Jim Salge Photography Blog

Images of New England captured in dramatic light and atmosphere

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Another shot from my trip up north this past weekend has been featured as the photo of the day on the New Hampshire Photo Tour

Waiting for Snow

Quick post…I had the ‘opportunity’ to help a friend move this weekend in North Conway, and stole away at dawn this morning to go to a catch a frosty sunrise…

The morning was amazing…I could hear loons calling on the lake below, and the crisp feeling of the air reminded me that winter’s not far…

Can’t wait!

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Bittersweet…

Bittersweet.

Not just the name of the berry photographed here, but also my feelings about photography in mid-November. Autumn is a hard charging time for the nature photographer, when the world abounds with color and atmosphere as the seasons transition, ever so briefly, from summer to winter. I really ran myself ragged for a while, and those who know me, knew it took a toll. So while I love the beauty of the season, the sights and sounds of an autumn hike in the woods, and the glow mountainsides at sunrise, I’m in part glad it has passed.

November has it’s charm. The trees are sticks, but there is color to be found. High bush cranberry, bittersweet and winterberry show their intense reds amidst otherwise gray and brown backdrops. Given a good frost, I’ll be able to share some powerful small-scapes featuring those fruits. The ocean also gains appeal, with sea smoke and mist glowing at dawn, and I’ll keep trying for my dream shot of Portsmouth lighthouse. And soon the snows will fall, transforming the landscape yet again…I can’t wait to snowshoe the mountains!

November also gives me time to catch up with editing, and work on my website. I hope to update it before Thanksgiving to prepare for the holiday shopping season. Working on getting some note cards and gifts ideas on here as well…

Sweet Cherry Pond II

As for editing, here’s one from my trip on October 4th to Pondicherry NWR for sunset. This was taken about an hour before the great, dramatic cloud scene I posted over a month ago. While that scene stole the show, I did shoot about 200 frames that night…and this one was overlooked. Mount Washington is the center mountain, with the observatory visible at the top. The pond is Cherry Pond…which, if you haven’t been to…offers a simply striking view of the Presis. It’s on my winter list…

Oh…to see it large…follow this link…
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/largephoto.cgi?ref=134515

More autumn edits soon…
Thanks for reading!

Quick November Shoot…

I met up with a good friend and great photographer this morning at the Brentwood Migration Area.  I’ve known Kevin Talbot since I began working on Mount Washington, and he lives in the same town that I now work.  We try to get together somewhat regularly to shoot.

I’ve wanted to get a sunrise over some of the ponds at the area for some time…but the light didn’t work out.  We wandered around for a while after sunrise and found this…sometimes, the compositions are right there, all lined up for you to capture!

Fall Seacoast Shoot…

With the foliage gone, I tend to shoot seascapes until the snows come. Newcastle Common is a great spot to visit, and I have a shot of the sculpture there from last year that I’m particularly proud of.  There’s another shot I dream of from there though…

If conditions are ever right…the air cold, and the sky clear…the water will be misting and provide a great perspecive on Portsmouth Lighthouse with clean backgrouds of vapor across the harbor to Maine.  Hasn’t happened yet…and today was no exception…

A group of photographers from the New Hampshire Flickr Group met in Newcastle, NH at sunrise.  We tried to shoot the Common, but found it locked, so we moved to Fort Stark. 

After navigating some very slick rocks at low tide, I made it to a high rock above the tideline, looking down on the occasionally crashing sets of waves. 

A 0.6 Second exposure was made possible by a ND filter, a polarizer, and a Grad over much of the ocean and sky. 

South Central New Hampshire Falls…

Looking to explore some areas I’ve been ‘digitally scouting’, I met up with Tim Somero this morning at Senter and Tucker Brook Falls in the Milford area of New Hampshire.  The light was perfect for small brook scenes, and we lingered until the rain and snow began. 

These falls are in strikingly different ecosystems than I’m used to shooting either in the Whites or the seacoast.  Lots of laurel low to the ground, lots of birch and beech near the streams to give great leaf littered foregrounds. Just a fun shoot, with great results!

This shot is of Tucker Brook Falls, with some leaf litter floating by in the water.  The long exposure accounts for the streaks.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I cannot guarantee that the leaves are all naturally occurring…

I also swung up to Hillsborough on the way home, and shot a few of the Stone Arch Bridges there.  I’m completely in awe of these structures…as there is no mortar holding these together…just physics and craftsmanship!  I hope to go back this winter!

 

Closer to Home…

With the peak foliage heading south, and the forecast poor for this weekend…I’m resisting the idea of going up north and shooting the snow, and staying closer to home. There are many areas in southern NH that I consistently overlook for foliage shots, and I’ll try some local exploring the next couple of mornings.

I’ve been picking through my digital files from the past few weekends this afternoon, and worked on one more that I’m very happy with. This was taken on the way out of Evans Notch in the eastern White Mountains, near the towns of Chatham, NH and Fryeburg, Me. Mist filled the hollows, and as the sun broke out above, rays of light covered the fields and filled the forests. Tough conditions to shoot…but I’m pleased with this one.

Hopefully I’ll have more to share soon. Thanks for following!

More White Mountain Color

I’m always amazed how varied the foliage is across very small geographical regions in autumn. Yesterday I found largely green conditions in Conway, but a trip up the Kank and to the high country yielded magnificent color!

Yesterday morning dawned cloudy, perfect for stream and waterfall shots, and I headed to the Rocky Gorge/Lower Falls area of Rt. 112. For years I’ve had this idyllic scene in my head from a shot I had taken there in 2002, before I was really into photography. That day was drizzly, the medium was film, and the color was spectacular. I’ve never seen it that good since…until yesterday. The predawn to mid morning hours were perfect conditions to capture the best foliage in years!

Foliage along the Kank!

In the afternoon, I was joined by a friend for a planned overnight hike up North Moat Mountain. The view to the summit of Washington is epic from the bald, 360 summit view, and I’ve always wanted to capture it at sunrise. After a wind whipped night with marginal sleep…Washington was nowhere to be scene…covered by a wash of snow showers and cloud. Chocorua was happy to play second fiddle.

From North Moat at dawn…

I came home early today…eager to see my fiance and to get ahead/caught up on some school work…and needing sleep from the evening before. Not sure I’ll make it up to the Whites again before leaf-fall…as the foliage is moving south…but what an autumn it’s been!

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