Manasquan Reservoir - A Sunrise & Sunset Weekend

Smartphone Reference Shot

It is officially autumn, my favorite time of year! Last Thursday was a beautiful day (about 65°F) and it got me excited to get back out with my camera. I almost totally hibernated this summer and cannot wait to get back out. I have been looking for a new location for sunrise and sunset so I thought I would give Manasquan Reservoir in Howell Township a try. I checked out a couple apps I use to check the location of the rising and setting sun, then stop at the reservoir on my way home from work on Thursday to scout locations.

Scouting Locations

Sunset - Chestnut Point #1

Sunset - Chestnut Point #2

Georgia Tavern Road

Thursday afternoon I got to the reservoir about an hour or so before sunset with no camera other than my smartphone. I had a couple spots I wanted to check out and wanted to have my compositions ready to go so that when the time came, I pretty much just had to set up my camera. I even brought my compass with me so that I could see exactly where the sun would rise and set. The first, obvious, composition was from the walkway alongside the road where there is a nice rocky slope down to the water and many dead trees coming out of the water. This is to the east so it is an obvious sunrise image but I thought it might make for a good sunset, too. I found a couple interesting compositions, took some reference shots with my phone and headed back to the parking lot.

Sunset - Chestnut Point #3

Chestnut Point

Chestnut Point is parking lot and a trail head on Georgia Tavern Road, not far from the Environmental Center. When I got to my car I noticed the trail going into the woods and caught a glimpse of the water thru the trees. Could there be a shot somewhere? There was only one way to find out. I entered the trail and saw a small trail leading right to the water. It looks as though this part is underwater when the reservoir is full as it is quite muddy and slick. Scattered about the mud are pools of water in various sizes. When I got thru the trees my eyes widened and I immediately thought, "This is it!" I found my sunrise! The smartphone came out, grabbed a few reference shots and had to run because I still had another spot to check out before it started getting dark.

Visitor Center

My last stop was at the Visitor Center on Windeler Road and a small bridge a short walk from the parking lot. I have shot here many times before, always during the day. Honestly, by the time I got here I had already made up my mind to shoot at Chestnut Point so, while I did scout to area I wasn't very thorough. This would be a good spot if the weather conditions are terrific and I will definitely give it a try some day but it wasn't going to be this time.

Sunset on Friday

I consulted Clear Outside (app and website - more at the end of this post) and was disappointed to see very little cloud cover projected but, on the plus side, they were all high clouds. If you have been following me for any length of time you will know that I love clouds in my landscape images, especially sunset. There is a difference in clouds - low, medium and high - and their impact on sunrise and sunset. I will cover that in a different post but, suffice it to say, I like a good amount of high clouds.

I decided to start the evening on Georgia Tavern Road and end at Chestnut Point because I thought that was where the magic was going to happen. While I got some nice images from the road, the best spot was down at water level.

Sunrise - Chestnut Point #1

Sunrise on Saturday

I decided to concentrate on shooting at Chestnut Point for sunrise and knew exactly what the composition was going to be. HA! I ended up with a few shots that weren't even on the radar. This was also an unusual sunrise shoot for me because I had company - I had invited my son to come with me. Typically, landscape photography - for me - is a solo event. I do go out with others occasionally and when I do it is usually other photographers, or my wife. When I am with others I always feel as though I have to be sociable but when shooting landscapes, it is just me, the camera and the landscape. One reason I invited my son, other than I thought it would be nice and he would enjoy it, is that he is perfectly content to silently soak in what nature has to offer. There is no need for "chit chat". I'm glad he came with me because I think the silhouette of him looking out over the reservoir may be the best image of the day.

Sunrise - Chestnut Point #2

The Apps & Websites

I have been using a variety of apps and websites over the years only to delete the majority of them. One that I have kept and rely on is Exsate Golden Hour, an app I reviewed here in 2017 - http://joevalenciaphotography.blogspot.com/2017/05/app-review-exsate-golden-hour.html so I won't get into it here.

Suncalc & Mooncalc

These are two new apps for me and ones that I highly recommend. There are also web-based versions - SunCalc.org and MoonCalc.org. Using SunCalc I was able to determine exactly where the sun will rise and where it will be at any given time, this was invaluable for my planning. I highly recommend checking out their web-based apps and then downloading for your phone.

Clear Outside

Clear Outside is the app I spoke of earlier and one that also has a web-based counterpart. Clear Outside will give you sunrise and sunset times as well as forecasted weather conditions for your location. The part of the app I find particularly helpful is the section on clouds. It gives you "Total Clouds", "Low Clouds", "Medium Clouds" and "High Clouds" as a percentage of the sky covered. Some of the other useful bits of information are precipitation, wind speed/direction, frost chance and fog. This is an excellent tool to consult before planning a sunrise or sunset shoot. The app allows you to set a "Home" location as-well-as other locations you might frequent. You can, at any time, use "Current" to get the conditions and forecast for where you are.

Silhouette

The Images

• Smartphone Reference Shot: I was immediately drawn to this clump of overturned trees and roots. I decided this was a "must shoot" for a sunrise and grabbed a quick smartphone reference shot.
• Sunset - Chestnut Point #1: This is the same clump of trees from the smartphone shot but I decided to include the rest of the tree as a leading line. This started out as the second of four images for a focus stack but decided to use it as it was.
• Sunset - Chestnut Point #2: This is the same basic composition as the "Smartphone Reference Shot". I do like this composition but no longer think it is the strongest to be had at this location.
• Sunset - Chestnut Point #3: I like the strong vertical lines of the dead trees standing against the waning light.
• Sunrise - Chestnut Point #1: I'm not sure if this is a little too busy. I like the tree with it's roots in the air and think it might be nice with a better sky.
• Sunrise - Chestnut Point #2: I started playing around with this image and thought, "What would it look like in black & white?" The image here is a quick black & white using Lightroom on the web. I like the moodiness of it.
• Silhouette: My son had been shooting a video while I searched for a composition, when he was done I told him to look out over the water so I could capture this image. I think this might be the best image of the two days.

Next Time

The next time I go, and the will be more than one "next time", I am definitely going to spend more time at Chestnut Point and down at water's edge but I also think Georgia Tavern Road holds more potential - maybe a bit further up from where I was. There is a wildlife blind about a mile and a half (or so) up the trail at the north end of the reservoir. I have never been to that part of the trail, will have to check it out because I think that may afford me some great views.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the images and that you are encouraged to go out and shoot some of your own.

---

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

---

Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter? Part III – Everyone Else

Note: This is the third, and final, installment in a three-part series titled, “Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter?” The other installments are The Purist and Anything Goes.

Image by Alexas_Fotos

The Argument

Is it okay to "Photoshop" your images or is it the ultimate photographic sin?

I have already written about “The Purist” and "The Anything Goes". I conclude the series with “Everyone Else” but before I get into that I want to discuss something I forgot in the first installment; Photojournalism. It is never okay for a photojournalist to manipulate an image - in fact, many (most? all?) news agencies will not allow something as minor as color correction.

Everyone Else

Then we get to the other 99% of us (I am one of you now) who use the computer editing tools to fine-tune our image and make it represent what inspired us to make it. We don't have a problem with adding a touch of magenta to a sunset sky or getting rid of a garbage can in an otherwise beautiful landscape. Yes, I have done both and more. We are the folks

Conclusion

It wasn't until I was having a discussion with a friend (thanks Chris!) that I changed my outlook. He made me look at Photoshop as the digital darkroom that it is. I have come to use the phrase, WWAD - What Would Ansel Do? - to describe my attitude change. Lightroom and Photoshop are nothing more than electronic darkrooms. When I was young and just learning photography I had an old-timer tell me I couldn't call myself a "photographer" until I was able to handle myself in a darkroom. Why does that same mindset now scoff at the electronic equivalent?

In the "Old Days" of analog photography the only "straight from the camera" images were slides (transparencies) and the image was influenced by the film manufacturer and, to some extent, the lab processing the roll. When you shot negatives you had the same influences of the film and the added aspect of interpretation in the printing process. The black & white photographer would dodge and burn his images to get the tonality he wanted - the same for the color photographer but they also had the ability to tweak colors. Then there were the characteristics of the paper used to make the print.

I now shoot in RAW format and edit each of my "keepers"; first in Lightroom and then, if needed, Photoshop. I don't usually go terribly heavy with the edits and very seldom will I remove something from an image. I try to get everything "right" before squeezing the shutter - exposure and composition - but there are times when distractions just cannot be avoided. I don't see any reason why a rogue branch, or other distractions, cannot be removed in post.

While I have no problem with the "Anything Goes" mindset, I have one caveat - if you created something that didn't exist, tell people! Now, I don't mean that you have to explicitly tell people that the collage was "shopped" or anything else that is blatantly obvious. I am talking about when you take two different images and create something - for example, you take an incredible shot of a full moon with an 800mm lens and put it rising behind a shot of the Statue of Liberty. I believe in this instance you should divulge that it is a composite.

I am okay with focus-stacking and exposure blending but some other techniques are a bit more "gray" for me. I have recently heard about "focal length stacking" where you use two different focal lengths and combine to a single image. For instance, if you are hiking thru the mountains and find a peak beautifully framed by trees but it appears a bit small in the composition - you shoot a frame of the peak with a telephoto and the over-all shot with a wider lens - then you composite it in Photoshop. Is this okay to present without explanation? If it is not a dramatic difference, I don't think you have to - what do you think? The same with running water - I have seen photographers take a long exposure to get the silky smooth water but then take a few more at higher shutter speeds to freeze some of the water, and then they combine the images in post. Is this something that should be divulged to your audience? Once again, I think I am okay with presenting the image without explanation.

So, we have come to the end of the series. What do you think? Where do you fall in this spectrum? I would love to hear your thoughts - leave me a comment below.

---

Except as noted, all photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

---

Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter? Part II - Anything Goes

Note: This is the second installment in a three-part series titled, “Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter?” The first installment, The Purist, can be found here.

The Argument

Image by Alexas_Fotos

Is it okay to "Photoshop" your images or is it the ultimate photographic sin?

I began the series with The Purist and now move on to The "Anything Goes".

Peek-a-Boo Moon
Real or Photoshop?

The "Anything Goes"

This is an interesting, and oft-maligned, category of photographer. There are times when images are processed to the point that you cannot even realize it originated inside a camera. I recently saw an image that was purposely made to look like an oil painting; I, myself, have created some images that people mistook for a painting though on my part it was unintentional over-processing. If you have an image you like but the sky is dull and listless - replace it with one you like! In this realm, there is nothing wrong with that and, if done well, no one would be the wiser. Have you ever wanted to ride a camel? Go to a zoo, get an image of a camel and put yourself on it. Are you carrying a half-keg around your waist and want six-pack abs? I saw a Photoshop tutorial about that once - go ahead! You can even fill your yard with a whole menagerie of wild creatures if you want.

My Thought on "Anything Goes"

I don't have any problem with the anything goes mindset. This group never takes "straight from the camera" as a completed image and can spend hours working on a single image that looks nothing like what the camera saw. They take pride in their editing prowess and how they can create what never existed in the physical world. I am one who thinks that photography is an art form and, through extension, photographers are artists. The job of an artist (in my opinion) is to interpret life and present that interpretation to the audience. We tend to categorize artists by their medium - painter, sculptor, photographer, etc... - but at the end of the day they are all artists. I do think, however, there may be a tipping point from being a photographer creating artistic images and an artist using photography as a medium. Does that make sense? Could it be that the "Anything Goes" photographer is actually always the latter and not the former?

Your Thoughts

Are you an Anything Goes photographer? If so, I would love to hear from you and know why. If not, what are your thoughts on the subject?

I will take on "Everyone Else" in my next blog post.

---

Except as noted, all photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

---

Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter? Part I - The Purist

Note: This is the first installment in a three-part series titled, “Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter?” In each post I will present an image with the question, "Real or Photoshop?" The answers will come in the last installment.

Image by Alexas_Fotos

The Argument

Is it okay to "Photoshop" your images or is it the ultimate photographic sin?

If you have been around the photography world for any length of time you have undoubtedly heard people "discussing" the use of Photoshop. I'm sure this argument is as old as photography itself but under various guises, such as photo-manipulation, darkroom manipulation, etc.... There are those who consider themselves "purists" and frown upon any editing - many of these photographers brag about "getting it right in the camera" and label their images as "straight from the camera" or some variation. There are others who fall on the side of "anything goes" and all is fair. I believe most people fall somewhere in the middle - I tend to be one. I will discuss each of these schools of thought in a series of posts.

I will begin the discussion with someone I call, The Purist.

Foliage @ Lake Topanemus
Real or Photoshop?

The Purist

It has been my experience that The Purist is the most vocal in this group and, to be fair, counted me as a member at one time. They believe that photography is a representational medium and should only show things as they were at the time the image was made. You can't remove something that you wished wasn't there and, *gasp*, you can never add something that wasn't there. Changing colors, changing hues, adding clouds, removing garbage cans, etc... make veins stick out of the sides of their neck. They don't consider that to be photography. These are also the souls who will argue that you cannot call yourself a photographer unless you shoot manual, but that argument is for another day.

My Thoughts on The Purist

As I mentioned, I used to be a purist. When I first started with digital photography I shunned the idea of processing an image and lived with the jpeg given to me by my camera. To be fair to myself, my first digital camera only allowed for jpeg and my editing suite consisted of whatever Canon gave me with the camera. That said, I was still on the side of only "minor" tweaking such as exposure compensation like you would get from a one-hour photo printer. When I hear someone say, "I like to get it right in the camera." and describe their images as "Straight from the camera." I tend to chuckle a bit. Don't get me wrong - the former is quite important while the latter is not.

It is important to get it right when you squeeze the shutter, if only to reduce the amount of post-processing time. However, it isn't always possible to do that with a single image due to dynamic range and your camera, among other factors. What I take issue with is the "straight from the camera" guy who thinks post-processing is a sin. I argue that you are relinquishing part of your responsibility to the image by allowing the camera to decide what the scene looks like. The jpeg is just an image that was processed based upon the algorithm developed for your particular camera. You let a programmer decide what is important in your image and what it should look like. Imagine that you painstakingly composed your image, manually focused, many set your exposure and then let some software decide what it should look like!

Your Thoughts

Are you a Purist? If so, I would love to hear from you and know why. If not, what are your thoughts on the subject?

I will take on the "Anything Goes" photographer in my next blog post.

---

Except as noted, all photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

---