Scott's Fifth Post

"Nikki decided she wanted to tour the countryside a bit, so it off to
Letchworth State Park. Here the Genesee River flows north towards
Rochester, cutting a lovely 600 feet deep gorge with several major
waterfalls.

Nikki's first view of the gorge is from Inspiration Point of the
Middle Falls. Upper Falls can be seen in the distance at the base of
the railroad bridge. This bridge is over a hundred years old and
modern freight trains still use it today, at very slow speeds. 


 Taken with Nikki.

 Nikki enjoying the view. Taken with 50mm 1.4.

Nikki at Middle Falls. Taken with 20mm 3.5.

 Middle Falls. Taken with Nikki.

 Middle Falls detail. Taken with Nikki.

 Middle Falls detail. Taken with Nikki.

Scott's Fourth Post

“The Erie Canal stretches across Upstate and Western New York, passing
through the Rochester area. It was constructed in the 1830’s and was
one of the earliest transportation links between the east coast and
the interior of the country. It was soon surpassed by the
construction of railroads but its existence continues today as the
waterway for pleasure craft to transit from the Great Lakes to the
eastern seaboard. It was reconstructed in 1912 by widening and
deepening the canal, and providing all new locks and infrastructure.
More recently the towpath along it has been converted into a bike
path, a great place to take a ride. All images are taken with Nikki.

Scott's Third Post

“Cobblestone structures are a unique style of stone masonry in Western New York. About 700 of these structures were constructed in the 1800’s using this masonry style, all within a 60 to 70 mile radius of Rochester. Very few were constructed anywhere else. One of the major reasons that they are so prominent in this area is the abundance of glacial stones (cobbles). These stones are littered throughout the area along the and near the shore of Lake Ontario. An abundance of these cobbles were turned up as farm fields were developed in the region. Cobblestone masonry was popular from the 1830’s till late in that century. Each mason had their own distinctive style, carefully selecting the size, shape, and colors. Seldom are any two of these building alike. All images are taken with Nikki.

Scott's Second Post

"Rochester's economy was driven by Eastman Kodak for decades. Not to
be "negative" :) , but in recent years that glory has faded. So Nikki
decided that she wanted to see a bit of her heritage while in town. So
it was off to the George Eastman House and International Museum of
Photography. The home was George Eastman's, and the museum now
includes the main house and gardens, as well as a modern gallery
addition to the rear. A wonderful place to spend a day.

The main entrance to the George Eastman House. Nikki suns herself on
the railing. Taken with the 20mm F3.5.

The main entrance to the George Eastman House. Nikki suns herself on
the railing. Taken with the 20mm f3.5.

 Nikki eyes the first camera made by Nikon.

 The Kodak Brownie.

 Photo of Mr Eastman.

 The Great Room. Taken with the 20mm f3.5

 Ceiling plaster work detail.

 The exterior gardens.

Scott's First Post

"Since starting her journey "down under", Nikki has traveled half way around the world, visited many locals, and has seen images that most of us can only dream of. Crossing the Atlantic on the most recent leg of her journey, she flew right over New York City. Bypassing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State building, Times Square, and Broadway, she landed in the western part of the state in a place named Rochester. Where do you say? Her first night in town, she went for a walk around this upstate city to see what this place is all about.

 

 

The Genesee River cuts through the middle of downtown.

 

 

 

The wings of the Times Square building reach skyward. 

 

 A 21 foot tall statue of Mercury graces the skyline. 

 

 A second look at Mercury.

 

 

Another city skyline landmark and once dominant player in the local economy. 

 

 

Don's Fourth Post

I took Nikki to Padova this morning. She’s too long (in focal length, that is) for architecture shots, so I decided to do a little street shooting. Most of the streets in the historical section of Padova are lined by portici (arcades) and there are many wonderful opportunities for shots with superb light and shadow. Being exquisitely sharp and fast to manually focus, Nikki excels in this environment. These are the shots I like best so far.

 

 

Don's Third Post

This afternoon I took Nikki to the Villa Almerico Capra, better known as “La Rotonda,” which was designed by Andrea Palladio in 1567 and is one of the master’s best known works. Fortunately, the villa is situated on a large tract of land otherwise, with Nikki’s short telephoto local length, I wouldn’t have been able to get the whole villa into the frame. Nikki does a far better job at architectural details and luckily the La Rotonda is adorned with numerous statues. While I was at the villa, I also happened to meet an aspiring model and her very much older Italian photographer. They were there for a “photo shoot...so I took a few shots of her as well!

Don's Second Post

Even though I live in the Province of Padova, I'm only a 10 minute drive from downtown Vicenza, and for that reason I consider myself a "Vicentino" rather than a "Padovano." As you probably know, Vicenza is the hometown of Andrea Palladio, the "Father of Modern Architecture," and is a jewel filled with dozens and dozens of fabulous public buildings and palaces dating from the 15th century. As a warm-up for this weekend, I decided to take Nikki to Vicenza this morning. My intention was to take photos of some of these fabulous architectural jewels, and I did in fact do so. But when I got home, I decided I didn’t really like any of the shots…so I’m posting a couple of the “non-architectural” shots I took instead. I’m sorry! :(

 

 

Don's First Post

Although of a certain age (40 or so years, but, of course, it’s not polite to mention a woman’s age), Nikki performs extraordinarily well on the latest Nikkor digital cameras. The only problem I notice so far is that even though I set the non CPU lens data at f/1.8, my camera (a D3s) registers Nikki wide open at f/2. From the “real” f/2 and on, however, f-stops are registered correctly. It’s probably just a problem with the linkage in the aperture (or whatever...I’m not very technical). Nikki is quick to focus in good light, but I did have a few minor problems when it got dark. Probably due to the operator’s headspace and timing and lack of practice. So here are several shots from Venice. I even included some taken during daylight!