lakes, sunset and fireworks. Using a long exposure I was able to capture multiple shots going off over the lakes, along with all of the flares residents lit for the Ring of Fire. I set up interval shooting on my camera, let it do its thing and watched the show! While admittedly I got a number of near duplicates, I also got some interesting shots (see above). I really enjoy these types of shots and it really only takes a couple test shots to get things set.
We also went to a Dragon Boat Race Festival in Ithaca. These are pretty amazing boats, seating about 20 people. 18 crew members, a drummer in the bow to keep cadence and one person in the stern to steer. The crews were comprised of individuals of all ages and really worked hard. Very colorful jerseys / equipment. Tents providing shade for the participants were scattered on the grounds and it was quite interesting seeing some of the Ivy League logos! They also had some Japanese drummers on hand to give a performance. Really interesting and these kids went at it hard! One of the ways in which they position themselves reminds one of "stomach crunches"! Sitting down on the ground, straddling the large drums. I have uploaded a short video of one of the numbers for your enjoyment!
After having been introduced to the local rodeo, I went back again this year for some more shots. As in the past I had a good time, and even managed to sell a few shots. I don't price them very high and sales essentially covered my gas to the event. I would have had to sell a few more to cover the cost of soda!
Here are links to photos of the various events:
Dragon Boat Races and Japanese Drummers.