Posts in Category: Acadia National Park
6/13/2009
The Bubbles over Jordan Pond
The Bubbles over Jordan Pond is a classic Acadia view. I have taken 30 or more shots from this spot over the years, each one distinctly different.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide. F5.6 @ 1/800th @ ISO 100. Programed Auto.
In Lightroom, just Recovery for the sky, added Clarity and Vibrance, and Landscape sharpen preset.
From Bar Harbor 08.
6/12/2009
The Bowl, Acadia National Park
I am in Acadia National Park for a few days, very likely without internet access, so I am preparing a few Pic of the Days drawing on my Acadia shots from last year about this time.
The Bowl is a small pond behind the Beehive.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide. F5.6 @ 1/500th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
In Lightroom, recovery for the sky and just my basic Clarity, Vibrance and Sharpen.
From Bar Harbor 08.
3/26/2009
Lichen Horns: Acadia National Park
One afternoon in Acadia National Park last summer I had what amounted to a macro holiday. There were mushrooms and lichen everywhere, and they were particularly photogenic (who knows why). You know how it works. You get tuned in. If you see one, if you see two, if you see three…then you are going to see hundreds because now you are looking for them. You are in macro mode. You are in the macro groove.
I found several stands of fruiting (flowering?) lichen, with bright red horns, and took maybe a dozen shots during the afternoom…widely spaced out among all the mushroom shots. This is my favorite.
One of the great things about the Sony H50 is that, at the wide end of the zoom, it focuses to 2 cm. That is really, really close. (In fact, once while shooting in the rain and fog, the very similar previous generation H9 focused on a water drop on the outer lens element, just for an instant.) Macro focus at longer focal lengths is equally impressive. There are challenges to working this close, but it is really great to be able to do it at all without special attachments.
The other great thing about the H50 is the built in, sensor shift, image stabilization. Stabilization makes shooting hand held at low shutter speeds possible (or much more possible). In the subdued light of the forest floor, stabilization gives you the freedom to work quickly and naturally, without complicated tripod set-ups.
One of the challenges of working close is not getting in your own light. What made this day ideal for macro work was that the light level was fairly bright, but high overcast above the tree canopy made the light diffuse. No heavy shadows and enough light to work. Ideal. I could generally find a well lighted angle on almost any macro subject.
For this shot, I backed off a bit from closest macro, and zoomed up to about 40mm equivalent to frame the full cluster of lichen.
Lichen with the Sony DSC H50 at about 40mm equivalent. F3.5 @ 1/60th @ ISO 100. Programed Auto.
Only the most basic sharpening and presence adjustments in Lightroom.
From Acadia Shrooms and Lichen. The whole gallery is worth a look. One amazing macro day.
One more teaser.
Can you resist?
3/25/2009
Cadillac Mountain Looking Inland (Bluehill Overlook)
Just for fun. Every once in a while you catch a day. This day we were out on the Puffin cruise and I saw this opportunity forming. I waited and drove to the top of Cadillac when the light was right. It certainly paid off. This is not the first image from that day I have posted.
Looking West and South from the Cadillac summit, standing at Bluehill Overlook, out across Eagle Lake and Bluehill sound beyond. Sky that knows no end.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide (31mm equivalent). F5.6 @ 1/800th @ ISO 100. Programed Auto.
In Lightroom, Recovery for the sky and clouds. Some Fill Light for the foreground. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel. Landscape Sharpen preset. Someday I will go back and rework this with Graduated Filter effects.
From Cadillac Mountain Sky Day.
PS.
An alternative version using Lightroom’s graduated filter effects.
Alternative version