Monthly Archives: June 2021

Standing Tall

Posted by Mike on

Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Standing Tall
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 0.5s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 200

Evening Flight

Posted by Mike on

Drone Photography

I have been itching to get back out with the drone. Wednesday was going to be the day but I was hesitant due to the wind and my lack of experience. After talking to a friend at work who has been flying his drone for a few years I decided as long as the wind wasn’t greater than 20 mph I would give it a try, if only to learn how to control it in such conditions. I wanted to play in the Trenton Falls area along the West Canada creek, especially the Morgan’s Mill Dam section. I know, brave to be around water again, but I never said I was a smart person.

Luckily for me the drone is easy to fly. I didn’t get too crazy with it and I did end up learning more about controlling it. I played through two batteries worth of flight time (~45 minutes) and did manage to grab a few images. I still need to explore the manual controls with the camera as up to know I have left it on auto. Which, to be honest, bugs me as a photographer… LOL

I explored being a little creative with the video captures as well. That portion of the experience still needs a lot of learning on my part. I’m not as smooth with the controls as I would like and it shows in the footage I captured. I also need to find a software package I can learn that allows me to process the video like I can the images.

So, I give you a few different views of the Morgan’s Mill Dam area of Trenton Falls and the West Canada Creek. Here is a link to the video I put together (actually merged two separate clips into one output, look at me go!)…

Trenton Falls Video

Trenton Drone 1
DJI Air 2S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40s, ISO 100
Trenton Drone 2
DJI Air 2S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40s, ISO 100
Trenton Drone 3
DJI Air 2S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40s, ISO 100
Trenton Drone 4
DJI Air 2S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40s, ISO 100
Trenton Drone 5
DJI Air 2S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40s, ISO 100

Delta Renewed

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

I looked back through my images and it has been a little over two months since my last visit to Delta Lake. I’ve driven by a few times on my way to other destinations but for some reason I have been avoiding the park. Monday night I corrected this oversight.

I originally was planning to visit Trenton Falls after work to see if the rains have increased the water flow in the West Canada Creek and to explore some of the area with the drone. The weather was not liking my plans. It was still drizzling out and the cloud cover was not promising. I should have known better. With only an hour to go before sunset the sky started to open up and the sun was teasing me for a game of hide-n-seek.

There wasn’t necessarily enough time to drive up to Trenton Falls but I thought Delta Lake might produce some interesting images. I wasn’t disappointed. Due to the weather there were only a few people in the park. I shared the beach with another photographer as we danced back and forth trying different viewpoints for the drama in the sky.

After the sun dropped below the horizon I tossed on the 4-stop ND filter and tried for a few long exposures. There was movement in the clouds but not quite enough to get the blurring I was hoping to achieve. There was not a lot of movement in the water though so I did manage to create a nice mirrored surface for a good reflection.

It was a good night to return to the park. I’m not positive why I stayed away for so long but I will not let another two month gap occur. There are places to explore, especially now that the water level is back to normal for the summer…

Delta Renewed
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 10s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 100

Flags of Honor

Posted by Mike on

Griffiss Business and Technology Park, Rome, NY

I really goofed up my days. With yesterday being Flag Day I should have posted this image but my excitement over my new toy distracted me. This is the Flags of Honor display in front of the B-52G Mohawk Valley on the old Griffiss AFB. The sign indicates it is part of the NYS Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. It has definitely attracted a lot of visitors but grabbing this image before sunrise allowed me to not obstruct anyone’s view…

Mohawk Valley
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.4s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 200

Morning Take-Off

Posted by Mike on

Drone Photography

I finally jumped in on Saturday. I have been looking, researching and talking to co-workers about getting a drone for over a year. I’m not entirely sure what was holding me back. Saturday morning I decided to do it. There was some drama surrounding the purchase but eventually I ended up driving to Syracuse to pick one up. I came home with the DJI Air 2S and the Fly More bundle with its two extra batteries, six sets of blades, a carrying bag and ND filters for the camera.

I drove up to the high school my kids went to on Saturday evening to learn how to control the drone in a nice open field. Yep, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. It took about half the battery life to get a feel for the controls (I still have a lot more practicing to do) but by the end I felt confident I could fly well enough to try some photography.

I made plans to get the sunrise along the Barge Canal on Sunday. It would only be my second flight but the Air 2S is easy to fly. I needed to drive about half way to Utica to escape the controlled airspace around Rome but it was worth it. The sun was breaking through the cloud cover and the water in the canal was s smooth as a mirror. Needless to say, I had a great time!

Morning Take-Off
DJI Air 2S, 1/160, 8.4mm, f/2.8, ISO 100

I also capture a 30+ second video of the flight down the canal. Most of Sunday morning was finding a video editor and learning how to use (barely!). I think there is a lot more I can do with editing but that will come with time…