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Warm Look for Cold Winter
Robert Rich Way BridgeSquaw Island Bridge over Black Rock Canal
I sensed that my photo stream has gotten a bit too chilly lately and needed some color and warmth. Nope, not going back to archives, and not even posting a photo from a warmer day. In fact, it was bitterly cold and windy around 10 Fahrenheit, with a monster snow cloud hanging over downtown Buffalo, traffic on I-190 down to a crawl. Mine was one of three cars that passed through the Broderick Park on Squaw Island in about an hour, not the usual traffic the park gets at sunset.
I was curious about the mighty Niagara River how it was doing with the temperatures around 0°F for a few days. At this swift section the river was flowing with its regular speed with no ice, not even along the shore! Only an occasional "iceberg" that must have slipped over the ice boom on Lake Erie. On the other hand, the Black Rock Canal pictured here did not fail me and its fully frozen state put the winter signature on this photo.
Often, photographers go for, or say they go for, look of their photos that show what it felt like to be there. Full disclosure, not here. It really felt cold and unpleasant. However, I wanted a colorful warm photo that would warm up my photo stream and show winter as an attractive season. It was photographed at dusk. There was not much of a sunset looking west as clouds covered up the whole sky all the way to the horizon but still the sun managed to push some color towards the eastern sky, which is the direction you're looking in here. I felt like playing a little with the Nik Collection, now owned by Google, and used Analog Efex Pro & Color Efex Pro 4 on top of my normal processing in Capture NX2.
On a side note, this photo is handheld at 1/20 sec and ISO 6400! It's amazing what cameras can do these days. I am very happy with the level of noise, especially given the triple processing (saving as 16-bit TIFFs in between).
Have fun creating your visions!
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually o hand to keep the smart phone going, especially in winter), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, 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 very much, I really appreciate it!
Road Trip: The Continental Divide at Loveland Pass, Colorado
Georgetown, ColoradoHistory and outdoors await.
Colorado became the 38th state (right after Nebraska we have just passed through) to join the United States on August 1, 1876. The capital city is Denver. The highest point is Mt. Elbert at 14,433 feet.
Road Trip 2013 - Day 5 - June 15 - Colorado (Previous road trip 2013 posts: Indiana Dunes, De Immigrant, Amana Colonies, Des Moines, Madison County Roads, Bridges of Madison County, White Pole Road, Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, Golden Spike Tower & Union Pacific's Bailey Rail Yard)
Saturday marked a major milestone on our road trip. After five days on the road we were to make it to our Colorado base near Mesa, CO where we would stay for a week and do trips within its area before starting the return leg of our trip. The Mesa, Colorado base would split our trip into three separate phases: 1) Buffalo, New York to Mesa, Colorado 2) Colorado and Utah exploration 3) Return to Buffalo through a southern route via New Mexico and Texas.
We started the final approach near Denver and quickly found our way to the Rocky Mountains via I-70. We did not want to just jet all the way to Mesa though and had plenty of ideas, too many as it turned out (and that was the common theme each day - there is just so much more to see no matter where you are). Our first stop was in a nice little historic town of Georgetown. We only walked around for a little bit and had lunch but one could easily spend a day or more. You could either take advantage of the great outdoors and stay mostly on your own or opt for some of the more organized activities. You could head out to the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway or take a ride on the Georgetown Loop Historic Railroad®.
Bicycling Loveland PassGetting the sense of accomplishment
From my previous short visit to the Denver area I knew about the great views along US 6 so that was where our next detour from the Interstate led. We were soon rewarded with some beautiful views of the snow capped peaks around us. And driving the winding road was rewarding too, much better than holding the steering wheel straight on a freeway.
As we were climbing to the 11,990 feet we passed a group of bicyclists doing it in a more rewarding way. It really must be a great feeling climbing 1,200 feet in elevation on just 4 miles from the Loveland Ski Area pedaling with your own legs. Maybe one day! These guys clearly had some practice. As we were passing one of them we engaged in a short conversation through our open window and the biker talked as if riding a motorcycle.
Once at the top, the views did not disappoint! No matter which direction you looked you'd see moutain peaks, valleys, passes, and still plenty of snow left despite being there in mid June. It was beautiful to just look around while turning and it was fun photographing too, even if just for a few quick snapshots. Unless you're capturing some really wide angle views add a polarizer for crisper skies. For wide scenes polarizers do not always look right as they may darken one side of the sky more than another. And yes, it was chilly! A quick elevation gain like this always makes me appreciate elevation differences so much more. It also adds to the road trip experience since one can enjoy a hot desert and cold mountain tops in a relatively short distance. It makes you feel like you are all of a sudden somewhere far, far away.
Enjoy your ride!
Loveland PassRewarding views in all directions
Sources:
- Colorado on 50states.com
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Continental Divide of the Americas (The Great Divide)
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Promaster 72mm Circular Polarizing Filter (I have since switched to the low profile Hoya polarizer on the left to avoid vignetting), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, 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 very much, I really appreciate it!
Shenandoah: The Skyline Drive View in Autumn
The Autumn Skyline Drive ViewFall at Shenandoah National Park
Whether you drive the Skyline Drive as the sole purpose of your visit to the Shenandoah National Park or merely use it as the means of getting to your trail heads it will reward you richly. Based on weather and pollution levels your views may be clear or hazy but will be worth it either way.
Visit in the fall and the grand views will have some extra colors mixed in as in this photograph. If you'd like to photograph it, bring a polarizing filter along, it will help with the glare a little bit and also take the glare off of the foliage further saturating the colors. And yes, the sky will get darker and bluer too and look great if you are lucky enough to have some nice puffy floaters around.
We enjoyed the variety the park has to offer. You can drive to your trail head in the morning and visit a few viewpoints along the way, or even make it there for a sunrise (there are various viewpoints along the drive facing either east or west so you have a choice). Then, you can head out for a hike or two on the many marked trail heads, a lot of them leading to waterfalls of varying sizes. And you can close the day back on Skyline Drive and pick a spot for a sunset. Head for cover, sleep, repeat! It does not get any better, does it?
Where did this one come from in January you ask? I enjoy winter and its whiteness and potential for high key and abstracts but once in a while I need to see colors. And that little bit of a photo backlog from the past autumn season also has something to do with it.
Enjoy your trips down the memory lane!
Technical data: ISO 100 - 1/4 second - f/16 - aperture priority mode - 85mm on the 24 - 85 mm zoom
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Hoya 72mm NXT Circular Polarizing Slim Frame Glass Filter, Induro Carbon 8x Travel Tripod (CT-014) and Manfrotto Ball Head (496RC2), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, 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 very much, I really appreciate it!
The Lake Is Calling You!
Ice Fishing in BuffaloFrozen Small Boat Harbor
Frozen Small Boat HarborThe Lake is Calling You!
The 2013/14 winter season seems to have found its true roots! No half baked winter but a winter with solid cold weather for extended periods of time.
It looked promising from the beginning with the first significant snowfall even before Thanksgiving 2013 that allowed the area ski resorts to open. But then it all melted. And then it all repeated one more time in December. However, this winter picked up speed after that moment and did not let go since.
This photograph of winterly landscape on Lake Erie was taken on a Saturday in Small Boat Harbor of Buffalo. Temperatures were barely above 20°F and wind was blowing. It was also slightly snowing creating momentary whiteouts. The lake was clearly pointing at me here calling me out to enjoy the winter scenery. And that I did! I was not the only one either. Ice fishing was in full swing as the fishermen were taking advantage of the almost a foot thick ice in the harbor.
Wondering how to find out about the ice conditions on Great Lakes before you head out? I am listing two resources below. One specific to New York State and Lake Erie, and one for all of the Great Lakes. How accurate is the Ice Analysis? I am not sure but I found it reliable for Lake Erie over the last two seasons. However, recent in person reports from the shore of Lake Michigan do not seem to match the charts. There's supposed to be a solid layer of ice, yet, open water was seen and photographed.
Sources:
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually o hand to keep the smart phone going, especially in winter), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2. And don't forget about the right clothing for these conditions!
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 very much, I really appreciate it!
A Warm Flashback
Hawaiian Sunrise in FloridaAnastasia Limestone of the Coral Cove Park, Jupiter Island, Florida
Is the winter getting too long? I hope not, it's only January and we have two to three more months of it in the hopper. Either way, my mind wandered again today, this time to a warm seaside location.
At times, I get a little frustrated with the number of photographs that are just laying on my hard drive without being printed or even shared online. What's a photo like that good for? Other times, like tonight, this archive provides a great opportunity to visit the places again and pull out one more photograph.
This method has its advantages and that is the test of time. Today, I reviewed my photos from the Coral Cove Park on Juniper Island in Florida and searched for one not previously shown. This one stood out for me thirteen months after capturing it. And you know what, I really would not mind being there right now.
Unlike some other photographs from that morning, I wanted to make this photograph peaceful and quiet and went for a long exposure to smooth out the movement of the ocean and the surf spilling through the rocks on the beach.
Have fun going through your archives!
Technical data: ISO 100 - 8 seconds - f/20 - aperture priority mode with +1.3EV - 48mm on the 24 - 85 mm zoom
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Induro Carbon 8x Travel Tripod (CT-014) and Manfrotto Ball Head (496RC2), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2, and quite likely the Cokin P Filter Holder attached using the 72mm adapter, and the Cokin Graduated Neutral Density filter. Did I also have the B+W 6-stop neutral density filter mounted? I will never know ...
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 very much, I really appreciate it!