Riverside Park, Indiatlantic, FL
Another trip to Riverside Park along the Indian River in Indiatlantic, FL. This trip was the morning of my last day in Florida. It was a challenge as the clouds were rolling in which would eventually bring the rain. On the plus side the clouds did obscure the full moon which allowed for this extremely long exposure of the 192 bridge and the fishing dock from the park.
Before the Sun
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 50s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200
Riverside Park, Indiatlantic, FL
On the last morning of my vacation I headed out for one more photo opportunity. The full moon was still high in the sky but the clouds were starting to roll in. I had not scouted very many locations although the few I had used held plenty of opportunities. I decided to return to Riverside Park in Indiatlantic, which is just across the Indian River from Melbourne.
My original goal was to capture some images of the 192 bridge with this great dock in the foreground. If everything worked out I would catch the moon and its reflection as well. I did manage did get the images I wanted but as I was standing on the shore I noticed this great dock/boat lift off to my right. It wasn’t the colorful view I was getting with the bridge and sky but it reminded me of fine art, long exposure black and white images that I admire from a few photographers. This is my attempt at that style…
Simplicity
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 25s, 40mm, f/11, ISO 800
Indian River, Melbourne, FL
Well, sometimes you have to run with the image that knocks your socks off. I had another image all ready to go today but last night we went over to the water to see the full moon. The first stop was the park at the end of the 192 Causeway on the Melbourne, FL side. Just standing next to the water with the lights from the bridge and the moon I knew I was going to get a great image.
There was just the right amount of clouds in the sky to give the moon a glow and reduce the sharp moonlight. I had to manage the ISO to get a suitable long exposure. I didn’t want to completely glass over the water. I wanted to still have some texture in it. Increasing the ISO to 400 allowed for a 25 second exposure at f/13. I was ready to go back and start working on this image but we continued on over to the beach and that was just as beautiful. More on that image later…
Merry Christmas my friends!
Full Risen
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 25s, 12mm, f/13, ISO 400
Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World
I am positive it is related to leaving in 5 days for Florida but I also know that I love the entrance plaza at Hollywood Studios. Such a great nostalgic feel to this area and I am definitely in love with the Crossroads of the World kiosk. This view just after sunset as the sky is transitioning to the deep blues and blacks of night is my favorite time for photographing this iconic area. This image was captured in May when I was at the Studios for Star Wars Weekend.
Crossroad Wars
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 25s, 13mm, f/16, ISO 100
Future World, Epcot, Walt Disney World
Whenever I am in Epcot late at night my general plan is to run around World Showcase grabbing as many images of the country pavilions as I can. On my last trip in October I changed it up a little one night and stayed in Future World looking for interesting locations. I was not disappointed.
I have a few of my standard “go to” locations like the Imagination Pavilion or Spaceship Earth from the entrance plaza but I went looking for additional opportunities. Oh, don’t get me wrong I stuck to my standards too! I just made sure I opened my eyes to everything else. Sometimes trying to see past your own view of a location is difficult.
I was sitting on a bench waiting for some people to clear out of the area in front of the Fountain of Nations when I noticed a great opportunity to capture Mouse Gears. This is one of my favorite stores in WDW as it has a little bit of everything. I knew I was going to have to use a long exposure so I waited until the group of moving people would work for me and not against me.
Mouse Gears
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 60s, 28mm, f/16, ISO 100
This next image is of the Joffrey’s coffee stand next to Innoventions East. I really liked the color and style of this stand. I waited on the bench for a clean opportunity but the people just kept coming for a drink. Eventually I realized a static image might not be what I wanted to convey so I grabbed a few frames with people in the view. This one was my favorite as it had some energy but still a clear view of most of the stand.
Espresso, Coffee, Coolers
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 20s, 18mm, f/16, ISO 100
Oh Universe of Energy, what can I say about you. Your pre-show is a little dated (although still fun). Your attraction is a great place to relax for 20 minutes in your nice cool building. Your best features though are your exterior views. I always stop to capture a new side of you.
I liked how the sign and even Spaceship Earth was being reflected in the illuminated water. I must confess though… this image required some work. I manually blended four separate images to get the look I wanted for this picture. It was a lot of fun though as I learned a better way to handle images like this and experimenting on this really helped solidify the concept.
Spaceship Universe Reflection
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 30s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 100
I have a few more images from around Future World that I might eventually work on but these three were my favorites (of my non go to locations). I will definitely be spending more of my nights in Epcot exploring the often over looked corners. I know there are more image possibilities out there…
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Another interesting night as I was leaving work. The sun was setting into the clouds and everything was washed in an orange glow. By the time I reached the SUNY Poly campus the sun was gone but there was still great color in the sky and with the wind some very cool movement in the clouds and field grass.
I hadn’t captured an image of the Field House from the hill above so naturally the car drove itself right to the parking lot on the hill. I was having a hard time capturing the view in my head until I worked my way down toward the soccer field. The tall obstructions changed from thistles and goldenrod to some nice sway grass (just a guess). I wanted to capture the movement of the clouds and the grass with the campus buildings standing steady in the middle.
It sort of worked… 🙂
Field House from the Field
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 6s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 200
Utica, New York
Either I am getting more adventurous (I doubt it) or that voice in my head is winning more of the arguments but I stopped again last night to capture an image I have been passing by for over a year. When my daughter started going to the local college last year I would pass the time before picking her up at the shopping plaza across the highway from the school. The quickest way to the campus is to go up the road, exit, swing over the bridge and come in the back entrance. This view of the Mohawk Valley and Utica, New York is always on my left as I make my way to the campus.
I almost stopped late last week but something held me back. Last night the time must have been right. As soon as I was over the bridge I pulled the car over. Attached the camera to to the tripod and walked back to the bridge. The lights from the car dealership can be a little over powering in the image. They tend to drown out the lights of the city in the valley. I do like the light trails from the cars though.
Trails to the City
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 400
This image is actually a blend of two separate images. I wasn’t using the images to create a high dynamic range picture, I needed the different views of the light trails to create the look that I wanted. The drivers of the cars were not fully cooperating so using different images and painting the trails where I needed them was the best solution.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
There is definitely something about this library on the SUNY Poly campus that I draws me in. I capture images of this building every time I pull my camera out. On Thursday night it was obviously the dark sky contrasting with the color of the building and light coming from within.
Cayan Library Front
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 13s, 13mm, f/16, ISO 200
As I drive into the campus I pass the back of the library and have been thinking to myself what an interesting image it is as well. I finally walked all the way around the library to capture this view. I’ll let you try to find my correction… I had to remove a water spot from this image caused by a raindrop on my lens filter. I think I did a pretty good job removing it. 🙂
Cayan Library Back
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 10s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 200
My playing on campus also allowed me to try out the remote shutter release for the Olympus camera. Well worth the purchase. This camera has a ton more bracketing features than my Nikon but no great way to trigger all the exposures so the remote works out perfectly.
MLCreations Photography 