December 3, 2009
G’day Everyone,
It’s late afternoon on October 2 and our small group of Magical Mystery Tour participants are becoming acquainted over cheese and crackers and a little bit of wine provided by our wonderful host, Deb Godin, at the Lakeview Clubhouse in Eden. I glance out the window and notice that the crisp autumn light has mellowed so I muster everyone and we head over to my favorite fall foliage location, Belvidere Pond.
I’ve always bragged on Belvidere Pond, how it never lets me down, graciously offering me something to photograph nearly every time I visit it, from otters glissading on its frozen surface in winter or migrating geese relaxing on its glassy water during the spring migration, stunning fall foliage landscapes, to an occasional moose. Belvidere Pond has typically been the highlight not only for myself, but for many participants on the Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour. That’s high praise when one considers that the tour covers some of the most fabulous autumn scenery in all of New England, from the Green Mountains to the Kancamagus Highway in the Whites.
There was nothing special about the light that evening, on the contrary, it didn’t look that promising, what with the dark clouds on the horizon behind which the sun would soon disappear. There was really no reason to suspect that Belvidere Pond was about to yield up yet another incredible gem of a photo.
Autumn Splendor at Belvidere Pond
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens at 116mm
evaluative metering, aperture priority
3.2″ @ f/11, ISO 200
Moose 81A Polarizer
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod, cable release, mirror lockup
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Fall,Fall Foliage,Landscapes,New Hampshire,Vermont,Workshops & Tours | Comments (2)
November 8, 2009
“The Basin” area of Fraconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire is truly a beautiful place. The Pemigewasset River snakes through the park, creating many small waterfalls, rushing water… and endless compositions. This image was not particularly difficult to capture, the only tricky part was to get the full image (near to far) in good focus at 80mm. Oh, that and also having to wait a while until there was nobody on the bridge…
For me, there something peaceful, quiet and comforting about this image – the vibrant fall colors, the cold water, the little bridge that just invites people to cross it… I can still imagine the smell of pine trees in the air. I’ll need to go back there sometime soon, and this time, I want to spend a full day there, not just a few hours.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L USM lens at 80mm
- f/16, 3.2 seconds, ISO 100
- Hoya Moose Polarizer filter
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always a good thing to get feedback on my work and my blog posts. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Fall,Fall Foliage,Hot Shots,Landscapes,New Hampshire | Comments (6)
November 9, 2008
G’day Everyone,
A frequent question at presentations and exhibits is whether or not I have a favorite photographic location and if so, where it is. I suppose most folks expect me to describe some exotic locale far from home, likely requiring hours of intolerable air travel with its associated trevails, then a day or two of tiresome paddling along a murky river through a dense, foreboding jungle, the air humming with malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, the shores fringed with crocodiles longer than the canoe.
Autumn at Tamarack Brook
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 17mm
Moose 81A Polarizer
30 seconds at f/19, ISO 100
evaluative metering, aperture priority
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Bogen 3047 head, cable release
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Fall Foliage,Shows & Exhibits,Vermont,Workshops & Tours | Comments (1)
October 19, 2008
Johanne (my wife) and I decided to take our vacation 1 month later than usual, so that I could do some “fall colors” photography. My intention had been to join Gustav for a couple of days on his Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour, and I was really looking forward to shooting streams and waterfalls in autumnal colors. However, Gryphon, our 12 1/2 year old Labrador Retriever, no longer travels well and gets stressed when we leave him at my parents house for more than a few hours. Gryphon has given us a lifetime of love, devotion and loyalty, and the very least I can do for him is to make his life as happy and comfortable as possible. Which means staying at home…
I decided to stay in the Montreal area for my photography, and expected to do short “day trips” to various locations. Note to self: there’s no point in driving to a general location unless you really know the area well, or have a specific destination in mind… My first “day trip” to a beautiful area just west of Montreal ended up being nothing more than a pleasant 4 hour drive in the countryside. Not a single picture taken. Additionally, most areas just outside of Montreal peaked about 2 weeks early this year, and the trees were mostly bare by the start of my vacation, limiting my choice of destinations.
So, remembering Dorothy’s famous words: “There’s no place like home…” I decided to stick to nearby areas that I know soooo well. There are no “grand vistas” in the area, so my compositions would need to focus on shapes and patterns, small tree clusters, and colors. The key is to find clean, interesting compositions, simplifying the shot as much as possible to make it appealing.
Maple Trees in Fall Colors
Canon EOS 20D with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM IS lens at 168mm
1/30s at f/8, ISO 100
Hoya Moose Polarizer
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead, cable release, mirror lock-up
Read more…
Posted by Rob under Fall Foliage,Filters,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Technique | Comments (0)
October 6, 2008
G’day everyone,
A couple of frosty mornings in mid September, with temperatures in the low thirties, ignited the forests up here in northern Vermont about a week early this year. People remarked that the color appeared virtually overnight – like the flash of light from a bulb burning itself out, fall foliage was an explosive event. As I write this, wind and rain are already stripping the leaves off of the trees, wallpapering the roads with wet leaf litter and making them treacherous on the curves. Just down the muddy road from my house, sugar and red maple leaves cascade down Tamarack brook, bunching up in the deep pool below the falls where they swirl in the eddy, forming a vivid galaxy on the tea-colored water. Further south, colors are just beginning to peak. Good thing because the Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour begins Sunday. We’ll head toward the central part of the state where the colors aren’t running down the rivers just yet.
Autumn at Tamarack Brook
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 17mm
Moose 81A Polarizer
30 seconds at f/19, ISO 100
evaluative metering, aperture priority
Gitzo G2220 tripod, Bogen 3047 head, cable release
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Cape Cod,Fall Foliage,Filters,Fine Art Prints,Shows & Exhibits,Technique | Comments (1)
