tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55299022096432012032024-03-13T20:16:06.779-07:00Mist, Light & StoneDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-33526855027272082792015-10-09T18:54:00.000-07:002015-10-09T18:54:44.682-07:00Shetland - Crossroads of Culture for 5,000 yearsAlmost 150 miles north of the Scottish mainland lies a misty group of islands collectively known as Shetland. Though officially part of Scotland, Shetland is geographically and culturally about midway between Scotland and Norway.<br />
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Shetland is not a place that is particularly easy to get to, necessitating either four flights on two different airlines from home in central New York, or three flights and a 14-hour ferry trip. Towards the end of the marathon 30-hours of flying, as we descended towards Aberdeen, over the Scottish Highlands, I stared out over snow-topped mountains and a twinge of unease touched my heart. Were we doing the right thing? We only manage to go on a big trip like this once in a long time, and it was a huge investment. We had talked about going to the Highlands, and exploring their legendary beauty. But the distant islands called. Ten years before we had made our way to Orkney, the island group directly adjacent to the north coast of Scotland. There, we had found ourselves completely enthralled at the amazing archaeological sites layered through time from the neolithic through the middle ages, thousands of years of history, all in the same place, and with only a small number of other tourists to share it with. It was an unforgettable experience to wander through a 5,000 year old tomb, past an iron age tower, and around the walls of a thousand year old church ruin, spending hours exploring without ever seeing another person. Shetland promised this again, only more so, with its spectacular archaeological sites, and even fewer tourists on this road much less traveled.<br />
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The Highlands faded into the distance and we came in low over Aberdeen, landing in time to catch our final flight out into the mists of the North Sea, to Shetland. Someday we would come back to the Scottish Highlands. But not today. And we would not regret our decision to come all this way.</div>
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In the next few posts I'll touch on some of the highlights of this wonderful, mysterious place.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CchtdkGxI43XV9LuyRhDsSMl8TKkcJSd6GBVtxdb4RxFL-x6-uWS4NFIHNhy2jOy8rydVczwuJmk6mi_pYXG8S99jWSm8lA22xfNTsNgypbaNONTy0SeqMeAEIxvTI3oCtMcD5cHF2g/s1600/Eshness-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CchtdkGxI43XV9LuyRhDsSMl8TKkcJSd6GBVtxdb4RxFL-x6-uWS4NFIHNhy2jOy8rydVczwuJmk6mi_pYXG8S99jWSm8lA22xfNTsNgypbaNONTy0SeqMeAEIxvTI3oCtMcD5cHF2g/s640/Eshness-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shore at Eshaness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklL6LweO0QEcbEwANsf7DcoikygEhgBxiCgNMKjE8oreNmXNHORQXQnGHeKH4emUstKUwoHFXLnz3ho5sfj7zj_lsRxfL5V_QhbaOPCNCT9ClO11SkouBjMIv5I99J3RLLDYjJqYeGfo/s1600/Jarlshof1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklL6LweO0QEcbEwANsf7DcoikygEhgBxiCgNMKjE8oreNmXNHORQXQnGHeKH4emUstKUwoHFXLnz3ho5sfj7zj_lsRxfL5V_QhbaOPCNCT9ClO11SkouBjMIv5I99J3RLLDYjJqYeGfo/s640/Jarlshof1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron-Age ruins at Jarlshof</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB11NtUkF_KnpnqeQkS_8ojcfamSAtrcP-1G28Q68XM88HJNWZydg2SSXQjDfxkU7W5gJW84HrDo28RDLftAWxGx5-o80rh1j-UOrYh9hTmcLU7Z75gZR9ay5xfuBu6BnnwgBCIx0iPAA/s1600/Puffin3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB11NtUkF_KnpnqeQkS_8ojcfamSAtrcP-1G28Q68XM88HJNWZydg2SSXQjDfxkU7W5gJW84HrDo28RDLftAWxGx5-o80rh1j-UOrYh9hTmcLU7Z75gZR9ay5xfuBu6BnnwgBCIx0iPAA/s640/Puffin3-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puffin at Hermaness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7dfRpB6ZO_nSrxHsc2Nkuqxa-cV5VI2x5ERqp_qgSy6VQ9dkPcrMyudx6c95C8vyP6xm24SpZIjoDI4SCpOyGF7nZZmc75S99OE46qB_2u6-3lFf9AOxf9SSy84HnQu0t0Rd9XjkfTg/s1600/Mavis-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7dfRpB6ZO_nSrxHsc2Nkuqxa-cV5VI2x5ERqp_qgSy6VQ9dkPcrMyudx6c95C8vyP6xm24SpZIjoDI4SCpOyGF7nZZmc75S99OE46qB_2u6-3lFf9AOxf9SSy84HnQu0t0Rd9XjkfTg/s640/Mavis-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site of a 5,000 year old settlement</td></tr>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-39533134169513505182014-03-15T19:48:00.000-07:002015-10-09T17:52:28.008-07:00Costa Rica - Pan American Highway to Hacienda Baru<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The Pan American
Highway. A road I had read about for
years, and imagined and wondered about - the longest motor-able road in the
world, making it possible to travel from Alaska to the southernmost tip of
South America by car. It runs right past
the San Jose airport, and within moments of leaving the parking garage, we were
pulling out onto the Pan American Highway. This particular stretch was a busy
4-lane section, teeming with cars, trucks and buses, and with no lines painted
anywhere to designate the lanes.</div>
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With nine people to
keep together, for two weeks, over fairly long distances, we decided to hire a
van and driver for the duration of our stay.
Upon the recommendation of a friend in San Jose, we made arrangements with
a Costa Rican driver and guide named Mauricio Quiros Jimenez. He quickly became not just a very safe and
competent driver and guide, but also translator, Spanish tutor, general problem
solver, baggage handler, and friend. He had a strong interest in the natural
world and in the history of his country and its people, which added immensely
to our experience.</div>
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So, packed into
Mauricio's van, we headed off. I found myself instantly fascinated by the
scenes passing by the windows. Costa
Rica is much like home in some ways, with supermarkets, office buildings,
malls, gas stations, SUVs, 100 varieties of chips, and other familiar things.
But looking closer, the details often spoke not only of vibrant Latin culture,
but also of the uniqueness of "Ticos" as the Costa Ricans refer to
themselves.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ght5YQG-JRBbgAo1XDMj62KX7IABZ3SMekNVVE5XtiqzxKSkhumZUf6Yp4igb5WPVSkuTU7gbLvrKnwHI4qt1GXzWtmlQqcSWyan5a5XuPsqDtR55KwJ3ywK9t32udyZw2c5oBW7hAY/s1600/CostaRicaCountryside-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ght5YQG-JRBbgAo1XDMj62KX7IABZ3SMekNVVE5XtiqzxKSkhumZUf6Yp4igb5WPVSkuTU7gbLvrKnwHI4qt1GXzWtmlQqcSWyan5a5XuPsqDtR55KwJ3ywK9t32udyZw2c5oBW7hAY/s1600/CostaRicaCountryside-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costa Rican countryside heading southwest out of San Jose toward the Pacific. Taken at 60mph through a car window! Never let common sense stop you from taking photos!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our first stop was
to see crocodiles. This well-known
crocodile-viewing spot is on a narrow 2-lane bridge, not far above the shallow,
muddy Rio Grande de Tarcoles. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJnFwuma7nUDCALG1QoZFWiF6gepZwFcpzIrZ8Z4kd9yOrEMghfkX4RkAqcgT-f1XSJ7Ikd2NK4pZfMIDsOUcPczTjf6SOQGsTgms1sjIfQbF1ehj3qzgjIOcgimmX_Dfm2JgzblR_0w/s1600/CR-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJnFwuma7nUDCALG1QoZFWiF6gepZwFcpzIrZ8Z4kd9yOrEMghfkX4RkAqcgT-f1XSJ7Ikd2NK4pZfMIDsOUcPczTjf6SOQGsTgms1sjIfQbF1ehj3qzgjIOcgimmX_Dfm2JgzblR_0w/s1600/CR-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A denizen of the Rio Grande de Tarcoles taken at 640mm using a 400mm lens on an APS-C DSLR.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A dozen or
more crocodiles were spread out in the river and on a sandbar right below the
bridge. It was a popular spot, but the bridge was very active, with large
trucks rumbling by just a couple feet away.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Using a tripod was absolutely not an option, and my monopod, in a moment
of poor planning, was packed somewhere in luggage now lashed to the roof of the
van. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But I was able to balance my hefty
400mm on the bridge rail and take a few shots. The stark mid-day lighting was
less than ideal, but the vantage point was amazing.</span></div>
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We had intended to
spend the first night near the Pacific coast town of Jaco, taking in the sites
and looking for a macaw nesting ground nearby. But with our unexpected delay in
Newark we were now one day behind schedule, so we had to skip Jaco and move on
to our next destination. However we did
locate the macaw nesting ground on our way through.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdWYUXNj1MRpj_f9EvhNQ1k3s3YT22oQySTNT_disWl6iicwp47MwMy9fwidN76O2uT4SndbpOW2b2M9QrJ0WDkigsjpW1fYUfUTToC3LX0hRYZzvgSzBP2_gEnPwvjcv-7_RCCGhhZA/s1600/CR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdWYUXNj1MRpj_f9EvhNQ1k3s3YT22oQySTNT_disWl6iicwp47MwMy9fwidN76O2uT4SndbpOW2b2M9QrJ0WDkigsjpW1fYUfUTToC3LX0hRYZzvgSzBP2_gEnPwvjcv-7_RCCGhhZA/s1600/CR-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The macaw nest was in the tall tree on the right.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It was here that I began to come up with
methodologies for quickly setting up and photographing the abundant tropical
wildlife. But more on that in later entries!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcLP1-QbfeTh4v2IUVRjLfgS7xp_tDOL-v8ZkUqcR7EDk1nVohEplhmXj02kn_FupdGlXo2GIROwBsLUjk-T2c6ZMqOatFH6tNtAGUsn5PhyphenhyphenGOqwoZeSnuzUCccJWQb4P5LyDZDJIczQ/s1600/CR-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcLP1-QbfeTh4v2IUVRjLfgS7xp_tDOL-v8ZkUqcR7EDk1nVohEplhmXj02kn_FupdGlXo2GIROwBsLUjk-T2c6ZMqOatFH6tNtAGUsn5PhyphenhyphenGOqwoZeSnuzUCccJWQb4P5LyDZDJIczQ/s1600/CR-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macaw sitting above the nest hole. Taken at 890mm with a 400mm lens on an APS-C DSLR, with a 1.4x teleconverter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFydFENhopaNVrTUtXmCgNpgfURF4HMcwo1wR3MxZdlmj68z9PSlb185ZJPv3xlqXJxoSopfbFkDrT8BBzn2i3j_IDcdgDuInJAWMbLOXSqf8EOoDdcMxxHoLiRta2t7OGvCImGE73178/s1600/CR-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFydFENhopaNVrTUtXmCgNpgfURF4HMcwo1wR3MxZdlmj68z9PSlb185ZJPv3xlqXJxoSopfbFkDrT8BBzn2i3j_IDcdgDuInJAWMbLOXSqf8EOoDdcMxxHoLiRta2t7OGvCImGE73178/s1600/CR-15.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The macaws have a neighbor...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D4U9GqT-Hf_Aiqz3mKHYSFBwiYn7Cw55RScbBQcAH91uVLCO10tU6Gb9rACtvTY6lXDXX9dVppT2rmu7dLBfeYrtyVdOf9DmVXda4LsFc-Yq1xPtpqmcdeWPrZ8fyBUcniavdQwJSQ0/s1600/CR-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9D4U9GqT-Hf_Aiqz3mKHYSFBwiYn7Cw55RScbBQcAH91uVLCO10tU6Gb9rACtvTY6lXDXX9dVppT2rmu7dLBfeYrtyVdOf9DmVXda4LsFc-Yq1xPtpqmcdeWPrZ8fyBUcniavdQwJSQ0/s1600/CR-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A caracara basking in sunset light.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our destination for
the next two nights was Hacienda Baru, an ecological preserve in the jungle
along the Pacific Coast. It was dark
when we got there and I really didn't know what to expect. I was still a little mentally breathless,
from having woken up in snowy Newark, and now I would be going to sleep in a
steamy tropical jungle. We turned down
the short driveway of Hacienda Baru and I was instantly enchanted by the sight
before us. The eco lodge consists of a
number of low buildings, cabins, and covered areas all spread out in a clearing
in the forest, surrounded and intermingled with gardens and an inviting
swimming pool. It was already well past
dark, and the lights along the winding pathways and in the windows lent a magic
to the scene. After a fantastic meal of
Costa Rican chicken and rice at the covered but open-air restaurant, we
trundled off to our cabins for the night.
With only screens and shutters in the windows, we drifted off to sleep
to the night sounds of the jungle.</span></div>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-61673550973067486852013-11-04T17:40:00.000-08:002015-07-12T16:17:11.958-07:00Costa Rica - Land of Pura Vida<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I hadn't expected to
fall in love with Costa Rica. I had been
anticipating this trip with a mix of excitement and a little trepidation. This would be my first trip to Latin America,
and I was concerned about everything from my limited capacity with Spanish to
theft. Since this was a
multi-generational trip, with 9 family members ranging in age from 14 to 79,
all crammed into a van traveling hundreds of miles, I was also concerned about
having adequate opportunities to take pictures.
But it was also a fantastic opportunity.
My wife's parents had been to Costa Rica numerous times and knew it
well. They are also naturalists, and
especially birders. A large portion of
the proposed itinerary included various nature preserves, eco lodges, cabins in
jungles, and spectacular locations. Also
in our company were my wife's sister, her husband and their three teenage and
college-age children, all of whom share an interest in various aspects of the
natural world.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe1MBkmFDNXzKzQnMJV7Gd6fGP8GmKpYhC_x8U2c_mfmZEX021_eE0d3RmIgcZIaXsVDLx6Nfbg0MFfJZhoVLDJJ0vJLc7VCnoHrMdUOmrgsNqokr2M4oQIg_cpwucp6lbqYxn3hvs58/s1600/CR-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe1MBkmFDNXzKzQnMJV7Gd6fGP8GmKpYhC_x8U2c_mfmZEX021_eE0d3RmIgcZIaXsVDLx6Nfbg0MFfJZhoVLDJJ0vJLc7VCnoHrMdUOmrgsNqokr2M4oQIg_cpwucp6lbqYxn3hvs58/s1600/CR-21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Vito, with the Talamancas in the distance, the day after Christmas, 2012</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">As the time of the
trip approached (we were going for two weeks over Christmas and New Years) I
initially decided to bring a modest subset of my camera gear for maximum flexibility and security.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">But I shared my thoughts with a friend who has spent a great deal of time in Latin America and who is
also an avid photographer.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">He was aghast
at the thought that I might leave my "wildlife lens" at home, and
encouraged me to make the most of this opportunity, as the Costa Rican jungles
are well-known for their diversity of birds and other animals.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">At his urging I reconsidered how I might
operate photographically.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">I wanted to be
highly mobile, able to change lenses without having to put down my pack and
rummage in it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">My "wildlife
lens" is a Canon 400mm f5.6L, which, when fit on my Canon 60D, yields an
effective length of 640mm.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Coupled with
my 1.4x Canon converter, I can reach a focal length of 896mm.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Unfortunately, with the relatively small
native aperture, the 400mm becomes an f8 and can only be focused manually.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Still, between the 400mm, my 70-200mm f4L,
and the converter, I have a lot of wildlife options.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">All my gear, plus traveling odds and ends for
the plane trips needed to fit in a Lowepro 302AW slingshot backpack that would
be my carry-on.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">In the end I needed to
leave something behind.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Left at home,
and largely unmissed for the duration of the trip, were my flash and my 10-22mm
wide-angle.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The wide-angle would have
been nice, but with my normal "walk-around" range of 17-85 (27-136
effective range) coupled with the knowledge that this was largely a family
vacation with an emphasis on wildlife, I felt like this was a reasonable
compromise.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">My bag would be light enough
to carry comfortably, with the 400mm in the bottom and the tripod on the side,
affording me excellent flexibility without ever having to put the bag down. Plus my iPad laid nicely across the top of everything.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1pWF8L9PJ2HjEnBjny2rSl-6E0mQHp6OLK60BXoFYZVaMlxi6lKnnJCRopNvRjgTdamYWzhsz5Uq26I-LlZeMEpj-upsXRUGVeO2CQI6FppLsvJ2OOz3bBc_DK2wI-9v-dUher92qkw/s1600/CR-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1pWF8L9PJ2HjEnBjny2rSl-6E0mQHp6OLK60BXoFYZVaMlxi6lKnnJCRopNvRjgTdamYWzhsz5Uq26I-LlZeMEpj-upsXRUGVeO2CQI6FppLsvJ2OOz3bBc_DK2wI-9v-dUher92qkw/s1600/CR-51.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iguana at the InBio park in San Jose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Located between
Nicaragua and Panama in Central America, with coasts on both the Pacific and
Caribbean, Costa Rica has a dizzying variety of tropical environments with a
huge range of flora and fauna.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">It is
also one of the most well developed and safest Latin American countries.
It was a different world than one I had ever experienced, full of sounds
of the jungle, exotic plants and animals, and a palpable sense, for North
Americans who had never been to Latin America, of being in another place.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Our trip would take us from the large
population center of San Jose, located along the slopes of the tremendous
Talamanca Mountains, down to the Pacific coast, then inland to the small town
of San Vito where we would stay for a week.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Then we would travel back through the mountains, over an 11,000 pass,
returning to San Jose for a few days before flying home.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">We would experience lowland jungle, small
towns, the inland foothills, and the mighty Talamancas with their cloud
forests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkPxSfsWYn9MhQFkv2nQfpQq4PClEx0GLrcaQzrzYxbvqCgcjhNo4ulnZkJMxmws8g6R5siheA_qjdOLcmsd6iFJs6ANJ2ExY8PW-WAjAcWLtmxVidGLYUTL5-vC1ZDClbyCqlBJVm-c/s1600/CR-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkPxSfsWYn9MhQFkv2nQfpQq4PClEx0GLrcaQzrzYxbvqCgcjhNo4ulnZkJMxmws8g6R5siheA_qjdOLcmsd6iFJs6ANJ2ExY8PW-WAjAcWLtmxVidGLYUTL5-vC1ZDClbyCqlBJVm-c/s1600/CR-17.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jungle near San Vito</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Our plane dropped
swiftly down into San Jose, volcanic mountains rising all around us.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">We collected our bags that had, miraculously
arrived following a 24-hour delay and unexpected overnight in Newark, and soon
the small but immaculate terminal was behind us, and the adventure was about to
begin! The next few postings will cover some highlights from this trip.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN839eF9Ly8vScNssOVSJsMyQBXtHKdrJE-HMtI3we428bEhUDvFGsRRIcuTNUen9uZrDytWmGNCZv80Jlwv4TNxBGyvYEfrz1KT6cYXBdhlWL1s4-GfCcoXRrwsicOvtJq0sZ4Pb27Nc/s1600/CR-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN839eF9Ly8vScNssOVSJsMyQBXtHKdrJE-HMtI3we428bEhUDvFGsRRIcuTNUen9uZrDytWmGNCZv80Jlwv4TNxBGyvYEfrz1KT6cYXBdhlWL1s4-GfCcoXRrwsicOvtJq0sZ4Pb27Nc/s1600/CR-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dusk near Hacienda Baru on the Pacific coast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_HyY_qVkwWpVeWawqS-rb8IaLvnk-17Wl2bxpJFG2xmVlrS7MKWs2H4dXMQ-5yf0fZBvwKLz9KiohcrPVLLsi26j7OdVBpZxOjr9XdQACco7Y0U4DTIEh7k9bOHmLSv5_TCCZH2v0gY/s1600/CR-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_HyY_qVkwWpVeWawqS-rb8IaLvnk-17Wl2bxpJFG2xmVlrS7MKWs2H4dXMQ-5yf0fZBvwKLz9KiohcrPVLLsi26j7OdVBpZxOjr9XdQACco7Y0U4DTIEh7k9bOHmLSv5_TCCZH2v0gY/s1600/CR-32.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capuchin monkey at Pino Colina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-63945625343335222742013-10-01T19:25:00.001-07:002013-10-23T05:54:22.591-07:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 9A taste of the southwest coast and Rose BlancheHello! If you're new here you may want to <a href="http://mistlightandstone.blogspot.com/p/travel.html">visit the Travelogues page</a> in order to read this series about Newfoundland in chronological order. And now, the last episode in this series...<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A pleasant, winding
road leads east from Port aux Basques for about 30 miles, along the southern
coast of Newfoundland, past several small, picturesque towns, culminating at
the town of Rose Blanche.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this
area has the reputation for stormy seas and numerous tales of terrible
shipwrecks on the rocky coast (as well as an epic story related to a dramatic
rescue of shipwreck victims by a heroic dog), on the particular day of our
visit, the skies were cloudless and the ocean a calm, deep dark blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with other areas of the province, each
town along this route has a hiking trail of some sort that visitors are
encouraged to follow to learn more about the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photographers would do well to seek out these
trails, as they often showcase the best that the villages have to offer in the
way of already dramatic scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try not
to miss this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's not far from
Port aux Basques and the ferry, and between the green, rocky, treeless hills,
the wandering streams, ponds and bogs, the ocean vistas, and the village
trails, this is an action-packed place for a photographer.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
At the end of the
road, lie the two adjacent towns of Rose Blanche and Harbor LeCou.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj285G2FDOCcUHNDKax-IGqiP_w4VcO8PpKgtOsOhrKb6Hv2xcMCAS-dR8-VTRE6ZSit27T9tYZJYpEWF43yx1glvNW9pT5ERkBmLxnM0uIq22mchaH40MrgzK0ji_ENkj6SsEmCHNu7BA/s1600/HarbourLeCou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj285G2FDOCcUHNDKax-IGqiP_w4VcO8PpKgtOsOhrKb6Hv2xcMCAS-dR8-VTRE6ZSit27T9tYZJYpEWF43yx1glvNW9pT5ERkBmLxnM0uIq22mchaH40MrgzK0ji_ENkj6SsEmCHNu7BA/s400/HarbourLeCou.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harbour LeCou</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We came this way in part because I had
memories from an earlier jaunt to Rose Blanch in 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time the Newfoundland fishery was
still in operation and Rose Blanche was an active fishing village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fishery closed in 1992, and the town has
seen a steady population decline of year-round residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with elsewhere in the province, compared
to 20 years prior, there are many fewer boats in use, and many more abandoned
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my own humble opinion though,
Rose Blanche and the surrounding area is still one of the prettiest areas in
the western part of the island, with trim, well-kept houses, positioned along
crevices and gorges through the rocky hills leading to natural harbors along
the sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first time I saw it two
decades past, near twilight, with the lights twinkling in the houses perched
along the cliffs and channels, some of them literally cabled to the rocks to
keep them from blowing over in storms, it seemed surreal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During our recent visit, in the broad light
of day, it was more solid, but still intriguing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_V1YcqXRxxR1zmdo9pUbp4aaMCkose2xjM5W25E36ShjeGo1k1A_CnAJSigCNtb-RhKChMhA66oSILmtZWnHFzJRjzwwcHwKkhGtnAYWc2KY1NLLDrt2bWJun-9GgYHQpcc0qQKZGjU/s1600/RoseBlanche3-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_V1YcqXRxxR1zmdo9pUbp4aaMCkose2xjM5W25E36ShjeGo1k1A_CnAJSigCNtb-RhKChMhA66oSILmtZWnHFzJRjzwwcHwKkhGtnAYWc2KY1NLLDrt2bWJun-9GgYHQpcc0qQKZGjU/s400/RoseBlanche3-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An area of Rose Blanche</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rose Blanche's official trail and tourist
attraction is its spectacular stone lighthouse and museum, which is open for
self-guided tours for a small fee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lighthouse dates from 1871 and was severely damaged in 1939 during a
storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a ruin when I visited in
1991, but it has since been meticulously reconstructed with much loving care
and accuracy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbua7PtIhaMdpJGP6cWqtvt3Ls7Cb2isnoXOMcsw1zKetxhgb36ZV3teiDUUvikzYRPhdrQirY9A5I_p6ZIjqtI9U9NWjI9p5pGXOPFhlElaon-PzQuwWsJUwbvPuehVtLsrq5S9F9A_I/s1600/RoseBlanche3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbua7PtIhaMdpJGP6cWqtvt3Ls7Cb2isnoXOMcsw1zKetxhgb36ZV3teiDUUvikzYRPhdrQirY9A5I_p6ZIjqtI9U9NWjI9p5pGXOPFhlElaon-PzQuwWsJUwbvPuehVtLsrq5S9F9A_I/s400/RoseBlanche3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Blanche Lighthouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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A wonderful
panoramic view of Rose Blanche can be had from just behind the lighthouse,
looking down the channel that leads to the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other fine views can be had by exploring
around a bit in the town itself, but in the tight quarters of the narrow
streets it's easy to find yourself in someone's driveway or yard with no easy
way to turn around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZop5a6FjQCzzTDGoxax3vogWmRMUvJnNtI0Dj8WCnROx8FDKCdyAPe6H0vKgXsUS2Hh8Fo8ltW9yLslRe-UeyrVNHxyXrU7xL6ch43Z-0N4Bu5-u1texriNrP_XWhZuuchZowl2lSj4/s1600/RoseBlanche3-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZop5a6FjQCzzTDGoxax3vogWmRMUvJnNtI0Dj8WCnROx8FDKCdyAPe6H0vKgXsUS2Hh8Fo8ltW9yLslRe-UeyrVNHxyXrU7xL6ch43Z-0N4Bu5-u1texriNrP_XWhZuuchZowl2lSj4/s640/RoseBlanche3-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Blanche</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In addition to the
remarkable lighthouse and picturesque town, another sight in the area is the
presence of an outport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outports are
small villages that are located beyond the reach of Newfoundland's road system
and can only be accessed by boat or on foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Almost all of them are abandoned now, as is the village of Petites, the
outport near Rose Blanche, though at one time it was home to over 300 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only accessible by boat (though
backpackers can bushwhack to it through 20+ miles of mountains and barrens
(here's an interesting account of hiking in, along with some photos of Petites: <a href="http://macdonald.typepad.com/cc/2006/05/backpacking_to_.html">http://macdonald.typepad.com/cc/2006/05/backpacking_to_.html</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is clearly visible in a longer lens or
binoculars and there is a sign pointing it out near the start of the lighthouse
trail.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
From Rose Blanche, those with more time can take a ferry that visits other isolated outports along the southern coast of the province, that are still inhabited. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19f3JqSJwRVPKZNy_OGy5_TJN2TQD_UltWGkPFMgQvOjUODW7XZ8LftXuO5gEhtssK5zLTRB9FrtmZ3IS3Rhyphenhyphen2IO8Wgc5_DGTsniHRaxfzPMQx3JZea7BhEqXMkIe4laoDe5-fcdKJPs/s1600/RoseBlanche3-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19f3JqSJwRVPKZNy_OGy5_TJN2TQD_UltWGkPFMgQvOjUODW7XZ8LftXuO5gEhtssK5zLTRB9FrtmZ3IS3Rhyphenhyphen2IO8Wgc5_DGTsniHRaxfzPMQx3JZea7BhEqXMkIe4laoDe5-fcdKJPs/s640/RoseBlanche3-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outport of Petites</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
At this point in the
trip I had switched from my usual Canon DSLR gear to my small, micro
four-thirds Panasonic G3 due to a malfunction in my "walk-around"
Canon lens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My guess is that the wave
that crashed over me during the boat trip up Western Brook Pond had done damage
that took a few days to have an effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything on this page is taken with the G3 except the outport shot, above
which was taken with a 400mm (640mm equiv.)</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The following day as we clanked across the entrance to the ferry, and parked next to an 18-wheeler, also bound for Nova Scotia, far to the southwest, I found myself already planning the next Newfoundland adventure. My most critical advice for travelers heading to The Rock, as the Newfoundlanders call their home: take absolutely as much time as you can. This is a huge place, and unless you plan to stay only in the capital city region, you will be driving hundreds of miles no matter what you do (and the roads are, in general, quite good, even in the rural areas.) We had 11 days to go up the peninsula and back, and we almost always found ourselves trying to cram as much into each day as possible, from early morning until late evening. We also weren't able to fit in even a single "down" day, and found ourselves sometimes eating dinner or doing laundry at 11:00 at night. And we really only scratched the surface of this marvelous, beautiful place. Have I mentioned that we only saw the western part of the province? The larger, more populated eastern side, as well as Labrador, will need to wait for another time. Photographers, be ready for rain, wind, salt and glare!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This post brings to an end the
"Edge of the Wild, Travels in Newfoundland" series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next time will be a visit to a vastly different place: Upstate New York's Adirondack Mountains in Autumn.</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-68525796230028078242013-08-23T19:53:00.004-07:002013-10-01T18:46:32.989-07:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 8Iceberg SpottingHello! If you're new here you may want to <a href="http://mistlightandstone.blogspot.com/p/travel.html">visit the Travelogues page</a> in order to read this series about Newfoundland in chronological order.<br />
<br />
And now... onward. <br />
<br />
The sky was bright and blue but the cold wind howled nonstop each day and huge waves, driven by the high wind, crashed along barren, rocky shores. Small hardy evergreens dotted the landscape in sheltered spots, but much of this ruggedly beautiful area has little more than low bushes or grass, and broad expanses of bare rock and gravel. As temperatures dipped into the 30's at night, with an almost continuous 30-40mph wind, we were glad we had splurged on a tiny but modern and stalwart cabin in the village of Burnt Cape for this section of the trip.<br />
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Almost 2,000 miles northeast of upstate New York and home, we at last found ourselves at the northernmost extent of our journey. In the communities here we found that the Newfoundland accent, which was a delightful facet of the provincial culture all along, actually sometimes became difficult to understand, particularly when trying to follow a conversation between Newfoundlanders. Not only were words spoken differently, but conversations were liberally sprinkled with words unfamiliar to us. In this area too, the all-purpose stores that are found in most towns reached dramatic new levels of utility, with patrons able to purchase just about any staples from baking soda to nails to DVDs to coffins. But fresh meat was not in evidence, and there were few fresh vegetables.<br />
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Icebergs are fairly common in the late spring and early summer along the northern coasts of Newfoundland, an area known as "Iceberg Alley", and we set out iceberg hunting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS0SdXRtTJqj7lRwgKPUkUjP-O0hvz4Es5hpEo-aAVAShzYzImkyFcGxiMCcy15zZl9N6Qn3gWQLUyNrdyeE8QEnXdL6N5IvILGYddhnua0lrKnwmt7Y3ngel2F-4sGTAmN3NBHU7dB4/s1600/Iceberg2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS0SdXRtTJqj7lRwgKPUkUjP-O0hvz4Es5hpEo-aAVAShzYzImkyFcGxiMCcy15zZl9N6Qn3gWQLUyNrdyeE8QEnXdL6N5IvILGYddhnua0lrKnwmt7Y3ngel2F-4sGTAmN3NBHU7dB4/s400/Iceberg2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some years are
more dramatic than others. In one of my earlier trips to the province in early July of 1991 I saw huge numbers of icebergs, large and
small, creeping through the Strait of Belle Isle, starting just north of
Gros Morne, and at the northernmost tip of the island the bays were
completely filled with ice. This year was quite different, with only a
handful along the entire coastline, mostly near the major population
center of the northern part of the Peninsula, St. Anthony. A suggestion
for anyone headed up this way during Spring or early Summer - check out
the Iceberg Finder website at: http://www.icebergfinder.com/ to learn
where the bergs are that year. Also consider a boat trip out to see icebergs (and whales) close up. But bring some method of keeping your photo gear dry!<br /><br />Talking to various people along
the way we had heard regular rumors of a huge iceberg off the shore near
St. Anthony, and we had high hopes of seeing it. Many small
communities in Newfoundland seem to encourage visitors and there are
lots of thoughtfully placed paths and benches, with a great deal of
signage directing visitors to vistas or other interesting features. It
was from a windswept bench high on a rocky hilltop near the village of
Griquet that we enjoyed some of the best iceberg watching.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
spent the day roaming the hills to the north of the town along the ocean and
sighted several bergs, including an extremely large one several miles off
shore.</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toward evening we
headed for St. Anthony, dinner, and groceries, a modest-sized town, but quite cosmopolitan in comparison to every community we had seen
since Corner Brook. Following dinner, it being only 6:00 or so,
and with a good 4 hours of light left, we set off for what appeared to be a
promontory at the mouth of St. Anthony's ample harbor, by a small lighthouse. As it turned out, this was a highly popular
park and a favorite location for both iceberg and whale watching!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photography,
particularly landscape, wildlife and travel photography, is very often about
being in the right place at the right time, with the right lighting conditions.
When we reached the lighthouse we were greeted with an amazing
sight. Across the harbor stood a mammoth iceberg, just a few hundred
yards off shore, and in the middle of the harbor's mouth, several whales spouted!
Unfortunately from a photographic standpoint, we were in the right place
at the right time, but with less than ideal lighting - an overcast evening, but
the results are certainly memorable if not fine art:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of
the biggest photographic challenges of this area for me was the very bright sky
(and even brighter icebergs) and the deep blue, almost black sea. A graduated neutral density filter, which can
be used to darken only sky while leaving the sea untouched was a critical piece
of my equipment. Shooting in Raw mode
also allows a great deal more tonal range than shooting JPEGs. I've found that, with Raw images, I can
frequently pull extensive cloud detail from overexposed white and featureless
skies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just to provide a comparison with the astonishing amount of ice that was present in this same area at the same time of year in 1991, I close with this scan of a 35mm slide from that earlier trip:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next time: one last segment of the trip, to the picturesque village of Rose Blanche.</span></span><br />
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-1340165628350453632012-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:002012-12-09T19:59:59.802-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 7The Viking TrailAre you new here? Welcome! The last 7 blog entries chronicle my recent trip to Newfoundland. If you are new and would like to read the articles in chronological order, <a href="http://mistlightandstone.blogspot.com/p/travel.html">visit the Travelogues page</a>. And now... on to the Viking Trail!<br />
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North of Gros Morne National Park things change. The road narrows and the towns are very small and far apart, and there is more of a sense of remoteness. Coming over rises in the road that allow a view farther ahead reveals seemingly endless forests of short, stubby evergreens, dotted with innumerable ponds and lakes. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjP-T8PdpH0ZnJ8Spmc2HAjQ51eEx2UkLrF5O_waLyWxRG9nm2E0vBb_fT_ib-2WEpYJ9OR2EPDaDBirE43163agpfNWT7IPgTCXDDtI_XMvg5nJ0ZuaELBCtDfpYRzSIA-_93JvEUkk/s1600/VikingTrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjP-T8PdpH0ZnJ8Spmc2HAjQ51eEx2UkLrF5O_waLyWxRG9nm2E0vBb_fT_ib-2WEpYJ9OR2EPDaDBirE43163agpfNWT7IPgTCXDDtI_XMvg5nJ0ZuaELBCtDfpYRzSIA-_93JvEUkk/s640/VikingTrail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Rt. 430 north of Gros Morne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The low mountains march on to the east side of the road and the sea is often visible to the west. It is over 200 miles to our next destination, L'Anse aux Meadows, and we settle in for the drive up the "Viking Trail", stopping at occasional lighthouses along the way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWz8uObqfaf8U3pWr4SMKuVxxi6eiluYzCxTJ5Xha14EjRu66H7m6AT3L5fN64WYnr5EGNSmq1w7HiyyIqcJud4aXpx2ZCUQuyLQWbCwQOpHbIaTjaa9lCYPdJMGJa3_kaayfR04m634/s1600/PortAuxChoix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWz8uObqfaf8U3pWr4SMKuVxxi6eiluYzCxTJ5Xha14EjRu66H7m6AT3L5fN64WYnr5EGNSmq1w7HiyyIqcJud4aXpx2ZCUQuyLQWbCwQOpHbIaTjaa9lCYPdJMGJa3_kaayfR04m634/s640/PortAuxChoix.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port aux Choix Lighthouse</td></tr>
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About a thousand years ago, an extraordinary thing happened on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland. Almost 500 years before Columbus was born, a small band of seafarers arrived from somewhere else, came ashore in a cove and built a small community. They brought with them things that had never been seen in the New World before - oceangoing boats, iron tools, strange clothing. They were, without question, Vikings. In fact, the site of the Norse village at L'Anse aux Meadows has been identified as a place described in some detail in the Norse sagas concerning "Vinland". It is speculated that the Vikings used L'Anse aux Meadows as a winter camp and spent summers exploring further down the coast and possibly even along the St.Lawrence River, but no other sites have yet been found. This far outpost of Norse culture, represents a little-known intersection between two worlds. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShqLvGiDt5yqrPiLgujXnDAezRCsoICR02NN9_jPIg8OgaTtG62WLVuGFVPcZDThLM6ts-5jyNbZ9ACPOxbEfhU0Jeg1JvDZNM27TeKde1WC-TvdDTD9oZJ5HLqID85txJAc5ewCSEH8/s1600/LanseAuxMeadows2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShqLvGiDt5yqrPiLgujXnDAezRCsoICR02NN9_jPIg8OgaTtG62WLVuGFVPcZDThLM6ts-5jyNbZ9ACPOxbEfhU0Jeg1JvDZNM27TeKde1WC-TvdDTD9oZJ5HLqID85txJAc5ewCSEH8/s640/LanseAuxMeadows2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'Anse aux Meadows: the reconstructed Norse settlement just right of center, the archaeological site a little nearer, and the modern town in the background to the left.</td></tr>
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Bundled in jackets against a chilly and very blustery July day, we walked around the museum and took a guided tour of the site. Only the faint outlines of the foundations of the original buildings remain, but a meticulously researched modern reconstruction of several buildings lies a few hundred yards away. On this particular day, with sod walls seven feet thick, they provided welcome shelter from the cold wind. Inside, the park's spirited interpreters told Norse legends to visitors around a fire. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgZlxY3rjHnqP-RiX6axUIIj5RPyTQZtgCBX01zMugXkVrsDCqD5Ef5p-I5iJ7N88KD1DEzXT066MBiY9_Ln1bkzrhsX2yuxpPi65_nnUxB2HiQQa6U21wPn80mnAtPqsskXx1Ts83wY/s1600/NorseVillage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgZlxY3rjHnqP-RiX6axUIIj5RPyTQZtgCBX01zMugXkVrsDCqD5Ef5p-I5iJ7N88KD1DEzXT066MBiY9_Ln1bkzrhsX2yuxpPi65_nnUxB2HiQQa6U21wPn80mnAtPqsskXx1Ts83wY/s640/NorseVillage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reconstructed Viking outpost at L'Anse aux Meadows</td></tr>
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The greatest challenge of travel photography for me is that I'm often only in places for a very short period, at a time when the light or situation may not be ideal, with no chance to go back later. My advice to the traveling photographer at L'Anse aux Meadows is to try to stay nearby, as there are several lodgings within 10 minutes or so of the park. Doing so would permit multiple visits under differing conditions, and exploration of the very scenic surrounding area, an almost impossibly green place, with low, rocky, treeless hills and long, winding inlets leading to small, protected harbors. In retrospect, one of our biggest trip planning errors occurred here, in that our accommodations were far away from the park and there was no opportunity to spend more time here!<br />
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBK3vF7MVZm4Q2-5LLG51qaJfpV_eUftx4qQD3PJ6CZr2xw8qc2ypBzhWLXhSQJyoNqJgAYgN4qnAzQa-vM4OU_O-Jl_VNFl7yARJI7LGZxInsOijcppaOMfLdctxDvY1Nvp84yIFFVg/s1600/Lanse-aux-meadows1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBK3vF7MVZm4Q2-5LLG51qaJfpV_eUftx4qQD3PJ6CZr2xw8qc2ypBzhWLXhSQJyoNqJgAYgN4qnAzQa-vM4OU_O-Jl_VNFl7yARJI7LGZxInsOijcppaOMfLdctxDvY1Nvp84yIFFVg/s640/Lanse-aux-meadows1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">A beautiful day in the town of L'Anse aux Meadows. Hard to believe they get 10 feet of snow here...</td></tr>
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Next... Giant icebergs and whales...Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Hwy 436, St Lunaire-Griquet, NL A0K 2X0, Canada51.598918 -55.53088351.5964525 -55.535818500000005 51.6013835 -55.5259475tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-71898542294069086072012-11-13T18:56:00.000-08:002012-12-09T11:57:57.934-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 6Western Brook PondUndoubtedly the most well-known place in Gros Morne National Park, and indeed one of the iconic locations in all of Newfoundland, is a lake in a deep canyon leading about 10 miles into the Long Range Mountains, called Western Brook Pond. Once a true salt-water fjord, at the end of the last ice age, as the glaciers melted, the land rose to cut off the sea, and now the area is a long, freshwater lake that winds through the mountains, bordered by 2,000 foot sheer cliffs.<br />
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As with the Tablelands (see part 5), hardy adventurers can venture into the wilderness here, on an unmarked 5-day odyssey known as the "Long Range Traverse". An orientation to the dangers of hiking in Newfoundland's most rugged area, followed by successful completion of an exam, is required for all hikers before setting out, and only 9 hikers are allowed per day! Not equipped for backpacking this trip, nor having nearly enough time, we chose the far more common method of seeing this spectacular sight - by boat. (For a taste of hiking the Long Range Traverse, here is one couples' account: <a href="http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/1011/newfoundland.html">http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/1011/newfoundland.html</a>.)<br />
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The weather was overcast and gloomy as we set out on the one-mile trail through scrubby forest and bogs that leads to the lake and boat dock, the fjord visible in the distance, the steep sides vanishing into the clouds that sat on the mountains. <br />
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But as we approached the lake, amazingly, the clouds began to lift, revealing the enormous chasm. By the time we got to the dock the sky was hazy, but relatively clear. There are two boats, and photographers should try to get on the larger boat if at all possible, as it has ample outdoor seating amd standing locations. Also, be ready for wind and waves. Despite the relatively small size of the lake, strong winds made the water surprisingly rough.<br />
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I was fortunate to have a spot standing in the bow, with an unparalelled view as we entered the canyon. For miles the cliffs plunge nearly straight down to the water, and there are no trails (or any other signs that humans exist at all) along the shores. I relied heavily on my polarizer to help cut through the haze and bring out the colors, and occasionally, as in the shot below, a graduated neutral density filter, to help balance the tonal range between sky and land. At the far end of the lake I looked longingly off into the wilderness, imagining what it might be like to get off the boat at the tiny dock there and stride off into the wilderness, pack on my back, living by wits and wile (and freeze-dried food) on the windswept barrens high above.<br />
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Then the boat turned and a huge wave crashed over the far side of the bow, over the heads of the people on that side of the boat, and landed directly on me, soaking me from head to foot! Completely taken by surprise I believe I may have let loose with a string of wording unfit for such a majestic location. I wiped the water out of my eyes, assured my concerned fellow passengers and then realized to my horror, that the camera and lens, both mid-range, non-weatherproof models, were soaked and dripping. I quickly mopped them off with a small cloth, and was relieved to find that they still appeared to work.<br />
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The lake is largely oriented east-west, so in the late afternoon the light will be best. The return trip down the lake, facing into the sun, allowed for some interesting silhouettes of the cliffs.<br />
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The sun was setting as we walked back through the bog, and I frequently turned to take more shots of the fading light on the mouth of the gorge.<br />
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Next up: North along The Viking TrailDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Wetern Brook Pond Trail, Gros Morne National Park, Norris Point, NL A0K 3V0, Canada49.7360189963563 -57.77297973632812549.6538759963563 -57.930908236328122 49.8181619963563 -57.615051236328128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-32233025473314377062012-10-21T19:27:00.004-07:002012-12-09T12:08:41.939-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 6Lobster Cove Head LighthouseIn 1889, the people of Rocky Harbour were each contributing one pint of oil every week in order to keep a lamp lit in a fisherman's house as a navigational beacon at the entrance to Boone Bay. The bay was well traveled even then, with several communities along two fjords that split from the bay further inland. The people expressed concern to the government regarding the lack of a proper beacon and at last, in 1898, the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse began operation. From that year until 1970 there have only been three lighthouse keepers, the last leaving shortly after the light was automated in 1969. It still serves each night, on a picturesque promontory above the bay, and is now also a historic site in Gros Morne National Park, complete with a museum and picnic area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse from Rocky Harbour</td></tr>
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One evening, while staying in the town of Rocky Harbour, we trundled down the short winding road to the lighthouse across the bay from the town, to catch the sunset light. The weather seemed odd, with low clouds over the lighthouse, town and mountains behind us, but with a clear sky over the water to the west that allowed the sunset to light up the underside of the clouds in bright purples and oranges. (Note to photographers: because the water is to the west it's difficult to get a pleasing shot of the lighthouse lit by sunset light without being in a boat! This would likely be a magnificent location for dawn photos. Sadly the weather was often uncooperative in the early mornings for sunrises.)<br />
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As the sun drew near the horizon a stunning display of bizarre weather unfolded before our eyes. First the clouds turned almost flourescent pink and the lighthouse turned on. A number of people sat on the rocks below the tower and, making the best of the situation, I started to shoot a series of close-in shots of the lighthouse, cropping out the nearby people.<br />
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To my surprise, after a time, people on the rocks suddenly began to turn around and point toward me, not far away, my tripod planted in a small clearing. This seemed a little unusual and I felt a bit self-concious and began to pack up to move to a different spot. As I turned around I realized the people weren't pointing and staring at me. A huge storm had rumbled in over the mountains to the east, and, combined with the light of the sun at the horizon, was creating the most enormous rainbow I've ever seen.<br />
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The closer the sun is to the horizon, the larger the rainbow, and at this moment the sun was almost touching the horizon. The rainbow grew brighter and brighter, and then a fainter, but still clear second, rainbow appeared, outside the first, until two full arcs stood above the heads of the astonished onlookers, with the background lit with the magic light of sunset, and the oncoming storm in the background. I stumbled frantically up an embankment where I could get a clear shot, but a pleasing composition was elusive (as seen below!) Still, it was a remarkable moment.<br />
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A few moments later, I turned around to see the sun slipping below the horizon.<br /> <br />
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As the sun faded a clap of thunder and spattering rain announced the onset of two days of rain, but I did have another evening at the lighthouse later, with a much less dramatic, but still beautiful evening.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse at about 10:30 at night.</td></tr>
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Next... Western Brook Pond, and a boat ride down an ancient fjord, now a land-locked lake.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Rocky Harbour, NL, Canada49.5904818 -57.915153249.5493088 -57.9941172 49.6316548 -57.8361892tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-20939663514517895032012-10-07T19:45:00.000-07:002012-12-09T12:05:25.818-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 5The Tablelands Once upon a time, two continents crashed together. For millions of years, what would one day become Europe and North America slowly drifted toward each other. A range of undersea volcanoes arose in the ancient ocean between them, and as the two continents came together the volcanoes were crushed between the two land masses. The force of the collision pushed up a mighty mountain range, perhaps as high as the Himalayas, which later became known as the Appalachians. It also pushed up gigantic areas of rock from deep beneath the crust of the earth, mantle rock that is not normally ever seen on the surface. Then the two continents broke apart and drifted away from each other. But they didn't break at exactly the same place that they came together.<br />
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Protected within Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, is a geological feature unique on earth. Over a few short miles it is possible to walk or drive across rock that was once part of a different continent, across the remains of ancient undersea volcanoes, to a mountain of mantle rock. The mantle rock from deep in the earth is low in nutrients and high in certain minerals that make it toxic to most plant life and so, in the midst of a place steeped in the most vibrant greens and blues, lies a barren, flat-topped mountain about 2,300 feet high and encompassing about 50 square miles, that is an orange desert. This stark, Mars-like landscape is the Tablelands.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tablelands trail</td></tr>
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Most of the Tablelands are a trail-less wilderness, accessible only to hardy backcountry hikers, but there is one 2.5 mile trail, out and back, that leads into a valley on the northern side, along a stream, with a parking area along route 431 just past Woody Point. The views from this trail are excellent and provide a good flavor of this strange, otherworldly place. On the day we visited, in early July, snow still lingered along the ridge above us, and fog alternately obscured and revealed the top of the plateau. It was late afternoon and the muted sun and orange ground made the scene seem to softly glow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evening at the Tablelands</td></tr>
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Athough the rock is toxic to most plant life, some hardy things do grow here. I found the shapes of these gnarled and twisted plants clinging to poisonous rock to be an irresistable photographic subject, and came back with over 100 shots of the flora of this area alone! Occasional small purple flowers incongruously decorated the landscape a few yards into the barren area, making for interesting photographic contrasts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple flowers at the edge of the Tablelands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only the hardiest of plants manage to eke out an existance here!</td></tr>
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High shutter speeds were a necessity for flora shots though, as the wind howled off the heights and funneled down the valley into our faces at probably 50mph or more. My normally stalwart tripod was nearly useless in the wind and I found that only by keeping it low to the ground could I really take advantage of it. (This became a common situation as we went further north on the Peninsula.)<br />
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Adventureous hikers (or photographers) who venture to the top of the Tablelands are warned to prepare for extreme conditions - high winds, heavy fog, freezing weather, and sudden changes in temperature. Although we very much wanted to stay longer in the area, and perhaps take a brief foray to the top, the sun was low in the sky and to our surprise we discovered that it was past 8:30pm! We still hadn't gotten used to the long northern days. With regret we started on the 40 mile drive back to our cabin and a late dinner.<br />
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Next time... Crazy weather at a lighthouse.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Bonne Bay Rd, Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook, NL A0K 1K0, Canada49.448485968856943 -57.93090820312549.283623968856944 -58.246765203125 49.613347968856942 -57.615051203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-51961976602513929742012-09-11T19:35:00.000-07:002012-12-09T12:09:50.940-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 4The Bay of IslandsWestern Newfoundland has few major population centers. The largest by far is Corner Brook, with a population of about 19,000. The next largest town is nearby Deer Lake, with a population of about 5,000 and beyond that, for over 260 miles, there are only small towns and villages. Even the town at the northern tip of the Peninsula, St. Anthony, is quite small as towns go. The moral of this story is, if you realize you have forgotten anything, particularly in the way of camera equipment, electronics, high-tech gear of any kind or any special foods or other supplies, try to remember that you've forgotten it before you pass Corner Brook. We stopped in the Wal-Mart there and were a little amazed that in this place that seemed so different from home, the Wal-Mart was so very much the same.<br />
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Many tourists seem to zoom straight up the main road to the national park Gros Morne, without stopping for much along the way. But, acting on vague memories of a spectacular, but off-the-beaten-path photographic location from my trip to Newfoundland 20 years before, we began a 2-day-long detour from our generally northerly course. After escaping from the apparently ubiquitous frustration and screaming children of Wal-Mart, we turned west out of Corner Brook and followed the south side of a long estuary called the Humber Arm, that winds for about 30 miles to the sea. Outside of Gros Morne, this is in fact, one of the more spectacular settings in western Newfoundland, with low but very steep and rugged mountains right along the water. There are a number of beautiful hikes in the area, that often end up with a stunning view of the end of the estuary, where it becomes a wide bay known as the Bay of Islands.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lark Harbour</td></tr>
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This was to be one of our camping nights, and we headed to "Blow Me Down" Provincial Park and set up our tent beneath the small but thick spruce and pine trees that cling to the rocky landscape. The Park is nestled between two of the strange, overly steep-sided hills that are common in this area. Although I know the park sometimes lives up to its name, that was actually the only time we spent camping when there was no wind. It was unusually warm and we left the back door of the tent open with just the screen in place, and I lay on my cot staring out into the impenetrable, pitch black and utterly silent woods until I fell asleep.</div>
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Lark Harbour, the nearby village, provides ample photo opportunities of small fishing boats and incredible, almost unnaturally hilly scenery. Another feature of this small town is a general store that is representative of many stores in rural Newfoundland: they have at least one of just about everything from bread to nails, but they have no postcards or newspapers.</div>
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Beyond Lark Harbour, lies a real treasure. Near the end of the road we came to the scene I had half remembered from 20 years before: a tiny community on the shore of a small, almost perfectly circular bay, called "Bottle Cove".</div>
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The cove is hemmed in by steep hills, ending in high, sheer cliffs that drop straight into the sea, and to top it all off, there is a gigantic sea cave visible from the northern side of the cove. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottle Cove (note the picnic table at the left center and the sea cave at the base of the cliff right of center!)</td></tr>
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If you come this way and you are a hiker, try to spend an entire day or more here. Leading from the parking lot by this cove and also another smaller cove at the end of the main road, are a number of breathtaking trails along the cliffs and into the hills. Bring a picnic because in this area you will find picnic tables and benches in the most astonishing locations - on top of cliffs, in deep woods, by waterfalls. After missing out at one of the most spectacular picnic tables we've ever neglected to bring food to, we tried to always be prepared for impromptu picnics.<br />
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As with the entire trip, we were short on time, and could only do one trail here. Our big adventure was to hike along a trail leading north out of Bottle Cove, following the cliffs and hills for several miles nearly to the mouth of the Bay of Islands.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Bay of St. Lawrence from Bottle Cove trail</td></tr>
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The climb up a "pass" between two of the steep hills was an ordeal, made worse by an unusually hot day, but the views from there made that walk one of the high points of the trip. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Looking south from the Bottle Cove hike to the next cove (where there are other trails)</td></tr>
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Next stop... Gros Morne National Park and the Tablelands.<br />
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Little Port Rd, Lark Harbour, NL A0L, Canada49.101746387895567 -58.41018676757812549.018569887895566 -58.568115267578122 49.184922887895567 -58.252258267578128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-33839970107022323562012-09-03T20:38:00.000-07:002012-12-09T12:10:37.339-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 3CodroySummer evenings in Newfoundland are long, and get noticeably longer the further north one goes. Even in the southernmost area the sky is still light well after 10:00 pm in July. Our first night was in a beautiful area called the Codroy Valley, about 30 miles (55km) from Port aux Basques. It is a verdant landscape with taller, fuller trees than is unusual in much of Newfoundland. We arrived at the aptly named "Majestic View Cabins" at the northwestern end of the valley at twilight. Although we were bone tired from a long day and the excitement of the ferry ride, we settled in on the porch of our nicely-appointed cabin and watched the moon rise across the Codroy River, over the Mountains. It was a mystical time and place. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise over the Codroy River and the Long Range Mountains</td></tr>
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The next morning was no less mystical, as we arose to a crystal clear day, but across the water the mountains lay shrouded in a spectacular, undulating bank of fog that alternately hid and revealed the scene as we watched. I finally got a chance to try a few panorama shots with the new Nodal Ninja pan head that I'd gotten in time for this trip, but the mist was changing so quickly that stitching later proved to be tricky.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning mist on the mountains across the Codroy River</td></tr>
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Take heed prospective travelers to Newfoundland: ten days is not nearly enough time to explore even just the western side of the province. Starting that morning a new theme of the journey began to appear. We did not have enough time to linger long in any one place. <br />
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With only half a day for sightseeing here we headed for the village of Codroy itself, and the Cape Anguille lighthouse, the picturesque westernmost lighthouse in Newfoundland. It lies nestled on a flat area between the base of a high, steep, treeless hill and the sea, a traditional sight in this area - a tall white tower topped with a red-roofed enclosure for the rotating light.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Anguille Lighthouse</td></tr>
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There seems to be a brilliance to the air in northern climes that is seldom seen further south, and traveling photographers in the Canadian Maritimes should try to take advantage of this phenomenon. Although sunrises and sunsets still provide ideal conditions for many situations here, mid-day shooting has its own rewards. The combination of the crystal clear air on a sunny day and a polarizer to enhance color and contrast bring out the deep blues and greens of sea, sky and vegetation. I also find a graduated neutral density filter to be invaluable when trying to keep both dark water and bright sky under control. Even in situations where the filter isn't practical, I am often amazed at the detail that I can salvage from bright areas using Adobe Lightroom's highlight slider. Note that this technique only works when shooting in raw mode as opposed to shooting jpegs. <br />
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The strong mid-day contrasts on a sunny day, along with the famously bright painted colors of boats and buildings, makes for interesting black and white photography as well. For some reason I was drawn to the idea of capturing the semi-abandoned fishing boats at the Codroy marina in black and white. I shoot everything in color even when I intend the final product to be black and white, and then convert it using Lightroom, which allows individual colors to be manipulated as tones in black and white. This scene struck me as especially poignant, as the boats are a remnant of the once proud and now very limited Newfoundland fishing industry.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Fishing boats in the town of Codroy</td></tr>
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From here we headed back to the main highway and turned north again. Next up: the amazingly beautiful and largely "undiscovered" Humber Arm and the Bay of Islands.<br />
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Hwy 406, Highlands, NL A0N 1N0, Canada47.850952356425296 -59.32205200195312547.765702356425294 -59.479980501953122 47.9362023564253 -59.164123501953128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-52813156738574553792012-08-28T17:08:00.000-07:002013-10-23T05:56:23.226-07:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part 2 Across the WaterThe Newfoundland ferries are immense. They are cruise ship-sized, oceangoing vessels capable of carrying 400 or more cars and trucks, and over 1,000 people. A crew of 90 or so live on the ship for several weeks at a time, and there are also cabins available for passengers, a particularly attractive feature during the long crossing to Argentia, near the capital city of St. Johns, a 14+ hour maritime extravaganza. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKy4VVrIii7To12SR_EysHBL_osEiKCY_u0olgp7Cx0qQWXl6aGgQk1iGQpPIHXv1l4-GXc0gdpQFE-aIMJrSCgKKnlbAzENeuoOZJxawbxIPyArDgM5yPhHWYD-XaPeGuLhRQ0ijrP0/s1600/Ferries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKy4VVrIii7To12SR_EysHBL_osEiKCY_u0olgp7Cx0qQWXl6aGgQk1iGQpPIHXv1l4-GXc0gdpQFE-aIMJrSCgKKnlbAzENeuoOZJxawbxIPyArDgM5yPhHWYD-XaPeGuLhRQ0ijrP0/s640/Ferries.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All three passenger ferries in port at North Sydney, Nova Scotia at once. The trucks on the left are waiting to board.</td></tr>
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Our destination was Port aux Basques, a mere 5 hour trip. The parking area in Nova Scotia sweltered in 90 degree heat as we waited in long lines of cars. When we finally drove into the cavernous interior of the ship, we followed the cars in front of us through a wide U-turn, whereupon we trundled into a narrow slot and down a ramp to a lower deck where we were backed into a far corner. Other cars packed in around us and as we left the truck to go upstairs, a huge door dropped down above, covering the slot and ramp we had come down, and cars and trucks were then parked all across the middle and upper decks. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjkEDIGuAct5GrASL9LZ3B-5Lzo4VJlTVhhLWP8TsBzWTZFahBRS4mzMzbus79xaWzDr0A3zdDyhfAjpZ9aG_LjNTS-P4h-aDAj-viwDg0m-iatGTQypdusqW5SJKuClybEgyEgJY9wA/s1600/FerryBoarding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjkEDIGuAct5GrASL9LZ3B-5Lzo4VJlTVhhLWP8TsBzWTZFahBRS4mzMzbus79xaWzDr0A3zdDyhfAjpZ9aG_LjNTS-P4h-aDAj-viwDg0m-iatGTQypdusqW5SJKuClybEgyEgJY9wA/s640/FerryBoarding.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick shot out the window as we are about to board</td></tr>
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Our ferry, the "Blue Puttees", named after a valiant Newfoundland regiment in World War I, had 9 decks, and boasted two restaurants, a snack bar, a gift shop, a bar with live music, three huge lounges with large TVs and comfortable reclining chairs, a play room, and a sun deck on top, complete with a helicopter landing pad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOB4iExvm7MwvCefkz_5LL3aaBlbI3MBomdYNfOxdV61Xl6c0cpQ2N1lqzYu5HRMAtA1ajJC1EOyHPD0arTXMLf93hz6fcAn3v96TsvveeNIdOQnrx6KuANMP5hPF90iS3rT6cMTFoTQ/s1600/FerryMiddleDeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOB4iExvm7MwvCefkz_5LL3aaBlbI3MBomdYNfOxdV61Xl6c0cpQ2N1lqzYu5HRMAtA1ajJC1EOyHPD0arTXMLf93hz6fcAn3v96TsvveeNIdOQnrx6KuANMP5hPF90iS3rT6cMTFoTQ/s640/FerryMiddleDeck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not exactly "art" but interesting all the same: driving onto the ferry. I don't normally take photos while driving...</td></tr>
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We watched from the top deck as the ship slowly backed away from the dock and turned north. It was a stunningly glorious day as we sailed away from Nova Scotia, with barely a cloud in the sky and the hot sun beating down. We strolled the outside decks, exploring, chatting with other passengers and fretted about sunburn since we had no sunscreen. <br />
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Nova Scotia slowly sank into the sea astern, and eventually all land disappeared entirely. It was an exotic sensation for people unaccustomed to ocean travel to see no sign of land from horizon to horizon. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-6UcU-F-_KLqxrI0DnBUO_42xLcPwASewjatYU_Ft8CxHqyVZmMPdhORxdQpR9GA2f3do8bqnLQHpuG8axmwyhQ3sSJZ6xC9ZrQyFOiEcltl2Rmud4n2mxHOiOJz8Ho8r04BHToecc0/s1600/FerryLifeboat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-6UcU-F-_KLqxrI0DnBUO_42xLcPwASewjatYU_Ft8CxHqyVZmMPdhORxdQpR9GA2f3do8bqnLQHpuG8axmwyhQ3sSJZ6xC9ZrQyFOiEcltl2Rmud4n2mxHOiOJz8Ho8r04BHToecc0/s640/FerryLifeboat.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of sight of land. High contrast is a constant photographic challenge on a sunny day at sea. Shooting in raw and highlight reduction in Lightroom brought this under control.</td></tr>
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Several hours into the trip we were startled by the sound of a foghorn. We looked at each other in surprise, then out the window, which faced to the rear of the ship, at the clear blue sky. A moment later a thick gray curtain settled around us as we entered a fog bank. It wasn't long before it became so thick that from the windows at our seats the far end of the ship was nearly lost in the mist. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbs554WwLPkTEHdA48wgfwDsaexNr9ihb3s_HJhAg6CTc3F1hilNXB0MlFQIG7gaJCldfMMyTr2kIf4YLGkDDX4ohcdyxQWrXjejLdRBr4ywBfJz_UTKj-Zb_eOIvuQk8kENNu_mXggs/s1600/FerryFog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbs554WwLPkTEHdA48wgfwDsaexNr9ihb3s_HJhAg6CTc3F1hilNXB0MlFQIG7gaJCldfMMyTr2kIf4YLGkDDX4ohcdyxQWrXjejLdRBr4ywBfJz_UTKj-Zb_eOIvuQk8kENNu_mXggs/s640/FerryFog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting close to Newfoundland!</td></tr>
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We arrived at Port aux Basques in early evening, the rocky shore of Newfoundland dimly appearing from out of the fog. Upon arrival in the small harbor, our gigantic ferry pinwheeled in place 180 degrees and backed into the docking area. We were the very last car off the ferry, waiting about an hour for the whole ship to empty out before we could drive off. The service road leading out of the ferry parking lot immediately becomes the Trans-Canada Highway going north, and so began our odyssey up the Great Northern Peninsula of the province. About 5 miles north of town the fog dissipated and the skies cleared, revealing the brilliant setting sun over the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A recurring theme of Western Newfoundland almost immediately became clear as we drove northward: the steep, rugged wilderness of the Long Range Mountains a few miles to the east of the road and the shore dotted with occasional small villages to the west. Civilization here is indeed a narrow strip of land between mountains and sea. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUduzOLNKLqYM8vCL8wnz24ezL6MtOuKVcUb98k4_4ra2xVkjFPKDpp0epqrAB3PlbkOCBwt7RxDd531RhZ5PEpR3G9GnZjKkAYmKZCmxUI6cGU4gpIYn43wLOaOSIYwhdiACJID7xZKY/s1600/LongRange1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUduzOLNKLqYM8vCL8wnz24ezL6MtOuKVcUb98k4_4ra2xVkjFPKDpp0epqrAB3PlbkOCBwt7RxDd531RhZ5PEpR3G9GnZjKkAYmKZCmxUI6cGU4gpIYn43wLOaOSIYwhdiACJID7xZKY/s640/LongRange1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Long Range Mountains near Port aux Basques, the northernmost part of the Appalachian chain.</td></tr>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com05 Marine Dr, Channel-Port aux Basques, NL A0N 1K0, Canada47.576525713746207 -59.13940429687547.234583213746205 -59.771118296875 47.918468213746209 -58.507690296875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-70256202127077858702012-08-22T16:47:00.002-07:002012-12-09T12:12:02.531-08:00Edge of the WildTravels in Western Newfoundland, Part I"You're going WHERE?"<br />
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"Newfoundland", I repeated. It's in Canada. It's the big island northeast of Nova Scotia."<br />
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My co-worker looked askance, but assured me he was happy I was finally getting a vacation. Wherever I chose to spend it.<br />
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The province of Newfoundland lies somewhat beyond the usual vacation psyche of many Americans and even quite a few Canadians. If it invokes any recognition at all, it often seems to have the reputation of being a barren, cold, windswept, storm-tossed isle. It is indeed, sometimes, all of these things. But it is also a land of spectacular, rugged beauty, warm, welcoming people, and a seemingly unending array of fascinating things to see and do.<br />
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In July, 2012 my wife and I journeyed to Newfoundland and spent 11 days on the western side of the island - all too little time. Although I had been there twice before in the early 1990s, I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface of this amazing place.<br />
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Our trip took us up the Great Northern Peninsula, up a 2-lane highway, 400 miles into progressively more and more remote locations. The highway runs through a narrow strip of civilization, sandwiched between the Long Range Mountains on the east and the sea on the west. Traveling up that way truly seems like a journey along the Edge of the Wild.<br />
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The next few blog postings will chronicle our adventures and hopefully provide some useful information for travelers and especially photographers who are considering heading up that way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ8p373vTwAtbJRc2QMKdkgr8SpSQfmw0uoaTeEWA1pkWcETk1-nbw00zdjjDLa_ZL6uTs51uMPNpyjAgRNhjWwanIQnAKQp8cxRIddB9IQoLceQg6gkOoxFiOKLCXooJcKDFwfTrOQc/s1600/Quirpon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ8p373vTwAtbJRc2QMKdkgr8SpSQfmw0uoaTeEWA1pkWcETk1-nbw00zdjjDLa_ZL6uTs51uMPNpyjAgRNhjWwanIQnAKQp8cxRIddB9IQoLceQg6gkOoxFiOKLCXooJcKDFwfTrOQc/s640/Quirpon.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quirpon, at the far northern tip of the island of Newfoundland, looking toward Labrador on the far horizon</td></tr>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0Channel-Port-Aux Basques, NL - North Sydney, NS & Trans-Canada Hwy, Channel-Port aux Basques, NL A0M 1C0, Canada47.583936619781369 -59.13940429687547.241970119781371 -59.771118296875 47.925903119781367 -58.507690296875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-74086517744335394022012-04-30T18:22:00.000-07:002012-04-30T18:33:56.551-07:00WetlandsAlthough most of my time these days seems to be taken up with designing a computer management system for my employer, I've managed to carve out enough time to participate in a project that is near and dear to my heart in several ways: conservation, the outdoors, and photography. The local New York chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators is creating a traveling art show to highlight the preservation of wetlands across upstate New York. The end result will be a series of paintings and drawings by the Guild members of species found in wetlands, along with my photos to provide additional context, illustrating different types of wetland environments. We anticipate that the show will be first displayed in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center in April of 2013.<br />
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The project has given me a new appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the New York landscape and the variety of wetland types, even in a relatively small area.<br />
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Click here to visit the <a href="http://www.gnsi.org/">Guild's national web site</a> (nothing yet about this particular art show, but the web site is interesting to explore.)<br />
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Here's my own <a href="http://www.mistlightandstone.com/Finger-Lakes-of-New-York/Wetlands/21462287_hbXVSp#!i=1710583265&k=5zDmDC8">gallery of wetlands shots</a>, and below are a few samples. Enjoy!<br />
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Pond near the south end of Indian Lake, along Rt.30 in the Adirondacks</div>
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Along Rt. 30 north of Long Lake in the Adirondacks</div>
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Near Goodnow Mountain, east of Blue Mountain Lake, in the Adirondacks</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSyPj7QHN9WLtdQGbbbX2VCfksNiLcWRIenz-HK37oVfBMsqa84v-NuM_vqvSOGBcYc8TsEvxsROpXogzoyCJTmy8ijilxJqj_bLJuZximLmKXDGsoEUc98-ox3psxEpEekS2FuJnwkg/s1600/Wetlands-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSyPj7QHN9WLtdQGbbbX2VCfksNiLcWRIenz-HK37oVfBMsqa84v-NuM_vqvSOGBcYc8TsEvxsROpXogzoyCJTmy8ijilxJqj_bLJuZximLmKXDGsoEUc98-ox3psxEpEekS2FuJnwkg/s400/Wetlands-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca</div>
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Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca</div>
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Von Egeln Preserve near Cortland. Don't step off the trail here!</div>
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</div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-31610849175157885552011-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:002011-12-18T12:21:25.291-08:00Interesting mistakesSometimes a mistake can lead to some interesting creative exploration and even, perhaps, a pleasing image. Two posts ago I illustrated a shot taken of a small stone building where I had bumped the tripod as I took the shot. Along those same lines, last summer, during my "weekend of the rental Panasonic GH2", I had a similar experience. I was in a swampy area and it was excessively buggy. At one point I was trying to take a shot in a fairly dim area, with a longer shutter speed, while being assaulted by mosquitos. I ended up accidentally pressing the shutter as the camera spun about 90 degrees clockwise as I flapped my arms around trying to clear the bugs away from my head. Here is the result:<br />
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With my finger on the delete button I paused a moment. It was kind-of an intriguing shot, and compositionally, on some level, it worked for me in an otherworldly sort-of way. I left it and walked on. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to try to duplicate that effect. In fact, it was quite tricky to do. I'm really not sure how it happened the first time! But here are the results of my efforts a bit further down the path (by the way, I did come to realize that other people tend to give wide berth to a photographer taking photos while waving the camera around wildly.)</div>
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This one is interesting in part because the center is quite sharp! Almost like a lensbaby effect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghy2xwAA9nJa_hWVMYzGobN7Kz4cXwdl1bA7Gl-dh3S4-C0Hnr5pn2Tyw0Ntjcd-VkF40n2tkRz0cyHk3L1uOaOAO-X9aVOTLHz9xArP1BOA1EB6-YtvzCkY4yoUI-MOKSmoCUVyQF2o4/s1600/mistake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghy2xwAA9nJa_hWVMYzGobN7Kz4cXwdl1bA7Gl-dh3S4-C0Hnr5pn2Tyw0Ntjcd-VkF40n2tkRz0cyHk3L1uOaOAO-X9aVOTLHz9xArP1BOA1EB6-YtvzCkY4yoUI-MOKSmoCUVyQF2o4/s400/mistake3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This last one is definitely a bit more like going down the rabbit hole!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjUqsfbPNAfk4cd_seu8ii27tva7DZ2OPTfocqElWjc9tyOfd2uWcdDzXHVWirQYwwkS0_n3yzZOajJrnC7QV4lb7JQ23bju3q1ncDzVrw9okDA0Ky9im5tSYO_ctkEYbrkiE7d54nJY/s1600/mistake4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjUqsfbPNAfk4cd_seu8ii27tva7DZ2OPTfocqElWjc9tyOfd2uWcdDzXHVWirQYwwkS0_n3yzZOajJrnC7QV4lb7JQ23bju3q1ncDzVrw9okDA0Ky9im5tSYO_ctkEYbrkiE7d54nJY/s400/mistake4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The general idea was to use a longish exposure, and rotate the camera very quickly at the exact same time as pressing the shutter. The original shot was 1/5th second, the second at 1/200th, and the third, at 1/20th. It's amazing how far you can move a camera in a 20th of a second!Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-34112036857772788452011-10-24T19:33:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:13:40.913-08:00The polarizer: the magic autumn filter<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
If you only own one filter, make it a polarizer. Polarizers, in short, remove reflections and glare. The effect varies depending on what is being photographed, how high the sun is, and what direction the camera is facing, but in general, skies become darker, allowing clouds to be more prominent, glare and reflections disappear from water (allowing a clear view into streambeds among other things), and makes colors more vibrant and increases contrast. This is a wonderful filter to use to bring out autumn color. </div>
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Note that there are two types of polarizer filters: linear and circular. Modern cameras require a circular polarizer in order to focus and meter properly. Circular polarizers consist of two filters fastened together, one of which fastens to the camera and the other rotates freely. Rotate the outer filter to acquire the polarization effect. Polarizers work best at an angle facing 90 degrees from the sun, but the effect is still strong for some distance around the 90 degree mark. The effect of reflections on water is also affected by the angle of the camera to the water surface. Shooting down on a body of water from a height will yield a more dramatic effect than shooting horizontally across the surface. Fortunately you can see the polarization through the camera, so you can try various adjustments and angles to get the desired effect.</div>
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Below is a shot of Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks of New York, in the late morning, using a polarizer. Although this shot illustrates the use of a polarizer to enhance skies, it also illustrates a potential pitfall of using a polarizer, especially with a wide-angle lens. Due to the wide angle and also the angle I was facing, the effect is not uniform, growing darker to the left side. While this can be corrected in post-processing, naturally it's ideal if the polarizing effect is more uniform. Due to the low-angle to the water, the reflections on the lake were darkened but preserved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCQgVOm1Bs_5KXfBO5mRtBstaqTyed_-NOF-m2iJh8vqpufmUKXOm1KCDCyJD56froLew0dLNcUpYRp5ODUmP0XZE3_PM62dMn4e533g8b7nXwTnOVdaD4VAhTx4ZxoujI98iXVN7VsY/s1600/PolarizerDemo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCQgVOm1Bs_5KXfBO5mRtBstaqTyed_-NOF-m2iJh8vqpufmUKXOm1KCDCyJD56froLew0dLNcUpYRp5ODUmP0XZE3_PM62dMn4e533g8b7nXwTnOVdaD4VAhTx4ZxoujI98iXVN7VsY/s400/PolarizerDemo4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Most commonly, a polarizer is used in an open space when the sun is out, but just because you're in a deep forest or it's cloudy doesn't mean you should put it away. Experiment! Since they eliminate reflections on foliage, a polarizer can highlight forest scenes and autumn color, and although the effect is more subtle, they can have a beautiful enhancing effect even under lightly overcast skies.<br />
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Here's a shot taken at Fillmore Glen, in Moravia, NY, under overcast skies with a polarizer. Note the lack of reflections in the water allowing the stream bottom to be visible, and the vibrant colors (which were not enhanced in post-processing):<br />
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Here's a pair of "before and after" shots from Fillmore, without post-processing other than sharpening.<br />
First, without the polarizer:</div>
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And now with the polarizer:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ns6M-UnD0O5nQXJxwWQILGLXcjtFWUuh6AlDTXJhF48v0AgJh9NbhuMfKYj2WePtKZCt-rQkCC8fC871AChQjZKIaFIHHHdgkHqVdkD3o6GnOBKoqgcwDIIJU-Bnpjj4tKPZaQheps4/s1600/PolarizerDemo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ns6M-UnD0O5nQXJxwWQILGLXcjtFWUuh6AlDTXJhF48v0AgJh9NbhuMfKYj2WePtKZCt-rQkCC8fC871AChQjZKIaFIHHHdgkHqVdkD3o6GnOBKoqgcwDIIJU-Bnpjj4tKPZaQheps4/s400/PolarizerDemo-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Be aware that a polarizer also has another effect that may or may not be desirable... It adds about 1.5 stops to exposure time, necessitating either a wider aperature or a longer shutter speed!</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-85659288127293548182011-10-14T20:14:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:17:49.027-08:00Improving on LuckHow much of successful photography, especially nature photography can be attributed to luck? You just happened to be at the right place at the right time to catch the right light. Luck is certainly a factor, but you can influence how lucky you are with a little flexibility and preparation. Keep a camera with you. As you go to work and come home, especially in Spring and Fall, you may see the sun rising in the morning and setting late in the day as you commute (if you live in rainy Ithaca, NY, you probably see that maybe once a month...) Be ready if opportunities present themselves.<br />
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This was taken one morning on my way to a woodcarving show with my wife. A crystal clear morning at our house yielded to misty, dew-laden fields in the hills on the way to the show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2b5yxEEugBWs2nRncGU12xZv1-UY3O7WEFXiJYkIx7c2OAaosHqBE8njmUi-hqATGFVVa1k1H9IGRTpNy6pa9jLoWDK4EEAu0y3AsjuATMlbqA2mPNMBdHeFypwjwsWs22-p45fgC7g/s1600/Serendip1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2b5yxEEugBWs2nRncGU12xZv1-UY3O7WEFXiJYkIx7c2OAaosHqBE8njmUi-hqATGFVVa1k1H9IGRTpNy6pa9jLoWDK4EEAu0y3AsjuATMlbqA2mPNMBdHeFypwjwsWs22-p45fgC7g/s400/Serendip1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Don't wait for luck to happen - try to actively put yourself into situations when something fortunate might occur. And even if the primary objective isn't working out, be alert for other situations.<br />
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This was taken early one morning along Lake Eaton in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Fog is one of the few things that will generally guarantee my ability to get out of bed at an early hour, and I had gone out early looking for misty woods shots. While that didn't work out particularly well, I ran onto a lone loon floating on the lake along with a whole flock of mergansers having a morning spash.<br />
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Luck, for me, often seems to come in the form of things not going quite as planned. While taking a photo of a small out-building at Great Camp Santanoni in the Adirondacks, I accidentally fired off a shot while still adjusting the camera.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP4jEcKYrSPg7dFRg6QdnuameHRS7IrZ8LAYeewsRZzQf8eDMamiT60Yd1CK3TCzpyLC3-fq355BSLdZtuP5I3qSx3QCb6e_VcCqda539kmPCQu7ZUVKSHDTj9pXAkBbBm2Q6TOVEDWk/s1600/Serendip4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP4jEcKYrSPg7dFRg6QdnuameHRS7IrZ8LAYeewsRZzQf8eDMamiT60Yd1CK3TCzpyLC3-fq355BSLdZtuP5I3qSx3QCb6e_VcCqda539kmPCQu7ZUVKSHDTj9pXAkBbBm2Q6TOVEDWk/s400/Serendip4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Seems almost painterly. The moral here is, keep an open mind! What you get may not be what you intended, but it might be interesting in a different way. Now here's the intended shot. I don't think it's nearly as intriguing:<br />
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Be ready to improvise, change plans, quickly switch your gear and/or settings around, and nab the shot that appears, not the one you may have set up for. In the shot below, along Lake Durant in the Adirondacks, I was all set with a telephoto zoomed in to capture the tall trees left of center against the sunset sky. Then behind me I heard someone launching a canoe. A mildly frantic lens change and reconfigure of the camera, followed by one quick test shot for exposure in this rather complex lighting situation, and I was ready just a moment before the canoe came into view:<br />
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Also don't get so caught up in your primary subject that you forget to look all around you. Many years ago I was taking some shots on a bridge in Annapolis harbor with a friend, snapping away (with slide film at that time!) at an absolutely amazing sunset. The light faded and we packed up and turned around to leave, and saw this:<br />
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We nearly missed what turned out to be one of the best shots of the evening.<br />
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So don't leave luck to chance! Put yourself in positions where luck is more likely to strike, don't limit yourself to only your primary objective, be open to possibilities, don't dismiss your mistakes immediately, and be prepared for a sudden change of plan! Oh and, don't forget to look behind you or you may miss the best shot!Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-56599998145343887712011-08-09T17:38:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:15:33.505-08:00The Keuka Outlet TrailWhew... it's been awhile! My "day job" seems to have taken over my existence this summer. But I do hope to get back to more regular postings here.<br />
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A couple of posts ago I talked about a genre I've affectionately come to know as "old stuff in the woods", and for those who have a taste for both hiking and local history, spiced with the opportunity to nab some shots of crumbling ruins, overgrown stone walls, etc., something to look into is the Keuka Outlet Trail. This is a 7.5 mile walk (or bike) on a smooth, fairly flat path following the outlet of Keuka Lake down about 270 feet in elevation, to Seneca Lake. This small stream served as the hydro power for many old mills and factories from 1789 to 1968. The trail passes right by several interesting ruins, a good-sized waterfall, and remnants of a canal with locks, and bits of an old railroad. This starts as a somewhat urban and industrial walk through part of Penn Yan, along old railroad bridges and past warehouses, but quickly turns into a peaceful, heavily wooded walk, with occasional reminders of the area's past.<br />
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Note - do not assume that the visitor center in the old Kelly Tire buildings at about the halfway point is open! Bring enough water for your whole adventure. Also, bear in mind that the bulk of the old industrial sites are closer to the Penn Yan end. I'm told that this is also a fantastic bike ride, but as I don't ride I wouldn't know!<br />
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Below are a few tidbits from our day walking through history. And I promise I won't write about old rusty stuff for awhile after this!<br />
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Part of an old paper mill</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoGtjIyRbTWpDwDx-1oD69Ty4ap0p-ATQqOdzrWnDEY6ikBA49mxy8VA-NBBeyskkZglfLpGNlCOuowQTVPc4kc61PMtABNdhnVTaYFmXOfoUZGyzCoWp8DpSgHovsRv3G579ml1A-rU/s1600/KeukaOutlet-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoGtjIyRbTWpDwDx-1oD69Ty4ap0p-ATQqOdzrWnDEY6ikBA49mxy8VA-NBBeyskkZglfLpGNlCOuowQTVPc4kc61PMtABNdhnVTaYFmXOfoUZGyzCoWp8DpSgHovsRv3G579ml1A-rU/s400/KeukaOutlet-4.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Giant old flywheel in some brush</div>
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Some overgrown machinery near the paper mill</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9TIB_6TpSQSrZCqv7sFoFqOf6EXUXDcju4XsExiv1ZVkYofTic5KM7Ga2H5XgO2l3MlGmeA5nIFm6fQaWru38oQZnM-qByBAFpogflj_t-Tw8DFN-pWIWJfevxhj8zVTbl2xK0CQjL4/s1600/KeukaOutlet-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9TIB_6TpSQSrZCqv7sFoFqOf6EXUXDcju4XsExiv1ZVkYofTic5KM7Ga2H5XgO2l3MlGmeA5nIFm6fQaWru38oQZnM-qByBAFpogflj_t-Tw8DFN-pWIWJfevxhj8zVTbl2xK0CQjL4/s400/KeukaOutlet-6.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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Much of the trail is quite idyllic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarf12RfgtdN5F7Lg3PyHat_LADMrzxrUBRKl_gITvSQDVt1RR12Kq-o-oRsYsqneQ1Inr1jIQ7K2nhJKIAABP8mEyBoNqCa47ijvvfRsP6CXYcu9rHt-14oTjl8wtSedri-xVFz7ojVM/s1600/KeukaOutlet-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarf12RfgtdN5F7Lg3PyHat_LADMrzxrUBRKl_gITvSQDVt1RR12Kq-o-oRsYsqneQ1Inr1jIQ7K2nhJKIAABP8mEyBoNqCa47ijvvfRsP6CXYcu9rHt-14oTjl8wtSedri-xVFz7ojVM/s400/KeukaOutlet-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is a one-shot tone-map done with Photomatix Pro</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_1ZA9nl-xA0VW-TKiJGdP53pfT-guR7nDr0cxQB36txu_QIldwBUaSooVYGAxTkBmLvQj7hnMDUNPw4gSkY8rbN9kuzrTrU9-GRkvwEV9KjO37DdZbXVOiHy-xbPPlrhf2yi2t3ZJKY/s1600/KeukaOutlet-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_1ZA9nl-xA0VW-TKiJGdP53pfT-guR7nDr0cxQB36txu_QIldwBUaSooVYGAxTkBmLvQj7hnMDUNPw4gSkY8rbN9kuzrTrU9-GRkvwEV9KjO37DdZbXVOiHy-xbPPlrhf2yi2t3ZJKY/s400/KeukaOutlet-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another one-shot tone-map. This is behind the paper mill. And yes, I was on very solid ground taking this shot! If one is not exercising common sense, there are ample opportunities to get hurt on this trail. Signs do warn against entering the buildings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKIwSF-8zH4nRENWQC7TlvqG5ets7CWBYjw1hKyjniikaLnUS8LsLiV7oiO88pCCBUiOpnQjvmyhxvuWwMhhJAlZo6x2CAo6hGDYjGN1OsxekVCVLeC39-o2qm7XED0L8wB4U81z_wZI/s1600/KeukaOutlet-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKIwSF-8zH4nRENWQC7TlvqG5ets7CWBYjw1hKyjniikaLnUS8LsLiV7oiO88pCCBUiOpnQjvmyhxvuWwMhhJAlZo6x2CAo6hGDYjGN1OsxekVCVLeC39-o2qm7XED0L8wB4U81z_wZI/s400/KeukaOutlet-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another one-shot tone-map. This is part of the Kelly Tire complex, a group of semi-intact buildings near the visitor's center.</div>
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For more info about the Keuka Outlet Trail and the history of the area, visit <a href="http://www.footprintpress.com/FingerLakes/keuka.htm">this link</a>. Also the Friends of the Keuka Outlet Trail have a site <a href="http://www.keukaoutlettrail.com/">here</a>.</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-84788418088647651902011-05-18T18:45:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:15:54.346-08:00The Finger Lakes Land TrustIf you live in or visit the Finger Lakes area of New York, and haven't discovered the Finger Lakes Land Trust, an introduction is in order. This non-profit organization protects areas that are characteristic of central New York by acquiring land and making it available to the public, by establishing conservation easements on private land, and through helping to fund additional projects. To date, the Land Trust has protected more than 12,000 acres, with a large variety of features including deep, dark forests, streams, winding gorges, waterfalls, old farmland, wetlands, etc. Note that Land Trust sites are much less developed and more natural than the local state parks, and one should expect to take care around waterfalls and cliff edges, as there are no fences or warning signs. <a href="http://www.fllt.org/index.php">Click here to visit their website.</a><br />
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Some of my favorite places to photograph around Ithaca are indeed, in Land Trust preserves. The Sweedler Preserve at Lick Brook is a particularly stunning one, located a few miles up from Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca. Take Sand Bank to the intersection with Town Line, then turn right and go a few hundred yards to the bridge. Sweedler features a spectacular gorge and waterfall, along with a lovely winding stream with many smaller waterfalls. 1.3 miles of trails enables exploration of the stream as well as a neighboring, smaller gorge. <br />
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A relatively new acquisition is the Roy Park Preserve, near Ellis Hollow, along Irish Settlement Road. A short trail leads through fields and planted evergreens to an area of beautiful, mature forest, a lean-to, and two streams, one going through a small but picturesque gorge.<br />
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A few pictures of the Roy Park preserve can be found below, all taken near sunset.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy1zeXZhVtkP5zVAiA8IiS9ZAeYiE69k87XOwDsvs3GwUd6PnkAzCRnAuIk6zkWqyuzTI8zIb7XYwc0bzm64zbfoi1u_XEt7_Psmgqh3x_KNYlOxUYnRvQYQAgNxgbkJUC4_a6DvVFWA/s1600/RoyPark-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy1zeXZhVtkP5zVAiA8IiS9ZAeYiE69k87XOwDsvs3GwUd6PnkAzCRnAuIk6zkWqyuzTI8zIb7XYwc0bzm64zbfoi1u_XEt7_Psmgqh3x_KNYlOxUYnRvQYQAgNxgbkJUC4_a6DvVFWA/s400/RoyPark-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-40465629155695183012011-04-18T18:18:00.000-07:002011-04-18T18:50:59.885-07:00Old Stuff in the Woods<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> As anyone who looks at my photography can likely tell, I'm personally moved by the natural world - waterfalls, deep, dark evergreen forests, mountain streams, foggy mornings, and the joy of time spent in the ever more rare wilderness. Most commonly this is where my inspiration arises. And yet... There is something else. A strange, unlikely genre that I find irresistable, for reasons that I can't fathom. It can only be described as "Old Stuff in the Woods". Old, moldering buildings, walls, bits of machinery, rusted bits of cars, wells, pipes, ruined, crumbling factories, all overgrown with trees and brush. Something, probably relating to two almost opposing interests of mine, archaeology and science fiction, conspires to draw me to capture such scenes. It's a way to provide a window to the past, a reminder of where we've been, and at the same time a commentary on the future as well. I also confess to an interest in photos of "Urban Decay" (some fine examples here), turning something horribly ugly into fine, if poignant art, and perhaps this is simply an extension of that... </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here are a few samples from my "Old Stuff in the Woods" collection.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1nyvpe8UrVvv6m12Clz14ReLtvZxY5RXY7_j6BtXXY1OujixMyFVkvEWLKAQVczTuGkOFtIuwe_vzjA6mlFFmSKZ0UqnS4zELl2hD1MiA8vogf5b_eEw8Avveymch3zK46rhu5N524s/s1600/Blog041811-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1nyvpe8UrVvv6m12Clz14ReLtvZxY5RXY7_j6BtXXY1OujixMyFVkvEWLKAQVczTuGkOFtIuwe_vzjA6mlFFmSKZ0UqnS4zELl2hD1MiA8vogf5b_eEw8Avveymch3zK46rhu5N524s/s400/Blog041811-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Abandoned powerhouse at Sagamore, in the Adirondacks, NY</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YJnuxu-KKvLnQi9_HkNSpQfvoW3gllmudO3SKLd0K9OxZyl7KOQ4JDPFoEWfa3_IBGu9mAdSJtZG9MmHcRa2cQtpIhW7ETkmgLaMuyFCW3bOI_cMq_dg1sk6sXRlDIObLdFuC42Bmvc/s1600/Blog041811-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YJnuxu-KKvLnQi9_HkNSpQfvoW3gllmudO3SKLd0K9OxZyl7KOQ4JDPFoEWfa3_IBGu9mAdSJtZG9MmHcRa2cQtpIhW7ETkmgLaMuyFCW3bOI_cMq_dg1sk6sXRlDIObLdFuC42Bmvc/s400/Blog041811-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Girders in a pool in Watkins Glen State Park, NY</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7ouakjZpR2srcpwKTUr1XGLP67GR5CvaNv2TfhGTBpSt7n7DbH1z76CGyywrPNmNuo6wSZ9eM3dC72oB2vxHYlnphv-tnb6VCyzQR2aLjsT5p4f5_ocZdHscIFRmiHW5V94Ulj2Ku04/s1600/Blog041811-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7ouakjZpR2srcpwKTUr1XGLP67GR5CvaNv2TfhGTBpSt7n7DbH1z76CGyywrPNmNuo6wSZ9eM3dC72oB2vxHYlnphv-tnb6VCyzQR2aLjsT5p4f5_ocZdHscIFRmiHW5V94Ulj2Ku04/s400/Blog041811-5.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Spring in Fillmore Glen State Park, NY</span></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-52462513154946329202011-04-04T18:27:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:14:12.832-08:00A look at the Lowepro Slingshot 302AW camera bagIn my seemingly never-ending quest for just the right camera bag (which has been going on for over 20 years), I've finally acquired a couple now that I really like. For casual outings with my standard kit - DSLR and 2 or 3 lenses, I pull out my Tamrac Velocity 8x. But for more serious endeavors - hiking some distance or carring more gear, I like to have a backpack. Up until recently I was using a Lowepro Orion AW, which is an interesting 2-piece item, with a small daypack on top for lunch, bugspray, etc., and the bottom is a large fanny pack, where the camera gear goes. It's very comfortable to have on, even heavily loaded. The problem is that it's hard, though not impossible to get at the gear without putting the bag down. One has to reach back with both hands and unfasten two clips above the hips, loosen the belt, spin the fanny pack around, and unzip it, all while trying to avoid dislocating one or both shoulders.<br />
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Lowepro's Slingshot line uses the messenger bag concept where the strap goes over the head to the opposite shoulder from the camera, and allows the photographer to loosen the strap slightly and spin the bag around to the front of the body, where a door can be opened and the camera pulled out. (My Tamrac Velocity uses this same concept.) But with the two smaller Slingshots, the weight still lies solely on one shoulder, which is, literally for me, a pain in the neck. But the 302AW model also has a nice thick waistbelt to help distribute weight. Some folks find this an annoyance because it needs to be unfastened to move the bag to the front, but this seemed a small price to pay in my own situation.<br />
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If you are new to shopping for a camera bag, here's a tip - take your gear with you when you go, to try it in your bag of choice before you buy, because any camera bag will feel quite different fully loaded than empty. (I always ask before doing this, and also let the clerk know that I've just walked in with a bunch of my own camera gear, just so there aren't any unfortunate misunderstandings!)<br />
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The waistbelt on the Lowepro 302 works like a charm. I've been able to happily walk for hours with it quite heavily loaded with no ill effects on my neck. The bag has a remarkable amount of space (I use both the small upper pocket plus some of the lower area for non-photographic items) and it even has a built in raincover. There is a tripod holder on the side opposite the flip door, but be aware that it does not appear to be designed for normal-sized tripods with lever leg releases. My Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 which has levers, only fits with a great deal of fussing and cramming. As with other Lowepro bags, there is a built-in micro-fiber cloth conveniently located next to the camera for cleaning lenses and LCD screens, media card holders inside the lid, and there's a small flat pocket on the outside at the top. There are no dedicated drink holders, but I've attached a water bottle to the tripod holder clip, as well as to the belt, and once put a small bottle inside in the top. Less-used items can go in the tertiary pocket on the front, but be careful opening that pocket with the pack "slung" to the front. Unzip it too far, and things may fall out. One small gripe I have is that the material on the inside of the organizers in that pocket is very slick and with the bag "slinging" from my back to my front regularly, I may open that pocket and find everything has come out of the organizers and is loose and jumbled. Note - the main pocket has two locking straps that allow access when "slung" to the front, but which prevent unexpected wider unzippings. It is easily possible to get into the two lens compartments closest to the side door when the bag is slung in front by pulling the velcro dividers back.<br />
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Here's the outside of the bag.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4_wYFHkZhG4N1QK5b2iXhVMvakaytoWNZrVCzrSeXDTvdgn294u0BY9Onn2SvTOCmoa8iP9Ggu0ohvTuTFtB1DP2wfjXSlgxz92Zkk-Ddt63EfF_s8PUjm826BW2fW2SegaYjd8C2B4/s1600/Slingshot302awb2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4_wYFHkZhG4N1QK5b2iXhVMvakaytoWNZrVCzrSeXDTvdgn294u0BY9Onn2SvTOCmoa8iP9Ggu0ohvTuTFtB1DP2wfjXSlgxz92Zkk-Ddt63EfF_s8PUjm826BW2fW2SegaYjd8C2B4/s400/Slingshot302awb2-2.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Here's the back. Note the nice, cushy thick straps!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFIPwrrQZ37hFSyoOC8fx6xpl7U5hROttPRcPpFrV9EN1AdCKzAVtw84PQw22Vi0L_MHaJt3FPlyCydDwKDuGVU982fTghsy1CMYfEXnKcvZElIC3Otc1RyN9e2IuWswUtsxjhWHu-YU/s1600/Slingshot302aw-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFIPwrrQZ37hFSyoOC8fx6xpl7U5hROttPRcPpFrV9EN1AdCKzAVtw84PQw22Vi0L_MHaJt3FPlyCydDwKDuGVU982fTghsy1CMYfEXnKcvZElIC3Otc1RyN9e2IuWswUtsxjhWHu-YU/s400/Slingshot302aw-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's what you see when the bag is slung around to your front and opened. For size comparison, that's a Canon 60D:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXcGkuovEZZog9Xh3OPoWbbR8ZGtV3U1piaQgvlj_TIXxHQi8qd9rMn9TycEMqCP6FPDK-Jy5JiLUpxiB2SVyx9lq11jvb5adhEF4OM39iRHGVO19ZUTQATRDN4HnO-_WY9Bs6Pa-Mnk/s1600/Slingshot302aw-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXcGkuovEZZog9Xh3OPoWbbR8ZGtV3U1piaQgvlj_TIXxHQi8qd9rMn9TycEMqCP6FPDK-Jy5JiLUpxiB2SVyx9lq11jvb5adhEF4OM39iRHGVO19ZUTQATRDN4HnO-_WY9Bs6Pa-Mnk/s400/Slingshot302aw-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the main compartment fully opened. A 17-85 is mounted on the camera in the center, the 10-22 is to the right, and the 70-200 F4L is under the shelf on the left. Mini survival kit is the orange thing at the back on the right. There is still plenty of room on top of the 70-200 for a flash or, in my case, a very compact extra jacket often lives there. Note that the dividers can be positioned vertically for shorter lenses, as on the right side here or horizontally for longer lenses, as on the left side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iL45dtuNucd_p-cXnc7cJlm6tVsv_8fwMDKW0Mzx7ntGrhfDRtYO99dXHPqEmMfmgGlAAtMKYKC2ZjasqtkaAvGZofZcxMg_wkRb0Z2B15q63B0eAnYA4gjRqWoTCMzCInyCP6mYqZM/s1600/Slingshot302aw-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iL45dtuNucd_p-cXnc7cJlm6tVsv_8fwMDKW0Mzx7ntGrhfDRtYO99dXHPqEmMfmgGlAAtMKYKC2ZjasqtkaAvGZofZcxMg_wkRb0Z2B15q63B0eAnYA4gjRqWoTCMzCInyCP6mYqZM/s400/Slingshot302aw-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's my "wildlife photography" configuration. By rearranging the velcroed partitions a little, I'm able to fit my hefty 400mm f5.6L lens on the left with a little space left on top of it. The 70-200 F4L is mounted on the camera in the middle, with plenty of space on top of that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrAOlkPTxyyWZCI2QuZ0oyVw2oNHD9k1G5MJJIHJtFTgoz9M-Zc6ph6C_fFvD9to7KDBI331lCDV-wgiwQH3cRer2OgArSGkyfctXw10JTuT2t8XG6WLe0mRCu76TK7kfNE5NvomTQl0/s1600/Slingshot302aw-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrAOlkPTxyyWZCI2QuZ0oyVw2oNHD9k1G5MJJIHJtFTgoz9M-Zc6ph6C_fFvD9to7KDBI331lCDV-wgiwQH3cRer2OgArSGkyfctXw10JTuT2t8XG6WLe0mRCu76TK7kfNE5NvomTQl0/s400/Slingshot302aw-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the inside of the top. Just big enough for those all-important snacks. Mesh pocket is along the back wall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm0jrD_ZzvzTD8gArhWIrYtB46FPA-RF8VxTEvatSyNDupqPgeh_XM9skg8WyOuGVVywl691sOq7-1y4M4zhcMXf7QK2Zw3PV7RQ4Wy-7IgOvVtP9kpnwiyjGRoMhnMuzSpcOTkHXnBE/s1600/Slingshot302awb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm0jrD_ZzvzTD8gArhWIrYtB46FPA-RF8VxTEvatSyNDupqPgeh_XM9skg8WyOuGVVywl691sOq7-1y4M4zhcMXf7QK2Zw3PV7RQ4Wy-7IgOvVtP9kpnwiyjGRoMhnMuzSpcOTkHXnBE/s400/Slingshot302awb2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For more info and to see the bag actually in action, check out <a href="http://products.lowepro.com/product/SlingShot-302-AW,2193,4.htm">Lowepro's site</a> (and no, they didn't pay me to post this! I just liked their bag.) Note that they now have an even bigger model, the 350AW, which can also hold a laptop.</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-74342548144440823262011-03-20T15:26:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:16:17.726-08:00Quick trip after work - Sapsucker WoodsSapsucker Woods is a bird sanctuary in Ithaca owned by Cornell University, home of the the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There is a beautiful visitor's center and a number of trails including one around a large pond with numerous bird viewing possibilities. (<a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1576">Click here for more information on Sapsucker Woods</a>.) My wife and I thought we'd go for a quick walk after work and before dinner, and since I'd been wanting to get some more experience with the "new" 400mm lens, Sapsucker was an ideal location. Betsy could walk the trails while I toodled along by the pond. This was the first time out on a trail with the 400mm lens, and I must confess, it was more awkward than I'd anticipated, and after the first set-up and take-down, I left it on the camera, on the fully-extended tripod, and just carried the whole assembly around. Fortunately, late in the day on a Friday, the trails weren't exactly brimming with people, so I had no opportunity to poke anyone unexpectedly with my gear. About a third of the way along the trail around the pond I stopped at a viewing station that had an excellent view to the east across the water, lit nicely by the late afternoon sun. After a somewhat frantic day at work it was a little hard to settle into a peaceful state where I was atune to what was around me, but eventually the natural world began to seep in and I stood for a good 45 minutes just taking it all in. Somewhere along the line a heron swooped in low over the water, landing on an old nest high in a dead tree. It stood there, motionless, for quite awhile, then it was joined by another heron, apparently its mate. Evidently they were shopping for a nest, and that one wasn't their style, so they both moved on to another old nest, high in a different tree, where they remained until after sunset. They were pretty far away, but the 400mm got them quite a bit closer, and some cropping of about 50% or a little more made these shots possible.<br />
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F6.3, 1/2500th second, ISO 400, Canon 60D:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGAu2YMuPW8wgEXdHRr-qemclIra_r2q_Rp6xgb-I9O5xJJGgBeWh4MUvNcrRbVSxlzDAtf40BAH_4emCzZ9xxy84vx02fnm2PRzlel_cF231Q8I-xUxwJmJNav_IWR4Ci15oWCPI2Vs/s1600/SapsuckerHerons-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGAu2YMuPW8wgEXdHRr-qemclIra_r2q_Rp6xgb-I9O5xJJGgBeWh4MUvNcrRbVSxlzDAtf40BAH_4emCzZ9xxy84vx02fnm2PRzlel_cF231Q8I-xUxwJmJNav_IWR4Ci15oWCPI2Vs/s400/SapsuckerHerons-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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F6.3, 1/2000th second, ISO 400, Canon 60D:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mYlfOa411NnHogbhNdL_m1yX2uIhHWqSHL_zb9xpuMmJW-YMkfhCdzaY-9_1KTMjW4D_5jUXNBrX41rSc6C_zzWD_1EpTEn5tj5ep1TB8kkrusGqCDI2d0DZUtZejRH96c9SxbS4bVQ/s1600/SapsuckerHerons-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mYlfOa411NnHogbhNdL_m1yX2uIhHWqSHL_zb9xpuMmJW-YMkfhCdzaY-9_1KTMjW4D_5jUXNBrX41rSc6C_zzWD_1EpTEn5tj5ep1TB8kkrusGqCDI2d0DZUtZejRH96c9SxbS4bVQ/s400/SapsuckerHerons-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course, birds aren't the only items of interest at Sapsucker for nature watchers... 1/60th second, F6.3, 400mm, ISO 400, Canon 60D:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSKAMfo1ZrR4jrxWZyH-dW9-E4qzdjESmjRcAipZFo7IIcJ3lg4suNQgZOdKUHCHdvJjn4y8fvjLJGfpZnjwvw4_bczatDJuWlKmZ1AzIX80-DBJB4J8RqReKMMG05z4kjAedUmjVlsY/s1600/Mr.Chippy-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSKAMfo1ZrR4jrxWZyH-dW9-E4qzdjESmjRcAipZFo7IIcJ3lg4suNQgZOdKUHCHdvJjn4y8fvjLJGfpZnjwvw4_bczatDJuWlKmZ1AzIX80-DBJB4J8RqReKMMG05z4kjAedUmjVlsY/s400/Mr.Chippy-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-60182308936806432772011-03-18T19:16:00.000-07:002012-12-09T13:16:41.492-08:00Finger Lakes Gorges in Winter - Robert TremanOne last "gorges in winter" entry. Good thing too... it feels like spring today!<br />
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Robert Treman is just outside Ithaca on route 13 going southwest toward Elmira, and encompasses the gorge known as Enfield Glen. There are two sections, separated by a couple miles of trail or a few more miles of steep, winding road. Both the lower and upper areas are worth a visit in winter but it's the spectacular upper region, with 115' Lucifer Falls, that is the main topic today. Usually a small amount of parking lot is plowed at the upper area, near an old grist mill. Follow the main trail over a bridge by the picnic shelter, and take the rim trail where it diverges to the right. (If you get on the wrong path you'll soon come to an iron gate barring access to the gorge proper in winter due to dangerous conditions because of ice.) The rim trail winds around through the woods for half a mile or so, then comes out at an open promontory almost directly over Lucifer Falls, with an unparalleled view down the deepest part of the gorge. Late morning is a great time to be here in winter for photography. Take in the view here, but don't turn back yet. Continue on as far as the trail allows in winter and you'll be at the overlook directly across from Lucifer Falls. For winter gorge viewing, it doesn't get any better than this. This spot always puts me in the mind of Middle Earth and perhaps the Mines of Moria!<br />
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The shot below is processed with HDR, using Photomatix. This is four shots, each 1 stop apart, with 1 under, 2 over, and 1 right on. This is not my usual procedure for HDR, where I take three shots, 2 stops over, 2 under, and 1 right on, but this was early on in my experimentation with HDR. More on HDR and Photomatix in a future post, but for now, suffice it to say that in the absence of HDR, either the upper canyon walls were washed out and over-exposed or the botton section was an inky pit of dispair. This shot used Exposure Fusion, so not strictly HDR, actually, but a technique that takes the midtones of each photo and combines them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotgTJYIb_hsisVO2O-lrejPUwdbZMWyJC_47cYeNyfDnxQmhOVHlkHPLXc04OGz_I5DE_f1t1rN-fKg6XCisi5FGmkkaG7RTNsBqAM-sxbCHCgOqdGTQOz5VSM7czVtpol9ZDM9dnwvw/s1600/GripOfWinter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotgTJYIb_hsisVO2O-lrejPUwdbZMWyJC_47cYeNyfDnxQmhOVHlkHPLXc04OGz_I5DE_f1t1rN-fKg6XCisi5FGmkkaG7RTNsBqAM-sxbCHCgOqdGTQOz5VSM7czVtpol9ZDM9dnwvw/s400/GripOfWinter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mistlightandstone.com/Finger-Lakes-of-New-York/Treman-State-Park/5697832_gznPk#348303595_89Z87">To see more photos of Treman State Park, click here.</a></div>
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This is the last of this series on gorges in Winter in the Finger Lakes. Now, moving on to spring! Oh, wait... it's snowing outside again...</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-25091263985747858092011-03-08T17:26:00.000-08:002012-12-09T13:16:57.777-08:00Finger Lakes Gorges in Winter - Watkins Glen<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Continuing our tour of gorges in winter... Watkins Glen isn't just about race cars! There is a "glen" in Watkins Glen, for which the town is named. The glen is an amazing narrow, serpentine crevice, winding 400 feet up past 19 waterfalls and 200 foot cliffs. For the photographer, endless opportunities abound among the natural scenery, as well as the beautiful CCC-era stonework of the paths and bridges. Each gorge in the Finger Lakes seems to have its own personality, and this one seems deeply mysterious and other-worldly to me. Of course, on a fine summer day when it's filled with hundreds of people, this popular local attraction does lose some serenity! I've found three ways to avoid the crowds myself - go mid-week, preferably before noon (the gorge faces roughly east so it gets in the morning). Alternatively, go in the rain (actually some of my best shots have been on days when it's lightly raining). Lastly, go in the winter. A good way to access the gorge in winter is by parking at the South Pavilion. Walk down behind the pavilion itself, to the bridge across the gorge for a great view down to the stream. All trails in the gorge itself are closed in winter, but the bridge connects with the Indian Trail which runs along the north rim and which is open, affording some great views. The first photo below is from the bridge looking east, and the second, from an overlook on the Indian Trail. <a href="http://www.mistlightandstone.com/Finger-Lakes-of-New-York/Watkins-Glen-State-Park/5697836_w5vdG#1099257797_Wh55h">To see more photos of Watkins Glen, click here.</a> Note that one of the photos at that linked page is shot from the same spot on the Indian Trail, but in the fall!<br />
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28mm, F4.5, 1/80th, ISO 50, Konica Minolta A200:<br />
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26mm, F7.1, 1/80th second, ISO 100, Canon Rebel XTi:</div>
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Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5529902209643201203.post-91248381344069239882011-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:002012-12-09T13:17:18.397-08:00Finger Lakes Gorges in Winter - Taughannock FallsThis is not my favorite time of year. Day after day of gray skies and snow showers, single digit temperatures, layers of clothes, short days... But Ithaca is within easy driving distance of a number of spectacular gorges, some of which are well worth a visit even in winter. Most trails are closed this time of year due to icy conditions but for the next few entries here I'll detail 3 gorges where a photographer can safely get some unsual winter gorge shots without putting themselves in danger.<br />
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First on the list is Taughannock Falls. At 215 feet, Taughannock is one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Rockies, and presents an awesome sight. Where most Finger Lakes gorges are quite narrow, Taughannock is wider than a super highway, and the bottom is very flat (although the sides are extremely steep, with 400 foot cliffs in some places.) This makes the 3/4 mile hike into the falls accessible all year round, a boon for winter nature photographers. The trail can be a bit slippery, so hiking boots are highly recommended, and even snowshoes or skis wouldn't be amiss. The view is always different each time, but here's what we found at the end of our trip last Saturday. Note that for those who do not wish to hike in, there is an overlook along the rim trail on the north side that can be driven to for a slightly different but no less dramatic view. A few parking spots are kept plowed in winter, but the road going to the overlook is steep and winding, and right after a snowstorm may be slippery.<br />
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In these photos, bear in mind that normally the waterfall goes straight into the stream. In winter though, a tremendous ice dome develops beneath the falls. This year it seems to be at least 50 feet high! For scale, note my wife along the trail at the lower right!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mistlightandstone.com/Finger-Lakes-of-New-York/Taughannock-Falls-State-Park/5697797_KRfW8#348283229_QKiS4">See more of Taughannock by clicking here.</a></div>
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Next time, a little further afield - Watkins Glen, an amazing sight in winter!</div>
Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638125600720047060noreply@blogger.com0