Same Gear, Different Location

I like to alternate locations for hikes and photos, an exception being the battlefield when volunteering kicks in. After visiting Saratoga Spa State Park, Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve and Grafton Lakes State Park, I checked out the battlefield and Peebles Island State Park the past two days.

Saratoga Battlefield
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/4

Saratoga Battlefield
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 26mm, f/5.6

Saratoga Battlefield
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 28mm, f/5.6

Saratoga Battlefield
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 98mm, f/8

Peebles Island
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 28mm, f/8

Peebles Island
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 56mm, f/8

Peebles Island
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/11

Peebles Island
EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/11

Settling In With One Lens

Since my most recent use of the 16mm STM lens I've been carrying only the 24-105mm lens. The edges of the 16mm lens really don't hold up to close scrutiny due to the digital corrections stretching needed to fix the distortion inherent in a lens that wide, small and inexpensive. In the right circumstances, though, it can create very nice images and I'll hang on to it.

I've been going through my bag collection to find a bag that ticks all the boxes with just the R6 and 24-105mm lens and nothing seemed to fit. Everything was either too small to also carry batteries, filters, rocket blower, etc. or too large for long carries.

Over the weekend, I decided to pick up a used Canon Gadget Bag 300DG from MPB for $25. It fits what I need nicely and is well padded but lightweight. 

I tested out the setup yesterday at Oakwood Cemetery and I think it's a system that I can work with going forward. 

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 67mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 47mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 105mm, f/4

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 96mm, f/5.6

Finding Winter

Down in the valley near the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, there is no snow. By driving a half hour in a couple of directions I can find a few inches so I have at least a few wintry photos from this season.

In the past couple of days I headed north to Saratoga Spa State Park and east to Grafton Lakes State Park.

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/11

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/19

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 45mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/22

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 72mm, f/8

Vischer Ferry Ultra Wide

While I have settled on the RF 24-105mm f/4L lens as my primary tool, I do have the small, light and mediocre RF 16mm f/2.8 STM lens as an ultra wide option. Yesterday I decided to walk around Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve in Clifton Park with only the 16mm lens. 

A lens this wide needs particular elements in the scene for it to be the right tool. Something in the near foreground is one such element. Overhead objects like clouds or trees are another.

Here are some of the more successful compositions from a cloudless morning.

Robinson State Park in the Fog

I enjoyed a 24 hour visit to the Springfield, Massachusetts area this weekend. The temperature neared 60 degrees today but the morning started off with cold and fog. Very good conditions for hiking and photographing this time of year. 

The location was Robinson State Park in Agawam along the Westfield River before it flows into the Connecticut River at Springfield.

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/4

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 56mm, f/6.7

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 28mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 16mm f/2.8 STM, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 16mm f/2.8 STM, f/5.6

Neither 24mm Nor 105mm

It often seems that when I'm walking around with a zoom lens the vast majority of images are made at the extreme ends of the zoom range. Here are some photos I made this morning on Peebles Island with the 24-105mm zoom lens not zoomed to either extreme.

53mm

43mm

43mm

50mm

43mm

Orenda Spring Tufa Formation

On day two of this week's sunshine wave I visited Saratoga Spa State Park. My favorite trail was closed as they're cutting down trees at one end of the trail. Instead, I took a short walk along Geyser Creek.

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 27mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/19

Finally Some Sun

 After a long period of clouds, here is the forecast for the upcoming week.

I walked around Oakwood Cemetery this morning, a location which lets me use all the focal lengths of the 24-105mm lens, I started a new gallery for this year at the cemetery at https://trulandphotography.com/oakwood2024. Here are some from this morning.

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 42mm, f/4

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 105mm, f/4

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 85mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/5.6

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8

EOS R6, RF 24-105mm f/4L at 105mm, f/5.6