Lensbaby Urban Photo Safari

Please check out my weekly blog post at www.gerryvphotography.com. Enjoy and Happy Monday!

Sunset at Mount Desert Island

Nikon D80, 1/30 sec at F/8, 70mm, ISO 400, Singh-Ray 3 Step Reverse ND Grad

Now lets revisit Acadia National Park. This was our third day of camping at MDI and this was taken at the top of Cadillac Mountain at sunset. It was an amazing day, we hiked the Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail which started from Blackwood campground, where we were camping, up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was about 6 to 7 mile hike round trip. The trail was just awesome, we were hiking at the ridge of the mountain and the views from the trail was just breath taking. One of many good things about Cadillac Mountain was you can hike up to the top or you can drive. After a full day of hiking I went back at sunset to take some photograph. The color of sky was just amazing that whole day. It had been raining the day before and I was so happy to have this wonderful day and then the sunset did not disappoint. As you can see from the photo the sky was like a painter’s palette so colorful and beautiful. I did not have to do much post processing on this photo just white balance adjustment and a little bit of tone adjustment. It was just a perfect sunset. I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I did photographing it. Please leave or send comments questions. Please check out my new website/blog at www.gerryvphotography.com

Cooper Lake

Nikon D80 1/25 sec at f/11, ISO 100, 18-70mm, 1.8 ND Filter, Circular Polarizer

I’m spending some time in Woodstock, NY this week so I’m posting this picture I took this past weekend. I’m also testing some new equipment for this shot. I recently got a B+W 1.8 Neutral Density Filter at my favorite store B&H. This is my first time using this kind of filter. I wanted to play around with long exposures and this would also help with taking photographs during bright sunny day like this photo. This was taken around 5pm on a very bright sunny day. I’ve been around Cooper Lake several times but this is the first time I’m photographing it. I used the 1.8 ND Filter and stacked it with circular polarizer to deepen the blue in sky and the water. I’m very happy with the results. You could still see the details in the sky and the reflection on the lake without blowing it out. I hope you like it and please leave comments and questions.

Please check out my new website at www.gerryvphotography.com this will eventually replace this blog site. I will keep updating both sites for several weeks while I work on finishing up the new website. Please keep visiting both sites. Thanks!!

Sleepy Hollow

Nikon D80, 1/1000Sec, f/1.8, ISO 800, 50 MM

I’m taking a break from Acadia National Park photographs and I’m going back several months for this photo. We were around Sleepy Hollow during Halloween last year and decided to walk around the famous Sleepy Hollow cemetery. It was a beautiful cemetery, the trails in and around the cemetery was just visually amazing. The color of the trees were still changing and the elaborate mausoleums were just fantastic. The few notable people that we saw at cemetery ranged from Walter Chrysler, commissioned the Chrysler Building and founded the Chrysler Corporation, to Leona Helmsley, who bequeathed $12 million to her dog. The Helmsley mausoleum was specially memorable because it had a stained-glass panorama of the Manhattan skyline. I had a great time photographing the cemetery, with this photo I love the different color of the trees, the dried leaves on the ground, the S shape curve of the road and the row of headstones on the right side of the picture. I specially like this picture because if you don’t look hard enough you can’t tell that it’s a cemetery. Well I hope you like it as much as I do. Please leave comments and questions. Have a great week.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Nikon D80, 1/2 sec at f/11, 56mm, ISO 200

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

This was our 4th day at Mount Desert Island and we had moved on to a motel from camping. What a relief! LOL. Bass Harbor Lighthouse was a little difficult to shot because first you have to find a good position among huge uneven boulders, second I had to carry all my equipment to the location and third it was dawn therefore it was getting dark. There was a short trail leading to this area but to get this shot I had to move closer to the water on to huge rocks. I was looking forward to shooting this lighthouse cause it’s the only lighthouse on the island and it’s also my first time photographing a working lighthouse. I had fun shooting this photo and I hope you guys like it. Happy viewing! As always please leave comments/questions.

Acadia National Park: Jordan Pond

Jordan Pond

I was amazed at the colors of this photograph. This was our last day of camping at Acadia National Park. This photo was taken at Jordan Pond while hiking around the perimeter of the pond. It was nice bright sunny day and I was amazed at how blue the sky was. I like the sweeping subtle cloud around the mountain and also how the blue sky reflected off the water. Enjoy and please leave questions/comments.

Acadia National Park: Sand Beach

Nikon D80, 48mm,1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200

This was my first time visiting Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. This photo was taken on our first day at Acadia National Park, it was a nice sunny and cool day. We were on a hiking trail called The Ocean Trail and the picture was of Sand Beach. This beach was interesting cause you see a lot of people on the beach but no one really goes for a swim in the water because the water is cold (<60F even in the summer time). I’m still in Maine and taking lots of photo to share with you. Remember this photo was just the first day of the trip, so watch out for more updates. Please leave comments and suggestions.

Hotlanta

Nikon D80, 50mm, 1/1600 sec at f/1.8, ISO 200

I shot this photograph while I was visiting my parents this past winter. This was my first time photographing the city of Atlanta. It’s a great city surrounded by quaint little neighborhoods. We were walking around Piedmont Park during a cloudy grey day and all of a sudden the color of the sky turned to this bright orange just before sunset. I just had to take a photo. I didn’t have my tripod so I was trying to figure out a way to stabilize my camera. I tried different settings and from a bunch of shots this was the best one. I don’t have vibration reduction on my 50mm lens, however I learned a technique from a workshop at B&H to rest your right elbow on to your rib/stomach area while holding the camera, then exhale and press the shutter. I took this photo with a 50mm prime lens because I was experimenting with just using one focal length for the whole day. It’s interesting experiment because you really have to move around your subject since there was no zoom, use different angles, different perspective and it really ignited my creativity. This lens was amazing, very crisp, and very fast. Near by Piedmont Park was this neighborhood called Virginia Highland. It’s nice neighborhood full of young and hip folks with a large variety of shops, restaurants and a active nightlife. I hope you like the photograph as much as I enjoyed making it. Happy viewing! As always please leave questions and comments.

Spring at The High Line

Panasonic Lmix LX3, 5.1 mm, 1/2000 sec at f/2.0, ISO 100

Panasonic Lmix LX3, 5.1 mm, 1/2000 sec at f/2.0, ISO 100

Panasonic Lmix LX3, 5.1 mm, 1/2000 sec at f/2.0, ISO 100

I went for a walk at the High Line this week after a workshop at the Apple store. My DSLR is currently being serviced so I have my little Lumix LX-3 which is a great little camera that shoots RAW pictures. It was a sunny but chilly day, a great day to fly a kite. The High Line was full of spring flowers and people having lunch and just enjoying the nice chilly spring day. Hope you enjoy the pics. Let me know what you think of the pictures. Have a good one.

Town Square Gatlinburg Tennessee

Nikon D80, 50mm, 1/1250 sec at f/1.8, ISO 200

I love going to places that I’ve never been. And this picture was no different. This was my first time visiting Tennessee and the picture was taken in a little town called Gatlinburg. This town was located at the foot of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. There were lots of little shops and restaurants in town and it was also minutes away from Dollywood. I took this picture mid to late January that is why there were no people around but the great part was the Donut Friar was still open. They made fresh donuts every morning and it was yummy. Gatlinburg was a great little town to charge up for a full day of hiking at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I love the lines and the color combinations in this picture. I also like the movement of the water in the fountain and the red color of the The Donut Friar sign in the background. I hope you like it. Please leave me some comments and/or questions. Happy viewing!