Thursday, December 8, 2016

11/13/16 Supermoon

"The Super Supermoon" I photographed last month in Peoria, IL

On November 13-14th, I photographed the supermoon using my Canon 5D Mark III and a Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC G2 lens in Peoria, IL. On this night, the moon was the closest to our planet since 1948. Of course, photographing the moon required a tripod and shooting in manual mode. This was a fun night to once again look up to night sky and partake in some photography. It's quite interesting that the moon will not be as close to earth as it was on this particular night until November 25th, 2034 which is 18 years from now. Anyhow, I've added a few close-up shots of the moon below when it was near the horizon and when it was breaking through some passing clouds below:

The supermoon moon-rise!
Without the moon their would be no weather...
"No way?!...that's great!...we've landed on the moon!!" --Dumb & Dumber
Shooting manual is a must when photographing the moon!
I added a photo filter to this shot...
The moon, passing clouds, and some Photoshop work!
"In a black out"
Incredible detail!

It was a fun night photographing the supermoon. It was also a privilege that like many I was able to witness this event as the weather for the most part cooperated with the viewing conditions on both nights. Stay tuned for more posts over the winter as I find some more time for photography during the cold winter months that are ahead.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

10/31/16 Fall Foliage: 2016

A fall masterpiece showcasing the peaking fall foliage last month in Peoria Heights, IL

Over the last month, I've kept quite busy with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 7D photographing the changing fall colors in the local-area in Peoria, IL and Peoria Heights, IL. I used a variety of lenses including my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.0-5.6 II L IS telephoto-zoom lens, Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro-lens, and Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC lens. As in previous years, I was quite satisfied with my collection of fall photography this year as I found some great locations to hike and autumn scenes to photograph. I traveled to several locations around the local area last month including: Charter Oak Park, Chartwell Park, Detweiller Park, Donovan Park, Grandview Drive, Jubilee College State Park, Ravina on the Lakes, Sommer Park, and Tanners Orchard. I chose this year to check out several locations that I had not visited before and/or photographed in the local area. I sure found some great fall scenes along the way! I always enjoy photographing the fall season every year as it's a nice break from the spring and summer seasons that keep me quite busy photographing landscapes and storms. I've added a very large assortment of photos I've shot over the last month or so below:

An amazing fall close-up!
I visited Tanners Orchard and shot some pumpkins as well this year to tie into the fall theme...
 "Sure signs of autumn"
 I came across a gazebo and some fall color as a backdrop!
 "Picture window"
I shot this same fall reflection on several days to illustrate the changing fall color!
 Incredible fall reflection at Willow Lake
 "As one season ends another begins"
 "The colors of autumn"
"Fall reflection"
"Mother Nature bursting into color"
Pumpkins everywhere!
"The trails of autumn"
 This fountain and the variety of fall colors provided a nice photo-op!
 I returned on a later date and shot this fountain once again on a cloudy morning...
 Insane fall color!
 Don't forget to also look up and shoot on some occasions when photographing fall colors as you can end up with some great results!
 "Fall harvested landscape"
 "A path covered by the leaves of fall"
 "Golden"
 Fiery fall foliage at Willow Lake
 "The winds of change"
 Some creativity on my part...
 I found this photogenic barn with the peaking fall foliage in the background!
 "Peak fall foliage"
 I thought this was a neat shot using my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.0-5.6 II L IS telephoto-zoom lens!
"Pumpkin patch"
 This bridge with the fall reflection was an unique location for some fall photography!
 The fall colors were quite plentiful on this day...
 Early morning fall color at Sommer Park
 This gazebo was quite photogenic and provided a neat fall scene at golden-hour!
 Golden-hour is usually a great time to catch some great light as in this photo...
Sunny day...
Dreary day...
 Summer hanging on...
 Peak fall foliage occurring!
 Red Maple tree's going crazy with color during the evening on this day...
 A neat fall landscape!
 Another great fall close-up!
 "Fall along the lake"
 Amazing!
 "The winding roads of autumn"
 A bunch of fall color here...
 "Mums"
 You may also find yourself shooting at low angles on occasions while photographing fall scenes too...
 A cool shot even more intriguing when adding a filter in post-processing!
 I definitely got my share of photographing pumpkins and leaves this year...
 A vertical shot!
 Detweiller Park was a frequent destination last month...
 Vibrant red and yellow maple trees!
 Grand View Drive
 I have this windmill in my backyard...
 Another awesome fall scene...
 Pumpkins are another sure sign of fall!
"Storm clouds rollin' in"
 Fall landscape near Peoria Heights, IL
 I added a photo filter to this particular shot!
 "The roads of fall"
 "Morning light"
 Quite beautiful!
 "A fall painting"
 Peak fall foliage along the lake!
 A cool fall reflection on this morning!
 A pumpkin close-up!
 "Changing color"
 Beautiful fall scene!
 Fall color was at its peak on this afternoon!
 A red maple tree peaking!
 Amazing!
 Cloudy days can be good days to photograph during the fall season as well...
A shelter I found amidst the fall foliage during a hike...
 "Golden-hour light"
One more of the gazebo on this particular day...
 Another shot of the red maple leaf close-up earlier, but with a different photo filter!
 Gotta love the variety of colors here...
 "Gloomy fall afternoon"
 More fall colors...
 On this morning this tree was quite photogenic...
 Yellow maple's reaching up toward the heavens!
 I took lots of pumpkin photos this year...
 Another red maple!
 Trying my best to walk on water...
 Love this shot!
 More great fall colors!
 A peaceful fall photo!
 "The great pumpkin"
The wind ushers in a new season...
The sun breaks out providing some dramatic fall colors!
A spectacular fall scene!
A neat fall reflection!
A drive through the woods of autumn!
Another day of photography at the gazebo...
 More pumpkins...
 "Fall masterpiece"
Some vibrant red maple trees at Sommer Park 
 "One sky on top of another"
Mother Nature showing off...
A picturesque fall shot!
Fall colors starting to explode...
A fall self-portrait!
"Colorblind"
One of my favorite pumpkin shots from this fall!
Quite a strange looking tree that provided a decent photo-op...
I just love the mix of red's and yellow's here...
Warm fall colors along Willow Lake
Summer flowers still trying to hang on thanks to the unseasonably warm autumn
we have had in the Midwest...
 A lonesome picnic bench amidst the striking fall colors!
 More driving through the woods at Detweiller Park
 Sunny day...
 Cloudy day...
More pumpkins at Tanners Orchard
 A photogenic fall reflection at Ravina on the Lakes
 Amazing fall foliage!
 I took this shot with my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.0-5.6 II L IS telephoto-zoom lens...
 More photogenic mums!
 One more of the gazebo!
 Fall color looking west from IL Rt. 29
 This was a great day of photography since the colors had just peaked!
 A red maple tree bursts into color in the woods!
 A yellow maple close-up!
 Another fall reflection!
A few days later I return to check on the progress of the fall colors...
 Love this shot!
 "Fall pumpkins"
 Tanners Orchard
Photogenic fall color around every corner!
 Another beautiful reflection showcasing the fall colors...
 "Signs of fall"
 A gloomy fall morning at the lake...
 "Fall's yellow brick road"
 "Fall trees"
 Some great pumpkins at Tanners Orchard this year!
 Beautiful!
This was a good find on my route back home...
 More great fall colors I found along the horizon using my telephoto-zoom lens...
 A pumpkin close-up!
 The "browns" of fall!
 Another cool perspective!
 I'll take one!
 Love it!
 "Halloween orange"
 Some amazing fall color at this lake!
This was a nice drive at Detweiller Park
 Beautiful colors at Ravina on the Lakes
One of many fall reflections!
Patchy fall colors along the hills...
 This tree has lost all of its leaves while the other trees are peaking in fall color!
 An awesome early morning hike at Sommer Park
Love the colors here!
Another great fall scene!
A peaking fall landscape shot!
Quite a photogenic pumpkin!
Gotta love white picket fences...
"Fall road"
Pretty cool shot with the blurred pumpkins in the background!
"A fall perspective"
And another...
 Good stuff!
"Autumn light"
 Detweiller Park
 One of my favorite locations this fall!
 Another pumpkin close-up!
 Quite a variety of color!
A photogenic pumpkin!
The sun rises providing some good early morning light!
Quite an assortment of pumpkins everywhere!
"Through the woods we ran"
Another cool shot of some pumpkins...
"Autumn falling"
Quite a vibrant green stem on this particular pumpkin...
A lonesome rock along this lake!
I went a little overboard with pumpkin photos this year to say the least...
It's fun to photograph the fall season at its peak...it's sort of like forecasting the weather in a way. In this case you are trying to predict when the colors will actually peak and how long the weather conditions will allow the peaking fall foliage to stick around!
A vertical shot of this pumpkin!
"Fall standing still"
Beautiful!
Another pumpkin...
Picking out a pumpkin is always a task during the fall season!
I captured some good fall reflections this season!
 A pumpkin patch...
 Red Maple's near sunset!
I like the bright orange in this shot!
More fun at Ravina on the Lakes
A few days later the colors become more vibrant!
"Pumpkin perfection"
"Hiking into autumn"
Another pumpkin photo!
Fall color starting to show up on this day...
I've always been a fan of windmills!
"Fall leaves"
A great selection of pumpkins at Tanners Orchard this season!
I shot a few of these with the sign...
A fall drive at Jubilee College State Park
Another perfect pumpkin...
Fall reflection on a cloudy morning...
And another pumpkin...
"Iron road"
One last photo to conclude my fall 2016 collection...

That wraps up this rather lengthy post. It was a successful season of fall photography once again. I was quite happy at the large selection of photos I ended up with during a few grueling weeks of photography. I sure did put in some long hours of photography last month to say the least, but it was well worth the effort. I also photographed the Supermoon earlier this month and I'll post a few photos from that event at some point as well.