Small Town America, El Reno, Oklahoma

I recently got a weekend away to visit my parents in Oklahoma. Here's a little photographic story of my visit.
 

Family, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso 160, f5.6, 1/15 sec, bounced fill flash (Nissin Di466)

 
My mom and stepfather live in El Reno, Oklahoma, just West of Oklahoma City, along historic Route 66, and modern Interstate 40, which rendered it a sidenote, as far as the commuters are concerned. My parents home is a beautiful, relaxing place, thanks to all they've done to bring it up to date.
 
Mom's garden is a major attraction. I spent a little time photographing it while I was there.
 

 

Garden Path In, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/40 sec

I made it a point to bring along a legacy lens with me, in this case my trusty Nikon Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS lens and adapter. With an equivalent field of view of a 56mm on full-frame 35mm format, it makes quite a nice normal lens. I still love the feel of manual focus. It makes me feel more involved in making the image.

Bonjour, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f2.8, 1/125 sec

Summer Bloom, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit

iso 160, f5.6, 1/13 sec

Relax, Angel, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit

iso 160, f5.6, 1/20 sec

The Path Out, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/500 sec

After exploring the garden, I took the short walk up town with my Nikkor attached. As I mentioned, El Reno is situated on historic Route 66. I always find the signs here interesting; they give a clue to what life is like in a small town.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/1250 sec

El Reno Bricks, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/250 sec

150 Years of History With The Railroad, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/1200 sec

The most sublime moment on my walk was when these pigeons approached from overhead. I can almost hear them when I look at this:

The Flock Approaches, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS Manual Focus with Adapter

iso 160, f-stop not recorded, 1/500 sec

 

 
Back at home, my parents had one more photographic assignment for me - they had dressed the dogs ("Two" and "Squirt") for a different family portrait.

Two and Squirt, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso 160, f2, 1/60 sec, bounced flash (Nissin Di466)

I know they look relaxed, like they sit that way all the time. It's a good thing I'm a still photographer. They were not totally cooperative, with Two trying to eat Squirt's necklace, and so on. Moving the promised treats behind the photographer helped to focus them in my direction.

Sometimes it's nice to just kick back and relax. I normally like to keep myself very busy, but time with family like this is therapeutic. I hope that my images helped to communicate the peace and quiet of a small town weekend.

Note: since my computer is in rehab from a virus attack, all of the images above are direct from the camera, with no additional adjustments, sharpening, etc.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Swing, Baby

She was trained well. Forced to attend swing dances at least weekly as long as she could remember, Anna knew the steps long before she knew fractions or decimals. True, she did take to it in her preteen years, but at seventeen, that was beginning to fade, especially since mom and dad were starting to slow down.

Mark was looking for something different. Tired of video games, facebook, and partying, he found an event that sounded different for sure - swing dancing at Union Hall. Probably a bunch of grayhairs square dancing, but what the heck? It had to be better than cruising the same old streets.

As soon as he entered the dimly lit hall, he saw her. Standing clumsily against the wall, he did his best to blend in, while really hoping that she would notice him. As she turned in step with her aged dance partner, she saw him. Finally someone her age to dance with! True, he was stiff, completely untrained, but he did have rhythm. And he looked nice. This would be the first of many swinging nights for Anna and Mark.

Swing, Baby

Swing, Baby, a set on Flickr.

New fun little set of images of swing dancers' legs posted! I took these at a concert of the Eric Felten Orchestra, with Nellie McKay, at the Kennedy Center on November 25, 2011.

Prints available for purchase at creativeobjective.com!

Reed

Creative Objective teams up with Becky's Fund to eliminate domestic violence!

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Becky's Fund

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Civil War - Capt. Thomas R. Sharp, Great Train Raid, May 23, 1861

Civil War - Capt. Thomas R. Sharp, Great Train Raid, May 23, 1861, a set on Flickr.

I've added some photos of a reenactor representing Confederate Capt. Thomas R. Sharp, who presented an intriquing story about Stonewall Jackson's appropriation of train locomotives, cars, tools, and track from the B&O Railroad during the civil war. The event was held at the historic Mount Zion Church in Aldie, VA.

Leica Street Workshop - Nov 5, 2011, DC

Leica Street Workshop - Nov 5, 2011, DC, a set on Flickr.

I attended a Leica Street Photography workshop on Saturday.

These are my favorite images from the day.

Lanterns at Sunrise P1140237_HDR.jpg

Lanterns at Sunrise P1140237_HDR.jpg, a photo by reed_flickr (www.creativeobjective.com) on Flickr.

Scene of lanterns still lit at sunrise, Hachimangu Shrine, Tokyo, Japan.

Fujisan from Lake Ashiko P1130824_HDR.jpg

Fujisan from Lake Ashiko P1130824_HDR.jpg, a photo by reed_flickr (www.creativeobjective.com) on Flickr.

This shot of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashiko is a special one for me. After coming here many times, I was finally able to see Mount Fuji. A few hours later, it was raining, and the mountain was completely obscured by clouds.