Fall Colors in Acadia Nat'l Park - Creating a mood with color and contrast

Today I was analyzing each photograph from my 4 days in Acadia National Park for composition and sharpness.  I chose a few images to play around with.  I balanced the color, the contrast, the highlights and the shadows.
Then I started to enhance the overall feeling of the images. I  began to play with color and contrast.  I began to break some rules.  It was fun and I was in the "zone".  I felt tuned in to the mood of each photograph.  I enhanced that mood in my digital darkroom.  
                                  

Thomas Bay - The Narrows

"I am sure the next step will be the electronic image, and I hope I shall live to see it.  I trust that the creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop."  
~Ansel Adams

I feel very happy with the photographs I have created today.  That creation began outdoors with my camera on a tripod in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I finished the creative process today with my computer much as Ansel Adams did in his darkroom.

"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance."  ~Ansel Adams

Eagle Lake - sunset

                   

Ferns near the Park Loop Road.

Birches - Acadia Wild Garden.

Photography is an art form.  It is not only the faithful rendering of what we see in the world - we can leave that to the photo-journalists.  It is the creative expression of what we have recorded with our cameras.  As such it is unique to each photographer.

Please leave a comment if you like my work and visit my website at kmilsteinphotography.com.

Photographing A Beach Wedding!

Portrait photography is not my first love.  I am happiest above the tree-line knowing I got there by my own steam.
So why did I shoot a beach wedding?  Many photographers support themselves with portrait photography.  It pays the bills.  It's a challenge, it's fun and people are endlessly interesting.  Luckily, I'm retired and I don't need to do portraits.  But... I'm finding out about the fun.  And I'm learning a lot about photography as I do it!

The photographs are my wedding gift to the bride and groom.

How did I prepare myself?  What are the major things a photographer needs to think about when shooting a wedding?  Here's the short list:
~ Know the sequence of events of the ceremony.
~Who is in the wedding party?  Who is family?
~Familiarize yourself with the location and plan your shots.
~If it's a large wedding you will need two people with cameras.
~Pray for overcast skies or at least lots of clouds, no sun (white dresses and sun don't get along)
~Indoors? Learn to use your flash well!
~Ask the bride what she wants and how close to them you can get.
~Look at lots of photos online for inspiration.

It was great and I had a wonderful time capturing their special moments.  The best part is that they love the photos!

The Marsh - November and December - Vote for your favorite month!

East Meadow River Marsh: Haverhill, Massachusetts.  A beautiful, unspoiled and undeveloped piece of nature that became my photographic project for the entire year of 2014.  Busy Rt. 110 literally crosses over it on its way from Rt. 1 in Salisbury west through Haverhill and on.  

Every week (I missed a few, I admit) I stopped by the marsh with my camera.  As the year went on I felt a growing sense of propriety.  "My marsh" I would say to friends. 

Here it is!  My last blog post for the year - November and December.  Look back at the other marsh posts and vote for your favorite by leaving a comment!

Reflection of exploding, brown cattails. Nov. 4

Yellow leaves and berries almost gone from the oft photographed bush. Nov. 4

A foggy day, my favorite! Golden browns with a hint of green. Nov. 12

A dusting of snow and ice changes the scene entirely. Winter on the way. Nov. 26

The marsh becomes monochromatic in late fall and winter. Nov. 26 

December - will there be snow or a deep freeze?  Wish I could string holiday lights from branch to branch!  Or tie glitzy bows around the trunks.  What am I saying?  I love this marsh exactly as it is!

2 weeks later there is not much difference.  December looks like November! Dec. 12

A different perspective - all reflection. Dec. 12

Only the evergreens look alive.  Animals burrow under. Dec. 15

Dec. 15

The decay of fall is incased in ice.  Dec. 30

I will cast the first vote.  I vote for May!  I loved the changes that happened so rapidly in that month.  What do you think?  Vote!  What was your favorite month at the marsh?

Hunter's Beach - Hidden Gem of Acadia

The trail to Hunter's Beach is easy.  The footing is tricky.  Wet roots provide the biggest challenge.  It follows a lovely little brook through dense forest to a cobble beach opening directly onto the Gulf of Maine.  The beach is a great place to catch the sunrise and see smooth cobbles, chunks of bedrock polished by the tireless waves.
You cannot get there on the Loop Road.  Instead, take Rt. 3 south from Bar Harbor towards Seal Harbor.  Turn left onto a small road angling towards the ocean which later reconnects to Rt. 3.  Look sharp as you are liable to miss the tiny parking lot at the trail head.  Down the road a bit you can find the trail head to the cliff trails or you can start up from the beach and climb the cliff trail.

Hunter's Head will be to your left.

Hunter's Cliff trails to the right offer exciting views of the beach and the ocean.

Hardly anyone knows about this peaceful little corner of Acadia.  Finding it feels like wonderful discovery all your own.
The cliffs are not for faint of heart.  One can walk out onto to rocky ledges for a wonderful view.

View of Hunter's Head

Close up of the lichen and moss on the cliffs.

The Marsh - September and October

September 16

Autumn months arrive and the marsh colors are slowly desaturating.  Colors are a little browner and the cattails explode in fluffy beige seeds.  The foliage starts to fade away as birds fly southward maybe pausing at the marsh for a day or two.  The trees are beginning to turn to their fall colors and I am anticipating some bright fall photographs.

September 16

The red berries have popped out on the bush that I usually put in the foreground.  This shot at sunset shows how much of the grasses are starting to die away.  

In October I ventured into the woods that are off to the left of the shot above.  It's a little easier now to make my way off the path and explore what the marsh looks like farther away from the road.

October 3

This is fun!  A new perspective!  Yet I am within 5 yards of the water.  I wonder what it will look like back here in December.  I will have to wait.  

October 3

Here come the reds and yellows in the trees.  A nice contrast to the blue water.  It's amazing how different this shot looks from just 2 months ago.  

October 10

A week later the marsh looks almost exactly the same in the shot above but now look down to the foggy day five days later and the trees have lost many more leaves.  Fall colors are rampant!  The berry bush in the foreground turned to yellow and red.  I wonder why the birds haven't eaten the berries?

October 15

October 15

When it's a foggy day just grab the camera and go!  Easier said than done!  I have gone to work or appointments many times rather than shoot.  But I love to shoot on foggy days!

These are my last photographs for October.  I planned a trip to Acadia National Park to hike with the family.  We viewed the Milky Way from the top of Cadillac Mountain.  Fabulous!  I need a lesson in how to photograph stars!