Monthly Archives: July 2012

Floral Macros

Posted by Mike on

I wasn’t sure today was going to produce any new pictures for me.  I had plans to get up early in search of the path around the Utica Marsh but a look out the window at 4:30am changed my mind.  The overcast sky did not look promising so I rolled over and went back to sleep.

The day eventually turned out beautiful but the list of chores was taunting me.  I attended to as many as I could even managing to take a dip in the pool (all in the guise of cleaning it).  Considering tomorrow was back to work for me I thought I would take it easy tonight even though the sunset was producing some wonderful light.

I was exploring Flickr earlier in the evening and joined a group called ‘Floral Landscapes’ which appeared to fit with some of my pictures lately.  I decided to change tactic and save the day!  I switched lenses to my Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0 macro lens and went searching around the yard for flowers I could use for this new group.

My first stop was the flower pots outside the garage.  My wife and daughter had planted them a few weeks ago and the sun was lighting the pansies up which I couldn’t resist.  There was also a cool spider sitting in his web, but that picture is for another day.

The Light Within
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/400s, 70 mm, f/4, ISO 200

I live out in the country with pasture on three sides of my little acre lot.  I generally can find some kind of wild flowers growing next to the fence.  The horse and cows don’t seem to mind me hopping over to grab a few pictures in the field if there is nothing right next to the fence.  Luckily tonight I was able to stay within the yard.

I’m not sure what variety of flower this one is but they seem to thrive right next to my yard.  I usually only have to contend with the barbed wire fence to get a good picture.  I was able to capture this one before it closed for the night.

Hint of Purple
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 70 mm, f/4, ISO 400

We have a group of hosta plants that line one side of the garage.  Every year I need to break up the clumps and I transplant them to the bank on the edge of my yard.  The plants next to the garage are just starting to bloom but there are a few over on the bank which are further along.  This blossom had already started to close for the night but I was able to lay on the ground and capture the inside.

Blushing Hosta Bloom
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/2000s, 62 mm, f/4, ISO 400

At this point the bugs started to attack!  I attempted to flee across the road to the neighbors flower garden but it was only a temporary reprieve.  I did manage to capture one nice picture before I made my hasty retreat into the house.  I have no clue what type of flower this is but I loved the look of it.  I will say I still struggle to capture flowers with a lot of deep red in them and this one was no exception.

The Crown
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/60s, 58 mm, f/5.6, ISO 400

That was my adventure for the day.  All was not lost and I have a new outlet for these floral macros I have been capturing lately.  It also re-affirms to me that I don’t always have to travel far to capture some pictures. There are plenty of subjects close at hand if I take the time to look.

A Day (or Evening) at the Beach

Posted by Mike on

Last night after dinner I headed over to Delta Lake State Park just north of Rome, NY.  This park is around the corner from my house (in the country around the corner is less than 10 miles) and although we visited more when the kids were younger it had been quite a few years since I was inside the park.  I can contribute my renewed fascination to my new obsession in photography.  This spring I went to the park to explore with my camera and and old friend has become new again.

I watched the afternoon clear skies become ripe for pictures as the clouds rolled in and I just knew the sunset was going to be worth photographing.  Everything worked out as I was able to get dinner cooked, gobbled down and my hiking boots on to make it to the park with a little over an hour until sunset.

As I topped the knoll between the parking area and the beach this scene stopped me in my tracks.  I quickly made my adjustments to the camera settings before clicking away.  I needed to get a little closer to remove some unwanted elements in the picture but luckily the wide angle lens still allowed for a nice picture.

Delta Lake State Park, beach area
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50sec, 32mm f/8, ISO 200

I think I have fallen into a routine every time I visit the park but it has given me some really nice pictures in the past.  There is a path that starts to the right of the beach area and mostly follows the lake’s shoreline.  This next picture is right at the start of this path and the view is looking toward the dam which created the lake.  I think on my next visit I’ll use the telephoto to show the dam more clearly.

Delta Lake State Park, view toward the dam
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/40sec, 17mm f/8, ISO 200

My normal route through the path didn’t yield as many photo opportunities as I had hoped and with a limited time frame before sunset I stopped short to circle back toward the beach.  The advantage of living close and being able to get to the park so late is I generally have it to myself.  The few families or groups left are just finishing up their stay so I’m able to setup practically anywhere.

During the summer you are only allowed to swim during scheduled hours when there are life guards on duty. They even rope off different sections of the beach for the varying abilities (or heights) of the swimmers.  I really liked how the buoyed line appears to go on toward the horizon.

Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/100sec, 19mm f/16, ISO 200

In the first picture of this post, the tree filled area is a small overlook which you can get to in numerous ways but over the years small paths from the beach up the hill have been made despite the best efforts of the park to created stair paths.  I always like following the man made paths as you generally find better picture spots along the way.  Once you get to the top there is a area looking west which allows for a nice view of the lake and the setting sun.

Delta Lake State Park, east overlook looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/8sec, 19mm f/22, ISO 100

The last two pictures are back down on the beach and are my attempt at capturing the sunset using three exposure brackets.  I used Lightroom 4 to correct for lens distortion and exported the pictures to Photomatix.  I used the normal exposure image for the water to remove any effects of ghosting and then tone mapped the three exposures with detail enhancing plus a few adjustments.  I brought the finished image back into Lightroom for a crop and some minor tweaks.

Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/15s, 1/60s, 1/4s, 24mm f/22, ISO 100
Delta Lake State Park, beach looking west
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/4s, 1/15s, 1s, 17mm f/22, ISO 100

I ended up not staying until the full sunset.  I had neglected to bring bug spray with me and was starting to get eaten alive.  I had captured enough pictures to keep me processing for a few hours.  I’m not sure the sunset and the time just after would have provided any better views of the lake.  But then, considering how close I am, there will always be another day.

+5 Months!

Posted by Mike on

Wow!  It has been almost five months since my last post to this blog.  I wish I could say it was because I have been super busy but the truth is more along the lines of losing my voice.  I have been busy taking pictures, keeping out of trouble at work ;), and getting some things done around the house.  It has just been hard to motivate myself to return to this page as an outlet.  I will try to do better going forward…

I finally moved away from my trusty point & shoot camera and purchased a DSLR.  I spent a long time researching which camera to purchase, changed my mind more than once and settled on the Nikon D5100.  I jumped in with both feet!  I opted not to get the standard 18-55mm kit lens and purchased a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0 macro lens as well as the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens.  I have been having a blast with all these new toys.

In late May I had a business trip to southern Georgia and added on a few days in Orlando to visit Disney World.  I had 4 days to explore with my new setup and had such a great time.  This was my first solo trip to WDW and although at times I missed having someone to share events with I loved being able to stop for pictures as soon as something caught my eye.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Meerkat along Pangani Forest trail in Animal Kingdom

Topiary display at Epcot’s entrance

Stormtrooper guards at the entrance to Hollywood Studios

A different view of the castle from the rose garden

I’ve also been trying to get out more around where I live to explore and learn more about the camera/lenses. This has been a little slower for me but I made good use of this over the weekend.  I was able to get up and out early both days.  On Saturday I walked of the Rayhill Memorial Trail in New Hartford, NY and came away with this early morning picture of the swamp.

Morning in the Swamp

On Sunday my plans were interrupted for 30 minutes when I had to stop into work but I ended up making the best of it by walking along the NY State Barge Canal between Oriskany and Whitesboro, NY.  I wish I had put on my longer lens because the amount of animals out that early was surprising.  I did manage to snag a few great pictures of the canal.

Morning on the Canal

The Old Fishin’ Hole

I won’t make any promises but the goal I set for myself is to be more active on this blog and share this great new hobby (obsession) of photography.