Category Archives: landscape

Morning Serenity

Posted by Mike on

Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Other than a moment of sun a couple of days ago we have had only grey skies lately. I saw a message pop up in one of my streams that Disney has released the dates for the 2022 International Flower & Garden Festival. As much as I am still conflicted regarding Disney, I do love going down for that festival. All this had me searching my images from my trip last year.

This is from the morning of my last day at the resort. The sun was barely breaking the tops of the trees so you can see the orange skies starting to move in from the right. I love the small reflections in the water on the boardwalk. Overall, it was a quiet, peaceful morning before the madness of traveling back home. I need to schedule this year’s trip…

Morning Serenity
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/13s, 13mm, f/11, ISO 200

Frozen Dreams

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

The sun was out! At first, I wasn’t sure what that bright thing in the sky actually was since I hadn’t seen it in such a long time. Once I got over my initial confusion, I decided I would go get a proper “sunset” at Delta Lake. I should have checked on the wind!

Dang! I thought I dressed appropriately but the wind cut through me with ease. I grabbed a few images then hid behind a group of trees while I waited for the sun to reach the horizon. I wanted to capture the colors reflected in the layer of ice which formed near the shore. Once I captured my view, I practically ran back to the car…

Frozen Dreams
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/125s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Dam Sunday

Posted by Mike on

Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Winter
Delta Lake Dam

I have been determined to find the sun… LOL

At first, I thought it was hiding now I think maybe something happened to it. I hear there is a chance it will make an appearance today, we’ll see.

The lack of sunshine didn’t stop me any more than the falling snow yesterday. I went out before dinner in search of a snowy sunset… ha ha ha

OK, I was really interested in seeing how the dam at Delta Lake looked in the snow. I was searching for an image to use on #MonochromeMonday and the textures at the dam would provide me more than a few opportunities. I circled the area around the dam and came home with a few good views. The bonus would be I managed to stay on my feet even though the snow and icy mist tried like hell to put me on my butt.

Dam One
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/10s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200
Dam Two
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 0.5s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 100
Dam Three
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 0.5s, 21mm, f/16, ISO 100
Dam Four
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 0.8s, 21mm, F/16, ISO 100
Dam Five
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/3s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200

Sunless

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park

The new year! I wanted to kick it off right. I wanted to capture the sunrise on the start of 2022. LOL

Maybe I wanted to prove to myself the photography hiatus I experienced in November/December wasn’t the direction I was heading. Maybe I wanted to kick myself in the arse.

The phrase I used a few years ago was “you have to be in the environment to capture the landscape” and once again I forgot.

More than likely, I wanted to get out of the apartment even though the weather was crap.

This image is about mood. About conveying a feeling. I want it to tell you how I felt out there in the rain “photographing the sunrise.” My initial thought was to convert it to black and white. I ended up brightening the image more than I felt conveyed the mood properly otherwise it would be too dark. I like the result, but it wasn’t quite right.

Sunless – BW
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 4s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

So, I went back to the original. I darkened the highlights a little and didn’t brighten the shadows as much as in the B&W. I added some split toning to help push the mood in the direction I wanted this image to go. A little blue in the shadows and orange in the highlights. I left the haze over the water and in the trees along the canal. Yep, that is how I felt…

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

Which image is right for you? Might not be the same as the one for me. If you were not out in the environment with me does it affect how you see these images? I’m curious…

Mysterious Memories

Posted by Mike on

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Mysterious Memories
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1s, 20mm, f/11, ISO 200

Falling Memories

Posted by Mike on

Wordless Wednesday
Buttermilk Falls State Park

Falling Memories
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.6s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 200

Faded Memories

Posted by Mike on

Chittenango Falls State Park

I started looking through the images I captured this year in preparation for my year in review post. All right, you caught me, I typically do not plan this far in advance. I haven’t taken any images in the last few days and I was hoping I could dredge up an image to post today. I know! Even bad weather has possibilities, but the cold is really killing my motivation. Yes, I have warm things to wear but still… it was easier to find an older image.

I found one from the middle of October when I was at Chittenango Falls. It is a classic view of the falls from the walkway bridge over the creek down in the gorge. I remember this day because there was a large family on the bridge taking some pictures. A few of the guys had cameras and we were all jockeying for position to get our images. I ended up talking with a couple of them as it was their first time at the park and they wanted any tips I could provide on locations for capturing the falls.

We played a form of musical chairs with the various viewing locations and eventually captured the numerous views. The family took off to finish the trail and walk up the opposite side of the gorge while I back-tracked to make my way to the section of the creek above the falls I love to play in. It was a good day…

Faded Memories
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/15s, 17mm, f/11, ISO 100