Indiana Fall 2024 – Part 5 – A Walk in a Forest

Continued from Part 4,

Forest Morning – Flaming, October 2024
Fall Forest 19– Cheerleaders, October 2024
Forest Morning – Highlights, October 2024
Fall Forest 20 – Greetings, October 2024 – Forest Greetings
Fall Forest 21 – Light Filters, October 2024
Fall Forest 22 – Sunny Side, October 2024
Fall Forest 23 – The Road, October 2024

To be continued,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2024 – Part 4 – A Walk in a Forest

Continued from Part 3,

Fall Forest 13 – Seeking Light, October 2024
Fall Forest 14 – Sunbeams, October 2024
Forest Morning, October 2024
Fall Forest 15, October 2024
Fall Forest 16, October 2024
Fall Forest 17, October 2024
Fall Forest 18, October 2024

To be continued,

Ken

 

Indiana Fall 2024 – Part 3 – A Walk in a Forest

This is a continuation of forest images shot in Brown County State Park, Indiana in the early fall of 2024.

Forest Morning, October 2024
Forest Morning 8, October 2024
Forest Morning 9 – Spotlight, October 2024
Forest Morning – Windblown, October 2024
Forest Morning 10 – The Queue, October 2024
Forest Morning 11 – A Slice of Forest, October 2024
Forest Morning 12 – Layers, October 2024

More fall images to come,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2024 – Part 2 – A Walk in a Forest

I’ve been concerned that my traditional fall images are becoming monotonous. This year I decided to experiment with new (to me) photographic techniques. Yet, concerned that my venture into a new realm might fail, I still made sure that I captured plenty of “standard” fall images. So before I reveal the results of my photographic experimentation, I’ll share plenty of the old standby type fall images.

Forest Morning 1, October 2024
Forest Morning 2, October 2024
Forest Morning 3, October 2024
Forest Morning 4, October 2024
Forest Morning 5, October 2024
Forest Morning 6, October 2024
Forest Morning 7, October 2024

Stay tuned for more fall images from my first 2024 walk in an Indiana forest,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2024 – Part 1

As has become a tradition with my wife and I over the past few years, we spend some time in Indiana in the fall, staying in a cabin just a little outside of Brown County State Park, Indiana’s largest state park and one that has beautiful trees and attracts many visitors during the leaf peeping season.

This year the fall color was sketchy, slowly developing and never fully developed due to warmer weather and drought. As a result, we stayed a week longer than we normally would this year and even in early November, the fall color never quite achieved its normal full blown coverage, which is not to say that the fall was not beautiful and enjoyable, just not as good as previous years.

Ogle Lake 1, Brown County State Park, Indiana October 16, 2024

A couple of days after we arrived in Indiana, there was a full moon. So even though the fall color was just beginning to show in most trees, I went into Brown County State Park to shoot the moon rise over Ogle Lake. I arrived early to pick a location from which to shoot the moon rise. I have a couple of apps on my iPhone, which I use for determining where the sun and moon rise and set. I used one of those to determine a good shooting location, yet there is always some uncertainty in determining where exactly those events might first show up on the local horizon. After walking around a bit I picked a couple of spots that I thought would work well, then I retrieved my camera and tripod from my vehicle and went to my first choice, which was atop a concrete cover of an overflow drain for the lake, only to discover that a late day fisherwoman had taken that spot for some late day fishing. I had noted a number of fishermen along the north bank, which has a number of clear areas that seem popular with fishermen. I then proceeded to my second choice along the south bank at the end of the dam and set up there.

I made a number of shots from that location, while I waited for the moonrise. The lake surface had been rippled by wind, when I first arrived, but became very smooth and mirror like, when the wind abated.

Ogle Lake 2, Brown County State Park, Indiana October 16, 2024

Readers will note that the first two images in this post are the exact same composition. Yet the images are very different due to the clouds moving overhead.

While I waited, I kept an eye on my first chosen location, which had a good view right down the middle of the lake, hoping that the fisherwoman might abandon that location, which she did. I then went back to that location, making a few images there as I waited for the moonrise.

Ogle Lake 3, Brown County State Park, Indiana October 16, 2024

If viewers look closely, fishermen can be seen along the bank on the left of each of these images.

This lake is popular with visitors and more showed up as I waited. A few inquired what I was shooting and noted my wide angle lens, which I had chosen to capture the scene. I knew the wide angle lens would make the moon look small and I had some reservations about that. I had my 24-70mm and 80-400mm in my vehicle, which I thought about retrieving so that I could zoom in on the moon, when it came up, but I decided to stick with the wide angle to include more of the lake and forest in my images.

A local photographer with young clients came along, shooting her clients from the top of the dam with the lake and forest as background. I’m guessing she might have been doing engagement photos or some such social images. As she wrapped up her shooting, she asked me what I was shooting. She had not been aware of the expected full moon this evening. We talked for awhile and she mentioned how much she liked shooting at Yellowwood Lake in Yellowwood State Forest, which is not far away.  I have shot there a couple of times, during past visits to this area. In fact, I had encountered a female photographer shooting a young couple there the first time I visited that area.  I think the photographer I encountered this evening is the same that I encountered a few years ago at Yellowwood Lake, although I did not mention that to her.  Small world.

Some of the passerby’s on the dam that I had chatted with, returned to say that the full moon was visible from the location, where I had first set up. I abandoned my first choice and hastened back to my second choice, where the full moon was already visible.

Moonrise 1

I made the image above from the dam, just above where I first had set up at the lake edge. I wanted to get some of the vegetation along the lake edge as foreground, before going down to the lake edge.

Ogle Lake 5, Brown County State Park, Indiana October 16, 2024

This final image is from the south lake edge just below the dam. Of course, I made numerous other images, but these are representative of those.

I am a little disappointed that I did not have my 24-70mm with me, so that I could change lenses and get a closer shot of the moon, but at the time, I thought that I would return again the next evening to shoot the moon rise again. Something prevented my going out that next evening. Lesson learned, take advantage of shooting opportunities, whenever possible.

More fall photos coming up,

Ken

 

Trick or Treat 2024

Halloween Sunrise 1

Don’t be here, when the sun goes down tonight.

Halloween Sunrise 2
Friendly Neighbors

Our neighbors here in the backwoods of Indiana are friendly, but I don’t know about their dog.

Not Tonight, Babe. I’m Bone Tired!
Won’t You Come Into My Workshop?
The Kids Will Be Out to Play Soon
Something Sinister is in the Wind

Happy Halloween and stay safe,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2023, Part 27 – Abstract Images (Continued)

This is the second part of my post on abstract images of fall trees via ICM (intentional camera movement).

Fall Trees Abstract, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Fall Trees Abstract, Indiana, November 2, 2023

These two images (above and below) are the same but with different editing applied.  These are not realistic natural images, so I’m not bothered by artistic renditions via edits.

Fall Trees Abstract, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Fall Trees Abstract, Indiana, November 2, 2023

The same scene can yield very different results, depending upon the camera movement.

Autumn Abstract 2, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Autumn Woods Abstract 5, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Autumn Woods Abstract 6, Indiana, November 2, 2023

I must admit that I had fun creating these abstracts.  Maybe I should do this more often and I like the vertical motion abstracts of trees much more than those created via horizontal camera movement.

Until next time,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2023, Part 26 – Abstract Images

One day at the cabin, I went out into the area around the cabin to shoot some scenes that had caught my eye due to the lighting on another day.  However, today the light was not the same and the shots of those previously interesting looking scenes were not interesting.

My stroll around the area eventually led me into a wooded area behind the cabin and I still was not getting any interesting images.  So I decided to try getting abstract images via intentional camera movement (ICM), a technique that I seldom use.

Autumn Woods Abstract 1, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Autumn Woods Abstract 2, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Autumn Woods Abstract 3, Indiana, November 2, 2023

Usually, the most interesting images can be obtained via vertical camera movement with trees as the subjects.  But I did manage to get a few interesting images by panning the camera horizontally.

Tree-Light Weave, Monochrome, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Tree-Light Weave, Original Color Version, Indiana, November 2, 2023

I think the monochrome version works best for this horizontal panning motion.

Autumn Woods Abstract 4, Indiana, November 2, 2023
Autumn Abstract, Indiana, November 2, 2023

To be continued,

Ken

 

 

Indiana Fall 2023, Part 25 – Frosty Halloween Morning

Prior to any road trip, I always check the weather forecast for my destination, so that I know how to prepare for the expected weather.  I’ve also learned to heed the season and expect the unexpected change in the weather.

This fall, the first few days of our visit to Indiana, the weather was much as forecast, then an unexpected cold front came across most of the U.S., dropping temperatures well below my allowance for cold outings.  I had brought my typical normal cold weather gear and even a few chemical hand warmers, since my fingers tend to get cold even in mild winter weather.  And once my fingers get numb with cold, I can’t easily operate my camera controls.

I knew I would still want to get out in the cold weather, so I purchased additional cold weather clothing and more hand and foot warmers in a local store.

Halloween morning was the first below freezing weather we had during this trip.  I knew the cold front coming in over the warmer landscape and warmer bodies of water would result in early morning water vapor condensing into mist or fog.  So I went out again to Ogle Lake in Brown County State Park early in the morning of October 31.

It was, indeed, a heavy frost morning and mist was rising from the lake surface.

Frosty Morning 1, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning 2, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning 3, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning 4, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023
Frosty Morning 5, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023

By the time I had obtained these few images, my fingers, even with the hand warmers in my fleece mittens with the exposable thumb and finger tips, were so numb that I had to give up shooting.  I retreated to my vehicle, started the engine and sat there until my fingers were warm enough to drive away.

I really would have liked to spend more time photographing frosty scenes around the park this morning, but I knew I could only shoot for a few minutes at a time due to the cold weather effect upon my fingers.  I settled for getting one shot at an overlook in the park, before heading back to the cabin.

Scenic Overlook, Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park, Indiana, October 31, 2023

Until next time,

Ken

Indiana Fall 2023, Part 24 – Miscellaneous

Even on days when I did not venture out for photography, my wife and I often drove through scenic Brown County State Park on our way to or from some other destination.

Scenic Overlook 1, Brown County State Park

Occasionally, we might stop at

Scenic Overlook 2, Brown County State Park

an overlook and sometimes I took time to get a photo.

Ken