Having no previous plans for today, I decided to get up for sunrise to shoot at the reservoir. Once I parked the car and got my gear together, I noticed the clouds were not going to let the sun come through this morning. It had rained the day before and a few times this past week, so the water level was much higher than it has been lately. Unfortunately, the tree stump shown in my post a few days ago is now a few yards into the water. The overcast sky did not work out too well for any landscape ideas I had, so I changed gears to small detail shots. The rain from the day before made fascinating patterns in the sand, uncovering spots of different colored sand. The grass that grew during the summer and early fall is now dying, making for a carpet of brilliant orange color. For much of the morning, I scoured the ground for any potential subjects I could find in the orange grass or red sand. Posted below are two leaves I found: One on this awesome red sand and the other covered in pine needles.
Here is the first blog post of my ‘Featured Photographs’ category. This category will include photos that I have grown particularly fond of for one reason or another. The photos could be from the last trip I took or from a few years ago. I will include any special techniques I used in making each featured photograph.
This photo was taken at the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, New Jersey. This man-made lake has a very interesting landscape. Large numbers of dead trees reach into the water, making for many unique compositions. With little rain over the past few months, the water level has dropped creating a strip of land that reaches out in to the water amongst these trees. The receding water uncovers the stumps and root systems of many of these trees.
The dead trees and fog give this photo a desolate feel. I like the variations in the coloring of the trees and how they fade into the fog. The roots of the foreground tree creates many leading lines, guiding your eye around the photo. I usually do not like a pure white sky, but I think it fits well into the feel of this photo. I hope you enjoy it.
