The other day I went out to Phinizy Swamp, a beautiful nature preserve in Augusta, GA. I hadn’t been there in years but it didn’t disappoint, although it was very overgrown, as it is in the Summer. Once the cooler weather hits, it is much more beautiful and nuanced regarding the different colors. Things that were covered up in the Summer stand out because they are not impeded by the overgrowth. I still managed to get a few good shots showing just how lovely and peaceful it is there. If you’re a nature photographer this is the absolute best.
Jersey Shore
This picture was taken on an unusually warm May day. As you know, May can be a fickle month in New Jersey, where one day it is warm and next it is very chilly. On this day, it was close to 90, which was very unusual. But I took advantage of it by capturing many beach and boardwalk images. This picture shows the coaster and wooden pier alongside a lone man with a knapsack walking the beach. In my mind, he seemed homeless, as if his knapsack held his possessions and clothes. I have no idea what was in his mind, but the scene left me with a lonely feeling.
Eclipse 2017
I went to South Carolina to see the total eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. It was an amazing experience to try to photograph this event. It was not easy and I struggled with finding the sun, with my special glasses and filter on my camera. I had to use the Live View feature on the camera because I could not look through the viewfinder. It was challenging and I didn’t think to remove the filter to capture the totality–it is very dark so I did not need the filter. As a result, I didn’t get that picture–disappointing. However, I did get some and the weather really cooperated that day, although clouds were predicted. Just before the eclipse the sky cleared out. During totality, everything went dark and the crickets started chirping, so weird. I was with very lovely people to make the day one to never forget.
Sunsets
I was in the midst of an amazing sunset while I was in a lighting class. I know I should’ve been focused on the class (and I was) but I was very distracted by the gorgeous sunset that was unfolding. It was a cloudy day and had just rained and, in my opinion, that is the absolute best time to get sunsets. When it is too overcast, it is hard to get a good sunset shot, but when the sky is full of roiling billowy white and gray puffy clouds, the colors of red, gold yellow, and orange mix in the clouds creating an amazing image. The first few were taken after a rain in, of all places, a parking lot. The next batch were taken at Brick Pond Park about 7:30 – 8 pm on a Saturday night. Beauty can be seen anywhere and a few of these were taken right in my neighborhood at sunset.
Brick Pond in Winter
Brick Pond park is so beautiful in the fall and I’ve gotten so many pictures of that time of the year. But, much to my surprise, it also has its own charm in the Winter. Here are several photos of Brick Pond in the Winter. It was a bit cloudy on the day I took these photos, which is better because you get the white fluffy clouds in the sky. It is prettier then if the sky were all blue.