A few of my favorite lakes
My wife was looking thru her Facebook feed the other night and came across some pictures that a friend posted. There were some swans on a lake (but it wasn't Swan Lake....
😂 .) She showed them to me and asked if I knew where the lake was, she seemed to think it was Belmar. I looked and it seemed more like a small lake in Ocean Township - after we guessed a couple times she asked her friend; we were both way off! The lake is in Brick. My wife then asked if I had written any blog posts about lakes; realizing that I had not, I silently vowed to write one.
I don't know why I haven't done this before, I have shot around many lakes - some of which are very special places to me. Looking over my previous 76 posts I realized I haven't written about a single lake, their images have appeared in posts but I've never written about the lake or highlighted it specifically.
Lake Topanemus
Lake Topanemus is located in Lake Topanemus Park in Freehold. I have done a lot of hiking and shooting in this park over the last few years. It used to be my "go to" spot for lunchtime hikes but don't go there as much anymore, seems like there are more people there now. I will go on the occasional hike there on my way to the office in the morning when the deer outnumber the people 15 or 20 to 1. The image here was made a few years ago during one of my lunchtime excursions. This particular image was taken with my smartphone and then edited with Photoshop. If you can get there during peak foliage, do it. This is just one of many foliage images I have of the lake.
In the warmer weather you will find a wide variety of birds using the lake - ducks, geese, egrets and herons are just a few. If you are quiet and pay close attention around the edge of the lake you may get lucky and see turtles sunning themselves on fallen logs in the water. They are even more skittish than the deer so don't try to get too close.
There are many benches along the trail where you can just sit and watch the world go by - many of them have "memorial" plaques on them, dedicating the bench to a friend or loved one. There is one in particular that caught my eye - I wrote about it on my other blog;
Mayor of the Park. If you look up in the trees you will also find quite a few decorated bird houses, there are many varieties of birds for bird watching.
Divine Lake
Divine Lake can be found in Divine Park in Spring Lake. I discovered this lake when I went to shoot a sunset at St. Catharine Church. A friend suggested the church as a great subject for a sunset so I set out one night last summer, I like shooting sunrise/sunset when I can include water and Dave suggested I check it out. I knew I was going to come away with some pretty good images if I could decide on a composition. The image shown here was shot from the bank, opposite the church and facing north. You will notice - St. Catharine is nowhere to be seen. The fountain caught my attention, as did the footbridge beyond it. This is a fairly long exposure to get the fluidity of the fountain and to smooth out the lake as much as possible.
The lake is reasonably large and there is a second footbridge behind and to the left of the one in this image. I made a mental note to go back during peak foliage but 2018 was a disappointing year for color around here and I never got there. There's always next year and the year after that and the year after that, etc.... At the north end of the park you will find tennis courts and a playground. There is a sidewalk that runs the full perimeter of the park and is a great place to go for a leisurely walk. I would suggest, however, a good bug spray for the summer months.
Manasquan Reservoir
The Manasquan Reservoir in Howell is quite large and offers unlimited opportunities for a photographer. There are a few trails that provide nice opportunities for hiking and photography, including one that traverses the 5 mile perimeter of the reservoir. The image shown here is a panorama taken along the perimeter trail, standing on one of the footbridges. If I were to turn 180° I would have been looking out over the reservoir and another beautiful view. I always thought this spot would be great to shoot the setting sun but the sun never sets within this frame....
The reservoir offers many activities such as boating, fishing, birding, hiking, bike riding, etc.... or you can stop by the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center. The Center provides many free programs that change regularly or you can get a "Safari Backpack" and go on a self-guided adventure. Check out the website to see what is happening (
click here) or just stop by. I see something new every time I go.
Turkey Swamp
I don't know the name of the lake, if it even has one, but I sure do love to shoot it. The lake, and park, hold my interest year-round. The panorama shown here was shot late afternoon on a summer's day. I like to look at this image and imagine it is my personal dock on a private lake somewhere in the mountains. How perfect would that be? I don't think I will ever live that scenario so I some to this spot whenever I can and pretend it to be so.
In autumn this lake and the island in the middle (to the left of the dock) come alive with color; particularly beautiful are the aspen trees that dot the shoreline. The white bark stands as a great contract to the vibrant colors - if you are lucky enough to be there on a calm day, the reflections in the lake make for some spectacular images!
Durand Park Lake
There is a small park in Freehold named Durand Park, just off the parking lot is a small lake filled with possibilities. The image here was made on my way to the office one morning. This is a great place to shoot in the snow and I didn't want to waste an opportunity. When I arrived I was a bit disappointed that the lake wasn't completely frozen over but then I realized how lucky I was. While this is a nice image, I think the reflection is the crowning touch. I have edited this image a few different ways - color, black & white and a mild sepia tone - but always like black & white when it comes to snow scenes like this.
This lake was probably the most difficult of all to select a single image for because I have so many that I like. If you are here during peak foliage, the lake comes alive with color. I have been here when there was a low-lying fog over the lake that gave a great atmosphere to the image. There are also aspen trees that are arcing over the lake that make a great subject at varying times of year. The lake also has a lot of lily pads at are quite photogenic all on their own. This is a great little park that doesn't seem to get nearly as much attention as it deserves and, maybe, that's a good thing!
Lily Pad Lake
Lily Pad Lake is the name I gave to a small lake hidden away at Allaire State Park. This is where I go if I absolutely want to be alone as very few people venture this far along the trail. The image here is an older one that I made with my Motorola smartphone a few years ago. The lily pads were not out when this image was made but if you are there at the right time you will see them cover much of the west end (nearest the camera) of the lake. What really attracts me to this lake, other than the seclusion, are all of the dead trees sticking out of the lake surface. You can see, this day was rather calm and the reflections of the trees add another dimension to the image.
There is a single bench on the edge of the lake where I can, and have, sit undisturbed for a long time just watching the birds, waiting for a turtle to pop up or even catch a deer on the far shore. I come to this spot when I have the need for some quiet time to reflect on life's events, decompress from a rough day or even write letters and blog posts.
These are just a small number of beautiful lakes to be found in Monmouth County and around New Jersey. I hope I have inspired you to go out and explore these lakes for yourself or to go out and find your own. If you know a place that isn't here - please comment below and tell me about it. If you have been to one of these lakes, let me know your experiences there - I'm always interested in hearing from you.
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
I did a preliminary edit of the smartphone image on my phone using Photoshop Express but knew it wasn't quite "there" yet. I uploaded to Photoshop and got it to where you see it now. This is the only smartphone image of the morning - the other three (3) shown here were made with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i and my Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens. The RAW images were edited in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.
I am happy with these images but they have me craving for another foggy morning. While editing these (and some of the other images that didn't make the cut) I played with some compositions that I want to try. I also want to get there when the trees have leaves and at peak foliage. I found some interesting trees and other features in this section of the park that deserve some attention in the future. You wouldn't think there were a lot of opportunities in such a small area but you would be wrong.
I hope you enjoyed these images as much as I enjoyed making them and bringing them to you. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and tell me about your experiences shooting in fog. Until next time!
