Tag Archives: panorama

Only 90′ More to Go

Posted by Mike on

Smith Mountain, Jackson’s Gap, Alabama

Yesterday was a treat! My friend Dawn, over at Change is Hard blog, is down at her family’s house on Lake Martin in Alabama. She invited me over and we had a great adventure. We have been online friends for a lot of years and this was our first meeting. It was such a great day!

You can visit Dawn’s post In between the raindrops to see a little of the lake and the deck of house where we enjoyed lunch and an afternoon watching the activity happening on the lake (geese, a coupe of guys on motorized paddle boards and a few boaters). This was after we went to Smith Mountain to hike the trail to the fire tower.

Only 90′ More to Go
Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/1000s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100

I now have a new place to explore! I will definitely be going back to capture the views from the top of the tower. I tried for a panoramic view of the lake from the top of the tower but in my excitement I failed to actually focus before capturing the 11 images. Another reason to return!

Don’t look too close at this one, not my best…

View From the Top
Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/100s, 24mm, f/18, ISO 100
{11 image pano}

Morning Ride

Posted by Mike on

Chattahoochee Dragonfly Trails

A few weeks ago I finally finished my normal internal debates and purchased an e-bike. I have been thoroughly enjoying all the trails I explore but there are so many more places I’m interested in seeing and the bike will help me reach them. The first few rides were getting used to the bike and making small tweaks to the seat and handle bar height. I was still waiting for my helmet and didn’t want to venture too far until I had my noggin’ protected.

Saturday morning in addition to checking out the Market Days in Uptown I brought the bike with me so I could venture further on the Dragonfly Trails along the Chattahoochee River. I decided to go north toward the dam as I knew there were a few places to get some pictures from previous walking adventures on that portion of the trail.

I didn’t get very far before the back brakes started making an annoying noise (the calipers were rubbing against the disk… 😦 ). It wasn’t anything serious but the noise really was grating on me. I needed to fix this before going too far. I stopped and grabbed a few images but decided to head back to the car.

I walked around the Market Days before heading back home. I didn’t even want to walk the trail looking for more views, all I could think about was the brake noise. When I got home is was an easy adjustment for me and the noise is now gone. I need to get a small pouch for a few basic tools to be able to make these repairs in the field (on my To Do list!).

The Dam
Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/100s, 47mm, f/11, ISO 200

There is a spot along the trail with an overlook spot, maybe it is a fishing spot, but anyway it provides a big sweeping view of the river from the North Highland Dam to the US-80 bridge into Alabama. I liked the framing provided by the trees for the long view of the dam. I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab a set of images for a panoramic view…

The Big View
Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/100s, 24mm, f/9, ISO 100
{12 image pano}

As I made my way back to the car, doing my best to ignore the brake noise (not successful!) I stopped at another overlook spot that provided a nice view of the working side of the dam. I can see me exploring this area more in the future…

North Highlands Dam
Nikon Z6 III, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/80s, 66mm, f/8, ISO 100

Think Big

Posted by Mike on

Flat Rock Park

Well, maybe not big, but at the very least I was thinking. I’ve had this image in my head few a while. There is an area at Flat Rock Park where the rock formations are in a large semi-circle. Typically, this area is occupied by other visitors, i.e., kids climbing on the rocks, groups of people gathering near the tree in the center of this view, etc.

But, the sun rises behind the semi-circle. Last weekend I attempted to get this image but there was nothing but clouds in the sky. Yesterday the conditions seemed good looking out my apartment window so I grabbed the camera before heading out for my weekly grocery run. It was a good morning. Low 60’s, no wind and best of all, no one in my view. Oh, and the clouds were just right.

I played around this area for about 45 minutes. I tried different angles, different compositions and especially waiting for different colors in the sky. This is a 7 image panoramic view about 20 minutes before the actual sunrise. By the time the sun breaks the horizon there will be a lot more orange tinted light in the sky. The 7 images cover about 140 degrees of view which contributes to the changing color in the sky.

Typically I use the tag #SilentSunday for images I post at the start of the week, mostly because it allows me to be lazy. Today I wanted to share a little more about this one… wishing you the best for today.

Think Big
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 2s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 100
{7 image pano}

See it All

Posted by Mike on

Wordless Wednesday
Bellamy Harbor, Rome, NY

See It All
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 2s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 100
{7 image panoramic}

Wide Open

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

Summer is coming to a close. This weekend is the Ring of Lights around the lake. There will be a bonfire on the beach with a fireworks display. For me, this event signals the end of summer. The weather is expected to be perfect this weekend. I’m looking forward to exploring…

Last evening I went to the lake for the sunset. There were not a lot of people. Other than the seagulls, I had the beach to myself. After the sun set, I grabbed an eight image set of the view from the beach. I created this panoramic from those images.

Wide Open
Nikon Z6 II, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/8s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 100 {8 image pano}

Take it All In

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

Stop for a moment and enjoy the view.

Don’t rush off in search of an image.

See what is before you and take it all in…

Those were the first thoughts running through my mind as I stepped out onto the beach at Delta Lake State Park yesterday evening. I haven’t been to this park in four months. The last time I was here there was still ice piled up on the beach. It was a beautiful evening and I took a minute to enjoy it.

It was a rare moment at the park during the summer to have the beach to myself. There are little signs other visitors are around but when I arrived the beach and water were empty. The clouds were moving into the area and the sky presented an array of colors. Naturally I thought it best to capture a panoramic view so everyone else could enjoy what was before me.

I stayed for an hour as the sun and clouds played tag across the sky. I definitely have more images to share…

Take It All In
Olympus E-M1 MK III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/80s, 25mm, f/11, ISO 200, 7 image panorama

Boardwalk Bright

Posted by Mike on

Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Boardwalk Bright
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 17mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/16, ISO 200, 5 image pano

Autumn Wide

Posted by Mike on

Chittenango Falls State Park

Last Friday worked out well with my early leave from work and the walk around Green Lakes I planned on giving it a try this week. I wasn’t positive the weather would allow me as there was rain in the forecast. By early afternoon the clouds were rolling in but the rain was holding off. I escaped!

I ran out of work an hour early and headed toward Chittenango Falls State Park. There were very few people in the park so I had my playground to myself. I started down in the gorge planning to get the waterfall flanked by bright autumn colors. Busted. There was minimal color in the trees lining the view. Damn!

There was color to be found. I switched to the area of the park upstream of the waterfall. Bingo! This is more like it. I played for almost an hour before the first drops of rain started to fall. Another good end to my work week.

I tried something a little different with this view. After my success with the panoramic from Bald Mountain I setup the camera and captured an eight image sequence. A little tricky due to the flowing water but I added a filter to get to a two second exposure counting on the long exposure to help “hide” the separate images. I think it worked out OK…

Autumn Wide
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 40mm, f/11, ISO 200