Tag Archives: utica marsh

Sunset at the Marsh

Posted by Mike on

Utica Marsh

After a very topsy-turvy day with the weather, the evening was looking like it might be OK to go exploring for a sunset. My first instinct was to go down to Delta Lake and see what has changed since the weather has gotten warmer. When I reached the corner I ended up turning left and headed down to the Utica Marsh.

I drove by the marsh the other day and the water level was quite high. I thought maybe it would produce some interesting images if I could find my way over toward the trees growing on the city side of the marsh. I didn’t allow myself enough time as I left the house like I was going to Delta Lake which is only 5 minutes away. I parked the car at the trail head in Marcy and quick walked over to the marsh.

It was a good day as any to go off the path and head over to the side of the marsh I wanted to capture. It also would put the sun in the best location as it set to be over my subjects. This first image includes one of those trees I was hoping to capture. The wind was still strong which ruined my calm water reflections but I liked the silhouette look and the golden colors I was able to get from the growth along the banks.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Sunset Marsh

Sunset Marsh
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/60s, 26mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

If the water had been calmer I would have switched to my zoom lens to isolate the tree and its reflection a little better. My location on the hill leading up to the road was not the best angle for capturing the solitary tree but then I noticed all the other inhabitants surrounding the tree. If you look closely you can spot some geese and at least one beaver lodge.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Surrounded

Surrounded
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/50s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

I worked my way back toward the trail and found a spot where I could get close to the water. There was another beaver lodge and I was hoping to get a close-up view. What I didn’t notice as I was capturing this image were the geese nesting on the top of the lodge. Now I wish I had switched to that zoom lens!

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Home

Home
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/15s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

This last image is the typical image I capture at the marsh. It is from the corner near the trails where I can usually get next to the water. There has been some landscaping being done at this spot and I’m not sure if it was all done by humans. I have a feeling the beaver started something and there was additional work that had to be done to clean up their mess.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Utica Marsh Approach

Utica Marsh Approach
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/20s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

I can’t wait for Spring to reach the swamp. The color changes will definitely improve my sunset images. I’m also hoping to explore more of the area around the swamp as there are a few more trails I haven’t tried.

Light Farewell

Posted by Mike on
Light Farewell Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/25, 1/10, 1/400s bracket), 21mm, f/9, ISO 100

Light Farewell
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/25, 1/10, 1/400s bracket), 21mm, f/9, ISO 100

Swamp Sundown

Posted by Mike on
Swamp Sundown Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/25, 1/10, 1/400s bracket), 21mm, f/9, ISO 100

Swamp Sundown
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/25, 1/10, 1/400s bracket), 21mm, f/9, ISO 100

Wordless Wednesday: Queen Anne’s Demise

Posted by Mike on
Queen Anne's Demise Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4, 1/800s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Queen Anne’s Demise
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4, 1/800s, 70mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Lookout Silhouette

Posted by Mike on

Went out to visit my family this weekend with my daughter. Although it was a long drive we had a great time. The weather didn’t cooperate so I was unable to go exploring with the camera. I had that itch that needed to be scratched so after we returned home today I went for a walk down around the Utica Marsh.

This is a observation/lookout stand supposedly used for viewing the happenings in the marsh. To bad they do not keep the view cleared that looks into the marsh. The only opening lets you look clearly in the wrong direction. I still liked the outline and shadows created by the structure. I tried a little cross processing in an attempt to add a little to the image. Not sure it worked…

Lookout SilhouetteNikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1600s, 28mm, f/8, ISO 200

Lookout Silhouette
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1600s, 28mm, f/8, ISO 200

Free is Sometimes Good

Posted by Mike on

I thought maybe today I would try something a little different. Well, at least a little different for me. I’m finding it more difficult each day to get out and explore with the camera. The hope for cooperating weekends don’t always work out so today I’m posting some information about image processing.

When I started this journey into photography I was as green as could be. My extent of photographic ability amounted to transferring the pictures from the camera to my computer and throwing away the ones that didn’t make the cut. I used Google Picasa to organize the images and do minor adjustments like cropping or rotating. The first piece of software I trialed was Lightroom. I eventually purchased a full version and have been using it as my main processing tool for over a year

The second piece of software I started using was Photoshop Elements. My daughter had a copy with the tablet she received for Christmas one year and after struggling with version 7 I decided to buy myself the latest version which was 10. I’m getting better at using Elements and find I use it for an image that needs more than a basic manipulation.

And then the most exciting thing happened just about a year ago…

I entered my name in a contest offered by one of the photographers on Google+ for a copy of Topaz Labs plugins for Lightroom/Photoshop. Now, I have the most terrible of luck and actually forgot all about the contest until I received an email stating I won a copy of the whole plugin bundle. It really changed the way I work on my images. Of course, at first I went overboard and was doing too much processing. Eventually I learned when and how to use all the tools to create the images I wanted. Sometimes I want a natural looking image and sometimes I want to create something more than just a picture.

I recently downloaded onOne Software’s Perfect Effects 4 Free. Which is a completely free fully functioning version of their software but with only a handful of the presets used to manipulate an image. I’m always curious about other options. I am very impressed with this software! With just a few clicks I was able to manipulate an otherwise blah image and pump it up.

The image below is straight out of the camera other than my normal import processing and cropping.

Going to the Birds... (SOOC) Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 100

Going to the Birds… (SOOC)
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 100


In the Perfects Effects software I used two of the included presets; Tonal Contrast and Orton Hears a Who. The software uses layers to allow for staking of the preset effects. Also included are basic manipulation brushes for color, contrast, dodge, burn, etc. There is a masking technology built into the software so it is extremely easy to only affect the area of your image you want to modify.

Going to the Birds... Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 100

Going to the Birds…
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1s, 70mm, f/16, ISO 100


This normally would not have been an image I would have worked on. I wanted to capture the geese on the swamp but I only brought my wide angle zoom and did not have the reach I needed for the image. I loaded this one into the Perfect Effects software just to play around and ended up being pleasantly surprised. It has me looking closer at the onOne software and maybe after the first of the year I’ll get myself a belated Christmas present. 🙂

Utica Marsh Take Two

Posted by Mike on

I was hoping to make a return trip to the Utica Marsh on Sunday morning but the weather forecast had me thinking I was going to encounter overcast skies. I decided to run down tonight and see what I could capture during the sunset. The sky cooperated by rolling in a few clouds and the sun played its part well.

Framed Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/20s, 35mm, f/16, ISO 100


Orange over Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/40s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100

There was little to no wind so I tried my hand at a few bracketed sets so I could play with Photomatix. I have had some hit and miss sets lately while trying to create a nice HDR image. The first two images in this post a straight up processing with Lightroom and a quick trip into Topaz Labs Adjust. This image is a three exposure bracket with some finish processing in Lightroom.

Marsh Sunset Burst
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/100, 1/25, 1/6s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 100