Mohawk River - Schenectady

Mohawk River - Schenectady
Originally uploaded by UpstateNYPhototaker

I didn't get down to the river in time to see the ice jam in the river itself. This was the scene this morning before work from the banks of the river. Luckily the river didn't really cause any damage to the neighboring houses or buildings. The blocks of ice were pretty impressive. This was taken with the Sigma 10-20mm on the D90.

Adirondacks

I had a chance to get up to the Adirondacks on Saturday morning. I left Schenectady at around 5am to try and get up there for the sunrise. It was in the negative numbers (-2F to be exact) when I got up there around 7am and didn't really start warming up until much later. My Nikon didn't really like the weather and it took a while for it to warm up and stop groaning.

2 of the shots you see in the slide show below were taken this past summer (I think they will be obvious :) and the other two were taken Saturday. The photo of the foot prints were actually taken on the frozen pond that can be seen in the summer photos. If you look closely in that winter photo you can see the beaver dam from the summer photo far off in the distance.

The photo of the Ausable River isn't quite as impressive as it was in person. Being as cold as it was there was a good deal of steam coming up from the river. The light that was touching those distant trees was quite impressive. It's hard to imagine in just a few short months I'll be fly fishing again in that same area.

Anyone visiting the Wilmington/Lake Placid area I highly recommend the Hungry Trout Restaurant (5239 Route 86 Wilmington, NY). It is a stone's throw from where these photos were taken and the atmosphere and food is excellent.

Nikkor 80-200 F/2.8D ED

This is the first "Pro" grade lens I have owned. I picked it up off of craigslist for about half of what these lenses go for on ebay or through any retailer. It is in great condition and focuses extremely fast on my Nikon D90. This version, for those familiar with the lens, is the 2 ring version. The versatility of having a wide aperture like 2.8 is really essential for anything in low light or when you need to get your shutter speeds up to freeze motion. I love this lens and the more I use it the more I love it. the funny thing is, the more I use it the more I wish I had VR on this lens like the 70-200 F/2.8 VRII. For now I will continue to love this lens.

http://smpphotography.zenfolio.com/p544246370/h99003e4#h99003e4

Sports Illustrated for Dogs

Sports Illustrated for Dogs
Originally uploaded by UpstateNYPhototaker

This is Dawson's favorite form of exercise. This was a rare miss for him (thrower error). He is still as sharp at catching as the day he learned. These shots were made possible by my new Nikkor 80-200 F/2.8D lens that I picked up second hand. Its a sharp lens with quick auto focus. I am foreseeing a day that I will switch to a full frame camera and this lens will be a great lens in my future full frame lineup.

Please have a look around at my Zenfolio site as well:

http://smpphotography.zenfolio.com/

The Daily Coyote...A MUST Read

I just got finished reading The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton (her blog: http://www.dailycoyote.net/). I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who likes coyotes, dogs or really animals in general (or the human condition for that matter). I won't go into too much detail about the book but it is a true story and Shreve seems like a truly amazing person. It was a quick read and worth every minute. I got more smiles from that book in a 24 hour period than I have had in the previous month.

I must admit I have been somewhat fascinated with coyotes since I was much younger. I grew up in a pretty rural area in Upstate, NY. In the summers I didn't usually have a/c so all the windows would be open. Our house was surrounded by fields and pretty much open acreage (then, but not so much now...). Many nights I would lie awake listening to the Coyotes. The sound was something to behold for sure. They were probably with a few hundred yards or less of the open windows. Whether it was the heat or how loud their "singing" was, I often missed a lot of sleep those nights.

I went as far as to build a tree stand and buy coyote calls, (rodent in distress, that type of thing) in an effort to see one of these beautiful and often misunderstood animals. I never was able to call one in but their evidence was all around me. It wasn't until much later that I had actually gotten a glimpse of a Coyote.

What does this all have to do with photography? For one Shreve's photography in the book is fascinating and well placed throughout the story. Secondly, the book inspired me and I am going to make a concerted effort to attempt to photograph some of these animals in the wild. I may even have to pull out some of those coyote calls. Stay tuned...