Category Archives: OUTSIDE FLORIDA

Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium – 11/23/24

December 3, 2024Tennesseeblack and white, building, concert, music, panorama, peopleEd Rosack

MK invited us to Nashville for Thanksgiving week. We’re huge fans of the Nashville TV show, so we made sure to arrive the weekend before so we could catch the Nashville Reunion Tour at the Ryman Auditorium. They’ve done this tour before, but this year there were only two dates: Atlanta and Nashville. Given the incredible choice of the historic Ryman venue, we couldn’t resist!

Note: the header Image is a shot from behind the control booth before the concert.

Ford Lounge

We splurged and upgraded our tickets to add the Ford VIP Lounge and we think it was well worth it. This comes with a dedicated and fast security line, a private lounge with included beverages and snacks, private bathrooms, in/out access, and a place to sit and visit before the show. The Lounge has memorabilia inside that we enjoyed having the chance to see. And before the show, we were able to use VIP level access on the balcony level to see more memorabilia.

The Ryman Auditorium has a long history and is an icon in Nashville. The first concert there was in 1892 and many famous acts have performed on its stage over the years.

A few previous Ryman performers

We had good seats close to the front (except for a column that partially blocked our view) and really enjoyed the proximity to the stage. While there isn’t a bad seat in the house, the seats themselves are the original wood pews. Next time we’d bring stadium cushions to make them more comfortable.

The Crowd

We all enjoyed watching the Nashville TV show. For those of you that aren’t big fans, here’s the characters played by this show’s performers:

Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne
Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor
Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott
Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley
Colin Linden was a musician / songwriter for the show and appears in many scenes. While Charles Esten sang his songs on the show, Colin played the guitar parts for the them.
And … the bartender in the Ford Lounge was an extra on the show!

Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Colin Linden

Charles Esten, Colin Linden

Sam Palladio, Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Colin Linden, & Jonathan Jackson

Autographed Nashville Reunion Tour Hatch Print (photo by MK Rosack, used with permission)

Another benefit of the VIP Ford Lounge is that we each received a limited-edition Hatch Show Print poster commemorating the Nashville Reunion Tour…. and they were autographed by all four performers! Hatch Show Print is another Nashville icon: “a working letterpress print shop since 1879, [Hatch Show Print] uses its vast collection of vintage type and hand-carved imagery to create timeless designs that express and commemorate America’s evolving cultural identity.”

North side view

The Ryman windows themselves are iconic. But despite rumors that they were a gift from country legend Johnny Cash to his wife and artist June Carter, they were actually added as a stylistic choice to the arches windows on the north side of the building in 1966. It’s hard to imagine the Ryman without them today! https://www.ryman.com/story/6-myths-and-misconceptions-about-the-ryman-debunked

The music / experience at the Ryman was amazing! We’re very grateful we went and we’d recommend a similar concert if you have the chance.

Photography: The Ryman Auditorium FAQ says “Professional cameras with detachable or telephoto lenses are prohibited.” so I relied on my iPhone 16 Pro Max for photos. With our close seats and its 5x telephoto lens, I think it worked very well.

We did many other things while we were at MK’s: Some movies / TV shows, eating too much very good food, shopping, touring the Vanderbilt campus, and lots of family time. Even some chores too! MK is a wonderful host! What a great trip!

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog! Stay positive, be kind, and take care of yourselves and each other. Visit with family. And if you have a chance, go listen to some live music – and make some photos!

Road Trip!

July 28, 2024Miscellanious, Ohio, OUTSIDE FLORIDA, TennesseeAntiques, black and white, Chattanooga, corn field, GIG, guitar, hay field, landscape, Nashville, panorama, Sauder Heritage Inn, Sauder Historic VillageEd Rosack

We just returned from a trip to Nashville Tennessee, Archbold Ohio and back. We spent 15 days on the road and saw family, friends, and many sights. I thought I’d offer you some photos along with a few words about our journey.

Chattanooga

We stopped in Chattanooga, TN and Kevin M. met us for lunch. Afterward, he offered to show us around Lookout Mountain (https://www.nps.gov/places/point-parklookoutmountain.htm). Lynn and I had heard of it but never been there.

Garrity’s Alabama Battery – Pointe Park on Lookout Mountain overlooking Chattanooga, elevation 2,392 feet

(More info: https://www.nps.gov/places/garritysbattery.htm?utm_source=place&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=experience_more&utm_content=large)

New York Peace Memorial – on Lookout Mountain

(More info: https://www.nps.gov/places/point-park-tour-stop-7-new-york-peace-monument.htm)

Header image: another view of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain.

Kevin also gave me a “new old” camera! It’s a Nikon D90 that I originally owned from 2008 – 2010 before I passed it on to him. It was his main camera for a while, but he no longer needs it and asked if I wanted it back. Yes! It’s still working and I plan to try it out (again) on my next photo outing. Thanks Kevin for the tour and the camera!!

Nashville

We stayed with MK in Nashville over the 4th of July. There was a lot of good food and some sightseeing too. She found a close by park with a view of the downtown skyline:

Nashville Skyline – from Love Circle Park, elevation 744 feet.

And after dinner one evening they dropped me off for a few minutes so I could make a few photos downtown:

Downtown Nashville, Broadway, near the river

We’d heard about the Gallery of Iconic Guitars (GIG: https://www.thegigatbelmont.com) and visiting it was one of the highlights of the trip. We got there early and had the place to ourselves!

Gallery of Iconic Guitars. The GIG at Belmont University in Nashville has dozens of historic instruments on display from a total of about 500 in the collection.

1887 Martin D-28. One of the oldest instruments on display at the GIG.

Ohio

Next, we headed up to Archbold Ohio. Although I didn’t make any photos there, one highlight on the drive was a stop at Sweetwater Music in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It’s quite a place and if you have any interest in music, you should visit if you get a chance.

We were in Archbold for the 2024 Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America (PITCA) convention. There was a lot of buying, selling, presentations, and visiting with friends and fellow collectors.

2024 PITCA Convention: All set up for the auction (photo by Lynn Rosack, used with permission)

The convention was held at the Sauder Heritage Inn (https://saudervillage.org/stay/sauder-heritage-inn) and we had a nice rural view right behind our hotel room.

By the corn field.

There were many, many corn fields and almost as many hay fields in the area.

Hay harvest. A field outside of Archbold, Ohio

We spent time one afternoon at the Sauder Historic Village: (https://saudervillage.org/explore/historic-village). It’s Ohio’s largest historic village and shows local life from 1803 to 1928.

Through the covered bridge

Wood shop 1

Wood shop 2

1920s Main Street 1

1920s Main Street 2

And back home…

We drove home from Ohio along I-75. It’s a scenic route, but there aren’t many places to pull over for a photo. This one spot a bit north east of Chattanooga was the only safe overlook that we found.

Overlooking Owl Hollow; Stitched panorama from 4 RAW format iPhone frames.

It was a very nice trip, although we spent way too many hours in the car. Family, friends, sightseeing, food, convention, and more. A great time!

You can click on these photos to see higher resolution versions on Flickr.

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Stay positive, be kind, and take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos on your road trip!

Mt. Blue Sky, Colorado (update)

June 30, 2024Coloradoblack and white, landscape, Marmot, Mount Blue Sky, mount evans, Mountain Goat, Summit Lake, wildlifeEd Rosack

A very special place! The last time I was there was way back in 2013, when it was still called Mt. Evans. I only discovered the name change a few weeks ago. While researching that, I also discovered some changes in how the area is managed, so I thought I’d publish an update. Here’s some info for your browsing pleasure on this highest paved road in North America:

Wikipedia article with general information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Blue_Sky
USDA Forest Service Page for the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area & Scenic Byway: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=28508
Colorado Department of Transportation Mount Blue Sky page: https://www.codot.gov/travel/colorado-byways/north-central/mount-evans
US Department of Interior notice of the name change: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/board-geographic-names-completes-renaming-mount-evans

I went through my archives and processed / reprocessed several images so I’d have some you haven’t seen for this post. This first photo is near the summit. The color version’s here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/34467852916/

Road narrows (Nikon D80, July 2007)

The road’s a bit scary to drive and requires concentration, but I haven’t seen any news of automobiles accidents up there. There are a few guard rails in places, but not on most of the road. Going down was worse for me than going up. White knuckles and relief when we were finally done with the switchbacks.

Marmots are common on the mountain. This one was enjoying some sunshine on the side of the road.

Mount Blue Sky Marmot (Nikon D80, July 2007)

You can catch lovely reflections and flowers at Summit Lake:

Summit Lake reflection (Nikon D80, July 2007)

Mountain Goats are also common up there and they’re used to people, so you can get some pretty good photos of these sure footed wild animals.

Two young mountain goats (Nikon 7000, July 2011)

I you decide to visit, please check the official websites for the latest information before you go. Reservations are required now and there’s construction planned that will block part or all of the road through 2025.

It’s a wonderful place – I need to go back! You can click on these photos to see larger versions on Flickr and you can view some of my other Mount Blue Sky photos in this folder: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157627010365829/

On a side note: Lynn and I are just about done with our move. The new place is getting organized and I hope to get back out photographing some time soon.

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Stay positive, be kind, and take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos!

A Biltmore Christmas

December 15, 2023North Carolina, OUTSIDE FLORIDAarchitecture, Asheville, Biltmore, Christmas, decoration, Great Smoky Mountains, house, santaEd Rosack

This Thanksgiving we decided to meet in Asheville with MK, Art and Michele for a long weekend. Located in North Carolina close to the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville views can be spectacular!

Looking toward the Great Smoky Mountains

However there were several wildfires in the area, including this one that MK hit on the Tennessee / North Carolina border on her drive east along I-40 from Nashville.

Heading into town (photo by MK, used with permission)

This changed our plans. We’d hoped to do some scenic drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but due to the wildfires we opted for other activities. We were also at the end of the fall foliage color. We saw a (very) few trees with some nice color, but if we’d gone a few weeks earlier, there would have been many more.

Our highlight of the long weekend was visiting Biltmore Estate. Started in the late 1880s by George Vanderbilt (brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of Vanderbilt University), this extravagant estate is elaborate by today’s standards – let alone the late 1800s!

The Biltmore House: an early morning view (before the crowds)

Complete with a pool, billiards room and bowling alley, it has all the modern features with the feel of Downton Abbey. Set aside time to walk room to room with the guided audio tour. If stairs are a challenge, there’s also a great film about the estate that you can watch in a room on the main floor.

Entrance hall decorations

Billiards Room

You can purchase tickets in advance (suggested at least a week ahead) and we chose the earliest ones available. Our 9:30 am entry time was the second tour of the day and it wasn’t crowded. But by the time we left in the early afternoon, the entire 8,000-acre estate was filled with visitors.

Also the Biltmore “house”: This giant gingerbread replica was on display in the kitchen

Parking is easy and there’s even a shuttle to get you to the estate. Save some time for after you visit the mansion. When you’re done, you’ll want to drive around and explore the beautiful grounds, gardens and winery – including driving straight through the main gates and past the iconic mansion.

>One of the Biltmore Christmas Lions that guard the entrance

The whole place was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. We highly recommend visiting this time of year to see all the lights, ornaments, trees, foliage, manger scenes, Santas, and gingerbread houses.

Library: Christmas by the fireplace

More Christmas by another fireplace

Festive grand banquet room

The Biltmore Estate allows non-flash photography, but prohibits video. I suppose they don’t want anyone competing with the Hallmark Channel’s “A Biltmore Christmas” movie! MK got some good photos with her cell phone, but I opted for a dedicated camera with a wide angle lens for interior shots – I used a 20mm focal length. And the light inside can be dim, so a wide aperture, higher ISOs, and some in camera stabilization will help. I made many of my photos at f/1.8 with ISOs at or above 500.

Nativity Scene

We did the Asheville Trolley Tour on another day, although it wasn’t our favorite. The pacing was slow and we thought the commentary should’ve included more info about the beauty of the architecture and quaint Asheville neighborhoods. You can purchase “hop on / hop off” tickets but take into account the time between shuttles so you can explore and not wait too long for the next one.

Around Asheville

We also enjoyed many marvelous meals. Our favorite was at Jettie Rae’s Oyster House – amazing service, laid back but elegant atmosphere, and delicious food and drinks. MK said the oysters were the best she’s had in the Southeast United States.

We’ll leave you with this final photo of Father Christmas. He seems pleased watching over all of us enjoying this fine start to the holiday season.

Father Christmas

If you’re interested, you can see higher res versions of these (and a few more) North Carolina photos in this album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72177720313134519/

Thanks MK for helping me write this post!

And thanks to everyone for stopping by and reading it. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. Enjoy your time with family and friends. And if you can, make some memories (and some photos!).

Nashville, TN

October 1, 2023OUTSIDE FLORIDA, Tennessee, Uncategorizedbirds, black and white, Blue Bird Cafe, blue hour, bridge, canada goose, John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, landscape, Love on a Leash, music, Narwhal, Nashville, panorama, people, Radnor Lake, reflection, wildlifeEd Rosack

We were able to spend some time with MK at her place last month. She’s a most excellent host and Nashville has a lot to see and do!

On our drive up, we stopped and had lunch with Kevin M. It was fun to catch up with him and hear about his recent expedition to Costa Rica. He saw 100+ life birds there! https://www.flickr.com/photos/44542650@N08/albums/72177720310091373. Unfortunately, we forgot to get a photo at lunch – but I did get some photos in Nashville.

All three of us have watched and enjoyed the Nashville series and it was fun when MK pointed out places around town that we’d seen on TV. The Blue Bird Cafe is featured prominently and she managed to get us tickets. The music was just as awesome in real life!

Blue Bird Cafe, Sept. 2nd 2023: In the round with Rob Harris, Jamie Rowe, Kim Parent, and Adam Wheeler

Nashville has some really great guitar stores. Both MK and Lynn were very understanding and let me indulge my guitar obsession. I’d been to Gruhn Guitars before, but the Gibson Garage was new for me. I’d never seen a guitar conveyor belt:

MK suggested a bit of exercise one morning so we walked around Radnor Lake Park.

Radnor Reflections 2

The header image is another view of the Lake. The full frame is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/53176547953/in/dateposted/

There were quite a few ducks and Canada Geese on the water. These swam in formation for me:

Canada Convoy

MK’s cat Narwhal is a certified therapy cat with Love on a Leash. He has a busy schedule and while we were there he volunteered at a Nashville area nursing home. He really seems to enjoy his work:

I’ve wanted to walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge across the Cumberland River, but hadn’t made it before this trip. MK and Lynn dropped me off in East Nashville and I walked across and met them on the other side. They report that there are plenty of rooftop bars to wait at. I found some photos while they were waiting:

Nashville’s John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge

The Gateway Bridge (also known as the ‘Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge’) is just south of the pedestrian bridge. I’m not sure if it’s alway lit up like this – it was pretty on that night:

Blue Hour on the Cumberland River

The view of the downtown waterfront is amazing:

Evening along the river

I think the buildings along the river look good in B&W. I like the Gateway Bridge reflection in the windows on the lower right:

Nashville Reflections

And finally, here’s what lower Broadway looks like as the country music starts to crank up in the Honky Tonks for the night:

Blue Hour on Broadway

Eating was also a highlight on the visit – both at some very nice restaurants and the meals that MK made at her place!

The only not so good part of our trip was testing positive with Covid when we got home. It was the first time either of us have had it but fortunately our vaccines were up to date and we got prescriptions for Paxlovid, so the symptoms weren’t too awful. They lasted for two solid weeks, but we’re better now thankfully.

You can see other photos I’ve collected from in and around Nashville in this folder on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157719274946967

Thanks for visiting my blog. Stay positive (and Covid negative!), be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, see some of Nashville!

Elkhart Lake and Road America

July 9, 2023Wisconsinauto race, black and white, Elkhart Lake, landscape, motorsports, Road AmericaEd

Whenever we visit Mike, Sara, and Cal in Wisconsin, Lynn and I find out about something new up there. This time it was the village of Elkhart Lake and the Road America race track.

Elkhart Lake is a resort town in northeast Wisconsin offering history, motor sports, outdoor recreation, and delicious food. Mike found a two night deal we could take advantage of at the beautiful Osthoff Resort and we all enjoyed our stay.

A very nice evening view from the Osthoff Resort Patio

We ate several great meals while we were there. One was yummy breakfast pastries and sandwiches at Off the Rail.

Off the Rail: Breakfast & Lunch, Baked Goods, Specialty Coffees

We spent some time in the park / playground across the street and I thought this mural was worth a photo:

A Love Letter from Mexico to Elkhart Lake: in downtown Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

The area has a long history of auto racing. They hosted open road sports car races starting in 1950 that led to the establishment of Road America in 1955.

Wisconsin Historical Society Sign in Elkhart Lake

I’ve been to and photographed auto racing before (here’s a blog post about the Daytona Speedway from 10+ years ago: https://edrosack.com/2013/02/17/daytona-international-speedway/). But I thought this venue is the best I’ve seen. The track is very spectator friendly. You can drive your own car and park at multiple good vantage points along the course with places to stand, sit, watch and photograph. The starting line is also open at times for close up views of cars and drivers, and the garage area was also open to fans on the day we were there. Pedestrians had to be careful and look out for race cars driving by on the way to the track! Here’s the view from the first place we stopped near turn 14:

Coming out of turn 14

We were at the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) Vintage Festival Weekend (https://www.roadamerica.com/svra-vintage-festival-weekend). It was interesting watching these older race cars still competing:

No. 1, GMT Racing, Travis

I enjoyed trying out my Sony A7R V camera to photograph motor sports for the first time. I was careful to balance my shutter speed so it was low enough to catch some blur in the wheels and background but high enough to keep the car itself sharp. Somewhere between 1/500 and 1/1000 seemed to work pretty well, depending on how fast they were moving. I wish I’d tried panning a bit more aggressively with an even slower shutter.

To focus, I used AI subject recognition, set the “Recognition Target” to “car / train” and it worked very well on these race cars. Except for the time when I accidentally turned it off before I handed the camera to Mike to try! Sorry Mike!

No. 7, Re/Max, F4

I also enjoyed seeing the Corvette race cars, especially the C6.R generation ones that I’m most familiar with. This GT1 car originally raced from 2005 to 2009.

No. 64, Compuware, GT1 Corvette

Here’s one last photo just after sunset over Elkhart Lake:

Dusk at Elkhart Lake

We love visiting our family in Wisconsin! It’s a gorgeous and varied state and discovering new things to see and do each time we go is a wonderful bonus!

Header image: “Starting line”; If you’re reading this on your phone, or want to view a larger version, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/52964301050/in/dateposted-public/.

P.S. In my previous post (https://edrosack.com/2023/06/04/found-flowers/) I asked if you could spot which photos weren’t made with phones. The answer: the header and the image of the poppies were made with a Sony A7R V. All the others were made with phone cameras.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, catch a race and make some photos!

Found Flowers

June 4, 2023OUTSIDE FLORIDAApple, Black-Eyed Susan, Easter Lilly Cactus, Flowers, pear, poppyEd Rosack

Lynn and I returned from visiting MK, Mike, Sara, and Cal last Sunday. It was easy to spot exuberant signs of Spring on our route. Today I thought I’d share some photos of pretty blossoms we saw along the way.

Up in Wisconsin, apple trees are blooming:

Apple Blossom Time

And the bees are busy:

Pollinating

I think this is a variety of pear tree. They’re busy blooming too:

Pear tree blossoms

At a rest stop in Kentucky, these Poppies were showing up on schedule just before Memorial Day:

Poppies

In Tennessee, MK’s cactus garden is flowering and looks pretty as a picture in the early morning light:

Easter Lily cactus (photo by MK Rosack, used with permission)

And Black-Eyed Susans in Georgia didn’t want to be left out:

Black-Eyed Susan

Most of these photos were made with iPhones and I’m very happy with how they turned out. Isn’t it handy to have such a good camera in your pocket? If you want to try a quiz, see if you can spot which ones weren’t made with phones.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. Enjoy Spring, and if you can, make some photos!

Stuck in the Archives

July 24, 2022California, Death Valley National Parklandscape, people, sun rays, travelEd Rosack

I have a lot of (too many?) images in my Lightroom Catalog. I like to look through them sometimes. It brings back memories of people and places I haven’t seen for a while. It’s easy to lose track of time doing this. And if I run across a promising image that I’ve never processed or published before, I can end up spending even more time “stuck in the archives”.

This one’s from a trip to Death Valley National Park with three good friends in October, 2015. I made the photo on Zabriskie Point in the late afternoon while waiting for sunset.

There’s a bit of water / mud in the riverbed, left over from a rain storm several days earlier. And there’s a group of hikers on a ridge on the right hand side. If you’re viewing this on the web, you’ll be able to see the header image, which is a small crop showing the hikers.

Late afternoon at Zabriskie Point (75mm, f/8 @ 1/80s, ISO 100).

When I went through my photos after the trip, I passed over this one. The sun’s position just out of the frame on the top made the light very harsh. The RAW image was washed out, the riverbed was over exposed, and the terrain was a bit underexposed. There were also a few ugly lens flare spots through the middle of the frame. I can see why I didn’t bother with it back then.

Anyway, I decided to try and process it and spent some time applying various quantities of modern software magic to it. I like the result and I think it was worth getting stuck in the archives for this photo. I’m really glad I saved the file!

You can click on the image to see a much higher res version on Flickr. Here’s a link to an album of Death Valley photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157657912609623/with/22532693432/. And here’s a link to posts on the blog about Death Valley: https://edrosack.com/category/photo-ops-outside-florida/death-valley-national-park/.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, finish making your photos!

2009 Photo with 2022 Software

June 19, 2022Cameras and Photography, ColoradoGarden of the Gods, landscapeEd Rosack

The D90 camera was announced by Nikon in August 2008. I had one with me on a trip to Colorado in 2009 when we stopped by the Garden of the Gods city park in Colorado Springs. It’s a stunning place , especially for someone used to Florida Landscapes.

The sun was nicely positioned behind this rock formation but it made the light extremely harsh. I used a four frame exposure bracket to try to capture the dynamic range in the scene. When I got home I worked on the image but could never get a color version I liked. I ended up converting it to monochrome for this blog post.

Anyway, I saw it while browsing through my Lightroom catalog and decided to try again. I started from the RAW source files and used the experience I’ve gained since then along with the capability we now have available in recent software. This was the result:

A red rock spire in front of the sun and cloudless sky

Lightroom’s enhanced detail RAW conversion, merge to HDR, and sky selection masks were especially handy along with the better adjustments available with Adobe’s latest process version software. I also ran it through Topaz AI sharpen as a final step.

I like this 2022 version better than the 2009 one. Once again, I’m glad I save my RAW source files. Back then, it would have been hard to imagine the software we have today. Do you have any older images that you’re not completely happy with? Maybe it’s a good time to dig them out and try again with new software.

Also: Happy Fathers Day to every dad out there! There’s nothing as precious as your love, as important as your advice and support, and as educational as the examples you set.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can – when you make photos, save your RAW files!

So long IR, and thanks for all the memories

February 20, 2022Cameras and Photography, Infrared processing, INSIDE FLORIDA, Maineblack and white, infrared, landscapeEd Rosack

I’ve been interested in infrared photography for a long time. I first attempted it sometime in the 1980s using black and white IR film. The results weren’t very good. Focus and exposure using IR film was a challenge back in ancient times.

One of my first digital cameras was a Minolta DiMage 7Hi and in 2003 I tried again with an IR filter on the lens of the unmodified camera. The dense filter required long exposures on a tripod even in daylight. I hadn’t mastered RAW file processing and was using jpg format which didn’t help. But results were better than 1980s film!

2003: An Oak tree, Oviedo FL – B&W 49 IR filter on an unmodified Minolta DiMage 7H camera, 4 sec @ f/8 ISO 200

In 2011 I started researching IR modified cameras and ended up sending my Olympus E-PL1 off to have its IR blocking filter replaced with one that passed IR light and blocked normal visible light. That was a big step forward. Focusing just worked and exposures were similar to those on an unmodified camera. I made the image below from a small boat and it would’ve been very difficult with a dense filter and 4 second exposure!

2012: Blue Cypress Lake, Fellsmere FL – IR modified Olympus E-PL1, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6 ISO 100

In 2013, I traded up to an IR modified Olympus E-PL5 to take advantage of the lower noise and additional resolution.

2014: A calm day on Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine – IR modified Olympus E-PL5, 1/200 sec @ f/5.6 ISO 200

Then in 2017 I bought a second hand IR modified Olympus E-M5 MII and sold the E-PL5. The E-M5 MII was a bit better and had a hi-res mode which I used frequently.

2019: Wetlands view, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge – IR modified Olympus E-M5 MII, 1/1600 sec @ f/3.5 ISO 200

In late 2021, I decided to sell the E-M5 MII. I hadn’t been using it much. Packing the extra camera, lenses, batteries, chargers, etc. was a hassle. And remembering how to use another camera system isn’t easy when you don’t use it very often. Now, if I want to do any B&W photography I have to use one of my non-IR cameras.

2022: Along the shore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge – unmodified Fuji X100V, 1/140 sec @ f/8 ISO 160

For all except the first, I started with the original RAW file and processed them with my 2022 current work flow and software. You can click on the last four to see higher res versions on Flickr. And I’ve collected many IR photos in this album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157628062119778

It has been a long journey with infrared. Am I done with it? It seems so, but who knows? Not me!

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Your visits, comments, and likes are always very welcome and a big motivator for me. Be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos – you’ll cherish the memories!

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.