Ellison Park Sky [Sky Watch Friday]

Leaves are rapidly disappearing from the trees, so the timing of catching fall colors is pretty hit-or-miss. We took a leisurely stroll in our nearby Ellison Park, but well before the changes began. If the sky is blue and the temperature mild, then you have to go outside. Speaking of blue, it is curious how much bluer the reflected sky appears compared to the actual sky. I did not have any filters [other than UV] on the lens, nor do anything in post-processing to enhance the color. Did the act of reflection polarize the light to enhance the blue [any optical physicists out there?]? 

Whatever the answer is to the above question, here the reflected sky looks normal in the shot below. I deliberately included some floating leaves to help you figure out that this represents a reflection.

The Great Pumpkin Parade [Orange You Glad It's Friday]

I thought that I was beginning to run out of potential OYGIF postings until I began noticing numerous photo ops, as well as pics already in my archive.  So, for the moment, I am already amply stocked well into 2014. In keeping with the season, I’ve named the pic below, The Great Pumpkin Parade. It looks like these guys are fleeing en masse [to escape being carved up, no doubt]. I shot this last year at our Farmers’ Market. I liked the lighting/shadows, the contrast in texture  between the bricks and pumpkins, and their parade-like arrangement. Happy Halloween!!

More Niagara Falls

This completes my current postings from our Niagara Falls sojourn.  The top image was shot from our hotel room using a zoom lens. I chose to omit the crest of the falls, so that this view would suggest water coming down from a great height. 

This night shot was also taken from our hotel room. The American and Horseshoe Falls were illuminated with different color lights over time. I liked the reddish hue. 

The Maid of the Mist is passing in front of the American Falls, which are generating huge plumes of mists. When you realize that the boat carries hundreds of passengers, it is striking how small it seems in comparison to the Falls.

Niagara Falls [Sky Watch Friday]

  This is a continuation of my ‘waterfalls’ [situated in central and western NY]. Rochester is about 90 miles east of Niagara Falls [always a great place to take visitors]. Here are some images from a recent ‘pilgrimage’ I took along with my wife. Although there are fine views from both the USA and Canadian sides, our visit was across the border. For this I made sure we stayed in the hotel that was closest to the Horseshoe Falls, and to get a room with a good view on a high floor. As it turned out, some of my best shots were taken through our window.  

      The image below was taken from the promenade along the river, just near the point where it flowed over the falls’ rim. The wind/rising mists made for the production of a nice rainbow.

    This was taken form the hotel room at dusk as the moon was rising.

       This was also taken from the promenade shooting back towards the Horseshoe Falls. The mist almost  completely shrouds one of the Maid of the Mist ships as it approaches the Falls.

       This panorama was also shot from the room. Seven separate images were ‘stitched’ together in Photoshop Elements v8. The American Falls is to the left [just to the right of the Rainbow Bridge]. The Horseshoe Falls are dead center. You can see the many tourists along the promenade, much of which was drenched by the blowing mist [which helped the formation of rainbows].

Arlie's Tree [Orange You Glad It's Friday]

Fall is upon us -- interestingly, one does not have to go far to find to observe some fabulous colors. In fact, my neighbor’s tree puts on a superb show each year [such that I can almost forgive it for dropping its leaves and spreading its roots through my lawn]. Truth be told, this particular image was shot several years ago; in the meantime, the tree has grown to be so huge that it does not lend itself well for framing.

The Waterfalls of Letchworth State Park

   These shots are ‘burning a hole in my pocket’ [probably a strange idiom to foreigners], so I won’t wait for the ‘coming weeks’. These are the two major waterfalls in Letchworth State Park [scroll down a bit to see an earlier posting]. The Upper and Middle Falls are separated by less than 1/2 mile and the walk between them is quite easy. The two shots of Upper Falls were taken with and without my trusty 10-stop neutral density filter. I really like the cotton effect on the water [see the Honeoye Falls in the Oct. 18 posting below].

The Middle Falls is more impressive, and one can get much closer, as well as find more locations to shoot from. I wish I had some sound to accompany these pics.

Honeoye Falls' Upper Falls

  Here are some recent shots I took in Honeoye Falls, which is maybe 20 mi. south of Rochester. It is a quaint little town with two water falls; these views are from the Upper Falls, where a mill had been located. At this time of year, unfortunately, the flow of water is strongly reduced, so the middle portion is barely a trickle [see bottom most pic].  I used my neutral density filter to increase the exposure time and create the cotton effect with the two top images. In the coming weeks, I will continue posting images of various waterfalls around upstate NY. 

Letchworth State Park 1 [Sky Watch Friday]

As I have noted many times before, Rochester NY and the surrounding region have an abundance of parks, waterways, waterfalls and recreational areas. One of my favorites is Letchworth State Park, located ca. 40 miles south of the city. It boasts several waterfalls [which I will show you in the coming weeks] and a magnificent gorge [referred to as the Grand Canyon of the east]. We visited there recently, but the Fall colors had not yet peaked. Still, I got some nice shots that I want to share.

Mt.Hope Cemetery [Orange You Glad It's Friday]

 The Mt.Hope Cemetery is in a sprawling area of hills, trees and resting sites dating back to pre-Civil War era. Among the noted dignitaries buried there are Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony. The beauty and importance of the cemetery is such that guided tours are held there. Last weekend we visited the grave site of a good friend, and then took some shots of the surroundings. As with the Letchworth Park posts, the Fall colors still had not peaked, but they still provided pleasure.

Pittsburgh Skies IV [Sky Watch Friday]

This posting will conclude my ‘Pittsburgh Skies’ mini-series. During our visit there, we were fortunate to stay in a hotel near the river, which afforded a good view [of course, I did my homework and made sure that that would be the case] and ready access to the promenade along the Allegheny River [which was an unexpected bonus]. While the day view from our room was so-so, the one at sunset really caught me by surprise; and I was certainly glad to have taken my tripod along. In the distance, the lights from the PNC ball park are evident; I don’t know why since there was no game scheduled. For those who might be curious, the shot was taken as follows [1/6 sec., f/11, ISO 200]. I did not do any post-editing to reduce the number of white lights in the foreground.

In the mini-series, I have posted several photos taken along this walk down to the Point State Park. Still, I thought I’d add one more as I really loved the bridges and sky line. Behind the Roberto Clemente Bridge is the PNC ball park, already noted above. Alas, the Pirates are out of the playoffs and no more games will be played here until 2014.

Busy Bee [Orange You Glad It's Friday]

Talk about ‘busy bees’’. This critter was not disturbed by my presence, probably because I shot this with a zoom lens, not a macro.

Pittsburgh Skies III [Sky Watch Friday]

Last week I posted an image of the downtown skyline that was taken from the top of Mt. Washington, reached by going up the ‘Mon’ Incline. I promised to post some views directed up and down the Monongahela River. Taken together, these will give you an idea of the breathtaking vistas seen from this location, which makes taking this ride a must if you happen to visit Pittsburgh. 

Bird of Paradise [Orange You Glad It's Friday]

  Next week I will end my Sky Watch Friday posts connected to our stay in Pittsburgh. During that time we visited the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens [actually, it’s in Oakville, several miles north of the city]. Let me say at the very outset that it was simply superb, probably the best one I have ever seen. We passed hours on end wandering through marvelous and unusual displays of horticultural beauty and variety. Despite that, I came home with only one image I could share on OYGIF. Here is one of their Birds of Paradise.