Taughannock Falls Panorama

I warned you about seeing more panoramics. Here’s one from Taughannock Falls State Park. This is a vertical panoramic where I kept my camera in the vertical (ie., portrait) orientation while taking the 5 images. I did this hand-held as I found out my tripod’s ball head isn’t very good for doing panoramics. Doing it this way, I sort of missed the bottom of the waterfall. I still like it, yet, I want to go back someday to redo it. As before, to see a bigger version, click on the photo.

Panorama of Taughannock Falls near Ithaca, New York. Click for larger image.

View 96: New York Waterfalls in HDR

New York Waterfalls in HDR Photo Essay.

I did warn you about seeing more HDR images here.  My recent Waterfall Safari gave me an opportunity to create some HDR images I decided to share with you as a Photo Essay.  Click here or the title image above to see it.  I hope you like it.

Water: Gorge Cutter

Water moves, stands still, creates and destroys.

Enfield Creek has cut through hundreds of feet of bedrock over the last hundreds of years to create the "new" gorge in the upper region of the Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca, New York.

This is the glen the Enfield Creek in the Robert H. Treman State Park has created by eroding through hundreds of feet of bedrock. It has created a home for ferns, mosses, shrubs, wildflowers and trees which cling to the edges of the gorge. The creek is relentless as the force of gravity pushes the water ever downward, slowly trimming back millimeters of rock each year.

Is water destroying, creating or just the architect of change?

Many smaller and a couple of larger waterfalls are Nature's tools of change in the three mile long gorge through the Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca, New York.

This is my submission for Assignment 3: Water. Hey, I knew I was going to photograph some waterfalls so what better an assignment to post, eh?

View 95: Falling Water

Water falls 215 feet over the Taughannock Falls near Ithaca, New York.

Taughannock Falls, with a plunge of 215 feet, is 33 feet higher than Niagara Falls and it the highest waterfall in the northeastern United States. Water falls with such force, the plunge pool is more than 30 feet deep. Taughannock Falls State Park is a beautiful, well-maintained park with easy access to the falls along a nearly level 3/4 mile trail to a viewing area. There is a Falls Overlook situated 400 feet above the gorge floor people can drive to so anyone can enjoy seeing this natural wonder.

Falls Overlook view of the Taughannock Falls.

Just a note to say this is NOT my submission to my Assignment 3: Water. I will post it tomorrow.

Autumn Colors

Eleven days ago, I showed you the first signs of autumn. I’m back to give you an update.

Trees along the shore of Beaver Lake near Baldwinsville, New York.

Close up of the changing season.

Golden color of Autumn

View 92: Autumn

A red Sugar Maple leaf on the Bog trail of Beaver Lake Nature Center, Baldwinsville, New York.

Now that the Autumnal Equinox has passed, I went out looking for signs of autumn at the Beaver Lake Nature Center near my hometown of Baldwinsville, New York. I headed to the Bog Trail because I knew I’d find the first signs there as trees and shrubs on a bog are very stressed. Stressed because the bog environment is very acidic as nature proceeds to transform the stagnate wetland to terra firma using Sphagnum mosses as her main architect.

Another sign of autumn is the flocks of migrating Canadian Geese using Beaver Lake as a stop off on their way to points south for the winter months.

Canadian Geese flying over Beaver Lake near Baldwinsville, New York.

Ships, Life & Thank You

First of all, thank you all for your kind comments, emails, phone calls and even a blog or two this week. I want to end this week with a quote I have always found inspiring when I feel stuck. I hope you will, too.

Sailing on Lake Ontario. Photo by Scott Thomas Photography.

View 79: River Sunset

Sunset over the Seneca River in Baldwinsville, New York on Friday, June 26, 2009.

View 74: Oswego Sunset

Sunset on Lake Ontario from Breitbeck Park, Oswego, New York.

Another Memorial Day weekend here in the United States and, like last year, I am featuring a sunset from Lake Ontario. This time from Oswego, New York, which is famous for its sunsets. This photo was taken from Breitbeck Park along the newly expanded Oswego Harbor Trail. The evening was unusually calm.

Sailboat anchored behind the Oswego Harbor breakwall for the night as the sun sets.

After the sun had gone under the horizon, I took out my tripod and took this photo of the large power plant whose stacks dominate the Oswego city skyline.

Power plant in Oswego, New York, on Lake Ontario at dusk.

Curious Deer

Whitetail Deer can be very curious. When I pulled up to a viewing area in my car on the Wildlife Drive in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge last week, this doe wandered over to see what this strange looking thing was with a long, black single eye looking out of it.

Whitetail Deer in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.