151. Tools of the Trade - May 1-7, 2016
Deron-
This is Damon working on a BMX bike at Don's Bikes of Rialto. This is his own concoction of a bicycle-gripped, open box wrench. The 'open' part broke off, but why waste a good tool?
Kevin-
As I contemplated this theme it was clear that almost anything was possible. From shop tools to cooking tools to knitting needles every trade has it’s tools. However now that road construction has begun again in ernest in Minnesota the most common tool I see is the large orange construction barrels that seeming line or block off lanes of every freeway and roadway in the Twin Cities. There aren’t hundreds, there aren’t thousands, there are at least tens of thousands of these orange delights all over Twin Cities roads. And traffic has slowed to even more of a crawl on the few roads or lanes that remain open.
I figured it would be easy to photograph since they are everywhere. What I didn’t realize is how impossible it is to find a vantage point to do this. Every freeway now has high fences blocking it, Bridges over the freeways are either closed, or also covered with fencing. I drove and drove, saw great scenes, but no where I could get out with a camera.
Fortunately(?) every smaller road in the area is also going through rebuilding, widening, adding sidewalks and curbs, etc.
I got out my 200-500mm f/5.6 Nikkor zoom lens and added a 1.4x teleconverter, turning it into a 280mm-700mm f/8 zoom.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, lens set to 700mm. ISO Low-1 (ISO 50), f/8 at 1/160th of a second. I wanted an even slower shutter speed, to blur the moving cars, but I was also trying to restrict the depth of field and f/8 (wide open) was the best I could do. Ideally I would have used an ND filter over the lens to lengthen the shutter speed, but that lens takes 95mm filters, which I don’t have. So, cars are only barely blurred.
Orange traffic barrels. The summertime tool of the road construction trade...
I figured it would be easy to photograph since they are everywhere. What I didn’t realize is how impossible it is to find a vantage point to do this. Every freeway now has high fences blocking it, Bridges over the freeways are either closed, or also covered with fencing. I drove and drove, saw great scenes, but no where I could get out with a camera.
Fortunately(?) every smaller road in the area is also going through rebuilding, widening, adding sidewalks and curbs, etc.
I got out my 200-500mm f/5.6 Nikkor zoom lens and added a 1.4x teleconverter, turning it into a 280mm-700mm f/8 zoom.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, lens set to 700mm. ISO Low-1 (ISO 50), f/8 at 1/160th of a second. I wanted an even slower shutter speed, to blur the moving cars, but I was also trying to restrict the depth of field and f/8 (wide open) was the best I could do. Ideally I would have used an ND filter over the lens to lengthen the shutter speed, but that lens takes 95mm filters, which I don’t have. So, cars are only barely blurred.
Orange traffic barrels. The summertime tool of the road construction trade...
Paul-
When I saw this week’s theme, I immediately thought of the kind of tools a sketchy character might use in his or her unsavory, illicit trade. I’d like to think this is indicative of my mastery in exploring numerous options and solutions to interesting challenges. This is probably not true, but I like to think it…
Anyway, locks have always fascinated me. So, locksmithing is what I have selected for the theme. In its crudest but recognizable form, and based on several sites I examined, the fashioning of devices with keys to secure possessions or dwellings date back at least 3,000 years. (Some sites weigh in with a figure closer to 4,000 years.) The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians didn’t have Master locks, of course, but Master should be grateful for such devices getting their start with these civilizations.
But what is a lock—physical, digital, psychological, or otherwise—without its attendant key? Each presupposes, relies, and to some degree is defined on the other.
So here is my picture of some of the tools of the trade a locksmith in some earlier might employ to open a...well, let your imagination run free with this one. Incidentally, why are they called “skeleton keys?” To paraphrase Wikipedia, skeleton keys are also known as a “pass” keys. Unlike many of today’s keys with the serrated teeth, these edges are filed down to help open numerous (and presumably much older) locks. The term “skeleton” is derived from its appearance: it has been reduced to its most essential parts.
From my Toolkit: 18-55mm lens set at 38mm; aperture priority; ISO 1250; matrix metered, 1/160 sec. at f/14. In order to impart an “old time” look, I threaded the keys on a piece of rawhide, went in search of some weathered lumber, and pounded in a horseshoe nail as a finishing touch.
Anyway, locks have always fascinated me. So, locksmithing is what I have selected for the theme. In its crudest but recognizable form, and based on several sites I examined, the fashioning of devices with keys to secure possessions or dwellings date back at least 3,000 years. (Some sites weigh in with a figure closer to 4,000 years.) The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians didn’t have Master locks, of course, but Master should be grateful for such devices getting their start with these civilizations.
But what is a lock—physical, digital, psychological, or otherwise—without its attendant key? Each presupposes, relies, and to some degree is defined on the other.
So here is my picture of some of the tools of the trade a locksmith in some earlier might employ to open a...well, let your imagination run free with this one. Incidentally, why are they called “skeleton keys?” To paraphrase Wikipedia, skeleton keys are also known as a “pass” keys. Unlike many of today’s keys with the serrated teeth, these edges are filed down to help open numerous (and presumably much older) locks. The term “skeleton” is derived from its appearance: it has been reduced to its most essential parts.
From my Toolkit: 18-55mm lens set at 38mm; aperture priority; ISO 1250; matrix metered, 1/160 sec. at f/14. In order to impart an “old time” look, I threaded the keys on a piece of rawhide, went in search of some weathered lumber, and pounded in a horseshoe nail as a finishing touch.
Jerry-
As I walked through the garage, surveying the landscape of tools, I settled on my collection of saws. Here is a close-up created after much deliberation. I had almost chosen my set of various shovels, some real beauties from way back in the day - but they may come in useful for another future WPOTM topic. The light came through the "big" door of course. Camera was the D750 with 105 micro, 1/60 @ f22, ISO 12,800.
Don-
This was fun. The only Photoshop was resize and
convert from Camera Raw Auto settings to jpg.
First I did the yard guy. This time of year I am cleaning
up pine cones every morning.
Minimal Photoshop or I would
have enlarged the finger. Tool of the Trade for a Proctologist.
shot at 24 mm with an exposure of 1/40th of a second; f/9;
ISO 400; camera set on aperture priority and pattern metering.
convert from Camera Raw Auto settings to jpg.
First I did the yard guy. This time of year I am cleaning
up pine cones every morning.
Minimal Photoshop or I would
have enlarged the finger. Tool of the Trade for a Proctologist.
shot at 24 mm with an exposure of 1/40th of a second; f/9;
ISO 400; camera set on aperture priority and pattern metering.
Byron-
This week I had a photo in mind and I took it early in the week. It shows a bucket of baseballs with some special ones at the top. There are 4 autographed balls. There is a Kent Hrbek, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva and Jim "Mudcat" Grant. The balls are in a blue bucket that is sitting on the floor. I laid a softbox on the floor next to the bucket. It did 2 things, It provided a very soft yet directional light on the baseballs and it made the white floor tile look like a gray concrete floor. That's the beauty of a softbox. It doesn't let light spill all over the room. ISO 200, f11, 1/100 sec, light was provided by the softbox set to TTL and controlled by an SU800.