Biting Flies Vs. Neutral Density Filters

Biting flies and neutral density filters... natural opposites.  Biting flies speed up a shoot, they quicken the pace, they ruin things.  Neutral density filters slow down a shoot, they slow the pace, and, if used properly, they make a picture where there wasn't one before.  Get my point?  Here is where the two intersect.

High Noon at Woodland Beach, DE
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If a person has not experienced the number of biting flies the Delaware Bay coast line can support then they are lucky.  Woodland Beach is about 15 minutes from Bombay Hook.  Bombay Hooks is famous for its wildlife including its biting flies.  So, what is the one thing besides your camera you should always take?  Bug spray of course!  What did I forget?  Bug spray of course!  I abandoned Bombay Hook and looked for additional photo ops and ended up here at Woodland Beach.  The flies populated Woodland Beach as well, but when I spot a shot I am determined to capture it.

It is rare and almost taboo to shoot fine art color photography at noon.  You lose the shadows and tone of light that can make a photograph pop.  I decided to break the rules and lined up my shot.  I added about 7 stops of neutral density filters to allow the water to smooth out and the blues to saturate in the final image.  All the while the flies are swarming and attacking.  Had anyone been watching they would have seen me doing a dance during the 8 second exposures.  Sad thing is, I can't dance.  That is why I love being behind the camera, no silly videos of me trying to dance the flies off.  So, if you go to Bombay Hook in the summer, just remember the bug spray.  And neutral density filters.

Just as a reminder, I am running a sale at Benjamin DeHaven Photography for the month of August 2011.  Just enter in coupon code "tweet-tweet" in the checkout process to save 20% off any purchase over $15.  And I have recently begun offering my work in both limited edition as well as canvas forms.  Check it out and always, thanks for reading!

Amazing What You Find

The first step in a shoot is to find a place to go.  Today I decided to go to Fort Howard down near Essex, MD.  I did little research merely plucking the location off Google Maps because it was close and faced west.  I had even twittered asking for help finding a new secret location in the area but to no avail.  So I hopped in my car and off to Fort Howard I rode.  When I arrived the place seemed shut down with half the gate closed.  Not wanting to go in and get stuck (and not having a great feeling about the abandoned veteran hospital next door) I decided to leave.  I headed to my fallback location, a safe simple spot in Loch Raven reservoir.  Not too fancy, low risk low reward.

When I finally arrived at Loch Raven I had only minutes to spare before sunset.  I grabbed the camera and the dog and headed down towards the water.  Canadian Geese scattered as we approached.  I set up on the shore and begun working towards a final shot.  I just couldn't get what I was looking for.  I kicked off my shoes and into the water I went.  I was shooting this little clump of trees out in the water but was simply too far away to get them to really pop into the skyline.  So now I'm trudging through the muddy, seaweedy water towards the island.  Again, the Canadian Geese honked in disapproval and swam further away from me.  

About halfway up my legs I decided I was in the right spot.  I continued shooting the ever brightening sunset getting more and more happy with the shot I was getting.  Just like that it was over.  Everything was starting to fade fast.  I headed out of the water and walked back to my shoes.  So now I have muddy feet, muddy tripod, and very muddy dog.  As I walk back to the car I turned around...

And there it was, the shot that was even better then the one I went into the water after.  It is not fantastic, but it is nice.  Some nights nice is all you are going to get.  So I took a series of shots to turn into a panorama then continued to the car.  When I got home and cleaned up I edited my pictures.  Sure enough, the in the water shots were nice, but the panorama was better.  All that work, planning, researching, and driving and the shot I end up displaying was an afterthought.  A lucky turn around shot while walking away.  It's amazing what you find when you are not looking.  And its amazing when you get when you least expect it.  Again, as I always preach, you need to be ready for the moment whether you find the moment or the moment finds you.

Loch Raven Dusk
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Elakala Swirls

Elakala Swirls
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Here is another shot from my recent trip to Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  I have to admit, of all the waterfalls I have seen, Elakala Falls is by far my favorite.  And this recent adventure reminded me why.  After sliding down the muddy gorge and cutting my arm on a rock I reached the bottom of the falls.  When I got my camera out and identified the feature I wanted in the foreground suddenly the clouds broke and sun filled the gorge.  As you probably know, sun, waterfalls, and photography are a bad mix.

However, when the sun shown down into the gorge it lit up the falls and surrounding moss.  Elakala Falls took on a look that I had never seen before.  All the moss shown bright green like light through an emerald and the falls themselves started to shine and sparkle.  It was a sight that will stay with me for quite some time.  Luckily for the me the sun was coming and going so I had time to shoot a few exposures and was able to capture the swirls as well as the falls.  Sometimes while shooting, I overlook the beauty of what I am shooting while looking for leading lines and power shapes.  I need to slow down and take in the nature of the subject I am looking at and enjoy it for what it is.  I think this shot is great, but the memories of the sunlit Elakala is with me even when my computer is off.  Or I'm not looking at my living room wall... :)

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A Triumphant Return or Bear Rocks Sunrise

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Bear Rocks at Dolly Sod, WV

So, its been a spell since I last posted a blog but I'm back!  I spent some of my time away camping out at Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis, WV.  Early one morning I made a trek out of the campgrounds and towards Dolly Sod.  If you have never been to Dolly Sod you are in for quite the adventure.  You drive through rural back country roads until the road simply stops and turns to gravel.  Then you keep going up the side of the mountain.  Eventually you reach the mountain top and you travel about 8 miles along the crest of the Appalachian Front.  If you still keep on driving you will arrive at a parking lot just beyond a very unimproved camp ground.  You have now arrived at Bear Rocks.

Bear Rocks is windy.  First and foremost.  Second and secondmost it is covered in bushes.  Huckleberry and Blackberry bushes to be exact.  There are these strange paths between the bushes that are in effect a maze.  Every now and then you pass over a rock with little white rocklets that are sharp as razor blades.  So you are scratched by the bushes and cut by the rocks and if you are not careful you are also lost.  Added bonus, if you are there in the fall you are also covered in sticky berry juice.  

If you select the right combination of paths you will arrive at the eastern point of Bear Rocks which overlooks the valley and countless little mountain peaks.  And if your luck still holds out you might just witness an epic sunrise.  With the help and luck of the photo dog I arrived and the sunrise was spectacular.  This place is not for the faint, but it can be quite rewarding.  

Blackstone Summit, Shenandoah National Park

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Sometimes I get the bug to go out and look for new locations and take new pictures.  This was the case in early April of this year.  After a blitz of research on the web I decided on a "quick" 5 hour drive down Virginia's famous Skyline Drive.  I threw everything into the car including the photo dog and set off.

I must say, I have never seen more wildlife then I saw wondering the road of Skyline Drive at 3am.  Countless deer, 5 raccoons, and one skunk (luckily no bear, bears scare me.)  I also must say, if you are going to make the drive, make the drive during the daytime; the scenery is much better.  At any rate, I managed to avoid hitting any critters although I did slow down and stuck my head out the window to scare some of the passing deer.

I finally arrived at my chosen destination on milepost 85 at 4:25am.  I hoped out of the car and climbed into the back and took a one hour nap.  My phone alarm went off and we set off in search of the trail.  We crossed the road and started down a fire road.  Turned out this was just a fire road and didn't connect into any trails, I realized there was a problem when this road headed downhill and I was going to a place called "Blackstone Summit".  I scurried back up the hill and back into the parking lot where I spotted in the back corner what appeared to be a trail head.  Me and Sparky head up this trail which a signpost tells me connects with the Appalachian Trail.  We arrive at the top of the trail leaving only a 100 foot scamper up a rock strew field.  Now, Mr. Sparky is quite agile, even more so considering he is a 7 year old herding breed and not a mountain dog, but he was having trouble, I had to help him up to a spot where I could continue on to the top but still see him.  

So now I am at the top and I realize there is a problem.  There are clouds and they do not seem to be clearing.  That and the 30 mile an hour winds.  I tried to take a few low light shots of the mist in the valleys but they did not want to come out sharp with the winds vibrating my tripod.  I ended up having to switch to targets which could be captured with a shorter shutter speed.  I turned by back to the wind to shield the camera and pointed towards the growing glow in the east under the cloud layer.

This shot is a single image taken at 18mm at f/16 for 0.8 seconds.  

Red Bellied Woodpecker

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This is a red bellied woodpecker who lives in my backyard.  I've been chasing him for a couple months now and these are the best two shots of him that I've gotten as of yet.  It is a very shy bird, always peeking out from behind trees.

Birding can be a very rewarding, yet extremely difficult, genre of photography.  You must have one or both of two things...  You must have excellent field skills, able to sneak up and wait for your subject to show up.  Sometimes this involves erecting a blind so your subject cannot see you, other times this involves hunkering down and keeping extremely still.  The other option is a very long lens.  I shoot with a 500mm lens and ALWAYS wish it was longer.  Especially when shooting smallish birds like these woodpeckers or other song birds you can never have a big enough lens.

This is one of the main reasons I prefer larger birds.  Herons and Egrets are often massive, full grown have nearly a six foot wing span.  They also are usually very tolerant of a person sitting in a car taking pictures.  So find a bird, grab a bean bag, roll down the windows, and have yourself a party.  On a side note, the other thing I like about herons and egrets is they will eat anything they think has a vague chance of fitting down its throat.  Frogs, fish, voles, and ducks have all fallen prey to these wading birds.  In short, grab a camera and go outside, there are more targets then you can even imagine!

Turkey Point Lighthouse

Turkey Point Lighthouse, MD

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I always get excited on days when there is a sunny blue sky that is  scattered big puffy clouds.  These are the ingredients for a potential good sunset.  These were the conditions on February 18th, 2011.  So I collected my camera equipment and my dog, Sparky, and hopped in the car.  The destination was Turkey Point out near North East, Maryland.  Why name a town after a direction I don't know, it must lead to a lot of confusion...

I took the back roads from my house to avoid the toll at the Susquehanna River crossing.  When I got to the Conowingo Dam I of course stopped into the lot for a touch of eagle watching.  This time of year there are not too many eagles hanging around Conowingo because they are all paired up and perfecting their nests before the eggs arrive.

I knew there was a lighthouse out on Turkey Point but in reality I was hoping to get some great long exposure shots of the water as it lapped in on a rocky beach.  Turns out Turkey Point is up on a cliff, likely 100 foot cliff.  There were one or two spots where you could probably make it down the hill (getting back up is another matter) but the beach was made up of large rocks, a man made beach to stop erosion.  Not exactly pretty.  So me and Sparky headed back the trail to the lighthouse.  

We saw signs for a spot on the trail called "Hawk Fields".  I readied my 500mm lens and crept out of the woods as to not scare all the hawks.  Of course there were no hawks to be seen.  In fact, that field was strangely empty of any birds.  So on we hiked.  After about a mile we arrived at the lighthouse on the point.  I kept out the 500mm lens hoping for some sailboats to pass by, but again there were none to be seen.  In the end I plopped down on a bench and waited for sunset while keeping an eye out for passing boats.  The only boat to pass was a barge, a big ugly barge.

The clouds started to dissipate as the sun set lower.  Luckily there were still a few around when the sun lit up the western sky.  In the end the only wildlife I saw was a bunch of seagulls and a black rat snake sunning itself.  I got lucky that the clouds were still around at sunset and gave me a real nice show.  It is always wise to go into an area with an idea of what to look for for a great shot.  It is also wise to not force a shot but take what is given.

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