Archive for June 23rd, 2023
Can confirm the ‘sylvan’ part
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has mentioned the multitude of recreational trails in the Pittsburgh area before. As has often been described, walking around with the camera isn’t just another one of my obsessions, rather I have to walk a certain number of miles a week to maintain a good state of health. That’s how this whole deal got started, all those years ago, when a younger but already quite humble narrator first marched off – with palpitant heart – towards a fabled eidolon called Newtown Creek, camera in hand.
Weather permitting, I try to get out every other day for a walk of at least a couple/three miles, and then really burn out a lot of steps once a week with a 5-10 mile scuttle. Short ones, long ones. That’s the plan, anyway.
A recent short walk saw me marching around north of the city, up in the Glenshaw section, at ‘Fall Run Park,’ which I’ve described here before.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’d been uncharacteristically dry in the region when these photos were taken, about 3 weeks without measurable rain had passed by, so the waterfall pictured above was a bit of a trickle this time around. This park is built into a valley’s slope, so the way in actually offers pretty decent ‘cardio.’ I try to walk at the same speed whether it’s up or down, pushing at the hill in the same steady stride I’d use on a flat surface. That really gets the ticker ticking, I tell’s ya.
It’s odd, having produced so many pretty photos of ugly things over the years, to be pointing the camera at something positively… nice. I keep looking for a leaking 50 gallon drum, or maggots on the corpse of some critter… but everywhere you look, it’s nice.
Weird, no horror.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is one of those specialty shots which I’ve described in the past as being ‘focus stacked.’ There are multiple shots with different focal points and exposures which are stitched together in the image above. Everything is acceptable as far as sharpness, from the foreground to the background, which is the point of the exercise. There was a filter on the lens, a 10 stop Neutral Density. That allowed me to slow the exposure down as well, creating the mirror surface water but also retaining a bit of the surface texture of the flowing water.
Not the best thing, composition wise, but while I’m out exercising my body, I like to also use a scene like this to play around with what the continually evolving digital photography workflow can do. What… there was a lot of bending involved and I actually had to stand in the water… screw off.
Back next week, at this, your Newtown Pentacle.
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“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
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