Skydiving - 2010 Long Range Experiment

Taking skydiving pictures is challenging and fun. I have a 26x super zoom.  There are 2 issues taking moving pictures at that range.  Keeping the camera steady and keeping moving objects in the frame.  My new camera has a viewfinder which helps making it easier to track skydivers as they fall or float to earth.

I wanted to experiment by taking longer range pictures. Tandems jump from the plane around 10,000 feet.  Here are a few pictures I took from the ground tracking tandems as they fall.  Tandems deploy their parachutes at around 6,000 feet.  It is easier to find and track falling skydivers if I can see them jump from the plane and follow them down.  It's also easier when I can stand in a shaded area.

As I explained in last years skydiving post, many tandems want a videographer to record their adventure which is what you see in a couple of these shots.

Carol is one of the videographers at the Dropzone in Pepperell, MA.  She is in the pictures you see here.  Videographers take video of you before the flight, during the flight, the jump out of the plane, the fall and landing.  Once the tandem deploys their parachute the videographer races to the ground to take videos of the tandem as they land.  Carol does a great swoop when landing.

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This is a tendem deploying their shoot with another tandem in the frame still falling.  I thought that was interesting.  This is Carol landing before one of the tandems so she can take video of their landing.

Search Blog Archive: September 2011, September 2010, August 2009, May 2009 & November 2008 - for more Skydiving.

The Memory Project - Memory Portraits

The Memory Project is sponsored by "My Class Cares", a nonprofit organization in Wisconsin that encourages students in advance 2-D art or computer art classes to create portraits (drawings, paintings, digital art, etc) for children in orphanages around the world.  Uganda, Guatemala, the Ukraine, and, this year, Thailand. 

To do this, the artists receive pictures of children who are waiting for portraits. The artists then create the portraits, and the organization coordinates the delivery of the portraits to the children.

https://www.memoryproject.org/

In the last few years, art students from the USA, UK, and Canada have created more than 25,000 portraits for children around the world.   7000 portraits were created this year.   Courtney and several of her classmates created portraits of children from orphanages in Thailand.  

Courtney's work, along with 9 other students, was chosen to be part of a national exhibition of Memory Portraits at the US Department of State, Truman Building Diplomacy Center, in Washington DC.  The exhibit was displayed from July 26 to 30, 2010.

On 7/28/2010, Courtney flew to DC to view the exhibit along with several others chosen, including her art teacher and high school principal. 

Once at the exhibit, the group was filmed and interviewed by the CBS Evening News. 

Upon arrival, Courtney and the others invited met at one of the State Department building entrances.  She went through security and receive a visitors badge.  

Introductions ... went to the Exhibit Hall ... viewed the exhibits ... CBS filmed the group and did individual  interviews ... had a guided tour of the acclaimed Diplomatic Reception Rooms in the State Department building ... etc.

The State Department was showing this exhibit as it symbolizes young Americans forming friendships with children in other countries.   What an experience for Courtney and the others selected.

Courtney will be going to NH Institute of Art (NHIA) this fall, pursuing her BFA in Illustration.

On August 2, 2010, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric did a story on The Memory Project.  Courtney's picture was shown in the lead up to the story.  She was also in the 2 minute story which featured the artists that drew the pictures.  Below is the hot link to the story.

You can go to http://www.cbsnews.com/  At the bottom of the page you will see a search box.  Type in Orphans And The Art of Diplomacy.  Courtney's drawing is the one shown.  Below is a link to the video. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/orphans-and-the-art-of-diplomacy/

Deep Sea Fishing - Gloucester, MA

In the mid 1980's, Steven and Tina were engaged to be married.  We had a deep sea fishing bachelor party for Steven and chartered a boat from the Yankee Fleet out of Gloucester, MA.  We had enough guys to charter the whole boat (the Miss. Gloucester) for a half day which was great. 

We arrived at the docks, loaded up, and headed out of the harbor for an hour or so before we started fishing.

The bait and polls were included.  We went to some good spots and ended up catching 2 barrels of cod fish.  

As we started our return trip the crew started to fillet all the fish.  There was enough for all of us to take some home.  I don't recall anyone getting sea sick as it was relatively calm.

We are all a bit older and wiser now.  Well, at least older ....

 

Where do I put these boats???

I never know where to put some of my boat pictures so I thought I would create a place right here.  A couple pictures from Gloucester, MA, Rockport, MA, and Kennebunkport, ME.

Kennebunkport, ME Vacation - 2010

Our vacation week proved to be very warm and humid as the weatherman predicted.   We walked from the house to the rocks by Spouting Rock to watch the July 4 fireworks.  St. Ann's church is in the foreground.  Years ago Pam and I drove up to see the fireworks.  The traffic was terrible so it was nice to be so close to the rocks so we could walk.  I forgot my tripod this vacation so I rested my camera on my knee.  It worked out ok for these shots.

We spent several days at the beach enjoying swimming, boogie boards, body surfing, relaxing. 

We walked to the levy and watched the boats coming and going from the port.  When the tide was high enough the kids (Scott and Pam included) jumped off the rock levy.

We covered Kevin with towels and chips a couple times to watch the seagulls walk on him. 

Kevin and I went to the " Maine Diner" http://www.mainediner.com/  in Wells for breakfast as we do every vacation.  My struggle that morning was whether I should have coffee at the diner or get my usual Dunkin Donuts morning coffee.  We also took Scott and Evan to Cabelas in Scarboro.  I bought a couple things and enjoyed checking out all the hunting stuff.

On Thursday we decided to go to Funtown in Saco, ME.  One favorite was the log flume as it was very hot and the opportunity to get wet was refreshing.

The kids like the big wood roller coaster called Excalibur.   It is the largest and tallest coaster in Maine and the largest in Northern New England.  They must have gone on it 5 or 6 times.  Megan and Kate liked Dragon's Descent too.

The 13 if us ate dinner at Federal Jack's for Kevin's birthday. 

On Friday Pam and Scott took the kids kayaking. I decided to take pictures from shore instead of risking getting my camera wet. The tide was high so they decided to head toward the ocean. Next they turned around and went up stream and under the bridge. They congregated on some seaweed and relaxed a bit.

We had pizza on the beach on Friday night.  It's a tradition each year (Rain or shine) as we pack up and head home the next morning.

Cape Porpoise, ME Vacation - 2010

We went to Cape Porpoise several times during the week.  The warm and humid conditions created fog in the mornings and haze in the afternoons.  This made for some different pictures.

I didn't get up early for a sunrise like last year.  I would get up early and drive to get my coffee (Dunkin Donuts) and head for Cape Porpoise.  It is a working dock so it can be very crowded in the morning.  There is also a restaurant there so parking in the evening can be tight.

I saw this person digging for clams when the tide was out.  It was the first time I have seen someone clamming near the lighthouse in all the years we have been coming to the area.

George H.W. Bush - 2010

I saw former President, George H.W Bush several times on his boat.  There were a lot of people staying at Walkers Point.  The first time I saw him was on July 4.  He was coming in from fishing with the secret service boat following.

I saw him come and go a few more times during the week.  I would love to take that boat for a spin.  Looks like our former President likes to go fast. 

I saw him return with family one time.  I took this picture of the former President and his son, Jeb Bush (former Governor of Florida), in the red swim shorts.  The others I didn't recognize.

H.W looked to be in good spirits surrounded by family.  I did not see Barbara this time around.