The life and times of Jeffrey Forman.

Updates from March, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Jeff Forman 5:58 pm on March 27, 2011 Permalink
  Tags: nikon, Photography ( 2 )   

  New toy, Nikon style. 

  It had only been ‘recently’ that I had purchased myself a micro four-thirds digital camera for my honeymoon. It took pretty good pictures, and I loved its compactness when roaming around Portugal for 10 days. But I had always wanted a bit more control over the photos I took; whether it was exposure modification, lense type, or overall flexiblity for shooting in different situations (low light at night).

  ‘Lo and behold, Nikon announced the D7000. It had all the features of my Father’s D90, but with better HD video capture, an upgraded AF sensor and a whole host of other functionality too long to list. Patiently I waited for my bonus to be direct deposited, reading up on the manual (a hefty 350 pages), investigating some photography walks and classes in the area. Now in my hot little hands:

  

  The weather finally reached an acceptable temperature where it was just above the level of being uncomfortable for an afternoon stroll. I wandered my way through Somerville and Cambridge on my way through Harvard Square. I captured the below uniquely-painted house. I was mainly playing around with Aperture-priority today, but look forward to digging into more of the image control options to bring out different detail.

  

  Overall the camera is great, not too heavy for a couple hours slung over my shoulder, even with the included Nikon strap and an 18-105mm lens connected. The Op/Tech neoprene strap I have on order should make things a heck of a lot more comfortable when that arrives. I am really looking forward to the weather warming up when I can explore more of Boston with the camera and take it up into the mountains for some day-hikes.

   
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  Jeff Forman 1:20 pm on October 11, 2010 Permalink  

  Hiking the Sugarloaf Trail 

  It only took me four years of living in Boston to get myself a good pair of hiking boots and get up into New Hampshire to explore the mountains. Having grown up in Florida, I am still enamored with the way the leaves change color up here, and how it makes the color of the landscape explode. My wife was going out of town, so I figured Columbus Day Weekend 2010 was a great way to start to restart this hobby.

  I picked up a couple books from Amazon on hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I also ended up finding a great blog called Live Free and Hike New Hampshire. Thanks to a recent post about the Sugarloaf Trail being an easy day-hike, I ventured off up to New Hampshire on Saturday morning.

  The drive up I-93 was gorgeous, especially at 7:15am with little traffic and the sun beginning to come over the mountains. I got to the trailhead around 9am, and set off.

  

  There is a 0.9 mile hike from the trail head to where the path splits, to the left is Middle Sugarloaf, and to the right is North Sugarloaf. I trekked to the right first, encountering some massive boulders. As I walked through, it smelled like Christmas, and I came upon this incredibly pink leaf sitting on a dark green pine tree. The picture does not do it justice, the color of the leaf popped a lot more in person.

  

  

  As I hiked a bit more towards North, a few feet of the trail I noticed a gap in the Earth. When I walked over, it was two huge boulders literally split down the middle. The chasm between looked to be at least 10-15 feet deep.

  

  As both guide books mentioned, when you think you’ve arrived at the summit, which is actually just a large viewing area, hike a bit further. This extra five minutes gives an even broader view out to the mountains ahead. The clouds looked almost as if they were sliding along an invisible plane in the sky. I couldn’t help but ask a passerby to take a photo of me as I stopped for a snack.

  

  I trekked back down and headed towards Middle Sugarloaf. These woods went from fir and evergreen trees to birch, which gave a much different feeling as different line shone through from above. With the wind kicking up on this summit, it was time to set the self-timer on the camera and get another shot.

  

  On the way back down, there is an extension loop to the Sugarloaf Trail called Trestle Path. Unfortunately, I reached a part in the path that seems to be an impasse. A wooden bridge that was once here looks to be long gone. I could see a yellow blaze painted on a tree across the river, so I knew I was on the right path. Anyone know if his path is indeed currently incomplete?

  

  All in all, it was a great day, both weather and scenery for a day trip hike. One tip, do not drive back through Conway, NH if headed back towards Boston. I easily ate up 30 minutes sitting in traffic to wind my way back to MA. I can’t wait to explore more of this area in all four seasons.

  For a link to the entire image gallery, check out the Picasa Album

   
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  Jeff Forman 11:40 am on November 23, 2009 Permalink
  Tags: Boston ( 6 ), Photography ( 2 )   

  Top of the Hub with the new camera 

  As a birthday gift, I recently purchased a new digital camera, a step up from my old point-and-shoot. Over the weekend some friends were married in the atrium of the Boston Public Library in a small ceremony. While I was asked to not post the pictures of their actual ceremony online, we did head up to the Top Of The Hub resturant after for drinks, and I snapped this picture looking East towards the Hancock Tower and downtown Boston.

   
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  Jeff Forman 8:30 am on May 9, 2009 Permalink  

  I biked the five boroughs of NYC.. 

  A while ago I was in some bike store and saw a flyer for the Five Boro Bike Tour, 42 miles through the five boroughs of New York City. Interesting idea, the cost wasn’t too bad (about $50), and sounded pretty unique to be able to bike through NYC’s biggest streets without the threat of being mowed over by a car or bus.

  Then it started raining. At first it was a light drizzle biking through the streets of Manhattan, up past Radio City Music Hall, through Central park, and up through Harlem. At this point I still pretty comfortable and warm, Under Armour compression shirt, bike shirt, and bike shorts. There were little pit stops where water, bananas and port-a-potties were stationed. Over the river, and through the woods, mostly through the rain, we made it through. The whole time, my Garmin Edge 305 Bike GPS was having trouble keeping track of where it is, I suspect because of the overcast skies. According to the GPS, at the 25th mile, my socks went from a little damp to soaked. At this point I went from ‘Hey, this is cool biking over the Brooklyn Bridge’ to ‘My feet weigh a ton, and at this point, I hope I am not sick when I finish this thing.’ Making our way finally to Staten Island and to the Staten Island Ferry, several hours later I was cold, soaked, and ready to get out of those bike clothes. Hat tip to the Ritz Carlton Battery Park for your lobby bathroom, I was able to change into dry clothes there. There prime location to where the Staten Island Ferry left off made for a quick change and getaway back to Boston.

  

  Waiting by Radio City Music Hall

  Overall the ride wasn’t very difficult. The 42 miles might sound daunting to most people, but there were a significant number of young kids, and parents pulling kids in carriages. It made me think that this ride could be done by most people in decent physical shape.

  Yeah, I complained a lot during the ride, but it was a good time. I think given the weather and a few below suggestions, the ride could have been a lot more enjoyable.

  Suggestions:

  • Make it clear to people who have not riden this ride before, that you will rarely be able to pick up any head of steam. As one woman around us at the start said, “This is an event, it is not a ride.” She was right. At times, I found myself walking my bike through extremely congested parts of the ride. The egress locations at some of the rest stops, Astoria Park in particular, were ill planned. People funneled through small fence openings big enough for 3-4 wide with several hundred people queued behind you on their bikes.
  • I heard that the ride’s participation is capped at a certain number of people. Reports were that it is capped at 30,000 people. I dare to say there were a lot more than that. This has to do with the previous point about it being an event. I found myself dodging younger and less experienced cyclists who were weaving back and forth across the road. Simple etiquette for riding in groups should have been explained.
  • The weather. Not really a suggestion, but a hope. The weather could make a difference in this ride. Our ride was in the rain the entire time, my guess in the mid 50′s to low 60′s Fahrenheit. Had it been sunny and in those same temperatures, the character of the ride would have been much different.

  None the less, I’ll still consider doing the ride again next year. The low cost makes me less apprehensive to calling it off that morning if the weather does not look welcoming. And who else could say that they were able to ride over some of NYC’s most famous bridges without the fear of death.