Out of Reception: Summer Begone

The storm broke overnight. I awoke with a jump to the brisk morning air typical of early October. Attempting to prolong my rest and fend off the cold, I covered my head with my comforter and waited for my alarm. After twenty minutes of minor discomfort, I preempted my phone's obnoxious sounds and climbed out of bed. On my way to the shower I vengefully closed my window. For the first time in months, I ordered my large Americana sans ice from the friendly woman at Joe's. Steam escaped from my cup on my morning walk to work, and I paused for an instant pulling my iPhone from my pocket to change the song and snap a photo of the season's first steam.

Since adopting a professional schedule somewhat resembling a 9 to 5 but striking a closer resemblance to an 8 to 7:30, I rarely take my 5D Mark II with me on my commute and rompings around New York. Instead, I rely on my iPhone to capture moments around me. Along with maintaining a general level of overall ineffectiveness when making calls, my phone continues to produce some of my favorite images. Here are a few from the last four months.

A sunset in July.

Twilight in mid July.

A foggy sunrise at Popham Beach, Maine in late July.

Green in Central park in early August.

A view of Central Park on Forth of July Weekend.

Sunset on the Jaquelin Kennedy reservoir in mid June.

A view from the roll bar of a 1957 Willy's Jeep in Moiser, Oregon during Labor Day weekend.

The last rays of a mid September evening on the Upper West Side.

My two cameras in Early September.

A hazy September morning on my walk to work.

Jarad Hadi in Southeast Portland in early September.

An Indian Summer evening after work in Midtown.

A Saturday skateboarding at the Chelsea pier.

Tapping on the screen between sips of my tongue-burning coffee, I eventually settled on "Cortez the Killer." Turning up the volume, I shifted the tiny lens of my iPhone towards my coffee cup and fired away. Unfortunately, the image didn't turn out the way I envisioned, and I continued on my walk enticed by the steam of my beverage and the comfort of my Filson Jacket.

Here are some more links,
Out of Reception: Early Summer (Picasa),
Out of Reception: Life Changes Fast (Picasa),
Out of Reception: Last of Summer (Picasa),
Out of Reception (A.R.T.)

Out of Reception: My Last Month of College

I sat in my kindergarten classroom distracted by the other ruffians, the possibilities of the cloudless sky outside, and my teacher's shoulder pads. Idly playing with my hands, I picked at a patch of road rash from a bike accident a week earlier. Quietly ticking over Mrs. Basham's shoulder, the big hand crept towards 9 and the promise of wall ball and the creaking swing sets. The moment the bell rang, I knocked over my chair as I scrambled to the door.

Seventeen years and 3,300 miles away from the linoleum floors of my cold war era elementary school, I pass time in the final classes of my conventional education, checking my watch with the same eagerness as an ADD five-year old. Excited by the prospect of new experiences and a faster pace of life, I kick back in my chair. Instead of staring into the depths of my small hands, I flick and tap on the screen of my iPhone taking pictures of my last month of college.

Colby's woodshop in Sidney, Maine.

My last field trip, Belgrade, Maine.

Spending an afternoon in Sheep's Meadow, Central Park.

Subway maintenance, New York.

Riding my De Bernardi, Waterville Maine.

Master's weekend, Middlebury, Vermont.

Apartment searching, West Village.

Sitting by the Johnson Pond, Colby College.

Enjoying New England's oysters.

A Frito Bandito in Vermont.

Hopefully this time, I won't knock over the chair.

All of these photos were taken with my iPhone 3Gs and filtered with Colorcross from Camerbag.

Here are some more links,
Out of Reception: My Last Month of College (Picasa),
Out of Reception (ART).

Out of Reception: Oregon In Maine

Reluctantly, the snow and ice receded, exposing dead grass and last fall's leaves. Occasionally, wet flurries peppered the recovering landscape but never had the wherewithal to stay until the next day. I pulled shorts from the depths of my dresser for the first time in five months and braved the lower 40's with the same boldness as a 13 year old trying his first beer. Normally this pioneer spirit comes in the first week of April, not the last week of February.

Over the last few weeks, the surprise of a few unseasonably warm days gained momentum, ushering in spring in a fashion more resembling March in Oregon than Maine. Unfazed by the rain and threat of flooding, I ventured into the freshly exposed Maine countryside with the kind of excitement only found in springtime carrying my Iphone 3GS.

Sunset at Popham State Park, outside of Bath.

A coastal inlet in Reid State Park.

A hazy day at Popham Beach.

Marshland near Phippsburg.

A failed winters storm's lingering waves.

Rocks at Owl's Head State Park.

Milk glasses in an antique store.

Heading north in Phippsburg.

I will miss my Eddie Bauer down jacket and my Woolrich Hunting gloves, but seasons change and the snow leaves. I am so glad spring's here.

I took all of these photos on my iPhone 3GS and used the Colorcross Filter from Camerabag.

Here are some more links,
Out of Reception: Oregon in Maine (Picasa),
Out of Reception (ART).

Out of Reception: A Dry Winter

Defined by Wikipedia as "a transformation from the solid to gas phase with no intermediate liquid stage," my only knowledge of sublimation before moving to Maine was 10th grade chemistry. Applied to pubescent science labs this translates into tedious experiments on dry ice turning into C02. In the bitter Maine winters, snow and ice skip a step and evaporate, creating low-tide like formations on snowbanks and fields. In January and February, the snow slowly receded exposing dead grass, frozen dirt and the remnants of a warmer time. Taking full advantage of the lack of snow this winter, I have traveled far and wide, exploring the state and taking photos with my iPhone along the way. Here are some of my favorites from the last six weeks.

Smelt Shanties near Wiscasset, Maine.

A Canoe at low tide at Popham Beach, Maine.

A frozen river near Farmington, Maine.

Soft sand at Seaswell Beach, Maine.

A space capsule on Damariscotta Lake, Maine.

Looking out at some islands at Pemaquid Point, Maine.

A log skidder near Whitefield, Maine.

An old fuel pump near South China, Maine.

A look out over Lake Champlain from Charlotte, Vermont.

The Johnson living room in Charlotte, Vermont.

Someday soon, the warm, wet weather from the Atlantic will meet cold air from the arctic and blanket the dead and frozen grass in a few inches of snow. When the snow returns, I will be there, taking photos with my iPhone and using the Camerabag Application.

Here are some more links,
Out of Reception: January and February (Picasa),
Out of Reception: Valentines Day (Picasa),
Out of Reception: A Sunny Winter (Picasa),
Out of Reception (ART),
Camerbag.