Beyond the Lens » Travel

Summer Travel and Updates

RR Jr — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:16:58 +0000

Farmland in Columbia County NY preserved by Scenic Hudson

I’ve been on the road quite a bit the last few weeks, and I’m off to the Adirondacks for six days starting tomorrow. When I return I’ll be preparing for a long drive to week in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for a week, followed by a two week stay in northern Maine. Overall, I’m trying to take advantage of the summer months since I have a very busy art show and workshop schedule in the fall. The fact that my family gets to accompany me on some of these trips is something I am always grateful for.

While in town, I’ve been working on many photo shoots for Scenic Hudson, as well as the 2011 calendar , the new edition of the Photo Journal, and other marketing projects. Let’s just say I haven’t had much time for writing as of late, but I am motivated and committed to continue to provide valuable info for you as often as possible. A few of the articles I have in the works include how I stay motivated on and off the trails, a review of my current favorite backpacks, and how zen and nature photography make a powerful combination.

In the meantime, look for new images from the northern Adirondacks in the days ahead!

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Fall Photography Guide To The Hudson Valley

RR Jr — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:24:31 +0000

Hudson Highlands

Fall is probably my favorite season of the year, and I’m sure many others share this preference. In addition to the amazing colors, the air is crisp, the flying insects are all but gone, and I can finally have my morning coffee after 5am! There are lots of places to photograph the autumn foliage in the Hudson Valley, and I thought I would share a few of those here for anyone living in or visiting the Hudson Valley. This is not the definitive list, but just some ideas that can keep any photographer of nature lover busy for the season. Thanks to Thomas DiBuono for the motivation!

1) Palisades Interstate Park- otherwise known as Harriman State park, a great location only 45 miles north of NYC with lots of variety and color variation. With numerous lakes, trails, creeks, and waterfalls, there is something here for everyone. Favorites include Silvermine Lake, Lake Tiorati, and if you don’t mind a very long but enjoyable hike, Island Pond. This area also tends to change color very late in the season, and I’ve often visited at the end of October or early November with good results.

2) Minnewaska State Park / Mohonk Preserve- another great area with lots of varying terrain, lakes, waterfalls, and the best hiking trails in the region. I especially love Lake Awosting, and the view from Castle Point is one of the best anywhere. You can find these location on the Minnewaska map, but they will require some hiking, so allow extra time. I usually prefer overcast or somewhat rainy days where you can shoot all day without worrying about harsh sunlight. The Peters Kill Trail is a must do hike, with streams and scenic lookouts of the whole region.

3) Little Stony Point- sitting right on the Hudson River with a beach and one of the best views of the dramatic mountains in this area, Little Stony Point is worth a visit in the fall. Both sunrise and sunset can work here, and it all depends on which side of the river has the best color. Try to plan your visit during low tide for more variety and space to move around on the beach. Find a small trail that leads onto the rocky summit in the middle of the park, and you’ll have a nice birds eye view of the river from south to north.

4) Nyack State Park- with a river side trail amongst high cliffs, this park is great during the sunrise as it located on the west side of the river. Good color variety and cliff faces add nice background texture and details. You can also hike up to the cliff tops for a magnificent view of the Hudson. Lots of easy hiking and with the right conditions, the hours will fly by. Hook Mountain State Park is also nearby and has plenty of photographic potential.

5) Black Creek Preserve- You can read all about this park on the Scenic Hudson website, but it is a “must visit” place for me every fall. It has a wonderful “forest” feel while being right on the edge of the Hudson. Varying terrain, small sand beaches, and nice hiking provide everything needed for a good photo shoot. Sunrise is definitely best combined with low tide.

6) Poets Walk Park- picturesque setting with views of the Hudson, Catskill mountains, and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Great, great place to visit anytime of year, and the fall is no exception. Whether alone or with the family, I highly recommend it.

7) Mills Norrie State Park- probably my favorite park in all of the Hudson Valley. Hudson River shoreline, great kayaking, views of the Esopus lighthouse, Catskill mountains, and mile of forested trails with a nice combination of deciduous and evergreen trees, there is always color here regardless of the season. I usually park at the Staatsburg Mansion, and follow the trails south along the river – never disappointed.

I hope this provides some ideas for those who want to capture more of the valley this fall. Of course, there are many more locations I have not mentioned, as well as those I’m discovering myself. Any of the Scenic Hudson Parks will provide ample opportunities for great photography. My goal was to provide a starting point and expand this list in the future. The most important thing to remember is to just get out with a clear mind and enjoy any setting where nature always provides inspiration.

The secret is to become aware enough, the rest is easy.

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Landscapes From Acadia

RR Jr — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:45:37 +0000

Rock and Cloud

“Rock and Cloud” was captured from the summit of Conners Nubble, one of the smaller mountains in Acadia, but also one with fantastic views. Arriving at the top before sunrise took some effort, but thanks to the vast network of carriage trails in the park, I was able to bike part of the way. I drove from my campsite to the edge of Eagle Lake, then rode my mtn bike for 7 miles to the start of the trail. From there, it was a short but very steep climb to the summit, and what I found exceeded my expectations from the previous day when I had scouted it in the harsh afternoon sunlight.

After waiting almost 10 days for good light in the morning, nature rewarded me with some incredible conditions. While I enjoy wide angles the most, I am always looking for designs within the landscape, and switching to a zoom lens allowed me to extract part of the scene and make a simpler and very different image, “Twilight Color”.

Twilight Color, Eagle Lake

The Bubbles

“The Bubbles” is an image that I struggled with in terms of leading the eye from foreground to background. It wasn’t until I printed it fairly large that it really gave me the feel I was after. While a computer screen is where we all view and make judgements about our images, making a print is the ultimate test and the best way in my opinion to experience a landscape photograph.

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Maine Seascapes

RR Jr — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:40:46 +0000

Coastal Waterfall

Finding a waterfall on the rocky coast of Maine was a real surprise, and I returned the following morning in a thick fog to find near perfect conditions. With the fog constantly changing, I waited until I had really good foreground contrast and detail, and used just 1/3 sec shutter to provide the movement of water I wanted. I chose this perspective and composition to lead the eye from the falls to the ocean, providing a context to the dramatic location.

One of the goals for me on this trip to Acadia was to focus on specific images I wanted to create, rather than wandering around looking for something to shoot. Having been to Acadia so many times in the past, and being very familiar with most popular places to shoot really helps, and I purposely tried to avoid those locations. While the classic scenes are fantastic, I wanted to convey a more intimate and and personal side to Acadia, one that would reflect a connection to the natural forces that have created the landscape we see today.

Boulders

The soft light after sunset is so beautiful, and here I tried to use it to create a sense of the passage of time, as these boulders have been slowly worn away to their present smooth surfaces. While direct light brings out their incredibly coarse features, this reflected indirect light makes them more gentle, and creates harmony with the calm waters of bay in the distance.

Photographing very popular locations is always a challenge if your goal is to be different, but sometimes the simplest things will help. Regardless of the forecast or the way things looked at camp, I always went out since you never know what can be happening just 5 miles away. Several times I drove through heavy fog only to find blue skies and sunlight when I arrived at my destination. Persistence can be your best asset in bad weather, and for me much more valuable than camera gear.

Crashing Waves

Seawall Tide

I didn’t think I had a chance of capturing good light on this particular morning, but found myself fascinated by so much to discover during the low tide. As the fog burned off, the warm light began filtering through, and the wet rocks created beautiful reflections which I knew would jump right out of a large print. It was VERY slippery, and I had to be extremely careful not to lose my footing.

When I’m out shooting, I try to approach each moment with an open mind, and always believe there is an image to be made regardless of the conditions. Whether I’m able to describe what I see or how I feel is another matter, and as my grasp of the photographic language grows, so will my ability to communicate that effectively to others. Light is critical, but so elusive and infinitely variable. I’m always amazed at how little I know about light whenever I go out, but it is always there, and I learn one more musical phrase with each photograph.

Compass Harbor

Bass Harbor Rain

All of these images images were captured in RAW format, and processed in Adobe Lightroom only, with the help of the Mogrify plug-in for output sharpening. I did quite a bit of dust spotting since fog really brings out the dust on the sensor. I also like to play with the camera profiles in Lightroom, as each can give you a different look, somewhat like using different films in the old days.

As a workshop instructor, I’m always open to sharing all I know with students, and I welcome any feedback or questions here as well. Next post I’ll have some of my favorite mountain landscapes from the trip…

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Back From Acadia

RR Jr — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:04:59 +0000

Somes Sound

(Canon 1DS MK III, EF70-200 f/2.8L IS) 70mm, 1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 200

I’m finally back from my extended camping trip to Maine and Acadia National Park. Although the weather was quite “wet” to say the least, it was a great trip both in terms of family time and photography. I’m quite fortunate in the sense that I try to include my family in as much of my travel as possible, and though it makes for very long and exhausting days, I wouldn’t trade the benefits for anything. While Brenda and Bryce don’t come out with me for sunrise , the rest of the days is always fun while I juggle shooting both nature and them. It provides a very good opportunity for stock images of people in the landscape, and I also get creative direction from Bryce who now points out when I may be photographing something “boring”.

Over the next few days I’ll be posting some of my favorite images and how I made them, as well as an article on my mobile setup which should be ready next week. All did not work as planned on this trip including a drive failure, but thankfully no images were lost due to having multiple backups, and I’ll cover my backup strategies as well. As always your feedback is appreciated.

Biking in Acadia

(Canon 5D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS) 24mm, 1/2 sec at f/22, ISO 100

This image of my son Bryce was created completely in camera without any post-processing except for basic adjustments in Lightroom. While it was very tricky to execute, it was fairly straight forward. I basically followed him on my bike while I held my camera in one hand and the handlebars with the other. The hard part was limiting the amount of light so that I could the get the required shutter speed in order to show motion, while at the same time keeping him in focus. I knew about .5 sec would do the trick, so it was just a matter of getting him to stay in a straight line at the right speed (“…slow down Bryce, you’re gonna get me killed!!!”). About 15 shots later, I had a keeper, and a life-long memory.

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Working Hard In Acadia

RR Jr — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:04:25 +0000

Sometimes images come relatively easy, but I have been working really hard for every image I make during these last two weeks in Acadia. The fog has been thick and the rain a constant threat. I climbed to the 700 ft summit of Acadia Mountain yesterday, but only managed to burn a lots of calories and work up a big appetite for breakfast – no real visibility. Determined to find better conditions, I headed over to the Seawall area, and managed to find better conditions.

Seawall Sunrise

“Seawall Sunrise” was a challenge because of the high tide conditions, and again I worked hard to find a composition that I liked amongst the millions of rocks on the shore.

The following morning, I returned to the summit of Acadia mountain once again at 5AM and although conditions were again very foggy, I did find some better light at last – here are a few of the better images.

Pine Tree Light

Fog on Mount Desert

Next we head to the Schoodic Peninsula area for sunset…

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Classic Maine Fog

RR Jr — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:42:25 +0000

Rocky Coast

In the seven days I’ve been in Maine so far, I’ve only had two days with sun during the “golden hours”. But I still enjoy working with what is available, and yesterday morning I headed out at 4:30 AM with hopes of a great sunrise only to find one of the thickest fogs I’ve seen blanketing the coast. In situations like this, I think more in terms of shapes and forms, and this is a good chance for a black and white photograph since there is so little color. I shot with a wide angle lens very close to the foreground so as to maximize contrast that quickly gets lost in the fog, but creates great separation between the rocks and trees.

Tomorrow I head for the mountains…

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Camping in Acadia

RR Jr — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:25:45 +0000

I’ve been off-line for the last few days while I enjoy a two week camping trip in Acadia National Park with my family. I had hoped to have an internet connection more frequently, but because of our camp location at the north end of the Somes Sound, there is no reliable wi-fi service. In the meantime, I’ll try to post images as frequently as I can, and I’ll provide some more details on the trip and my mobile set-up when I return.

It’s been raining for the last two days, and the weather forecast looks stormy for the next week, but I’m excited about the chance to capture some dramatic moments. See you in a few days…

Otter Cove

Rough Water, Acadia Coast

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Adirondack Moments – Part I

RR Jr — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:51:54 +0000

I recently spent 5 days with my wife and son at Buck Pond campground in the Adirondacks, 12 miles north of Lake Saranac. It is a pristine location with a remote feeling of wilderness and great views of surrounding mountains and forests. Sunrises were fantastic every morning with lots of ethereal fog and warm light, a combination I find challenging to photograph, but so expressive when I can capture it just right.

Morning Light, Buck Pond

My first instinct with “Morning Light” was to get as close to the water as possible, but I found the foreground lacking in interest, and decided to look for something else that would lead the viewer into the image. Stepping back and lower, I noticed all of the wonderful detail on the tall grass lining the lake, and the rest was just a matter of finding the right balance between the two.

Wind Blown Tree, Lake Kushaqua

“Wind Blown Tree” was made from my canoe as I waited for the light to break through a heavy cloud cover. I’ve practiced working from my canoe and kayak quite a bit, and I’ve developed some techniques to keep the camera as steady as possible. Even so, I usually will switch to ISO 200 for that extra stop of exposure, and use some noise reduction in post-processing. Again, it’s the unique perspective and opportunity I’m after, and I have no problem adding some noise if a sharp image depends on it. I found the tree fascinating, and used it to frame the entire image.

Twilight, Buck Pond

On land this time working with a tripod, “Twilight” is the kind of image that seems easy to photograph, yet I struggled with balance and symmetry…more water, or more land, do I split the image in half or look for a way to use the rule of thirds…in the end I put the camera down, took a deep breath, and enjoyed a calming moment with a lake all to myself.

As always, your feedback is valued and appreciated…

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New Video: Exploring Bannerman Castle

RR Jr — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:03:14 +0000

I have a new video feature to share titled “Exploring Bannerman Castle“, which documents my recent visit to Pollepel Island to photograph and learn about a landmark I have always been fascinated with. Accompanying me as usual was cinematographer Tom Moore who captured some incredible HD footage, and we were guided and enlightened on all things “Bannerman” by author/photographer/historian Thom Johnson.

Make sure to click on the “Full Screen” icon in the bottom right area of the video above for a better experience.

I’ll have more info and images in the next post…need some rest after long hours of video editing and production…hope you enjoy the ride.

PS- If you subscribe to the blog via email, click here to watch the video.

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