SURPRISES

Worcester, Massachusetts 16 September 2012

Ellen and I has spent almost two hours wandering around the arts street festival, "stART ON THE STREET", in Worcester. As we were leaving the throngs of people and artist booths, and turned the corner of the street where we had parked, I was suddenly faced with a large orange wall that abruptly turned to green. We had obviously passed this same wall when we first arrived, but my mind was obviously elsewhere. I love the moment of revelation when something startles my brain into recognition. I think if I were a painter, this is how I would paint.

AROUND WORCESTER

On the way to buy some Christmas presents between classes, I went a different route through old Worcester.

RUNNIN' ON FULL

Berkley Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 20 May 2009

Just more exploring what my 5D2 can do. I was out on the 3rd floor balcony of my friends 3-decker enjoying the company of a few good people. Several of us were talking and playing with the camera when I saw this scene across the street. It was right at sunset in these parts, and the light is from street lights. ISO 6400, f/4 at 1/15th (hand-held) with the 24-105 L IS at 105mm. Yeah, there is some noise, but easily controlled with noise suppression in ACR. The only other corrections were white balance on the fascia board above the woman and a little pincushion correction with the distort filter in CS4. Click the crop -- it is a 100% crop and let's you see the quality of the image. 'Nuf said.

URBAN WORCESTER

Runnin' on Empty is literally running out. However, over the past year I have been toying with an idea to visualize the "urby'ness" of the city of Worcester. Not as urbannesque as Boston, Worcester is non-the-less the second largest city in all of New England. And Worcester is an old city, as are most cities in Massachusetts. The very first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts was not in Boston, but in Worcester. And this city lays claim to a number of first: the birth control pill, barbed wire, the first Valentine, the Smiley Face -- to mention a few. So begins a series of images where I will try to give form to my visual impressions of those things I feel that give Worcester it unique urban environment.