Exhibition at Guild of Creative Art

Two of my favorite images "Dawn at Manasquan Reservoir" and "Morning Dancing Trees" were selected for exhibition at The 22nd Annual Open Juried Show in Guild of Creative Art (New Jersey, USA) from September 27 to October 29, 2014. The opening reception will be on September 28, 3-5pm. If you have an opportunity to be in New Jersey, stop by the exhibit and I am sure it is a great show!

Dawn at Manasquan Reservoir

Morning Dancing Trees

Happy Hour

There is no excuse not to shot macro in the Sussex County Sunflower Maze. Besides the majestic view of sunflower maze, the little buddies, mostly bees, are everywhere. I found this pair of goldenrod soldier beetles mating on the sunflower and I couldn't resist myself from photographing them. After I took this picture, a rain came down all of the sudden and we sheltered under the tent. Interestingly, when the rain stopped after 15 minutes, we found this lovely couple is still wandering on the same flower in the same posture! I guess they are really having a good time:P

Sussex County Sunflower Maze

Sussex County Sunflower Maze in Augusta, New Jersey is the largest sunflower field on the east coast, with over 1 million flowers bloom this year. This is the most majestic sunflower field I have ever seen in my life and I would strongly recommend to anyone who love flower, nature or summer!

Just a bit of education... Since 2008, New Jersey Audobon Society, with the support of the Department of Agriculture in New Jersey, create a program called SAVE (Support Agricultural Viability and the Environment). SAVE program has recruit 14 farms in New Jersey to grow sunflowers and harvest the seed. This is to reduce our dependence on the distant farms and thereby reduce the carbon footprint involved in transporting the seeds to New Jersey. SAVE buys the seeds from the farms and sells the birdseed statewide. Besides, SAVE also supports the environment by establishing 1 acre of grassland habitat for wild nesting birds for every 5 acres sunflowers planted (Source: Here Comes The Sunflowers).

Sunflower Fields in New Jersey

In New Jersey, you may find magnificent blooming sunflower fields in one of many local farms around July and August. Since 2008, eight farms in New Jersey have signed up with New Jersey Audubon Society to devote several acres of land to grow sunflowers for birdseed (see: NJ Farms Blooming With Sunflowers).

The above abstract picture (camera panning technique) of sunflower field was taken at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. I am a frequent visitor of Duke Farms and I enjoyed very much the nature and relaxing setting there. Though not very big in size, the sunflower field located in front of visitor center offer a pleasant view at anytime of the day.

There are plenty of other sunflower fields in New Jersey. Noteworthy, the Sussex County Sunflower Maze in Augusta is the largest sunflower maze on the east coast, with over 1.5 million flowers in 2013. Besides, Donaldson Farms in Hackettstown has about 30 acres of sunflowers planted throughout the farm, and they offer sunflower tours from late August to mid/late September. Brodhecker Farm in Newton also has a magnificent sunflower field in their farm.

Deer Leap Falls, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is among the most scenic nature wonder in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I always wanted to explore the park although I am not a big fan of black bear:P 

We were here during a friend visit last weekend. There are tons of spectacular waterfalls in the park and most of them are easily accessible. We explored quite a number of them despite a short 2 days trip. Dingman Falls and Silverthread Falls can be access easily via a 0.4 miles hiking trail; Buttermilk Falls is located at the roadside; Bushkill Falls, a.k.a. "The Niagara of Pennsylvania", can be reach easily via one of the several trails; all three waterfalls in the George W. Childs Recreation Site - Deer Leap Falls, Factory Falls and Fulmer Falls are also easily accessible via a short loop trail.

This picture was taken at the Deer Leap Falls in the George W. Childs Recreation Site. As you can see from the picture, the water flow is low due to the low rainfall recently. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic place to visit and photograph and I will definitely plans for another trip in the autumn.

Dancing Trees

It was another fantastic morning at Manasquan Reservoir County Park, New Jersey. The light was great and I was planning to try something different other than grand landscape.

I switched to the telephoto lens and search for a nice piece of dried trees for abstract shot. The location that I was standing is facing east, which add a bonus as the beautiful light forming a nice background and the tree trunks became the silhouette. So I panned my camera vertically, with experimentation of different exposures and speed/direction of camera movement. After quite a number of trial and error, here is it - the trees is dancing happily!

Lesson of the day - abstract is one of the best way to train your creativity, anywhere and anytime.

Chasing Light at Ocean Grove

It's another morning shooting session at the New Jersey Shore and this time it is Ocean Grove. It is a pretty typical beach and I have two thought in my mind - to create a long exposure shot using the 10-stop ND filter and to create a sea stripe shot by panning the camera. Although there is no dramatic clouds, the soft light before sunrise is good enough for me to fulfill the mission.

A suggestion to those who love shooting water, get some good quality ND filters. I have a B+W 3-stops and a 10-stops ND filters, which I carried them in my bag wherever I go. They lend the way to creativity and fun!

 

Opening Reception at NJ350 Elements

It was a great evening in the opening reception of NJ350 Elements at Duke Farms. I felt great when I saw my picture "Manasquan Reservoir County Park" printed on 40" x 60" Satin Fabric, hanging outdoor and illuminated by the natural light. The beautiful Duke Farms is just an ideal location for such photo exhibit that showed the nature wonder of New Jersey.

If you have chance to visit Duke Farms, stop by the exhibit in front of the visitor center, I am sure you will be amazed. Otherwise, please visit the NJ350 Elements - Selected Photos to view the photos online. You may also view the finalist photos at NJ350 Elements - Discover New Jersey Video.

Once again, thanks to Danielle Austen and Nancy Edwards who organizing such an amazing event!

Abstract at Goshen Pond

Weather is a friend or foe to landscape photography, and unfortunately, it is unpredictable. The great light can happens anytime when you are not in the field, and the poor light can be your company when you are standing in front of a majestic landscape. It's all the matter of luck, unless you have time to chase for the light everyday in the field - unfortunately it is not the case for an amateur photographer like me.

This was the images taken at Goshen Pond in the Wharton State Forest, New Jersey last weekend. It's an hour drive and some hike and search, so I would really love to see the dramatic cloud and sky during the golden hour, and it would be also a nice scene when the fog invade the area (see the work from Richard Lewis, where he capture the Goshen Pond in a foggy morning). However, these ideal situation doesn't happen, so I was looking for the abstract shot, and I wanted to capture the icon of Goshen Pond which is the dead trees standing in the middle of the pond. I tried different ways to get it right, panning the camera horizontally and vertically, from different angle and perspective. After all, one works well, it is by panning the camera vertically on the reflection in the pond. Hurray!

The lesson is, if the light doesn't cooperate, don't give up, try other options, like abstract or black & white. Treat this as a good opportunities to train your creativity!

Exhibition in Duke Farms

My work "Manasquan Reservoir County Park" was awarded as a winner for "NJ350 Elements - A Unique Nature and Wildlife Photo Exhibit" at Duke Farms, New Jersey, from August 1 to September 2, 2014. The image will be printed on 40"x60" satin fabric and will displayed outdoors around the Duke Farms Orientation Center. For more information about the exhibition and to see the works of other artists, please visit NJ350 Elements.

I will be present for the opening reception on August 8, 2014, 6-8 pm and I would love to meet you there to show you my work. Hope to see you soon in Duke Farms!

Sea Stripes

Inspired by Katherine Gendreau, these pictures was taken at Spring Lake and Belmar Beach in New Jersey. The idea is simple, just by panning your camera horizontally over the long exposure. The composition is simple too, with just a few elements - sky, sea and sand. Yet, the creativity are endless - it is the weather, time of the day, lighting condition, movement of cloud and tide that create the infinite combination of color, pattern and mood.

If you have a chance, take a look at the sea stripes series by Katherine Gendreau. Her works are magnificent! 

Pipe Creek Vista Revisit

This is definitely the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. Pipe Creek Vista at the Grand Canyon National Park offer a majestic view of the already amazing geological formation. The view is absolutely breathtaking, although the photographing and post-processing render a big challenge for me. The high contrast of the sky and canyon forced me to take two different exposures and then blended in Photoshop. Further, the hazy view of canyon and the high contrast color at dusk render another challenges for post-processing. 

This was the 5th time I processed the same photos. When I review my earlier processing, they look quite different but I felt that the current version is getting closer to what I envisioned and how I feel at that short but excited moment when I stood on the edge of canyon. Perhaps this is due to the vision change - your skill changes, your "mind eye" is evolving, your mood at the time of processing, and/or perhaps something arose your feeling on the moment when you press the shutter.

Sunrise at Sunset Beach

Sunset beach is a tourism hotspot in Cape May, New Jersey. From here, you can see the famous wreckage of a concrete ship SS Atlantus and Cape May Lighthouse. Besides, a flag raising-lowering ceremony which takes places every morning and evening from May through September. This ceremony has been taking place on Sunset beach since 1973.  

As the name implied, Sunset beach is famous for its beautiful sunset. Nevertheless, I was here to capture the beauty of Sunset beach during the sunrise. When the sun gradually climb up the horizon, upper part of the pier pilings were lit up by the warm light. This combined the cool color of the sea and sky, producing a strong contrast of color. Although this magical moment doesn't last long, I still used the 10-stops ND filter to smooth out the water.

July 4th at Manasquan Reservoir

In the morning of July 4th, I woke up at 3 a.m. and drove to the Manasquan Reservoir County Park for the sunrise shot. It is a beautiful little park in the Howell Township, Monmouth County of New Jersey. Manasquan reservoir is an important part of the water supply in Monmouth County, with a 4 billion gallon water capacity, it supply up to 30 million gallons of water a day for the resident of Central New Jersey. The reservoir is part of the larger county park of 1204 acres that include woods and wetlands, a 5-mile trail, fishing and boating areas, and a environmental center.

Other than recreational and outdoor activities, Manasquan Reservoir is a charming place for photography, thanks to the dead trees that are standing still in the water. We arrived at the reservoir half an hour before sunrise and I still had some time to scout around for good composition - the point is to have the dead trees well separated on the picture. About 10 minutes before sunrise, the color of the cloud and sky getting incredibly vibrant - it was the most dramatic dawn I have ever seen since I moved to US. The color doesn't last long and it was totally gone in just a few minutes, I was fast enough to capture the right moment. We stayed for a while and walked around the park in hope of finding another good spot for the next photography outing.

Under the Pier

The fishing pier in Belmar Beach is a popular photography location in New Jersey. Indeed, it is a beautiful place to spent your day in the summer. Last Saturday, I took a trip to Belmar Beach to shot the sunrise at the fishing pier. I start driving from my house at 3am and it took me an hour to arrive. Although I am not quite satisfy with my sunrise shot, I do have some shots of the beach and the fishing pier that make my day. 

This is one of my favorite of the day. I was standing under the pier. With the incoming tide and fast moving cloud, I decided to use the 10-stop ND filter to capture their movement. This ends up in a 100 seconds exposure which smooth out the tide and create radiant pattern of the cloud. In addition, the low angle sun casts some nice shadows on the beach and the soft morning sunlight cast some warm light on the rim of pillars.

Exhibition in SohoPhoto Gallery

 

My image "The Polygon Land" (Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park) was selected for inclusion in 2014 SohoPhoto Gallery National Competition and Exhibition. The exhibition will be held at SohoPhoto Gallery, 15 White Street, New York, NY 10013, from July 2 through July 26, 2014. The opening reception will be on July 1, 2014, from 6 to 8 PM. 

If you have a chance to visit Manhattan, welcome to see my work in SohoPhoto Gallery:)

Exhibition in Gallery 14

Here's come another photographic exhibition! Three of my images were selected for the 5th Annual National Juried Photographic Exhibit at Gallery 14 (New Jersey, USA) from June 27 to July 27, 2014. This time I am thrill to show you my recent seascape taken at Sandy Hook and Cape May, the northernmost and southernmost part of New Jersey, respectively. The above picture shows the framed images ready to deliver to Gallery 14.

I will be present for the opening reception on June 27, 2014, 6-8 pm and I would love to meet you there to show you my works. Hope to see you soon in Gallery 14!

Highlights from NVAL 2014

I would like to share a few pictures (with permission from show chairman, Charlotte Bryson) from "The Full Spectrum", International Juried Photography Show at North Valley Art League (April 29 - May 31, 2014, California, USA). One of my work "Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park" was chosen as a Gold Selection for exhibition. You may click on the link above to see the works of other talented artists around the world. 

Despite I wasn't able to attend the show, it is always a great pleasure to see my work display in public. A picture is worth a thousand words. Perhaps photographic exhibition is one of the best way to tell the audience about the artists themselves and how they feel the surrounding world. That's why I enjoy participating in photographic exhibition.

Exhibition in BelmarArts

 

My work "Trajectory" was selected for the "Art on the Edge 2014" Annual Juried Exhibition and will be exhibit in Belmar Arts Council (New Jersey, USA) from June 11 to June 27, 2014. More information about the gallery and activities can be found on the website of BelmarArts.

This is one of my favorite shot, which was taken on the trip to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah. Check out the story behind in the previous post. Worth mention, this is the first exhibition image printed with my new Epson Stylus Pro 3880 on Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte. The 14"x9.3" image on 18"x14" frame looks pretty elegant!

Different Faces of Dante's View

Dante's View at Death Valley National Park is a place with full of surprise. To the west, you can see the best panoramic view of Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range, as shown in the previous post. This is not all you can see! Move your feet! To the east is the beautiful mountain range - the view is magnificent at dawn, where back-lighting make the silhouette stand out. To the south is another lovely view - the soft light at dawn cast beautiful contrast on the hillside as well as golden rims on the grasses.

BTW, there is a cool article on USA Today - 20 reasons to visit dazzling Death Valley. Check this out, Death Valley maybe your next trip! I am sure you won't regret, this place is truly awesome!