A Good Friday

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography
Dawn breaks over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York.

Dawn breaks over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 2.5s, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 82mm focal length, tripod.

Each year on Good Friday, I get up in time to arrive at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to watch the Sun rise.  It was around the freezing mark in temperature and, while the morning looked promising, clouds soon took over the sky.  The ducks, geese and other wildlife I have photographed for years seemed more shy this time.  Rarely coming in close enough to fill much of the frame.

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) perched at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) perched at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/500s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length.

I think part of the reason for why the wildlife was acting this way is the current work being done around the refuge.  Much of the habitat is being changed.  Water pools are being drained with new ones being created through the use of large earth moving equipment.  Tangled brush along the Wildlife Drive had been cut and removed.  Song birds like Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows I saw every few feet in years past were now separated in smaller areas about a hundred feet apart.  There were signs explaining these changes would produce a richer environment for the wildlife.  Time will tell.

A pair of Canada Geese make their presence known as they fly over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.

A pair of Canada Geese make their presence known as they fly over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 1800, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length.

I became more of an observer as I waited for photo opportunities.  I enjoyed the smells of the marsh, songs of the birds, splashing of the ducks and an occasional bird of prey soaring overhead. It was a nice respite from the day to day stresses of work.  I smiled thinking how a murky day here was better than any day back in the office.

Harrier hawk (Circus cyaneus) soaring over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York.

Harrier hawk (Circus cyaneus) soaring over the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Nikon D70/80-400VR, 1/1250s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length.

I wondered if the people whizzing by on the New York Thruway knew of all the sights they were missing at 65 miles per hour.  I then wondered if the Great Blue Heron who seemed to be watching the traffic as I was could be thinking the same thing.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stands on a muskrat mound at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge as traffic goes by on the New York State Thruway.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stands on a muskrat mound at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge as traffic goes by on the New York State Thruway. Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 4500, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length.

After I returned from my lunch break and time in the nearby Village of Seneca Falls, I spent the rest of the afternoon communing with the wild citizens of the refuge.  Renewing my spirit and making it a very good Friday.

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View 174: Bedford Falls

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

In 1946, the movie It’s A Wonderful Life introduced the world to Bedford Falls, New York.  A fictitious village in upstate New York which people living in Seneca Falls, New York thought looked very familiar.  Starting with the steel truss bridge over the Seneca River where the character George Bailey, played by actor Jimmy Stewart, was contemplating suicide.  That’s when an angel named Clarence jumped in to the river.  George went in after Clarence to save him totally changing George’s mental state of mind. This lead to the Angel Clarence giving George his wish to see life as if he had never been born.

The steel truss Bridge Street bridge spanning the Seneca River in Seneca Falls, New York.

The steel truss Bridge Street bridge spanning the Seneca River in Seneca Falls, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/80s, f/18, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 56mm focal length

The Village of Seneca Falls feels so strongly about being the model for Director Frank Capra‘s Bedford Falls they put these plaques on the Bridge Street bridge. Click the photo below to read what the plaque has to say.

Click Here to Read the Plaque.

A plaque on the steel truss Bridge Street bridge in Seneca Falls, New York proclaims it as one of the many similarities to the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/100s, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length.

To promote Seneca Falls as Bedford Falls, the village has several cues to the movie including street signs, shops and restaurants named for characters in the movie.  I found Clarence Street, Angel Avenue, banner for a play, a museum for the movie and ZuZu Café.  ZuZu was the name of George Bailey’s little girl who at the end of the movie said, “Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” Something Clarence earned by helping George during the movie.

Two indications of Seneca Falls, New York embracing the movie It's a Wonderful Life as part of its culture.

Two indications of Seneca Falls, New York embracing the movie It's a Wonderful Life as part of its culture.

In this age when industry has left small towns like Seneca Falls, I take my hat off to the people of Seneca Falls for creating a tourism destination throughout the year especially during the month of December when they annually put on the play Merry Christmas, George Bailey based on the movie.

A banner in the center of downtown Seneca Falls.

A banner in the center of downtown Seneca Falls. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 150mm focal length.

If you are driving down the New York State Thruway, take a detour at Exit 41 and visit Seneca Falls. See if you agree it’s a wonderful place to see.

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Too Much Blue

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

Last weekend I attempted to get the Moon set the morning after I took the Gibbous Moon.  Clouds came in which totally obscured the moon.  As long as I was up, I waited for the morning light near an old abandoned farm house.  The camera kept recording blue no matter what white balance setting I tried.

Blue light on an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York.

Blue light on an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 10s, f/16, ISO 400, EV +0.3, 85mm focal length, tripod

Times like this I wish I had remembered to bring the Expodisc with me.  Since I did not, I spent some time in Aperture 3.  Below I emphasized the lone green shutter above the door.  As long as I was going green, I tinted everything else green as well. Happy Earth Day!

Green light on an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York.

Green light on an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 13s, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 85mm focal length, tripod

The next one is a roof line of a building behind the farm house.  Using Aperture 3’s White Balance dropper, I changed the white balance to what I would say is the correct color.  You can see how overcast the morning was.

Color correct roof line of an abandoned farm building near Baldwinsville, New York.

Color correct roof line of an abandoned farm building near Baldwinsville, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 2s, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 300mm focal length, tripod.

About ten minutes before sunrise, there was some color to the sky.  I used a set of bracketed photos to really pull it out. Processed and tone mapped in Photomatix.  Otherwise, it would have looked like the first photo in this article, very blue.

HDR image of an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York.

HDR image of an old farm house near Baldwinsville, New York. Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/8, ISO 400, EV +0.3, 38mm focal length, tripod

Look at all that light pollution!  The farm house may be abandoned but it has very bright neighbors.  You can see the back bulding in the photo.

Lesson learned, I will be bringing the Expodisc and/or a gray card with me in the future.

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Little Missouri Bottomland

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

The Little Missouri River bottomland in the North section of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota from the Oxbow Overlook on the Scenic Drive. This day was a gift.  The temperatures where in the 70’s (F) in late September. A good 20 degrees above normal for the North section of the park.  This is about as colorful as autumn gets in the Badlands of North Dakota.

When photographing landscapes, you need to use f/16 or better to make sure you get everything in the focus plane from in close to the far away horizon.  Using the Nikon D700 digital SLR camera with the 28-300 VR Zoom Lens attached, I got into a low shooting position and took several photos from this outlook.  I was not feeling very well that day which is my only excuse for not doing a full panoramic set of photos. 😦

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Spring Scavenger Hunt

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

Blogmate Karma put up her April Photo Scavenger Hunt list which I copied to my trusty iPhone Notes app. There is still time to join in as the deadline is this Sunday, April 24, 2011.

This list was shorter but a bit harder to complete because of the cooler than normal weather which kept me either inside or the Spring growth under the ground and made trains very scarce.

1. Body of Water.  This one was easy.  Below is Mud Lake located at the Beaver Lake Nature Center and the location of my 5K walk a week and a half ago.

Mud Lake at the Beaver Lake Nature Center.

2. Train. This is as close as I got to a train.  I hope the bonus shot covers this one.

Railroad Crossing

3. Hood.  There are all kinds of hoods I could have photographed. The one I enjoy sitting behind is the classic hood of my Ford Mustang.

Hood of a Ford Mustang

4. Sprout. I first thought of the Jolly Green Giant’s sidekick for this one.  Yet, I knew Karma was going after new growth.  Not sure if this qualifies.  Found it on a walk through the woods.  Anyone know what this is?

Plant in the woods

5. Bud.  Staying away from the obvious Budweiser wiseshot, I went with a sign of Spring from the Beaver Lake Nature Center hike. A sugar maple (Acer saccharum) bud in early Spring.

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) bud in early Spring.

6. Basket.  Easter is coming up so here is what some lucky kids will be finding this weekend filled with goodies.

Stacked Easter baskets

7. Bunny.  In this case, bunnies.  Golden ones filled with Lindt chocolate.  Anyone want one?

Golden chocolate bunnies

BONUS!  Really, I do not see why everyone has so much trouble photographing these birds.  At the Beaver Lake Nature Center, they cater to them.

Male Northern Cardinal at feeder

Again, I was sweating it out at the end.  Had to rely on walking the mall for the Easter photos and never did see a train.  Looking forward to warmer weather for the next one, Karma!

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