This Saturday I had the opportunity to photograph an amazing football game while working for Independence Sports Magazine. The event was at Highpoint Stadium in New Jersey and it was a blast! In a nutshell the Scarlet Knights charged to victory with a come from behind win against the Razorbacks 28-24. Rutgers was down 24-7 and then dominated the second half of play.
One funny thing while I was at the game: When Rutgers scores, there is a canon that is fired in the stadium. I was unaware of the tradition and when it first happened I was about 20 yards away from it. The roar almost knocked me over! I took a picture of the ritual later in the game. Here are my pictures from the game via Independence Sports Magazine.
Fields of Yellow
I didn’t even notice them at first. I was stopped at a red light and glanced to my right. There they stood. Thousands of them, with their gazes fixated in the sky above. They looked like rows of disordered people with shining faces, waiting for something monumental to happen. The field stretched into the distance, displaying blooming sunflowers for acres. I think it’s an optimistic way to start the weekend.
I took this picture using a long lens (Sigma 300mm f/2.8) knowing how lenses with greater magnification tend to compact the depth of the landscape. I felt it would accentuate the feeling I had seeing the endless forest or bright yellow flowers all jumbled upon one another.
Nikon D800 Sigma 300mm f/2.8 @ 300mm f/8 ISO 100 1/400 sec.
Who Needs Blue Skies?
As wonderful as it is to wander outside, soaking in the Sun’s rays, basking in it’s warm glow, often this is not the best time to photograph the landscape. Drama in the sky above gives depth and detail to what is often a field of endless blue. During our trip to Acadia we were fortunate to have some weather roll in as we toured around Mount Desert Island. The rocks had been bathed in a soft mist earlier in the morning and sprinkles would occasionally patter on our raincoats, reminding us to take extra care with our footsteps. Looking out over the Atlantic, with the heavens churning, presented an amazing view of nature’s palette. We paused at inviting locations and composed images of the coming storm for an exciting half hour when the drizzle became more intense. This picture was my favorite from the fleeting moments spent on the rocks beside an intensifying ocean.
Nikon D800 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm f/13 ISO 100 5 image HDR
#TravelTuesday Sand Beach Acadia National Park
At first I thought it was redundant, Sand Beach, but then I realized that this beach is the only waterfront in Acadia that is sandy. Tiny shells and ocean pounded rocks make up this soft beach. Sand is unique to this area of Mount Desert Island which lures many tourists. If you want to spend time digging your toes in the shoreline or create castles from the terrain of Acadia, you have to visit Sand Beach. Access to the ocean is easy but be prepared. Even at the height of Summer the temperature barely reaches 55 degrees.
The first morning we were there the sky was thick with clouds. Sprinkles would occasionally splatter our faces but the low lying precipitation gave me a nice opportunity to do a little long exposure work. I combined a few different images, one long exposure and one fast to give a dreamy yet defined look to this picture, and then converted the piece to black and white.
I also liked the look of the soft green seaweed draped over the rounded rocks being washed by the incoming tide. So I clicked away trying to capture a moment in the life of a million year old shoreline.
The view of the beach from the Loop Road of the park shows its placement being nestled away in the recesses of Newport Cove.
Nikon D800 and various lenses
Preview
For a photographer Autumn brings the promise of color and variation in the landscape. A few weeks ago, while visiting Acadia, I was able to glimpse a sneak peek at the approaching excitement. White trunks and dark shadows give excellent contrast to the vibrant greens, yellows, and oranges of the leaves in the picture below. Maine, being North of us here in Pennsylvania, goes through the passage to Fall before us, but our trip was still a bit premature to see the upcoming season. It was only by luck I noticed this grove, and my excitement for the approaching season blossomed. I’m ready for Autumn.
Nikon D800 Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 @ 200mm f/9 ISO 100 1/100 sec