Thanks for a great Photowalk

I want to thank everyone who joined me on the Photowalk for the Walkway over the Hudson. We all made it through the blazing heat and no breeze. Good thing we started early, and Mahoney's had the air conditioning cranked.

Here is the group shot.

I have posted some images on the Flickr group site. Click here to view.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2010photowalk-walkwayoverthehudson-pok-ny/

Please be sure to join the group (request an invitation) and post the image you want to submit through the Kelby Worldwide Photowalk website for me to consider for the best of the group. The winner gets a new Scott Kelby book, either Lightroom 3 or Photoshop CS5 for Digital Photographers.

Bill Bogle, Jr.

Photowalk on the Walkway Tomorrow!

FELLOW PHOTOWALKERS

It is less than 24 hours away. We meet up at the Poughkeepsie Train Station at 9:00 AM (NOTE THIS IS A REVISED TIME). We will meet near the Elevator at the Parking Garage. Just look for people with lots of cameras. I will have on my Leader T-shirt, and a big green Tilley Hat. We will see if we can car pool up to the Walkway Parking Lot or Pulaski Pool. The Walkway lot now charges $5.00 per car for 4 hours, and there are 80 spots there, so car pooling makes sense. The Walkway is 1.25 miles long, so if we car pool, we will have more time on the Walkway and be less tired. I will go over safety and other issues, and then we will be off! Plan to meet back at the parking area (if we all park there) about 12:00, and we can make our way back to Mahoney's, where we have told them about 12:30. If people want to go to Mt. Carmel area for more walking we can see if we do that before or after lunch. Please e-mail me at Bill@Boglephoto.com to confirm attendance and so I can send you further updates. I will bring a handout. We should have between 15 to 20 people, unless we get more sign ups today, which should be a nice number. I am really looking forward to meeting you.

Bill Bogle, Jr.

What to bring (or not to bring) to the Photowalk

I did a Photowalk in New York City and we walked a good deal across the Village. This got me thinking about the upcoming Walkway over the Hudson Photowalk. The walk will not be about instruction, but some tips here might help you have a great time shooting.

It looks like it is going to be very hot. So first thing, a water bottle, with ice if possible. A good pair of shoes, either sneakers, hiking shoes or the like. It is really flat so no climbing is required. Light colored clothes help. A hat that covers the neck and ears is helpful. I have a Tilley hat that has a big brim, and I like it as I bring the camera up to shoot the brim folds out of the way.Sunscreen, and a power bar are great, and a small towel. It can be used to keep you dry or if wet, it can cool you down. An extra memory card is a must, and a back up battery is great. You don't want to run out of space when you want the shot.

Pack light. A fanny pack or belt pack can distribute the load well. A shoulder bag or a back pack can get heavy and clumsy to access. Don't bring too much. A wide angle lens is great, and a long lens might help, but don't over do it. Too much equipment will be too heavy. (I violate this rule regularly). You can bring a tripod, but the railing of the walkway is chest high, so any tripod will probably not get above the railing. Tripods block traffic and you can get bumped if you are not looking at traffic. If you bring a bag, you will need a place to put it down while you photograph. It is extremely important to be careful on the Walkway. Don't drop a lens cap, kick your bag over, or drop anything off the walkway. It is busy up there. Simplier is better, where you can stroll and shoot without having to change lenses.

Clean your sensors, lenses and filters before you go on Saturday. Make sure your battery is charged.

I am going to bring a light tripod and a panoramic head for cameras to shoot panoramics. If I can fit your camera you can try it out.

I also will try to bring a laptop and card reader so we can download images if you want at Mahoneys. It is completely optional, as you can post to the group Flickr site for your best shots.

E-mail me at Bill@Boglephoto.com with any questions. Thanks.

Photowalk on the Walkway over the Hudson is less than ten days away

The Photowalk on the Walkway over the Hudson is less than ten days away. It is on Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 10:00 AM, meeting at the Poughkeepsie Train Station near the parking deck elevator. We will see how we look to get to the Walkway either by walking or car pools (it is about a mile).

Remember to bring sunscreen, water, memory cards, have a charged battery (and a spare if possible), a hat, and good walking shoes.

We have room for more. Please tell your friends. I hope to have something run in the Poughkeepsie Journal about this as well.

Click this link to sign up.

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/poughkeepsie-ny-united-states/#

For more information, and check out my prior blog posts as well. I will do an e-mail to all registered participants as we get closer.

See you there.

Bill Bogle, Jr.

What is a PhotoWalk?

Many people wonder what makes up a Photo Walk. Jeff Revell has been doing this for years, and was the launching pad for Scott Kelby to start his annual Photowalk. See this link. http://www.revellphotography.com/blog/2008/02/a-guide-to-photowalking/  Here is a Guest Blog that Jeff did before the first Kelby Photowalk. http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1753.

A Photowalk is basically a gathering of people interested in photography, to take a similar subject and be with each other for a period of time. It could be at a zoo, around a town or city, or a specific area. The subject often is less important than the gathering. When I shot years ago with a camera club, we would go on a field trip somewhere where we would meet up, and shoot. Once we got there there often we would go off in different directions, and we would always come back with different pictures. Each person sees things differently, so even though you are together, it does not mean you get the same images.

I took part in the First Photowalk in Greenwich Village, NYC. My daughter and I joined 48 other people, on the Literary Pub Crawl that that Shawn King lead. We had a great tim learning about the Village, and coming back with some interesting pictures. Here is a link to my Flickr site for images I posted of the walk. http://www.flickr.com/photos/boglephoto/sets/72157610984663846/ I like the picture of all of us walking down an alley to get shots.

Often it is easier to describe something on what it is not. It is not a photography lesson, workshop, or instruction. You can ask other people for help, but no one is going to drone on about the inverse square law of the flash, or which f stop is better. It is meant to meander and experiment. Clearly it is not the Disney "Photo Opportunity" tour, where each person stands in one spot and takes the same picture. Walk, stroll, look, and then shoot, or put it on High Speed Continous and take everything. You can bring film, but then we can't see it afterwards. It is not just for professionals or serious amateurs. Got a camera, come and walk. Some people only take one or two images, some fill cards. It is completely up to you. Do you have to finish it? No, but it would be nice. If you get tired, stop, and you can leave.

We will gather afterwards for some food and drink, with each person paying their own tab. Mahoney's is near the train station, so you don't even need a car. They have a decent menu, and lots to drink. At that time, with the beauty of digital photography, we can share some images of what we think we got. The back of the camera is not the same as a finished print, but it will give you a starting point. Then people will upload photos to the Flickr site, and I will choose one of those photos to be the winner of a new Scott Kelby book - either Photoshop CS5 for Digital Photographers, or Lightroom 3 for Digital Photographers. This is a great opportunity to spend some time with people who think like you, and are your "Camera Buddies."

This can grow. We can Tweet about our walk as it is going on on Twitter, and this can even be a Tweet up. Come join us on the Walkway over the Hudson, for a great time. Bring good walking shoes or sneakers, sunscreen, a hat, and some water. If the weather gets bad, we will postpone, but I will be in touch with everyone. Let's have a great time. Check my older posts out for more information about the walkway.

Bill

E-mail me at Bill@Boglephoto.com
www.BoglePhoto.com

Pictures of the Walkway before construction

I was one of the many that Fred Schaeffer brought up to the Walkway before the construction. At that time, you had to approach from the Highland side, and you could only get out to the second pier in the Hudson. The walkway was over the old railroad tracks and ties, and you could see straight down to the land and the water.

It was a bit more interesting to traverse, as the metal grates were secured by tie downs, and the railings were original, or non-existent.

 It gave you a very shaky feel initially, but you acclimated to it. The views down of the bridge infrastructure were quite interesting. Almost everyone who went up there agreed in the vision of what it could become, and has become.

The concrete slabs and railings give you the feel of a long road, rather than perched up on top of the bridge. Unlike the Mid Hudson Bridge, there is no rumble or shake from the cars or trucks as they go by.

Remember, sign up for the Photowalk now. It is less than a month away.

A big wish is that the Poughkeepsie Regatta gets reinvigorated. It would be a great vantage point to view the race. We were along the Merrimac River last weekend, and the number of people, young and old, in clubs racing on the river was great. Let's support a new race, and develop boathouse row in Poughkeepsie.