C&O Canal Park in HDR

Nestled between the Potomac River and the old C&O Canal, the C&O Canal Park offers anyone a quiet scenic view of the river with picnic tables and grills.  Although its only a stones throw from the edge of Hancock Md one would never know it while enjoying the tranquility of the gently flowing river.

The canal tow path runs between the park and the old canal.  This shot was made in the evening facing east.  The tow path is enjoyed by both hikers and bikers. 

The old highway bridge, now a pedestrian bridge. adds a scenic element to the view along the canal.

I shot these images one evening shortly after a cold front passed through our area.  The front wiped away the hot hazy humidity leaving behind cool clear conditions.  I felt the conditions were perfect for shooting this location in HDR.

Serenity

Serenity

This image was captured as a set of three photos and merged into HDR (high dynamic range) using Photoshop's HDR Pro.  Still new to HDR, I am trying to find scenes where I can use it to capture photorealistic images.

Visiting Cowans Gap State Park I was captivated by this simple scene of a grandfather sharing an evening on the lake with his grandson.  The bright red canoe, the placid water, the brightly lit trees framing the scene, and the shadowed background contained to much contrast capture well with a single exposure.  Shooting a 2.5 stop series captured detail in both the highlights and shadows as well as in the mid-tones.

The Rainbow

 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:13

Sunday evening my wife and I attended a southern gospel concert held at a local church featuring Jeff & Sheri Easter.  The uplifting music of the evening was the perfect backdrop for what was to come... A stunning Rainbow gracing the eastern sky upon our arrival home moments after sunset.

After soaking in its splendor for a few minutes it dawned on me that I must in some way try to capture the scene.  If you have ever tried shooting a full rainbow I'm sure you understand the issues.  Typically a normal lens is not sufficiently wide to capture the entire rainbow and if a wide angle lens is used the rainbow can be rendered too small to truly capture its beauty.

Knowing that I didn't have long to work I hurriedly set up the tripod mounting the camera with a 24mm lens to shoot vertical and composed a series of five overlapping images.  These images were then combined in Photoshop CS5, cropped and adjusted into this final image.

I'm not sure if shooting pano's in the vertical format was a tip I picked up from reading Scott Kelby or if it came from Moose Peterson's book Captured.  Regardless of where the tip came from it worked splendidly!   

  

SkyWatch: Florida Dawn

My last morning in Florida I had little time for photography before beginning the long drive north.  Determined to capture a few more images I headed out looking for a worthwhile sunrise shot.  As I drove south watching the sky brighten I was beginning to think that my efforts were all for naught.  That is until I noticed the lone palm tree filtering the rays of the rising sun.

Scenics are seldom shot using long telephoto lenses but in this case I used the 400mm.  The longer focal length allowed me the cut out unwanted items and increase the visual impact of the morning sun.

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Ripples

Did you ever walk by the water's edge on a moonlit night and pause to admire the shining path its light traces across the gently rippling surface?

Nature's beauty surrounds us, in the rush of our everyday lives it is all too easy to miss seeing that which is right in front of our eyes.


Have a great weekend and take time, if only a moment to relax and absorb the beauty around you.

Elk Scenery

When shooting wildlife I usually find myself pursuing frame filling close up images. Sometimes the scenery surrounding the animals demands zooming out to capture not only the animals but also their environment.

Such was the situation on this morning with the elk pasturing in the meadow as the fog swirled over the ridge beyond. For the best view click on the image to enlarge.

First Touch of Autumn

Today dawned with heavy leaden skies with rain arriving in the afternoon. It was under these conditions that I photographed this maple tree showing the first signs of autumn colors.

I look forward each summer to the brief splendor of autumn foliage although I well realize that autumn splendor is followed closely by the cold grays of winter. It seems like only yesterday when the spring peeper began calling and the first blooms of colt’s foot appeared along our rural roadsides.

Perhaps it is only an illusion, common to us older folks, that time passes more quickly now than it did in our youth but it certainly seemed real today as I photographed the first color of fall.

Blackwater Plumes

While visiting Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge I encountered a small marsh filled with tall dead grass still carrying last year’s spent seedheads.

What was simply a bunch of brown grass from any other angle was transformed into a scene of beauty by the natural backlighting.

SkyWatch: Rural Pennsylvania Skies

Bright blue skies with fluffy white clouds only tell part of the story, the snow on the mountain tells the rest. It is Cold in Pennsylvania!!

The house pictured here is that of an elderly neighbor. This is the last occupied home in our area that I am aware of that has never been connected to the power grid. I suppose if one never had electricity one would not miss it.

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SkyWatch: Daybreak on Sideling Hill

The first light of a cold January day brightens the eastern sky on what was to be a cloudy gray day. In the valley the lights of farms and homes can be seen with the bright cluster visible in lower center being that of the Sideling Hill Plaza of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

This photograph was taken from a scenic overlook along the Bark Rd south the Lincoln Highway (US Route 30).

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SkyWatch: SNP, Sunlight & Shadow

I captured this image one chilly November morning in SNP at the Spitler Knoll overlook. The sky was completely cloud covered at daybreak but as the morning wore on it began to clear from west to east. As the scattered rays of sunlight broke through they painted the mountains and valleys with beautiful patterns of sun and shadow.

As with all transient light the beautiful light show ended nearly as quickly as it had begun as the last of the storm clouds rolled away allowing the sun to evenly light the area.

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Cold Rainy Days of Late Autumn

My time away from work is seemingly coinciding with cold dreary weather. Of course dreary is normal for November here.

The dampness from the rain enhances the colors of the grasses bordering the creek, breathing life into this photograph.

SkyWatch: Autumn Skies

The soft blue Autumn Sky provides a beautiful background for the colorful foliage of an October morning in Pennsylvania.

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Autumn in the Mountains

Saturday morning I visited one of my favorite overlooks to photograph the sunrise

The reward was worth the drive

Blazing Colors

As the sun sets the maples surrounding the lake blaze with the colors of Fall


With the autumn foliage now peaking it is an excellent time to spend time in the great outdoors capturing vibrant images before the somber grays of winter dominate our landscape.

Glowing Contrails

Seldom will I intentionally capture a sky image where visible contrails exist. In this case the glowing contrails were so striking that I used them as the focal point of this sunrise image.

Judging the angle of travel, I would guess that the aircraft that painted this beautiful sunrise were using the airport at Harrisburg Pa.

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SkyWatch: Sorghum Sunset

I captured this image of our neighbor’s field of sorghum illuminated by a radiant sky about ten minutes after the sun had disappeared below the western horizon. Oft times the most beautiful light of the day occurs before the sunrise or after the sunset.


This has been a beautiful week in SC Pennsylvania with cool clear nights and cool humidity free days. Perhaps the storms of the past weekend swept the last of the hot summer weather away.

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C&O Canal: Shrouded in Fog

This section of the old C&O Canal just west of Hancock MD could easily be confused with a swamp from our deep south if only there were some Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

To capture this image I held the camera only a couple inches above the water. This angle is much easier to obtain with a point&shoot with a flip finder but I was determined and simply aimed the camera by feel and shot numerous images giving myself many frames to choose from.

Idyllic days of Summer

A Whitetail Doe wades the creek on a warm June evening

Summer is a time of plenty for the whitetail deer. Food is plentiful, with cover seldom more than a few jumps away. The rigors of the winter, the rut, and hunting seasons are all in the past with blood sucking insects now being the major annoyance.

This doe seemed to be enjoying her stroll through the cool waters. Like the doe I too enjoy a refreshing wade on a hot summers evening.

On the Brink

A log, stopped for the moment. A small rise in water level will send it crashing over the brink.

This image causes my mind to wonder. Does this log represent us, our nation, our economy, our world? Will another rise in energy prices send us tipping over the brink?

Our entire developed world economy runs on oil. From the automobile we drive to the truck that moves our goods, to the freighters crossing the oceans. We put oil into our engines; ride on tires, and burn fuel made from oil. The plastics we use every day are made from oil as is even the carpet on our floors.

From a low of around $9.00 and barrel in 1998 oil is now trading at over $130.00. The inflation of the price of oil is now moving rapidly into all of the good and services we consume. As you ladies know food prices have begun to skyrocket.

Are we like the log? Is our economy on the edge, ready to tip into recession or even depression? Will this imbalance bring an imbalance of world power tipping us into global war? Or can human intelligence and technology save the day?

Tell me what you think