This is a pic from Duval Street in Key West.  The sunset was resting perfectly between the buildings on either side with beautiful purple and blue tones.

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I recently decided it was time for a tripod upgrade, mostly out of necessity since I purchased a Nodal Ninja pano head, but I didn’t want to break the bank to terribly much.  After much research on Amazon and Adorama, I settled on the Manfrotto 190XB.  This is an aluminum legged tripod that provides excellent height range for shots that require either very low angle (a few inches) or very high angle (60 inches).  As a photographer who thrives on frugality, I like to get the biggest bang for the buck and I believe that this tripod does the trick.

The 190XB, while moderately heavy compared to some tripods, is still very portable and fits nicely in the tripod slot of my camera bag for a quick and easy setup.  My biggest issue  with the tripod is that the level bubble can be hard to balance, but with a tripod head that has it’s own balancing, it would not be a problem.  So until I get another tripod head, I’ll have to make do.

One of the biggest strengths of the 190XB is the ability to get very low to the ground by flipping the center shaft around and placing the camera upside down.  This allows for the camera to sit about 1.5″ off the ground (depending on your camera of course) for excellent macro shots of flowers or bugs or just an unique angle on a familiar subject.

One of the great things about this tripod is its versatility.  It can shoot low, it can shoot high, and everywhere in between.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find something that was this inexpensive and provided such a range of configurations.

Thoreau Rating (out of 5 total boots):

• Looses point for weight
  

Below are some photos of the different angles and positions the tripod has, Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Pro-Optic 8mm Fisheye Review

Well I just finished a redesign of ModernDayThoreau that I feel makes the site more approachable and easy to use.  Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Also here is the photo of the week(although not every week as you can tell) for the second week in March

In northern New York at the military barracks, this abandoned building stood out…If you view the original size you can see a disturbing message above the door.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week 6-26-09
2. Photo of the Week: 8-7-2009
3. Photo of the Week: 10-29-09

So i decided that the next lens in my arsenal would be a fisheye lens for those unique situations that call for such a wide angle, 180° to be precise.  After looking around I decided to try the Pro-Optic 8mm Fisheye since I didn’t want to spend $1000 on the Sigma 8mm Fisheye if I found It wasn’t a type of photography I used to much.  Several of the other Pro-Optic lens’ have gotten pretty decent reviews, but I was hard pressed to find any for this lens.  I decided to take the plunge and this is what i’ve found.

The Pro-Optic 8mm comes as is, in a small box with the lens cap and a soft chammy pouch for storage.  The lens is fully manual, meaning you have to set the Aperature and and focus yourself, which provides a great chance to hone those photography 101 skills that may have lacked from the digital age.  The f-stop numbers go from 3.5 through 22 so there is no guess work as the which stop your at and the focus is about 1ft at its lowest to infinity.  One down side to a fully manual lens, is that it send no data to the camera so its a little more tricky to calculate over/under exposure with a given light source, but if you have a light meter that won’t be a problem anyways.

The lens lacks a dot on  it that would line up with the dot on the camera, so a little fidgiting was need, but I put a whiteout mark on the corner so I would only have to find it once.  Having tested out the sigma 8mm I found that the Pro-Optic, which not as sharp, avoided any vineyetting on the picture leading to less post processing (always a plus).  The lens has a really good depth and takes some very unique pictures, especially when within 3ft of the subject.

One of the downsides of the Pro-Optic 8mm is that it doesn’t allow for automatic bracketing, so for those pano’s your gonna need to do a little more calculations in your head (or on paper preferably).   Another minus for the lens, is that its night shots are not as crisp as its day shots.

Overall I found that for general shooting this lens is plenty sharp and will accomplish your goal, be it pano’s or 360 shots, effectively while at the same time allowing you to grow as a photographer by having to do more manual calculations.  Check out some photos below from my testing.

UPDATE 3-30-2010:  So since this is by far the most popular post on my site, I thought I’d provide an update on the lens and how much I like it.  I’ve been using this for about 6 weeks now and I must say that I haven’t changed my mind at all.  The lens is still very sharp, and after a few weeks of use, you get very quick with the manual settings.

You can view more shots taken with this lens on my Fisheye Flickr Gallery

Related posts:

1. Manfrotto 190XB Review

Taken on the Ponkapaug Trail hike, this little tree was all alone in the field.  Click the image to see the full size.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week: 8-28-09
2. Photo of the Week: 9-18-09
3. Photo Of the Week: 6-5-09

Last weekend I bravely decided to go for a winter hike in the cold January weather in the hills of the greater Boston area.  Blue Hills Reservation is a great spot that offers numerous trails of all different lengths and skill levels (if you’ve read any of my other post you know I’m quite fond of the spot).  On saturday, in the low 20° New England weather I thought I’d try a trail that was a little more flat since the ground was so frozen.  So, me, my trusty side-kick Erin, and my camera embarked on a small winter quest.  Ponkapoag Pond is located on the southern part of the reservation just south of RT 95 and is on a dead end street right off the highway, so you can’t miss it.  The first part of the trail in a 1/4 mile path that is fitted for vehicles and is actually just an access road to YMCA center and subsequently the trail itself.  The trail is 4 miles in total, but due to the cold, we only were prepared to do about half of that, which included our trek down the frozen boardwalk and eventually to the pond itself.  As we walked along, we passed several groups of people who were cross-country skiing as well as several snowhoers.  This would would be a great place to get som exercise and enjoy the outdoors as well.  As we ventured down the boardwalk trail, it was easy to see several meters into the brush since there were no leaves, but we weren’t fortunate enough to spot and winter woodland creatures on our journey.  We passed serveral clearings along the way that provided great shots of the marshy surroundings, and with the sun in the 2 o’clock spot (or 10 if your facing back) there lights provided great shadows.

At the end of the trail we came to what seemed like a huge clearing, only to realize it was actually the pond and it was frozen solid.  There were several people ice-fishing and several more cross-country skiing as well.  We figured it had to be safe enough to walk on, so we ventured out on the ice.  It was very convienent that the ice was covered in snow, as it made it very easy to walk on. 

There is something very peaceful about a frozen pond and the cruching of the snow under your boots.  It’s a very relaxing experience, assuming your warm enough to enjoy it.  While the glare off the vast snow-covered pond, made it hard to get a good exposure, the visual camera (the one in our head), always takes a perfect shot.

I highly recommend this as a nice way to get outdoors in the winter to remain sane, and given that it only took us 2.5 hours including traveling from Quincy and back its a nice way to spend the afternoon even when its 20° out.  Check out more photos from the hike here.

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1. World’s End Trail – Hingham, MA
2. Middlesex Fells: Rock Circuit
3. Photo of the Week: 2-12-09

Happy Holidays!  A Christmas themed Photo of the Week.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week: 8-7-2009
2. Photo of the Week: 7-23-2009
3. Photo of the Week 6-19-2009

Here is a little Xmas Spirit for the photo of the week.  Check out more of my photos.

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1. Photo of the Week 6-12-09
2. Photo of the Week 6-19-2009
3. Photo of the Week: 12-19-2009

Rockland ocean front

As the winter months approach in New England, I find myself desiring less day hikes and more multi day trips.  New Enland in the fall and winter is one of the most beautiful places I know, and as such, I feel compelled to travel to all over it to take in as much as I can.  This last weekend was my 25th birthday (or as my mother so nicely points out that I’m halfway to fifty) and I decided to take a 2day/1night trip to the beautiful coastal town of Rockland Maine.  Rockland is an old fishing town whose roots are planted as deep as the great forests that surround it, and whose citizenry is kind and welcoming to visitor and local alike.

For my birthday my girlfriend reserved us a room at the Old Granite Inn in downtown Rockland.  The Old Granite Inn is a classic Maine B&B with a modern and unique twist.  The building is an old Elks Lodge that was renovated into a B&B by owners Ed and Joan.  The inn is right at the far end of main street and provides unobstructed views of the harbor, pier and ocean beyond.  Upon entering we were greeted by the owners’ dog Zack, a friendly English Springer Spaniel whose laid back personality fits his owners.  The rooms here all have a bit of a modern zest that provides the feel of a luxory condo in the city, but the friendly and open atmostphere of the midcoast Maine region.

After checking in to the B&B, Erin and I ventured out into the heart of Rockland to explore what the town had to offer.  The main street in town, aptly named Main Street, is riddled with cute boutiques and quaint art gallories.  Each one seems more unique than the previous, and each one offers new treasures to uncover.  Main Street also has its fair share of restaurants for

Old Granite Inn

your dining delight, and all have an excellent array of fresh seafood choices.  But more on this later.

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the 7/8 mile long rock pier in the harbor of Rockland that leads to a lighthouse at the end.  The pier (pictured below) is a little outside of town, but juts into the harbor very noticbly from anywhere in town.  Its main purpose is as a breakwater for the boats in the harbor and also a lighthouse for incoming fisherman.  The lighthouse is open in the summer months, but when we were there it had already closed for the seaon.  Still there is something interesting about exploring abandoned buildings, even if seasonal.  From the deck of the lighthouse you are privy to extravagant views of the Maine coastline that might stretch as far as Bar Harbor on a clear day.  While the pier is very safe under most conditions, several locals told us that if the moon is right, and its been raining a lot they’ve been able to kayak across the pier covered in water.  But there is no worry of a flash flood overtaking it, so tread confidently.  The area around the pier is also a playground/sunbath for the local seal population, and even though it was mostly cloudy, we caught one lying on a rock a hundred meters or so away.

Back in town, it was getting close to dinner time, but we didn’t want to use our one meal on only one restaurant, so we decided to try a couple and break up the meal.  For pre-dinner drinks and appetizers we went to In Good Company, an old bank that had been converted into a 8 table dining experience.  The ceilings are high, the kitchen is inthe open (with only the head cook/owner making all the meals) and the wine cellar is the old vault.  The food is a mixture between a french bistro and European cafe.  The lighting is dim and romanitic, but still appropriate for a first date, and the menu is superb.  The food constantly changes, so there isn’t a worry about having tried the whole menu and the wine selection.  We ordered the proscuitto and provolone stuffed green peppers and the french baguette and cheese platter.   The former of the two went great with the South American wine we had, providing a perfect blend of spices, salts, and fruits.  The latter of the two was a

The Pier Lighthouse

fresh baguette from the bakery down the street and some freshly sliced cheddar and butter.   And if it doesn’t sound decadent enough, then the icing on the proverbial cakes is that the entire menu is all locally grown foods (with the exception of the wine).

After our taste explosion of a pre-dinner meal, we decided to try out the local tavern up the street that touted local beef burgers and Maine-made beer from Sebago Brewery.  When we got there the place was packed, which is always a good sign if the local eat there too, and we had to wait at the bar for a few minutes for a table to open up.  We ordered a couple of Sebago beers and observed the local scene in all its glory.   When we finally got seated, half a beer later, the service was friendly and welcoming.  I ordered the aforementioned burger and Erin ordered the fish n’chips.    Both were amazingly fresh and delicious, and Erin couldn’t stop raving that hers was “the best and most fresh fish n’chips she’d ever had”.  We ended the night with a few beverages at Bull Fenney’s where we got a chance to meet some interesting characters.  Now mind you it was the day before Halloween, but we ended up sitting next to a couple who had just gotten married and the entire wedding party had dressed as zombies.  It was one of the coolest things we’d seen in a while.

To summarize, Rockland is a great little coastal town that has some quaint and special places.  Its a great place to visit for romantic weekend away or just a fun getaway with friends.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week: 10-29-09
2. Ponkapoag Pond Walking Trail
3. Photo of the Week: 8-28-09

Well I am back after about a month long hiatus so without further delay here is the Photo of the Week for the last week in October.  Enjoy.

Boston from East Boston

Check out more photos on my Photo Site and on my Flickr

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Week: 8-28-09
2. Photo of the Week: 9-18-09
3. Photo of the Week 6-26-09