While I love photographing Rocky Mountain National Park, sometimes I like to hang out a sea level and enjoy the sun and beach like everybody. I spent a week in Hawaii enjoying Waikikki Beach and of course took the opportunity each morning to photograph sunrise. I was lucky enough to catch this iconic view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head one morning. I’m usually out before dawn hiking the park, here there were many surfers out way before dawn catching waves. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR lens
I know in the internet universe your never supposed to apologize for lack of activity or lack of posts as it’s considered a net negative. However, I apologize for my lack of recent postings to my blog here. I’ve done a better job keeping my social media feeds active, but my attempts to get a blog post or two out recently have failed.
There has been lots of time in the field and I’ve been busy photographing, but I’ve also had a fairly busy travel schedule with a trip to Hawaii thrown in for good measure. With a few days of fun and sun in Hawaii behind me, I’ve been readjusting to my 11:40 PM alarm clock calls, and my treks to Rocky Mountain National Park to photograph my favorite place in what is now it’s summer goodness.
Alright, lets get back to Rocky Mountain National Park. After returning from a few days at the beach, I managed to make my first trip up Trail Ridge Road to photograph sunrise. In true Colorado fashion, I was greeted by a breif blizzard and freezing temperatures. Quite a change from Hawaii but the views of the Hayden Gorge and Terra Tomah Mountain this morning where impressive. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR Lens
Trail Ridge Road did not open this year until the second to last day of May due to snow and weather. That’s great as we need all the help we can get with moisture right now. With Trail Ridge opening on the later side and a trip to Hawaii on the 1st, it took me over a week to finally get up there for the first time this year. As many who love visiting Rocky Mountain National Park know, visiting Trail Ridge Road for the first time each season is like seeing an old friend. After its long hibernation its like nothing changed from season to season. The Marmots and Pika abound, the tundra begins to turn green and wildflowers mix slopes still dotted with snowfields. It’s always a pleasure getting back on Trail Ridge and the new opportunities it presents for photographers.
Yesterday, I headed up into Wild Basin to revisit one of my favorite spots in all of Rocky. It was a clear morning so I took in sunrise at Ouzel Falls. Most photographers want to shoot waterfalls in even diffused light. Ouzel is great because sunrise and the mist from roaring waterfall create a dreamy, colorful burst as the sun crosscuts Ouzel Falls. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR Lens
I’ve also managed to make a little foray back into Wild Basin to photograph Ouzel Falls. One of my favorite places in Rocky Mountain National Park and one of the best places to photograph streams and waterfalls. With our low snowpack, the rivers and streams of RMNP are already starting to ebb as opposed to their roaring torrents one usually finds them in early June. With Monsoon season officially starting yesterday, hopefully Rocky see’s lots of good afternoon thunderstorms to keep these streams moving as the summer moves along.
Overall things look pretty good so far in Rocky. Things are greening up, the waterfalls are still running well and wildflowers are starting to bloom. With our lack of winter moisture I would expect things to be muted and brown, especially as we get into the middle of summer. Some of our late season storms appear to be helping to keep the landscape flowing and green. We’ve got some warm and clear days this week and I believe the wildflowers east of Rocky in northwestern Nebraska are causing some smoke and haze but all and all Rocky is looking good and the call to explore and hit the trails this summer as as strong as always.
My first sunrise on famous Cannon Beach. With the impressive Haystack Rock in the distance, I had a beautiful pastel glow over the beach that also coincided with low tide. When I photographed this image my first morning in Oregon, I figured I’d be happy with the trip if this was the only keeper I came away with!. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR lens
I’ve just returned from a week long trip to photograph and relax in Oregon for the week. No new Rocky Mountain National Park material as I spend most of last week on the beach in Oregon with my wife and two dogs while my daughter was away in Ecuador on a school trip. It’s the first time in fourteen years that my wife and me have taken a trip together with our daughter in tow. We had never visited the Oregon coast and this seemed like the perfect week to head out to Oregon from Colorado.
With our two dogs in tow we started our drive west early on Saturday morning. While we started early, we were delayed by an tired as our daughters connecting flight from Houston to Quito was cancelled due to weather. For awhile, we were unsure if they would be able to rebook kids and chaperones on another flight so after a long night of waiting, we finally were informed they would get out of Houston, but not for another two days. We did not want to be in the middle of Idaho and get a call that they would be landing in Denver in a few hours and have to make a mad dash back to Colorado. With that settled we headed out.
On my second morning on the Oregon Coast, I once again had nothing to complain about as conditions were just about perfect again on the beach. With fog breaking over Haystack Rock and another low tide at sunrise, I was able to capture this image just as first light illiuminates the top of Haystack Rock. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR lens
We made it to Boise in the late afternoon, getting a good portion of our drive out of the way so we could make Cannon Beach by Sunday afternoon. After a relaxing night in Boise, we were off early again and arrived in Cannon Beach, Oregon a little before 2:00 PM. We were a little to early to check into our cottage, so it was off to the beach with the dogs for a walk. It was a spectacular afternoon with sunny skies and warm temperatures near 70 degrees. The beach was packed with summer travelers but the beauty and potential for photography were stunning. With not a cloud in the sky that first night and being tired from the 1300 mile drive out, I set my sights to heading out on the beach for sunrise the following morning.
While I’ve never photographed the Oregon coast prior to last week, I’ve spent a lot of time photographing beaches on the east coast. While the forecast looked clear for sunrise, I always know that the beach often provides it own little microclimate combined with some of the most beautiful and soft light. Here in the mountains of Colorado we have some amazing light, but the light get harsh very quickly after sunrise. I find at sea level, while the light may not be as warm, the soft subtle hues and pastels are great to work with. With some great pastel hues over Haystack Rock and the Needles, I had an spectacular first morning on Cannon Beach which also coincided with low tide.
The Needles looked stunning on my second morning in Cannon Beach. With a tranquil low tide washing ashore combined with some great fog and pastel light at sunrise, the beauty of this place shined. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR lens
Ironically, we had clear skies every evening on the beach. This trip, sunrises were where the more interesting light and atmospherics occurred. The 2nd morning on Cannon Beach we had some awesome fog and the marine layer floating just off the beach while the sun was able to break through at sunrise to light the tip of Haystack Rock and the hundreds of birds making their morning rounds on and off the rock. The second morning was really my most productive morning on the beach as the combination of light, fog and clouds with some new found familiarity with my surroundings allowed me to create some beautiful images.
That night, a large earthquake in Russia had prompted a Tsunami warning all over the west coast of the United States. We didn’t sleep well that night as the potential of the Tsunami’s waves were set to arrive just before midnight. Luckily, this massive earthquake did create a large enough Tsunami to really do anything other than raise ocean levels at the beach a foot or so over the tide. I spent the last morning on Cannon Beach enjoying low tide but also still uneasy as the Tsunami warning continued though it appeared we were out of the woods. The last morning was a combination of fog, clouds, sun, mist and drizzle. This felt a lot more like your stereotypical morning of what I picture the Pacific Northwest being like.
My last morning on Cannon Beach brought weather more like I would expect for the Pacific Northwest. Fog, drizzle and a little bit of sun breaking through turned the skies into a tye-dye like scene as they reflected in the rippled sand at low tide looking south down the Oregon coast. Technical Detail: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S IS lens
After the last morning on beautiful Cannon Beach, we said goodbye and headed up to Astoria for the night to check out the town and famous craft beer scene. We debated heading south down the coast for one more night but with the forecast looking overcast, we figured Astoria would offer a good change of pace before heading back east to Colorado.
One last image of Haystack Rock and The Needles as th fog and rain moved back onto Cannon Beach on my last morning. No matter the weather conditions, Cannon Beach is an amazing place to photograph the Oregon Coast. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S IS lens
After the night in Astoria checking out the town, the riverfront and of course the craft beer scene at Rogue, Astoria Beer Company and my favorite, Fort George it was off bright and early towards Ogden, Utah for the night. We left Astoria early so we would dodge most of the traffic in Portland on the way out. We just happened to be entering the Columbia River Gorge just at sunrise. It was just after 6:00 AM and as we approached the Multnomah Falls parking lot in the middle of I-84, with the parking lot practically empty, I figured a quick stop to let the dogs out and explore one Oregons most beautiful but also most visited waterfalls would be in order. My wife grabbed the dogs and I hustled up the hill to quickly photograph this spectacular waterfall. We had a long drive ahead of us and I only had about a half hour or so to work with. With overcast skies and almost nobody else in the park, it was just about perfect. Just as I was wrapping up, the parking lot was starting to fill. It was a good time to get back on the road and head out.
Though the point of the trip was to spend time along the Oregon Coast and mostly relax with my wife, I of course could not drive by a deserted Multnomah Falls at six in the morning and not stop for an image or two of this iconic Oregon waterfall. I will certainly be spending more time in the Columbia River Gorge on my next visit to Oregon along with many of the other beaches I missed on this visit. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S IS lensAfter a night in Ogden after another long drive from Astoria, it was a quick 7 hour drive back home to Colorado. Back home before lunchtime, the trip to Oregon was both a whirlwind but also a relaxing trip that makes me only want to get back sooner than later. Oregon has long been a Mecca for landscape photographers with some of the most talented photographers calling the area home. I certainly cant wait to get back and spend much more time exploring all the diversity present in the state. Even so, it feels great to be back home in Colorado and as soon as we get some of this wildfire smoke to clear, I’ll be back out hiking all over Rocky Mountain National Park.
A stunning sunrise unfolds over Coopers Beach on the east end of Long Island. Coopers Beach, located in Southampton, New York was just named the number one beach in American by
Dr. Beach. This morning was not a summer beach morning in the traditional sense, but a few minutes of gorgeous light made it a special morning. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S IS lens
I just arrived back from a quick trip back to the east coast to visit family and spend a little bit of time at the beach. The purpose of the visit was not photography related at all but I almost always bring along a small kit just on the off chance I’m able to get out early one morning or late one evening to photograph some of the beautiful scenes found back in New York State.
With sunrise being 5:30 AM, is usually not an issue for me to get out, photograph for a few hours and still arrive back before most of family are awake and ready for the day. I come from an Irish family so of course the trick when visiting them back east, is if I can maintain my normally regimented schedule and actually get so sleep early enough so I can get on location before sunrise.
This trip to Southampton, New York to see family I was actually able to all the above. I had a late night catching up with my family, still was able to wake up bright and early and most importantly, head over to Coopers Beach for sunrise. As far as beach weather goes, I did not have great weather back on the east end of Long Island. I missed the heat wave that had abated just as I arrived but was there for a couple of gray, cool and rainy days. Not great for the beach, but of course it might be just what is needed to make compelling landscape images.
The Lifeguards at Coopers Beach wont be all that busy this morning as the weather overall wasnt great for the beach but was for photography. Lookings south, the Atlantic Ocean appears endless from the lifegaurd perch at Coopers Beach. Technical Details: Nikon Z7II Nikkor 24-120mm F4 IS S lens
It had been a few years since I’ve been able to get out on Coopers Beach and create any new images. The timing, family events and other commitments have made it more difficult in recent years to get out to Southampton, New York and have the opportunity to get out and photograph some of the most beautiful beaches in not only New York, but also the entire United States. For those who pay attention to these sorts of trivial and subjective things, Coopers Beach was just named the number 1 beach in the United States by ‘Dr. Beach’ once again.
Coopers Beach with its beautiful light colored sand, wide beach, dune grasses and often sunny skies in the winter certainly has the credentials to lay claim to being a spectacular location and beautiful beach and scene.
I had one morning to squeeze in a morning shoot at Coopers Beach. With a few hours sleep, I awoke to 60 degree temperatures, 10-15 mph winds and cloudy overcast skies. It didn’t exactly look promising as a photographer, but again I have a 10 minute drive over from the house and I was awake and ready to go already. Out the door I headed with the salty ocean air permeating the atmosphere.
Having been living out west in Colorado for the past 27 years, one of the things I really appreciate about photographing back east is the softness of the light. The subtle textures, color graditions and soft palettes make for dreamy impressionist like conditions that we dont often get out here in Colorado. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 IS S lens
Arriving at Coopers Beach it looked cloudy. Even still, photographing the beach on a cloudy mornings can make for some amazing abstract images. Long exposures, the way each wave is unique and crashes and spreads out on the sands all make for vastly different images and moods. One thing I love about photographing back on the east coast and away from places like Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado where I spend the majority of my time is that the light is so soft and gentle back east. The humidity, angle of the sun make the light much more gently and manageable then the high altitude sun and cerulean blue skies I am now accustomed to photographing in my home state of Colorado.
I headed out on the the beach and had to put my vest on. The weather felt more like being back in Colorado than the east end of Long Island in summer. 60 degrees with a chilly easterly wind blowing in off the water at 10-15mph and hour. Looking east down the beach, I could see a slight glimmer of pink starting to glow. While it looked cloudy, there may be just enough of a break on the horizon that add some nice color to the gray skies. Soon after I had setup my camera, the skies turned a pink, red and purple hue. I had about 3 minutes before the magic was gone and it was back to being a gray morning.
Even with the cloudy conditions, Coopers Beach looked spectacular and the low light conditions allowed for longer shutter speeds with really brings out the mood and pace of this great morning on the east end of Long Island. Technical Details: Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 IS S lens
I was feeling good as I knew I had capture some amazing light this morning at Coopers Beach. A few minutes is all I always say I need anyway and this morning couldn’t have been more beautiful. The winds and rains from the night before has smoothed, sculpted and cleaned the white sands of Coopers and the ocean had enough chop to brings out some beautiful texture and form right as the color peaked.
It was an awesome morning at Coopers Beach. It was one of those mornings when you feel like you’ve gotten away with one. While most where sleeping in Southampton, unaware that this beautiful scene was unfolding, I was blessed with a few amazing minutes at Americas number one beach. More importantly, I was able to reconnect to a place that holds a special place in my heart and one I had been unable to enjoy for a few years.
I just returned from a week long jaunt to New York State. Compared to my usual stomping grounds in Colorado, water is plentiful. While it rained much of the trip, I was able to capture a few sunrises in between weather systems. Pastel colors light a private dock along the shores of Shinnecock Bay in Southampton, New York. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm F4 IS LI spent all of last week traveling through and around New York State photographing some of my favorite places in the Empire State. One word comes to mind whenever I leave Colorado and head back east and it’s water.
The contrast between the arid and dry climate of Colorado, compared to the moisture laden areas of the east coast is always striking to me. In New York you are always near, around, in, or over some sort of water it seems. Colorado, not so much.
When I’m out photographing locations in Colorado, I seek out water. Small lakes and bodies of water become destinations for photography because of the impact they bring to landscape photography in a dry climate. When photographing locations in New York, water becomes almost an afterthought. It seems to always be part of the landscape and location.
Neither situation is better or worse. To me they are just part of the makeup of the unique locations and it’s the contrast is climates that continues to make these different destinations so much fun to shoot.
So even though I expect to be photographing lots of bodies of water and water features when I travel through New York, heavy rain helped to keep already green and saturated areas even more vibrant and green than I could have expected.
In fact while an average June typically see about 5.5 inches of rain the entire month, nearly 9 inches of rain fell last week alone. Even with the rain it was a great week of photography and being in a different environment is always a great way to keep the creative juices flowing.
Even still it’s good to be back in Colorado and will be even better to get back up into Rocky to see how our snowmelt and thaw out is progressing in our thin dry air.
Small bitting bugs, sea spray, sand and high humidity, all the elements I dont typically deal with out here in Colorado. Regardless, I was able to capture this beautiful sunrise from Dune Beach in Southampton, New York. If your willing to get up early and head out to the beach, there is a good chance you the eastern end of Long Island will treat you to a sight such as this. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 17mm TS-E F4Changing pace can be a good thing. Every once in awhile it’s nice to get out of your set routines, break from the mold a bit and photograph something different. I personally finds it helps the creative process to break from the familiar and get out into different environs.
I spend last week on a whirlwind tour of New York State visiting in-laws and relatives. The trip back east was more about visiting family and catching up with old friends then it was about photography. Of course, there was no way I was going to be able to keep my camera in the bag the entire time.
While spending the end of the week out on the east end of Long Island, I was able to get up early a few mornings and catch sunrise along the beach. While I had a good sunrise this particular morning at Dune Beach in Southampton, the humidity, sand and sea spray where all things I’ve gotten used to not having to deal with here in Colorado. The trip was great, but I’m eager to get back up to Rocky and my more comfortable surroundings.
The harsh elements of life in the sub alpine zone of Rocky Mountain National Park have finally taken their toll on these two limber pines. Relentless winds, cold and snow have sculpted these tree's and all that remains is there sun bleached skeletons. I've been waiting for conditions such as these to photograph these two tree's and I was lucky enough to have everything fall into place for me last week. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 17mm TS-E F4 LTreeline in Colorado occurs on average just above 11,000 ft above sea level. The determining factor for treeline is an average mean temperature of fifty degrees. Hiking or driving through the transitions from the montane zone, to the sub alpine zone and lastly the alpine zone can be a thrilling experience. The transition zones in these particular areas make for amazing places for photography.
Most visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park get their first taste of this other worldly experience when they drive over Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge Road being the highest continuous paved road in the continental United States allows visitors to Rocky the experience of this beautiful but difficult existence with fairly little effort and from the comfort of their vehicles. Stop at one of the many pull offs along Trail Ridge Road even and one is likely to find shorts and a t-shirt offer little comfort even in the middle of a summer afternoon.
The sub alpine zone in Rocky Mountain National Park hosts a wide variety of interesting photography subjects. Wildflowers such as blue columbines, red paintbrush and alpine sunflowers amongst the talus slopes, boulders and stunted plants. What really peaks my interest in these sub alpine areas are the tree’s. The limber pines and krummholz trees which are in a constant struggle for life against the harsh elements.
These limber pines and kummholz tree’s are often contorted and twisted by the wind and elements. The constant air flow at these high altitudes prevents the tree’s from growing in a windward direction. They are often only able to grow in a leeward direction. These tree’s will eventually succumb, sometimes after hundreds of years of existence. Even at this point, mother nature is not quite done sculpting and bleaching there remains.
I’ve been spying this particular pair of dead limber pines near Trail Ridge for sometime. This particular area of Trail Ridge has quite a few limber pine skeletons littering the ridgeline. Finally on Wednesday, the lighting and conditions came together perfectly. The winds were blowing at a pretty good clip, but would subside just long enough to allow me to capture these two tree’s free of any motion blur caused by the high winds. There are limber pines like these two scattered all over the high ridges near treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park, and I’ll continue to scour these ridges for new and interesting subjects.
One final shameless self promotion tidbit. One of my images of Watermill Beach was used for this week’s online edition of Vogue magazine. You can find a link to the article here. Vogue Magazine Watermill Beach Image
Cultivated flowers bloom amongst wildflowers in a feild near the original Southampton townsite. Getting a break from the normally constant sea breezes in the area allowed me to get off the beach and take advantage of this beautiful field of flowers. Technical Details: Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40mm F4 LUnfortunately not everyday at the Beach is going to break sunny and clear. Many mornings on the eastern end of Long Island and the Hamptons are going to break cloudy and overcast because of the strong influence the Atlantic Ocean has on the weather in the area. Even on mornings such as these you can often find plenty of subjects to photograph. While the beach itself can yield some interesting results with a little imagination and the use of long timed exposures to blur the water and the clouds, there are many other subjects that photograph well in the soft light.
This particular morning in Southampton was exactly one of those mornings. One of the difficulties in photographing along the coast and near large bodies of water is wind. It’s rare not to have a strong breeze along the shore in the morning. Often, this will not affect photography of subjects such as the beach and or the ocean, but it can make it very challenging to photograph items that move and sway in the wind without capturing motion blur. Even though this particular morning was cloudy and overcast, there was little to no wind. I decided to head off the beach to a location I had spied the day prior.
The town of Southampton, New York maintains some open space property that has been donated from a large estate just off the beach near the original 1640 town site. They have cultivated a mix of wildflowers and garden flowers in this location and there is quite an impressive display of color to see here. The cultivated gardens which are partially maintained and irrigated have had their flowers propagate outwards amongst the open space field. This has created a great location to photograph the flowers, some cultivated and some wild amongst the grasses of the open space. With the soft diffused light, I was able to capture this impressive display of flowers without a stiff breeze causing the flowers to sway during the long exposures required. All in all it worked out to be a good morning to look for subjects not beach related, and instead work with subjects that require little to no wind to capture successfully.
Clouds and blue sky pass over the dune grass and dunes at Dune Beach, Southampton, New York. Thankfully, a misadjusted backpack prevented the photographer from walking right past this scene. Technical Details: Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40mm F4LHere’s another beach scene from Southampton, New York, without the actual beach included. The dunes along Dune Beach are quite impressive for the area, and I have to assume how Dune Beach garnered it’s name. I had another successful shoot this morning and on my way off the Beach I almost walked right past this scene. I had envisioned photographing a scene like this many times during my visits out to the east end. In the past I’ve not quite been able to get all the visual elements to fall into place to create the image I was looking for.
After a successful morning photographing I find myself falling into a zone. I would compare it to a similar feeling that one gets after a runners high. I relax, my mind opens up a bit and I’m able to study the elements within the scene with a little less bias and preconceived ideas. I often create some of my most unique and rewarding imagery on the back end of a shoot when I’m experiencing this sort of ‘photographers high’. During this time however, I can often wander right past interesting imagery as I’m busy contemplating, thinking to myself. This almost happened to me this morning as I was heading off the beach. I felt great, had captured some beautiful images and my mind was pondering other things as I walked through the sand. I decided to stop for a moment to readjust my backpack only to look up and see this scene unfolding before me. It was a good thing my backpack distracted me enough so that I had a moment to reevaluate the scene.
Vibrant dune grass grows amongst the dune fences at Halsey Neck Beach in Southampton, New York. Heavy rain and thunderstorms from the night before helped to bring out the subtle colors and textures of this scene. Technicial Details: Canon Eos 1ds III, 17-40mm F4LOne of the things I like about shooting along the beaches on the east end of Long Island is the subtlety of the scenery found in this part of New York State. While the beaches in the Hamptons are world famous for their jet setting crowd and millionaires, they are not photographed often as part of the natural landscape. I have some suspicions as to why this may be. First of all, although the beaches in the Hampton’s are public, access is made difficult due to parking restrictions and expensive day use fee’s. Furthermore, the beaches are void of stunning visual cue’s that the beaches found along the west coast of the United States have become famous for. There are no boulders, and sea stacks and large cliffs to use as props and areas of interest within the photograph. The beaches found on the east end of Long Island are known for their soft sand, subtle dunes and spaciousness. This makes strolls along the beach pleasant, but can make it difficult to capture the essence of the location in the image.
When scouting locations and making images, I use this very essence to find and make images that speak to my feelings and impressions of how I view the beach and this location. Every time I arrive at one of these beaches, I find the scene completely different than the following day, month or year. The beach is a landscape in constant flux. The wind, rain, nor’easters, and tides shape the beach daily. I often return to locations I have photographed the prior year only to find the dunes have moved, or have been removed by a powerful storm.
The night before I photographed this scene, heavy thunderstorms rolled over the beaches through the night. Heavy wind and rain fell late into the night. When I arrived at Halsey Neck beach, the skies were clear but the air was heavy with humidity from the night before. I was immediately drawn to the fences used to protect and reinforce the barrier dune formations. The dune grass was moist and a vibrant green from the moisture the night before. The sand was smooth and flat, matted down from the heavy rain as well. The dune fences, which usually are a bleached grey from the Sun and wind, were dark, coated with water and sea spray which helped to reinforce the texture of the wood used to makeup these fences. The wind, which is usually blowing along the beach was calm. I quickly hurried to capture the scene before the Sunrise would cast harsh shadows on the scene and remove the subtle texture I was looking to capture.
Hard to beat a sunrise as good as this. Southampton, New York's Dune Beach is a favorite location of mine. The quality of light at the beaches along the south shore of Long Island can be amazing. Clouds, humidity, sea spray all combine to make the colors very vibrant. Technical Details: Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40mm F4LI apologize for the lack of any new post last week. I was back in New York visiting family, and while it was not a photographic exposition per se, I was able to get out and shoot some images. My wife Holly is originally from upstate New York and I am originally from downstate. Naturally, visits of this nature typically result in a whirlwind tour of New York visiting our various relatives and friends. This time we had our eight month old Keira in tow with us for the first time. This made the travelling a little more intense than usual but also much more rewarding for our family as Keira was able to meet lots of new relatives. I often joke that I need a vacation from my vacation on these kinds of visits.
While I was unable to spend any significant time upstate photographing the many waterfalls and gorges in the Finger Lake region, I was able to sneak away to photograph some beach scenes from the Hamptons and scenes along the Hudson river. Even when on whirlwind trips such as these, I’m making mental notes on locations I need to return to shoot when I have more time to dedicate to photography alone. I have a very large mental note, that I need to return to the Finger Lakes region during fall to take full advantage of the gorges and falls when the foliage is peaking. It’s high on my current to-do list. I also need to spend some quality time in the Hudson Valley. This is one of my favorite areas of the country to photograph. For the last few years I have been unable to spend a significant amount of time wandering and photographing all it has to offer.
Ironically, even though both myself and my wife are originally from New York, it has become more difficult to dedicate enough time to photograph these areas for any significant amount of time. The lesson learned here, is to always take advantage of the time you have right now. Future plans are great, and you may think you will be returning time and time again only to find life moves you in another direction. While, I am pretty sure I will be spending more time in this region, I can only kick myself for all the times I was in the area and chose to spend my time in another fashion doing other things.
I’ll be updating the blog quite a bit here in the next few weeks as I have a pretty good backlog of photographs and images from my recent trip. It’s great to be back in Colorado as well, and I’ll be heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park soon, so look for some Colorado images to be mixed in with some of my recent New York images.
