Daily Archives: July 14, 2012

Delta Lake Dam

Posted by Mike on

I finally made the time to finish processing my pictures from the two days of exploration at the Delta Lake Dam.  I posted two images previously but wanted to put together a single post with all the pictures I captured.  I had a great time searching around the foot of the dam and I really hope we get some rain so the water will flow over the top of the spillway.  I will definitely be heading back to the dam when that occurs.

The construction of the dam began in 1908 and was eventually completed in 1912.  New York State constructed the dam as a water reservoir for the expanded barge canal system being built to replace the original Erie Canal.  Unfortunately for the village of Delta, NY, the construction of the dam required the relocation of the residents and the eventual flooding of the village.  You can see pictures and more info about Delta, NY at http://www.nlford.com/history/delta/.

Delta Lake Dam – Overview
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/80s, 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 50mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Old Bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/60s, 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Rock Patterns
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/80s, 17mm, f7.1, ISO 200

Delta Lake Reservoir Dam
View from the bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/30s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 100

The next two images I created using a 3 bracketed set for each image. I used Photomatix Pro to tone map the three images and then finished processing the result in Lightroom 4. I like the ability of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique to ‘bring out’ more of the image. I try not to ‘over do’ the processing so the image (especially landscapes) still looks somewhat natural.

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
3 bracket exposure (-2 / 0 /+2 EV) HDR
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/13s. 17mm, f11, ISO 200

Delta Lake Dam – Spillway
3 bracket exposure (-2 / 0 /+2 EV) HDR
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/5s. 19mm, f16, ISO 200

I’m trying to avoid too many trips back to this area until there is some change.  Like I mentioned above, if the water starts flowing over the spillway, I’ll be there.  When the autumn brings some nice color to the leaves, I’ll be back.  It is a little sad to me that this great area is roughly 10 minutes from my house but I have visited it more in the past week then I had in the past 20+ years of living in Central NY.  I dream of taking trips to those wonderful areas of the US that I see pictures of everyday online, but then I find areas so close to home that I know I need to discover in my own back yard too!

If anyone has suggestions for photographic trips here in Central NY, leave a comment.  I’m always looking for new areas to explore and things to photograph.

Standout in a Crowd

Posted by Mike on

Standout in a Crowd
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 32mm, f4, ISO 800

I’m fortunate enough to live out in the country. I can walk out the back door and explore the field for hidden (or not so hidden) treasures. Generally I know it is time to go exploring when I see the field light up as the sun sets. It gets a nice warm glow just before the sun dips below the trees. Other days I just go crawling around looking for opportunities among the wildflowers and grass. This picture was one of those opportunities…

Canal Work Horse

Posted by Mike on

When I was exploring the canal park the other day I discovered a canal tug boat was docked at one end.  I have a fascination with the tug boats around the central NY area and I’m not sure if it is the boat or the color scheme used in painting them.  I have a feeling it is a little of both considering my Scandinavian heritage, the colors must speak to me at some level.  🙂

Canal Work Horse
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 32mm, f5.6, ISO 400

When I moved to the side of the boat to capture a different perspective I noticed a wonderful tie down that I could incorporate into the image.  It took a few different arrangements to get the look I wanted. I sometimes neglect to look deeper into a scene to find an image more compelling than the macro scene which caught my initial attention.

Bridled Work Horse
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/160s, 17mm, f5.6, ISO 400

I then tried to get a little creative. I had just finished a video from Brian Matiash about an image he processed and he had added some selective blur to enhance his subject. I’m OK with the result for a first attempt and maybe a different subject would have been a little easier as a first try

Bridled Work Horse with blur

I know have more learning (and practicing) but trying to be creative is really part of the fun for me. I just have to remember to think out of the box more when processing or even when composing the picture. I have a tendency to be some what literal but when I do stretch the creative I get some cool results.