Showing posts with label Mary Beth Granger travel photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary Beth Granger travel photography. Show all posts

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Review of Photographing the St. Louis Arch at Night

St. Louis Arch at Sunset photo by mbgphoto


I have photographed the St. Louis Arch at sunrise, in the morning and during the day but I had never photographed it at sunset and beyond.  When our photography club decided to take a trip across the Mississippi and photograph the Arch from a park on the east side of the river I was ready to go.  I wasn't sure what I was expecting but when we got there I saw this platform that provided a great overlook to photograph the Arch and the riverfront.

The photos below show the ramp and members of our group lined up at the top of the platform eagerly awaiting the sun to set.
photography platform in St Louis

Photographers in St. Louis




Tips for Nighttime Photography


  • Use a tripod...this will help eliminate camera shake in the low light.  This is particularly important once the sun has set.
  • Don't put the horizon in the middle of the photo.  Try getting it somewhere in the bottom third of the photo.
  • Shoot in aperture priority when the sun is still up and switch to manual once the sun sets.
  • Stay longer ( check next paragraph for reason why).
  • Try changing white balance to shade setting for more stunning colors.
  •  Wait for night clouds.  A partly cloudy sky is the best for sunsets.
  • Watch for birds.  They can add interest to the photo.
St. Louis Arch at Sunset photo by mbgphoto
Sunset in St. Louis
Search tips for night photography online and you will find a wealth of information.  The tips above are a few that I thought were particularly good.


Staying after Sunset

When I am photographing in the evening, I see many photographers wait till sunset, take their photos, and then pack up and leave.  If they do they will miss the beauty of the special lighting that often happens 20-30 minutes after sunset.  

Right after sunset you will see some really pretty colors in the sky.  
St. Louis Arch at Sunset photo by mbgphoto
You will note in this photo, taken about 5 minutes after sunset that the sky has some pretty pinks and yellow's to it.  On some evenings this can be even more pronounced, but I still think it was pretty in the photo above.

If you wait till all the colors have gone in the sky, you will then get to the "Blue Hour" where the sky turns a beautiful dark blue.  Many people miss this because they are in too big a hurry to wait.  It is definitely their loss.  I have seen times where there is only a slight darkening of the blue and other times where it is a fantastic deep blue.  It is worth waiting to see what the evening will bring.

In the case of the arch taken from the east, I also wanted to wait till all the lights were on in the buildings around the arch.  The arch is usually lit up but at this time of year those lights were turned off so they didn't interfere with the migration of birds.  Although I would have liked to see the lights on the arch, I will have to save that for another trip and I do believe it made the other lights on the city appear even brighter.  This photo was taken 25  minutes after sunset.
St. Louis Arch at Sunset photo by mbgphoto

See More on the St. Louis Arch

Here is a Review This post on the Arch showing photography at sunrise and during the daytime.

St. Louis Arch on Zazzle

I have made several of my Arch photos into Zazzle products.  Here are a few and you may find more in my zazzle store at Mbgphoto on Zazzle




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, August 2, 2018

Review of Lighthouses at Chatham Massachusetts


Chatham Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto
I find lighthouses to be a fascinating part of history, when they were often the only means that seafaring vessels had to keep from crashing into dangers near the coastline.

On a visit to Cape Cod on a beautiful summer morning we stopped in Chatham (near the elbow of Cape Cod) to do a bit of exploring and visit the Chatham lighthouse.

Chatham Lighthouse

Chatham lighthouse stands on the site that originally held two lighthouses built in 1808.  These two brick towers were used to distinguish this area of the coast from the single tower further up the coast.  Erosion on the coast is often a danger to lighthouse stability and it eventually claimed these two towers.  They were replace in 1877 by two new cast iron towers. In 1923 one of these towers was moved to Eastham and the remaining tower is what you see in the photo above.

The current Chatham lighthouse is still active and sits on Coast Guard grounds.  I was able to walk around the perimeter of the fence to take photos. 


Stage Harbor Lighthouse

Stage Harbor Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

When we left the Chatham lighthouse we went exploring along the coast.  I had heard there was another lighthouse off the coast but wasn't sure how to get to it.  After several wrong turns, I turned down a gravel road that led to the coast and asked a fisherman about the other lighthouse.  He pointed out in the distance and I was able to see Stage Harbor Lighthouse.

This lighthouse was operational from 1880 to 1933 when it was replaced by a 60 meter high skeleton tower.  The original lighthouse and keepers house now serves as a private residence.  It is not accessible by road but I was able to photograph it from the beach area.

More than Just Lighthouses


While I was photographing the lighthouse, my husband was watching the activity along the beach and pointed out several photo opportunities to me, like the bird and it's reflection in the water and the boats in the bay.
bird in Chatham Massachusetts photo by mbgphoto

boats in Chatham Massachusetts photo by mbgphoto


Zazzle Products from my Photographs





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, July 12, 2018

Review of Small Town Fun in Conneaut Ohio

Conneaut West Breakwater Lighthouse
Conneaut West Breakwater Lighthouse
On our latest roadtrip we were traveling up highway 90 on our way from St. Louis, Missouri to Manchester, New Hampshire.  We have traveled that way several times as our son lives in NH.  I have noticed signs for the town of Conneaut, Ohio but never have stopped in the past.  This time I was needing a respite from the drive so we decided to stop for the afternoon.  I knew it was a small town so I was pleasantly surprised with all there was to see.  Here is a review of the sights we saw in Conneaut.

Lighthouse in Bay

In the photo at the top of this post you will see the unique lighthouse I photographed in Conneaut.  The walk out to the lighthouse was quite a hike, so instead I got out my tripod and long lens to photograph the lighthouse.

History

Conneaut is located on Lake Erie in the Northeast corner of Ohio.  As the town grew in the 19th century it became a point for shipping grain, whiskey and forest products.  In 1835 a lighthouse was built to facilitate ships coming into and out of the harbor.  Various improvements and changes were made to the lighthouse over the years.  In 1920 the old lighthouse was removed and the modern cement light we see today was built.  This light called the Conneaut West Breakwater Lighthouse, can be seen for 17 miles into Lake Erie.

Fun Watching Eagles

While I was photographing the lighthouse my husband got into a conversation with a local resident who was out on the harbor enjoying the beautiful day.  She saw my camera with my long lens (600mm) and told him about a place on the other end of the harbor where there was an eagles nest in an old tree.  We went over to that area and had a wonderful afternoon watching the eagles.  There were several juvenile eagles along with the adults.  In the third photo below, I captured an adult eagle pulling a fish from the water.
juvenile eagle photo by mbgphoto

eagles photo by mbgphoto

eagle catching a fish photo by mbgphoto

Covered Bridge

State Road bridge that spans the Conneaut creek photo by mbgphoto
The map of Conneaut that I picked up showed a trail of covered bridges.  There were four in the area and we took a drive and found one that I stopped to photograph. The covered bridge that I photographed is called State Road bridge and it spans the Conneaut creek.  This bridge is 157 feet long and is a single span Town Truss bridge according to the sign on the bridge.  It was built in 1983.

Zazzle Products from my Photos




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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