Rocky Sentinel

Beavertail Lighthouse, Jamestown, Rhode Island

As I mentioned in a previous post, my son and I spent the better part of a week scouting New England lighthouses as potential sites for his movie short. This is the first of a number of lighthouses that you will be seeing on my blog in the upcoming weeks. Today, we take a visit to the tip of Rhode Island to see the Beavertail Lighthouse located in Jamestown. The lighthouse got it's name after the southernmost part of Conanicut Island which is known as Beavertail, for its shape on the map. The lighthouse is now part of Beavertail State Park.

The lighthouse was built in 1749 and is considered the premier lighthouse in the state. It stands 45 feet in the air and its light is on 24 hours a day. The light provides navigation for boats entering the Narragansett Bay between Conanicut Island and Newport, Rhode Island. As can be seen in the photo, it is surrounded by rugged rocks on three sides. It is not only a destination for tourists but it is also popular with the local fisherman. In fact, I had to maneuver between fisherman to get this shot. We observed quite a few fish being caught during our visit.

All in all, the beauty and location of the lighthouse keeps it on the short list as a potential location for my son's movie short.

Force of Nature

Beavertail Lighthouse, Jamestown, Rhode Island

This past weekend, we all watched with fascination and horror as mother nature roared. Hurricane Irene left a destructive wake in her path up the eastern seaboard of the US. At times like this, we realize that nature can be quite devastating. This past May, I visited another force of nature that possesses the same brute force but in a beautiful and non-destructive way. I am talking, of course, of Niagara Falls. Standing alongside the edge of the American Falls, you can feel and hear the power of the falls as the Niagara River plummets over the edge on its way from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. While setting this shot up, I made sure that I had a rain cover for my camera and lens. It is a necessity as the spray from below can drench anyone and anything close to the edge. The river rushes over the edge so fast that you almost don't need an ND filter to get the silky smooth look to the water. For this shot, I used a 3-stop ND filter and fired off a 5 bracket set of images.

Vineyard Light and Shadows

Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Stonington, Connecticut

A quick post today. Back in June, we attended the wedding of our friends daughter. The wedding and reception was held at Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, Connecticut. I had never heard of the vineyard but the location was quite beautiful especially for a wedding. As I was standing on a balcony and the sun began to set, the soft light and the shadows that the buildings cast on the vineyard grounds were lovely.

Num-Ti-Jah Dreams

Num-Ti-Jah Lodge,Icefield Parkway,Banff National Park, Alberta

The Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The three hour drive (only if you don't stop) from the town of Banff to Jasper traverses through the Canadian Rockies. It is famous for it's scenic mountains and lakes. About an hour and fifteen minutes north of the town of Banff lies Bow Lake. The northern shore of Bow Lake is the location of a great old lodge, the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge. It is a family owned lodge and it's history can be found here. When we first pulled into the lodge's parking lot, we saw the rugged mountains reflected in the water. I immediately got my camera and shot quite a number of images, this being one of them. Every angle produced a beautiful composition. This image is just a very small slice of what you will find along the Icefields Parkway. I haven't been back there in a number of years but I still dream of my next trip to Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.

All Aboard the Alaskan Rail

Denali National Park, Alaska

After our stay in Denali National Park, we boarded an Alaskan Rail train. The train would take us to Whittier where we would board our cruise ship. This 8-hour train ride is something everyone should have on their bucket list. The scenery is spectacular and when the weather is right (as it was on this day), Mount McKinley can be seen in all of it's grandeur. Our train car had a glass dome for viewing the gorgeous Alaskan countryside. I quickly determined that shooting through the dome was not going to work due to the reflections, so I quickly headed for the open-air observation decks to shoot images from the speeding train.

This image was taken from the caboose of the train shortly after leaving Denali. The locomotive was chugging alongside a river bend in front of some of Denali's beautiful mountains. This is a train ride that I will never forget.

Cape May Light Sunrise

Cape May, New Jersey

I have always had a fondness for lighthouses and love to visit them whenever I can. In fact, I am currently touring New England lighthouses with my son who is an aspiring screenwriter. He has recently written a short story in which a lighthouse is featured prominently and we are in the process of scouting possible locations for a shoot. You can see more about his project and itinerary at his website. You can probably expect some of the New England lighthouses we visit in future blog posts. This image is of Cape May Light near the southern tip of New Jersey. I was visiting my brother-in-law who has a place in Wildwood and took my nephew out before dawn to shoot the lighthouse with the sunrise in the background. I hadn't done any scouting beforehand (I know, this should be done whenever possible) and there wasn't a great angle to get both the lighthouse and the sunrise in the composition. Instead, I went out to the beach and was quite pleased with the scene of the lighthouse basking in the soft light of the sun against the blue of the dramatic clouds.

Ruins

Cape Sounion, Greece

We only had a day to spend in Athens, so with so many options, we had to narrow down where to visit to a couple of things. Of course, you must visit the Acropolis but what to do next? For something a bit different from the bustling activity of the city, we decided on taking a bus to Cape Sounion to visit the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon. Along the way to the cape, we passed some stunning coastal views as well as many great beaches. Pulling up to the entrance of the temple, it was obvious why the temple was built on this site. The ruins are situated on top of a rocky hill where views of the beautiful Aegean Sea are visible in almost every direction.

The Temple of Poseidon was built around 440 BC and these columns are all that remain. According to Greek legend, Cape Sounion is where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea.

I chose this composition as I thought the colors of the columns would contrast nicely with the cloud cover.

Open Range

Denali National Park, Alaska

Continuing our adventures in Alaska, we visited Denali National Park on a pretty dreary day. While it didn't rain much, it was pretty raw out. Since we didn't have a car, we took a tour of the park hoping to see some wildlife. Even with a car, you can only drive as far as we did on the tour. To be able to go further into the park, you must arrange an expanded tour (wish we knew that going in). Unfortunately, while we did spot a few animals, they were mere specks in the distance. Despite the lack of wildlife and the gloominess of the weather, the scenery was outstanding. I was struck by the amount of open range in the park and how the mountain range contrasted with it. The clouds added to the gloomy mood. As I studied the scene, I was reminded of the words "...Purple Mountain Majesty..." in the song, America the Beautiful. It seemed to me that the words were inspired by these mountains.

Sailing the Icy Strait

Icy Straits, Alaska

My recent trip to Alaska was a combined land and sea adventure. As I have probably mentioned before, one of my bucket list items is to visit and photograph as many US National Parks as I can. On this trip, I was going to get to visit two of them: Denali National Park and Glacier Bay National Park. After spending time on mainland Alaska and in Denali, we boarded a cruise ship to see the inside passage including Glacier Bay National Park. Sailing down from Hubbard Glacier the day before, we entered into the Icy Strait early the next morning. The Icy Strait is in the Alexander Archipelago and can be entered from the Alaskan mainland from the north. Continuing into the strait reaches the entrance to Glacier Bay en-route to Juneau to the south. To say that the scenery was breathtaking is an understatement.

This is one of the numerous images I shot from the deck of our ship. The wind was whipping around and I was dressed in layers with gloves on. The interesting thing about it was even though it was cold, I hardly seemed to notice. The light was good, the clouds added great interest to the snow-capped mountains. These mountains are actually part of the national park, namely Glacier Bay Park and Wilderness.

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Byers Lake, Denali State Park, Alaska

After our exhilarating flight to the summit of Mt McKinley the previous day, I was ready to have a more relaxing morning by walking around Byers Lake in Denali State Park. While the adjacent national park is world famous, I discovered that Denali State Park was no slouch. The lake was about 20 minutes away from our lodge and is accessible from the Parks Highway that connects Anchorage and Fairbanks. The park is undeveloped wilderness with the exception of the two day-use areas, three campgrounds, and two trailheads, one of which leads to Byers Lake. The lake was very tranquil and relaxing. About a quarter of the way around, we came upon this secluded small dock. While there were a few people around, the lake was essentially empty. The clouds were outstanding and perfectly reflected in the calm lake waters. While sitting there looking at the scenery, the Eagles song, "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" came to mind.

Soaring the Alaskan Range

Denali National Park, Alaska

After our overnight stay in Anchorage, we hopped on a bus for 3 hours to Mt McKinley Lodge. I was really looking forward to getting to the lodge because it looked like a nice day where we might have a chance to actually see Mt McKinley (the mountain is only visible 30% of the time). Even more exciting was that we had signed up for a Mt. McKinley Summit Flight that afternoon. We got to the lodge (yes, McKinley was visible), had lunch and hopped on a 45 minute bus ride to Talkeetna Airport (the lodge is pretty remote). On the way, my wife Carol muttered "I don't know why I agreed to do this" (she is not the best of flyers). When we got to the airport, we were assigned a small 10 seat airplane. She was assigned the co-pilot seat and was told not to touch anything (like she would have). I was alone in the second row and our friends were in the back row. To complicate things, it was raining and a fresh storm was approaching. Off we went anyway.

On the way to Mt McKinley, we soared above the Alaskan Range and this image was taken en-route to Mt McKinley. The majesty of this mountain range is something to see. It was pretty challenging to photograph from the plane. I kept getting the damn propeller in my shot and shooting through a small window at such high speed was a challenge. All-in-all, I do it again in a second but I'm pretty sure Carol won't.

Moraine Lake Reflection

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Rockies are filled with spectacular lakes, mountains and scenery. Whenever I visit Banff National Park, I make sure I get to the "Valley of the Ten Peaks" to shoot at Moraine Lake. The lake is glacially fed and when it is full, reflects a blue shade. There are boats available at the lake and there are numerous hiking trails. Early in the day it is extremely serene and you can feel one with nature. This particular morning, the sun was hitting the opposite shore resulting in a wonderful reflection. While I like to have clouds in my images to add depth and interest, I think that the beauty of the lake and its surrounding mountains speak for itself.

Island Monastery

Sveti Đorđe, Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

One of the most surprising places that I have visited was Kotor, Montenegro. Once a part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro became an independent nation as recently as 2006. Located between Croatia and Albania, its shoreline lies on the Adriatic Sea. It is a small country (about the size of Connecticut); is mostly rugged mountains and is home to only about 620,000 people. According to our guide, the most amazing fact is that it has 365 churches. I have already posted about our visit to the Lady of the Rocks (you can read it here) located in the middle of the Bay of Kotor. After our visit to the church, I wandered outside and noted the smaller island across the water. I learned that this was a monastery (Saint George Benedictine monastery or Ostrvo Sveti Đorđe).

I was intrigued by the sight of the majestic mountains behind the monastery. I took a single shot as it was mid-day with the light and shadows being harsh and didn't expect it to come out. Only recently did I pull it out of the archives to see what I could do with it. I am pretty happy with the results.

Leaving Port

Valletta , Malta

Most serious photographers like to plan out their shots by controlling where their subject is positioned with respect to the light. When shooting landscapes, the timing of the day is another key factor in making great images. When on land, the photographer can easily control these two things and the main variable then becomes the weather. But what do you do when you are on a cruise ship with little control over all three things? You do what I do: pray a lot and take advantage of the opportunities when they come. Don't get me wrong. Traveling on a cruise is a wonderful experience and allows you to visit many different places that you might not have ever visited. There have been many locations that wouldn't have been on my top ten to visit but, after visiting, become a favorite memory. One of those places for me was Malta. After docking, we took a full day jeep ride over the island and visited some of the most beautiful parts of the Mediterranean. We ended in up in Valletta, the capital of Malta where we wandered the streets.

I was hoping to catch a shot of Valletta during the sunset hours and was disappointed that our ship was leaving at 6:00 pm. After leaving port, the ship moved past the city and as we started to move to the sea, we passed this lighthouse. Built of old stone, the textures of the lighthouse bathed in warm light contrasted well with the blue of the sea. The sailboat in the background was icing on the cake.

My advice for photographers that are taking a cruise is not to get frustrated but rather be ready when the right time comes.

Shadows and Light

Black Canyon of the Gunnsion National Park, Colorado

I try to visit the American Southwest as often as I can as the scenery is second to none. One area, the Grand Circle, boasts the largest concentration of national parks and monuments in the US. Located in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah, the Grand Circle is home to 12 national parks. Many of the parks are recognizable to everyone (Grand Canyon, Zion to name a couple) but there are a few that most people never heard of. One of those is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. In fact, it only became a national park in 1999. The park is about 2 hours north of Durango, Colorado just outside of Montrose. To quote the National Park Service, "No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison." It is an extremely rugged landscape with the Gunnison River flowing at its depths. It is also a favorite destination of rock climbers.

We had driven about four and a half hours from Manitou Springs on our way to Montrose and reached the park pretty late in the day. The visitors center had just closed so we were left to ourselves to explore the 12 miles of scenic road in the park. The sun was beginning to set and the landscape was painted with shadows and light. It was a wonderful ending to a great day.

Click to learn more about the Grand Circle and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Around the Bend

Mered River, Yosemite National Park,California

When I was planning last year's vacation to Yosemite National Park, the biggest challenge was how I was going to fit in all of the parts of the park that I wanted to photograph. Since I was the only photographer in the group and we were only there for three days, I had to be totally organized to make the best of our visit. Researching on the internet for the best locations to shoot proved to be extremely challenging. Not only are there are so many places to see and photograph in the park but knowing what time of day to shoot at each location was proving impossible. It was then I found the book "Photographing Yosemite Digital Field Guide" written by Lewis Kemper. I found the book to be exactly what I needed. Not only does the book outline tons of locations, it also provides photos from most of the locations as well as the best times to shoot. Armed with this guide, I found it easy to plan my short time in the park. I would highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in shooting in Yosemite. You can buy the book on Amazon.com for $13.59. Note that I have no affiliation with the author.

This shot was taken from just after dawn from Sentinel Bridge (one of the locations noted in the book). It shows the Merced River going around the bend just past the bridge. While I was hoping for the golden glow of the sunrise, I wasn't too disappointed in the clouds as I think they add an air of drama against the rock formation.

Path to the Beach

Wildwood, New Jersey

Happy Fourth of July weekend everyone! One of the best places to spend the fourth in New Jersey is to head down to the Jersey shore. Every year, thousands of people from the surrounding area (South Jersey, Philadelphia, New York and Delaware) head to Wildwood, NJ. Wildwood is a favorite summer destination that is home to one of the best beaches in NJ as well as a two mile boardwalk. The boardwalk has numerous amusement piers as well as tons of shops, arcades and food stops. Since I grew up in South Jersey, I have many memories of Wildwood. I still remember hearing the tramcar's annoying "Watch the tramcar please" warning as it tried to weave through the crowded boardwalk from one end to the other.

I don't get to visit Wildwood much anymore since I live in Connecticut, so I instead, I am posting this image that I took a couple of years ago of one of the paths to Wildwood's beach. I'm sure it won't be deserted today.

Click to learn more about Wildwood.

The Boat House

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

In the heart of Banff National Park lies the beautiful turquoise colored Lake Louise. Located about 45 minutes from the town of Banff, it is a favorite destination for hikers, skiers, snowboarders and boaters. The lake is surrounded by numerous snow-capped mountains and the head of the Victoria Glacier. It also home to a five-star resort hotel, the Chateau Lake Louise (a Fairmont Hotel). We decided to spend a couple of days at the Chateau (really great hotel but a bit pricey) and used it as our home base to explore the surrounding attractions (Moraine Lake, Yoho National Park, The Icefields Parkway to name a few). One of the advantages of staying at the lake was the ability to roll out of bed before dawn and quickly set up the tripod for sunrise.

On this morning, there were very few people up and out and I was able to move freely around the lake to get whatever scene that I was interested in. I am always drawn to boats and the boat house spoke to me. The forest behind the boat house, it's reflection and the glow of the sunrise on the mountain made the moment one to remember.

Check out the Chateau Lake Louise and Lake Louise if you are ever planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies.

Hilltop Nirvana

Oia, Santorini, Greece

Last fall, we were lucky enough to embark on a Mediterranean cruise. When we were planning for the cruise, the only destination that was a requirement was Santorini, Greece. Being a photographer, I have seen hundreds of photographs of the blue domed churches built into the side of the cliffs and I really wanted to visit and photograph them. Photographs of these churches can usually be found on the covers of most Greek Island travel guides. When the cruise ship approached Santorini, I was a bit discouraged as it was raining and windy. We had to anchor on the other side of the island because of the rough seas and take very unsteady tenders to the dock. We were met there by buses which drove us to the town of Oia at the northern end of the island.

The streets of this hilltop town are extremely narrow and, although it was October, it was quite crowded (probably all cruise ship passengers). The rain had stopped and I snuck off of the main thoroughfare to walk along the houses. As you can see, there was no one in sight except one woman coming out of her house (see if you can find her). I was mesmerized by the cliff "dwellings" and wished that I was able to stay for a couple of days to catch sunrise and sunset. I guess I'll have to go back someday to experience that thrill.

Click to find out more about Santorini and the famous town of Oia

The Houseboat

Potash Road, Moab Utah

One of my favorite areas to photograph is the American southwest. While the summers can be brutally hot, the spring is a great time to visit. Not only are the temperatures more moderate, the crowds have not yet arrived allowing for quiet reflection. One area, in particular, is the town of Moab, Utah. Situated on the eastern side of the state near Colorado, it is the home base for two national parks (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks) and a great state park (Dead Horse State Park). The Colorado River also runs just outside town. We had spent most of the day in Canyonlands and were driving back into town. I saw the sign for Potash Road and wondered what I might find there (I do this a lot). The road went on for awhile and I quickly realized that we were driving along the Colorado River. Along the way, we discovered numerous petroglyphs on the cliffs where you could pull over and study these ancient drawings. Finally, we reached the end of the road (about 13 miles in) where you can see the cliffs around Dead Horse State Park in the distance.

As we turned around to head back into town, I spotted this lone houseboat (the only boat to be seen on the river) and was immediately attracted to the contrast of the little houseboat amid the surrounding towering cliffs.

Check out Moab's website to get more information about it's rugged surroundings. And don't forget to explore, you never know what you may find.