So I went for a short walk the other day on the streets of Monticello, NY. It was crazy cold outside and I actually can’t walk too good at the moment, but I still managed to get several shots I was happy with. I really think you get a sense of the block I walked around and I wanted to take you along for the stroll.
I left the Dr’s office the other day and decided to take a few photos quick. I really wanted to try to see what I could do in the one square block as a challenge. You know, see what is available and take the shots as I walk. My wife Michele told me the area is pretty shady, so I walked briskly and did not stop for more than a second or two. Again, the area could be totally safe for all I know, I was just told to use caution, so I did.
I parked at a municipal lot next to a Key bank on Broadway and Bank St. From the parking lot I could see almost the entire block I was planning on walking. For this short solo excursion I had only my Sony Nex-6 and the 18-55mm kit lens. I really like the kit lens and for the real world, it’s versatile and a light weight companion for my camera. Let’s see how it performs shall we?
I decided to edit these photos in BW, because it has more of a timeless feel and that was my intention from the start. I shot using Raw quality and used Lightroom 5 plus Silver Efex Pro 2 for the BW conversions.
It all started with a Beamer?
I saw this while climbing out of the car at the Dr’s office. The word Beamer with an arrow caught my eye so I grabbed a quick snap. I ran into this tag again later…
Click Photo for the 1200px version!
Looking to the right we had a pretty cool alley and building with classic old school architecture on the top.
Looking up.
After taking that photo I felt pretty good and decided to take a drive down to Broadway and Bank Street.
Turning right onto Broadway I saw a gentleman walk into a store and managed to grab a snap just before he went in. I’m not sure what he is doing, but it appears like he is checking is wallet or something to me.
Click Photo for the 1200px version!
Shattered – Failed Security.
I saw a lot in this next image and for some reason it works for my eye.
Another Alley.
I then turned right onto Landfield Avenue and saw another Beamer tag.
Just a bit further down the road having a look back towards Broadway this composition becomes visible.
Roark’s Tavern looks like a nice place for a cold beverage!
I then headed up North Street towards where the car was parked and to the right was the back of all the buildings I just walked past on Broadway. From a distance this view was pretty awesome I thought and had to grab a photo. I also saw another Beamer tag and some other writing that captured my eye.
Coming up on the corner I took this next photo while I was walking. It’s a tad soft, but I wanted to include in the series for reference. You can see the sidewalk clearly on the google map which is pretty neat.
Walking back into the parking lot I wanted to grab one last frame of the buildings from an angle. The composition was really interesting I thought.
The Block:
I parked at a municipal lot next to a Key Bank on Broadway and Bank St. I then walked clockwise around the block when viewing from this aerial photo below thanks to Google maps.
Closing Remarks
My Sony Nex-6 is awesome and with the kit lens does a good job all around with included OSS and decent range. A sharper corner to corner result would be nice, but for the size, weight, and money, I’m very happy with these images and the kit lens performance as a whole. What I would really like for a full time walk around lens is the new 16-70mm f/4 OSS Zeiss. That is a E-mount Lens investment worth making if you plan on using a crop factor camera for the extended future.
Rumor has (click here) it the Nex-7 replacement is coming out in February and will be shipping in April. If that is true, the sel1670z will be selling like hotcakes is my prediction. I should be reviewing that lens next month hopefully, so if your interested let me know!
That is it for now, but I have the full frame Sony A7r in hand so stay tuned for some serious testing and photography of all kinds
Jay
