Mary and I took our kayaks to Shingle Creek last week.  I wanted to post a few photos to show you again how pretty this area can be.

Winds are usually calm early in the morning – leading to scenes like this.

It was a calm morning, but the current was strong – probably because of all the rain we’ve had recently.  Shingle Creek gets  narrow in spots.  If you go kayaking, watch for it and turn around before I did so it doesn’t knock you up against the cypress tree knees!

The reflections weren’t as pristine after Mary paddled through them – but the sunbeams made up for it.

I’m still building my kayaking skills and I’m not yet confident enough to take non-waterproof gear out with me.  I made the top two photos using a GoPro camera mounted on the bow of the kayak.  I set it to make a shot every few seconds and compose by positioning / pointing the kayak and selecting from the results.  It’s a bit hit or miss, but I usually manage to get some I like.

The GoPro is super small, comes with a waterproof case and has a fixed, very wide-angle lens.  I like all its built-in capability but it does have a couple of limitations.  There’s no viewfinder, although there’s a model with wi-fi and an iPhone app that lets you control it and see the output.  I don’t use my iPhone on the kayak, since I don’t want to drop it in the water either.  Also, like most small sensor cameras, the dynamic range is limited (compared to larger sensors and shooting in RAW format) – so highlights have a tendency to overexpose.  But if you work within its capabilities you can capture great images.  You can also try the old Black and White trick to hide any blown highlights.

Shingle Creek is wonderfully scenic. There’s not as much wildlife as we see at other sites, but there are plenty of birds, turtles, fish, and I’ve heard reports of alligators and otters.  If you want to see more, there are other  Shingle Creek photos in this set, and kayaking photos in this set  on Flickr,

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

©2013, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved