Category Archives: Landscape
Gray’s Beach – Bass Hole Boardwalk
As a follow up to my last post, I want to share a little more about Gray’s Beach in Yarmouth Port, MA. I have been visiting this spot ever since my parents purchased a condo, just 5 minutes down the road from there, a few years ago.
There are nicer beaches in the area for swimming and sunbathing, but none have the photo opportunities that Gray’s Beach hold. Everywhere you look is another perfect “Cape Cod View”. I won’t go into much detail now, but I have many images over the years that should explain what I mean. I will be posting my favorites in the next few posts.
The Bass Hole Boardwalk
The signature photo-op of this bayside beach is the boardwalk that extends out over the surrounding salt marsh. If you go into any nature artist’s gallery in Cape Cod, you will more than likely find a painting or a photograph of this seemingly endless structure.This is my favorite image of the boardwalk. It was early on a beautiful August morning. I remember I loved the way the sun was hitting the boardwalk and making the grass glow, but in my first test shot, I could tell the contrast between the sky and shadow areas was too high. Luckily, HDR exists to help deal with such problems. I set up my camera to bracket +-2 stops and fired off a few sets. Once I found the composition I liked the most, I processed the three images in Photomatix and made further edits in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Color Efex Pro until I was happy with the final image.
Cape Cod Vacation 2013
I don’t know how many times I have vacationed in Cape Cod, but it’s a lot, and minus the sometimes awful traffic, it’s always a great trip! I needed to get away, but my budget wasn’t going to allow for much this year. A relaxing trip to my parents’ condo in Dennis fit my needs perfectly!
The one photo treat I planned for myself was a whale watch. I had never been before, so I didn’t know quite what to expect. It turned out to be a perfect day out on the water! The number of whales I saw wasn’t anything to write home about, but one in particular female resurfaced over and over allowing me, and all the other camera toting passengers, to have many attempts at capturing the massively sized mammal in her own environment. This photo is one of my favorites from the trip. The boat ads a little perspective to the size of the whale, while the fishermen’s lack of response shows just how common this occurrence is. I still think I would be freaked out being in such a small boat compared to the whale, even if I was out there every day!
Gray’s Beach Before Sunrise
The entire week was extremely hot and humid, so I didn’t have too much desire to do any photographing other than the whale watch. I spent the days at the beach and the nights relaxing. I went out one morning very early; about thirty minutes before sunrise and the impending ninety degree heat. I headed to one of my favorite spots near my parents’ place that always yields nice images…
I have to admit, I intended to stay longer and wait for sunrise, but the bugs were overwhelming that morning and after ten minutes of shooting in the predawn light, I couldn’t take it anymore. I packed up and headed for another location. This is my favorite from that mini session and my repayment for dealing with the pesky flies as long as I did!
Blueberry Fog
In one of my early posts (Blueberry Lake Before Sunrise), I wrote how I usually stop at Blueberry Lake first during my early morning rides when in Vermont.
Back in August of 2008, the small lake alongside Plunkton Rd. in Warren, VT was almost completely hidden from view as I drove past it. The fog had come in thick overnight, but as I looked back at the lake, I noticed a little sunlight trying to peek through.
I turned the car around and hurried to the parking lot. As I setup my camera and tripod, I started to see some detail in the surrounding evergreens . The fog was lifting and I wouldn’t have much time before the beautiful scene would be gone forever.
I only clicked the shutter 3 times that morning (at the lake), but it was stretched out over a few minutes as I waited for the fog to roll in or out between each shot. Some days I have more patience than others when it comes to my trigger happy shutter finger; especially on a foggy day, when the scene can be drastically different with each click; but this morning drive was my last of five in a row that trip, so I was a little burnt out and had already snapped off a couple thousand shots during the week, so taking my time and trying to get it right in camera was an easy choice to make. I already had many hours of editing time in my future and didn’t feel like piling it on that day. The composition, along with the way the sunlight hit the trees, made this one my favorite of the three, and it still holds as one of my favorite images.
Magical Shot! – Rockledge Golf Club
Golf
I love golf! I’ve been playing ever since I could remember. My dad would take me to one of the local courses near our home and we would chip and putt around the practice green for what seemed like hours. Knowing my dad’s patience is similar to my own, it was probably closer to a half hour or so, but it was fun no matter how long it was…
Magical Shot! – Rockledge Golf Club, West Hartford, CT
I love it when all the pieces fall into place for a photograph. In May of last year, good timing, manmade features, and the natural elements, aligned for this magical shot. I had left work a few minutes late, and if you know traffic in Hartford, that can be a major mistake most nights. The extra delay slowed me down enough to keep me in the city while the sun quickly worked its way down through the clouds and toward the horizon.
As I neared the exit for Rockledge Golf Club, I knew that I would be able to capture the dramatic sky from the parking lot overlooking the course. I hopped off the highway and as I pulled into the lot I saw the first member of this threesome teeing off. That gave me only a couple of minutes to park, hop out of the car, adjust my camera settings, and fire off three quick shots as the last player hit his ball down the fairway.
I looked at the LCD screen and knew I captured both the shot and the scenery to my liking. I was even more pleased when I looked at it on my monitor later that night, but I also knew I had quite a bit of work to do in edit. A few distracting elements needed to be removed and the guy in the middle was hunched over with his club protruding outward from his waste. I removed the club and stood him more upright using the cloning tools in Photoshop.
Dealing with a few glare spots as well as getting the color and tone the way I wanted was a big chore as well. Shooting into the sun creates a lot of contrast, but luckily technology is offering up new and better ways to deal with that all the time and Lightroom 4 by Adobe is a perfect example. I was able to bring out the details in both the highlights and shadows by using adjustment brushes and graduated filters where needed.
Gulls
I have heard them referred to as the rodents of the sky. I have probably reused the phrase a handful of times myself, but for the photographer just starting out, they can be the perfect subject.
For one, if you live or take trips near the water, they are always available for their close up. 
And if you can get to a fish pier, the numbers of seagulls are overwhelming when the boats come in with their catch of the day.
Sometimes they add a different perspective to a common scene. 
And they are always around to practice portrait work.
Gulls – Hubbard Park, Meriden, CT
This is a rare event for me and not one you should get used to, but I’m posting an image from a photo I took today. I needed to leave work early in order to be at an award ceremony for my oldest daughter. She is a very talented piano player and one of only two students from her school to receive this special award for the arts (OK, proud daddy moment done).
So traffic ended up being much better than I expected and I had a few extra minutes to head over to Hubbard park for an image to finish this post. I was actually looking for an image to be up above, but when I saw this one, I decided to make it the feature image. The light from the setting sun was perfect and it took less than 5 minutes to get some nice photos including this one. Happy with what I captured; I was off to the ceremony. I’m really happy with this image but it doesn’t come close to how happy and proud my big girl makes me as a dad. Congrats Cailin!
Moss Glen Falls
On just about every vacation to Vermont, I have photographed Moss Glen Falls in Granville. It is probably the most photographed waterfall in the state, so I try and get there early in the morning to beat the rush of people. It also makes getting long exposures easier due to the lack of light reaching down into the valley that early.
Closer to the parking area is Little Moss Glen Falls. As the name suggests, it is smaller than the main falls, but it has a special beauty all its own. Other than quick stops with the family on our way home, I like to really take my time finding new and unique ways to shoot both.
Moss Glen Falls – Granville, VT
While on one of our trips back in 2009, I wanted to photograph the falls in a way I hadn’t seen before. Not an easy task considering how many images you’ll find if you simply do a Google image search for it.
So early in the morning, I headed to the falls and looked all over for something different to capture. I took some traditional shots like so many others before me, but then decided to cut off the falls close to the bottom. I tried a few different angles and vantage points before finding this one. I knew right away I had something unique to anything I’ve seen, and more important than that, a beautiful version of my favorite waterfall.
Rays From Above
Days pass and we move on
Pain fades but never goes away
Legacies remain yet changed forever
Love carries on and so shall we
Walls protect yet they also hide
We care for others but at our own expense
It is OK to hurt and it’s OK to cry
I miss my friend and will never forget
Snow Covered Farm
Snow
It snowed here in the northeast today and that gave me the idea to post one my favorite snow images. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with the winter and it’s accompanying precipitation. My work commute, is bad enough on dry days, but throw a little of the slick stuff on the ground and my ride ends up like leaving Gillette Stadium on AFC Championship Sunday (bumper to bumper and a lot of disgruntled drivers!). I also have many fond memories of the snow though: Sledding as a kid, or even as an adult with my daughter; snowboarding trips to Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire; watching my dog run wildly and chomp at the pile I tossed her way while shoveling; and many others that brought an equal amount of joy even on the coldest of days.
Snow Covered Farm – Washington, CT
On those snowboarding trips up north, I remember looking at all the snow covered farm land and admiring it’s beauty. All the trips came during a long stretch where I wasn’t taking any photographs at all. That’s a story for another day, but those trips were the one time I wished I was still shooting.
So, a few years after digital imaging took off, and I let go of my grudge with photography, I took a drive out to the northwest area of Connecticut. It came after a winter storm had come through the days before. When I turned onto Painter Ridge Road in Washington, I knew I found a great spot to shoot. I loved the way the red barn contrasted with the snow and how all three main elements created a nice triangular composition. I took away a few favorites that day including a close-up I really like of the barn, but this one wins out for me.
Sunrise from Common Road
I mentioned in the Blueberry Lake Before Sunrise post how much I love a particular drive and the lake was near the beginning of that drive. There is a fork in the road a few miles up the road that always forces me to make a choice. I can stay on East Warren Rd. or bear right onto Common Rd. Both offer amazing views and there really is no wrong choice. It usually comes down to which one I haven’t photographed in a while.
Sunrise from Common Road – Waitsfield, VT
Common Road won out on this late summer day in 2011 and as soon as I made the turn I knew I made the right choice. I had passed this spot many times prior to this day and always thought it had the potential for nice early morning image, but on this day I wouldn’t continue driving by. I pulled over quickly, hopped out of the car and was snapping off sets of photos in no time.
Kim
In the spirit of a post I have seen on Facebook, and it totally relates to what I’ve been going through this week, I am including the message at the end of this post. If you aren’t going to read anything else, please read that at least.
This week has been a difficult one for me. It had been a couple of years since a single txt message from a friend stopped me in my tracks with overwhelming sadness and grief. I’m not going to go into the details here about what happened this time. That is private to those involved, but it has brought back so many memories for me that I thought I should share the story of a true inspiration.
Kim
It was fall of 2009 when I received an out of the blue txt message from my friend Kim. This was a much different message then the one I would be getting from her a year later, but it was right after she went through a tough battle with cancer and she was taking some much needed R & R time with her family. I don’t have the old txt, but it basically said:
Hi Chris, I am at an beautiful photo gallery in Vegas right now and was thinking how cool it will be when your work is displayed like this.
It touched me that she took the time to do that, but even more, was her confidence in me. When I laughed back at her, she made sure I understood she was serious. But that was Kim. She always found a way to make the people around her feel special and I was very fortunate to be one of those who got to know her. I am definitely not alone though. She was a teacher and I always thought that to be the perfect fit for her and a real treat for those lucky enough to be in her class.
When I received her txt message many months later, telling a group of us that the cancer returned and now it was terminal, I was at a loss for words. I assumed she would go silent as well, but I was very wrong. She was on Facebook almost every day liking a post or commenting on a friend’s status. Always trying to pick up their spirits and never looking for sympathy.
Before she left us, she made me promise to have a gallery show some day. I simply nodded, but I understood she meant it, and when I feel my work is good enough, I will honor her wish and give a little wink up to the sky, like I did the night we had to say goodbye. When I did, the image below was what I saw.
Did you know the people that are the strongest are usually the most sensitive? Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? Did you know the one who takes care of others all the time are usually the ones who need it the most? Did you know the 3 hardest things to say are I love you, I’m sorry, and help me. Sometimes just because a person looks happy, you have to look past their smile and see how much pain they may be in. To all my friends who are going through some issues right now–Let’s start an intention avalanche. We all need positive intentions right now. If I don’t see your name, I’ll understand. May I ask my friends wherever you might be, to kindly copy and paste this status for one hour to give a moment of support to all those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just need to know that someone cares. Do it for all of us, for nobody is immune. I hope to see… this on the walls of all my friends just for moral support. I know some will!! I did it for a friend and you can too. You have to copy & paste this one, no share button, because kindness is a effort given from the heart not the press of a button!!!
