Robert H. Treman State Park
The Light Behind
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/6d, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
The Light Behind
Tag Archives: state park
Sunset Halo
Delta Lake State Park
It was an on again, off again kinda day… at least as far as the rain was concerned. It wasn’t very motivating for me, but then again, maybe it was the best excuse to do nothing. I suppose I was looking for those excuses too! I jumped in the car after dinner and headed up to Delta Lake, even if there were no images to be found, the sound of the water hitting the shore would do me good.
I went earlier than necessary for the sunset but it allowed me to sit on a rock in a quiet area along the shore and soak it all in. It was good. It was the recharge I needed. The beach was a little crowded so I walked along the trails searching for unique views. I found a few but I guess the walk was what I needed more than capturing a different image. As the sun slipped closer to the horizon I worked my way along the shore back to the beach area.
I was rewarded with a great sunset of the sun peeking out from behind some clouds near the horizon. I know I have a tendency to shoot into the sun and this one was not going to be any different. Rather than do a couple of captures, one were I block the sun with my finger to remove the flare I pointed the camera right into it. If you center the sun in the view the sunspots will disappear and depending on the lens, and the conditions, you can create a halo flare around the sun. I got the halo…
Sunset Halo
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/60s, 44mm, f/11, ISO 200
Through the Stratum
Gorge Trail, Buttermilk Falls State Park
Through the Stratum
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 5s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200
Walk Up, Fall Down
Gorge Trail, Buttermilk Falls State Park
Walk Up, Fall Down
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 4s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 200
More Than a Trickle
Gorge Trail, Buttermilk Falls State Park
More Than a Trickle
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 3.2s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200
At the Start
Robert H. Treman State Park
Although the lower section of Robert H. Treman park near the swimming area was closed due to repair the upper section of the park still provides wonderful opportunities for images. I’ve photographed the start of the gorge trail many times but have never been happy with the results. This visit I was able to get a look at the narrow chute into the gorge from both directions.
Enter the Gorge
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/4s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 200
Looking Back
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1.3s, 16mm, f/11, ISO 200
Slowing It Down
Pixley Falls State Park
Chittenango Falls State Park
I love photographing water. It presents many possibilities that I am unable to ignore. I am also entranced by the sounds of running water and could sit for hours listening to it. I even have a babbling brook soundtrack I play at night that puts me to sleep within minutes.
While I was at Pixley Falls State Park over the weekend I not only captured images of the waterfall, I searched the creeks feeding the falls for isolated mini falls. The morning had progressed enough and allowed the sun to find such a small section of the creek. I played for quite some time trying different angles and compositions. I really loved this almost macro view with the golden sun reflected in the water.
Gold Flow
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.6s, 34mm, f/8, ISO 200
Although I love the waterfalls at Chittenango Falls State Park there is a section of the creek above the falls that is an amazing playground for me. Depending on the time of year and the volume of water flowing through the creek I can lose time exploring every twist, turn and mini waterfall I can find. It also is a lesser explored area of the park and I encounter far fewer people… 😉
I’m lucky enough to have a spot where an outcropping of stone allows me to practically be in the creek to capture the water. The volume was heavy and the water was flowing fast over the weekend as evidenced by the early picture of the main waterfall. I almost converted this image to B&W, which is my go-to process for this type of image. I couldn’t bring myself to use that version, I really liked the changing colors in the turbulent areas of the creek.
Hasten
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/8s, 35mm, f/11, ISO 200
Roaring Falls
Chittenango Falls State Park
In a previous post I mentioned my adventure at Chittenango Falls State Park earlier this week. The volume of water flowing over the falls was incredible. I generally like to photograph the falls when the amount of water allows me to highlight the cascades. The silky streams of water mesmerize me. I wasn’t sure how the pictures would turn out with this much water but I have to admit I am happy with the result.
Setting up for the image I was worried the highlights in the water would cause me issues, especially having to expose enough for the gorge walls still in shadow. I countered by using my polarizing filter which helped reduce the glare and allowed me to capture this image with one exposure. In the past, as I was beginning to learn, I relied on high dynamic range (HDR) techniques to create my images. When done correctly, the HDR technique can yield amazing results, but I used it as a crutch and at times I ended up washing out an image. I was creating images without a proper balance of light and shadow. You need good shadows to produce an interesting image (IMO).
Considering how bright the sun was shining I threw on my 4-stop ND filter as well to reduce my shutter speed and achieve the blur I wanted in the water. Due to the speed of the water flowing through the creek I did not have to get below 1 second to achieve the my look. This is another area that is subjective to the photographer but I like to be able to see the water flowing. I try not to reduce my shutter so far as to create only a blur of white to represent the water but I also do not want to freeze the water with to fast of a shutter.
This park and the beautiful cascading waterfall is one of my favorite places to go in Central NY…
Roaring Falls
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M.. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/5s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 200
