Monthly Archives: October 2014

Reflections of Rockaway

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This morning was another overcast day in Northern New Jersey, so I thought I would visit some of nearest natural bodies of water and see what Mother Nature was offering up for landscape photography.  The two trees shown below were the most vivid on Lake Hudsonia and I chose a vantage point where their reflections would be uninterrupted from lily pads and other vegetation.

New Jersey Fine Art Photo

Reds and yellows of Autumn reflect on a still lake in New Jersey. Taken with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III lens and the Olympus PEN EPL3

Exposure settings: 1/20th F/9 ISO 200

Stream and Snow

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If I said I remembered taking this frame, I would be lying.  I do have many RAW files from 2014 that I’ve skipped over on my hard drive.  I will often process my favorite shot or two from an outing, and then not look in that folder again.  Maybe I need to do some “Fall cleaning”?

The below Winter landscape photo was taken on January 3, 2014 in Morris County, New Jersey.  Looking at it now, I really like the leading lines that guide my eyes into the forest.  There also seems to be a good balance of shadows and highlights so that there is both minimalism and detail within the image.

NJ fine art photo

New Jersey Winter landscape photo. Taken with the Tamron 18-270mm VC lens and the Canon EOS 7D DSLR.

Exposure settings: 1.6s F/11 ISO 100

New Jersey Panoramic Photography: Forest and Old Foundation

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Today was not so much a photography day for me, more of a hiking day but I did take along my compact shooting equipment because… The best camera is certainly always the one you have with you.  My Olympus PEN coupled with Tamron’s 14-150mm all-in-one lens easily tackled the five photos stitched below.

New Jersey Fine Art Nature Photoraphy

Five shots stitch. Taken in New Jersey with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III lens and the Olympus PEN E-PL3 micro four thirds camera.

A 52mm circular polarizing filter was used to make this image and my Manfrotto 055x ProB tripod provided the stability needed on an overcast day in shaded conditions.  I didn’t find that a single photo would have done this scene justice, and it does seem that the width of my panorama gives this stone foundation “plenty of room to breathe”.

Exposure settings: 1/8 F/7.1 ISO 200

Skateboarding Photography: Feeble Grind

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I was recently watching some YouTube videos about professional skateboard photography by Michael Burnett.  I can’t remember hearing his name before, despite subscribing to TransWorld Skateboarding for several years when I was younger.  Anyways, the photos and techniques he displays in the instructional video are nothing short of top notch.  Being an industry pro, a great technician, and an artist, I just don’t don’t see how a person could be a better shooter than Michael Burnett.

He emphasizes the importance of showing the surroundings in skate shots which makes a great amount of sense.  It’s also pretty clear that his job is showcasing specific professional skateboarders, because the public and the skaters’ sponsors need to see the person doing the 360 flips or whatever.  However since I am predominantly a nature photographer and artsy fartsy person by design, I find myself drawn to shooting “just the details” of the sport at times.

Sk8 pic

A closeup view of Joe Rajsteter grinding a flat rail in New Jersey. My eyes keep getting drawn to the shadow… and I like that.

Above photo is of my friend Joe Rajsteter executing a Feeble Grind.  Photo taken handheld with the Tamron SP 70-200mm VC F/2.8 lens and the Canon EOS 6D.  Exposure settings: 1/1000 F/5 ISO 100

Birdscape: Vulture and Clouds

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I went outside for a relatively short duration this morning, and with intermittent clouds and harsh late morning sun I envisioned it as time better spent photographing wildlife than landscapes.  Once I got to my destination I was excited to see three Red-tailed Hawks (our most common Hawk) flying near each other.  Unfortunately, they dispersed quickly so the photo opps were limited.  Shortly thereafter, two Turkey Vultures (common large scavenger) lofted above the treeline and into the clouds.  While not the most graceful or attractive bird, they are interesting in their own right and I will often photograph them if the conditions are right.

Cathartes aura

A Turkey Vulture soars through dramatic clouds in the skies above New Jersey. Image taken with the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC lens and the Canon EOS 7D.

This was my favorite frame of a Vulture flying from today.  I like this angle of its wingspan, and that its flight path is parallel to the seam in the clouds.

Photo taken with the tripod-mounted Tamron SP 150-600mm and the Canon EOS 7D.  Exposure settings: 1/1250 F/10 ISO 100

Autumn at Ken Lockwood Gorge; #2

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Having walked up and down the river bank on Saturday, I realized that even with an overcast sky causing diffusion the sunlight was still angular.  This resulted in fairly flat tonalities within the foliage as seen below, but a noticeable amount of backlighting when looking in the opposite direction.  Both views were prone to photography, but the mood would be very different.

NJ nature photographer

A view up the South Branch of the Raritan River. A line of lichen and moss covered rocks form a natural wall while leaves of yellow, green, and red fill the back of the frame. Taken with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III lens and the Olympus PEN E-PL3 micro four thirds camera.

A 10-stop neutral density was used in the above photo.  Without it, the running water lacked character.

Photo taken with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III lens and the Olympus PEN E-PL3 m43 camera.  Exposure settings: 50s F/9 ISO 200, 31mm

Old Dock and Musconetcong River in Autumn

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We are really getting a nice variety of colors in our deciduous trees in Northern New Jersey now.  As much as I’d like to be lazy I know that these opportunities are fleeting, and that an overcast day can really make for beautiful nature captures.

New Jersey Fall Landscape Photo

An old dock twists along the Musconetcong River in New Jersey with a backdrop of Autumn Foliage. Taken with the Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens and the Canon EOS 6D full frame camera.

The above photo was taken today at the Saxton Falls section of Stephens State Park.  I did try several compositions with this twisted dock including vertical images, but this one “just worked” for me.  Putting the frame of the dock in the center bottom of the image makes a nice leading line into the reflections of the Musconetcong River.

Photo taken with Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens, a circular polarizing filter, and the tripod-mounted Canon EOS 6D full frame DSLR.  Exposure settings: 2s F/18 ISO 11, 33mm.

New Jersey Panoramic Photography – The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

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I will precurse this post with the disclosure that I have taken very few panoramas in the past which I consider successful.  However, I have invested in an Acratech leveling base that now sits between my ballhead and tripod, this will offset shooting from sloped terrain.

NJ Fine Art Landscape Photo

5 image panorama taken from the parking lot of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. Taken with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III Lens and the tripod mounted Olympus PEN E-PL3 micro four thirds camera.

Exposure settings for above photo: 1/10th F/10 ISO 200.  Manual focus and manual exposure utilized as necessitated.  Taken with the Tamron Di III 14-150mm lens and the Olympus PEN E-PL3 m43 camera.

This five image panoramic photo succeeds where a single frames would perhaps fail in impact.  There is a great range of colors and manageable dynamic range in the trees but the overcast and featureless sky is best minimized by a very expansive view.  Understanding dynamic range, knowing how a camera clips shadows and highlights, and anticipating how the human eye will subsequently view the capture is essential to crafting quality photographs.  What’s the shortcut to studying all of this?  STUDY ALL OF THIS 🙂

Study in Form: Spotted Spreadwing

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In the warmer months, I do devote a good amount of my time to photographing Odonates here in New Jersey.  Odonata is the order of carnivorous flying insects including dragonflies and the more slender damselflies.  They come in a great deal of shapes and dazzling colors, making for eye-catching images.  A straightforward but uncluttered capture of a dragonfly or damselfly can have great impact, but occasionally a person may be lucky enough to image their aerial acrobatics or land contortions.

Lestes congener

A lucky photo of a Spotted Spreadwing damselfly in a greatly flexed position.

A distant background, clear foreground, and attractive perch set the stage for a very minimalistic frame.  The damselfly obliges by pausing for a moment in the shape of the letter “n”.  Looks like it may be ovipositing (attaching eggs)?

Photo taken with the Canon EOS 50D DSLR and the Tamron SP 90mm VC macro lens.  Handheld photo taken at 1/80 F/5 ISO 200.

Autumn at Ken Lockwood Gorge; #1

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What is one to do on a rainy, cool, and overcast day on New Jersey?  Take nature photographs of course 🙂

This was only my second visit to the Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area.  I wasn’t certain if it was a great place for landscape photos. With the element of running water in a nature area and also clouded skies, I figured it was worth a try… It was worth it.

New Jersey Landscape Photography

Brilliant yellow leaves line the banks of the South Branch of the Raritan River in New Jersey.

This was one of the broadest densities of yellow leaves that I laid my eyes on, and it also made a great vantage point for the s-curve of the river.

Photographed with the Tamron 14-150mm Di III lens, a circular polarizing filter, and the Olympus PEN E-PL3 micro four thirds camera.  Exposure settings were: 0.8s F/11 ISO 200