It has been over a year since I have written on the blog. It has been two years since the stay-at-home measures, one year since I last posted and a […]
The Slow Road Back
Mervin McDougall
Commentary
Mervin McDougall
Quarantine Cuisine
Mervin McDougall
It has been over two months now that I have been working from home. The experience was a bit frustrating at first but I have grown fond of it and […]
Tips for On-location Photography: The Hotel Room
Mervin McDougall
Undoubtedly, one of the most fulfilling experiences of any on-location photographer is being able to travel to a new, remote town, explore it, and take the client photos. One of […]
Rediscovering my unused photos
Mervin McDougall
Recently, I decided to revisit an application which I was introduced to some time back – Guru Shots. Guru Shots advertises itself as the world’s greatest photography game. It gives […]
Narrow Your Scope
Mervin McDougall
Ok, what do I mean by narrow your scope? Well it has probably been said in a number of different ways – finding your niche or becoming that expert in […]
Another day, another image format
Mervin McDougall
Recently, I have been looking at the changes which have been taking place in the image capture industry and noticed a new image format which is coming out called JPEG […]
Evening at Grand Central Station
Mervin McDougall
There are lots of iconic sites and architecture throughout New York City. But, very few have as much appeal like Grand Central Station. After accompanying a friend of mine through […]
Pink Carnations
Mervin McDougall
Feeling some anxiety to experiment with light, I decided to take it upon myself to see what else can be produced with shadows. I was reminiscing on the work I […]
Playing with Shadows
Mervin McDougall
This Memorial Day, I decided to get out on the road and visit a village which I have been anticipating visiting for quite some time – Northport. It was no […]
Chinese New Year: Little Sheep
Mervin McDougall
Unlike the Western Zodiac which depicts different celestial groups as representation of periods within a year, the Chinese Zodiac, instead, represents a different animal every year. There are twelve animals […]
Why you should get a fast zoom lens.
Mervin McDougall
Most manufacturers would have you believe that the reason why you want to get the top of the line fast zoom lens is to shoot in absolute darkness or to […]
Ducks in a Row
Mervin McDougall
It has been quite some time since I have had an opportunity to visit the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY. And, at the first opportunity to do so, I […]
Wine and Amaryllis
Mervin McDougall
What better way to spend a wet Christmas Eve evening but with wine and amaryllis. A rather uncommon weather condition resulted in a soggy, rather than a snowy, Christmas. And […]
Syracuse, NY – Snowy Thanksgiving Morning
Mervin McDougall
Whereas most around the US enjoyed a beautiful autumn morning to welcome Thanksgiving, Syracuse, true to form had snow more akin to Christmas. Yes, that’s right! Syracuse had a snowy […]
Greenport, NY – Moments in Time
Mervin McDougall
Here is a little tip; If you ever get the opportunity to take a trip out to the East end of long island and to visit the village of Greenport, […]
Dances With Lions
Mervin McDougall
No, this is not an introduction to a Kevin Kostner film about the Native American Indian experience. This is a photograph of the Asian American experience – Dances With Lions. […]
A Tale of Two Horses
Mervin McDougall
The Sunday following my birthday I took a road trip into Upstate New York’s wine country, the Finger Lakes Region. The sun was out; There was a cool breeze; Everything […]
Bleeding Hearts
Mervin McDougall
Memorial Day was established as a day of reflection for those who died in the U.S. Civil War. However, it has expanded to recognize the soldiers who have lost their […]
Weeping Clown
Mervin McDougall
On the same day I visited New York City and caught sight of the Naked Cowgirl, I also took notice of another odd character in the Times Square area. It […]
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Mervin McDougall
April showers bring may flowers or so the saying goes. It is a common saying among persons in the English speaking world that marks the transition from April to May, […]
Naked Cowgirl
Mervin McDougall
One of the most interesting franchises I have ever heard of is that of the Naked Cowboy. The term Naked Cowboy is trademarked by Robert Burck. However, he licenses the […]
Round and Round the Merry-Go-Round
Mervin McDougall
There are some things that, once seen, trigger nostalgic memories, of simpler and, what we always consider, better times. For some of us who grew up with carnivals and village […]
Through My Window
Mervin McDougall
It is amazing the small things we miss because we are so wrapped up in the business of the regular day-to-day – the falling rain, the blossoming flowers, the small […]
Montauk Point Coastline
Mervin McDougall
Oops, I did it again. I revisited the Montauk Point area to have a look at it given the changing conditions and because things were warming up – yaaay Spring. […]
White Mane
Mervin McDougall
Like a scene straight out of a fairytale novel, a white maned horse, Jill, pauses and casts here stares in my general direction resulting in the photograph presented on the […]
Lighthouse in the Reeds- Montauk Point Lighthouse
Mervin McDougall
Like the opening chorus of the song from STAIND, it’s been a while since I have last posted on my blog and given some insight as to what I am […]
Breaking Dawn
Mervin McDougall
This is not the final installment to the Twilight saga – far from it. This is to introduce the real “Breaking Dawn”. The photo in this post was taken at […]
The Eyes have It
Mervin McDougall
During the preparatory work for Thanksgiving, I took a photograph of a friends daughter. The part of the composition that really caught my attention at first was the back-lit area […]
Winter Berries
Mervin McDougall
Thanks to the acute attention to detail of fellow photographer and instructor, Joe Inzalaco, I was able to capture something I rarely take notice of – winter berries. We were […]
Fall Daisy
Mervin McDougall
Thanks to hurricane Sandy, there were many other photographs I had celebrating Fall but had not published. I was much more concerned with following the weather and the developments as […]
Jasper the Nipper
Mervin McDougall
This post is dedicated to a friend and fellow photographer, Lynne Fordham, whose dedication to getting the story through the lens often means stepping in harms way and risking lens […]
Two of a Kind
Mervin McDougall
It is amazing sometimes to observe some of our human like qualities being reflected in other species. In the same way we care for our young, that behavior is exhibited […]
Grazing Reindeer
Mervin McDougall
I will be the first to admit that the photograph of this grazing reindeer looks a lot like something straight out of a fairy tale book or some wildlife photography […]
Golden Lion Tamarins
Mervin McDougall
Golden Lion Tamarins are one of the more active simians present at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, next to the Squirrel Monkeys. Being one of the New World Monkeys, it is […]
Bench beneath a Tree
Mervin McDougall
This is the last of my Fall photos. The peak season has already come and gone and right now the trees are starting to loose their leaves. Winter is almost […]
Awash with Color
Mervin McDougall
On the same Sunday I visited Chittenango Falls and captured my red leaf on a bench, I also saw some of the richest display of Fall colors from the various […]
Red Leaf on a Bench
Mervin McDougall
Determined to see some fall colors, I ventured out today to the closest high point I could find – Chittenango Falls in Chittenango, NY. I did not have to wait […]
Fishing on the Dock of the Bay
Mervin McDougall
If the title sounds vaguely familiar, then you may have already started humming the familiar tune by Otis Redding i.e. “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” If you haven’t […]
Monet Branches
Mervin McDougall
Claude Monet, French Impressionist painter, was one of the founding fathers of a style of painting which emphasized very thin brush strokes and accurate interpretation of light. It should seem […]
Forbidden Fruit
Mervin McDougall
The minute I saw the half eaten apple I immediately thought, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Forbidden Fruit. Thankfully, I never got to the serpent part. But, for me, […]
Rotting Apples
Mervin McDougall
A rather common scene from the Apple Orchard I visited on Sunday were rotting apples. They were scattered all over the ground beneath the trees. I didn’t have to walk […]
Apple Nectar
Mervin McDougall
On Sunday, I accompanied some friends to an orchard for some apple picking. Being my first ever trip to do any sort of apple picking, I decided to carry my […]
Bhangra – Folk dance of the Punjabi
Mervin McDougall
On a whim, I decided to take an unscheduled trip to Rochester to see the SUNY Geneseo Bhangra Team, aka GB, perform at Rochester’s Fringe Fest. Well the experience turned […]
Patas Monkeys on Look Out
Mervin McDougall
There are quite a few mammalian species which are communal. Patas Monkeys are no different. And, in the wild, the communal nature of the group ensures the survival of the […]
Smoke Dance
Mervin McDougall
The Sencas, Oneidas, Onondagas, Iroquois, etc have many ceremonial dances in common. One of them happens to be the smoke dance. The smoke dance is one of the more energetic […]
Peek-a-Boo Tiger
Mervin McDougall
Standing only inches away from a sleeping mother tiger is scary enough. It is even scarier when she decides to play Peek-a-Boo Tiger with you by quickly opening her eye […]
Stealthy Snow Leopard Cub
Mervin McDougall
I decided to take a brief moment and step away from the western theme which I had been pursuing whole heartily and post an image which I had shot on a […]
A Girl and Her Horse
Mervin McDougall
While I paused talking to a companion photographer, a golden glow caught the corner of my eye. I turned, peered down one of the openings to the stables stationed opposite […]
The Cowgirl Cometh
Mervin McDougall
The title – “The Cowgirl Cometh” – seems composed of a lot of unrelated words. Here I am mixing a 16th Centry term – “cometh” – which was used a […]
Portrait of a Cowgirl
Mervin McDougall
She was poised, alert and was unmistakably a cowgirl. While she ready herself for a competition in the warm-up pen outside of the NY State Fair Coliseum, I caught this […]
Patient Little Cowgirl
Mervin McDougall
I have agonized over this photo – “Patient Little Cowgirl” – for days. Not because the photo was difficult to develop, I saw something in the development which I knew […]
Kicking Up Dust
Mervin McDougall
The atmosphere was humid, the wind was hot and numerous horses could be seen in the warm-up pen being run through their paces kicking up dust as they trotted by. […]
Boots and Spurs
Mervin McDougall
I took another spontaneous departure from my usual supplement of fine art nature photography to again have a look at the equestrian events going on at the NY Sate Fair […]
View on The Rookery
Mervin McDougall
The day when I damaged my 55-200mm, explained in when life hands you lemons.., I had visited a rookery for blue herons at the Sterling Nature Center which is located on […]
Rider Three Sixty
Mervin McDougall
Prior to the July 4 weekend, I chose to get out to do some practice shooting with my new D300s. I hadn’t taken much time to review the manual as […]
Take a Bow
Mervin McDougall
Yet another venture into studying forms which occur naturally in nature, I decided to observe the curves of fiddle-heads. I liked the very simple and clean curved structures of these […]
The Folds
Mervin McDougall
This is an oldy but a goody. I had spent quite a few days thinking through how I wanted to edit this photo. But after much observation, I decided to […]
Photography Wars
Mervin McDougall
This is a rather old video that I cam across a long time ago and it is humour never fails to entertain. I saw it as an exact analogy and […]
Southwick Beach Sunset
Mervin McDougall
It was April 8; Four rather restless photographers followed the setting of the sun to Southwick Beach Park in hopes of catching an amazing sunset. Being one of those photographers, […]
Confessions of a Photographer
Mervin McDougall
This is an oldy but I still consider it a good laugh regardless of how many times I view it. I have been to confession before and that is the […]
State of Confusion
Mervin McDougall
Have you ever started talking about a thought and in mid-sentence start talking about something else leaving some to wonder whether you have clearly lost your marbles? Well, that is […]
Three Cubs
Mervin McDougall
It’s been a while since I have posted some of my pictures from earlier trips to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. I had taken many pictures on my visit in February […]
The Lens as a Shaper of Image
Mervin McDougall
The question I hear most often from various friends and persons whom I instruct in photography goes a little like this – “I am thinking of getting lens – xyz; […]
Sodus Point Light House
Mervin McDougall
There is something classical and enduring about light houses. Something about them suggest a metaphorical statement of an enduring light during the darkest times; Or, a spotlight to point the […]
The Rainbow Macaw
Mervin McDougall
I thought I would add a splash of color with this photograph of a macaw. Its brightly colored feathers gave me the impression of a painting where the painter swabs […]
The Stare
Mervin McDougall
Aren’t there days when you feel like this guy. Like someone ticks you off to the highest level of tick-tivity but rather than blow your top you just stare at […]
Penguin Passion
Mervin McDougall
By nature, penguins are curious animals. Once someone or something enters their personal space they start investigating. Children are just as curious. So what happens when two equally curious creatures […]
Thoughts on the Rule of Thirds
Mervin McDougall
Its been a while since I have sat down and put my thoughts together to write a completely cerebral post – well here goes. I was reading through a book […]
Reindeer Games
Mervin McDougall
This is yet another photo which I took while on “safari” at the Rosemund Gifford Zoo. I say safari as this is what it felt like while I was out […]
Nestled for Warmth
Mervin McDougall
Taking advantage of the fair Sunday weather and to shoot with some photography friends, I ventured to the zoo. I had already made up my mind that in spite of […]
Chittenango Falls Revisited
Mervin McDougall
Back in 2010, I bought myself a circular polarizer and with unequivocal excitement I went out shooting like mad. Among one of the places I visited and made use of […]
Sitting in the Dark
Mervin McDougall
Everyone who welcomes the new year lives in the anticipation of something brighter, better, worthwhile. Indeed, with everything that has happened over the past 12 months everyone is looking forward […]
Photos for sale
Mervin McDougall
This is going to be pretty short and sweet. My photos are now available for purchase thorugh the CNY Artists, Crafters and Creators Store at the Shopping Town Mall in […]
Canastota Windmills
Mervin McDougall
Last week, I wrote of thedilapidated shed in the field of the Finger Lakes region.The Finger Lakes region right now is under a lot of debate as there is discussion […]
Finger Lakes Sunset
Mervin McDougall
Having completed a visit a to the New York Hope Mills, my companion photographers and myself decided to make our way back through the Finger Lakes Region to Syracuse. On […]
Award for Trinity
Mervin McDougall
I plan to make this short and sweet. Yesterday, Wednesday, I entered two photos into the digital competition for the Syracuse Camera Club. Although, the photo I was hoping to […]
Hawk Eye
Mervin McDougall
I hate to talk of things in the past tense. But, I have taken so many pictures this year and have simply sat on them because I was either too […]
The Ol’ Southern Belle
Mervin McDougall
Here is another image from what I think may become a series which I refer to as the Uncivil War. Pictured here is a portrait of one of the women […]
Fallen Petals Revisited
Mervin McDougall
Some years ago, I created an image of a wilting rose which had lost it petals. It was not a particularly engaging photograph but it was not a bad one […]
Guard Duty
Mervin McDougall
As one friend told me, this is a perfect example of a slice of life photograph. I am not sure if, during the Civil War, whether any of the persons […]
Blanket of White
Mervin McDougall
Feeling rather chilly this morning, 53 F at what is supposed to be just the beginning of Fall, I began thinking of the last winter which ran through the North […]
Hypnotic Swirls
Mervin McDougall
As the season slowly changes to the cooler days of Fall, I thought I would take a moment to reminisce of the summer and one of the things that I […]
Boots of Valor
Mervin McDougall
America’s Civil War pitted the Confederate Army from most southern states against the Federal Army from the nothern states. Besides being a war of ideology and interpretation of the Constitution […]
Trinity
Mervin McDougall
The last time I caught three flowers clustered together it was a shot I took in a friends garden. I ended up naming the photograph “Blossom in Three” under my […]
The Forgotten
Mervin McDougall
While teaching a student some of the basics of photographing flowing water at a nearby fountain, I broke away from the student and the instructor – a friend of mine, […]
Bridge Over Waters
Mervin McDougall
Over the course of the summer I took numerous trips to some rather breathtaking natural spots. One of those just happened to be the Buttermilk Falls down in Ithaca, New […]
The Open Letter To Canon
Mervin McDougall
Just as much as I believe in serious photography work, I also believe in the light-hearted approach to photography. Therefore, I thought I would share some camera humour. I found […]
Flamenco
Mervin McDougall
Flamenco, the popular Spanish dance with its very energetic and graceful moves is also the Spanish word for Flamingo; And, that is the name of my latest image – Flamenco. […]
Why 10000 photos isn’t enough anymore
Mervin McDougall
A friend once asked me, “Do you want to become good in photography?; Take 10,000 photos!” I am guessing by photo 10,001 I would have taken so many photos that […]
When vision is tantamount
Mervin McDougall
It is pretty easy to get wrapped up in the hype of a new lens – oohhh the wide aperture, and ohhh imagine the depth of field. In fact, there […]
Opening Reception Tech-tures 2011
Mervin McDougall
Well, I was happy when I was invited to the show my photos at the SUNY IT Tech-tures event; I am even happier looking forward to the exhibition tomorrow. The […]
Taming the machine; Taming yourself.
Mervin McDougall
I am not sure if this is the most appropriate title for this post but I am going to leave it as is for now as I think it summarizes […]
Spring-2011
Mervin McDougall
Spring started some time back. But, I honestly hadn’t been out to enjoy it until recent. I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of the better pictures […]
Getting a feel for the moment
Mervin McDougall
Have you ever wondered how the “Great Photographers” have been able to capture a scene or a moment in such a way that the image becomes memorable or even iconic? […]
Is it worth learning about film photography?
Mervin McDougall
In a world where regular commercial photography is moving more and more toward digital photography, is it worth the time investing in learning about film photography? The answer is a […]
Photographer VS Camera
Mervin McDougall
Anselm Adams once said, a photographer does not take a picture, he makes a picture. In essence, a photographer uses his/her knowledge of light, the cameras capabilities, his/her inner motivations, […]
Exhibition 2011
Mervin McDougall
This is just a simple bread and butter note but the Syracuse Camera Club, of which I am a part, will be holding its annual photography exhibition. It is one […]
Dreaming of a new lens
Mervin McDougall
It is a amazing how a month flies by so quickly. I don’t even remember all the things that happened and why in the world I only have one post […]
New York, New York
Mervin McDougall
Last weekend I took a trip to New York City, a first for me and one heck of an experience. It was a four and a half hour road trip […]
The Winter Portfolio
Mervin McDougall
For the next four months I am going to be involved in collecting photos for a new section of my portfolio. This section will be devoted to winter. Winter holds […]
Blogging on the Go
Mervin McDougall
I have recently discovered the WordPress app for the iPhone/iPod and realized that my location no longer dictates where I blog. I don’t have to lug around my laptop nor […]
March to the Beat of Your Own Drum
Mervin McDougall
Last year, I spent about 3 months studying the styles and techniques of various other photographers whose work I came across online. My objective was to enrich my knowledge of […]