DanielNovak, photos on Flickr

Pink and Blue Sunrise over Niagara River - Black Rock Canal Park - Buffalo, NY (DTD_0871) by masinka

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The western glow over the Niagara River at sunrise from one of Buffalo's newer parks, the Black Rock Canal Park.

A careful observer will notice that this looks like a re-run of a previously posted photo. It kind of is and kind of is not. I believe the previous one's white balance was too much on the warm side. I also attempted to give it an 8x10 vertical crop, which I am not a fan of, and after looking at it for a few days decided it needed a redo.

I've switched the white balance to tungsten, which cooled things down too much, and adjusted it from there up until I felt it looked just right, until I got the blues of the morning with the pinks of the sunrise that I was so lucky to see that morning. And I left things in the 2x3 aspect ratio as shot.

Daybreak Glow over Niagara River, Black Rock Canal Park

How about seeing the makeover of the Black Rock Canal Park? How about seeing it early in the morning before the sun wakes up? Isn't that backwards you ask? Shouldn't I go there at sunset instead? Well, not really. Not really for at least two reasons I can think of right now.

First, the subtle sunrise glow in the western sky can have its own magic. And with plenty of clouds around the last few days the glow should have potential, right? Another reason? Sunset locations draw lot fewer people at sunrise. And not too many people tend to get up early, especially on a weekend. This combination happens to create much better conditions to enjoy the moment and just stare into the distance in awe at what Mother Nature can do.

It's always a bit of a mystery ...

Winter by the Orchard Park Train Depot (DTA_9001) by masinka

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Over the last few weeks I've been taking a closer look at my immediate surroundings looking for places I've either not photographed yet at all, or haven't photographed for a while. I also tried looking for seasons covered and not.

That yielded two of my recent posts of the Orchard Park library and a winter scene at Green Lake. Today's post continues that series.

This was a beautiful evening with a fresh coat of snow and freshness in the air. I enjoyed some more angles of the Orchard Park Library and then moved on to the depot, still catching it with some ... Winter by the Orchard Park Train Depot.

I'm interestingly keeping up with the train trail across several states here :-)

Back to the Wonder of Watkins Glen in the Fall (DTA_8209) by masinka

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Another photo from the fall trip to Watkins Glen, another close up. Yes, I have some wider views too but these water and leaves close ups were something I focused more on this time compared to previous visits.

Nice Friday and a weekend to all!

Sunrise over Gallagher Pier Roofs - Matted & Signed at Picture Your Walls, Hamburg, NY (DTB_3752) by masinka

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One of a dozen of new matted and signed arrivals to Picture Your Walls Western New York ...

New Arrivals of Daniel Novak Photo in Picture Your Walls

This photograph shows the Gallagher Pier on Buffalo's outer harbor from the other than the usual side. The pier, as well as Buffalo waterfront in general, are popular destination for sunsets across Lake Erie. This photograph looks the other way though, in the morning at sunrise.

The Other Side of Gallagher Pier (at Sunrise)

A little flashback to summer today, well before the white stuff started flying. This particular August morning was very enjoyable for me. I came to enjoy a full moon set over the lake and photographed it along with the Cargill Pool Grain Elevator - wow, I have not shared that photo yet either. I came in the nick of time as the moon started fading in the haze over the lake. By the time it reached the horizon I could only discern it thanks to knowing exactly where to look. It was pretty much invisible otherwise.

But that was not the end of the photo op ...

Picture Your Walls WNY - Blue Hour (DTB_7405) by masinka

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Is the small computer screen not enough for you to enjoy local photography? It should not be! Despite the 21st century technology and most people using small mobile devices to quickly check photographs out, they only come truly alive when printed large and displayed prominently. If you enjoy my photography but would prefer to see the finished product printed large, matted, and framed, ready to take home, you can!

Daniel Novak Photo in Picture Your Walls

Six photographs (see the link above for their list), all approximately 16" x 24", matted, and framed are available for your viewing pleasure and purchase at Picture Your Walls Western New York in Hamburg, NY (184 Buffalo St, Hamburg, NY 14075. Ask them about my photos, as they are rotating through the store. They'll be happy to show you around.

Down They Go, Horseshoe Falls in Winter, Niagara Falls, Canada (DTB_0134) by masinka

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Here's one of the last shots from my most recent photo expedition to NIagara Falls. I really went there to capture all of the ice and snow built up down in the gorge compliments of this solid winter season. You can't see any of that in this photo but I promise, at some point in the next 100 years I will get to processing and posting them all :-)

The glow in the sky? I was hoping sunset would provide some and while it may not be obvious here, that was not the case. What you see above the Horseshoe Falls here is the city glow, or light pollution. I will take it though, it provided the color I was hoping for to contrast the ice and snow. And yes, at least the few islands at the waterfall's edge provide signs of winter.

Fog over Genesee River at Dawn, Letchworth State Park, New York (NY) (DTA_0256) by masinka

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Going back to last October and the magical foggy morning at the Big Bend of Letchworth.

Bílá Opava Cascades (DSG_5689) by masinka

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I've stumbled on this photo of mine from 2011 and got reminded of the beautiful hike along this charming creek. I still liked the photo too but felt like it needed a little bit of an extra kick. I started with the 2011 processing and made some small changes - increased overall brightness a little bit, shifted levels to boost the whites even more, and also opened up shadows a bit. ... Now I'd like to take that hike again!

More about Bílá Opava Cascades ...

Horseshoe Falls in White, Niagara Falls (DTB_0096) by masinka

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Despite the fact that winters in Buffalo and Western New York are pretty long I never seem to act on all of my photographic plans. There are so many beautiful places that I would like to photograph in winter and add variety to my photo collection! Niagara Falls was on my list for this year and turned out to be one of the destinations I made it to, and made it twice. After my recent evening expedition to the American side I made it to the Canadian side too.

Winter is my most favorite season at the Falls. There are so few people around that you are more likely to run into crowds at the Eternal Flame. And the colder it is when you visit the more intense the experience. I know, this may feel strange and you're now all going to think I am crazy, … The Kingdom of Ice at Niagara Falls.

Nature's Perfection at Birdsong (DTA_7833) by masinka

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I've had a lot of excuses lately for not going out and shooting, being sick one of them. But I've really felt the itch the last few days and when the weather forecast called for a sunny morning with frost advisory I had to go out. Set the alarm for 6 AM and head out! I was hoping for some nice low fog over the evaporating water with this difference in water and air temperatures and it worked out perfectly. I suspected geese would be there too but was fine either way.

I botched up quite a few initial pre-sunrise photos though! I was playing with double exposures over the weekend and forgot that mode turned on! I got so used to the fact that switching custom settings resets "everything" on my D600 that I did not even check. I switched to my landscape setting and started tweaking the camera from there without giving it much thought. With some old settings, it might have been obvious but with the double exposures, I went on for quite a while :-( I was working on a tripod and my compositions did not vary too much from frame to frame. Ouch ... Lesson learned - custom settings do not reset double-exposure settings on the D600!

Fence and Lamps after the January 2014 Blizzard (DTA_9319) by masinka

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Or should I say after the visit from the Arctic Vortex :-)

Greetings from the January 2014 blizzard, Buffalo, NY. Cold, windy, and some snow for sure. but if you ask me, I was hoping to get buried so that there'd be something to talk about for the years to come, and to have some fun. Shoveling was a pain though, despite the low temperatures the snow was not light and fluffy, it was packed down hard and heavy!

Now also added to my blog (Fence after Blizzard) and the Winter Gallery.

Leaves and Water, Watkins Glen Waterfall in Autumn (DTA_8206) by masinka

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I reached into last years archives in an attempt to mix it up in my photo stream but ended up with another waterfall shot. Well, whether it is apparent or not, this one is not from Virginia, but from New York State, specifically from the beautiful Watkins Glen State Park. A special place any day, but fall does make it shine a notch more!

On the South River Falls Trail, Shenandoah National Park (DTA_8443) by masinka

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Picking up back on the South River Falls trail where I enjoyed the creek quite a bit. Despite knowing the big waterfall was still ways down I enjoyed searching for more intimate sections of the creek up above.

Salute to Autumn: To salute the wonderful colorful season that has passed I've added a new Autumn collection to my website spanning various galleries and showcasing nature's artful and colorful creations.

Whirlpool Trees (DSH_7332) by masinka

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Done with the gorge trail and sitting at a picnic table resting and drinking water, these backlit trees asked me to pick up the camera for one more final shot.

Copyright Protection: Wondering where your shared photos may be on the world wide web? Use the 'search by image' feature on Google. If you go to Google Images you will notice a little camera in the search box. you can click that and then either provide a URL to your photo or upload it. Then, Google finds where on the web the image is. It works amazingly well and you might be surprised. You may also want to check this web site for more about what you can do about it: Picture Defense

Winter on The Edge, Horseshoe Falls in Winter, Niagara Falls, New York (NY) (DTB_0078) by masinka

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Today, I tried to at least partially correct the fact that I have not made it to the Falls in quite a while despite having it in my back yard. I have left for the Falls only about an hour before sunset hoping to make it there on time. I did not have high hopes for a sunset light. The sky was overcast and the cloud layer was solid. And that's how it went, not even a momentary glimpse of the sun. Just a very short period when the clouds warmed up a little and contrasted the frozen world below.

I photographed the edge of the Horseshoe Falls many years ago and remembered the ice covered trees in the middle of the Niagara River. I wanted to try that again with the years in between. I arrived a bit early and had almost an hour. I spent most of the time within 50 feet of this location and tried variations without a close foreground, with near branches, with the trees down on the river bank, and then I found this fence almost buried in snow, just the top peaking.

On the computer, I did some basic processing in CaptureNX2 and finished off playing with Nik Collection and the Color Efex Pro 4, cooked longer and more than usual.

Lamp in Snow, It's Coming to Buffalo! (DTA_8898) by masinka

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Warm and Cold, … It's Coming!

After some less timely posts here's one fresh. Well, fresh according to my measures but still not as Instagram. It's about an hour old.

It's the beginning of November so it was about time for something like this for Buffalo to live up to its reputation. Bring it on, bring it on by feet! :-)

The Last Light at Chimney Bluffs (DTA_7544-75) by masinka

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Land and water clashing in the most spectacular place on Lake Ontario and in my opinion one of the most spectacular places in New York State. Under normal circumstances one can enjoy the beautiful sights from the high trail through the woods, or from the beach below. However, sustained winds from the north combined with the high water level of summer made the second option impossible and the rocky cliffs cut sharply straight in the water of Lake Ontario.

By the time this photo was taken ...

Copyright Protection: Wondering where your shared photos may be on the world wide web? Use the 'search by image' feature on Google. If you go to Google Images you will notice a little camera in the search box. you can click that and then either provide a URL to your photo or upload it. Then, Google finds where on the web the image is. It works amazingly well and you might be surprised. You may also want to check this web site for more about what you can do about it: Picture Defense

A Momentary Sunrise at Hog's Back (DTA_8328) by masinka

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The morning at the Hog's Back of Letchworth was cloudy with the horizon covered solid. It was a perfect set up for a complete unpredictability. Cloudy skies like this may not let any light through, or a brief opening makes it that much more magical! This morning I was rewarded on several fronts. The colors looked beautiful and saturated before sunrise, and the sun did find a very small hole in the clouds for a few brief seconds. The moment did not last more than 10 seconds. I managed to take one photo, enjoy the moment for a little bit more, and it was gone!

Larger version.

Salute to Autumn: To salute the wonderful colorful season that has passed I've added a new Autumn collection to my website spanning various galleries and showcasing nature's colorful artful creations.

Cascades in Autumn, Near and Far, Watkins Glen State Park (DTA_8235) by masinka

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Let's mix it up a little bit. While the beautiful season of color is certainly gone from my neck of the woods I have quite a few photos to still go through and share with you here. Here's one from Watkins Glen, a gem of a park in New York State. Strangely, I know a few people that do not like the park. That is their loss though. I enjoyed this, and every previous visit immensely. It's amazing what Mother Nature can do given just water and rock! :-)

Copyright Protection: Wondering where your shared photos may be on the world wide web? Use the 'search by image' feature on Google. If you go to Google Images you will notice a little camera in the search box. you can click that and then either provide a URL to your photo or upload it. Then, Google finds where on the web the image is. It works amazingly well and you might be surprised. You may also want to check this web site for more about what you can do about it: Picture Defense

Field of Gold in Autumn (DTA_0421) by masinka

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A simple landscape scene with signature elements of the autumn season. A ripe gold field, a colorful tree line saturated with yellow, orange, and red colors of foliage, and a cloudy summer sky. And then there is that one tree a bit closer and a bit behind in time, just turning from green to yellow. Scenes like this are plentiful in Central and Western New York in October.

Walking the Green Lake at Sunrise, Orchard Park, New York (NY) (DTA_9831) by masinka

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Ok, I warmed up the photo stream a little so let's go back to the winter reality!

It was a cold one this morning, right around 0°F. The sky started clear but some clouds arrived by the sunrise time, which was good. About an hour after sunrise the sky turned fully overcast.

Letchworth - Balloon Rally - Balloons over Gorge (DTA_3913) by masinka

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12th Annual Red, White & Blue Balloon Rally at Letchworth State Park - What could possibly be more fun than watching the sun rise over the Genesee River gorge and then see 20+ balloons take of from the Archery Field, raise over the tree line, and dip right into the gorge, so e right down tot he river. Thank you all balloonists, that was an outstanding show despite the several failed attempts due to winds. It was all worth it in the end!

Copyright Protection: Wondering where your shared photos may be on the world wide web? Use the 'search by image' feature on Google. If you go to Google Images you will notice a little camera in the search box. you can click that and then either provide a URL to your photo or upload it. Then, Google finds where on the web the image is. It works amazingly well and you might be surprised.

A Cold Sunset at Woodlawn Beach State Park (DTA_7689) by masinka

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This one turned out to be my favorite for the night, the sunset without the sun showing up.

Summer Sunrise over Great Bend of Letchworth (DTA_3833) by masinka

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While the end of May still falls into spring, all of the foliage has already grown and turned green from the yellows of early spring. As such, I consider this a summer scene.

The 2013 Memorial Day weekend was on the cool side in Western New York. The morning temperatures around sunrise were just above freezing. The sky was clear, not a cloud, and the just about full moon was up. The cold air in combination with the warmer water in Genesee river produced a nice foggy mist over the river in the distance nicely highlighting the difference between the warm colors of the sky and the cold tones of the gorge below.

And then ... Summer Sunrise over Great Bend of Letchworth

Copyright Protection: Wondering where your shared photos may be on the world wide web? Use the 'search by image' feature on Google. If you go to Google Images you will notice a little camera in the search box. you can click that and then either provide a URL to your photo or upload it. Then, Google finds where on the web the image is. It works amazingly well and you might be surprised.

Watkins Glen State Park's Welcome, The Sentry Cascade at the Entrance (DTA_8196) by masinka

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Always a Great Pleasure to be Back in Watkins Glen. Mother Nature really did great there! This last visit was in the fal, just a few days back, it was crappy, raining, cold, and close to the closing time and getting dark. All of that 'bad' worked into a great experience in a mostly empty park despite its popularity with the wet rock and wet colorful leaves looking great!

Back to Watkins Glen, I'm always impressed by the welcome the park provides. An impressive waterfall in a narrow slot right at the entrance! A few posts back I shared a close up of this cascade from a different vantage point, here you can see it exactly as everybody can right from the corner of the parking lot!

Buffalo Marina Sunset Boating (DSC_0477) by masinka

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I was well aware I had loads of photos that never saw anything beyond my hard drive. I knew those went years back. But now that I changed my strategy a little bit and instead of working backwards looked at the beginning of my D200 days, I am finding I am at least 7 years in the hole, and that is without looking at my days before the D200. Wow!

Bottom line? I need to stop sitting at the computer and head out to take some more! :-)

Autumn Rain at Sinking Ponds (DTA_8292) by masinka

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It's raining, it's pouring, ... by the end of this outing I knew my camera's weather sealing was not all that great. The LCD's backlight was kicking in and out. the built-in flash would not open, ... but it kept taking pictures. Needless to say, I have since ordered some rain gear, yet to be tested. After two days of drying close to a pellet stove with good air circulation both my bag and the camera seem to be ok.

At Sinking Ponds, the autumn colors were past peak and I will need to stop there sooner next year. I, a flock of geese, and just one other guy hiking there were the only creatures enjoying the downpour.

Since my backlog is "clearly not enough" I'm going to be busy for the next few days working on some more! Have fun all!

Double Splash by the Sodus Outer Light (DTA_7450) by masinka

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It was quite windy and waves got pushed against the breakwater making for nice splashes and showering the brave :-)

Sunset Abstract at Woodlawn Beach (DTA_7705) by masinka

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Changing the pace up a bit again, trying a long exposure to create a complete abstract. This one was at 470 seconds, which I am not sure how I ended up at since I was working whole minutes. The manual did say the remote timer's clock was not completely accurate, but come on, 10 seconds off on 8 minutes? It probably does not matter much but combine that with its bulky size and it may be back to the seller.

Sorry, the watermark interferes with that, but the crescent moon created an interesting triple exposure effect despite the fact that this was a single long exposure. I guess it was fully covered with clouds along its way making three more prominent appearances. I first considered getting rid of two but then decided to keep them all to add another confusing element :-)

Shenandoah Valley in the Fall (DTA_8472) by masinka

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A late afternoon view across the Shenandoah Valley from the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive and its viewpoints will reward you whether the drive along is the sole purpose of your trip to the park or whether you use it as means to get to the many trail heads. And fall does throw in the bonus foliage colors of the mostly deciduous trees covering the mountain range.

Shenandoah National Park was ... Shenandoah Valley in the Fall.

Shenandoah's Skyline Drive, A Road Trip Needs a Road Shot (DTA_8471) by masinka

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After a good hike on the South River Falls trail (see previous posts in my photo stream or in the Shenandoah Set) the rest of the day was more relaxing and we enjoyed a little bit of ridge driving while hitting the beautiful viewpoints along the way. The fall colors were beautiful!

Shenandoah: Trouble with Color at South RIver Falls | Shenandoah: The Details or the Wide and Grand?

Waiting for the Night Train (DTA_9003) by masinka

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A variation on a previously posted photo, this time a rare self-portrait. Waiting for the night train where trains don't go any more, Orchard Park Train Station and Depot.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Wonderful Holidays to you all I really appreciate all of your visits, comments, favorites, and most of ll, your photography. Seeing the creativity of others here on Flickr may just be the biggest driving factor for me to keep going and push myself even harder. So thank you all and keep going! :-)

Bird Island Pier Open Again - Sunset, Crescent Moon, and Venus (DTA_8088) by masinka

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n one of my summer posts I lamented what a shame it was that the Bird Island Pier remained closed beyond Piece Bridge. And a shame it surely was. Now the irony was in the timing.

A few weeks later I was looking around the Internet to find out more about the future fate of the pier. It did not take me long and I stumbled upon an article in Buffalo News proclaiming the pier would re-open on August 12, 2013, after three long years of being cut short. That was in the past at that point, a day after my last visit.

So back I went … Bird Island Pier Re-opened!

Frozen Lightning Whelk Shell and a Gem (DTA_9599) by masinka

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What happens to shells that don't listen to their parents and venture too far from home? Yes, they end up frozen in Buffalo! Here, a Lightning Whelk may have found a gem but paid a high price.

Sunset over Chimney Bluffs, Central New York (DTA_7506-08) by masinka

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Hello my landscape photography friends! I've found my way outside of civilization again and here's one from a gorgeous place on Lake Ontario. When I first saw it several years ago I could not believe I was still in New York State. It was time to revisit the place under different conditions, different season, different time of day, ... It was a blast!

Peace Bridge Lighting Patterns II, Purple & Blue (DTA_3688) by masinka

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Back to May and my fun exploring and capturing the Peace Bridge lighting patterns.

More about this photo outing.

Green Lake in Snow (DTA_8940) by masinka

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The first snow of the season to create a nice thick white blanket on the ground and a coat on the trees. Green Lake and Yates Park took on a winter wonderland look overnight. Everything is clean and white, winter is here. Thanksgiving 2013 is going to be in white!

House with a View at Powderhorn, Mesa, Colorado (DTA_4843) by masinka

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A house located on the slope of the Grand Mesa, Colorado, overlooking the valley below and also some mountain peaks just over the valley. Photographed at the end of the day as the low angled sun provided a truly beautiful illumination of the valley. To top the view off nature provided some beautiful puffy clouds that looked amazing during those last few moments of the day.

Road Trip 2013 - Day 6 - June 16 - Mesa, Colorado

The views were excellent and the clouds floating above the valley were an enjoyable bonus.

After five days on the road and 1924 miles behind us Sunday put a dent in our driving average. The car stayed parked in front of our unit in Powderhorn Resort in Mesa, Colorado all day long and was enjoying a well deserved rest. So were we! Late and lazy start to the day, reading, some games, and a walk around the beautiful grounds was all we could pull off.

Powderhorn is a ski resort sitting right at the chairlift base. And since it is quite ways up the mountain, the Grand Mesa, unlike traditional ski resorts that are located in valleys, the views are beautiful right from the resort, and even better if you walk a little bit up the hill.

The resort's elevation was the first thing we noticed once we got out in the morning and did a little bit of walking around. We were huffing and puffing like we just finished a marathon. It's located at ... Road Trip: The Resting Day at Powderhorn.

Colorful Fox Hollow Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (VA) (DTA_8754) by masinka

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A random jump forward to another day at Shenandoah - just enjoying the fall parade!

Salute to Autumn: To salute the wonderful colorful season that has passed I've added a new Autumn collection to my website spanning various galleries and showcasing nature's artful and colorful creations.

A Cloudy Sunrise at Letchworth's Hog's Back (DTA_8314) by masinka

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The daylight savings time is gone, it's 29°F and forecast 22°F for the morning. There are still some remaining colors up on trees, mostly yellow and some orange. The frosts came early in September but then it warmed up and the color progression slowed down markedly. As such, reds were in short supply this fall season. However, the yellows and oranges were beautiful too and the fall season was another unique show of nature's artful creations ...

Read more on The Seasons They Are a-Changin'.

Trouble with Color at South River Falls, Shenandoah National Park (DTA_8452) by masinka

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Quite often, I intend my photos to be black and white before I ever shoot them. Then, I capture them in color and do the conversion later. Other times, I get the idea of a black and white conversion while processing my images, try it, and compare whether I like the color or black and white better. Removing color can simplify the scene and put more focus on shapes, lines, curves, textures, and other elements otherwise overpowered by color.

Then, there are situations like this one. The natural scene was ...Trouble with Color.

Ice Fishing at the Small Boat Harbor, Buffalo, New York (NY) (DTA_9508) by masinka

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It was cold on Lake Erie, but it was so much fun! Wind was howling, snow was being blown strongly from the west across the lake and frozen icy surface, but it was so much fun! And the ice was thick as I have not seen it in a long time!

And clearly, I was not the only one enjoying the wintery weather. There were quite a few ice fishing huts in the harbor and some were still strolling in.

American Mariner at General Mills in Blue Hour Light (DTB_7186) by masinka

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American Mariner of the American Steamship Company by General Mills on Buffalo Ship Canal, Buffalo, NY.

www.americansteamship.com/fleet/mv-american-mariner.php

With the ice gone the ships are back to Buffalo, NY. Here's the first visit of the season by the American Mariner re-supplying the starving General Mills. After enjoying a very cloudy sunset on Wilkeson Pointe I moved over to the canal to take advantage of the beautiful blue hour light to combine the remaining blue in the sky with the lights on the ship.

Shale Creek Preserve, Chestnut Ridge Park (DTA_7172) by masinka

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Back to the Shale Creek visit for the final post from there.

It was getting really late in the evening, just about an hour before sunset, but I felt like I did not get my dose of fresh air for the day. I headed out planning to hunt for some hallmark features of the Chestnut Ridge Park that I have neglected a bit recently.

While searching for a feature I last visited probably about 10 years ago the sound of rushing water caught my ear. I quickly became too curious to pass that up and headed down to the Shale Creek bed to see what the "fuss" was about.

I found a nice small ... The Chestnut Ridge Jungle

South River Falls, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (VA) (DTA_8452) by masinka

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I've left you hanging on the trail for quite a while. I hope you brought water and snack. But now, you can stand top again, and finish the hike down the trail to the base of the waterfall.

The South River Falls is the third tallest waterfall in the park, 83 feet tall.

South River Falls hike starts at mile 62.8 at the South River Picnic Area of the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. It's a short-seeming 4 mile roundtrip but the 850-foot climb turns it into an outdoor challenge after which you may even feel your leg muscles a bit. And don't forget, the climb is on your way back, so save some energy and bring enough water!

The roundtrip is advertised as only 2.6 miles but …

South River Falls of Shenandoah

Sunrise at South Grand Island Bridge (DSG_8606) by masinka

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[2011] It has been several years since I put my Cokin filters in front of my lens. But since I arrived rather early for this sunrise, I had time to goof around and set things right. Here, I reached for three of them - two graduated ND filters and the blue gold. I don't have a 3+ stop ND to drop in the holder so the water here had limited blur due to the fast shutter speed. Mounting the holder on top of my screw-in ND would also have been an option but I felt like three additional panes of glass were enough.

[2014] I have started a rather significant photo reorganization on my web site, hopefully leading to an easier photo discovery. Time will show The first move? The bridges are now back under the Buffalo gallery, which is now called Buffalo Cityscapes, and also under their own collection. More changes to come - tedious, and probably resulting in some broken links. I think it had to be done though, sooner rather than later. Enjoy the Bridges of Buffalo.

Spring Alley at Emery Park (DSH_7251) by masinka

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Trees along the upper road in the North-East part of the park with fresh leaves, compliments of the spring season taking over for winter.The tree tops and the group of the coniferous trees in the distance are flooded with warm light of the rising sun. That was in contrast to the actual cool temperature of this spring morning.

One project is finished. Last summer I admired this alley at Emery Park and liked how it almost created a tunnel over the road. The warm light of the rising sun was bouncing around in the leaves of the tree tops, the park was empty, and it was a great feeling.

Right then and there I decided I would keep an eye on this place throughout the year and try to capture the four seasons there ... the whole blog post

Creek Split, Dark Hollow Falls Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (DTA_8496) by masinka

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Continuing the 2nd day of hiking in the Shenandoah National Park further down the Dark Hollow Falls Trail. A creek, big boulders, moss, a warm autumn day, what else could one want?

The Escalator, Subway - Delavan - Canisius Buffalo Metro Rail Station (DTA_7367) by masinka

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It's been a bit of a slow going and it will remain work in progress probably for a while but my new photo collection Subway - Buffalo Metro Rail is now available.

There, and also on my recent blog post Lines, light, and shadows at Summer - Best in Buffalo you can get a dose of history and my thoughts around the lack of popularity of mass transit in Buffalo, NY.

It's Not Over Until It's Over (DSH_7621) by masinka

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I misled you my Flickr friends, I misled you badly with my previous post. Yes, we did see patches of grass after a long time but looking out of the window now that meant little. I think nature just fell asleep for a while. However, it came back with a vengeance and fixed the problem very quickly. Down to 17°F and half a foot of snow later I assure you there are no patches of grass left!

Oh, and this contraption came really handy: Professional Camera Rain Cover. It was wrapped with a layer of snow almost instantly but I could keep shooting until I finally pointed the lens at the elements and could not see anything.

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