Today I just have a few things to show off. Earlier, I was able to get out on a bike and get 20 miles in. On the way, I stopped at a decommissioned railroad bridge over the Youghiogheny river that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I first saw this bridge when I first started to date my wife. We were tubing lazily down the river with friends and once we got to it, we got out of the river and onto the bridge to jump off. This was the first time I’ve actually jumped from a bridge for a woman, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
It has been a while since I’ve gotten out to just hike around with a camera and I felt the need to get lost in the woods for a bit. I packed a light camera bag and planned on stopping at Laurel Mountain State Park and Linn Run State park after work. Another reason to get out was to test my newly acquired Olympus 14-150mm superzoom. I have been contemplating this lens for awhile to use primarily on outdoor hikes and camping when a single lens solution would be preferred to carrying multiple primes or zooms. 5 of the 6 shots are with this lens.
JLM Grip on the OMD E-M5 with Olympus 14-150mm attached
Ever since I bought my Olympus E-M5, I’ve kept my ears and eyes open for a new grip to make the camera more comfortable to hold. Olympus designed the rear of the camera almost perfectly with the rubber thumb stop on the back, but the front grip leaves a bit to be desired. Olympus knew this and released a clever two part grip (HLD-6) that adds a 2nd shutter button and command dial in ‘landscape’ mode and then the full controls when you add the ‘Portrait’ part of the grip. I’ve been considering this grip since I first got the camera, but it’s expensive and a bit overkill for what I want, as I probably would not use the ‘Portrait’ portion of the grip all that often.
Being suspended over a hundred feet in the air by a pair of steel cables that you are racing down at around 45mph may seem an odd way to spend a Saturday, but it was great fun. My wife, some friends and I headed up to Seven Springs to take their new canopy zip line tour and it was a blast. The 2 guides that accompanied us (and kept us clipped in so we didn’t plummet through the trees) were awesome and also hilarious.
