Boston, MA (HDR from 5 bracketed exposures)
I recently attended a 4-day GI, liver, and pancreatic pathology course in Boston. I made my way down to the harbor during my first evening in town to get this shot of the Financial District just after sunset.
Great Falls Park in Northern Virginia (HDR from 5 bracketed exposures)
According to a nearby sign, you are looking at the ruins of “the first of 5 locks on the Great Falls portion of the Patowmack Canal. Used from 1802 to 1828, they lifted or lowered riverboats the 75 feet that the river drops in going over the falls.”
I recently stayed with family in Great Falls to attend the USCAP 2010 Annual Meeting. During a break from conference activities, I found myself exploring the Great Falls Park. Walking beside the Potomac River and the falls was a nice, relaxing break from everyday life. For instance, today I spent the late morning doing an autopsy on someone with blunt force injuries of the head and multiple gunshot wounds. Immediately upon completion of that autopsy, I walked a short distance to the scene of a suicide. It was just another day at the office.
I have been unable to work on my photography very much lately. I have a lot of things going on. I’m winding down my forensic pathology fellowship, I’ve got a clinical faculty position in GI pathology and cytopathology coming up very soon, my house is currently on the market, and I’m in the process of building a new home. Things are crazy, as they often seem to be. And, when things get crazy, my photography suffers.
Pullen Park in Raleigh, NC
I have a half marathon coming up soon. I originally intended to start training 12 weeks out. Then, 12 weeks became 10 weeks. Then, 10 weeks became 8 weeks. I finally forced myself to go for a run this morning. It was nothing to brag about (2.5 miles), but I have to start somewhere.
The Sailboat Pond at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham.
We make it out to the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science on a pretty regular basis. The ‘Catch the Wind’ exhibit features a neat little concrete enclosed pond where visitors can captain radio controlled sailboats. In this photo, I was fortunate enough to capture three of the sailboats in a staggered formation. The boat reflections turned out well and are enhanced by the gentle ripples on the pond’s surface.
I’m working on an HDR tutorial which I will debut in the next week or two. I also have several exciting photography opportunities coming up over the next couple of months, if I can break away from doing autopsies on moldy exhumed bodies long enough to take advantage of them!
Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC
Being someone who really appreciates pretty things, I can’t believe it took me almost five years of living in the area to finally make it out to Duke Gardens on the Duke University campus. It’s just a couple of minutes from the house and it’s a really interesting place. That being said, I won’t ever make the mistake of going out there on a spring weekend morning again. The place was absolutely packed and people just kept streaming in. It was impossible to do any serious photography. I’ll have to make a trip out there during a rare weekday off to score some serviceable RAW’s.
As frustrating as it was for me, it had to be even more frustrating for the handful of professional-looking photographers there. At one location, there is a walkway made up of several elevated square wooden platforms. A photographer had zeroed in on that location for a couple’s engagement pics. Unfortunately, there were hoards of people crossing back and forth on this walkway, including several children. I ended up putting my camera away and giving up, choosing to fight another day.
Pullen Park in Raleigh, NC
This small pond at Pullen Park in Raleigh is a neat little spot to shoot. The reflections here are amazing, the bridge is photogenic, and the trees in the background are often very colorful. You’ll notice that there is a conspicuous layer of yellow pollen on the surface of the water.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC
Natalie is growing up so fast and she has such a cool personality. Prior to taking this picture, I had taken a few shots of Kate in the same location. I think that it made Natalie a little jealous. She said “take a picture of me” and climbed the steps to where Kate was standing. Then, she decided that she wanted to be the only one in the pictures so she pushed Kate to the ground. Kate embellished the magnitude of Natalie’s aggression, but she did take a pretty good shot. I cropped Kate out of this photo. She was in the very bottom left corner making a frowny face.
West Point on the Eno in Durham, NC
I’m not much of a history buff. It’s not that I don’t care about historical things, it’s just hard to find the time to learn about them. This old tobacco barn at West Point on the Eno made for a really nice subject and the redbuds framed the barn nicely.
