Welcome to my blog! Read about photography, film photography in 35mm, medium, and large formats, pinhole photography, about darkroom printing, alternative photographic processes, and more. Thank you for visiting!
Balloon Festivals, ... Third Time was The Charm
I've recently had an opportunity to visit Letchworth State Park (Letchworth in my gallery) over the Memorial Day Weekend when the 12th annual Red, White & Blue Balloon Festival / Rally was on. I had a great time all the way from my 4 AM wake up call to arrive before sunrise to about noon when I made it home. There's something special about seeing the huge balloons stand up, get lit up by the sun, and lift off! Their bright colors just stand out so beautifully.
It was not straightforward for the balloonists nor for the photographers. Launch times were scheduled for the morning and evening of both Saturday and Sunday as well as Monday morning. In the end, all but the last launch had to be canceled due to wind. Especially the 6:30 PM launch time attracted crowds anticipating a great show of color and they had to leave disappointed.
To tame the disappointment, the balloonists set up the baskets for some photo opportunities and spread out couple balloons, and even pumped some air into them to show the initial preparation.
I was there on Saturday evening and also Sunday morning that both got canceled. The winds were at about 12 miles per hour with gusts up to 16 and that was just too much. I had a chance to speak with a few pilots and learned that not only do they watch the ground wind speed but also speed higher up, and also consider weather reports from surrounding airports trying to predict what is coming. Winds in single digits are needed, the lower, the better.
After two failed attempts I was not going to miss the final attempt and arrived on site ahead of the scheduled 6 AM final launch. I wanted to photograph the sunrise over the Great Bend at 5:40 AM and then move to Archery Field for some balloon action. In the end, the third time was the charm and both parts of the plan worked out.
I was very impressed by the action and the skill level. This was not your typical launch followed by some coasting and a landing. The balloons launched quickly from the Archery Field, cleared the nearby tree line separating the meadow from the gorge, and dipped rapidly into the gorge. There, they hung around for quite a while some going up and down a few times, others getting all the way down to the river. There were some that overshot the gorge and ended up over on the other side of the Great Bend rather quickly. Oops!
This was also one occasion when doing the event in the fall might not be the right choice. While the park is famous for its autumn foliage thanks to having mostly deciduous trees, the balloons would get lost. In summer, or late spring, their colors stood out beautifully against the greenery below.
Once the balloons floated east over the gorge we also decided to try our luck and attempt a balloon chase to see one land. With the gorge in the way, we drove to the southern tip, over a bridge there, and back up north. We could not see any balloons at first and were afraid we were too late but after finding a nice high and open vantage point we spotted a few. As we tried to stay on course towards them an official balloon chase vehicle passed us and we tagged along. We arrived at a spot just in time to see one do a low fly over a grain field, about a foot or two over a house's chimney, and land perfectly in the middle of their lawn.
It's quite amusing to hear the "ground crew" asking the owner "can we land a balloon on your lawn?", the owner asking "when?", and the crew answering "Now" while pointing at the chimney with the huge balloon just seconds before touching down.
I hope to be back next year and hope not only for a sunrise launch but also a sunset, which would front light the balloons above the gorge and back light the archery field, the opposite of what I had this time around.
The great experience prompted me to search the web for other similar events I could drive to. Balloon Federation of America has a nice list of balloon festivals you can refer to. You can sort the list by state to get a better idea what's happening nearby.
Have fun balloon watching and chasing!
Equipment used:
- Nikon D600
- Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens
- Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack
- Handheld, no tripod, no filters, mostly ISO 100, raising for some gorge close ups.
- Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you, I really appreciate it!
Two Birds with One Stone at Letchworth
There was a hot air balloon rally at the Letchworth State Park over the Memorial Day weekend, with launches scheduled before sunset and also after sunrise. But that is a topic for a separate future story. The timing turned out to be great, with about half an hour between sunrise and the launch start.
With sunrises in summer being early, this one falling at about 5:40 AM, and an hour long drive to get there, this was a 4 AM wake up call. All in all, it was worth it not just once, but twice: I loved the sunrise and I loved the balloon rally.
For the end of May, the temperatures were quite low, just a few degrees over freezing. But that was a good thing. First, somehow a dose of discomfort makes these expeditions more rewarding. And second, cold air and warmer water created a nice gentle haze over the river.
The sky was completely free of clouds, which meant there was nothing to get lit up from below. but also nothing to cover up the horizon as I had seen many times.
The sky was quite colorful upon arrival and I had to move quickly. I did not have to search for a location since I stood at the selected spot a day sooner. Tripod in position, camera attached, f/22 in anticipation of the rising sun to get as much of a star burst as possible, focus on the furthest foreground vegetation, lens at 24 mm. A few test shots, adjusted tripod even lower to highlight the tall foreground grass. Added a graduated ND filter to balance the shaded gorge and the bright sky. A few more test shots. Now time to wait for the peak.
And then it happened. The sun blasted its rays tight at me and what I saw you can see in this photo. A wonderful show that only Mother Nature can put on!
Have fun watching the sun in your neck of the woods!
Equipment used:
- Nikon D600
- Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens
- Manfrotto tripod (055MF3) and head (496RC2)
- Cokin graduated ND8 filter and a second graduated ND4 filter
- Cokin P Holder with a 72 mm Adapter
- Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack
- Exposure delay mode of 2 seconds, no remote release
- Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you, I really appreciate it!
True GPS vs. Smart Phone GPS
I see so many people ditching their GPS units and switching to smart phones. But not so fast!
The battery life of smart phones during navigation is pretty poor. Sure, if you're in a car you can keep it plugged in and this problem is solved. If you need navigation outside of your vehicle though, you may have a problem. If your smart phone has replaceable batteries, you can carry several, like for your camera, and things get better, short of the extra weight the smart phone was supposed to solve.
Now for the bigger problem. While your GPS has the maps stored in its memory or on a memory card, the phone does not. It needs a constant stream of data from the cell phone towers. No data or poor data, or even no signal at all? Well, you're on your own! And don't think you need to get too far out of your way to lose the signal. Despite the great coverage we get and improvements year to year, there are still plenty of pockets around even in populated places. And as landscape photographers, our goal often is to get away from civilization, which can also mean getting away from signal, or at least data.
So keep packing your GPS, and throw in a paper map of your area for a good measure.
Have fun exploring!
Equipment used:
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you, I really appreciate it!
Autumn vs. Summer, Great Bend at Letchworth
I like to return to places over and over. It's easier with some that are right in my back yard and increasingly more difficult with increasing distance. It's always very rewarding though to see what Mother Nature prepared for me. The transformations are amazing!
The first photograph here is an autumn photograph from the Great Bend on the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park in Western New York. It's also an early morning photograph shortly after sunrise, with the cool and humid conditions providing the layer of fog floating over the river.
In the second photograph two main variables have changed. It's a late Spring photograph with an already summer-like look from the same place. It's also a late afternoon in this one with sunset not too far away. The warm autumn colors have been replaced with greens as far as one can see and the hazy back light with a more contrasty side light.
It's always great to go back to Letchworth, it never stops fascinating me!
Have fun exploring your back yard and finding new twists!
Equipment used:
- Nikon D600
- Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens
- Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack
- Exposure delay mode of 2 seconds, no remote release
-
For the autumn sunrise photo only:
- Manfrotto tripod (055MF3) and head (496RC2)
- Cokin graduated ND8
- Cokin P Holder with a 72 mm Adapter
- Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you, I really appreciate it!
Squaw Island Fun
This was a great evening full of photographic fun. As almost always, plans got me started and serendipity took care of the rest.
I headed to the island to photograph Cheraw that was docked by the water treatment plant. Boats, trains, and airplanes are my favorite subjects too. Once I found a nice vantage point and took care of that photo, I had a few sunset ideas but since I had recently photographed sunset over the Niagara River from the northern tip of the Squaw Island, I wanted something different this evening.
The steel construction against the colorful sky caught my attention and I moved around the bridge to find a perspective I'd like. I wanted to avoid the popular central position that provides a full horizontal symmetry to get something different.
Standing on the left side of the bridge allowed me to get more of the northwestern sky in the photo where the most color was. I liked what I was getting. BUt then when a car passed by and I had to hop out of the way this idea was born. I positioned myself back into the lane and waited for the next car, making sure to use a bit faster shutter to avoid motion blur. I got lucky and did not have to wait too long. I really liked the result. The photo with the car feels more alive and also better tells the story. It was the end of the day and most people were leaving the island heading home.
Equipment used:
- Nikon D600
- Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens
- Manfrotto tripod (055MF3) and head (496RC2)
- Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack
- Exposure delay mode of 2 seconds, no remote release
- Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you, I really appreciate it!