Fall at Smoke Creek Falls, Green LakeOrchard Park, NY Last year, this would be your view if you stood at the top of the falls on Smoke Creek as it flows out of Green Lake in Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY. The lake behind you would be full of water and surrounded with colorful foliage. The creek would be rushing down the rocks and into colorful woods.

Unfortunately, you won't see this beautiful scene this year. The lake was emptied in preparation for the winter season way sooner and is just one big pit of mud. There is no water flowing down the rocks either.

Autumn Sunrise at Green LakeOrchard Park, NY

Instead, your view this fall is like the third photo here on the right.

At first, I just thought what a pity! It's the season when the lake can look its greatest and now it looks its worst. It must be an eyesore especially to the people that live around Green Lake and lost their wonderful view. But I understand, sometimes things have to be done to make things better for the future and I guess that is the case here (see references at the bottom). Did it really have to be done this early?

Green Lake Mud PitOrchard Park, NY

Later I got irritated when I heard more about it. It seemed like not enough care when into emptying the lake and taking care of the living creatures that call the lake their home. I heard of some people trying to rescue the turtles. And then you read articles in the paper that go in the other direction, justifying that was was done was perfectly fine and the people trying to save the animals are the problem as they put themselves in danger. I don't really know where the truth lies as I am not directly involved with any of this, just an outside observer. But when you read statements like "We just didn’t think people would be out there walking around. ... Why do people do what they do?" in reference to some people trying to save the turtles it has me wonder. Really? You would not expect someone seeing a turtle in a pit of mud in what used to be a lake to try to get it out?

Down The Rocks it Goes - Smoke Creek FallsOrchard Park, NY Down The Rocks it Goes - Smoke Creek Falls at  Green Lake - Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!

Did you enjoy this post and the included photographs? Would you like to see more of my fall photographs? Visit the Autumn photo collection. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. Looking for a present? I also offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps and matted and framed ready to hang photographs.  Those are available using the "Frame It" link once you place a photo in your shopping cart. And don't forget to get some aMazing Bookmarks for the readers in your life!

Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!

References: OP's Green Lake drained for dredging, dam work - Green Lake dredging project draws admirers - Orchard Park officials urge residents to stay out of drained Green Lake - Don’t go mucking around in Green Lake

Calm before the StormHamburg Beach, Lake Erie

Lake Erie was not calm on this day. Wind generated one to two foot waves that were sweeping the Hamburg Beach making it look and feel more like an ocean beach than a beach on a lake. But that is not unusual on the Great Lakes. Dark ominous clouds were floating over the lake, mostly on their way out of the area as they have caused quite a bit of rain over the last couple days.

Rough waters land themselves well to experimenting with shutter speed. For this photograph, the long exposure of 10 seconds calmed the waters down and gave the lake a whole different look, the look of a calm lake before a storm. And that would work perfectly for this two picture black and white series.

The two photographs presented here were born backwards as I was working my way from my initial establishing photograph to all the filters I intended to use. I like to start simple with no filters for several reasons. First, I do not want to miss the opportunity. Sometimes, conditions change very quickly and spending several minutes messing with the camera settings, tripod, filters, etc., can mean a missed opportunity. Then, as I keep the initial intent in my mind, I try to build a photograph that would get as close as possible to the idea. In this instance, I added a graduated neutral density filter first to render the clouds as dramatic as they felt on the beach while hearing the water and dealing with the wind. Then, I also added a 6-stop neutral density filter to create the calm look on the surface of the lake. And yes, later on the computer, I converted the whole scene into black and white as I felt that color was adding nothing to the mood and in fact was taking away from the stormy mood on the shoreline.

Weather over the LakeHamburg Beach, Lake Erie

Weather over Lake Erie, Hamburg Beach, NY

Kiss of LightaMazing Bookmark Did you enjoy this post and the included photographs? Would you like to see more of my black and white photographs? Visit the World without Color photo collection. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. Looking for a present? I also offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps and matted and framed ready to hang photographs.  Those are available using the "Frame It" link once you place a photo in your shopping cart. And don't forget to get some aMazing bookmarks for the readers in your life!

Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!

Fall Colors by the Train DepotOrchard Park, NY The railroading days of the Orchard Park Train Depot are gone by but the depot looks great and serves as a reminder of the town's and region's history. On this day, I was lucky enough to capture its look under cloudy skies that helped bring out the colors of the surrounding foliage as well as provide a nice neutral backdrop further intensifying the boldness of those colors. I like to come here often to explore the look through the seasons and in different weather, time of day, etc. 

After capturing my favorite angle I did not leave but went exploring a little further down the tracks, towards what was behind me in this opening photo. The season was at its creative peak and as the tracks moved into less and less maintained territory the vegetation ruled more and more. It did not even look like I was still in town. It might have as well been somewhere far in the middle of nowhere. The mood certainly was such.

At the End of the TracksOrchard Park, NY The look of the tracks seeming to abruptly end at the bridge in the distance was something I could not pass. The trees created a tunnel that fully enclosed the old tracks and clearly guided my eyes further into the distance, along with the converging lines of the tracks. And it was not guiding just my eyes, my feet followed as I continued to look around for other photographic opportunities.

When I reached the bridge I spend quite a while adjusting the tripod left and right and up and down in very small increments. I really wanted to get the look and the mood right so that the photograph could get as close as possible to showing the real-life feel of the place.

I liked how the whole bridge was taken over by the vegetation with only the railings providing clues as to what really stood in front. It also had the look of a man-made structure being reclaimed by nature. It will be interesting to see how much longer this unused bridge stays in place before it fails safety standards and has to be removed.

Railroad Bridge over South Buffalo StreetOrchard Park, NY Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)

Did you enjoy this post and the included photographs? Would you like to see more of my photographs? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes gallery for more urban photographs or Western New York Landscapes for natural scenes from Buffalo's vicinity. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. Looking for a present? I also offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps and matted and framed ready to hang photographs.  Those are available using the "Frame It" link once you place a photo in your shopping cart.

Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!