Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and the Platypod Ultra

For the first time in a long time, yesterday I visited the garage storage unit where I keep my motorcycle to tryout a few GoPro mounts to see how each performs. This is also the first time that I have used the Platypod tripod in three different situations within a week. It performed flawlessly at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at Elfreth's Alley last Wednesday, and at the garage storage unit yesterday afternoon.

The Platypod Ultra tripod is lightweight, compact and incredibly versatile. It is one of the best accessories additions to my camera gear. The phrase "never leave home without it applies here". It appears that the Telesin Windshield mount is the GoPro mount I am most eager to put to use. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of video footage it produces. 

This long weekend, the first Monday of September, serves as the unofficial end of summer. There are still plenty of riding opportunities near Philadelphia before winter arrives. I am looking forward to it. 

Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Platypod

Visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art last Saturday hoping to capture a couple of images using the Platypod Ultra for my Nikon DSLR. This is my favorite museum in Philly, a must-see attraction in the city. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is considered one of the most significant art museums in the country. 

Two Wheel Tuesdays - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Two Wheel Tuesdays is a weekly celebration of riding motorcycles. Much like the annual ‘bike to work day’, it is an opportunity to join a community of folks and ride your motorcycle to work instead of driving your car. 

As a weekly event, Two Wheel Tuesdays is a great tool for building community around motorcycles. 

The following two pictures were taken around ten years ago at my favorite museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. When I traveled to the Netherlands in 2006, the Anne Frank House was under renovations, therefore I was unable to visit. 

What Is Your Favorite Museum In The World?

Light Painted Motorcycle

Several years ago, I rode my bike to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Sylvester Stallone took his Rocky famous (Rocky Steps) climb in preparation for his movie fight.

Ever since I bough my bike, I'd been wanting to take a photograph with the Philly skyline in the background at night. People park their cars up there and take pictures all the time, but driving a vehicle into the Museum of Art area is prohibited.

Initially, a security officer said no, but eventually changed his mind and allowed me to take a few pictures with the condition that I take the pics very quickly. It took five minutes just to set up the camera gear and adjust the settings. It is extremely hard to get sharp focus in the dark.

The security officer was getting uncomfortable with having my bike parked up there, so I had to rush the photoshoot. I am sure the light painted motorcycle picture would have looked much better if I had a little more preparation and time to compose the image, instead of using a 15 seconds exposure. I would have preferred to use 30 seconds exposure, or "bulb mode", but that's a story for another day.

Behind The Scenes Photography

It's getting warmer in Philadelphia, but we're getting drenched every weekend. So there is no motivation to ride my motorcycle, at least not yet.

Last night I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Afterwards, I decided to walk a few blocks and try to shoot one of the locations I always have a hard time photographing, the Philadelphia Boathouse Row. Even if my life depended on it, I can't get a decent photograph of this place.

It didn't help that the cloudy overcast makes the sky look dull and gray. But hey, I've got nothing to lose so I might as well take a couple of pictures. Who knows, I might just get lucky.

It seemed as if it was going to rain again, so I hurried setting up my camera underneath the Fairmount Water Works gazebo used for wedding ceremonies.

I was so put off by the lousy weather, that only took 5 or 6 pictures of Boathouse Row, including a couple of behind the scene images. The timing couldn't be more perfect. By the time I packed my camera gear, it started to drizzle and the SEPTA bus arrived.

Another photo shoot, another lousy Boathouse Row picture.

Behind The Shot : Photo Postcards In Your Own Backyard

Sometimes I look at images of exotic destinations, they seem to be a lot of fun and exciting spots. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints or lack of free time, the majority of my shooting is done in locations not far from home.

One example of this is my favorite hangout place, New York City. In addition to the amazing city skylines, NYC have lots of historic landmarks that offer a wide range of potential compositions.

The Big Apple is a popular choice for landscape photographers, many of whom travel from distant states and other countries to shoot there.

Often, we think great images happen by luck, or because a person have expensive equipment. The truth is many great images are taken after years of return trips to the same spots.