Category Archives: landscape

Mornin’ Lights

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park, Rome, NY

Although it seems I am always looking out the car windows for a photographic opportunity and I have mentioned before how I see differently now due to photography, I did not notice the new lights on the General Cable water tower near Bellamy Harbor Park. From what I have been able to piece together via Google search, the city of Rome accepted a gift from the Rome Common Council to add lights to the old General Cable water tower in Bellamy Harbor East.It is kinda cool as the lights change color in interesting combinations.

With Saturday probably being the only day this weekend with decent weather I went out early to grab some pictures at dawn. I liked the view of the tower as I looked down the street. I was still standing by the car deciding the best vantage point to capture the tower. Luckily it is a dead end street with barely any traffic at 6:30am on a Saturday. I plopped the tripod down in the street and grabbed this image.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; New LIghts

New Lights
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 40mm, f/8, ISO 800

  

I apparently was a little focused on my own routine when I heard a voice behind me ask if I was performing a survey. I explained I was only a photographer trying to grab a few pics of the new lights on the water tower. I was then regaled with a story about this cool camera he wanted that practically sees in the dark. It was out of his league and he only had the phone on his camera to take pictures. I attempted to interject that I take quite a few pics with my phone’s camera but the story was being told and any interruptions were not to be tolerated. After a few minutes I explained I had to get to my next location before I lost the light. We parted ways and I headed across the walkway bridge to my favorite spot for a panoramic view of the park.

After I was happy with my capture (last image in this post) I finally did something I had been thinking of doing for a while now. I climbed the embankment for the bridge over the canal and walked to the middle to get a shot of Bellamy Harbor park from that elevated vantage point. In my head it was going to be awesome. As you can see from the image below, it didn’t turn out so great. I will have to make my way back up there once the gates in the canal are lowered. I think this view will be different without those huge obstacles in my way. I guess the good point of the story is I overcame my hesitation and did it!

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; From the Bridge

From the Bridge
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 19mm, f/16, ISO 800

 

This last image is the view I can capture from the canal wall in front of the gates. The wind was picking up as the morning passed on but I like how it rippled the water. I’m always a fan of the reflected lights on the water and even though it is a wide angle shot, you can see the effect of the new lights on the water tower. I like that the city is investing in this park. It might not be the greatest location in the city but I appreciate a place to get away from everything.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Mornin'

Mornin’
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 5s, 23mm, f/16, ISO 800

Midday Autumn Dream

Posted by Mike on

Old Erie Canal State Park, DeWitt, NY

There are days when when you really need to get away. Yesterday was not the perfect day for weather but it sure was not bad. Plenty of rain in the morning but by the the time lunch rolled around there was some sun poking through the clouds. The workday was mirroring the weather for me as well. So when I noticed the sun making an appearance I quit thinking about work, drove over to the Old Erie Canal State Park, changed into my hiking boots (always keep a pair in the car, along with my tripod) and relaxed for a few minutes along the bank of the canal.

The autumn colors have moved past their prime and the the leaves have been abandoning the trees in droves. There was still some color to be found if you took the time to look. With the clouds, a fairly calm body of water and the narrowed view from my telephoto lens I was able to capture the scene below. I also was playing with capturing some of the leaf colors against the reflective backdrop of the cloud filled canal. We’ll have to see if I was successful n a later post.

The day was a little surreal being near the end of October and the temperatures still reaching into the low 70’s. It may look like autumn outside but it is still short weather here in Upstate New York. To be honest I’m almost looking forward to the cooler weather (almost!) so I do not have to keep mowing the lawn.

Anyway, the whole lunch time experience felt like a dream as I looked back it after dinner. It was a nice break to the day and gave me the same added burst I would have received from a short nap at my desk… LOL. I guess that feeling influenced my processing of the picture, as I ran the final version through one of my Topaz Labs plug-ins to give the image a slight painterly look. It also contributed to the image title…

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Midday Autumn Dream

Midday Autumn Dream
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, 1/200s, 49mm, f/11, ISO 200

Hello Autumn

Posted by Mike on

Big Brook Creek

Sunday was another unusually warm day here in Upstate NY so rather than do all the yard work I should have been doing I decided to go looking for images. There is a place about five minutes from my house where two creeks come together and I can get some nice little waterfall images as well as great water flow images. The sun was higher than normal in the sky as I generally try to go prior to sunset. Yesterday I went exploring around 1pm.

This helped me with this image as the higher sun provided great light on the autumn leaves but it hurt me on my waterfall images. Too many bright spots on the water. Even with the ND filters I didn’t come home with many images I was happy with. It didn’t really matter though, getting out with the camera was all the fun I needed.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Hello Autumn

Hello Autumn
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/4s, 29mm, f/16, ISO 100

Chittenango Autumn

Posted by Mike on

Chittenango Falls State Park

After a long, tiring day of travel back from the West Coast on Thursday I decided I was leaving work early and stopping on my way home at the State Park that started my obsession with waterfalls, Chittenango Falls. I was hoping for a little autumn color and although I might have been about a week early for peak conditions, the park did not disappoint. The sun was starting to be replaced with the approaching clouds but I managed to grab some blue sky before it was gone.

Although we have not had a lot of rain of late, the flow in the creek was perfect to create the best looking cascade down the falls. It is always a challenge, too much water and there is no definition to the flow and too little leaves you with barely noticeable streams. I always prefer to see the flow so I try not to have an exceedingly long exposure. The 1-4 second bracket worked best for the conditions. I could have lengthened the exposure as there was barely any wind but I am not a fan of the definitionless water streams. My personal choice… 🙂

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Chittenango Autumn

Chittenango Autumn
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, {1, 2 & 4s bracket}, 23mm, f/16, ISO 200