Autumn at the Lake

Lake Waramaug State Park, Kent, Connecticut

When the leaves change in New England every fall, I always head to Lake Waramaug State Park to shoot some of the foliage. It is a great place to capture the brilliant colors of the changing seasons, especially if you are looking for great reflections. The lake also has some wonderful amenities such as camping, fishing, swimming and picnicking. The best time to go is in the late afternoon when the sun is shining on the opposite shore. The kids are in school and with the daylight getting shorter, there is a golden glow to everything. The lake is named after an Indian chief of the Wyantenock tribe who had hunting grounds near falls on the Housatonic River. For more information about the park, visit it's website.

This shot was taken along the western shore in between the beach and the picnic area. While the opposite shore was still bathed in the late afternoon light, the bright foliage on the nearby trees contrasted nicely with the tree trunk.

It's Lonely Up There...

Kings Canyon National Park, California

One of my bucket list items is to visit and photograph all of the national parks in the United States. I have visited California many times and I never seemed to have enough time to visit Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park. Both parks are contiguous with one another although a bit remote. When I planned our family vacation to Yosemite last year, I decided to finally visit them. Kings Canyon possesses the deepest canyons in North America amid the rugged Sierra Nevada. In fact, it's canyons are deeper than the Grand Canyon. The park was virtually empty so we had the run of it. I am told that the crowds visit it's more famous neighbor to the north, Yosemite. That's a shame as the scenery, while not quite as well known, is still outstanding. To find out more about the park, see its NPS webpage.

As we were driving through the northern portion of the park, I noticed this lone tree on the side of a mountain. I wondered how long it has been there. I am sure it has endured years of storms; rain, snow and ice; and a climate that ranges from scorching heat to subzero temperatures. The conditions when I took this shot were not ideal: it was mid-day; the sun was shining brightly at a bad angle and it was extremely hot. I threw on a ND filter to cut down on the light. While I would have loved to capture it during the golden hours, I was still happy with the result.

The Jersey Shore and Dad Remembered on Memorial Day

Wildwood, New Jersey

I grew up in a small town in New Jersey right outside Philadelphia. We lived about an hour from Atlantic City and an hour and half from Wildwood and Beach Haven. My early recollections of my grandparents were that they loved to fish in Little Egg Harbor, year round. My father had the same love of the Jersey shore and he religiously packed me and my four brothers along with Mom into the station wagon every year to visit either Beach Haven or Wildwood. On this Memorial Day, my thoughts are of my father and how much I miss him. I don't know much about his experiences in the armed forces (he never talked about it) but I know he was in the Army Air Force and was a gunner flying over Europe. When I think of the things he loved, the Jersey shore always come to mind. To honor him, I am posting this shot of an empty lifeguard station on Wildwood beach. I was staying at my brother-in-law's place (who also has a love of the Jersey shore) and I had promised my nephew Danny to take him out shooting. I don't think he realized that I meant getting up before dawn to get the nice light. Anyway, I think Dad would have liked this shot.

Springtime at Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, Ontario

I was hoping to be up before dawn to set up for a shot of Niagara Falls. Must have been overly tired from the long 8 hour drive yesterday and I woke up at 6 am (sunrise was at 5:56 am). Fortunately I was able to book a hotel room on the edge of the Falls so I was able to be set up by 6:15 am. I have been taking Trey Ratcliff's excellent Webinar of how he takes and processes his fabulous HDR photos. HDR photos are best taken using a tripod but as I walked the length of the Canadian side, I was disappointed to see that the fence was in the way of getting the composition that I wanted. So to get the shot I wanted, I was going to have to hand hold for the shot (I was taking a 5 shot HDR so any slight movement could pose a problem). I ultimately found this one spot where I was able to frame these daffodils along with the budding tree on the right. All in all, it was a beautiful spring morning.

Before the Crowds

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, California

One of my favorite places to photograph is in Yosemite National Park. It's rugged scenery contains memorable granite formations and has been attracting visitors since its discovery. The park itself is about the size of Rhode Island and contains hundreds of lakes; miles and miles of hiking trails; and two rivers. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is about 4 hours  from San Francisco. Walking in the footsteps of John Muir and Ansel Adams leaves you feeling like you are treading on hallowed ground. The best time to capture Yosemite Falls is very early morning before the crowds show up. This photo was shot at 5 am and as you can see, I was the only one out and around (except for a bear at the other end of the meadow). The day was a bit cloudy so the early morning sun was not to be seen. Nonetheless, the majesty of the falls can easily be seen.

The photo was taken from the Sentinel Meadow & Cook's Meadow Loop hiking trail.

 

Over the Edge

Niagara Falls, New York

Last week, I decided at the last moment to drive out to Niagara Falls (a 7 hour drive) and stay a couple of days to photograph the Falls. I hadn't been there since a family vacation in the mid-1990s and, at that time, wasn't into photography. I am currently taking a nine hour HDR webinar course with Trey Ratcliff and wanted to capture some images that I could apply my new found HDR skills. After the long drive, I stopped on Goat Island on the US side of the Falls for a few shots before heading into Canada. The weather was overcast but served to soften the normally harsh afternoon light. Armed with my tripod and a 3-stop ND filter to slow the exposure, one of the first shots I took was this 5-shot HDR image you see here. I am pretty happy with the results.

Niagara Falls consists of two falls: Horseshoe Falls (part of which is on US soil and the other part is on Canadian soil) and the American Falls. The two falls are separated on the US side by Goat Island. The best views of the Falls are from the Canadian side although close up views are better from the US side (as can seen in the photo).