Pillsbury Crossing in Shutterbug Magazine

I found out today that I got another photo in Shutterbug Magazine...always good to open the mail to good news instead of bills :)

I took this shot at Pillsbury Crossing, after returning there again and again to photograph over a period of years. I was looking for something different than the standard wide angle shot of the falls so I put my telephoto lens on and started isolating smaller pieces of the waterfalls...it really opened up a new way of looking at Pillsbury Crossing. If I hadn't been going back again and again, I probably wouldn't have thought of trying this. Another benefit of shooting close to home, you can revisit a place over time and try different views and compositions. You are probably never going to fully capture the sense of a place with just one visit. Yes some places you only get to visit once, but don't overlook returning to places close to home. You might be surprised what you see!

Halloween Moonrise

With the almost full moon rising on Halloween night I thought it would make a great photo for the holiday. I've always enjoyed photographing the moonrise (see my previous post about how I got hooked on the moonrise here). Normally, 1-2 days before the actual full moon the light is right so that you can expose both the foreground and the moon with one shot...this can be tricky to do without blowing out (over exposing) the moon unless the light is just right.

On this particular evening I was trying to think of what scene would be interesting to photograph with the moon included. I happened to remember these trees in the water at Stockdale Park on Tuttle Creek Lake. A friend had recently told me about the software program, The Photographers Ephemeris which will tell you the location of sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset, which I used to determine that the moon would rise behind these trees (I recommend checking out this software). It was also a clear evening as well...perfect for getting some good shots of the moon.

The light was fantastic when I first arrived at Stockdale and I was able to shoot the moon and the trees in the foreground still lit by the setting sun. As the sun went down, the sky picked up more color...it was a fantastic show of color. I couldn't have asked for a better Halloween treat!

I was very pleased with the photographs for a number of reasons, but for me, this was one of the first times I was able to "pre-visualize" the scene I wanted to photograph and then go out and make it happen. Sometimes trying to pre-visualize a scene gets in my way of finding a shot, but in this case it worked out well. You can view my photos from the evening by clicking the link below:

Halloween Moonrise, Stockdale Park, Tuttle Creek Lake, Kansas

Judd Patterson's Canon Photography in the Parks

Canon Photography in the Parks
Originally uploaded by Judd Patterson

When you get a chance, stop by the Canon Photography in the Parks photo contest and check out the finalists and vote for your favorite. One of the photos was taken by Judd Patterson. Judd is a Kansas native and an amazing photographer so be sure you check his photo out!

You should also stop by his webpage and check out the rest of his work, I guarantee it will be worth your time!

http://www.juddpatterson.com/