Tag Archives: sunrise

Florida

Posted by Mike on

Central Florida and the Space Coast

The title of yesterday’s post was both appropriate for the scene and my attitude. I didn’t feel like writing much and was looking to get the image posted before I headed out on an adventure. If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m on vacation in Florida. I drove down Monday morning and will be returning home on Thursday.

I had points that were going to expire in my Disney vacation club and decided to use one of the resorts as a home base for a little adventure. I’m at a room at the Saratoga Springs resort which is next to Disney Springs. My plan was to visit Cocoa Beach and Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, the Bok Tower Gardens on Wednesday before returning home. Day one is complete and I’m getting ready for day two now.

Monday after I arrived in the Orlando area I did a little hunting for retro video game stores. I didn’t have a lot of success, well, I found some store but didn’t find any thing I was willing to purchase. The hunt was interesting but the traffic was starting to wear on me so I worked my way to the resort. I planned on walking around Disney Springs while I waited for my room to be ready.

I only walked about a third of the way when my phone dinged from the notification my room was ready. I backed tracked, unloaded the car and decided to relax for a couple of hours around the resort before heading over for dinner. Yep, remembering why I’m souring on Disney, expensive and crowded. At least on the walk back to my room I was able to catch some good light.

Lights
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/15s, 32mm, f/8, ISO 800

The weather on Tuesday was going to be a challenge but I didn’t let it change my plans. I was going to roll with it no matter what. The sunrise at Cocoa Beach was less than ideal. The waves on the other hand were nice, probably due to the rip currents warning I received on my weather app. You can see the clouds moving up from the south and eventually it did rain.

Crashing the Morning
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 0.6s, 41mm, f/8, ISO 100

I grabbed some breakfast at a beach side diner on my way to the space center. When I planned this trip the Artemis II mission to orbit the moon was scheduled for March 6. I was looking forward to getting some images on the rocket/capsule on the launch pad. During the last test an issue was discovered that required the return to the vehicle assembly building. To say I was disappointed would be a little understated. The rescheduled launch is now for April 1st.

Rocket Garden
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/1250s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100

Today I am driving an hour south of Orlando to visit Bok Tower Gardens. This is a fifty acre botanical garden with plenty of walking trails. Looking forward to what I’ll find…

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}

Rise and Shine

Posted by Mike on

Silent Sunday
Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Rise and Shine
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/30s, 29mm, f/11, ISO 100

Early Light

Posted by Mike on

Yacht Club Lighthouse
Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

Morning is my favorite time of the day. Maybe it’s because I’m an early riser. I’ve been getting up around 4am for years. Originally it was for necessity but now it’s habit. I can go to bed late and still I wake up early (I’ll admit a good nap might be needed later).

Maybe being a photographer is another reason I still get up early. Some of the best light is before the sun pops above the horizon to right after it makes its appearance. Same can be said for sunset but at sunset there are generally more people around. In the morning, most people are still sleeping. I guess I like having the light all to myself.

This penchant for the morning is even stronger when I’m on vacation, especially when I’m at Disney. This is definitely related to the “less people” comment above. When I stay at the Beach Club I get the added benefit of the walking/running trail around Crescent Lake and the amazing views to be found. Just look at this view…

Early Light
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/13s, 33mm, f/11, ISO 100

Morning Reflected

Posted by Mike on

Crescent Lake, Epcot Area, Walt Disney World

I’m home! As you have been warned, I am back in Walt Disney World. I left late Wednesday night and drove six hours in order to get to the resort bright and early. OK, I’ll admit I stopped after crossing the Florida state line and took an hour nap but driving down was definitely better than the fun that is air travel. Although, the last forty miles had me questioning my decision… 🙂

My room wouldn’t be ready for hours ,so I decided to grab a few sunrise images before heading to the bus for the Magic Kingdom. It was a great way to unwind after the drive. I could feel the tense muscles relaxing and my mind was getting into vacation mode.

Well, it is time to go walk around the lake and see what today’s sunrise will bring me…

Morning Reflected
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/10s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100

Zoomin’ In

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor, Rome, NY

Saturday morning I finally got off my butt and headed out for the sunrise at Bellamy Harbor. There might not have been as many clouds in the sky as I would have preferred, but the colors were a beautiful consolation prize. These three images are from the same location all within a minute of each other, the only difference being the amount of zoom I used. There is a subtle shift in the colors as less of the blue sky is included in the view.

Blue Hour
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 2s, 27mm, f/11, ISO 100

The Harbor
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1.6s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 100

Zoomin’ In
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1.6s, 60mm, f/11, ISO 100

Tower on the Rise Reflected

Posted by Mike on

Silent Sunday
Bellamy Harbor Park

Tower on the Rise
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 2.5s, 41mm, f/11, ISO 100

Tower Reflected
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1.6s, 57mm, f/11, ISO 100