I’ve been busy with other things and it’s been terribly hot here (and everywhere). So I haven’t been photographing much lately. I know summer isn’t the best time for wildlife but I really needed to scratch my photography itch. So I headed out one morning about a week ago toward Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
I usually try to make a sunrise photo before I start looking for wildlife. This time I wasn’t sure where to set up for a landscape, so I decided to go early and stop at several places. Sunrise was at 6:41am and I got to the my first spot a little before six. This is a two frame vertical panorama cropped to 4×5, at 24mm, f/8, 25 sec @ ISO 800. The scene was a bit dark!
The sky was so dramatic, I made a second photo from the same spot a few minutes later. On this one I zoomed in to show some of the detail in the distance. Single frame, 66mm, f/8, 29 sec @ ISO 250.
At that point, I decided to move to Scobie Park – just south of Veterans Memorial Park. The folks that live in that condo have a great view every morning! Single frame, 49mm, f/11, 20 sec @ ISO 100.
I moved again to Veterans Memorial Park and made this next photo from the gazebo to highlight the virga beyond the bridge. It’s a two frame exposure bracket, 69mm, f/11, 5 sec and 2.5 sec @ISO 100.
I thought the show was about done, so I put things back in the car and started over to MINWR. On the way the sky kept changing. I hurried to a small pond on the left near the entrance to Gator Creek Road. Luckily I still had my 24 – 105 landscape lens on my camera. I quickly jumped out of the car, set up my tripod and made this image. It’s a stitched panorama blend of 7 exposure bracketed frames, 24mm, f/8, 1/125 – 1.6 sec @ISO 100.
And the header image is actually a 6th photo: a black and white conversion of another image made from the gazebo at Veterans Memorial Park.
After all that, I switched lenses and drove through the refuge looking for wildlife and macro subjects. I didn’t get too many of those, but maybe there’s enough for a future blog post.
I went out that morning with no expectations. My only goal was to exercise my photo muscles. I came home with these 5 images (and more!) that I really like. That’s one reason I enjoy the photography hobby so much – it surprises me almost every time. Sunrise isn’t just a moment. This one took about an hour to unfold. If you want some great sunrise (or sunset) photos, show up early and stay late. And it helps to be familiar with an area so you can get a variety of viewpoints / perspectives in your photos.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, spend 45 minutes photographing sunrise!
©2023, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved
These are absolutely stunning! Great work.
Thank you Harry!
Love seeing the Central Florida beauty! You were there at the right place at the right time! Good job!
I know what you mean about the photographer’s itch. I have it all the time. My problem not in the right place so often and wind-up taking pictures of katydids coming out of their shells. ha ha. Where there is an itch, scratch it!!
Thanks Dorothy. Titusville and Merritt Island NWR are the “right place” for me more often than not. And I really enjoyed seeing your katydid photos – I’ve never been in the right place for that!
Nice shots Ed. Glad you got out there!
Thanks Jeff!
Thank you for the series, Ed. You always inpsire me to use my tripod
it’s just too cumbersome. Stay safe
You’re very welcome Kathryn. It does seem like tripods are a little less necessary now with modern cameras. I guess using mine for landscape photos is a habit!
Your photos are exquisite – I enjoyed them all
Thanks so much Judee!
How wonderful to see all of these fantastic photographs, Ed!
My favorite is the last one. Looks like maybe from Pumphouse Road, but it’s simply gorgeous!
You are so right about getting out early. Each morning is a different show and usually spectacular!
Thanks so much Wally.
I made that last photo on West Gator Creek Road. That’s the first dirt road on the right after you go over the causeway. The pond is on the left just beyond the paved parking area.
I like ‘rooms with a view’ but of course they are all spectacular, especially the last one! You just never know what you’ll see when you get outside with your camera in hand! Amazing!
Thank you Diane – I like those two. It was quite a morning!