Oh Deer! Look Who I Found!

"We are part of the earth and it is part of us… the deer, the horse, the great eagle: these are our brothers." - Chief Seattle

We have been getting a lot of deer in our backyard lately, sometimes as many as three fawns. This one was all alone this morning; I decided to try my luck. It could see me moving around in the house so I got down low, sat still for a few moments and quietly opened the sliding door just enough to stick the lens out.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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A Walk in the Park

Out for a Walk

A Walk in the Park in black & white

Lake Topanemus Park in Freehold was one of my favorite lunchtime destinations when I was working in Manalapan. It was there on a mid-May afternoon in 2014 that I came across this gentleman walking along the trail. I was immediately drawn to the red jacket so I stopped, grabbed my camera and fired off a few shots. When I got home I was reasonably happy with the image but it didn't knock me out and I got distracted for others so I completely forgot all about it.

This summer I have been re-visiting some of my older images - some that have been edited and others that I didn't give a second look at. This has been a rewarding exercise because I have re-discovered images that have turned out to be quite good. There have been others that I re-edited as my skills at Lightroom and Photoshop have matured.

A Walk in the Park - original color

When I looked at this image, I was struck, once again by the red jacket. I instantly added a black & white layer, made the edits to create the image the way I wanted it. Then I added a layer mask to the black & white layer, painted over the gentleman with a black brush to reveal the underlying color and VOILA! I don't do "selective color" too often but I think it is the perfect treatment for this image. I have included a fully edited color version of the image for reference. What do you think? Color or black & white? Let me know in the comment section below.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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The Beauty of Hershey Gardens

Hershey Gardens 2021

Hershey Gardens Conservatory with fountain and roses

If you have never been to Hershey Gardens in Hershey, Pennsylvania, I hope this post inspires you to put it on your "Bucket List." My wife and I have been there three (3) times, most recently was earlier this month when we visited with close friends of ours. We took a short vacation to Hershey, stopping at the gardens on our first day and then over the Hersheypark the next.

Inside the Conservatory you will find a gift shop, a few exhibits and a Butterfly Atrium. The butterflies are absolutely stunning and I suggest you make a point of visiting. Be warned - it is quite humid in the atrium and if you want to take photographs, let your camera adapt for a while. My first time I spent more time trying to wipe the lens clean than shooting. This most recent time I left the camera in the bag and just enjoyed the beauty around me.

When you walk out the back of the Conservatory you are immediately greeted by the pond and water fountain. Looking past this are endless rows and groups of flowers of all kinds. When we last visited the roses were in full bloom, the first time we were greeted by the perennial gardens.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words so I think I will stop writing and dedicate the next six thousand words to the photos. I hope you enjoy them.

Clicking on an image will take you to that image in my Instagram feed. I invite you to follow me while you are there.

A view from the Conservatory with Hotel Hershey in the distance

Long exposure of the fountain with Conservatory

Fountain with Children's Garden in the distance

Garden Bench overlooking roses

Follow the (nearly) yellow brick walk to the Gazebo

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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Why I Left Pixsy

What is Pixsy?

Pixsy (www.pixsy.com) provides a service for photographers by scanning the web for a photographers’ images. If a match is found it is reported to the photographer who can then take a few actions, including filing a case for payment. If a case is filed and a settlement received, Pixsy retains 50% of the settlement and the photographer gets the other 50%. They provide both a free and a premium service.

This post was updated on 16 April 2021 - see "UPDATED" below for details.

My Experience

I joined Pixsy sometime in 2015 with a free membership account. I did not have a lot of images but did have some issues with unauthorized usage in the past. The idea of having a service scan the web looking for my images was quite attractive; it was certainly more reliable than accidently coming across things. I submitted my first case in January 2016, the first of fourteen (14), but it did not get far. While researching the case it was determined the image was purchased from an affiliate of a stock agency the image was uploaded to – it was legitimately licensed, but I was never told.

Most of the other cases were “rejected” for various reasons, most of which were that the guilty party was in a country not supported by Pixsy. There were two (2) successful attempts at compensation (2016 and 2017), as well as two (2) cases that were dropped due to their inability to open a dialogue with the offending party. The first discontinued case was referred to a law firm to pursue the case in Federal court, it was I who decided to drop it at that point because of the uncertainty of the outcome; if I lost, I could be held liable for the defendant’s legal costs.

The last case was against a local radio station that used one of my images to illustrate an article on their website – the image was used as the header image. Pixsy discontinued this case after four (4) months.

Why I Left

I left in December 2018 because the quality of service had been slipping, the searches were sloppy, and their case acceptance criteria made it very difficult to get them to work on your behalf. In February 2019 I was contacted by Pixsy with an offer to upgrade my account – for free – and was assured the services had improved. The free upgrade was enough to give them another opportunity. The searches were being run more frequently and the accuracy had improved, they were also more transparent with their criteria for accepting cases.

Despite the improvements, I still felt that the service was not living up to expectations or its earlier performance. When I first started with Pixsy I was getting a lot of “hits” on my images but not all were actionable. That is okay because at least I knew the search function was working – it was finding my work. The past year has proven to be frustrating due to the very low number of times my work has been found, in addition to a far lower rate of case acceptance. The case alluded to at the end of the last section was the last straw.

The Final Case

I submitted a case in November 2020 - I happen to have seen the article before the incident appeared in a search on Pixsy. The first license fee request to the image user was emailed on 24 November 2020, followed by six (6) more emails before discontinuing the case on 31 March 2021. The “paper trail” on the website only showed two attempts and I had to send inquiries to get status updates – one of which stated that phone calls had been made in addition to emails sent. When I received notice, they were dropping the case I requested all the pertinent information so that I could pursue the case on my own. I did this with the other case that had been dropped.

The only thing I received was a graphic showing the image being used on the website. That is it! I asked again for ALL the information – the full paper trail of who, what, when, how, and contents of the correspondence. I asked three (3) times before getting another graphic showing the dates and a small description of emails that we sent. Nothing about phone calls, no contents of the email, nothing. There was, however, one description where I could see the name of the person contacted – I could not know, however, if they had been contacted each time or if attempts went to others in the organization.

I tried one last time, this time stating that I was going to delete my account if I did not receive the requested information by noon today. Miraculously, I received an email at 11:59 AM! The email explained that they had already given me all of the information that I requested but they could not provide me with the contents of the emails – just that “they included a fee request, an overview of the infringement, an explanation of who Pixsy is, that we are authorized to work on your behalf, and details on how to settle the matter which includes the payment of the license and the removal of the image.”

Now, at no time did I demand a removal of the image – I do not know where that came from, but it was not authorized by me. The fact of the matter is – if they pay the licensing fee, I am more than happy to have them continue to use the image. I know the fee that they told me they were requesting but I have no confirmation whatsoever that it is, indeed, what they requested or if they in any way offered to “work with them” on an equitable solution.

I am now fighting this battle on my own with very little knowledge of the preceding events. I could learn a lot from seeing what work had been done before – how forceful is the language, do they present timelines, were others copied on subsequent emails, was the spectre of a lawyer and lawsuit raised, etc…. I will have to learn on my own and, hopefully, not trip over my own feet in the process.

In Closing

I am now looking for another service and would love to have you leave some of your experiences in the comments below. If you are happy with a service – please let me know. Equally important, let me know if you tried a service and were unhappy.

UPDATE!

The case has been resolved! I sent an email and within two (2) days we worked out an equitable resolution. I believe Pixsy sent the request to the wrong person inside the organization and never properly followed up. My recommendation for anyone going thru this on their own - write an email, send a follow-up after a week. If you get no response, you can send a third email to the person but also send the same via "Certified Mail" and get a return receipt so you have proof of delivery. You then want to work your way up the "food chain" with subsequenct correspondence, if necessary. The key is to persevere and don't get discouraged - you work hard and deserve ample compensation for your work.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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Long Exposure Photography

Long Exposures

A snapshot steals life that it cannot return. A long exposure creates a form that never existed. - Dieter Appelt⁠

Waves - Long Exposure #1
5 seconds @ f/11 - 85mm (136mm full-frame)
Image for sale - see below for details

Ocean Grove Sunrise
1/13 sec @ f/8.0 - 106mm (170mm full-frame)

I have gotten into the habit of accompanying my Instagram posts with a qoute that in some way relates to the image. I was looking for an appropriate one for this first image and instantly knew it was perfect. Long exposure photography is something that I enjoy but don't often practice. One of the things that is so attractive to me is the essence of the quote - I am creating something the never existed, something not visible to the naked eye. It is nonrepresentational but not necessarily abstract.

When you say "long exposure photography" people have a wide range of interpretations - some say anything slower than about 1/15^th or 1/20^th of a second while others may think something slower than a full second. I tend to think of anything slower than 1/2 of a second but I have no hard and fast rules. If I am shooting a sunrise at the beach and the sun is in the image, I work on the faster end of the spectrum because I the sun is moving quickly and I don't want it to be just a blog in the sky. If I am isolating some waves crashing on rocks or flowing on the beach, I will work with a slower shutter.

Manasquan Reservoir
3.2 seconds @ f/11 - 18mm (29mm full-frame)

Spring Lake
260 seconds @ f/11 - 72mm (115mm full-frame)

The most important piece of equipment for long exposure photography is, of course, a good, solid tripod. I have seen claims that some of today's cameras can be effectively handheld to as long as two (2) seconds using image stabilization but I am leary. As a landscape photographer you probably already use a tripod for most of your work so this shouldn't be an issue. I would argue that, equally important, is a good imagination. The ability to visualize the end result is something you will develop over time but every image will always be a surprise.

I use long exposures for different reasons; showing motion, smoothing water, and creating mood to name just a few. Each of the images presented here show one of these reasons. A long exposure can introduce a calming effect to a scene, like the Manasquan Reservoir image, and it can be used to create tension or mystery, like the black & white image at the start of this piece. In the latter case the viewer expects to see water but instead is greated by something more like smoke.

So comes the end of another blog - I hope you enjoyed the images and, maybe, I inspired you to go out and try your hand at long exposures. They are a lot of fun and there is no right or wrong way anymore than there is a right or wrong subject. Shooting at night and capturing light trails from cars can be a lot of fun, as can creating your own light trails with a flashlight, laser pointer or sparkler^**.

Note: The two images captioned "Spring Lake" were made on the same day, within about a thirty (30) minute timeframe. They are two (2) different areas of the beach but the wave heights and frequency were about the same. You can see how dramatic the difference in exposure time can be.

** Note: Sparklers generate a lot of heat and throw sparks in the air than can start fires if they land on something flammable. They should be used with caution and only under adult supervision.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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Technical information:
• Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
• Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
• ISO 100
• All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
• Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

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For Sale

Waves - Long Exposure #1 is for sale on Saatchi Art. It is available in a 20x20 Limited Edition - follow the link for more information.

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

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Instagram and Me - A Rocky Relationship

Ah, Instagram

Maclearie Park sunset
Featured by #NJRadiant

I have been on Instagram (you can find me here - @valencia32photo) for a few years now and have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with it. I love sharing my work and receiving feedback, but I also find myself comparing my work, along with number of followers, likes, comments, etc.…., with others and becoming disappointed. Why did Jimmy (obviously not his real name 😉) get two thousand likes and I only received ten? He has how many followers? My work is ten times better and I do not have anywhere near that many! This is despite telling myself that it does not matter, I am not competing against Jimmy – I am competing against myself; challenging myself to get better each time.

My Instagram Feed

I am primarily a landscape photographer, but you can find a little bit of everything in my feed – nature, flowers, wildlife, macro, still life, you name it. The only thing you will not see a lot of is portraiture – maybe an occasional self-portrait or an environmental portrait of someone but that is about the extent. It just is not a genre that has ever excited me. My portrait work is mostly private and restricted to family and friends.

Full Moon - Manasquan Reservoir
Featured by #SimplyNJShots

I try to publish new work on a regular basis but since the pandemic hit in March 2020 things have been a bit hit-or-miss. I do not get out nearly as often as I used to but try to make the most of any time that I do have. This past year has seen me embark on a “Backyard Boredom” project that I documented in my Instagram feed – follow #JoeValencia_BackyardDiscoveries and #BackyardBoredom to follow along. The #BackyardBoredom hashtag is also being used by others so you can follow their adventures, too.

My Followers

I do not have a lot of followers – there are 436 as-of this writing – but the core is very faithful, been with me for a long time and very supportive. I started March 2020 with 325 followers, steadily increasing each week. I am happy to see a 30% increase but still puzzled by the low number. I do know that in the last year I have (almost) always started each caption with a quotation appropriate to the image, along with a paragraph or so about the image – what, where, why, how, etc.… - and tried using the most efficient hashtags.

Footbridge - Spring Lake
Featured by #NJShooterz

Who I Follow

There was a time when I followed a lot of people with the hope of getting a reciprocal follow. There were a lot of accounts showing up in my feed that I just did not enjoy; I decided to only follow accounts I was truly interested in and to constantly update the list. There are 533 accounts that I now follow, and I usually end up adding one or two a week, on average. These accounts make up a wide variety of genres of photography, but they are not all photographers; over the years I have followed painters, sketch artists, sculptors, celebrities, and “normal” people posting photos of their friends and families. I follow accounts for a variety of reasons, too. I like to be entertained and I also like to see what other creatives are doing – not so that I can copy them but to draw inspiration.

Deep Cut Gardens
Featured by #NJinBloom

My Featured Work

You may be aware of “Feature” accounts on Instagram – they, typically, do not produce original material but rather feature the work of others that fit their focus of their account. If you want to get a chance at being featured, you use their hashtag – they monitor the images and choose the ones they deem worthy. This is a great way to get your work in front of people who might normally never see it. All the images used to illustrate this post were featured at one time; clicking on the image will take you to it. I have also had features in #SimplyNJShots, #NJspots, #NJinBloom, #NJShooterz, #NewJerseyHikes, and #SignatureShots; some have featured my work more than once. If I have forgotten any, I apologize for the oversight. It is exciting to see your work deemed worthy of a feature and to read the comments that follow. If you are interested in trying to get your work featured, you can try these accounts or search on Google – “Instagram macro photography feature accounts”, for instance.

Hashtags

I have already touched upon hashtags a little bit, along with some that I frequently use. Choosing the “right” hashtags is a tricky thing and I have no idea if I am doing it right. You want to use popular hashtags because that is what people are using to find things, but you do not want to use extremely popular ones because you end up being a drop in the ocean, making it difficult for you to be found. I usually include any equipment manufacturers involved in the image - #TeamCanon and #MadeWithMeFOTO being two of the most common. I also have made up hashtags for people who want to follow me, specifically – like #JoeValencia_Photography, #JoeValencia_BackyardDiscoveries, and #JoeValencia_Macro. I have a worksheet in Excel with 100’s of hashtags, many grouped into categories, so I can copy-and-paste the ones I need for an image.

Sunrise - Ocean Grove
Featured by #NJspots

Here is a list of New Jersey hashtags that I frequently use - #BeautifulNJ, #CentralJerseyExists, #GardenState, #GetOutStayOut, #HikeNJ, #HikeVibes, #JerseyCollective, #Just_NewJersey, #KeepItWild, #NewJersey, #NewJerseyHikes, #NewJerseyHikes_, #NewJerseyHiking, #JerseysBestCreators, #NewJerseyIsntBoring, #NewJerseyOutdoors, #NewJerseyPhotographer, #nj, #NJDotCom, #NJInBloom, #NJIsBeautiful, #NJRadiant, #NJOutdoors, #njPhotographer, #njShooterz, #NJspots, #NJSunriseSunset, #NJSunset, #OnlyInNewJersey, #OptOutside, #ScenicNJ, #VisitNJ, #WildNJ, #Allaire, #AllaireStatePark, #SharkRiverPark, #SharkRiverParkNJ, #HowellNJ, #WallNJ, #NeptuneNJ, #ManalapanNJ, #ManasquanReservoir

In Conclusion

Instagram is a great way to share your creative work, family photos and short videos and, if you manage your expectations, a lot of fun to use. I hope you enjoyed this post and hope you will take some time to check out my Instagram account – follow me if you like what you see!

Until next time – stay safe, be healthy and enjoy life!

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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A New Photography Location - Ocean County Edition

Bay Head

Twilight Lake

Golden Hour - Twilight Lake
18mm (29mm) - 1/20 sec @ f/16

I had the day off yesterday and spent the day with my wife - we had an errand to run in the morning but the rest of the day we were free to do whatever we pleased. We had a nice lunch at the New Monmouth Diner in Middletown before heading to one of our favorite places - DeMarco's Catering & Gourmet Deli in Aberdeen Township. Do not try their assorted cheese bread! It is hard enough for me to get a loaf or two when I go, I don't want everyone buying it. 😀

It was a chilly, windy, but nice, day so we took the long way home along Ocean Avenue. We stopped at Mt Mitchill Park on the way to pay our respects at the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial and take in a stunning view of Sandy Hook and New York City. We drove down along Ocean Avenue all the way thru Spring Lake before heading for home via Maclearie Park. During the leisurely drive, my wife noted more than once how nice the day was and the cloud cover might make for a lovely sunset. I haven't been out with my camera much lately, despite her encouragement, and so I gave it some consideration. Now, while I believe her intentions were truly selfless, I can't help but think she was also thinking about having the house to herself for a while. 😉 🤣

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get out and make a go at sunset. The question was, where do I go? I do not know about you but after a while I get tired of going to the same places and coming away with images like everyone else. I know that every sunset is different but…. I also like to challenge myself with new locations and trying to come up with great compositions.

When we got home, I opened Google Maps, zoomed out and started looking for bodies of water I was unfamiliar with. I got down to Bay Head before I found some promise; it was then time to change to “street view” and have a look around. It was not long before I decided that was my location; I was standing at the edge of the water within 45 minutes.

Leaving the house with a specific location and composition in mind takes a bit of pressure off; I could take my time, fine-tune the composition, then sit back and enjoy the show. When I got to the lake reality smacked me in the face, not hard but enough to get my attention. The 3D reality of the location did not match up with the 2D image presented to me earlier, making me struggle to try to make it work. Ultimately, I was not happy with the situation, deciding it was never going to work. That turned out to be the good news.

The one complaint I have (if you can call it a complaint) is that our beaches are somewhat boring – we have an occasional pier or jetty but that is about it. We do not have the cliffs, sea stacks and large rocks that the Oregon coast has, for instance. That is one of the reasons I was drawn to this final composition – the rocks were catching the golden light from the setting sun, I had some nice leading lines and, the topper for me, the footprints in the foreground. After setting up I took a few test shots and then sat waiting for the real show to begin.

As the sun dropped in the sky, I got more excited about the color falling on the rocks; I was just waiting for the few clouds in the sky to catch some light and the sky to explode in color. This is one of the images I captured during my wait – thirty (30) seconds later, the entirely of the rocky landscape was in shadow. A few little clouds moved in and the sky was beginning to pick up some color, but the magic was gone. That is how fleeting life’s moments can be.

It was time to pack up and head home – my sunset shoot ended before the sun set. I was going to try to find a new place on the way home, but the sun was dropping quickly, and I was quite ready to go home, warm up and have some of the cheese bread for dinner.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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Technical information:
• Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
• Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
• ISO 100
• All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
• Focus was manual, exposure was set at aperture-priority with exposure compensation at -1/3 stop.
• Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

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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

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Playing in the Snow

Pine Sapling #1
240mm (384mm) 1/80 sec @ f/5.6

Snow

I seem to be in the minority, but I really enjoy the snow! The past few years have been quite a disappointment in that department, but Mother Nature seems to be anxious to make up for it in 2021. We have already had far more snow than all of 2020 and, I believe, 2019 combined. Do not quote me on that but it might not be an unreasonable guess. If anyone knows the total snowfall for Monmouth County in each of the last few years, let me know in the comments below.

Pine Sapling #2
92mm (147mm) 1/200 sec @ f/5.6

When pressed, I will tell people that winter is my third favorite season however, it finishes a strong second as far as excitement for photography and inspiration. Yes, it is very difficult to work up the courage to go outside in sub-freezing weather with frozen water falling from the sky, but I find myself drawn to it. Full disclosure – I much prefer the dry, white puffy snow than a wet snow but I will take what I can get.

The images shown here were all created in January and February of 2021 and there will be more to come. As I sit writing this, we have a fresh snowfall with more predicted for next week. They, also, have all been taken in my yard or in the woods just outside my yard; thus, they could be considered part of my “Backyard Boredom” project. You can read more about that project here and here.

Holly Tree
135mm (216mm) 1/500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

The pine sapling is about two feet beyond my property in the woods belonging to Shark River Park. The two versions were made just two days apart – one during a very wet snowfall and the other a day after the storm. They are from slightly different perspectives, as you can see from the background, but both show off the graceful curvature of the trunk.

Maple Leaves
300mm (480mm) 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

The holly tree was what drew me outside that day, I did not see the pine until I was already out photographing it. This was made after the first storm. We have quite a bit of holly growing around here; I have two large trees in my back yard, a small one just outside my bedroom window and countless trees in the woods. I do not recall seeing this little one before, so I do not know how long it has been there. The background was a bit busy, so I decided to use my widest aperture for shallow depth of field and over-expose a stop or two for a high-key image.

Evergreen Tree with Snow
300mm (480mm) 1/25 sec @ f/8

Looking out my back door one day I saw this clump of dead maple trees hanging from one of the trees. They made such a stark contrast with the dark trees and white snow I grabbed the camera and headed out. I had to bump up the ISO to 400 because I was handholding and did not want to worry about camera-shake.

The last image is a small evergreen tree in my side yard. This was made during the same storm as the snow-covered sapling I lead off with. This image was a bit more challenging because to the immediate right of this tree is a chain link fence and the background is very busy due to the park woods. I wanted to use a slow shutter to show the falling snow, while blurring the background as much as possible. The compromise was f/8 which was enough to keep the entire tree in focus yet lend sufficient blur to the background. I am particularly happy with the motion of the falling snow.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the images.

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Technical information:
• Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
• Lenses:
  • Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
• Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
• Vello White Balance Card Set (Medium)
• Unless otherwise stated - all images - ISO 100
• All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent is in parentheses.
• Focus and exposure were done manually*. The shutter was tripped with a wired remote.

* - I set the focus and exposure manually but that in no way means you have to do that. I was playing with exposures and it is easier to do so in "M". I typically use "aperture-priority" when I am out.

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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

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Shadows and Snow - in abstract

Shadows on Snow "Waves"
135mm (216mm) - 1/100 sec @ f/11

Abstract in Nature

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. - Pablo Picasso⁠

I do not do a whole lot of abstract photography but every once-in-a-while I get inspired. Last week we were hit with a Nor-easter that brought with it about six or seven inches of snow. This was the first substantial snowfall we have had in quite some time as the last two winters were not very productive in that aspect.

While looking out my back door - looking for deer in the woods - I noticed the lilac bush was throwing some beautiful shadows across the snow. The snow had created some subtle "waves" and after a few days of warm followed by cold there was a thin layer of ice crystals giving it a little bit of sparkle. There was nothing else I could do, the next thing I know I am putting on my boots, grabbing my gear and heading to my back yard. It was fairly warm - about 50° so I didn't bother taking time for a jacket, this is t-shirt weather in January! 😆

Shadows on Snow
120mm (192mm) - 1/100 sec @ f/11

How many of you shoot snow scenes? How often are you disappointed with the results? I spent a lot of years when I was learning the craft wondering what I was doing wrong. This was in the days before YouTube had 1,000's of tutorials telling you how. I have gotten better over the years but just recently added a "secret weapon" to my arsenal - a set of white balance cards. This is a set of three (3) plastic cards - black, white and 18% gray. When I went out to shoot I laid the cards out in the snow in approximately the same light I was going to shoot and took a frame. This was my reference for color balance. I then filled the frame with just the 18% gray and took notice of the exposure. I now had my "base" settings. This is the first time I used the cards - I received them as a birthday gift in December - and they worked like a charm.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the images.

Technical information:
• Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
• Lens: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
• Vello White Balance Card Set (Medium)
• All images - ISO 100
• All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent is in parentheses.
• Focus and exposure were done manually*. The shutter was tripped with a wired remote.

* - I set the focus and exposure manually but that in no way means you have to do that. I was playing with exposures and it is easier to do so in "M". I typically use "aperture-priority" when I am out.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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Autumnal Beauty - Does It Get Any Better?

Autumn... the year's last, loveliest smile.
- William Cullen Bryant

Rainy Afternoon #1
Divine Park, Spring Lake
Exposure: 30mm (48mm) - 8 sec @ f/29

Rainy Afternoon #2
Divine Park, Spring Lake
Exposure: 87mm (139mm) - 2 sec @ f/13

NO! It doesn't get any better than autumn! (This may be the shortest blog post ever written....)

Okay, if you are a regular reader of this blog you know I can't stop there.... You will also know that autumn is my favorite time of the year, followed by spring and then winter. I am not a fan of summer anymore.

I look forward to the cooler weather, the smell of the woods and, of course, the beauty of the foliage. I try to time a week’s vacation to coincide with peak foliage but always seem to be off by a week – either early or late. Last year I was about a week early of the peak in the Delaware Water Gap region and this year I am about a week late. It really doesn’t matter but one of these years I am going to get it right – hopefully I still can walk under my own power. 😉

Rainy Afternoon #3
Divine Park, Spring Lake
Exposure: 29mm (46mm) - 2 sec @ f/13

Spring Lake

One of my sunset locations has been Divine Lake in Spring Lake and I always thought it would make a nice location for foliage, too. There are a few wooden footbridges and fountains, with lots of trees. I set out on a dreary Sunday afternoon to see what the foliage was like. Leaving the house with a prediction of 10% chance of rain – that quickly turned to 100% before I arrived at the lake. That’s okay, rain hasn’t stopped me in the past. In fact, I think some of my most successful autumn images were made during, or shortly after, a rainstorm.

When I got to my intended site, I realized there really wasn’t a composition. I drove around to the other side of the lake to find that there was potential. It was raining steadily so I left my gear in the car, walked to the edge of the lake and snapped a few images with my phone. I wasn’t sure if there was a composition. Once I got out of the rain, I looked at the snapshot on my phone; it was then that I decided to wait out the downpour and do some shooting.

This was a good situation for a long exposure, I wanted to eliminate – or at least minimize – the raindrops and ripples in the lake. Fortunately, there was virtually no wind at all, so I didn’t have to worry about the leaves on the trees blurring. There is some movement of the leaves in the bottom of the first image adding a bit of foreground interest.

I then turned my attention specifically to the footbridge – a wide shot and then a tighter crop. One common thread in all three (3) images is the large limb hanging over the lake. I was drawn to it because of the way it was framing the scene – particularly in the tighter image of the bridge.

Manasquan Reservoir #1
Howell Township
Exposure: 52mm (83mm) - 1.3 sec @ f/32

Manasquan Reservoir

I went on a marathon excursion (about 100 miles) in search of foliage but came away mostly empty. I did come away with one image from “the Boneyard” (my wife’s term) at Manasquan Reservoir. The reservoir, particularly in the Chestnut Point area, provides a great contrast between the dead trees in, and around the water, and the foliage on the banks. The water level has been lower than I ever remember it being which is good for photography but not in the overall scheme of life.

Manasquan Reservoir #2
Howell Township
Exposure: 37mm (59mm) - 1.3 sec @ f/11

This first image is from my favorite reservoir sunrise location (Manasquan Reservoir - A Sunrise & Sunset Weekend). I really struggled here – the sky wasn’t great, the colors muted and on the other side of the lake, about a half-mile or so away. I liked the idea of having this stump as foreground, it has such great texture. The solution was to leave the tripod down low, use a longer focal length to compress the scene and see what happens. A little bit of post-processing to bring out some of the color resulted in a reasonably good image.

Last October I had a much more fruitful experience. I decided to stop on my way home from work, in the rain, and capture some of the color. I came away with two (2) images that the color was near peak (peak?) that afternoon; the rain helped to bring out and saturate the color. These are two of my favorite autumn images, I share my favorite one here. You may have seen this image before – I used it in my earlier blog post about the reservoir (Parks of Monmouth County - Manasquan Reservoir)

In Closing

So.... Have I convinced you that autumn is the greatest season? While this autumn didn't produce quite the bounty of images I was hoping, I did come away with some that I am quite happy with. The only thing about autumn that I don't like is that it is far too short! I would love to live somewhere with a five (5) month autumn, four (4) month spring, two (2) month winter, and a month of summer. Yea, that would make me happy. What about you? Is autumn your favorite? If not, what is? Let me know in the comments below. Which is your favorite image from today's post? I would love to hear what you think.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the images.

Technical information:
• Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
• Lens: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
• All images - ISO 100
• All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent is in parentheses.
• Focus and exposure were done manually*. The shutter was tripped with a wired remote.

* - I set the focus and exposure manually but that in no way means you have to do that. I was playing with exposures and it is easier to do so in "M". I typically use "aperture-priority" when I am out.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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An Afternoon at Deep Cut Gardens

Deep Cut Gardens

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not. - Georgia O’Keeffe

Japanese Hairy Toad Lily

I took a much needed day off at the end of September and spent the day with my wife. For the first time this year we had lunch at our favorite diner, All Seasons Diner in Eatontown, and then, after a quick detour, headed for Deep Cut Gardens. We love going to the park but don't get there nearly as much as we would like. A Thursday afternoon seemed like a great time to go but there were quite a few people there, including at least four (4) other photographers and more than a few women with young children. If you aren't familiar with Deep Cut Gardens, you can check out my earlier blog post - Parks of Monmouth County - Deep Cut Gardens - and I will provide further links below. I will also provide some links to photographs on Instagram featuring Deep Cut Gardens - I encourage you to check them out and follow them. I do!

Zinnias along the Walkway

The walkway from the parking lot around to the Koi Pond is now lined with beautiful fall colors, replacing the tulips that thrive earlier in the year. This flower bed changes thru the year - the last time we were here the Park Rangers were digging up tulip bulbs and giving them away. We will have tulips next year! I have to admit, I spent a while scoping out this bed and trying a number of compositions but nothing really clicked except for the zinnia shown here. It happens sometimes; there is so much going on and I jump from one thing to another like a kid at Christmas. I must make a conscious effort to slow down and work a composition properly. The good news is that, after all these years, I can still get as excited about photography as I did more than 45 years ago when I first fell in love with it.

Celosia

Soon there were three (3) other photographers vying for space; it was time for me to move on. When I turned the corner to the Horticultural Center I was struck by these incredible golden spires, beyond them were bright red ones. These Celosia (see Celosia on Wikipedia) are simply magnificent. I made a few images before moving on to the “Main Event” – the Sargent’s weeping hemlocks and Parterre. The hemlocks are such beautiful, and surprisingly fragile, trees; we stopped to speak with Ranger Don who told us that the limbs sometimes must be supported in the winter if enough snow builds up on them. That is one reason why climbing, or sitting in, the trees is prohibited.

Upper Waterfall

There is a wonderful series of waterfalls & ponds nestled within the trees; perfect for a bit of long exposure photography. I reached for my Ice 72mm CaNDi-5 Solid ND 1.5 and Circular Polarizer Filter (5-Stop) to help cut the glare and provide me with a bit more latitude for my exposures. Each of the three (3) ponds have their own charm so I set out to capture each, trying exposures ranging from about 1/3 second to 2 seconds. I have included my favorite image here – to see the others, along with more Deep Cut Gardens images, check out my Behance Project - Deep Cut Gardens. It was right about now that my wife, I was there with my wife – remember, caught up with me. We sat on one of the benches under a tree to rest a bit. You see, when we go to the park, we tend to go our own way at times. She has her interests and I am like a butterfly moving from one composition to another. She uses her phone to capture and edit images and has become quite good; I would even say that she can out-shoot me some of the time. Don’t tell her that, it will be our little secret. It doesn’t take long before something catches my eye and I am heading towards the Parterre.

Zinnia #1
featured on Instagram by @NJinBloom
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzcEGqgI_u/

The roses are mostly gone now but a few blooms remain, I used a couple of them to frame the pergola. Yes, I purposely have them out of focus…. No, I’m still not sure if it “works.” What do you think? Let me know in the comments. The destination was the pergola or, more specifically the flower beds in front of the pergola.

I thought the flower beds were a great opportunity, much like the flower beds in the parking lot. I tried focus-stacking an image using the front of the beds as a leading edge. I still believe there is an image there somewhere, but I didn’t find it that day. I did come away with a few individual blooms – the images here represent the best of them. I find myself attracted to the warm end of the spectrum when it comes to flowers which is a double-edged sword. They are strikingly beautiful but also rather difficult to photograph well. They tend to fool the camera’s meter and tend to be under-exposed. If you compensate too much they get washed out and look funny.

Zinnia #2

I did manage a few images of the red zinnias that are in the pergola flowerbeds, as you can see. I think I am doing better but need more practice; I suppose I am going to have to keep going back to Deep Cut Gardens. 😉

We decided to go back to the car by way of the greenhouse and Display Garden. This turned out to be the best thing I did all day; it brought me to the Japanese Hairy Toad Lily. I had never seen one of these before and I was captivated by it. Up to this point there was virtually no breeze at all but now that I wanted to get close, and these are on a long, thin, stalk, a slight breeze started. It was almost imperceivably but when I magnified the image to focus, you could see it moving. This flower is going to get a lot more attention whenever I go to the park.

The last stop was the Display Garden where I got to visit with a few of the locals, including a little Garden Fairy! The garden is a fenced in area filled with raised beds growing flowers, vegetables and herbs. Interspersed among the plants you can find some garden gnomes – a few of which I have here.

Garden Gnomes

For more information, check out these links:
• Monmouth County Park System - Deep Cut Gardens
• Deep Cut Gardens on Facebook
• NJspots.com - Smell the Roses at Deep Cut Gardens
• NJspots.com - 7 of the Best Gardens & Arboretums in the Garden State
• NJMom.com - Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown: Adventure Through 54 Acres of Gardens, Flowers, and Wildlife
• GetOutsideNJ - Deep Cut Gardens

Deep Cut Gardens on Instagram:
• Frank Morris - @pixel_plus_photos
• Lauren J. Cooke - @fnygrl
• Tricia Lea - @photography_by_tricia_lea
• Joe Matzerath - @joe_matzerath_photography
• Cheryl - @njgirl00adventures
• Lindsey - @livingthelifeoflindsey

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

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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

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