Nature Photography

Towering over us

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Again with the radio towers and wind mills? Yes. Always yes. I can’t help that I’m drawn to these simple, giant structures. Water towers, radio towers, powerlines, windmills… I like them. There’s just too much visual appeal for me to resist. I love making photos with a lot of negative space in simple scenes. It’s unintentionally become one of my personal styles of photography, and that feels good. This is not to say that I’m the only one who shoots this way. Its more of a self revelation. Like, “hey… I’m taking these specific style of shots, intentionally, and with some regularity these days”… I think I’ve developed a visual preference; and that’s cool to me!

1/4000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100, 35mm, Sony A7C II

1/1600 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100, 14mm, Sony A7C II

1/125 sec @ f/16, ISO 100, 35mm, Sony A7C II

South Otselic Fish Hatchery

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Driving home from upstate NY, I stopped by this old NY DEC Fish Hatchery to catch some frogs with my son. Onsite, there is an old building that I’ve driven past since my teenage years, and have always wanted to photograph. Built in 1932, it’s old weathered paint and classic framing is attractive to me. The hatchery itself originally raised bass but was home to trout and walleye over the years as well.

1/4000 sec at f/4.0, ISO 500, 24mm, Sony A7C II

1/1250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 500, 35mm, Sony A7C II

Wes Anderson-ish

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This year, I gifted a really interesting book to my sister for her birthday and wish I got a copy for myself. The book showcased images with symmetry and balance akin to the scenes in Wes Anderson visually stimulating films. Very inspiring. While driving my son to the babysitter’s this morning, I noticed these shacks and had to stop to make this image.

1/6400 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Quick dash to the Dax

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Friday night I threw some gear in the back of the Subi and set off for Keene Valley, NY; the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region. With no plans, other than to wake up and make some sunrise photos at Chapel Pond, I relaxed and enjoyed the 7 hour drive up to the Dax, arriving around 11pm. Through a thick snowfall, I pulled into the parking lot at the Indian Head Trailhead, cracked the sunroof, and crawled into my -20° bag for an incredibly comfortable sleep. I woke to an overcast and snowy morning around 7am. The rest of the day was mostly overcast with sporadic and brief periods when the sun would punch down, through the thick clouds, and spotlight a gorgeous scene before dimming back out of sight again.

1/500 sec at f/1.7, ISO 1250, 28mm, Leica Q2

I could not pass by this little Post Office without stopping for a few photos. Simple. Small-town. Americana.

1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Chapel Pond

1/500 sec at f/16, ISO 3200, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Whiteface Mountain

1/500 sec at f/7.1, ISO 500, 28mm, Leica Q2

Whiteface Mountain

1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Poe Paddy State Park

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Spent the weekend camping at Poe Paddy State Park, located in Woodward, PA. Temperatures were in the low fifties during the day and dipped down to freezing at night. I was loving my -20 degree winter bag and enjoyed some morning golden hour photos along Penns Creek.

1/60 sec at f/16, ISO 1000, 28mm, Leica Q

1/60 sec at f/8.0, ISO 320, 28mm Leica Q

1/60 sec at f/16, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q

1/500 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q

1/60 sec at f/8.0, ISO 200, 28mm, Leica Q

1/80 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q

1/60 sec at f/11, ISO 500, 28mm, Leica Q

Adirondack Landscapes

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Lakes in the Dax seem to dry right up during the winter months. The dead stump, out of which blueberry bushes and a young tree have sprouted, is usually underwater during the summer months. I was able to walk right out to this stump, Moses-style. Similarly, the sand bar from which I shot the bottom image is usually underwater.

1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100, 14mm Sony A7C

1/60 sec at f/11, ISO 100, 14mm, Sony A7C

Morning gloom

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Determined to get out early with the camera, I had the Subi packed last night and was rolling towards Glendale, PA by 8:15, this dreary morning. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while and wasn’t going to let some crumby weather stop me from getting out there and creating some images. I thought I’d try to use this morning gloominess to my advantage to amp up the drama in some of my shots. Following this thought, Sleighton Farm School came to mind. Sleighton Farm School is an abandoned reformatory school for delinquent children in Pennsylvania. Click here for the complete history on this dilapidated campus.

…Poor Mr.Groundhog.

1/160 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 16mm, Sony A7R IV

1/100 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100, 21mm, Sony A7R IV

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

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These birds are awesome. I love seeing and hearing them in the woods. Folks are quick to mistake them for Red-headed Woodpeckers which I, personally, am not a fan of. I find them a bit frightening! As someone who’s probably watched a few too many horror films, the Red-headed Woodpecker just conjures up a gruesome, Quentin Tarantino version of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. So much blood. So Gross. I digress. But, see for yourself, is this a creepy looking bird?

Nevertheless, I love the way these birds are built. Did you know that their tongues retract deep into their heads and actually wrap around their brains to cushion their little brains while they’re hammering away at the side of a tree, in search of delicious insects. Not only are their tongues three times longer than their bills’ length, but they are also highly maneuverable, cylindrical, pointed, and barbed at the tip. It’s true!

1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 2000, 480mm, Sony A7R IV

Dark-eyed Junco

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The Dark-eyed Junco is one of my favorite small birds. My favorite being the Black-capped Chickadee. These images were shot right out of my living room window. With my camera on a tripod, and with this little guy sitting still, I probably could have dialed down my shutter speed and ISO, for a cleaner image, but I’m pretty happy with these results. Next time!

These images were all shot at these settings: 1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 2500, 500mm, Sony A7R IV.

I love the excitement of making the image. When you’re in the moment, pinning focus on that little bird as he hops from branch to branch, changing your composition in realtime, spinning dials under thumb and finger to properly expose the scene as he moves in and out of the light.

The vertical grip on my A7R IV is also so handy. I love that I still have access to the front and rear dials for shutter speed and aperture, and can still back-button-focus even when I’m shooting in portrait orientation. So handy. So comfortable.

Female Red-winged Blackbird

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I’ve really been enjoying shooting wildlife at 500mm. I’ve never shot at this focal length before, and the process has been a lot of fun. I believe I have found the “sweet spot” with the Tamron 150-500mm lens, regarding optimal sharpness and aperture size. That sweet spot seems to be at f/8. Although the lens offers a faster f/6.7 aperture, the images just aren’t as crisp when stopped down to this maximum limit. Case in point; the little bird below; shot at f/8.

1/2000 sec at f/8.0, ISO 500, 500mm, Sony A7R IV