Leica Book Cover

    Today, I found out that one of the three images I sent to the Leica Camera Users Group was selected for the cover of their most recent book.  Okay, so it's the back cover, but hey, that's still pretty good.  The Blurb book highlights Leica's first digital rangefinder camera, the M8 which was introduced about a year ago.  The book, Many Eyes, One Camera, represents the work of nearly 80 Leica M8 photographers from around the world, who contributed hundreds of photos for consideration in the book.  The group hopes to persuade Leica Camera to agree to a world-wide distribution of the book in an effort to promote the M8 to a much wider audience.

    The  photo (below) selected was one I took last September while I was in Berlin.  I was taking a shot of one of the government buildings right near the Brandenburg Gate, when I saw this janitor walk by while pushing the "tools" of his trade.  He just seemed so out of place against the pristine building, more often the backdrop for German diplomats and government workers.  A huge letter "D" (Deutschland) which was applied to the facade sort of ties the image all together.

Madison Street Fair '08

Although I lived in Madison for several years before moving to Limestone County, I never had the opportunity to attend the Madison Street Fair. That's because it was always held the same weekend as my wife's annual business trip to Germany, a trip I enjoyed joining her on. This year, however, her meetings aren't scheduled until December, so I had an opportunity to see just went on at one of these yearly events.

Predictably, they had the usual assortment of vendors, offering a varied range of home-grown arts and crafts. I have been to enough street fairs to have developed a certain level of expectation. I was not disappointed. There were the usual array of artists, jewelry makers, people selling cakes and cookies, notions and lotions. A number of food vendors kept the crowd satisfied, even though the prices are easily double what you'd pay on any other day. The children were kept well entertained, and along with the traditional face painting, there was hat and necklace making and even an area to create one's own personalized cupcake.

Due to the timing, one thing I did notice unique to this fair was the number of political tents promoting a number of candidates, not only for local office, but for the presidential race as well. I found it a bit disturbing that one had to pay for a bumper sticker or campaign button promoting either the Democratic or Republican candidate. I thought the parties wanted you to have those things to display, and would supply them willingly to anyone who showed the least bit of interest in their candidate. Apparently, those days are over. After all, somebody's got to pay for that 700 billion dollar bailout of those credit markets.

All in all, I'd say that the Madison Street Fair was one of the better attended fairs of this type. The crowds kept building throughout the morning and early afternoon, but I did notice a slight easing up of the number of people as things approached the 2:30 pm kickoff for the Alabama-Kentucky game. That's was to be expected I suppose.

Darrell Osborn, better known as Dr. Osborn mimics the face of one of the hundreds of animal balloons he created for the throngs of kids at the Madison Street Fair.

Scanning Site a Reality

Well, this week, I finally launched my new site, White Glove Scanning.  It took a while, no doubt due to my lack of experience building web sites. I'm sure I will be tweaking it some more as we work out the bugs in the next few weeks. 

White Glove Scanning is a full-service professional scanning and digitizing service, geared not only for the photographer, but anyone who has a need for high quality scans.  We offer all the negative, slide and print scanning services anyone would ever want, and at a reasonable cost.  We accept films in sizes from 16mm through 4x5 inches and prints up to 8x10 inches.  Our scanners are truly state-of-the-art.  We have just recently added a new Nikon Coolscan 9000ED (very difficult to get) to our equipment lineup as well as an Epson V750 Pro flatbed, considered the best flatbed for imagery scanning.  This scanner has two lenses to provide optimum performance depending on the material to be scanned as well as the resolution required.  It even incorporates fluid mount capability to remove scratches and grain from black and white film.

Our scans are all done by hand.  We use no automated feeders that can malfunction and damage slides and negatives.  We feel that our prices are very competitive and turn-around times are better than most scanning houses.  We never send slides or negatives to another country as a lot of less reputable scanning houses do.  So, please check us out at  White Glove Scanning, located right here in Athens, Alabama for all your scanning needs.

Caney Creek Falls

I have been wanting to photograph Upper Caney Creek Falls ever since I saw a shot taken by Decatur photographer, Charlie Seifried. It was a panoramic shot that was made into a poster promoting the Bankhead National Forest in northwest Alabama. Charlie presented me with a copy after he hosted a photo workshop for our photo staff at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. The photo, ever since, has inspired me to try to capture these beautiful falls myself.

This past week, I finally got the opportunity. In spite of the morning rain, I trugged on in hopes that the skies would clear. Actually, I wanted cloud cover to provide a more even, less contrasty light (photo 1). When the sun finally did arrive, I had to adjust a bit and find a way of photographing the falls while taking advantage of the sunshine (photo 2).

The falls lie just outside the Sipsey Wilderness, accessible from CR 2 off Cranal Road (CR 6). The falls were flowing pretty good despite the lack of rain in the area, evidenced by the extremely low level of the Sipsey River.

The two examples here fall a bit short of Charlie's interpretation, but I thought they represented a good first attempt. I'll have to return soon since I didn't get a chance to photograph the Lower Falls this time. The Lower Falls are just downstream, about an hour's hike. The Canon EF 17-40 f4L was used on a Canon 5D for both images.

Orton Effect

This weekend I thought I'd experiment with the Orton effect on a couple of recent images I made on my return from Canada. The Orton Effect, named after Michael Orton, is a technique whereby two copies of the same image are sandwiched together. One image is rendered sharp and the other is shifted out of focus. Together, they create an image that displays a kind of wispy, dreamlike quality. The effect is not successful on every image however. Generally, it takes an image that has a good bit of detail. There are a number of ways to achieve the technique using Photoshop; some employ layers, and others use separate copies of the image, and the trick is to exactly superimpose the sharp copy on top of the blurry one. Each is underexposed so that once combined, they retain the density of the original.

This first shot was taken in the the town on Inlet, New York which is located within the Adirondack region. This scene was taken on 5th Lake. The Canon EF 70-200 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

This second one was created from a photo I made inside the Chinese Gardens at the Montreal Botanical Garden, which is located just across the road from the site of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Here, the Orton is more evident due primarily to the greater detail of the foliage. The Canon EF 17-40 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

O Canada!

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

That's the opening verse of Canada's national anthem. My wife and I just recently returned from a visit to our northern neighbor, specifically to Montreal and Quebec City. It was a return visit to Montreal, but our first visit to Quebec City. Both cities evoke a very European feeling where French is the predominant language. The old parts of the cities preserve much of the old French and British cultures, which played such major roles in the creation of these two cities.

I always take special interest in the architecture of the place I happen to be visiting. I have always had an interest in architecture, my major course of study in college. Wherever I go, I try to leave some time to check out the local architectural landmarks, especially if they include any Frank Lloyd Wright creations. Neither Montreal nor Quebec disappointed in that regard. Both cities combine a harmonious mix of the old and the new. Buildings are generally maintained in excellent condition despite centuries of withstanding the harsh elements.

Children enjoy climbing on a giant "tinker-toy" like sculpture in front of one of the exhibition venues at the Vieux Port in Montreal. The promenade and public park was created in 1992, turning a crumbling commercial wharf into a pleasant place for pedestrians, bicyclists and sun-bathers. The Canon EF 17-40 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

An office building with no particular significance other that it was located just behind our hotel in Montreal, and its highly reflective, tinted glass provided an impressive canvas for the storm clouds that were gathering. A perspective control lens was used for this capture on a Canon 5D.


The Musee Pointe-a-Calliere in Montreal, is a marvelous modern structure which is located on the site of the founding of the city (originally Ville-Marie) at the juncture of the St. Lawrence and St. Pierre rivers. The museum houses the ruins of the older structures including the renovated Customs House. A permanent archeological dig is currently underway within the walls of this museum. A perspective control lens was used for this capture on a Canon 5D.

An interior view of the arched windows of Sainte Anne de Beaupre. Located just a short drive from Quebec City, the basilica denotes the site of the oldest pilgrimage shrine in North America. The church blends Gothic architecture with Romanesque details, and the 240 stained glass windows magnificently depict the life of Saint Anne. On entering the church, one can see a tower of crutches and canes piled up near the entrance, a testament to the healing powers of Saint Anne de Beaupre. The Canon EF 17-40 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

No visit to Quebec City would have been complete without a visit to the famous Chateau Frontenac, claimed to be the most photographed hotel in the world. I had to question how any marketing expert could have derived this fact. It's one of those claims that cannot be disputed or determined with any absolute certainly. Surely, there are other landmark hotels in the world who could make the same assertion, and probably do.

This is not a typical shot of this magnificent and historic structure, but the weather never cooperated while we were there. To capture all its glory, the hotel really needs to be captured against a brilliant blue sky, not the muddy gray one we experienced. The turrets and copper roofs gives hint to this magnificent architectural masterpiece. The Canon EF 70-200 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

Sportsmen launch their kayak into the St. Lawrence River from the shore of Ile d' Orleans, an island just east of downtown Quebec City. The island is home to strawberry farms, apple orchards, antique shops, a chocolateria and exclusive homes. The single coast-hugging road is a mecca for weekend bikers. The Canon EF 70-200 f4L was used on a Canon 5D.

Athens Arts on the Square

This past Saturday, I took some time out to check out the Arts on the Square festivities in downtown Athens, Alabama. It appeared to be well attended and the weather even cooperated. The threatened rains never came, at least not while I was there anyway. I believe this was the third annual event which provides a venue for local artists to show and sell their artwork. I saw some extremely talented painters, artists in clay, jewelry and mixed media. Naturally, I had to check out the fellow photographers, and was very impressed with the quality of work. It's the only art form I feel qualified to critique. There were lots of activities for the kids and ways for them to express their creative talent as this budding painter demonstrated. Leica 35mm/f2.0 on Leica M8.

Welcome to Tony Triolo Photography

Welcome

This is my first post of what we hope will be a successful venture into the world of blogs and blogging. We hope it will act to compliment our web site, Tony Triolo Photography (www.triolophotography.com).

As a way of introduction, let me say that I have been a professional photographer for over 25 years, am currently based in Athens, Alabama but offering services throughout North Alabama. I have worked as a photojournalist, a commercial and portrait photographer, and most recently as the manager of the imaging and multimedia departments at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

I have witnessed an amazing evolution in the world of photography, and have been fortunate to have been involved with the transition from an analog to a digital world at several organizations.

Although my background was very much centered in the world of film, prints and darkrooms, I have grown to appreciate all that digital imagery has to offer, and have embraced it enthusiastically. The skeptical view, I held, that digital would never replace film, has given way to an acceptance of this "equal to the task" technology and some would even claim that it has now surpassed film in almost every category except, perhaps, in the area of permanence.

So, I invite you to come along with me as I highlight some of my work, both current and a some from the past. I hope to showcase both the current commercial and portrait work I am doing as well as some of my personal work which often gives me some of my greatest satisfaction.