Happy Summer Solstice! At 4:24am this morning the astronomical summer began! I looked out the window but I didn’t see any momentous event to mark the occasion… maybe Mother Nature decided to play it cool this year.
We have been experiencing the remnants of tropical storm Arthur. Or, maybe it is only a stretch of rain. Either way, there has been quite a lot of water falling from the sky. I noticed Friday afternoon as I drove home from work that Flat Rock Creek was high. I decided on Saturday morning to go over and see how the “waterfall” was looking and maybe get lucky enough to grab an image or two.
There was a large volume of water flowing down the rocks. I setup at the base of the formation as the sun was beginning to burn through the clouds. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring a lens cloth with me and the spray was coating the front of the filter faster than I could capture my prize. The “haze” in this image is due to the water droplets on the lens.
Volume Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/25s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 200
The image title works on a couple of levels. The sound of the rushing water was as pronounced as the amount of water actually flowing. I attempted a few other views but they didn’t really do it for me. I told myself I would return before sunset but good ol’ Mother Nature had different plans.
I decided after the park that if the weather held I would run over to the botanical garden for some floral macro exploration. I skipped my normal Friday after work visit to the garden and was itchin’ to see what another week has brought for me to capture. I couldn’t pass up one of my favorites…
Luminary Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/1000s, f/3.3, ISO 100
I took today off to give myself a long, four day weekend. I had no plan other than an extra day to the weekend.
The something new, you ask… well, I’m sitting over in my favorite weekend coffee shop writing this post. The coffee shop is part of my Sunday habit (ritual, if I’m being honest). I go for my groceries and stop on my way home to get a coffee. This last Sunday I really broke with my routine. I had forgotten my coffee mug (they allow you to bring, even encourage, your own cup), so I went home dropped off the groceries and returned. Rather than walk back out I sat down at one of the tables to enjoy the atmosphere. I liked it.
This morning, as I was working on a few images, I decided I would take my Microsoft Surface over to the coffee shop and write this post while I enjoyed some coffee. If you are curious, check out The Brick and Mortar Cafe (it is a FB page). The proprietor is really nice and I like supporting a local business.
Also, another part of the something new is seeing how this “not working” thing is. I have really had retirement on my mind for quite a while. My brother-in-law retired a couple years ago and he is a year younger than me. And then my Mom informed me one of my friends growing up retired a couple months ago. Those thoughts start to worm their way into my brain and I have a hard time turning them off. I could get use to this… 🙂
Anyway…
I mentioned in my Sunday post that on Saturday, as part of my Market Days adventure, I walked the Chattahoochee Riverwalk again. I went in the opposite direction then I did a couple weeks ago. I walked along Front Ave. until it met up with the river trail, and then I headed back toward Uptown. I found a few interesting views along the way. The first that stopped me in my tracks is this reflection.
Reflection Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/160s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100
Frequent visitors know, I can’t pass up a good reflection. The water had collected in a low spot on the trail and getting the camera practically into the water allowed me to remove most of the ground. I had to dodge a few cyclists but it was totally worth it.
A few steps further along the trail I spotted this view of the train bridge over the river. This bridge is the continuation of the tracks I captured in a post about a week ago (From 9th Street). I liked the split in this view, the water and bridge on one side with the tree lined path on the other.
Respite Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/200s, 47mm, f/8, ISO 100
And then we come to the bridge proper. I wasn’t so much interested in the bridge but was trying to capture the blossoms in the tree while using the bridge as a backdrop. Not too sure I succeeded, but hey, I gave it a try.
Tracks Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/160s, 49mm, f/8, ISO 100
Although the image above didn’t turn out like the one I had in my head as I was capturing it, I did grab a view of the blossom. From what Google Lens tells me, the tree is a Persian Silk tree, or also called a mimosa tree. After reading about this tree, I’m not so sure I’m happy to see one (they are highly invasive)… 😦
Mimosa Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/640s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 100
Now we get to the different section of this post, or maybe better, different images. These remind me of the images I captured more of as I was learning photography. A little abstract. Eventually I had to pass under the train bridge. I remembered to look up.
Look Up Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/100s, 29mm, f/8, ISO 100
Cross the Sky Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/125s, 28mm, f/8, ISO 100
We are almost back to the waterfront in Uptown. The day was heating up and it was almost time for lunch. I grab one last image of the trail before heading to Waveshaper Island and the post with the herons (Saturday Ritual).
Up Around the Bend Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/320s, 38mm, f/8, ISO 100
Back to my something new… I probably should not have done this! The rest of this week will be tough at work after enjoying my morning, relaxing with a cup of coffee at the cafe. Yeah, those thoughts of being done with work are going to continue…
No, I’m not back at Disney. It has been over a year since my last visit and I currently do not have any plans to return. I’ve gone off on my reasons in previous posts so I won’t bore you with repetition. I guess I’m feeling a little nostalgic looking through my catalog of images. I also realized I have a lot of images from last year that I haven’t shared. So, this is a warning to expect some incoming Disney pics… 🙂
Tree of Color Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 0.5s, 24mm, f/4, ISO 12800
Time is running out on the Callaway Gardens Food & Wine Weekends. This spring event continues until next weekend so I needed to get back to the gardens. I had purchased a sampler pass for the various food/drink offerings and had three punches remaining on my card. I had sampled every station and had my eye on returning to the Pioneer Log Cabin for the “lamb and three bean chili”… it was worth it. And, it got me off the couch.
The color green is in full display now…
Peaceful Reflection Nikon Z f, Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 SE, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 100
Among the Lily Pads Nikon Z f, Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 SE, 1/50s, f/11, ISO 100
Bridge Through Green Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 280
Generally, my first stop at Callaway Gardens is the Overlook Azalea Garden. What I stop to view is the winding cart path connecting the golf course. Of course, I can’t not walk through the garden especially when there are blossoms to photograph. I’ve had these images done for a few days and actually forgot about them before this morning. Now you can see why I stop here…
Seeing Double Nikon Z f, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 100
Bridge Over Nikon Z f, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/25s, f/8, ISO 100
It wasn’t my ideal sunrise. I had grandiose ideas floating in my head as I drove to Cocoa Beach in the pre-dawn hours. Realistically, I knew what the weather was forecast to be but I still had hope. It had been almost three years since my last visit to the Florida coast. Weather be damned…
Solo Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/125s, 40mm, f/11, ISO 100
I struggled this morning to see the image. I suppose I let the less than perfect conditions inhibit my vision. This ended up being the last image captured. There was a small group of people setup with tripods and cameras working the fading sunrise when this person calmly walked through the scene. Not a typical image for me but I decided in the moment to go with the flow.
MLCreations Photography 