Photographs and thoughts on photography and camera collecting
During one of my walks, I came across a house that was frankly not in the best of shape. I was a hot, bright, sunny day with very deep shadows. There was also a boarded-up window, and above it a fire escape which cast these shadows onto the white wall and the board covering the window. I liked the way it looked.
Taken with a Sony A7IV and Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD lens.
I recently went to Rockwood Hall (See: From the Rockefeller Preserve to Rockwood Hall – Overview and subsequent posts). For more on Rockwood Hall see: An early morning walk at Rockwood Hall
While there it occurred to me that Rockwood Hall might make a good subject for some infrared photography. I knew that the foliage and the grass would turn bright white and the foundations (all that remains of Rockwood Hall) would become dark. So, I returned with my primary infrared camera month or so later.
Taken with a Sony Nex 3 (converted to full spectrum Infrared) and Sony FE 28-70 f3.5 – f5.6
North Salem is located in the northeast corner of Westchester County. Above: Once the Purdy homestead (1775). Now a restaurant: Purdy’s Farmer and the Fish.
“In the 1730s, European settlers began to create a self-sufficient farming community out of the forested wilderness of the Titicus River Valley. The Keelers, Purdys, Van Scoys, Wallaces and other first families built their homes on parcels of the oblong (the eastern edge of town; ownership disputed with Connecticut) and on Stephen Delancey’s share of Van Cortlandt Manor. The Oblong portion here and in Lewisboro was the original town of Salem, while the Van Cortlandt Manor section was known as Delanceytown. Eventually, Salem was divided into Upper and Lower Salem. In 1788, the Town of North Salem was incorporated to include both Delanceytown and Upper Salem.
In the 1840s, the hamlets of Purdys and Croton Falls sprang up around two stations on the new Harlem Railroad. Dairy farmers thrived, using the new iron horse to get products to market. Imaginative entrepreneurs imported exotic animals and started America’s first circuses. Others created summer camps and vacation communities around Peach Lake.
When the New York City water supply was expanded in the 1890s, new dams and reservoirs displaced hundreds of people in North Salem and surrounding towns. The entire hamlet of Purdys was moved or torn down, along with farms and residences in the Titicus Valley and parts of Croton Falls.
For more information on each of these buildings see here:
Taken with a Sony Nex 5n and Sony E 55–210 mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
At Mariandale.
“Situated on 61 wooded acres, The Center at Mariandale is a spiritual retreat center founded on the mission of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, with care of the Earth as its central tenet. The retreat center offers programs and events centered around spirituality and love for Nature and the Earth. They encourage our community and retreatants to find ways to lighten our footprint on the Earth, and to practice land and environmental justice.
It sponsors retreats and programs in numerous areas, including spirituality, contemplative practices, social and environmental justice, interfaith dialogue, the arts, wellness of body, mind, and spirit, and more.
The center also welcomes nonprofit groups and organizations for day or overnight workshops, retreats, and conferences. Our guests enjoy the quiet, serene environment at the center.”
When I first started collecting old film cameras, this was one of the first places I visited to try them out. At that time there were some lovely, old barn-like buildings on the property. There were also a few interesting old, rusting farm implements. Unfortunately, they have now gone. For a couple of pictures taken at the time take a look at the bottom of this post.
Taken with Sony A77II and Minolta 35-105 f3.5-4.5 except for the last two, which were taken with a a Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory (KMZ), Zorki 4 and KMZ 50mm f2 Jupiter 8.
In the preceding post I mentioned that I was on the train, returning from one of my walks.
As I was waiting for the train to stop so that I could get off, I noticed the patterns that the light streaming in was making.
Taken with a Sony RX100 IV.