Harvest Moon 2016

The Harvest Moon this year was on September 16th, when the moon is closest to the earth. I was on the way home from work and decided to stop at a location with a view to the east to frame the Boston skyline.

The moon began rising a bit north of the city and there were some hazy clouds moving through. Although I wasn't in a great position to get the shot I wanted with the Boston skyline, it was still fun to watch the show. There were a lot of people enjoying the view at the same time and when most started to pack up and walk away (myself included), a fireworks show began right under the rising moon!

Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a place of such unworldly light variations that it's hard to truly take in all at once. It can also make photography very difficult. Areas in direct sunlight are bathed in a fiery red-orange, while the cool shadows reflect a near purple glow. The canyon walls can be a bit tight and climbing from some angles can be challenging, but certainly traversable.

There are so many formations and twists of rock here. Light conditions change around every corner. This is a dream location for a photographer but anyone planning a trip to the Southwest should stop here to experience it. Suffice it to say I have hundreds of photos from only a short amount of time in the canyon. More coming.

The Howling Chief formation in the lower right.

Howling Chief.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley really gives you a sense of space. It's in the upper northeast corner of Arizona on the border with Utah - at least a 2 hour drive from anywhere.

When you arrive, the view is incredibly vast. A 180-degree panorama of massive buttes reaching up from the valley floor, it's almost endless. You have to just stop and enjoy the perspective.

The Mittens and Merrick Butte.

Big sky.

West Mitten, East Mitten, Merrick, and Elephant Buttes.

Boulders for perspective.

El Capitan.

Horseshoe Bend

Just outside of the town of Page, Arizona is Horseshoe Bend, an incredible curve in the Colorado River.  It's accessed by a relatively easy 3/4 mile hike from the trailhead, but in intense heat and sun. Once at the edge, you are free to roam anywhere around the entire bend. What an expansive view from here.

To get these shots, I had to lie down at the edge of the canyon and hold the camera over. My wide angle lens was barely able to capture this scene at 17mm!

Lady in the Wind

Lower Antelope Canyon is a beautiful slot canyon in northern Arizona. It has incredible curves and warm light reflecting off the sandstone through most of the day. One of the formations in the rock is called the Lady in the Wind.

The Wave - Reflected Light

Unreal. That's really the only word to describe the Wave, a remote and beautifully twisted sandstone formation on the Arizona / Utah border. It's one of the most amazing places that I will ever see.

To visit the Wave, you need to apply 3 months ahead of your trip online in a lottery system. Only 10 passes are given out each day and is justified to preserve this fragile rock. I've been applying for years and finally was lucky enough to receive a pass. The access is down a 10 mile dirt road and then 6 mile hike through the desert and sandstone. There are no trails and it was easily over 100 degrees by mid-day. So we prepared with lots of water, electrolytes, and the GPS coordinates provided with the pass, then headed out by 6AM to begin the hike.

These are the first few photos of reflected light on the details of the Wave. Many more photos coming soon.

Battle of Lexington

Patriots' Day in Massachusetts celebrates the battles of Lexington and Concord. We decided to catch the re-enactment in Lexington, which I hadn't done since I was a kid. Didn't get the best spot for viewing or photos because hundreds of people were there, but it was still fun.

At about 5:30, a rider enters on horse and the local milita ring the bell to signal that the British are marching towards town. The minutemen then assemble at Buckman tavern and spread out on Lexington Common. A large group of the British finally arrive in a full march with band and the first shots of the Revolutionary War ring out.

It's definitely an early morning, but worth it!

Hawaii - Poipu Beach Sunset

Poipu is on the south side of Kauai and is known for great weather, luxurious resorts, and perfect beaches. While our resort had its own private beach, we took in the sunset one night at Poipu Beach Park, which was ranked one of the best beaches in the wold. It has a large sheltered cove for snorkeling and is usually very busy during the day but really calms down later in the afternoon. A great spot to relax at the end of the day.

Hawaii - Waimea Canyon

It's only been 5 months, suppose I should post those Hawaii honeymoon pics! Here we go.

Our first trek was to Waimea Canyon, a bit bleary-eyed from the 3 flights we had taken the day prior. This place is incredible and known as the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific.' You've probably seen some of the landscape in Jurassic Park. All of those movies had some filming on Kauai, either in the canyon or on the coast.

This part of of the island is a rainforest (Mt. Wai'ale'ale gets over 450" of rain per year!). While it was 80+ and sunny at the coast, the climb in elevation brought a 20 degree drop in temperature and increased clouds until we were essentially within the rain cloud with there was no visibility. So we later ventured back down a bit to get in a short hike and a better view of the canyon. What a view.

Framingham Industrial

Framingham has many aging industrial buildings - some have been repurposed, some are left intact. This particular manufacturing building was part of the old Avery Dennison complex and caught my eye on the way to the new Jack's Abby beer hall. The light reflecting off the brick cast a warm tone against the building shadows and sky.