FundyBrian’s Explorations

I understand a west coast THOW is in your future. How’s that going?
I’m working with a builder in Colorado. Just ordered a 3D rendering so will be excited to see that. Then we’ll sign contracts around November... and I’ll have the finished THOW Feb/March. Can’t believe it’s all happening!
 
I’m working with a builder in Colorado. Just ordered a 3D rendering so will be excited to see that. Then we’ll sign contracts around November... and I’ll have the finished THOW Feb/March. Can’t believe it’s all happening!
Wow! That sounds great! A cross-country move, too. Fortunately MobiTog is no further no matter where you are.
 
I’ll have to adjust my mental map to indicate your new location. I find that as I read posts in MobiTog or think about a particular person I feel/sense/imagine their general global location on my mental map (in relation to where I am), assuming I know more or less where they are. I also think about their location in relation to time zones from where I am so at a certain time of day I imagine that these people are just getting up while those others are at the end of their day.
It’s interesting when people in very different locations are conversing on MobiTog and I ping-pong across the globe to each person’s location with each new post.
One of my neighbours was recently on a trip to Alaska and then on a cruise ship down to Vancouver. Another couple I know have just gone on holiday around Glastonbury in England. While another couple have been on a road trip for 3 months in their camper van. These people are represented as moving dots on my map.
 
I’ll have to adjust my mental map to indicate your new location. I find that as I read posts in MobiTog or think about a particular person I feel/sense/imagine their general global location on my mental map (in relation to where I am), assuming I know more or less where they are. I also think about their location in relation to time zones from where I am so at a certain time of day I imagine that these people are just getting up while those others are at the end of their day.
It’s interesting when people in very different locations are conversing on MobiTog and I ping-pong across the globe to each person’s location with each new post.
One of my neighbours was recently on a trip to Alaska and then on a cruise ship down to Vancouver. Another couple I know have just gone on holiday around Glastonbury in England. While another couple have been on a road trip for 3 months in their camper van. These people are represented as moving dots on my map.
I wish I could keep that in my head. I have to dash off to my clock settings to compare time zones and google countries to remind myself where they are in relationship to me. I should create a world map with pins for everyone’s location. I find this really interesting, especially when folks talk about the weather or sunrise-sunset times.
 
I wish I could keep that in my head. I have to dash off to my clock settings to compare time zones and google countries to remind myself where they are in relationship to me. I should create a world map with pins for everyone’s location. I find this really interesting, especially when folks talk about the weather or sunrise-sunset times.
Time Stamp is what made me more aware of time zones and how some people had already completed their 2pm photos before I got out of bed in the morning. I could visualize the earth rotating with sunrise sweeping across the earth’s surface, time zone by time zone.

This is also useful as I visualize people progressively waking up across North America and increasingly clogging up internet traffic.
 
I went to my favourite area to photograph mushrooms but it has been so dry that I could hardly find any and most were in poor shape.
I just found this fairly plain one.
79BDB215-EFB9-4DAC-B672-66B006B14CB2.jpeg

I made a focus stack set of 20 RAW images in CameraPixels and developed it in Affinity Photo. Using the standard wide angle lens.
I know that without focus stacking I could not even get the stem and edge of the cap in focus at the same time.
 
Wow, it’s a pretty awesome tripod. The problem for me is that postage on something like this is usually another £50!
That’s quite a bite. However, in the original KickStarter pledge area they seem to have been offering very reasonable world-wide shipping. $10 for my order. As I understand it, large batches of the tripods will be shipped to different distribution points around the world and from there shipped to customers in those regions, to reduce individual shipping costs.

And yes, it is a very sensible evolution of the tripod. Anyone who has ever worked with tripods will immediately recognize the genius in the design work in overcoming several typical annoyances. I suspect that is why this particular project had such record breaking support.
I have several tripods, including a very nice carbon fibre compact travel size model, but in the Peak Design tripod I recognize a quantum leap. I hope it triggers a new wave of sensible tripods.

People still like to imagine their photos can be as good without a tripod but this is fantasy. So until the self-stabilizing anti-gravity mid-air floating camera is invented, the tripod is still an essential piece of gear. OK, tripods are not as useful during skydiving or white-water rafting, etc.

Of course everyone wants a tripod that will weigh nothing, not have to be carried but will magically appear when needed, set itself up, be completely immune to being blown over by any gale, not vibrate no matter how clumsily it is handled during photography, and always be at the right height and position no matter what the terrain, even as the subject moves between shots. And be useful as a weapon to fight off grizzly bears or velociraptors.
 
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That’s quite a bite. However, in the original KickStarter pledge area they seem to have been offering very reasonable world-wide shipping. $10 for my order. As I understand it, large batches of the tripods will be shipped to different distribution points around the world and from there shipped to customers in those regions, to reduce individual shipping costs.

And yes, it is a very sensible evolution of the tripod. Anyone who has ever worked with tripods will immediately recognize the genius in the design work in overcoming several typical annoyances. I suspect that is why this particular project had such record breaking support.
I have several tripods, including a very nice carbon fibre compact travel size model, but in the Peak Design tripod I recognize a quantum leap. I hope it triggers a new wave of sensible tripods.

People still like to imagine their photos can be as good without a tripod but this is fantasy. So until the self-stabilizing anti-gravity mid-air floating camera is invented, the tripod is still an essential piece of gear. OK, tripods are not as useful during skydiving or white-water rafting, etc.

Of course everyone wants a tripod that will weigh nothing, not have to be carried but will magically appear when needed, set itself up, be completely immune to being blown over by any gale, not vibrate no matter how clumsily it is handled during photography, and always be at the right height and position no matter what the terrain, even as the subject moves between shots. And be useful as a weapon to fight off grizzly bears or velociraptors.
So an additional £58 gets added for UK taxes. I’ve been looking for a tripod just like this especially as it looks like it would work well for macro photography but it’s about £350 after add-ons and that’s not even the carbon fibre one. Can’t justify that. Maybe once it’s released and I know someone going to the US but think I have to just be happy with a less efficient one. I so often take a monopod with me on holiday and end up never using it but I do think it’s about time I did.
 
So an additional £58 gets added for UK taxes. I’ve been looking for a tripod just like this especially as it looks like it would work well for macro photography but it’s about £350 after add-ons and that’s not even the carbon fibre one. Can’t justify that. Maybe once it’s released and I know someone going to the US but think I have to just be happy with a less efficient one. I so often take a monopod with me on holiday and end up never using it but I do think it’s about time I did.
My existing compact carbon fibre tripod was about $350 CDN. It is perfect for iPhone work. It folds up so that it can fit into a carry-on bag. It has a nice ball head with a quick-release plate. One leg unscrews to become a monopod, which I never use. Theoretically a monopod is good for tele work when you’re moving around a lot. But it really isn’t steady enough for long exposure photos. The iPhone doesn’t really have enough telephoto, even with the Moment Tele, to benefit much from a monopod.
 
In early summer/late spring I came across a photo situation I wanted to photograph, except at sunrise. The complicating factor is that it must also be low tide. If it isn’t low tide I can’t get anywhere close because its all underwater. This only happens about once a month. On two previous occasions I made the pre-sunrise trek to my location but the sky was too overcast and never cleared enough to get a useful photo. Today I went again. Up at 5:15 and off without breakfast. About a 1.6km walk in the near dark in rubber boots through the mud and water.
This time the sky was so clear, not a cloud in sight, that there was nothing for the sunrise to illuminate. There was some pre-dawn colour and then it faded as sunrise approached. Then the sun came up and it was all over. I’ll keep trying because I think the situation could be great.
The gravel bar I’m standing on wasn’t there last year and I could only get to this spot by kayak.

This is what I got this morning.
5D6BF600-8BF0-47C1-8E58-8C3A812F719B.jpeg

PureShot.
 
Sunrise at Owl’s Head 360
Follow this link to see the interactive 360 panorama.
This gravel bar is fairly new. Not there last year.
The gravel bar is now at least 2.5 metres high, about 1/3 km long, around Joel’s Head running towards Owl’s Head, getting closest to shore near Flat Brook. Hundreds of tons of gravel washed up here from somewhere. Wide and flat enough on top and solid enough for a dump truck to drive on. It traps a large pool of shallow water as the tide goes out. Only visible at low tide.
 
My existing compact carbon fibre tripod was about $350 CDN. It is perfect for iPhone work. It folds up so that it can fit into a carry-on bag. It has a nice ball head with a quick-release plate. One leg unscrews to become a monopod, which I never use. Theoretically a monopod is good for tele work when you’re moving around a lot. But it really isn’t steady enough for long exposure photos. The iPhone doesn’t really have enough telephoto, even with the Moment Tele, to benefit much from a monopod.
I’ve been using a monopod for macros when I’m trying to get insects. I get the iphone at about the right height and then lean in to the insect and adjust the ball head. Of course it only works with insects that don’t tend to move much. Butterflies are impossible unless it’s early morning. An ordinary tripod would take too long to set up especially as I’m usually on the move.
 
In early summer/late spring I came across a photo situation I wanted to photograph, except at sunrise. The complicating factor is that it must also be low tide. If it isn’t low tide I can’t get anywhere close because its all underwater. This only happens about once a month. On two previous occasions I made the pre-sunrise trek to my location but the sky was too overcast and never cleared enough to get a useful photo. Today I went again. Up at 5:15 and off without breakfast. About a 1.6km walk in the near dark in rubber boots through the mud and water.
This time the sky was so clear, not a cloud in sight, that there was nothing for the sunrise to illuminate. There was some pre-dawn colour and then it faded as sunrise approached. Then the sun came up and it was all over. I’ll keep trying because I think the situation could be great.
The gravel bar I’m standing on wasn’t there last year and I could only get to this spot by kayak.

This is what I got this morning.
View attachment 149046
PureShot.
What fantastic clarity.
 
Sunrise at Owl’s Head 360
Follow this link to see the interactive 360 panorama.
This gravel bar is fairly new. Not there last year.
The gravel bar is now at least 2.5 metres high, about 1/3 km long, around Joel’s Head running towards Owl’s Head, getting closest to shore near Flat Brook. Hundreds of tons of gravel washed up here from somewhere. Wide and flat enough on top and solid enough for a dump truck to drive on. It traps a large pool of shallow water as the tide goes out. Only visible at low tide.
Interesting to see the whole 360. The area looks quite barren which you don’t get from the ordinary image.
 
In early summer/late spring I came across a photo situation I wanted to photograph, except at sunrise. The complicating factor is that it must also be low tide. If it isn’t low tide I can’t get anywhere close because its all underwater. This only happens about once a month. On two previous occasions I made the pre-sunrise trek to my location but the sky was too overcast and never cleared enough to get a useful photo. Today I went again. Up at 5:15 and off without breakfast. About a 1.6km walk in the near dark in rubber boots through the mud and water.
This time the sky was so clear, not a cloud in sight, that there was nothing for the sunrise to illuminate. There was some pre-dawn colour and then it faded as sunrise approached. Then the sun came up and it was all over. I’ll keep trying because I think the situation could be great.
The gravel bar I’m standing on wasn’t there last year and I could only get to this spot by kayak.

This is what I got this morning.
View attachment 149046
PureShot.
Now that’s dedication. Even though there’s no clouds I think it’s beautiful.
 
Interesting to see the whole 360. The area looks quite barren which you don’t get from the ordinary image.
Remember the place I’m standing is usually 12 metres under water so we’re looking at the sea floor which in most places you never see. It is a vast open space, half of which is the Bay of Fundy. Part of the point of this 360 is to show the new gravel bar leading off into the distance like a road. It’s just amazing that hundreds of tons of material have been migrating along the shore underwater.
 
Hope you and Fabi are safe and sound while Dorian pays a visit! ❤
It’s very thoughtful of you to think of us.
If it wasn’t for cell data we wouldn’t know what is going on in the world.
There are wide spread power outages but this morning the sunrise was promising and now the sun is out. There are hundreds of individual power line breaks and not even an estimate when power will be restored. In the meantime I hear home power generators running not far off.
We had deluges of rain for hours. That should really help restore the water table. We had been carrying water for the last couple of weeks and buying drinking water. When you have to carry all your water you soon realize that toilet flushing is the primary water consumer.
Quite a few trees down in many places. Not to mention power poles. Some areas had flooding but up here on the hill things seem pretty good. Mostly trees down. Soon to be firewood.
 
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I’ve been using a monopod for macros when I’m trying to get insects. I get the iphone at about the right height and then lean in to the insect and adjust the ball head. Of course it only works with insects that don’t tend to move much. Butterflies are impossible unless it’s early morning. An ordinary tripod would take too long to set up especially as I’m usually on the move.
I used a similar setup when I was photographing butterflies one summer for a survey program. It wasn’t good enough to say you saw such and such a butterfly, you had to have a picture. And you can realize how that would cut down the reportable sightings. I found my best chances for getting photos before they flew away was to use my Canon 100-400 L series f4 telephoto at between 300 to 400 mm with an extension tube to shorten the focus distance to about 1 metre. It’s a big lens and tiring to hand hold for long. With the monopod and ball head not quite tight I was able to move quite freely and get a lot more good photos than using my 90mm macro. Hand holding the 400 for closeups was not much good without the monopod.
For macro shots I found the monopod still moved too much to keep things in focus or properly framed. Moving a mm is too much.

I think the only time a tripod works is for spider webs or if you are photographing a flower and an insect happens to land on it while you are all set up.

You know how people get those fabulous closeups of exotic butterflies. They buy the butterfly in the chrysalis and hatch it out in their own studio at home. They have the “set” all prearranged with changeable backgrounds and lighting already set up. The specimen would still be perfect while it is still sluggish before it has flown. Cooler temperatures help slow them down too so a few minutes in the refrigerator now and then extends the useful posing time before they fly off.
 
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We went down to Alma to see if there was any post hurricane storm damage and to get some gas for the generator. The gas station was without power, too but has the pumps set up on a generator so people can get gas.
Everything looked surprisingly normal until we went up the mill road and we noticed a couple of very big trees down. After parking for our walk we went back to the first house and walked around back where the tree was down and some people were milling about. It was a giant Poplar about 125 feet tall and the main trunk more than 2 feet across. But it had 3 trunks so the overall size was bigger. The tree didn’t break - it was uprooted. I think the tree was on the lot behind this one. The heaving up of the ground by the roots put a garden shed on quite a slant. It fell diagonally across their back yard, across another garden shed but not resting on it, and missing their house entirely by just a few feet, but landing squarely on the roof of the next house which was just the width of the driveway away.
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Part of the tree broke through the roof and the weight of the tree on the house caused the wall to bulge. The tree broke over the peak of the roof and fell down the other side as well. I’m not sure if the roof peak was broken but it looked like it. In the process it broke 2 power lines.
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This is a view from the street. From this distance the tree doesn’t look like much at all. The size and weight of the tree will require a crane to lift it off the house to remove the tree to prevent further damage to the house. To add insult to injury, people don’t consider Poplar to be any good for firewood so no one even wants the wood once it’s cut up.

8EEA28B2-70D8-4055-B31F-D675CCC6D1C1.jpeg

Just a couple of houses further along the street there was another giant Poplar tree uprooted. This time landing just behind a small gift shop. Although some of the tree branches are draped over the building the actual weight of the tree is on the ground behind the shop. They were lucky. Less lucky are the crows that used to roost in this tree.

Except for the power being off the rest of the village looked quite normal, or as normal as it gets.

The wind was coming from the land so there were no great on-shore waves or damage that I have heard about. Also, most of the wind happened during low tide when the waves would be quite far from shore (1km).

We took a drive out to Waterside beach and saw several trees laying on power lines along the way. The beach looked completely normal.
 
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