Monthly Archives: March 2021

Monumental

Posted by Mike on

Taughannock Falls State Park

Saturday I drove down to Ithaca with the intent of visiting a few state parks. I assumed after my visit to Pixley Falls that there would be some good flow in the gorges in and around Ithaca. The forecast was for a partly cloudy day with a low chance for rain. I started my day at Taughannock Falls.

As I drove past the lower entrance I was surprised to see a fairly normal amount of water in the creek. I guess the middle of the state has had an earlier snow melt or possibly, this creek does not have the same amount of tributaries as the one feeding Pixley Falls. Either way, I drove up to the overlook location for a few images. I transferred one of the images to my phone and processed it with Snapseed and Prisma to give it a painted look.

 

Taughannock Art

 

After my obligatory post to my tens of fans on social media I started the walk up the gorge trail to the main attraction. There were only a few people on the trails but although the temperature was in the low forties, the gorge itself felt about ten degrees cooler. Luckily I was smart enough to bring my gloves since carrying the tripod does make my hands a bit cold.

At the end of the trail you are rewarded with a great view of the falls that are plunging from 215 feet above you. There was a slight breeze, I assume from the volume of the water, causing a mist to be working its way down the gorge. From the pedestrian bridge over the creek I was able to get a few images before everything started to get wet. The camera and lens are water resistant but why push my luck.

Without any of the color of spring yet visible in the gorge, or anywhere ese for that matter, I thought this image would look better as monochrome. I think it was a good choice. The details in the gorge walls definitely stand out…

 

Monumental
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 3.2s, 29mm, f/11, ISO 200

Pixley Spring

Posted by Mike on

Pixley Falls State Park

I wasn’t in the work mode yesterday so I decided to take the day off. No plans, wasn’t “feeling it” I guess. The weather was not supposed to be all that great (it lived up to the expectations), but I thought there might be a chance for me to get out for a few pictures. I spent most of the morning curled up in my chair with a book.

In the afternoon Mother Nature kept teasing me with glimpses of the sun and at one point I swear I saw a patch of blue sky. Around 1:30pm it looked like the rain might hold off for a little while so I drove up to Pixley Falls State Park to explore. It is a twenty minute drive to the park and I was doubting my decision the whole way. I knew the main falls would have too much water for a good image but I was hoping the tributaries would offer up a few opportunities.

 

Spring Rush
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/5s, 32mm, f/16, ISO 100

 

There was a lot of mist coming off the waterfall directly at my normal location for an image. I was able to get a look of the volume of water from a vantage point downstream. No clear view but this does convey the ferocity of the water during the spring runoff.

Luckily, the side tributaries did have what I was looking to capture. Normally, during the summer and autumn months there is barely more than a trickle. It was good to see some water working its way down the cascades. I need to continue exploring this park, especially as the winter landscape migrates toward spring…

 

Spring Run
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.6s, 19mm, f/16, ISO 100

Natural Framing

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park

Although yesterday morning was colder than Saturday’s evening I ventured down to Bellamy Harbor to capture the sunrise. Another cloudless outing, which to be honest, feels a little boring as far as an image goes. I walked to the edge of the canal next to the flow control gates to get my typical morning view of the harbor. I grabbed a few images and wasn’t necessarily “feeling it” so I headed back toward the car. About half way back I stopped to see if I was missing anything and realized this is the view I wanted. Some natural framing to the harbor added some interest to my image. The morning was not a complete wash…

 

Natural Framing
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 5s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200