Sunday, August 28, 2011

Adventure in 35mm Film

Dusted off the Pentax ZX-50 from the basement before spending some time on Cape Cod. Purchased new in 1999 for about USD $500 as a two lens kit. Today, the ZX-50 can be found as a "Buy It Now" item on eBay for USD $15.
Pentax ZX-50

Intrigued by the new Kodak Ektar 100 film, the camera went to the beach to protect the expensive digital camera. Here are some of the results. They certainly surpassed the initial expectation.
Umbrellas on the Beach
Umbrellas on the Beach
Umbrella Shadow
Umbrella Shadow
Misty Ocean Rainbow 2
Misty Ocean Rainbow

Click here to see the complete series, which is posted to a set on Flickr.

Monday, August 22, 2011

3rd Annual Madison Mini-Marathon

Saturday, August 20, 2011, Madison, Wisconsin Early wake-up and arrival at the Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Weather is cool, perfect for a the Madison Mini-Marathon, half marathon race.
6:55 A.M. Fascinating glove shoes in the starting corral. The national anthem, runners are ready. Pause, pause...race delayed due to weather. Time to close the course.
7:10 A.M. Back in the Tripp Commons to wait out the thunderstorm cell with the Milwaukee Brewer's Sausage Race characters.
8:25 A.M. Officials announce start of 8:30, so back to the starting coral, still raining hard.
8:30 A.M. The 2011 Madison Mini-Marathon begins.
From a participant's perspective, the race was very well run. The communication about the delay and new start time was excellent. The course and all the little "extras" made it a very enjoyable morning. Click here to see the map of the course.

Below is a short time-lapse video of the course that was created and shared by the race organizers.


11:30 A.M. A series of images made after the race while enjoying the ambiance of the famous Memorial Union Terrace.
Summer at the Terrace
Lots of Brewers and Packers fans in this "neck of the woods."
Music on the Terrace
The music of the Mighty Short Bus was a wonderful addition to the post-race party on the terrace. 
Terrace View
Lake Mendota from the Memorial Union terrace.
Six Boats
Six sailboats ready for the beautiful day.
A very nice student, stopped and took a group, iPhone photo before the ride home to Chicago.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Surfing Lessons

August 3, 2011 10:00 AM, Wellfleet, Massachusetts Surfing lessons for the teenagers at White Crest Beach with an instructor from the local surf shop, Sickday. Naturally, the proud parents chose to hang around on the beach with cameras. Here are a few of the images.

Land Training
Land training was a vey important part of the first surfing lesson .
Into the Sea
Into the sea.
In the Mighty Atlantic Ocean
Surfing in the mighty Atlantic Ocean.
Lesson Learned
Lesson learned.
Balancing Act
It is truly a "balancing act."
Standing Tall
Standing tall.
Off Board
Learning the "ropes."
Riding the Wave
Riding the surf.
Post-Lesson Pose
Post-lesson photo op.