Upstate New York Photography
What makes getting up at 4:40 AM worthwhile? An incredible sunrise over Lake Champlain! Moments like this leave one in awe at the beauty of God’s creation.
I managed to arrive on the beach a few minutes before the sun arrived on the horizon. Once it came up, the heavy contrast between rocks and the brightness of the sun offered an excellent opportunity to experiment with exposure settings as well as to perfect combining multiple exposures in Photoshop.
HDR sunset over Lake Champlain from Ausable Point
Memorial Day brought perfect weather to start off the summer mountain climbing season with Prospect Mountain in Lake George. Despite a few clouds, the view was beautiful from the top of the lake and mountains in the distance. Though the trail is rocky for most of the way, it’s more than doable as an easy day hike at less than 2 miles one way.
Here is a collection of photos taken over a weekend trip to NYC celebrating our anniversary. I didn’t bring my DSLR along but did manage to take a several decent shots with my iPhone using a number of apps. The latest photo app I’ve installed is Camera Awesome, a free app with a number of features, including a horizon level, composition aids, multi-burst modes, stabilization, time delay, and a good amount of image data (histogram, shutter speed, ISO equivalent, etc.). I highly recommend downloading it and giving it a try.
We spent yesterday in North Creek, a small town in the Adirondacks, with some friends. There were several free events for visitors, and our day consisted of a short guided hike with some ADK members as well as rafting down the Hudson in some chilly water.
The hike took us around some side trails on the edge of Gore Mountain, a popular ski destination in the winter. Plenty of trail systems allow for hiking throughout the year there as well. A few waterfalls along the way added to the scenery, but the most excitement occurred when a mother bear and 2 cubs appeared a distance ahead of us. I was thankful to be with some people who were experienced in the woods but also glad to be able to take a few pictures from a distance. Unfortunately, trees were in the way and I was just shooting quickly with the kit lens, but you can at least see the outline of the mother and a cub in the background.
In addition to the hike, I took a few pictures around the Saratoga & North Creek train sitting by the railway station. All in all, the day was a great experience to enjoy spring in the mountains.
We visited Peebles Island State Park for the first time this weekend. This park sits at the point where the Mohawk and Hudson rivers converge near Waterford, NY. Though the island is small, cliffs and some rapids provide some interesting scenery. I carried my tripod along to be able to capture the water at a slow shutter speed, resulting in soft motion blur visible in the close-up waterfall shot. Also, near the park entrance sits a dilapidated factory, which is partly used by NYS and partly sitting in disrepair. While not a large park, Peebles Island is definitely a great place to hike for a couple of hours with a 1.8-mile trail around the perimeter and several internal trails.
I’ve spent many evenings sorting through previously taken photos to choose the best ones for my website. In the process, I discover many opportunities to improve mediocre pictures with a bit of editing. I decided to showcase one example here.
While driving by Round Lake in upstate New York one evening in early fall 2011, I noticed a small access point, pulled off the road, and grabbed my camera. The time was perfect for a low light shot as the sun set, filling the sky with mellow color. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a tripod with me but still managed to get a few decent shots. While browsing through later, this one especially struck me with the ripple reflection of the tree and the low perspective in the foreground leading out to the lake.
Here is the original shot. While the ripple effect is nice, the photo is underexposed with low contrast and does not “pop” out as exceptional.
A little experimentation in Photoshop made this photo much more appealing. Levels adjustment increased the contrast for a wider range of light to dark in the scene. Addition of a lens blur made the photo appear as if it were taken with a tighter aperture, drawing the eye to the ripples as they fade into the background. See the final edit below:
Shortly after Hurricane Irene, I took my camera down along the Mohawk River to capture the muddy mess the receding flood waters left behind. Although the flooding was not as bad in Halfmoon as in other areas, the water had still gone well over the banks and caused some damage to docks. You can see the cracked, dried mud covering what was once a nicely groomed gravel path, as well as mud from the flooded river up next to a tree a good distance from the water’s regular bank.
In addition to the Mohawk, a couple shots at the bottom show the extent of flooding at Saratoga Lake, where water was well into what was normally the parking lot and boat launch, and people were driving into the lake to retrieve their boats. Also, I’ve included two iPhone pictures from my commute to work near the Rexford bridge the day after the hurricane.
View from Panther Mountain in the western Adirondacks on an early fall day, 2011
While driving past the Great Sacandaga Lake in September 2011, I stopped along the shore to take some pictures and discovered this old abandoned boat lying in disrepair. While its boating days are over apart from some major repairs, it made for some creative photo op ideas. (and in case you’re about to ask, I’m not sure exactly what the point of the TV is)
