Fun With Clouds

Posted by Mike on

While I was cooking dinner on the grill tonight a great storm front rolled into the area. I stood in the yard watching the clouds move and transform in an almost hypnotic fashion. I finally got my head together and grabbed the camera. It still had the telephoto lens attached so I decided to work with that lens. I wanted the pictures to be about the light, shapes and colors of the clouds and not as an enhancement to a landscape or background to another object.

I had so much fun running around the yard trying to get different views of the clouds all around me!

Light Within
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/800s, 200mm, f5.6, ISO 100

Streaming Light
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/1000s, 116mm, f4.8, ISO 100

Cloud Wall
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/400s, 200mm, f8, ISO 100

Over/Under
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/125s, 70mm, f8, ISO 100

Into the Light
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/500s, 200mm, f8, ISO 200

The Lite Fluff Between
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/250s, 200mm, f8, ISO 200

Nothing but Bokeh

Posted by Mike on

Nothing but Bokeh…
Nikon D5100, Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/200s, 200mm, f5.6, ISO 400

I got hooked on playing Grass Poker on Google+ quite a few months ago. Maybe it was because I had plenty around my house or maybe I liked finding interesting or unique images from such an ordinary subject.  Either way, I enjoy it and it allows me to practice and experiment.

Last night I went out with the telephoto lens to practice some more.  We haven’t received much rain lately which allows only certain types of grass to grow in my yard.  I liked this lone stalk with the little bug on it. He was quick though, no matter how I moved he moved to be on the opposite side from me.

A Morning along the Canal

Posted by Mike on

I decided today would be the day I get up early and search out a sunrise over the Utica Marsh.  My plan was a little short sighted since the walk to the marsh was definitely longer than I anticipated.  It did give me plenty of opportunities along the barge canal for pictures though so the day was not a total washout (even considering all the rain!).  I’ll know better next time to set my alarm about an hour earlier.

Calm Water Morning
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/25s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

Around half way to the marsh the trail has to cross a canal gate.  The gate isn’t related to a lock but more of a control point into a harbor of sorts off the canal.  I captured a few pictures leading up to the gate but the reverse view, into the sunrise, was definitely the keeper.  It was a little weird crossing the gate even though there was a walkway installed on top.  I was impressed with the construction.  It went for simplicity with large concrete counter weights to reduce the work any motor needed to perform.

Weighted Gate
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/50s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

At one point along the path there are three bridges that cross above, the north and south lanes of Routes 8 & 12, and the off ramp bridge to I790.  When I reached the point between the bridges the sun was finally above the horizon and once again I had a great show to capture.  This image ‘breaks’ all the ‘rules’, horizon is in the middle, subject is in the middle, etc., but as soon as I capture the first frame I knew this was the way the picture needed to be.  I generally don’t second guess my initial response, when I think about it, I tend to ruin the scene.

Reflected Light(pole)
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/125s, 17mm, f8, ISO 400

All three pictures where processed using Lightroom 4.  Minor tweaks to tone, a little noise reduction and some sharpening.  I’m still learning all the possibilities with Lightroom 4 but it sure does make post processing images simple and straight forward.

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…