Tag Archives: landscape

Bring on the Sun

Posted by Mike on

Cocoa Beach Pier, Florida

I’m sitting at my desk this morning wondering if I’ll even venture out today. It is currently -7 F with a wind chill down to -25 F. The high today will be a whopping 7 F. Tomorrow is expected to be warmer, but then late in the day a winter storm will cruise through. Depending on who you want to believe and exactly where you live, we could see anywhere from 7 – 18″ of snow by late Monday. I need some warmth!

My thoughts turned to the Florida coast. I haven’t visited the east coast of Florida (around the Melbourne area) since late in 2018. I’m not even thinking about Disney, I want the beaches, the piers and the ocean crashing against the sand. I could spend days, heck probably weeks working my way down the coast exploring and photographing everything. I’m hoping I remember I misplaced a large pile of money somewhere so I can jump in an RV and live the life of a photography nomad…

Here is a morning view of Cocoa Beach Pier. I love when I can get the reflection in the wet sand.

Bring on the Sun
Olympus E-M1 MK II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/13s, 19mm, f/16, ISO 200

Crack of Dawn

Posted by Mike on

Framed Friday
Bellamy Harbor Park

I was saving this image from last Saturday until today. I have been attempting to follow the daily themes outlined on the Photofocus Community. Today is Framed Friday and I wanted to use this image of Bellamy Harbor with the natural framing for my post. It was a very cold morning and you can see the “steam” rising off the ice.

Crack of Dawn
Olympus E-M1 Mk III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/20s, 17mm, f/11, ISO 400

Have a Seat

Posted by Mike on

Griffiss International Sculpture Garden

Along the trails of the sculpture garden are these red benches. I assume the bright red color is to allow them to stand out and be noticeable from a distance. Even though they are metal, they are actually quite comfortable to sit on. There are a couple of these benches on the hill above the Pagoda Pavilion. I have sat on them a few times and simply enjoyed the day. This one is interesting as it is tucked in among the trees and quite a few feet off the paved paths.

Even though this is a busy image, I liked the red bench having the orange book ends from the tree leaves. Late afternoon light casting long shadows didn’t hurt either. I thought to walk up to the bench, create a single impression in the snow on the seat and walk away leaving a single set of foot prints in the snow. Obviously I chose the the cleaner view…

Have a Seat
Olympus Pen-F, M. Zuiko 17mm f/1.8, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 200

Goose, Goose, Geese

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park

OK, it started out at 4F degrees when I went out for the sunrise but it was -4F by the time I got back home. I would have been OK with the temp but my walk away from the car was apparently with the breeze and the walk back nearly froze my face off. Damn, it was cold!

I found where the geese decided to sleep for the night. I suppose the water was a good 30F warmer than the air but still looked cold to me. When I came around the west side of the Mohawk River to capture the view I wanted, the geese didn’t like how close I was getting and started to move away. Although a few might be blurry due to the shutter speed, having them farther out in the water does add to the story of the image. You can see “steam” over the ice in the Barge Canal.

OK, I’m getting cold again looking at this image, time for another cup of coffee…

Goose, Goose, Geese
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/6s, 20mm, f/11, ISO 400

Life Reflected

Posted by Mike on

Tree of Life, Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

At one point yesterday I looked out the window at work and saw blue skies, puffy white clouds and the sun. That all changed about an hour before I left work. We got snow! Not a lot, only 4 – 6 inches but enough to change my plans… no sunset photography. Now the snow I’m OK with but these single digit temperatures hurt. It is supposed to be clear skies this morning, maybe I’ll brave the four-degree temps and search out the sunrise… maybe… 🙂

My Lightroom catalog was still on the Disney folder when I opened the program. Yeah, a warm looking sunrise image would help take my mind off the current temperature. Most images of the Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom are from the “front”, if a tree can have a front or back. There is generally a long line of people waiting to grab the iconic image (Tree of Life Morning), but I prefer the opposite view. Probably due to my preference for a good reflection.

Life Reflected
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/40s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Morning Serenity

Posted by Mike on

Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Other than a moment of sun a couple of days ago we have had only grey skies lately. I saw a message pop up in one of my streams that Disney has released the dates for the 2022 International Flower & Garden Festival. As much as I am still conflicted regarding Disney, I do love going down for that festival. All this had me searching my images from my trip last year.

This is from the morning of my last day at the resort. The sun was barely breaking the tops of the trees so you can see the orange skies starting to move in from the right. I love the small reflections in the water on the boardwalk. Overall, it was a quiet, peaceful morning before the madness of traveling back home. I need to schedule this year’s trip…

Morning Serenity
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/13s, 13mm, f/11, ISO 200

Frozen Dreams

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

The sun was out! At first, I wasn’t sure what that bright thing in the sky actually was since I hadn’t seen it in such a long time. Once I got over my initial confusion, I decided I would go get a proper “sunset” at Delta Lake. I should have checked on the wind!

Dang! I thought I dressed appropriately but the wind cut through me with ease. I grabbed a few images then hid behind a group of trees while I waited for the sun to reach the horizon. I wanted to capture the colors reflected in the layer of ice which formed near the shore. Once I captured my view, I practically ran back to the car…

Frozen Dreams
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/125s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200