Tag Archives: sunset

Winter Streaks

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

Saturday morning was too cold for me. It was eight below zero and although it looked like it was going to be a good sunrise, I did not want to venture out into that temperature. If the cloudy sky prediction of the weather apps was only half right the conditions were possibly going to be better at sunset. All day long the sun shone down and slowly warmed everything up. And, as predicted, the clouds started to roll in toward the late afternoon.

Luckily for me it was not a completely cloudy sky. The temperature had worked its way up to twenty six and I was in the mood for a sunset. I drove up to Delta Lake in search of anything interesting. At least this time I remembered to grab the Lensball and I was able to find a few interesting views with my glass sphere. There might be a few of those images popping into my stream later.

With only a few minutes left until sunset I worked my way back to the beach entrance thinking of calling it a night. As I stopped and chatted with a family who was there enjoying the sunset, I spotted a few small breaks in the ice. I must have looked like a mad man as I tried to run toward the lake and hopefully my opportunity for a winter reflection. I don’t believe you can look graceful running in shin deep snow with a backpack on and a tripod in your hands.

It was totally worth it! The sun is seconds away from disappearing below the horizon, the clouds played their part perfectly and the colors are amazing. Never stop looking for your next image, it is closer than you think…

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Winter Streaks

Winter Streaks
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/25s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 100

 

Beginning Ice

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

The day was mostly overcast. Sunday is typically errand day, get the groceries, hit a few of the warehouse stores and check out anything interesting. The morning started with breakfast and progressed along as I expected. The only surprise was the emergence of the sun about forty five minutes before sunset. I had been itching to get out with the camera and was not going to let this opportunity slide.

I grabbed everything (including my gloves) and headed out. Once I pulled the car out of the parking lot of the townhouses I realized I would be racing the clouds. The sunshine I was experiencing was through a small crack in the cloud cover. My best bet to photograph anything would be up at Delta Lake. I raced my way there as the sun started playing hide-n-seek.

This image is the first capture as I hit the beach. In a couple of minutes the sun was once again hiding behind the clouds. I ended up playing with the macro lens for a few minutes trying to get some close-ups of patterns in the ice stranded on the beach. The wind was beating on me and I hadn’t factored it in when I chose my clothing for this outing.

On my way back to the car I ran into another photographer. He was having a similar problem as he didn’t bring any gloves but wanted to wait until the sun dropped below the horizon. We stood there talking, mostly about his Pentax K-1. I briefly thought about this camera as it would allow me to use my Dad’s old lenses but since I haven’t been able to convince him to let me buy them I had forgotten about it. He confirmed by original thoughts, it is a great camera. Looks like I’ll be calling Dad soon…

We both stayed for a few more minutes and I grabbed a couple more images. I had to get the obligatory image with the bench in the foreground. Every year I manage to sneak another one into my collection. Eventually the wind won and we both headed to our cars. It was nice to chat with a fellow photographer and hopefully I’ll run into him again…

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Beginning Ice

Beginning Ice
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/60s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200

 

Alabama Sunset

Posted by Mike on

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

OK, I will admit I am obsessed with this ship. But can you blame me?

Luckily for me we were able to complete our tasks today around 3pm which allowed me to go back to the memorial park for the sunset. I checked my sun tracking app earlier in the day, so I knew the sun would set right behind the ship and I would have a great vantage point from the small pier at the park. I ran around the grounds for an hour and a half grabbing better images of everything on display. Not only was the weather better this time, but I also brought my camera. It was a good ending to a long weekend.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Alabama Sunset

Alabama Sunset
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ, 1/500s, 25mm, f/9, ISO 200

 

Delta Autumn

Posted by Mike on

Delta Lake State Park

I never wanted to rush through the summer. I was happy enjoying the sun filled days and long hours of daylight. But, I can tell you since I spotted the first leaves changing color and dropping to the ground, I have been waiting for the peak of autumn to arrive. In Upstate NY there is a relatively short window of opportunity to grab images of autumn. Typically, I’m in Florida at Walt Disney World during this window but not this year.

I have been enjoying walks along the Old Erie Canal trail at lunch searching for this sections of color reflected in the waters. This weekend I plan to hit a few of the state parks around Central NY as the foliage map indicates near peak/peak conditions throughout most of the state. But last night I ran up to Delta Lake to catch the last 30 minutes of light.

There is a section of the park at the entrance where as the sun sets it will illuminate the trees along the water providing a multitude of photographic goodness. This view checks quite a few boxes, i.e., autumn colored trees, reflections and last night mirror-like water with sun rays. I got lucky too! There was the perfect amount of clouds in the sky. To say I enjoyed the last 30 minutes of the day would be an understatement…

  

MLCreations Photography: Landscapes &emdash; Delta Autumn

Delta Autumn
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/100s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200