Tag Archives: New Jersey Nature Photography

New Jersey Nature Photography: Ice on the Beaver Brook

by in Nature and tagged , | Leave a comment

The visual element of ice and the textures within in it can easily consume a photographer’s attention for long periods of time.  For the below frame, it was only natural for me to center the reflection of the plant and also place it off-center.  This gives our eyes a chance to look around and discover the various textures and tones within the ice.

NJ Art photo

On a cold November day in #NewJersey, frail vegetation sits isolated on the blue ice of the Beaver Brook. #Photo taken with the #Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

New Jersey Art Photography: Breaking Wave and Rocks

by in Impressionism and tagged , | Leave a comment

While doing some nature photography today in New Jersey, I decided to try to capture some of the break waves of the Atlantic Ocean by using some Impressionism in my photography.  I surmised that a handheld exposure of slightly more than 1 second would soften the detail within my frame just enough to leave some of the scene to the viewer’s imagination.  I also like to retain a bit of detail for this sort of shot.  There are many variables when shooting in this style, the most unpredictable one being the amount of shake caused by my hands over the course of a 1 second exposure.  After shooting 20 or 30 frames and reviewing on my camera LCD, I decided that I should have at least 1 or 2 images to my liking.  Below is what I consider the most successful capture.

NJ Art Photo

The turbulence of the Atlantic Ocean resolves with a wave crashing on large rocks off the seaboard of New Jersey. #Photo taken handheld with the #Tamron 16-300m VC All-In-One lens and the #Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

New Jersey Art Photography: Smartweed

by in New Jersey Fine Art Photography and tagged , | Leave a comment

I am probably way off on the ID of this small ground plant that I photographed today… ID corrections appreciated!

Anyways, this was the final shot I took today out of ~30 frames.  I do often find that the last frame I shot, or next to last ends up being my favorite from the day.  I guess I decide to call it a day after I think I’ve made 1 or 2 quality capures on a local day in the field.  When doing nature photography, of course, I may hope to get 8-12 distinct keepers per day.

Initially I took photos of this plant from my tripod as I often do.  At first, I experimented with slow shutter speeds to have the leaves blow through the frame.  Not being satisfied with the results, I then lowered my shutter speed from 15s to 2s and simply handheld my camera and let the small effects of “hand shake” do what they might.

NJ Art Photo

The glowing of small blacklit ground plants glow against the dark woodland floor. #Photo taken in New Jersey with the #Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the #Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

New Jersey Nature Photography: Meadow, Trees, and Hills

by in Landscape and tagged , | Leave a comment

Using a telephoto lens to compress the shapes of distant hills into “waves” is a time-tested technique that can produce great aesthetics.  For this photo (taken yesterday), I aligned some small trees for a foreground element to present the distant hills.  The key to getting the foreground just right was to not overpower the scene, but also to take up a bit of the negative space.

NJ Art Photo

Layers of rolling hills weave through the frame as distant tones of blue and a peaceful meadow draws the viewer in. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M.

Above photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the tripod-mounted Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.  Exposure settings: 1/125 F/11 ISO 100, 251mm

New Jersey Nature Photography: Ice and Stream

by in Landscape and tagged | 2 Comments

In my experience, the best opportunities for snow and ice photography are along streams and rivers.  You will often get a nice juxtaposition of stationary elements alongside a capture of motion in the water.  Have I shot this type of scene to death?  Could very well be!  I was still very happy when I saw my the preview of my first RAW appear on the LCD.  In my eyes, it’s a pretty surreal and tranquil sort of image.  I will look to do some snow and ice abstracts when they present themselves this year also, to further challenge my creative skills.

NJ Art Photo

Silky and fresh cold water in a stream is complimented by a small icecap in New Jersey. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M.

New Jersey Nature Photography: November Trees

by in Impressionism and tagged , , | Leave a comment

I’ve been reading more about the founding painters of the Impressionism movement, and one of their effects I envy most is that the brush strokes almost imply movement in stagnant subjects.  In my recent New Jersey nature photo below I think the tree branches are nearly boiled down to their essences because I moved the camera during the exposure.  The premise of the photo is really the shapes of the ends of the branches, everything else is just an embellishment.

NJ Art Photo

An impressionistic view of a New Jersey forest in mid-November. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens.

New Jersey Nature Photography: Leaves over Lake

by in New Jersey Fine Art Photography and tagged , | Leave a comment

We still have some remnants of Fall foliage here in New Jersey, making for many photo opportunities.  Today I noticed some vivid yellows, with interesting shapes to the branches overlooking a scenic lake.  The moody sky and contrasty yellow leaves opened the doors to creative art photography.

New Jersey Art Photo

Golden yellow leaves unfurl against a backdrop of storm clouds threatening over a lake. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens.

New Jersey Art Photography: A Day at the Lake

by in New Jersey Fine Art Photography and tagged , | Leave a comment

I had a great morning for nature art photography yesterday, the overcast weather lent itself very well to minimalism.  I didn’t have any preconceived images in my head, so I took my typical approach.  Head to a nature area, throw my camera on a tripod, and attempt to “see what I can see”.  When I first set my tripod to attempt a composition, I’m either drawn in by elements that have worked similarly before or anything that seems to have a good spacial and size relationship with its surroundings.

NJ Art Photo

Misty water washes over a lake in a study of size and texture. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M.

NJ Fine Art Photo

A view of a lake is introduced by the shapes of leaves and the essences of a distinctive branch. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC and the Canon EOS M.

New Jersey Nature Photography: Maple Leaf and Tree Trunk

by in Foliage Photography and tagged , | 2 Comments

I do often find myself pursuing complex compositions and camera techniques in hopes of creating compelling photo art.  Some nature scenes call for a very straightforward and simple shot though.  When my eyes caught this vivid Maple leaf already situated in a very aesthetic environment all I had to do was to adjust my focal length and tripod, and to trip the camera’s shutter.

I think some of the other fallen leaves have interesting curling taking place, and that they are essential visual accessories.

NJ Art Photo

A serene and intimate view of a forest floor in Bergen County, New Jersey. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

Above photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera in Closter, New Jersey.  Exposure settings: 1/13 F/11 ISO 100, 162mm

New Jersey Art Photography: In-camera Double Exposures

by in Uncategorized and tagged , | Leave a comment

The past few days I’ve been immersing my creativity in executing in-camera double exposures to capture “scenes within a scenes” with the intention of introducing the element of mystery to my nature photography.  I often find myself shooting each composition no less than ten individual frames, and after that I will see if a slightly different composition works better.  My goals for each photo are to have a good balance of detail, but also a compelling tonal range, and a balance of negative and positive space.  Post-processing is minimal.  Contrast seasoned to taste, perhaps a slight white balance shift (coming from Auto White Balance), and very soft-handed sharpening/noise reduction.

Both below images were taken with the mirrorless Canon EOS M digital camera and the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens.

New Jersey Art Photography

Single image capture of a rusty metal footbridge and a quick zoom outward to reveal the trail to the footbridge.

Exposure settings: 25s F/16 ISO 100

NJ Photographic Art

Singe image capture of reflected trees with a quick zoom outward to reveal a broader view of the stream.

Exposure settings: 15s F/8.0 ISO 100