Craighill Channel Lower Rear Lighthouse

This is the last group of images from my winter adventure day with Annette.......after doing some shooting at North Point State Park we were heading out and Annette said "down that road is where we put the boat in the water." I said well, lets go see......so one more little photo detour lead us down Cuckold Point Road to Bills Boatyard. The gates were open and we drove in. It was still snowing and Annette spotted the Craighill Channel Lower Rear Lighthouse, standing tall in the snowy atmosphere. She immediately wanted to get her camera and make some images as it is not often the weather conditions are like they were that day. I watched as she made some images and the more I watched the more I said I should go get my camera and make some images too....and so I did......we walked the abandoned winter docks in our snow boots and enjoyed the starkness of the marina in the snow.

North Point State Park in Winter

....continued photo day shoot with Annette in the snow....after we left the Marshy Point Nature area..we headed to North Point State Park. By that time it was snowing, a little Alberta Clipper was moving through. As we hiked to the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay, it became apparent that the snow had created a fog like effect over the water creating a white out type of scene, so we went to work making images of the bare trees against the white of the bay. All of these images were processed with Nik Silver Efex Pro and Photoshop.

Swipes and Multiples....in the Snowy Forest

Because Annette and I stayed out all day shooting on Friday in the snow, when it snowed, I have broken down the shoot shots into different ideas...so this is about swipes and multiple in camera exposures........When we arrived at Marshy Point at 7:30 the sun had just broken the horizon and Annette dashed off to the pier for some shots while I lingered in the parking area enjoying the sunrise through the trees and some forest edges. The two following shots I processed in an old software program Topaz 2: with the Buzz Sim and water color filter as well as Photoshop......sometimes its good to go backwards...

In Camera Swipe

In Camera Swipe

After shooting the marsh edges, we paused a bit in the thick snow covered forest near the marsh and made some swipes and multiple exposures. The woodland floor was fairly cluttered so I chose to isolate the strong tree trunks in these images and not included the forest floor, turning them into abstracts.
These two shots were made in the deep snowy forest and processed in Photoshop. I have never seen the trees so covered on their trunks as I did with this wind driven snowfall. It was really beautiful!

In camera multiple exposure

In Camera Swipe

Marshy Point

Today Annette and I headed to Marshy Point, in Baltimore County. We arrived shortly before the gates opened at 7:30. The snow was still on the trees and the marsh was frozen over. As far as marshes go, it was very pretty.We enjoyed hiking in the snowy woods, and as we did it began to snow again.

 

A Snow Day

After digging out and then getting myself together I made it out around 11:00 this morning to make some images. We had quite a snow fall last night and I had hoped to get out earlier, but after shoveling late last night and shoveling again this morning that was not in the cards. I made my way to the Cromwell Valley, and made some images there. The snow was beautiful laying in all the trees.

Processing Choices: Sandy Point and Kent Island

This was my very first shot of the morning, a bracketed set of three images, I shot with the intent to process in an HDR program either Nik HDR Efex Pro or Photomatix. In addition I ran it through Topaz adjust and then a touch of Snapart2. Digital processing choices are so varied it makes processing images a huge part of the image itself. This group of images has several different software programs utilized to achieve a final image.

The framing treatment on this image was made using OnOne Software.

This image was processed with Photomatix, and Photoshop.

 

This image was processed in Bridge to reduce clarity and give a dream like quality to the beach grasses. Also processed in Photoshop for levels curves sat etc. and also in OnOne software for subtle framing. 

This was processed in Photomatix, SnapArt2, and  Photoshop. So many different looks can be achieved with software and processing choices. I hope to have a software processing class soon to share some of these techniques.

A few more from Kent Island

Today was an office day, catching up on correspondence and getting some contracts in the mail for the beach house rentals. Tonight I revisited my files from the weekend. When I was shooting on Saturday in the work boat harbor, I enjoyed the reflections of the water lines. It is also always fun to see some of the names of these boats and so I made some shots of boats that had fun names. All the boat images were made with a 300 mm 2.8 lens and processed in both Photoshop, OnOne and Snapart2. I have also learned to enjoy an overcast day and use the "bald "sky to best advantage. When I first started shooting I would avoid overcast or low contrast days with gray skies...but I have found them to be the best sometimes...for soft details. Its all just light and you have to find ways to work with it!

Kent Island work boat harbor

Yesterday, after shooting at Sandy Point for sunrise, we headed over the Bay Bridge to Kent Island, where the oyster men and crabbers dock their work boats. I really love seeing the work boats and the equipment. I wonder what ever created the romance of the water man on the Chesapeake? It is anything but romantic...it is darn hard brutal work in bad weather right now. A few of the men were coming and going and said they had some boats out in the brutal cold. Normally I would be shooting details on these boats with my 70-200 but it is in for repair after dropping it at the National Building Museum. Ouch! That left me the 300 2.8 to haul around the docks, but I love that lens for its sharpness. So I walked around the docks in the gray light of winter in freezing temps, just looking at all the boats and trappings of the water men, trying to come home with some images that reflect the scene, the day and the love of the water man on the Chesapeake.
      All of these images have been processed in Snapart2, with various settings.
After shooting here for a couple hours we headed to The Narrows for some great lunch.

 

 

A Winter Outing

Today I made a run to the Eastern Shore with some photo friends, Nancy, Beth, Annette, MariAnne, and Jim. We stopped at Sandy Point  first to try and capture a sunrise shot with the Bay Bridge in the scene. The sunrise was soft, but we had some ice covered rocks which were fun to shoot. The park had set up the tents for the Polar Bear Plunge next weekend and I found them to be fun subjects too.
The shots here are a few from the early morning shoot today...

Special treatment applied in Snapart2 Pastel

Special treatment applied in Snapart2 Pastel

Winter Coating

Processed in Photoshop and the Snapart2 Pastel for the artistic look

Today I woke up to an icy coating on the landscape out the window. I had made some appointments early in the day that lasted into the afternoon and by the time I was free to try and capture the winter coating, the ice was melting away. I drove home and got the camera and headed out to Loch Raven. The sky was still that winter gray with a few breaks allowing some sun every once in a while to shine through.
  I walked around the shore line enjoying the winter landscape and making images along the way.
The reservoir was very low and with the snow on the shore it was hard to tell if I was walking on ice or solid ground. I also took a really deep step where there is a little drainage spill, as it was covered in snow. Good thing I had put some boots on! I also processed some images using Photomatix, by making  a couple bracketed images. I really do love the winter landscape with its monotone color palette.

3 shot blended exposure in Photomatix, then processed in Photoshop and Snapart2 Oil paint filter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 shot bracketed exposure processed in Photomatix, Photoshop and then Snapart2 Oil paint

Susquehanna River Bottom

Today a few members of the Baltimore Camera Club and myself went in search of the beautiful skim ice that forms along the river when the water is low and there are freezing temperatures. Both variables must happen in order for the ice to be there. I was watching the outside temp in the car on the way up thinking it was just too warm and in deed it was. The little pools of water along the rivers edge were liquid, with a few isolated exceptions. So after a very pretty sunrise I focused my attention on the amazing rocks on the river bottom which are usually not even visible. Water is so amazing as it carves and carries rock. The scene is basically a gray one once the sun is up, but it lends itself to beautiful black and white conversions in the early morning light. So after getting back home I worked some of the river images in Nik SilverEfexPro.

 

A Little Photojournalism Opportunity

Today I attended an event sponsored by The DC Maxecutors, model aviation enthusiasts, at the National Building Museum. Just being in that building is a treat. Seeing the small ultralight handmade model airplanes was a real bonus! I loved the detail and simplicity of the construction, seemingly like toothpicks, wrapped with tissue paper and cellophane. I was especially intrigued by the rubber band type motor planes. One participant had been engaging in the model airplane experience for 70 years!

I also loved the sharing experience between the children and the fliers. It was a gift from one generation to another! Beautiful! These are a few images I made today.