Flying Over St. Lawrence I

This image, taken from the air over Campus Security and with the restored steeple of St. Lawrence University in the background, might not be quite up to my normal quality standards. I find it more interesting for another reason: it’s the first (good) picture I’ve captured with a quadcopter drone. I have to admit, the potential of the technology for landscape photographers is pretty exciting. Now if I can just get a drone to carry something as heavy as my DSLR…

Flying Over St. Lawrence I

Full River

Water levels in the Raquette River through Stone Valley (site of some excellent rocks) were quite high, leading to normally dry areas (like this one) overflowing with impromptu waterfalls. Surfaces and water levels in various areas didn’t want to match up, and made for a feeling like the whole river had been “assembled” out of order.

Full River

Redox Steeple

The new steeple on Gunnison Memorial Chapel is installed (remember when it arrived?) and beginning to react with the atmosphere around it. This chemistry, in which copper metal transfers electrons to non-metal atoms from the air to become an ion, is called “reduction-oxidation” chemistry—abbreviated “redox.” Seeing this reaction happen on such a large scale, and produce such an awesome array of colors, is a treat.

Redox Steeple

Winter Light Cones

Information cannot move through the universe (as far as we know) any faster than the speed of light. In the hyperbolically shaped world of spacetime, all factors that could influence my current state are in the “light cone” behind me, and all factors that I can influence in the future are in the “light cone” ahead of me. This photograph, from during a particularly nasty winter storm, exhibits light cones of another variety.

Winter Light Cones

Decathlon Nationals

NCAA Div III Track and Field Nationals were held at St. Lawrence this weekend; this was a big deal for a town of fewer than 10,000 people. Extra seating was brought to the field, the whole thing was fenced off, and tons of extra staff were on-hand. This particular event, the last in the decathlon, was particularly amusing. The all-arounders who are decathletes are so much larger than the average track star that the event makes for an interesting comparison.

Decathlon Nationals