I normally stand on the beach at Delta Lake and capture the setting sun with a small grouping of trees off to the right. The beach area is crescent shaped and you can walk out to the tips on either side depending on the water level in the lake. The other evening there was a large group on the beach in the area I generally use for my images. Rather than work my way through them I walked out to the tip of the crescent on the right.
The water level is still high from the late summer rains and the trees lining the shore were still under water. I imagine before the lake freezes this winter the level will drop exposing this area again but for now, it allowed me to frame the sunset between the trees standing guard in the water. If not for the mosquitos I would have sat down right here and watched the sun disappear.
The In Between Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/200s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200
Driving into the park at Delta Lake on Friday evening I was distracted by the view of the “pond” at the entrance. The reflection of the trees on the water illuminated by the sun definitely held my eye. This is the view across the water to the right from my last post of this area (Golden Reflection). I was determined to get to the beach but promised myself I would return the next day a little earlier to get this reflection.
And surprisingly, I made it to the park yesterday! There was a little more haze in the sky due to a thin cloud layer but there was still a reflection to capture. I parked as close as I could and walked back along the entrance road looking for “the view”. I didn’t have many choices but gave this spot a try…
Autumn Start Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/40s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
Not the image I had in my head. I searched for a better view but the cattails lining this edge of the pond were definitely an obstacle. And why are the mosquitos so nasty! I neglected the repellant thinking the cooler weather would have reduced their numbers. It did not!
I gave a zoomed in view a try hoping if I focused on a smaller section of the reflection it would be what I was trying to achieve. It is a little better but I was not happy losing the little blue in the sky which would balance the yellows of the leaves and sunlight.
Autumn Focus Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/30s, 44mm, f/11, ISO 200
I noticed a pair a of trees behind the branches on the right of the first image that were standing out against the bigger trees. I started thinking I could get a better view if I walk around the pond toward the beach. There is a road heading in the direction I wanted to use. It is for the park rangers but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. I started walking.
I got lucky! I found a spot the rangers must use to explore this pond as there was a small boat pulled up onto the edge of the water. I was able to get right to the water and had the best view of my two trees. I even had natural framing between some trees and cattails. Bonus! I grabbed a few images before the mosquitos drained all my blood.
I felt good. I didn’t get the image that was in my head (I’ll try again soon), but I stayed in the area working different angles. The effort paid off! I’ll have to remember this spot in a couple weeks when the leaves are in full autumn glory.
Autumn Shine Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/50s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200
The sun has set. The long day is done. The hectic week is over. After.
I was looking forward to a little tranquility at Delta Lake. To walk the beach, to view the sunset, to listen to the water upon the shore. Unwinding. It was exactly as I wished. I was alone on the beach. I stayed well past the sunset. Decompressing. The color in the sky exploded into a brilliant orange for a few moments. I soaked it in. Recharging. After.
After Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/200s, 100mm, f/11, ISO 200
On my way back home from Delphi Falls I couldn’t resist stopping at Chittenango Falls. It was late morning, the sun was high and the park was going to have quite a few other explorers. I still stopped.
The sun was not ideal. The gorge is still in shadow but the sky and top of the waterfall are in full sunlight. A few clouds would have helped me out but there was nothing but blue sky. About halfway down the trail to the bottom of the gorge you can spot the waterfall through the trees. I generally grab an image from this vantage point. Depending on the volume of flow in the falls you can get great definition of the water as it cascades down. Yep! This one is good.
At the bottom of the gorge I captured a few different views but those images will need some attention. I ended up having to bracket the exposures to capture the range of light. One or two are going to be keepers. It wasn’t a long visit at the park as my other go to locations for images along the creek were in full sunlight. Nothing but bright highlights! I would be back, especially when the leaves change. No reason to get frustrated trying to deal with the sun.
Oh, right, the peek at the falls I mentioned earlier.
Only a Peek Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200
Bellamy Harbor East Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/4s, 13mm, f/16, ISO 100Bellamy Harbor West Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 0.6s, 23mm, f/11, ISO 100
Yep, the moon is a difficult object to photograph. Especially when the sky is dark and the moon is full. I generally have better results when the moonrise is slightly before the sunset. This allows the sky to retain some lighter colors and the exposure can encompass the moon’s brightness. Most of my compositions with the bridge did not pan out like I had hoped. It was a cool idea which I will explore at my next opportunity.
I switched out the lens on the camera to one with a longer reach and started exploring different views of the moon by itself. I was not happy with any of the images of the moon against a black sky. When I walked back to the car I noticed the water tower was set to a constant color. Hhhmm? Is there any view I can use with the water tower?
I walked down the sidewalk until I isolated the water tower and the moon. There it is. I was getting a little excited as I thought my moonrise goal was a bust. Dang! The moon is still overpowering the lights of the water tower. Oh well, one exposure for the moon, another for the water tower and pray I can do something with these two in post.
It was not as easy as I had thought (it never is!). Plus, this is the Harvest Moon! I should have a view of the moon over a barn or field full of pumpkins. Next year I’ll plan better.
Harvest Moon Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 300mm f/4.8-6.7 II, 1/60s, 132mm, f/8, ISO 400
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