After two days on the road, we pulled into the Paradise Isle Resort's parking lot, and I knew there would be many photographs of the resorts' buildings on stilts. While it is a common sight along the shore it definitely is not a common sight around Buffalo, New York. I immediately felt a connection and looked forward to exploring the raised house in different light. However, there was something captivating about that exact look in the middle of the afternoon with the sun in my eyes and the backlight skimming the walls of the resort.

I was tired from the long drive and a bit lazy and did not feel like digging out the camera at that very moment even though some lessons of the past went through my head. The light might not be the same again! We might not be there mid-afternoon again! Yet, all I did was pull out my phone and snapped a quick memory that way. For a few days afterwards, my worries kept coming true. Eventually I got my second chance though when we were not exploring elsewhere, and the light was similar to the arrival conditions.

Sunny AfternoonParadise Isle Resort

Sunny Afternoon at Paradise Isle Resort, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Nikon D610, Nikkor AF-S 24 - 85mm ED, Aperture Priority +2/3 EV, 1/60 sec, F/16

The resort offered some other picturesque angles. Here's a pretty basic head on photograph across the West Beach Boulevard. I tried several other angles but in the end liked the simplicity of this one. I also liked how the palm trees fit in this frame.

OfficeParadise Isle Resort

Office of the Paradise Isle Resort, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Nikon D610, Nikkor AF-S 24 - 85mm ED, Aperture Priority +2/3 EV, 1/200 sec, F/10

Since the houses on stilts also featured outside lamps I had to try a blue hour photo. We were lucky with the week spent there and evenings and nights offered clear skies with some decorative clouds floating by. And yes, I was happy with a scene similar to the opening one, just a few steps back to include one extra unit. I was hesitant about the cars on the right edge but did not have much of a choice as I absolutely wanted to include the utility poles. Why not though? These are vacation houses and the cars belong there.

DuskParadise Isle Resort

Paradise Isle Resort at Dusk, Blue Hour over Gulf Shores, Alabama
Nikon D610, Nikkor AF-S 24 - 85mm ED, Aperture Priority +2 & 2/3 EV, 15 sec, F/10

The next evening we returned early enough to catch another dusk photograph. For this one I went around the corner and looked for a new angle. When I thought I was done someone turned on the light in the window on the right and I grabbed one more photo. And I am glad I did. As I reviewed the whole series it was that last one that came ahead of the rest for me. It added a little extra bonus.

Blue HourParadise Isle Resort

Blue Hour over Paradise Isle Resort, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Nikon D610, Nikkor AF-S 24 - 85mm ED, Aperture Priority +1 EV, 25 sec, F/11

There you have it, the opening post to another series. Apparently, I am doing really well with the sequels to the other ones (from 2016!).

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Alabama 2023 Series: Part I, Houses on Stilts

De Immigrant on MississippiRoad Trip Trading Post in Georgetown, ColoradoRoad Trip A Rural HouseTravel

This time it did not take a long time at all to add to the Animals & Plants photo gallery. After some frogging last time, we're exploring the look of a tasty fruit this time around. First up? A close up, always creating an intriguing pattern of shapes and colors. Sometimes more yellow, sometimes more green, but always tasty unless it's left standing around for too long turning into pineapple wine.

Pineapple PatternA close up on pineapple skin pattern

Pineapple Pattern Close Up
Tokina atx-i 100mm f/2.8 FF Macro, 1/4 sec at f/16, ISO 200

I have had an opportunity to meet and talk with people from many countries and somehow by accident our discussions often turned to a pineapple. While our common language usually was English, we found it interesting that ananas was the word for it in our native languages. And the more people I asked the more of them knew the fruit as ananas.

For the second photo I have gone for a profile. Can you tell this pineapple is looking left? I liked the contrast between the warm colors of the fruit and the black background.

Pineapple ProfileThe side of a pineapple, or its profile.

Pineapple Profile, Side Close Up
Tokina atx-i 100mm f/2.8 FF Macro, 0.6 sec at f/16, ISO 200

And finally, a full head portrait to close us out today. Unlike the two photos above I did not want to go for a frame-filling portrait. Instead, I wanted to give the fruit plenty of room around the edges. I like the mood better that way.

PineappleHow do you say pineapple?

Pineapple, Ananas, Piña, Abacaxi
Tokina atx-i 100mm f/2.8 FF Macro, 0.5 sec at f/11, ISO 100

All photos were captured with a very simple set up. I hung a black velvet fabric behind (and under) the pineapple for a blank black background. Then I placed a single large adjustable LED light (18" FotodioX C-700RSV FlapJack) at about 45 degrees on the left and turned it more right to just illuminate the fruit by the feathered edges of the light. With that set up almost no light was falling on the fabric to the left of the fruit and the right side was far enough to also stay in the dark. In fact, the light was turned more towards the camera than the fruit and was causing a flare despite having placed a hood on the lens. I flagged the light off with a piece of black matboard leaned against the light from the camera side. I manually set the camera white balance to 3700K and the light to 3600K for a slightly warmer rendering.

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs of the animal kingdom? Visit my Nature - Animals & Plants and enjoy!

Banana FlowerPlants Catkins, Green ThemePlants Cherry Tree BlossomsPlants

Mamiya 645Fomapan 400 This is a loose continuation of my winter series: Winter Strangler, Winter is Here (Again)!, and Winter is Here! The whole series is connected not only by winter but being around the Southtowns of Buffalo, NY and photographed with a medium format Mamiya 645 camera on black and white film. The sad reality of winter in these parts is that sunshine is way too precious and most days are of various shades of gray. various tones of gloom. On the few passing moments when blue sky shows up I am tempted to rush for color film and capture the sight for perpetuity but a look to the west often quickly squashes my hopes as I see the gloom rolling in. This often happens in the morning when the low rising sun has a chance to get under the clouds. Sometimes that light can be so dramatic and tricky that it tricks me into thinking that the gloom from the west are not heat clouds but a rather pretty dark shade of blue sky. And then sun hops above the clouds.

Basketball HoopWestern New York Winter

Basketball Hoop, Western New York Winter, Snyder Road, West Falls, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

On days like this snow is a huge bonus. While the sky may be dark and gloomy snow on the ground cleans and brightens everything up. Up is down and down is up. The light comes from the ground.

Car Repair ShopWestern New York Winter

Car Repair Shop, Western New York Winter, Center Street, East Aurora, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Foma Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

The Southtowns of Buffalo, NY are in the so called snow belt, the area to the east of Lake Erie that gets most of the lake effect snow. Thus they also provide picturesque winter scenes, whether they are scenic landscapes or ordinary scenes along the small country roads people take daily on their commutes to work. Do they see it all though?

Old Shed in the FieldWestern New York Winter

Old Shed in the Field, Western New York Winter, Emery Road, East Aurora, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Foma Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

That's one of the reasons I like photography. It helps me pay more attention. I see things, I look for things that I would otherwise overlook. And I see history passing through my mind, things changing, things getting older, and once in a while a new thing popping up. Barns and sheds usually slowly give in to time, eventually collapsing. But here and there, even if rarely, a beautiful new barn pops up and brings a huge smile. Maybe it's knowing it will be there for me to watch forever.

Emery Park PergolaWestern New York Winter

Emery Park Pergola, Western New York Winter, East Aurora, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Foma Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

The car is parked in a lot now and we're on the foot through the beautiful Emery Park south of the village of East Aurora, NY. And even here it's a twofold story. There's scenic nature, always reliable, always beautiful. And then there is the human side of things, the structures people build. I really appreciate some of the local parks and the fact that the towns, counties, and state usually try to build things in a way that blend better with nature even if those choices are not the cheapest. Look at this stone pergola. Isn't it some much better than some quickly raised shelter? While not on these photos, I was very pleasantly surprised recently as some bridges were being repaired in Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, NY, and their side walls were wrapped in stone. It gives the parks charm and it makes them happier places to those who pay attention.

Aging Stone BridgeWestern New York Winter

Aging Stone Bridge, Western New York Winter, Emery Park, East Aurora, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Foma Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

On that note here's an example of the potential contrast. There's a beautiful old stone bridge crossing the creek but it has fallen into disrepair and will need to be services. Meanwhile, a simple wooden bridge was laid down nearby to keep the trail open. Will the stone bridge be repaired to bring smiles to future generations or will "lack of funding" make this one history? I hope it can be repaired. It would be another reason to smile in this wonderful park.

Freezing WatersWestern New York Winter

Freezing Waters, Western New York Winter, Emery Park, East Aurora, NY
Mamiya 645 1000s, Foma Fomapan 400, Kodak XTOL Developer

I started with doom and gloom of the Western New York Winter but found happier topics along the way. And as I am getting to the closure of today's philosophical post I can see a very small gap in the clouds. And guess what's visible through it! Indeed, a blue sky!

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! If black and white is your cup of tea, why not head over to the World without Color photo collection? And finally, if you enjoy looking at winter scenery, I have the Winter collection just for that purpose.

Spooky Winter WetlandsWinter Winter EntranceWinter Through the Winter LandscapeWinter

Birdsong Gate in WinterWinter Branches Dressed for WinterWinter The Creek Guard in WinterWinter