Sunday, May 27, 2012

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
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


 

1 comment:

  1. Your images do communicate just what you wanted them to - beautiful!

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