a little red hen

HARLEM, Tale of Two Cameras

Once I acquired a Sony digital, figured how to turn it on, produce a picture, my longtime 35 mm companion was left behind.  It's heavier, suffers from lack of immediate gratification.  But I've noticed certain photos still need the old one.  Couple of months ago I took this from my window on the 21st floor.   

The idea was to show the fruit stand under blue umbrellas that opens for business every morning at the corner of 125th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the "highway through Manhattan."  As I write traffic noise includes fire engine and ambulance sirens, buses, cars with faulty mufflers,  sometimes so intense that I retreat to the bathroom, only room without windows, to talk on the phone.  My shots of this same view with my digital were fuzzy.

This morning, on my way to the crosstown bus, behind those trees on the right, I risked missing one to get these two digital photos of the fruit stand itself. Very immediate...children on way to public school in uniforms.  Not bad when you click on them to enlarge--but dark.  Do I need to do something to get better images besides miss the bus?  Or, is this the trade-off for small digital, limited lenses?  Speak to me, elderbloggers, I've seen your sites with truly stuffing photos.

Wishing Them a Peaceful Future

This past Wednesday the weekly Grandmothers Against the War vigil* at Rockefeller Center was visited by this young bridal couple plus photographers.

I asked Joan Wile (who started the vigil three years ago) if she had any idea why they'd choose this busy street as a wedding photo site.  "Maybe they wanted to have St. Patrick's in the background," she speculated.  Whatever...we hope, when they review images for their album, they'll be pleased that a bunch of New York grannies is looking out for their years ahead.

Joan has written several articles about the Granny Peace Brigade's ongoing activities for Michael Moore's website .  A recent publisher's request for a book about the group's development and adventures, has her rolling out chapters.  Later this month features an anti-war event for Grandparents' Day on September 10. Always timely.

*Wednesdays, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Rockefeller Center (across from Saks 5th Avenue), your presence always welcome at the vigil, regardless of age.