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The Moods of Cargill
Cargill Pool Grain Elevator Time LapseBuffalo, NY
Last Thursday night I found myself on Gallagher Beach enjoying a very cloudy end of the day. I arrived late because I falsely relied on remembering the sunset time from a few days back. It is amazing how much the time shifts in just a week!
I would have been on time had I not forgotten my water bottle at home. But since I did and felt rather thirsty I stopped at a gas station along route 5 to buy a bottle of water. All that thinking I still had time to spare.
I did not really mind though as I was here not for the sunset but for the dramatic clouds that obstructed the sunset anyway. Had I been on location a few minutes earlier I would have had a better opening for the video. This way, I have something to improve upon next time - both to double-check the sunset time and to grab an even more dramatic light.
That evening, I did not pull out my standard camera. Instead, I framed and (hopefully) captured a black and white photo on my Nikon FE on black and white film and then used my iPhone to take some of the mood in using a time lapse video, which you can see here.
I think this sets up a nice look back through my previous visits to this Buffalo icon and the different moods the grain elevator and the lake can have.
The Old FaithfulCargill Pool Grain Elevator, Buffalo, NY
Winter Blues at the South End Marina Cargill Pool ElevatorCargill Pool Grain Elevator, Buffalo, NY
Night over the South End Marina Cargill Pool ElevatorCargill Pool Grain Elevator, Buffalo, NY
Grain Elevator at DuskCargill Pool Grain Elevator, Buffalo, NY
South End Marina Cargill Pool ElevatorCargill Pool Grain Elevator, Buffalo, NY
Oh, and that beach you see by the rocks in the foreground in these photos was nowhere to be found. The lake completely took over.
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
Update: Edited August 17 to double the video speed for more action and less waiting, and added background music for more drama.
Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo, NY? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes gallery and enjoy! For a more moody taste of the city, head over to the Buffalo in Blue collection. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Would you like to see my photographs printed, matted, and framed? Visit Picture Your Walls in Hamburg, NY (184 Buffalo St, Hamburg, NY 14075) and tell Eric or Linda I sent you.
Music: http://www.purple-planet.com/
Same Lake, Different Beach
To Paul
Previously from Sturgeon Point: And Still in White - Back at the Lakeshore for More Moody Photographs - Two Faces of One Lake - Same Lake, Different Beach
I've lately bombarded you with photographs from the Hamburg Beach. Sunsets, sunrises, daytime photos, peaceful and quiet photos, and dramatic photos. They all had one thing in common. Yes, Lake Erie. Today, just a slight change of pace, moving a little further down the shoreline to Sturgeon Point witnessing a wonderful summer sunset with the lake still rough compliments of the storms of the days leading up to this sunset.
Sunset Awe at Sturgeon PointLake Erie Magic
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
Would you like to see more photographs from Western New York? Visit my Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! To get a dose of winter whiteness, click through to my Winter Collection of photographs. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Bone Chilling ColdSturgeon Point
Rocky Shore at Sunset, Lake ErieSturgeon Point
Sunset Hum of Lake ErieSturgeon Point
All Quiet on Lake ErieSturgeon Point
Lake Erie on the RocksSturgeon Point
Fiery Sunset over Buffalo Skyline
Buffalo offers absolutely breathtaking sunsets while looking west over Lake Erie or the powerful Niagara River. However, the city itself can also look great during sunset with the sun at one's back. This particular evening, the light developed in a dramatic fashion. At first, clouds on the horizon blocked the rays of sun from reaching the city skyline leaving the view to the east very flat and lacking any drama. Over the years, I've learned that while I can't control what happens I can control what I do. And giving up is not the right measure in situations like this. Sure, it can result in a disappointment and several hours going by with no photographic outcome to show for it but the locations offer their own experience no matter what the outcome. No one can take that experience away, the quiet observation and just living in the moment.
So, I set my camera on a tripod, picked my composition, and waited while watching birds do their fishing, boats running up and down the Niagara River, airplanes taking off over the city, all that with the constant hum of the river. I also took the time to play with filters to slow down the exposure and provide just the right amount of motion blur in the water. And I waited some more.
Then, some nice clouds positioned themselves above the city, one on the left and one on the right, like towers of an ancient castle. And then the sun broke through and lit the clouds up, leaving the city in the dark. I checked the exposure, the focus, the river blur, and continued waiting.
And this evening, my patience was rewarded. And not just once, but twice! First, just for about a minute, the sunlight found its way to the buildings of Buffalo making it brightly stand out. I captured the scene in excitement thinking that was what I was waiting for. Then, as quickly as it started the show was over and the city returned to darkness even as the clouds over remained illuminated. The light kept fading but the clouds were getting more and more intense. I started capturing more photographs not sure when the peak would come. But when it did it was clear as the overall color in the sky started quickly diminishing and daylight fading into night.
In the end, I left with two photographs I like and am sharing the latter one here with you today, the final moment of this night's shoot.
Dark Drama over BuffaloA dramatic sunset over the Niagara River and the city of Buffalo, NY.
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
Would you like to see more urban photography from Buffalo, NY? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes gallery and enjoy! For more blue hour photography, I would like to offer you my Buffalo in Blue photo collection. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Would you like to see my photographs printed, matted, and framed? Visit Picture Your Walls in Hamburg, NY (184 Buffalo St, Hamburg, NY 14075).
The QEW Pirate Ship
Pirate Ship ShipwreckLa Grande Hermine
It happens all too often. There's a roadside attraction that I would really like to stop for and explore but for million different reasons do not (An Irresistible Urge to Stop). I've been trying to work on that, making sure I do not grow my already never-ending list of locations to return to. On this occasion, I knocked one such location off the list and finally stopped for the "QEW Shipwreck".
Clearly, I was not the only one interested in the ship. Cormorants took over the ship and were using it as a high platform for their fishing dives. That worked for me, as they made the shipwreck that much more interesting allowing not only for photos of the whole ship and her reflection but also some close ups of the weathered masts, now cormorant perches.
Not only was it fun to finally see La Grande Hermine up close but my stop at Jordan Harbor also provided a nice driving break between Toronto and Buffalo.
Photographically, since the ship was against some strong backlight, I experimented with how much of the subject to show and how much to throw into a silhouette. At the same time, the rendering of the nice clouds above kept changing. In the end, I allowed the highlights to drive the exposure, pushing it as bright as possible without losing the clouds. I liked the overall darker result adding drama to this decaying beauty.
I also walked a bit more around, scouted the nearby beach and the lake views it offered, and did some rock hopping along the harbor breakwater. Fully recharged and stretched, I hopped back in the car and enjoyed a short drive to my next photo destination.
One mission completed, many more to go!
Pirate CormorantsLa Grande Hermine
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
References: Grande Hermine - La Grand Hermine shipwreck in Jordan Harbour
Would you like to see more urban photography from Buffalo, NY? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes gallery and enjoy! For more travel themed photography, you can hop over to my Travel Photography gallery. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Would you like to see my photographs printed, matted, and framed? Visit Picture Your Walls in Hamburg, NY (184 Buffalo St, Hamburg, NY 14075).
Back for a Hamburg Beach Sunset
Previously from Hamburg Beach: Stormy Hamburg Beach and Lake Erie Shoreline - One Beach, Yet More Looks - One Beach, Different Looks - Winter Abstracts - The Frozen Moon Land is Back - Arctic Tundra in Buffalo, NY - Frozen Desolation on Lake Erie - Lacking Perspective - As the Clouds Roll In - No Two Are the Same - Motion Follow Up - Back for a Hamburg Beach Sunset
Yesterday, I needed some fresh air and opted for a familiar place. A place I have been visiting more and more. I like that it is close, I like the beautiful cliffs rising from the lake, and it's a great place to watch sunsets over Lake Erie. And despite going back often it never really looks the same. Further, it allows me to slowly see it differently and photograph it differently. Different spots, different angles, different lenses. I hope I am still to take the best shot there.
Midsummer Day's SunsetHamburg Beach
Midsummer Day's Sunset, Hamburg Beach, Hamburg - Buffalo, NY
Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)
Would you like to see more photographs from Western New York? Visit my Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Would you like to see my photographs printed, matted, and framed? Visit Picture Your Walls in Hamburg, NY (184 Buffalo St, Hamburg, NY 14075).