Summer is Coming

Summer weather seems to be kicking in this week with upper 80s during the day and upper 60s overnight. This kind of weather means early morning outings for the most part although some hikes up at the battlefield will take place during the heat of the day.

Now that the Waterford flight of locks is flooded I can use the basin between locks E4 and E5 as a reflecting pool (not painted a fake ugly blue) for the occasional sunrise. Maybe tomorrow morning. Here is a link to last season's sunrises. https://www.trulandphotography.com/Color/Projects/Lock5-Sunrises

Here are some scenes, including a 16 second video, from an earlyish morning walk over to Peebles Island.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 35mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 35mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/2.8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

Opening Day

Today was opening day for the navigation season on the New York State Canals. I wasn't sure if I was going to go over to Waterford for the first lock through on the flight of locks as it was lightly raining. 

These days, the canal system exists mainly to provide free leisure activity to wealthy yacht owners. Luckily, I ended up catching an early tugboat exiting the flight of locks at the Mohawk River end before the leisure craft got that far along. The Seaway Jennifer was headed to the Oswego Canal.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 62mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/2.8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 42mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec., ISO 100

Tomorrow is the Waterford Canalfest which this year will be hosting the Seneca Chief from the Buffalo Maritime Center. I may get more shots tomorrow but here are some from this morning.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/2.8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

Perfect Weather

I enjoyed a hike around Saratoga Battlefield this morning not having to think about what lens I wanted to use. Time will tell whether the choice of the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 over the 24-105mm f/4L is a good one or not. But, as much as I love fast prime lenses, I think I'm done harboring any illusions that they are an option for me.

Today was one of those perfect days with coolish temperatures, blue sky with some clouds, little wind and no biting insects. Here are some scenes from this morning's hike.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 32mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 35mm, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

Can't Stop Changing

I got tired of carrying around the 85mm lens and not using it. I can carry a flash and batteries for about the same weight. So, I'm selling it. Life is now simpler with only the 28-70mm and 28mm pancake lenses. 

Both lenses have f/2.8 maximum apertures. I won't be able to rely on very wide, very close or very blurry to make photos interesting. It will be a healthy exercise to be limited in this way. We'll see how long it lasts.

I stopped at Falls View Park in Cohoes this morning and walked the stairway and path down to the river level - and back up. This park is only accessible from May to October.

These first two shots, from the same spot, show my current focal length limits, 28mm and 70mm.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 51mm, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 58mm, f/6.7, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

Only a Week Away

I'm still working out which bag and lenses combination works out best without having to constantly move everything around. It's a work in progress.

This morning I put the camera and 28-70mm and 85mm lenses in the Think Tank Speed Freak bag and walked around Waterford. We're eight days away from the scheduled opening of the canal season with the Canalfest taking place the following day. 

The flight of locks hasn't been flooded yet as work on some of the locks continues. The buoys for the Hudson River are stored on barges in the middle of the flight so all that has to happen in the next week.

Last year high water delayed the opening of the canal for weeks. There's no sign of anything like that this year.

The tugboat C. L. Churchill, shown in the foreground at Waterford Harbor, is the companion tug for the replica canal boat Seneca Chief which is also aground in the middle of the flight of locks and will be present for the Canalfest.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/4, 1/250 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 39mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 47mm, f/11, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

May Day Clouds

No polarizer filter needed for cloud definition on this first morning of May. I took a nice long walk this morning through Lansingburgh, Cohoes and Waterford which included seven river crossings, two of the Hudson and five of various branches of the Mohawk.

Hudson River
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 100

Hudson River
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1500, ISO 100

Van Schaick Mansion
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 100

Mohawk River
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 46mm, f/8, 1/750, ISO 100

Mohawk River
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/11, 1/350, ISO 100

Matton Shipyard
RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/11, 1/750, ISO 100

April Scenes

Here are some shots from yesterday's hike on the Wilkinson Trail and beyond at Saratoga National Historical Park. The beyond part is the British headquarters field and a colonial tract boundary road that connects from the field to the Wilkinson Trail.

There was a prescribed burn in the headquarters field last week which led to some interesting scenes.

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/4, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/5.6, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/11, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

Empire QuiltFest

The 28mm focal length worked out very nicely yesterday for a biennial quilt festival. For the most part, the subjects were large and you needed to be relatively close to them. In a college athletic complex, the lighting was also very nice compared to something like a county fair, at least the ones I've visited.

The results were interesting enough for a project gallery containing 23 photos. https://www.trulandphotography.com/Color/Projects/Empire-QuiltFest-2026

Here is a sampling.

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/2.8, 1/180 sec., ISO 400

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/2.8, 1/45 sec., ISO 400

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/90 sec., ISO 400

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/90 sec., ISO 400

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/45 sec., ISO 400

RF 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/30 sec., ISO 400

Oakwood Cemetery Sun

The effort to come up with a manageable bag and gear combination with what I'm currently using continues. If I'm carrying two lenses I don't want to have to put the bag down to change lenses. This eliminates the backpacks and sling bags.

Yesterday, I carried the 28-70mm zoom and the 85mm lens in a Case Logic Kontrast shoulder bag at Oakwood Cemetery. This bag has rigid sides and a molded bottom. It's one of my older and cheaper bags and lacks a rain cover but it is sturdy. I never did use the 85mmm lens or any filters.  

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 31mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/22, 1/90 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/22, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/22, 1/125 sec., ISO 200