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Beautiful Adirondack Scenery


I went to check out one of my favorite locations about five miles from my house. Rumor has it, they are going to put large windmills up there and I wanted to see if it was going to spoil the view. The day had been hot, I had taken my wife out to a fancy dinner at The Country Store (think about it – The Country Store – fancy?) and while there, we saw some dark clouds form north of us, but we got just a few sprinkles while we ate dinner.

As we headed up the eight miles from the store, past our street and on up the hill, steam was rising from the pavement. It was about 7:30 pm EST, and the steam increased as we continue up in elevation. And then we were able to see the valley below. The most unbelievable scene greeted us for this time of year and time of day – fog between all the hills as far as the eye could see!

Of course, all I had with me was my iPhone – I whipped it out and took some shots, and then raced back to the house for the rest of my camera gear, hoping that the sight would not disappear before I could get back. Luckily, I keep things packed, charged, and ready to go. I was out of the house in a flash, dodged two deer crossing the road while I raced to the summit, and took a series of images, including some High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Panoramics. However, of all of them, this was my favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while standing up there.

Jun 20, 2010 | Categories:Landscapes | Tags: adirondack, Adirondacks, dairy hill, fog, scenery, scenic, southern adirondacks | 3 Comments »

Through My Lens – Flower Photography

Spring in the Central New York and Southern Adirondacks region means just one thing to me; TONS of flowers are blooming and it’s time to grab the camera and get some shots!

But how can you get those fantastic ‘professional’ images? Do you have to have a ‘pro’ camera in order to get them? Just what can someone with a little point and shoot camera do? Well, I’m going to give you a few tips that should dramatically improve those images, no matter what kind of camera you have.

First thing that comes to mind is WHEN should I be taking those images? Well, for flowers, the absolute BEST time of the day is early morning. There are several reasons for this. First, there is likely to be little wind early in the morning, and when you are very close to the flowers you want to shoot, then any movement becomes a problem. Odds are, most mornings, the wind will be calm.

Second reason the morning is such a good time is because of the dew that is on the flowers. It just adds a touch of ‘realism’ that makes your images stand out that much more. It’s also the perfect time of day for warm soft lighting and wonderful long shadows – all things that enhance your floral images.

Another good thing about the morning is that the flowers are FRESH! The sun has not been beating down on them all day and the insects have not had their way with them. They also may be opening for the first time and that makes many more of them just perfect specimens.

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May 19, 2010 | Categories:Photo Tips | Tags: flower photography, flowers, photo tips, spring | Leave A Comment »

Painted Portrait – Ava

We had the family Christmas Party at the beginning of December last year, and I took some casual portraits of family members while everyone was together. A few turned out really well, so I decided to turn a couple of them into painted portraits. This is Ava, and she is my nephew’s daughter. Her mother is holding her in her arms, but I love how she is just looking off into the light with an angelic look on her face. Couldn’t have asked for anything better!

The Details: The one to the left is the original photo that was taken at the family Christmas Party back in December. Lighting was an off camera flash shot through an umbrella to camera left. A white reflector was on the right side pushing just a bit of light into the scene from camera right.

The image on the right, is the final painted version using Painter X. Mostly pastel brushes were used, with a camel’s hair brush for the hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc. It was output to a 17×22 piece of Hahnnemuhle Fine Art Watercolor paper and printed on an Epson 4800 printer.

The distracting detail from around Ava was removed so that all of the focus was on her, and then once all that was finished, I worked on painting in the details.

One of the things that I think is key to a good painted portrait is a descent image that you start with. Then, working on that image until it becomes a REALLY good portrait, and THEN finally working on the painted portion.

Mar 04, 2010 | Categories:Portraits | Tags: lighting, painted portrait, painter, photoshop, portraits | Leave A Comment »