A Broken Bridge

We live in a world of constant motion and noise. We are surrounded by movement and photography is a medium that can capture it. This image was taken on Big Pine Key Florida in Bahai Honda State Park. The bridge is part of the old Flagler railroad that has been closed for a number of years. In making this image I decided to make a long exposure of several minutes to show the motion of the clouds over top of the R.R. bridge.  In determining my composition I considered the direction of the cloud movement to best enhance my picture.  I could see the clouds were moving fast in the path of the bridge and knew this was the location I wanted to setup my equipment. The movement of the streaking clouds gives the image a sense of mystery as if a ghost train was traveling over the bridge.  The broken bridge can have a disturbing element to it. A bridge is suppose carry us safely over a divide. The missing span could invoke a feeling that we are either blocked from reconnecting to our past or the bridge to our future is broken.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad

Home

Home for me has always been in upstate NY in the Finger Lakes region. I lived there for 62 years working, raising a family and enjoying summers on the lakes. It is an area that has seen very little change over the years when compared to other locations in the country. To me, that is the special charm of the area. It has a rich history of wine making, and vineyards cover the hillsides to supply grapes to the numerous wineries located around all of the lakes. Many of the farms are owned by the Amish who can be seen working the fields with their team of horses. It is a place that is surround by quiet countrysides, friendly hard working people, and quaint small towns, Even though I moved away two years ago, it is still my home.

http://www.fingerlakes.org/
http://www.keukalake.com/index.html

Shenandoah Skyline Parkway

We decided to take a trip back home to upstate N.Y. this week. In our travels north we took a drive on the Shenandoah Skyline Parkway in the state of Virginia. It is a National park that travels a 105 mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We parked our RV at a Walmart in Waynesboro Va. and took our car along the twisting mountain road. The day started out warm but as we drove to the high elevation of the mountain a cold front blew in with 50mph winds and the temperature dropped to 40*. Dressed in only shorts and tees shirts we didn't venture out too far from the car. It was a fun drive and I was able to make one photograph despite the cold temperatures and strong gusty winds.

http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm

Mammatus Clouds

I was fortunate to have photographed some Mammatus clouds over Death Valley during an approaching storm. Mammatus clouds are a distinct cloud formations hanging down from the cloud base appearing as either smooth or bumpy pouches. Mammatus clouds develop when moist air sinks into dry air due to a powerful downdraft.

First Light

One thing that always amazed me about photographing the dunes in Death Valley, is how quickly they change visually in the matter of moments. This image was taken just a short time before the sun came up.  A few moments later this scene appeared completely different looking with the first traces of sun striking the dunes. You learn to think and move quickly with the fast changing light you will encounter at sunrise while photographing the dunes.

Sunrise on the dunes

The early morning light is what I enjoy when photographing the sand dunes in Death Valley. I have found that the first few minutes after the sun rise is the best for a sharp edge detail on the dunes. My hike into the dunes usually starts well before sunrise in order to get into a location that has the dunes I am looking for. It would appear when seeing the sunrise on the dunes that it is a very contrasty condition.  But when taking a meter reading from the sunlit side of the dune to the shadow side, it can be as little as three to four stops of light difference. It depends on the amount of light being reflected back into the shadows from an adjacent dune. In the days when I used film to photograph the dunes I would use a red filter and extend my development time to increase the contrast in the negative to achieve the desired look I wanted in my final print. With digital imaging I now control the amount of contrast in the scene in my post processing of the image. Visualization of the scene is key to the success of the final image, whether you are currently using film or have moved to digital for you photography.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon

During our travels in Death Valley we came upon a scenic ride through the desert landscape. It is called Twenty Mule Team Canyon. It is an easy canyon to visit and we were surprised that it is over looked as a park attraction by many of the visitors. The few of times we visited the canyon we had it all to ourselves. We would arrive before sunrise to capture all the texture of the landscape and then spend the day hiking the rugged terrain.