On a cold, windy, moody day at the end of October, conditions looked ripe for an interesting sunset. I had been to most of my usual favorite places lately, and so my husband happily suggested we hike around the Grass River Natural Area. The sunset turned out to be both long-lasting and spectacular. Parts of the sky were bruised and red, while others were luminous and golden. I ran – literally at times – from vantage point to vantage point, seeking the best light. I love how the boardwalk in this image leads to the fall-colored hills in the distance, and how the vivid sunset reflects in the Grass River. I hadn’t grabbed the tripod for this outing, so I opened the aperture to f/2.8, upped the ISO to 200, and shot with a 1/40-second shutter speed.
Month: November 2014
Rain and Fog – Autumn Landscape
Daytime fog is fleeting and mysterious. When it arrived this fall day, I knew I might only have moments to capture some of the magic. Rugg Pond, a little pool of water tucked away in northwestern Kalkaska County, was a great choice for a shooting location, surrounded as it is by fall’s beauty. Fall foliage reflections are majestic on their own, but as a low fog swept in, and a light rain sprinkled down, I knew the moment was special. Shot at f/4, with a shutter speed of 1/80.
Snow on the Rapid River
Piles of snow have shown up early again this year. The other morning, I took a quick opportunity to make some images while the sun was briefly shining. This is one of the (I think) three bridges at the Seven Bridges Natural Area in Kalkaska. I had the area entirely to myself this morning, and played around with a few different exposures. I settled on a 30-second exposure at f/16 to fully smooth out the swift water of the Rapid River, while maintaining detail in the sunlit snowy highlights.
This and other snowy photos are available in the Winter Landscapes gallery.
Snap Happy Gal Photography 