I am fascinated by water. I could watch the waves in the ocean or flowing water in a stream all day long. Even after an image is captured I sit and stare at the results remembering the moving water. I can hear the sounds of the creek this morning. I’m right back out there, playing in the water…
The weather did take a turn for the better yesterday. By the middle of the afternoon the temperature was hovering around 70 F. The sun was out and there was only a slight breeze. It was a beautiful day. Of course I chose to ignore the weather alerts popping up on my phone warning me of impending doom from a severe thunderstorm before sunset.
Instead, I played in the creek. The West Canada Creek. The section below Trenton Falls. My favorite playground. It was fantastic!
The approaching storm was coming from the west and the drive to my playground was toward the east. I could see the clouds chasing me in my rear view mirror. I had a feeling the conditions would be right for the images I wanted to capture. I hoped I could beat the storm. I was positive it was going to be worth it.
And it was!
I’ve rambled on before about growing up in the “crick” (I have to remind myself to say “creek” as it has always been a “crick” to me). I felt like I was back in the creek running through my Grandpa’s farm. I really wanted to build some rock dams like I did as a kid but I also wanted to create some images. The images won out this time. Next time, maybe the dam building will win…
The water in the West Canada Creek was high and running fast. There were plenty of opportunities to capture the long exposure, water in motion images for my “Slow” series. I was going to have a blast.
I worked my way downstream from the bridge stopping at every opening and pointing the lens at the turbulent water. The sun was popping in and out from behind the clouds giving me the contrast I wanted in the water. I exhausted the extent of my access on one side of the creek so I crossed the bridge and worked my way down the opposite side.
I love how the creek looks completely different depending on the position of the sun. On the first side the sun was at my back but now I had the sun in front of me. It totally changes the shadows in the flowing water. Pointing the camera at the same turbulent area results in different looks to the flow.
I probably should issue a warning now to everyone… I found a lot of good images yesterday. My “Slow” series is definitely growing from yesterday’s play time in the crick… 🙂
I’m listening to the wind and rain outside the window wondering what the rest of the day will bring. The forecast is for rain but I see a period of sun around midday with the temperature topping off at 67 F. I’m ready for Mother Nature to get this Spring season rolling. My macro lens is begging me to take it out in search of floral subjects.
I was looking through the images from Delta Lake I brought home the other day and was fascinated by this one. Nothing spectacular, but to me it is interesting and serene. I get lost looking at the light playing through the clouds, the various colors and the layers. I could easily let myself drift away, sitting on the beach, as the light faded to dark…
I still have a few images from my recent excursions to process but I thought it might be fun to look back on my journey.
Wait! Hear me out…
It won’t be as bad as you think. I’ll keep it short.
Well, as short as my rambling mind will allow… 🙂
I decided to select an image from ten, five and one year ago. At least as close to the end of March as I can manage. Ten years ago I had barely begun this journey and was learning my new DSLR camera. I had a Nikon D5100 and my trusty Sigma 17-70mm lens. We had a ton of good times and I believe (or at least will firmly state) that I learned quite a lot with that first camera.
The image I found to process was a scene from the creek behind my house. Surprising to me, considering the image is from March 31st, there was still a lot of snow. Over the years I explored every twist and turn of that creek. I learned the beauty of long exposures with flowing water and tuned my approach to a series of images I coined “Slow”. This one brings back great memories of my playing in the creek.
Five years ago I was a few weeks away from upgrading my Olympus E-M1 camera to the Mark II version. I had switched from Nikon to Olympus back in late 2015. For my type of photography I didn’t encounter any issues moving to the 4/3rds sensor and the reduction in weight was welcomed especially when I traveled.
I ended the month of March, five years ago, at the Utica train station searching for the sunrise. I find myself returning to the station periodically and generally I’m rewarded with a few keepers. On this morning I experimented with capturing a moving train but was unsuccessful in my attempts. Luckily, the sunrise light was worth the trip.
Last year it appears I did not venture out once in the month of March. I chose an image from my first outing in April, which of course, was to Delta Lake. By this time I was using the Mark III version of the Olympus E-M1 camera and had added a walk-around zoom with a little longer reach than my favorite 12-40mm lens. The 12-100mm lens is as good as its older sibling but only stops down to f/4, which for this landscape photography works for me 95% of the time.
The ice on the lake was mostly melted but a good wind out of the West had pushed piles onto the beach. I spent most of the evening photographing the chunks of ice with the sunset as a backdrop. As the sun reached the horizon the colors in the sky were being reflected in the calm waters of the lake. I ended my time running back and forth along the beach capturing as many reflections as possible.
When I look back at images I often cringe at the choices I made, either in what/how I captured the subject or how I chose to process it. I don’t think I’m making those same types of choices today but who knows, in ten years I might look back and cringe at what I’m doing today. I did notice that my experimenting and playing with the camera does not happen as much today as it did ten years ago. I want to believe it is because I know better today what I want to photograph but I think it is because my curiosity is less.
Hopefully my rekindled interest in picking up the camera is also an increase in my curiosity… time will tell…
I returned to Delta Lake Sunday evening for another chance at the sunset. There were very few clouds in the sky and the wind was creating ripples on the exposed water. I did not have high expectations I would find anything worth bringing home. I was wrong…
I found a small section of ice and water not affected by the wind. The sun was poised to slip beneath the trees on the opposite shore and the golden glow was illuminating a chunk of ice beautifully. Well, I couldn’t let this scene get away from me…
Sunday morning I decided I was not going to take any chances with missing the sunrise like I did on Saturday. My prospects were not looking good as I drove to Bellamy Harbor Park but regardless of the clouds and wind I felt there would be an image for me. At some point last year I forgot you have to be out exploring the possibilities in order to find what you are feeling. A moody morning definitely was for me…
MLCreations Photography 