In preparation for some springtime photography, I entered “Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Status” into Google. An instant dose of disappointment came over me when I read the headline “Coaxed by an exceptionally warm winter, thousands of cherry blossom buds have already burst open at Newark’s Branch Brook Park” in the 3rd item in the results dated March 19th (Link). I rushed over to Branch Brook Park expecting to see the trees past their peak. I was surprised to see only a few trees had actually bloomed… it turns out, the article was from last year.
I waited a little too long to capture the “golden hour” light at Brookdale Park in Montclair yesterday. This shot captured the last bit of light peeking behind the snowy trees.
This is an early D800 shot I took back in May. I was walking along the West Side waterfront and spotted these nicely weathered water tanks. I am finding myself wanting to use only prime lenses with the D800. The shot was taken with the old Nikon 300mm f/4 ED-IF. This is a crop near the center of the image :
Crop near center of image
The 300mm ED-IF is an example of an extremely good lens that can be found at bargain prices used. I just picked up it’s little brother, the 180mm 2.8 ED-IF which I found for $300 at Camera Mart USA. They don’t have focusing motors or VR, which probably why they live for so long. If you are on the fence about a D800 because you think you *must* buy the latest new lens for $1500, you might want to consider taking a look at some of the great used Nikon lenses that are available. Cameras like the D800 and D600 will deliver the best results with the best lenses… but that doesn’t mean you can’t be frugal.
We took the kids up to Lake George to give them a little fun before school starts. This is another place that I had been to as a kid over 30 years ago. Some things I remembered seeing back then are still there like the House of Frankenstein Wax Museum. Storytown USA is now a Six Flags park, but parts of the original park are still there… I took a picture of my kids in front of the Little Old Ladies Shoe where I had been posed by my parents. My only regret is that the foliage was still green… the views in the fall must be spectacular. The shot above was taken fairly early in the morning while everyone else was still sleeping. I took it with the D800 and 85mm 1.8G. I wish I had brought a tripod and an ND Filter… but I like the way this came out after some Lightroom Graduated filters and some B&W tweaking. I might have to go back by myself in October… with a tripod and ND filter!
