Fade Into Night x 3

Posted by Mike on September 13, 2012

I wish itching to get out with the camera today. I went during lunch but had very little success in the full onslaught of the midday sun. I did manage to capture one image that will work for a friends photo assignment. The last few days have been full between work and my daughter’s tennis matches so when the opportunity arose to sneak out after mowing the lawn I didn’t look back.

There was a great sunset developing and windless conditions so I headed back to Delta Lake State Park to capture some images after the sun dropped below the horizon. It is always a race against the clock as they start kicking you out soon after sundown since technically the park closes at dark (but that is always open to interpretation!).

The first image is the short exposure from my bracket set which has only been manipulated in Lightroom. Version 4 of that software allows for some great control of the image. The second image is the HDR version of the same scene. I have mixed feelings about this one. I like what I was able to pull out of the rocks but I think the sky went a little too far for me. The last image is a composite image using the first two. I brought them both into Elements and manipulated the portions I liked from each into a single image.

I’m curious as to which image works for you. Let me know in the comments. Thanks…

Fade Into Night – Adjusted
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 0.8s, 26mm, f/22, ISO 100

Fade Into Night – HDR
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (13/3/0.8s bracket), 26mm, f/22, ISO 100

Fade Into Night – Composite
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 0.8s, 26mm, f/22, ISO 100

Grass is greener…

Posted by Mike on August 30, 2012

Grass is greener…
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/125s, 100mm, f/11, ISO 800

Utica Marsh Take Two

Posted by Mike on August 25, 2012

I was hoping to make a return trip to the Utica Marsh on Sunday morning but the weather forecast had me thinking I was going to encounter overcast skies. I decided to run down tonight and see what I could capture during the sunset. The sky cooperated by rolling in a few clouds and the sun played its part well.

Framed Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/20s, 35mm, f/16, ISO 100

Orange over Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/40s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100

There was little to no wind so I tried my hand at a few bracketed sets so I could play with Photomatix. I have had some hit and miss sets lately while trying to create a nice HDR image. The first two images in this post a straight up processing with Lightroom and a quick trip into Topaz Labs Adjust. This image is a three exposure bracket with some finish processing in Lightroom.

Marsh Sunset Burst
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/100, 1/25, 1/6s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 100

Early Morning at the Marsh

Posted by Mike on August 21, 2012

I had a few appointments to go to today so I decided it was best to take a vacation day. This of course allowed me to use the early morning for a little exploring with the camera. I have been admiring the color of the wildflowers in the Utica Marsh and thought today would be a great time to catch the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning but a fog had settled in the Mohawk Valley disrupting my plan. It wasn’t a total loss though as I was able to capture a few nice pictures.

The first image is the walkway bridge over both the Utica/Rome expressway and Interstate 90.

To fly over the chaos…
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/20s, 17mm, f/4, ISO 1600

The next two images are from the bridge over the barge canal looking west. I loved the fog rising from the water and the train trestle in the distance.

Early morning moody
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/6s, 55mm, f/8, ISO 100

Floating Bridge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/6s, 70mm, f/8, ISO 100

Finally an image of the marsh, just not the one I had hoped for. This was after waiting close to 45 minutes for the sunrise and some of the fog to clear. BTW, the light spot in the middle is the sun peeking through the tree line. I watched as the spotlight area kept growing…

Sun and Fog on the Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/30s, 26mm, f/11, ISO 100

And then on my way back to the car I caught the sun illuminating the swampy side of the canal.

The Swampy Side in the Sun
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/40s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100

Just relaxin’

Posted by Mike on August 19, 2012

Just Relaxin’
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/160s, 55mm, f8, ISO 200

Secondary Falls

Posted by Mike on August 19, 2012

I attempted to explore Whetstone Gulf state park just outside of Lowville, NY yesterday but ended up returning after finding out the trails close to the public at 3pm. I had arrived at 4pm in an attempt to get some nice sunset pictures, I guess the next trip will have to be early morning. I didn’t see any signs forbidding hikers on the trails in the early hours.

The day was not a total bust though as I stopped at Pixley Falls state park on my return trip. The ground was not as soft and wet as my previous visit so I was able to do some off-trail exploring. I managed to climb down a slope to get to this secondary falls. It was one I spotted during my last visit but was unable to get into position. Of course, the best view was from two thirds the way down the slope. Luckily there were some tree roots I could use to hold the tripod.

Secondary Falls
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/3s, 38mm, f/8, ISO 100

An Evening Canal Walk

Posted by Mike on August 12, 2012

Yesterday morning I took off close to sunrise in an attempt to explore the barge canal along the path less traveled. At the Oriskany access point the paved path heads east toward Whitesboro. There is a path which leads west toward the point where a creek enters the canal. It ended up being a longer walk than I anticipated and just after I started the sun decided to hide behind the darkening clouds. I didn’t want to get caught in the eventual rain so I cut the walk short and headed for the car.

Luckily, the evening turned out to be beautiful with little to no wind and some clouds to catch the sunset. I really didn’t plan on the day ending so nice so I quickly headed back down toward the canal to do some more exploring. This time I started at the Marcy access point and headed west toward Oriskany. It is a portion of the trail I haven’t had a chance to view through my lens.