I’m just a little embarrassed to say that that is my first weblog put up since June 2023. What can I say, I’ve had a number of private stuff and different pursuits take precedence over writing weblog posts. I’ve at all times been a proponent of following your coronary heart and doing what you need at any given time in your reside, and after recovering from shoulder surgical procedure final summer season, I used to be far more into using my mountain bike than sitting at my desk writing weblog posts.
However, I’ve missed it. I really love writing, and whereas I’ve been doing different forms of artistic writing throughout the previous yr, I’ve missed this common artistic and psychological outlet that has happy an enormous a part of my reside throughout the previous 15 plus years.
So, I’m again at it at the moment with some model new photographs. I just lately spent three weeks in upstate New York, which kicked off with a day journey to Niagra Falls. I visited this place as soon as earlier than once I was a child, and even then it was a spectacular sight. Imagine the identical child 50 years later, however with a digital camera.
Walking round all day, on each the American and Canadian aspect, I shot a whole bunch of photographs the Fujifilm X-T50 physique {that a} buddy loaned me, and three lenses, the 16m f/2.8, 35mm f2 and 70-300mm. I beloved utilizing the X-T50, (right here’s my first look assessment of the X-T50), particularly the devoted “film simulation dial,” and that trio of lenses was an ideal combo. I usually say that for any journey or pictures outing, so long as you might have extensive, center and lengthy, then you definately’re coated for absolutely anything. No want to hold greater than you want, proper?
However, if you’re at a spot like Niagra Falls with tens of 1000’s of different folks, and you’ve got only a few distinctive vantage factors, and there are already hundreds of thousands of images of the falls, how do you provide you with one thing distinctive, or not less than intriguing to your individual eyes and artistic mind?
This is the place lengthy lenses actually shine. Aside from letting you get rid of all the opposite vacationers and buildings in your photographs, you may zoom in and compose on particular parts of the falls. One of my favourite compositional strategies in pictures is the idea of abbreviation, the place you select bits and items of the principle topic that recommend the bigger scene. This strategy labored very well right here, and I’m happy with the photographs I used to be capable of seize.
I additionally loved taking part in round with the totally different movie sims, which additionally provides a substantial amount of distinctive creativity to your photographs. The photograph above was shot with Classic Neg movie sim, whereas this one beneath was ACROS black and white. Overall, this can be a very monochromatic scene, however the totally different colour palettes add a slight distinctive high quality to every photograph.
I’m fascinated by the geological side of the of the falls, and of all the Finger Lakes space, the place we spent most of our trip. When the large ice sheets that after coated this space retreated about 10,000 years in the past, the left behind a panorama stuffed with mountains, steep gorges and quite a few massive lakes, together with the Great Lakes themselves, which comprise 20% of the world’s contemporary water, all of which flows over Niagra Falls at a price of over three thousand tons of water per second.
Living right here in Alaska, we have now glaciers only a few miles away from our doorstep, and I discover them as usually as I can with my little Cessna bush airplane. Of course, even with more and more hotter temps yearly, it’s nonetheless going to take a really very long time for all of our glaciers to soften, however once they have completed carving up the panorama up right here, what’s going to it seem like? Interesting issues to ponder…
One of probably the most memorable side about today was capturing photographs of different folks having fun with their go to to the falls. After watching one couple awkwardly making an attempt to take a selfie, I provided my companies, which started a 15 minute session of me capturing portraits of individuals and {couples} with their telephones, some at my very own providing, and some others who watched kind the aspect earlier than garnering up the braveness to ask me for his or her flip. It was enjoyable to share my expertise on this approach, understanding that theses strangers will go residence with an important photograph of themselves in entrance of this wonderful pure surprise.
Anyway, I hope you take pleasure in these photographs. Thanks for studying and in your understanding throughout my lengthy absence from the weblog. I promise I received’t let that a lot time go once more earlier than my subsequent put up.
