The Maine Thing – Day 5

One of the attributes of Acadia National Park that I especially like is the ability to park in the right lane of “The Loop” just about whenever I wish. This gives me the freedom to explore and respond to the landscape freely. And since the park is never really closed, I can do this for sunrise, sunset, middle of the day, or middle of the night!

One location on the loop that I like is at Otter Cove. Here, the mountains reflect into still waters lined by forest. I see it as a serene view, without great drama. Therefore my image represents it using symmetry, subtle tonality, and lots of sky. The clouds both provide visual interest to the sky but also minimize the landscape further. There is both direct and indirect light hitting the land along with shadows of the clouds themselves. This image was made with a Micro-Four-thirds system camera (Panasonic GH2) and an Olympus 9-18mm m4/3 lens. This lightweight camera and lens combo is a great travel kit.

Otter Cove, Acadia (c) 2012 http://www.paulgrecianphoto.com

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First Fall Images

With a 3-day show this weekend in Delaware and a very busy schedule through Thanksgiving, I felt the need to get out yesterday. It also happened to be the first full day of fall, my favorite image-making season. I’m hoping to get out once a week even with a full fall show schedule, but reality may dictate otherwise.

So where did I go for this first day of fall outing, well I stayed right here in Bucks County of course – Peace Valley Park in Doylestown. Just as I approached the bridge, I saw this Great Egret off to my left. These birds usually spook easily, so I walked past it then slowly returned. I had more glass with me than I needed (Canon 500mm w/ TC1.4x), so as the bird worked its way away from the shore, I was better able to compose. During a brief preening bout, the egret lifted a wing and lowered its head under to get at a tricky spot. Of course if I’m near water I think reflection and symmetry so this composition was my first thought.

In such an image, I still prefer to have some part of the eye visible and in this case it is just (more so in the reflection). There is an elegance to the picture that I like, these birds being so angelic.

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