I really goofed up my days. With yesterday being Flag Day I should have posted this image but my excitement over my new toy distracted me. This is the Flags of Honor display in front of the B-52G Mohawk Valley on the old Griffiss AFB. The sign indicates it is part of the NYS Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. It has definitely attracted a lot of visitors but grabbing this image before sunrise allowed me to not obstruct anyone’s view…
Mohawk Valley Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.4s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 200
I finally jumped in on Saturday. I have been looking, researching and talking to co-workers about getting a drone for over a year. I’m not entirely sure what was holding me back. Saturday morning I decided to do it. There was some drama surrounding the purchase but eventually I ended up driving to Syracuse to pick one up. I came home with the DJI Air 2S and the Fly More bundle with its two extra batteries, six sets of blades, a carrying bag and ND filters for the camera.
I drove up to the high school my kids went to on Saturday evening to learn how to control the drone in a nice open field. Yep, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. It took about half the battery life to get a feel for the controls (I still have a lot more practicing to do) but by the end I felt confident I could fly well enough to try some photography.
I made plans to get the sunrise along the Barge Canal on Sunday. It would only be my second flight but the Air 2S is easy to fly. I needed to drive about half way to Utica to escape the controlled airspace around Rome but it was worth it. The sun was breaking through the cloud cover and the water in the canal was s smooth as a mirror. Needless to say, I had a great time!
Morning Take-Off DJI Air 2S, 1/160, 8.4mm, f/2.8, ISO 100
I also capture a 30+ second video of the flight down the canal. Most of Sunday morning was finding a video editor and learning how to use (barely!). I think there is a lot more I can do with editing but that will come with time…
My go to spot for a sunrise image at Bellamy Harbor is gone! It is next to the flow control gate on the Barge Canal. I could go right to the edge, place my tripod and have a clear view of the harbor, the canal, the Mill St. bridge and the sunrise. I’m thinking the city was having problems with unauthorized access to the gates. They put up an eight foot, chain link fence on both sides of the canal.
I knew this yesterday as I was driving to work but the call of the morning colors had me driving the car to my old spot. I wasn’t positive what I could capture but I knew I needed to stop and get an image. Lucky for me the hinge side of the gate in the fence had a large enough gap to allow me to get the camera through and still work the controls. That apex of grass below the bridge is where I used to setup for all those annoying images of Bellamy Harbor Park and the Barge Canal. Now all you will get is this…
Obscured Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/13s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200
Can you hear it? The falling water. I love this park, especially in the early morning. No other hikers on the trail. My and the sounds of the gorge. I could stay here all day. Go ahead, listen, do you hear it… ?
Listen to the Falls Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1.3s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200
Buttermilk Falls State Park Cascadilla Gorge Ithaca Falls
The weekend redeemed itself on Monday. I wasn’t so sure during the first couple of days if I would be traveling to find a few landscape images. I trusted the forecast for Monday and it was worthy. I enjoyed a beautiful morning in Ithaca exploring a few of its gorges…
My first stop was Buttermilk Falls State Park to walk the gorge trail upstream of the namesake waterfall. I arrived prior to the sun rising very high in the sky which allowed me to grab all my favorite views without having to worry about “hot spots” caused by the sun. This first image is very early along the trail. You can see the sun starting to illuminate the trees in the background.
Morning Light Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.8s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
My next stop was the Cascadilla Gorge. I haven’t walked the trail along the gorge in quite a few years. I should have known I was going to run into a roadblock when I spied repairs right at the start of the trail. The city had blocked off the trail for additional repairs further in so I was only able to explore about half of the gorge. I did manage a few interesting images aided by the sunlight reaching down into the gorge. I really liked how the leaves glowed in contrast to the darkness of the gorge walls.
End of the Line Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/13s, 34mm, f/11, ISO 100
My last stop in Ithaca before heading home was to see Ithaca Falls. It is a tough waterfall to photograph in the morning as it will be in shadow with the sun behind it. Based on the water flowing in the other creeks I was hoping to see the falls complete. I was not disappointed. I chose to leave the extra ND filter off and allow a faster shutter speed to highlight the power of the water falling down. Can you hear the roar?
Ithaca Falls Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/50s, 34mm, f/11, ISO 100
On my way back home I stopped at Tinker Falls near Tully. I was hoping I would find similar water flowing in the creek. I was wrong. There was barely a trickle. I managed a few images but the amount of people walking the trails was disproportional to the more famous trails in Ithaca. I decided I’ll try again after we have had more rain.
MLCreations Photography 