Photographs and thoughts on photography and camera collecting
Taken on California Hill, Putnam Valley, NY in October 2013 with an Olympus Stylus Epic. The 982-acre California Hill State Forest includes the 94-acre Waywayanda Lake, which I’ve also seen referred to as the ‘Pudding Street Pond’.
See also:
According to Mariah Fee:
The mural’s historical narrative of Peekskill was designed and painted after almost two years of research and fundraising by myself and another artist. Assistance came from volunteers; and funding from The Westchester Arts Council, MasterCard, local businesses and the city of Peekskill. The marching figures change in time as they move down the street; from the mid 19th century, through the forties and fifties and into the present day of the farmers market in the mural’s foreground.
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Over a period of four months, volunteers from the city of Peekskill and surrounding towns dedicated themselves to the demanding work of painting…(the) 1500 square foot painting. The surface of the wall was a rough stucco and was punishing to many brushes. A Peekskill girl with braids was spotted one day on the sidewalk and took her place along the other towns people in the mural.
According to Waymarking.com:
Harry and Leona Helmsley were two of America’s and wealthiest (sic) property owner. They made billions in real estate, owning many of the country’s most prestigious properties including the Empire State Building. Their lavish lifestyle and questionable business practices drew the attention of federal investigators which lead to charges of tax evasion. Harry who was in poor health was too frail to plead died in 1997. However, Leona who had reportedly utter the now famous words, “Only little people pay taxes,” was fined and sentenced to 16-years in prison but served only 19-months. Harry died in 1997 and was originally entombed at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City. Leona disliked the setting so much that she built the mausoleum here and had Harry re-interred in 2004. Leona died in 2007 and is entombed beside Harry.
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The Helmsley Mausoleum is the final resting place of billionaire real estate moguls Harry and Leona Helmsley. The private mausoleum complete with stained glass was built in 2004 at a cost of more than $1.4-million dollars. It sits on a wooded hillside in the northern most section of the cemetery, near such notable figures as Walter Chrysler and William Rockefeller.
Leona also specified that her dog Trouble (to whom she bequeathed $12 million – later whittled down to $2 million) also be buried in the Mausoleum. Unfortunately NY State law does not allow this. Trouble passed away in 2011 (see: NY Times. Cosseted Life and Secret End of a Millionaire Maltese). What happened to the remains? According to the NY Times article:
Trouble was cremated and her remains were “privately retained,” said a spokeswoman for the Helmsley Trust. In her will, Mrs. Helmsley asked that Trouble’s remains be buried alongside her own, in the Helmsley mausoleum at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester County. But Jim Logan, a member of the cemetery’s board, said Mrs. Helmsley’s lawyers knew the cemetery would abide by regulations that forbid the interring of nonhuman remains at human cemeteries. That said, mausoleums are considered private property and the Helmsley family had its own key.
Might Trouble be buried alongside her mistress? “In all honesty,” Mr. Logan said, “we don’t know.”
Taken with an Olympus OM2-n MD and 50mm f1.8 F-Zuiko auto-s.
I have a lot of cameras, but most of them are old film cameras. I have only three cameras that I use regularly: A Sony RX100 M3, my carry everywhere camera purchased in 2016 to replace a RX100 M1 that died; A Sony Alpha 500 DSLR acquired in 2010; and a Sony Nex 5N, which I now mostly use with adapted legacy lenses.
I use the Alpha 500 when I know I’m going to be taking pictures of things that move quickly. For example I used it both times I went to a nearby airshow. However, I wasn’t altogether satisfied with the results. I couldn’t afford a high end telephoto or zoom lens and instead decided on a camera with higher resolution that would allow me to crop more. I also wanted faster and more accurate autofocus.
After doing some research I decided that this camera would meet my needs and that I could find one within my budgetary constraints (if I bought used). It’s a Sony A77 II.
The first time I tried it I was somewhat confused. I could barely get it to focus. After some tinkering I concluded that the previous owner had changed some settings, but I wasn’t sure which ones. So I did a reset and then everything became a lot easier. I recognized that it was still a complex camera though and as usual it didn’t come with a very useful manual. So I bought David Busch’s Sony Alpha a77 II/ILCA-77M2 Guide to Digital Photography, a very useful book, particularly the section on how to configure the camera.
I’ve used it a few times now an a must say that the more I use it the more I like it. I still find some things a bit bewildering (especially everything to do with focus tracking) but all things considered I’m happy that I bought it.
For some pictures taken with it see:
Flowers in the early morning light
Fall comes to the lake.
Shells.
Rose on our dock.
Roses by the light of the eclipse.
Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park – Old Barn.
Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park – Gold Star Mother Statue.
Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park – M60A3 Series Tank (Patton).
Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park – Bell AH-1 Cobra.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Military Exhibition.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Antique Machinery.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Sheep.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Cows.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Goats.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Llamas.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Revolutionary War Re-Enactors, Around the Camp Fire.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Revolutionary War Re-Enactors, Blacksmith.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Revolutionary War Re-Enactors, Militia.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Native American Exhibit.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Horse Riding.
Putnam County 46th Annual 4-H Fair – Overview.
For a more detailed consideration of the camera that goes way beyond anything I could come up with (at least at this point – it is after all still early days) see: Sony SLT-A77 II Review on Digital Photography Review.
While my wife was occupied with an appointment in Croton-on-Hudson I decided to go down to the river and take the dog for a walk at Croton Landing.
I like the way the gap in the breakwater mirrors the the gap between Croton Point (on the left) and Hook Mountain (I think – on the right).
Taken with a Sony RX100 M3