Category Archives: Photography

Photography, War

LBJ (DDG-1002) Christening

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I attended the christening of the USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) at Bath Iron Works in Maine. The LBJ is the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer. It was christened by Johnson’s daughters, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson and a variety of public officials, both civilian and military, spoke.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson Christening

Manufacturing each ship costs over $4 billion. $12 billion dollars was spent on R&D for the class. Originally 30 were planned.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson Christening

It has two specially designed 155mm cannons that were designed to attack land targets in support of amphibious landings. However, since the cost of each shell is $1 million, the Navy has decided not to procure this ammunition leaving the ships without any way to use their cannons. The Navy is looking for a new future for the three ships.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson Christening

The bow uses a tumblehome design that adds to the stealthy quality of the ship…

USS Lyndon B. Johnson Christening

…as does the shape of the superstructure.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson Christening

They are still working on the LBJ and it is expected to be at Bath Iron Works for at least another year. At least four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were in various stages of construction with the Daniel Inouye the furthest along. The production process is quite modular.

The ceremony was live streamed and is available on-line. You can also view larger versions of my photos.

Nature, Photography

MoS Butterflies

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In early April, we went to the Museum of Science. There we visited the Butterfly Garden.

Here are the pictures I am most pleased with. Some were very patient, others weren’t. Focus on the patient ones and play with your f-stop and composition. A decent macro lens can really help, but oh how the depth of field can be thin if your f-stop is to small. A place like the Butterfly Garden, which has a decent amount of light, helps.

Butterfly @ Museum of Science
Butterfly @ Museum of Science
Butterfly @ Museum of Science
Butterfly @ Museum of Science
Butterfly @ Museum of Science
Photography

Several Random Photos

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Usually when I am going to/from work, I don’t take my camera, but rely on my mobile phone to capture things I run into in my travels. I cannot say any of them are good, but the more times I get to play with composing photos, the better I’ll get hopefully. Enjoy!

Inspiring hope and fear

My aim was to capture the graffiti on the ground with the wall art. The people in the top left were a bonus. It would be a more compelling composition if I had captured the backs of the people closer to the graffiti on the ground.

Inspiring hope and fear

Abandoned gloves

With Spring upon us, someone discarded their gloves in an office stairwell. I decided to play with the perspective.

Abandoned gloves

Shadow within a shadow

The harsh morning light, seen in the top right, reflected off of the glass building behind me to cast me in shadow within the shadow of the building in front of me.

Shadow within a shadow

Reflections in Glass and Wood

Another photograph playing with reflected light. I liked the way the light reflected off the glass window as well as off the wooden counter and then off the glass window.

Reflections in Glass and Wood

All rolled up with nowhere to go

A job left undone.

All rolled up with nowhere to go
Photography, Social Justice

4/25 Protest Photographs

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On 4/25/2019 I briefly attended the Boston Free Chelsea Manning protest of the incarceration of Chelsea Manning co-organized by BU Students Against Imperialism and MIT Students Against War.

Speakers advocated for pardons for Reality Winner and American Indian Movement Leader Leonard Peltier, as well as stopping the extradition proceedings against Julian Assange and US support for the war in Yemen.

You can find some of the photographs I took of it:

4/25/2019 Boston Free Chelsea Manning Protest

Earlier that day I came across the Protected Bike Lanes Save Lives stand out in Porter Square, Cambridge and took this photograph that I hope communicates the need for separating bike lanes from lanes for automobiles:

Cambridge Bike Safety #RedCupProject Protest
Photography, War

Warship Wednesday: USS Manchester

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Last May, my son and I traveled to Portsmouth New Hampshire to photograph the USS Manchester (LCS-14) which was being commissioned.

It was tied up at the New Hampshire State Port Authority on the Piscataqua River. Since it was a weekend, we were able to setup across the river on Badger Island.

USS Manchester
USS Manchester

Later we moved to Kittery and found an open site off of Rice Ave. that allowed me to change perspective.

USS Manchester
USS Manchester

Also got a few close ups:

USS Manchester
USS Manchester
USS Manchester

Afterwards, we visited the USS Albacore (AGSS-569), but I’ll post those pictures another day.

Nature, Photography, War

Warship Wednesday: USS Monsoor

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Back in August I visited Bath with my eldest to see the ships Bath Iron Works was creating.  This included the Zumwalt-class destroyers USS Michael Monsoor and USS Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as the  Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Hudner and USS Daniel Inouye.

The best way to photograph the ship yard was to take the Maine Maritime Museum‘s hour long Shipyards & Lighthouses boat tour.

Bath Maine

USS Monsoor

The tour turns away from the ship yard and travels down the Kennebec River before returning, sailing past the ship yard to the Sasanoa River, turning around and traveling past Bath Iron Works to the museum.

Bath Maine

Bath Maine

I started the voyage with my 55-300mm lens. I got some photos of the various buildings along the river as well as some pictures of the ships under construction.

Bath Maine

USS Monsoor

As we approached the ship yard, I switched to my 18-105mm lens.  Unfortunately, I realized too late that the 2nd lens was set to manual mode with vibration reduction turned off.  Ooops! Reminder to self: recheck that the camera and lenses are setup the way they should be before leaving.

USS Monsoor

Bath Maine

USS Monsoor

Later in the day, we surveyed various vantage points across from the ship yard. After parking at the Dairy Queen near Sasanoa Point, I walked along the Sagadahoc bridge (Route 1) over the Kennebec. While very few people walked over the bridge while I was there, there wasn’t much space for a tripod, so I shot handheld. With the late afternoon sun high in the sky and the air over the river hazy from the August sun, very few of the pictures came out well.

USS Monsoor

Railway Bridge Footing, Bath Maine

On a return trip to see the LBJ, now that it is in the water, I’ll aim to arrive before sunrise and try using a tripod since that helped with the USS Hudner pictures.  The rest of the pictures are at my Bath Iron Works photo album.