Rainbow Falls

Posted by Mike on

Watkins Glen State Park

Today was another State Park day. The confluence of events all worked out for me. No work for me or either of the kids. No commitments. Beautiful weather. I decided last night to take off early in the morning for Watkins Glen and Fillmore Glen State Parks. I arrived at Watkins Glen a little after 8am and was starting the Gorge Trail before 8:30.

It was a good thing I am an early bird. By the time I walked the 1.5 mile trail it was getting very crowded and my photographic opportunities on the return walk were slim to none (that is if I wanted the view people free). Patience does win out on a few occasions and this view of Rainbow Falls was captured on the return trip. If you look closely you can spot a few people on the stone bridge. 🙂

Rainbow Falls Nikon D7100, Sigam 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1.3s, 26mm, f/16, ISO 125

Rainbow Falls
Nikon D7100, Sigam 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1.3s, 26mm, f/16, ISO 125

Throwback Thursday – Sugar River

Posted by Mike on

Throwback Thursday

I see all these posts across various social media sites concerning Throwback Thursday or something similar and I thought maybe I will start this tradition here on my blog. My initial thought (which could evolve as I go) was to re-process an old image from when I was just starting this journey with photography. This re-processing could involve a different look or style for an image. It might be a different composition to bring out a better view of the subject. Whatever it ends I being I’m hoping the process (OK, that one was intentional) of reviewing the image will help me improve my current photography.

When I began exploring photography I was intent on learning everything I could about my old point & shoot camera. I had a Sony DSC-H20, 10.1 MP, 10x zoom camera that lasted another 9 months while I learned about exposure, composition and post-processing. It wasn’t until I could not achieve the effects I wanted (long exposures, proper DoF, etc.) that I upgraded to my D5100.

During this learning period I was making trips to Potsdam, NY to bring my son back and forth to college. Along the way there was a nice waterfall visible from the road and in August 2011 I was determined to stop and grab an image. This is the original JPEG I processed with Lightroom 3.

Sugar River - Original Sony DSC-H20, 1/25s, 44mm, f/9, ISO 100

Sugar River – Original
Sony DSC-H20, 1/25s, 44mm, f/9, ISO 100

At the time I hadn’t wrapped my head around white balance or how to properly use the tools within Lightroom. Not to mention that a ND filter was totally unknown to me. At least I was heading in the right direction as I did use a tripod… 🙂

There isn’t a lot of room to play with the JPEG output from the camera. Some of the obvious fixes are the white balance, a better distribution of the tonal range and the ability to use a few of my (now normal) processing plugins. Do not zoom in too much on either image, the noise will scare you! 😉 A saving grace for me is the composition. I like the balance I used with the trees on either side of the water and the placement of the falls in the image. If I took my camera up to Sugar River today I would probably come away with a very similar picture, of course, the water would be more silky looking after 3+ years of waterfall fascination.

Sugar River - Rework Sony DSC-H20, 1/25s, 44mm, f/9, ISO 100

Sugar River – Rework
Sony DSC-H20, 1/25s, 44mm, f/9, ISO 100

Wordless Wednesday: Yacht & Beach Colors

Posted by Mike on

Yacht & Beach Club, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Yacht & Beach Colors Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 6s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 400

Yacht & Beach Colors
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 6s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 400

Ready for a Morning Cruise?

Posted by Mike on

Crescent Lake, Yacht & Beach Club, Walt Disney World

Ready for a Morning Cruise? Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 8s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 100

Ready for a Morning Cruise?
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 8s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 100

Port Orleans

Posted by Mike on

Port Orleans Resort, Walt Disney World

Yet another Disney post from me… but, if you have been following for any length of time you know that is my happy place! lol

I mentioned in an earlier post that on my latest trip I stayed at a new resort for me – Port Orleans – Riverside. Some friends of mine have mentioned how much they enjoy this resort and the images I see online convinced me it was time to check it out myself. Hopefully these images will do the resort justice.

I arrived at the resort around 11:30am which was right about the time I calculated I would be “home”. I always do early check-in which has for the most part worked to my advantage. On the bus ride from the airport I had received a text that my room was not quite ready but they would text me as soon as it was available. I finalized my check-in, dropped my bags off at bell services and headed out into the resort to do some exploring with the camera.

The resort is themed as rural Louisiana with a mixture of white-columned southern mansions and bayou cottages. The main area of the report is the Sassagoula Steamboat Company. Dining, entertainment and most resort services are located here. I started out toward the mansions, grabbing pictures along the way.

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Magnolia Terrace – My room was on the third floor

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I made it only this far into the resort when I received the text message that my room was ready. I was able to walk up to my room, drop off my camera bag and head back to bell services. Once I retrieved the remainder of my luggage I didn’t even bother unpacking before I headed out to the Magic Kingdom.

It wasn’t until a coupe of mornings later that I managed to get out early to capture some images of the resort just before sunrise. The first image is from the bridge over to my room looking toward the Alligator Bayou rooms. The other two images I have shared previously but they highlight how nice the resort looks all illuminated.

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Port Orleans - Riverside, Walt Disney World

Port Orleans - Riverside, Walt Disney World

On my last morning at this resort after I arranged to have my luggage sent over to the Beach Club I decided to spend a little more time exploring Port Orleans. I didn’t see as much as I had wanted and never made it over to the other half of the resort (the French Quarter). After this morning of exploring I know I need to return to enjoy all this resort has to offer.

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Rather than skip the French Quarter I thought it would be nice to walk the path to that resort to catch the bus over to Hollywood Studios. This first image is the path under the roadway which marks the separation between the two resorts. From my quick tour of the second resort I might try to stay a few days at the French Quarter on my next visit. It is a little smaller, and feels more active than the sprawling Riverside resort.

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The greeter (Steve) was kind enough to allow me to take his picture as I exited the lobby heading to the bus stop. It is these types of images I wanted to concentrate on capturing during my last visit. I still need to work on that objective. I am always hesitant to ask permission. Luckily, Steve was not only good at his job but he seemed to enjoy having his picture taken too!

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