Tag Archives: landscape

Come for a walk with me

Posted by Mike on

Mohawk River Trail

Time to get off my butt!

It was a beautifully sunny day, although a little on the cool side. Temps only getting up to the low 40’s…

I had spent enough time playing video games. I should get out and move.

Last year the city of Rome extended the paved trail along the Mohawk River. The section they created, I have walked for years but it was a winding dirt path between Chestnut street and Olney’s Flower shop. Now it is an official part of the trail. I intended to walk it last year when it opened, but to be honest I wasn’t that ambitious.

Come with me on my walk…

Let’s Go – Color
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/400s, 16mm, f/8, ISO 200

I’m not happy with the colors after the snow melts and before Spring kicks into high gear. I tried being a little creative with the processing but I knew as I was on the walk I would be processing the images as monochrome. Knowing this does change the way I capture the images. I’m more focused on the shadows and highlights. Let me know how I did.

Let’s Go
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/400s, 16mm, f/8, ISO 200

It is only a couple hundred yards of walking from my apartment to Olney’s Flower Shop. The trail follows Black River Boulevard until it turns toward the river near the car wash. I would call this view the beginning of the trail. To the left of this view is an area that appears will eventually become a rest area. I’m looking forward to see how it turns out.

Old Trail
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/320s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200

As I approached the river I ended up crossing a part of the old dirt trail I walked for years. In the winter it is a snowmobile path. As you can see, the trail planners didn’t understand the ground water flow. Behind me in this view is a small pond which is obviously filled from water now blocked by the raised trail. Should be interesting to see how the new trail holds up.

The next section of the trail follows the Mohawk River. I like how it turned out. I used to fight the overgrowth to get a look at the river. Now it is much easier to capture the views I want.

Toward the River
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/320s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
Mohawk River 1
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/250s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
Looking Back
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/100s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
Looking Back Bigger
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/125s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 250

The new section ends at Chestnut Street. Walking under the bridge connects me with the old trail. Over the Mohawk River and then into the familiar section that heads toward Mohawk Valley Community College and eventually ends (usually where I stop) at Culverton Road.

I’m not sure if it was the guilt of sitting on my butt all morning or pride out weighing common sense. I kept walking. According to Google maps the eventual round trip was a little over five miles. I was out walking for almost two hours. It was a good day.

Mohawk River 2
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/320s, 17mm, f/11, ISO 200

I did find a few foreign visitors after I crossed the bridge. I was far enough away to not startle them as they walked up from the river. I tried asking for a more photogenic pose but they refused my request.

Canadian Friends
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/125s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 200

The next section of the trail is where I typically search for images with my macro lens. There are not a lot of worthy views but once the foliage starts anew, I will have many options. I knew there were a few stops approaching that would be nice landscape monochrome images.

Near MVCC
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/200s, 20mm, f/11, ISO 250
Mohawk River 3
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/250s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 250

And just like that I was at the end of the line. The trail continues toward the Barge Canal but I typically end my walks here. It was definitely a good place to stop yesterday considering I started walking from my apartment. This view in my head as I walked wasn’t as spectacular as I wanted but it will improve as the leaves return to the trees.

End of the Line
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/640s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 250

The return trip was a little quicker as I did not stop to capture any images. Probably smart to keep moving though as I was beginning to feel the walk in my legs. This needs to be a recurring activity. I need it! LOL

I hope you enjoyed following me on my walk…

Moving Through

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

The work week was complete!

Dinner had been consumed.

The sun was setting on a calm day.

Time to relax.

Delta Lake here I come…

The park was empty. A few clouds on the horizon but they were moving fast toward the East. Slight ripples on the water producing those soothing sounds I like as they met the shore.

Aaahhh! This is what I needed.

The ice has left the lake, the water level has returned to normal and the possibilities for images were plentiful. I couldn’t ask for a better evening. I grabbed a few images from the beach as the sun crossed into the approaching clouds. I walked out toward the point that typically is in the images I capture. I found a few good silhouette reflections with trees that are now in the water.

When I returned to the beach area for the color show after the sun had set I decided to try a few long exposure images. The clouds were moving at a good clip across the sky which could produce an interesting look of movement contrasted with the calm of the smoothed surface of the water.

To achieve the effect I wanted I needed to pull out the ten stop neutral density filter. As luck would have it the clouds were slowing down. I ended with a forty second exposure. I love the movement in the sky.

Moving Through
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 40s, 15mm, f/8, ISO 200

A kid in the creek

Posted by Mike on

Trenton Falls, West Canada Creek
Monochrome, Slow

The weather did take a turn for the better yesterday. By the middle of the afternoon the temperature was hovering around 70 F. The sun was out and there was only a slight breeze. It was a beautiful day. Of course I chose to ignore the weather alerts popping up on my phone warning me of impending doom from a severe thunderstorm before sunset.

Instead, I played in the creek. The West Canada Creek. The section below Trenton Falls. My favorite playground. It was fantastic!

Morgan’s Mill Dam
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/2s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

The approaching storm was coming from the west and the drive to my playground was toward the east. I could see the clouds chasing me in my rear view mirror. I had a feeling the conditions would be right for the images I wanted to capture. I hoped I could beat the storm. I was positive it was going to be worth it.

And it was!

I’ve rambled on before about growing up in the “crick” (I have to remind myself to say “creek” as it has always been a “crick” to me). I felt like I was back in the creek running through my Grandpa’s farm. I really wanted to build some rock dams like I did as a kid but I also wanted to create some images. The images won out this time. Next time, maybe the dam building will win…

The water in the West Canada Creek was high and running fast. There were plenty of opportunities to capture the long exposure, water in motion images for my “Slow” series. I was going to have a blast.

Running Fast
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/2s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200

I worked my way downstream from the bridge stopping at every opening and pointing the lens at the turbulent water. The sun was popping in and out from behind the clouds giving me the contrast I wanted in the water. I exhausted the extent of my access on one side of the creek so I crossed the bridge and worked my way down the opposite side.

I love how the creek looks completely different depending on the position of the sun. On the first side the sun was at my back but now I had the sun in front of me. It totally changes the shadows in the flowing water. Pointing the camera at the same turbulent area results in different looks to the flow.

I probably should issue a warning now to everyone… I found a lot of good images yesterday. My “Slow” series is definitely growing from yesterday’s play time in the crick… 🙂

Obstruction
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II, 1/10s, 124mm, f/8, ISO 400

Drifting Away

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

I’m listening to the wind and rain outside the window wondering what the rest of the day will bring. The forecast is for rain but I see a period of sun around midday with the temperature topping off at 67 F. I’m ready for Mother Nature to get this Spring season rolling. My macro lens is begging me to take it out in search of floral subjects.

I was looking through the images from Delta Lake I brought home the other day and was fascinated by this one. Nothing spectacular, but to me it is interesting and serene. I get lost looking at the light playing through the clouds, the various colors and the layers. I could easily let myself drift away, sitting on the beach, as the light faded to dark…

Drifting Away
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/100s, 25mm, f/11, ISO 200

The Way Back Machine

Posted by Mike on

Backyard Creek
Utica Train Station
Delta Lake State Park

I still have a few images from my recent excursions to process but I thought it might be fun to look back on my journey.

Wait! Hear me out…

It won’t be as bad as you think. I’ll keep it short.

Well, as short as my rambling mind will allow… 🙂

I decided to select an image from ten, five and one year ago. At least as close to the end of March as I can manage. Ten years ago I had barely begun this journey and was learning my new DSLR camera. I had a Nikon D5100 and my trusty Sigma 17-70mm lens. We had a ton of good times and I believe (or at least will firmly state) that I learned quite a lot with that first camera.

The image I found to process was a scene from the creek behind my house. Surprising to me, considering the image is from March 31st, there was still a lot of snow. Over the years I explored every twist and turn of that creek. I learned the beauty of long exposures with flowing water and tuned my approach to a series of images I coined “Slow”. This one brings back great memories of my playing in the creek.

Wandering Through
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 3s, 35mm, f/16, ISO 100

Five years ago I was a few weeks away from upgrading my Olympus E-M1 camera to the Mark II version. I had switched from Nikon to Olympus back in late 2015. For my type of photography I didn’t encounter any issues moving to the 4/3rds sensor and the reduction in weight was welcomed especially when I traveled.

I ended the month of March, five years ago, at the Utica train station searching for the sunrise. I find myself returning to the station periodically and generally I’m rewarded with a few keepers. On this morning I experimented with capturing a moving train but was unsuccessful in my attempts. Luckily, the sunrise light was worth the trip.

Waiting on Track 9
Olympus E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/10s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Last year it appears I did not venture out once in the month of March. I chose an image from my first outing in April, which of course, was to Delta Lake. By this time I was using the Mark III version of the Olympus E-M1 camera and had added a walk-around zoom with a little longer reach than my favorite 12-40mm lens. The 12-100mm lens is as good as its older sibling but only stops down to f/4, which for this landscape photography works for me 95% of the time.

The ice on the lake was mostly melted but a good wind out of the West had pushed piles onto the beach. I spent most of the evening photographing the chunks of ice with the sunset as a backdrop. As the sun reached the horizon the colors in the sky were being reflected in the calm waters of the lake. I ended my time running back and forth along the beach capturing as many reflections as possible.

Hold the Light
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/25s, 29mm, f/11, ISO 200

When I look back at images I often cringe at the choices I made, either in what/how I captured the subject or how I chose to process it. I don’t think I’m making those same types of choices today but who knows, in ten years I might look back and cringe at what I’m doing today. I did notice that my experimenting and playing with the camera does not happen as much today as it did ten years ago. I want to believe it is because I know better today what I want to photograph but I think it is because my curiosity is less.

Hopefully my rekindled interest in picking up the camera is also an increase in my curiosity… time will tell…

Golden Blues

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

I returned to Delta Lake Sunday evening for another chance at the sunset. There were very few clouds in the sky and the wind was creating ripples on the exposed water. I did not have high expectations I would find anything worth bringing home. I was wrong…

I found a small section of ice and water not affected by the wind. The sun was poised to slip beneath the trees on the opposite shore and the golden glow was illuminating a chunk of ice beautifully. Well, I couldn’t let this scene get away from me…

Golden Blues
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/160s, 17mm, f/11, ISO 200

Canal Moods

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park

Sunday morning I decided I was not going to take any chances with missing the sunrise like I did on Saturday. My prospects were not looking good as I drove to Bellamy Harbor Park but regardless of the clouds and wind I felt there would be an image for me. At some point last year I forgot you have to be out exploring the possibilities in order to find what you are feeling. A moody morning definitely was for me…

Canal Moods
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 28mm, f/16, ISO 100