We would like to share an article published on National Geographic Chinese site named “古朴而精致，这位摄影师拍出了我喜欢的欧美七国！” with a large number of Songquan’s signature works on display. http://www.ngchina.com.cn/travel/destinations/8571.html
We would like to share an article published on National Geographic Chinese site named “古朴而精致，这位摄影师拍出了我喜欢的欧美七国！” with a large number of Songquan’s signature works on display.
The one-month Italy trip has been planned and was supposed to be completed two years ago. However, it was cancelled first time due to pollen allergy in 2014 after spent two weeks in Paris. Then was again cancelled last year due to failing to reserve a visa appointment time slot. Therefore, I traveled to Banff … Continue reading “Italy Trip – Teaser Trailer”
The one-month Italy trip has been planned and was supposed to be completed two years ago. However, it was cancelled first time due to pollen allergy in 2014 after spent two weeks in Paris. Then was again cancelled last year due to failing to reserve a visa appointment time slot. Therefore, I traveled to Banff National Park in Canada instead. Finally in this Spring everything worked out right.
This trip focused on North Italy, covering Rome/Vatican City, Siena, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Milan and Venice.
The long history of Italy creates all kinds of cities with their own unique culture. The whole trip is filled with excitement. While be amazed at how those ancient tradition and architecture being kept in good condition, we experienced local culture, meet with local people. It was an exhausted while interesting trip.
Italy Trip – Food
Italy is an interesting country. From 2pm to 6pm, all restaurants are closed for ‘Napping Time’. As I am an early bird for sunrise and noon sleeper, I have to grab whatever I can find in small shops. With sandwich and a bottle of Coke usually, I enjoyed sitting at the big plaza watching all kinds of people and on-going events. The Italy food is typically pizza and pasta with high calories. With my 30lb camera bag and 30k steps walking in those cities each day for a whole month, I was surprised to find out no weight lose after returning back home. This country is not a place to lose weight.
Italy Trip – Hotels
Compared with US cities, hotels in Italy are indeed not expensive. You can easily find nice ones below USD$200 with great location and breakfast. 4 Euro/night city tax was charged at checking out. Overall, hotels are comfortable and clean. Most ones are in old buildings with high ceiling and feel pretty spacious. There are a lot of rooms at Hotels.com, Booking.com and Airbnb. To be aware that, some hotels are virtually from private apartments. Things could go wrong as they claim never received the booking even I got ‘guaranteed booking’ email leaving myself speechless. Better call those apartment style hotels for confirmation before get stranded and then look for other accommodations which can mess up the travel plans.
Italy Trip – Transportation
Italy has fully developed railway networks covering most locations you plan to go. The schedule and price can be easily found in smart phone application ‘Info Treni’. You need to enter the exact station name, which can be found in google maps or other map apps. Before boarding the train, you need to validate ticket at the little machines in station. Anyone without ticket validation will be fined even you bought the ticket.
Check-In device in train station to help travelers in Italy trip
The seat and carriage number is printed on ticket. While the ticket is in Italian, it could be easily ignored for the first time. With oversized luggage and be driven around by other ticket holders, it is not fun at all.
Most seat has power outlet allowing you to charge laptop/cell phone. It is enjoyable to play with your cell phone and watching the beautiful view outside during traveling.
Italy Trip – People
About Languages
People in big cities with tourists speak good English. However, in small towns, the old generation only speak Italian. I would like to highly recommend the powerful app Google Translator (Needs internet connection). It translate voice between languages. That was how I communicate with locals in Lucca, a medieval town. This app is also capable of translating text from camera video into the one you understand, which makes possible to shop in stores with all products with Italian texts. Just point your cell phone to anything you are interested in.
Italian Attitude
General speaking, travel in Italy is very secure. Attractions with tourists all have army man on duty (not regular policeman, heavily loaded with war filed weapon). It may have something to do with the recent terrorist attacks in Europe. However, watch out pickpocket. Precaution is always preferred to prevent any losses.
Money is not the sole objective to Italian running business. Whenever feel like to, they may stop what they are working on and spend quite some time chatting with you freely. They also take care of their business while holding a glass of wine in hand. Whatever makes them happy, they go for it. However, this casual attitude occasionally causes issues.
The Troubles
The ‘Napping Time’ from 3pm to 6pm is one good example. When we first arrived at Rome, the hotel shuttle driver is not there. After I called the front desk, I was told the driver didn’t feel like to come that day. And they didn’t tell me in advance… $%&@%% One more example, my friends told me they finally arrived at a famous restaurant they spent certain time looking for the location and found that, the door was open but nobody doing business. The reason? The chief had a bad mood that day. In Milan, as I left the key in room to catch the early train, it took me 8 international phone calls and couple of text message to finally get the receipt of the stay.
It might be the driven factor that there are a large number of artistes in Italy as they follow their mood and not struggling to make a living. Nobody knows.
Italy Trip – Photos
Below I would like to share preview photos from the trip. One photo for each location. More stories are yet to come in the near future. Keep an eye on.
Roman Forum. The ruin shows the glory of ancient Rome. Colossal seen from far distance. Preview photo from my Italy trip.
The ruin shows the glory of ancient Rome. Colossal seen from far distance.
Holy light, St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Dusk in Medieval Town Siena. It was my 2nd stop after Rome. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Florence, perfect sunset. It was one of my most unforgettable sunset in this world’s famous city. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Lucca, a lazy afternoon. Old buildings from our room window with good view of this medieval town. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Pisa Leaning Tower, a man standing before sprinkling water in lawn after sunrise. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Manarola, Cinque Terre. Tide splash. I was lucky to be there to catch strong wind and tide. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Milan Duomo Plaza with pigeons. Those birds are not afraid of people. They see millions daily. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Venice, the city on water. Preview photo from my Italy trip.Colorful town Burano. It is located about 20 mins boat ride from Venice. Preview photo from my Italy trip.
Songquan Photography is the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
It is rare to see heavy fog in New York City. Besides overcast and rainy days, what New York has is always crispy blue sky with white clouds. I’ve been looking for a Fog Manhattan Series for a long time until November 2014. When I woke up in early morning, the whole world is covered … Continue reading “New York City in Fog”
It is rare to see heavy fog in New York City. Besides overcast and rainy days, what New York has is always crispy blue sky with white clouds. I’ve been looking for a Fog Manhattan Series for a long time until November 2014. When I woke up in early morning, the whole world is covered in white, thick fog. In couple of minutes, I got my gear loaded and rushed to this magic city. Everything went perfectly. Manhattan showed quite different look and turned into a dreaming land in such a heavy fog with numeric historic architectures and low cloud passing by. The fog lasted only for 4 hours while there were plenty of unforgettable scenes caught in my camera.
The first stop, Liberty Park at New Jersey water front.
40°42’31.81″N 74° 2’5.42″W
This is one of my favorite locations. Manhattan downtown business district sit right across Hudson River with countless skyscrapers and the new One World Trade Center. Looking further to left, the Empire State Building and midtown skyscrapers near 42nd street create unique city skyline.
Ferry boat and downtown business district in fog
Downtown skyscrapers
Skyscrapers in fog
The new One World Trade Center in cloud
Ferry, Empire State Building and midtown historic skyscrapers
The highest building in New Jersey, Goldman Sachs Building
Bench and skyscrapers
Abandoned dock
Panoramic view of downtown and midtown Manhattan
The second stop, September 11 memorial.
40°42’42.30″N 74° 0’46.95″W
The memorial is located at the old site of the World Trade Center Twin Tower. Tow giant water pools remind the world the exact location where two landmark skyscrapers ever stood.
New One World Trade Center stands behind the old site of Twin Tower.
Looking up in fog
Abstract lines of One World Trade Center and road lamp
The final stop, Brooklyn Bridge.
40°42’27.94″N 73°59’58.40″W. Completed in 1883, it connects Manhattan and Brooklyn and is one of the most iconic bridge ever built.
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
Rockefeller Center is located at 6th Avenue and 50 street, the heart of midtown Manhattan. Due to its close proximity with a handful of landmark areas such as the Empire State Building, 5th Avenue, Times Square, the observation deck (Top of the Rock) has stunning unique view. If you are looking for very ‘New York’ shots, … Continue reading “New York City Public Observatory Deck – Top of the Rock”
Rockefeller Center is located at 6th Avenue and 50 street, the heart of midtown Manhattan. Due to its close proximity with a handful of landmark areas such as the Empire State Building, 5th Avenue, Times Square, the observation deck (Top of the Rock) has stunning unique view. If you are looking for very ‘New York’ shots, this is the one you must not miss.
This observation deck has quite unbeatable view although it does not have 360 degree vista with only north and south visible. Outdoor platform allows crispy sharp images as no trouble from window glass. Tripod is not allowed. Again, the magic bean bag is a big help for night shots. The check-in time is only 30 minutes to 1 hour as most tourists rush to the more famous Empire State Building.
Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
GPS: 40°45’31.92″N 73°58’45.63″W
Waiting time to reach the deck: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Recommendation: 4 stars out of 5.
North
A perfect view of the whole Central Park from above
South
The Empire State Building is surrounded by hundreds of skyscrapers.
The Empire State Building and skyscrapers of Times Square
Skyscrapers in midtown Manhattan
The Empire State Building and binocular. The new One World Trade Center in far distance (Completed in 2014)
If the cold air is too much to you, walk inside to enjoy the nice view through windows.
For more beautiful cityscape photos of New York City, please check the Full Collection.
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
The name of the Empire State Building is derived from the nickname of New York – The Empire State. It was named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. With 102 floors and 1,454 feet in height, the Empire State Building kept the world record for 40 years after its completion in … Continue reading “New York City Public Observatory Deck – the Empire State Building”
The name of the Empire State Building is derived from the nickname of New York – The Empire State. It was named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. With 102 floors and 1,454 feet in height, the Empire State Building kept the world record for 40 years after its completion in 1931 until the topping out of the original World Trade Center’s North Tower in late 1970.
It is interesting to mention that, claimed to be a building to dock airship, the true reason behind was to compete with Chrysler Building nearby, which was under construction at that moment, to be the worlds’ tallest building. The building’s Art Deco spire, designed to be a mooring mast and depot for airship, added 200 feet extra height.
The building’s art deco design bears the cultural and artistic marks in early 20th centaury. It is also a popular landmark in numeric movies such as King Kong, Sleepless Seattle, Independence Day…
Location: 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118
GPS: 40°44’53.80″N 73°59’8.73″W
Waiting time to reach the deck: 1-2 hours
Recommendation: 4.5 stars out of 5
The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world. You can pay extra fee to access 102nd floor. The space is compact without impressive view through the glass window full of stains. I would suggest to stay with the regular admission without pay extra money.
The observation deck has several features any photographer dreams of:
Outdoors: Long focus length is possible to photograph landmark buildings in far distance without degradation of image details. You may also use wide-angle lens without worrying about glass reflections.
360 degree non-obstructed view: Good view of locations such as Times Square, Brooklyn, downtown financial district, 34th street, 5th Avenue, East River, Hudson River.
Couple of drawbacks to be noticed:
No tripod: The security will keep your tripod till you finish your trip. I would suggest carrying bean bag instead to get nice shot at night.
Too many tourists: Budget 2 hours waiting time to access the deck.
Can’t see Empire State Building itself.
Strong wind: Be well prepared for wind and cold temperature. Dress in layers. You can stay indoors if the weather is challenging.
North
Midtown skyscrapers featured with Times Square
Buildings are nicely lit at night, especially Times Square and 42nd street.
The shadow of the Empire State Building
Rooftop view from above. Good to shoot tilt-shift miniature effect.
Crowded skyscrapers and the 5th Avenue
East
Panoramic view of East River and Brooklyn
A beautiful view of the Chrysler Building. This is the one I talked about in competition with the Empire State Building for the tallest building in the world. Not only the famous landmark in New York City, but also a master piece art deco skyscraper.
South
The skyscrapers of financial district in far distance featured by the new One World Trade Center. East River on left and Hudson River on right.
You have good view of another iconic skyscraper – The Flatiron Building. One of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers.
Business office buildings near the Flatiron Building, including New York Life Building (Tower on left) and Metlife Building (bell tower on right)
West
New Jersey State and Hudson River in far. 34th street and transportation hub, Pennsylvania Station close by.
For more beautiful cityscape photos of New York City, please check the Full Collection.
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
New York City is the capital of skyscrapers as it sits at the top with the height and the density of buildings in USA. New York City is unique and is the pride of America. To experience the charm and photograph this magic city, a vantage point from those observation decks is my best choice. … Continue reading “New York City Public Observation Deck – One World Trade Center”
New York City is the capital of skyscrapers as it sits at the top with the height and the density of buildings in USA. New York City is unique and is the pride of America. To experience the charm and photograph this magic city, a vantage point from those observation decks is my best choice.
The new One World Trade Center
Location: 285 Fulton Street, Manhattan, New York, United States 10007
GPS: 40°42’45.84″N 74° 0’47.05″W
Waiting time to reach the deck: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Recommendation: 3 stars out of 5.
The terror attack dated back to 2001 cost over 2 thousand lives and destroyed the twin tower of World Trade Center. The new building, called ‘One World Trade Center’, arose from the edge of the old site and was opened to the public in 2014. Designed by David Childs (the designer of Willis Tower in Chicago and Burj Khalifa in Dubai), this tallest building in Western Hemisphere, including its spire, reaches a total height of 1,776 feet. Its height in feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed. The monolithic glass structure with neat and simple outline give this building a modern look.
One World Trade Center is located at south tip of Manhattan Island overlooking the Atlantic Ocean where the Hudson River and East River merges together.
As the deck was open to the public in December 2014, the facility inside the building is brand new. The security check, identical to the one before boarding an airplane, is the strictest I’ve ever seen compared with numeric observation decks I visited.
The 360 degree unobstructed view brings you excellent visa of Manhattan downtown, midtown, Brooklyn and New Jersey. However, from photography point of view, it is extremely challenging to get decent shots due to indoor environment with excessive glass reflections which becomes even worse with wide-angle. Long focus length does not work well if you are critical with image details. Fortunately nobody discourage the usage of tripod, which makes it possible to capture the beauty of this sleepless city.
Tips to reduce glass reflections:
Move your lens as close as possible to window glass and use your hands coning around the lens to prevent unwanted light getting into the lens. If you are lucky to have friends handy, use them to block the unwanted lights. In post processing, remove reflections whenever necessary.
North
North view with midtown buildings, Times Square and Empire State Building visible. At night, the best location facing north is unfortunately used as commercial promotion desk. It is not possible to get any shots.
West
Southwest view with Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Liberty park in New Jersey.
Good view of office buildings at Hudson River waterfront including the Goldman Sachs Building, the highest building in the state of New Jersey.
Hudson River and Manhattan Midtown buildings with Empire State Building and Times Square.
South
The financial district of Manhattan with office buildings. Wall Street is located below.
East
Excellent view of three bridges connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. From left to right: Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.
Panoramic view from Sunset to night
For more beautiful cityscape photos of New York City, please check the Full Collection.
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
Continue with the photographic tour in Central Park… Bethesda Terrace (40°46’25.36″N 73°58’15.71″W), famous landmark of Central Park. The famous fountain, Angel of Water. Fall Winter Following tree-covered walkway to lakefront (0°46’31.53″N 73°58’19.89″W), there are many nice views featured with landmark Bow Bridge and luxury apartment building San Remo. It is enjoyable to take a walk … Continue reading “A photographic guide to Central Park, New York City (2)”
Continue with the photographic tour in Central Park…
Bethesda Terrace (40°46’25.36″N 73°58’15.71″W), famous landmark of Central Park.
The famous fountain, Angel of Water.
Fall
Winter
Following tree-covered walkway to lakefront (0°46’31.53″N 73°58’19.89″W), there are many nice views featured with landmark Bow Bridge and luxury apartment building San Remo.
It is enjoyable to take a walk around the lake. 2-3 hours should be sufficient.
A view from walkway bridge with midtown skyscrapers and boats (40°46’43.25″N 73°58’18.02″W).
A stone walkway bridge looks pretty interesting although is not known to most people. (40°46’42.66″N 73°58’16.18″W).
Keep moving north, you will reach another famous landmark of Central Park, the Belvedere Castle, where ‘The Smurfs’ was filmed.（40°46’45.95″N 73°58’8.51″W）。
The platform on 3rd floor has stunning view of the pond and apartment buildings in east side of Central Park.
Continue heading north, there is a large lake, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir (40°46’55.73″N 73°57’39.76″W). Excellent view of both east and west side of park.
Central Park West side
East side
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
Located in the heart of Manhattan Island, Central Park is the most visited urban park in America. It is also one of the most filmed locations in the world. The quiescent atmosphere in sharp contrast with the crowded urban skyscrapers surrounding the green land brings Central Park world-wide fame. You won’t feel like in the … Continue reading “A photographic guide to Central Park, New York City (1)”
Located in the heart of Manhattan Island, Central Park is the most visited urban park in America. It is also one of the most filmed locations in the world. The quiescent atmosphere in sharp contrast with the crowded urban skyscrapers surrounding the green land brings Central Park world-wide fame. You won’t feel like in the middle of the world famous metropolis when take a short break in Central Park.
Central Park surrounded by urban skyscrapers.
When Fall arrives, the lush colors from abundant tree species paint Central Park into a dream wonderland. Winter, while not as colorful as other seasons, gives Central Park a different look of white and holiness.
Fall and Winter in Central Park
There are numeric photographic locations in Central Park. Below I would like to go through some of my favorite sites.
Park south edge near 59 street (40°45’59.77″N 73°58’24.72″W) with urban skyscrapers, lake and bridge.
The little hill (40°45’59.13″N 73°58’23.38″W) at east of the lake has good overlook of the bridge, pond and skyscrapers.
The little stone bridge appeared in numeric movies including ‘Home Alone 2’.
North of the bridge at waterfront (40°46’2.26″N 73°58’26.08″W) has nice view too.
In Winter, the ice skating rink (40°46’5.51″N 73°58’28.02″W) is open to the public. People skate in front of midtown skyscrapers in holiday atmosphere.
Heading north, horse carriage is often seen in the road (40°46’11.56″N 73°58’26.78″W).
Sheep Meadow (40°46’15.68″N 73°58’24.84″W) is a giant lawn with wide-open view of midtown skyscrapers and city skyline.
The walkway nearby (40°46’20.55″N 73°58’18.11″W). Fallen leaves cover the grass lawn.
Songquan Photographyis the author of this article and reserve full rights. You are welcome to repost. Please credit the author.
White Mountain, mostly in New Hampshire, is part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and has the most rugged mountains in New England. The famous peak, Mt Washington, holds the record of the highest measured wind speed in human history (231 miles/hour). The train ride to the peak (44°16’9.34″N 71°21’2.97″W) is a unforgettable experience and famous local … Continue reading “Foliage Trip to New England-White Mountain”
White Mountain, mostly in New Hampshire, is part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and has the most rugged mountains in New England. The famous peak, Mt Washington, holds the record of the highest measured wind speed in human history (231 miles/hour).
The train ride to the peak (44°16’9.34″N 71°21’2.97″W) is a unforgettable experience and famous local attraction.
Following Hwy 302, there are quite a few scenic locations.
Colorful Silver Cascade Falls. (44°12’22.90″N 71°24’11.79″W)
This little waterfall is sitting right at the road side. Park your car at the parking lot and here it is. At peak season, the waterfall is surrounded by vibrant trees.
The other parking lot nearby (44°12’32.99″N 71°24’17.41″W) is facing mountain valley with lush yellow foliage.
Stay in Conway town is a good idea to fill gas and rest as it has everything you need. A state park nearby, Echo Lake State Park (44° 3’15.23″N 71° 9’20.20″W)
Start from Conway following Hwy 112 (Kancamagus Hwy), it takes 3 hours to drive through White Mountain with stunning views.
It is interesting to see all colors are in the valley as at mountain top the weather is challenging. Only evergreen tree species such as cypress and pin tree are capable to survive.
Flume Gorge (44° 5’49.96″N 71°40’51.95″W), easy walkway, surely a place to take a break.
Cannon Mountain Tramway is nearby with absolutely breathtaking view（44°10’13.42″N 71°41’15.96″W).
Green at top and yellow in the valley as well.
Thank you for your time. You are welcome to check my site for full collection of this trip.
The scenic drives I talked about in part 1 (http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo/seasonal-activities/autumn/foliage) covers a big variety of views including farmland, lake, mountains. During my trip, I only tried two of them (Stowe Hollow, Ben & Jerry’s and Cold Hollow Cider Mill, 26miles; Jeffersonville, Johnson, & Hyde Park, 41.9 miles) and the view is absolutely stunning. 1. Stowe … Continue reading “Foliage Trip to New England – Stowe, VT (2)”
The scenic drives I talked about in part 1 (http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo/seasonal-activities/autumn/foliage) covers a big variety of views including farmland, lake, mountains. During my trip, I only tried two of them (Stowe Hollow, Ben & Jerry’s and Cold Hollow Cider Mill, 26miles; Jeffersonville, Johnson, & Hyde Park, 41.9 miles) and the view is absolutely stunning.
1. Stowe Hollow, Ben & Jerry’s and Cold Hollow Cider Mill
This drive starts from Main Street, heading southward and with a loop back to the same location. It covers all kinds of views including farmland, mountain ranges, Waterbury Reservoir and two famous local attractions- Ben&Jerry’s Ice Cream and Cold Hollow Cider Mill. With such variable scenic views, I highly recommend this 3-hour drive.
Farmland and colorful mountain ranges
House in Woods
House in Woods
Vibrant Waterbury Reservoir (44°22’57.32″N 72°46’30.32″W)
Autumn foliage at Dam
Fishing
This is the famous yet seen everywhere local Covered Bridge. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges have a lifespan of only 10 to 15 years because of the effects of rain and sun. The oldest was built more than two hundred years ago.
2. Jeffersonville, Johnson, & Hyde Park
This drive starts at Main Street too and heading north.
Skyride (44°31’55.57″N 72°47’23.31″W). Autumn is the start of busy season in Stowe. The lift used by skii resorts in Winter is now taking tourists to mountain top with grand visa of colorful foliage.
Mountain top view
3. Surroundings
With 75% forest coverage, Vermont is full of natural parks. Heading southeast from Stowe on VT232, there a several state parks (Groton State Forest) worth of checking out.
From North to South：
New Discovery State Park (44°18’34.80″N 72°16’55.10″W)
Owl’s Head Overlook (44°17’53.72″N 72°17’41.88″W)
Kettle Pond State Park (44°17’40.55″N 72°18’36.16″W)
Groton Lake （44°16’40.07″N 72°15’46.46″W）
Ricker Pond State Park
44°14’48.70″N 72°14’53.41″W
Thank you for your time. You are welcome to check my site for full collection of this trip.
About New England New England is a region which comprises six states of the Northeastern United States, Pilgrims from England first settled in New England in 1620. They named places in the ‘New World’ after famous locations in Britain by adding the prefix ‘New’. For example, ‘New’ York becomes the name of today’s top American … Continue reading “Foliage Trip to New England – Stowe, VT (1)”
About New England
New England is a region which comprises six states of the Northeastern United States, Pilgrims from England first settled in New England in 1620. They named places in the ‘New World’ after famous locations in Britain by adding the prefix ‘New’. For example, ‘New’ York becomes the name of today’s top American metropolis New York.
(Source: wikipedia)
About Foliage
Ideally, the best foliage occurs when autumn days are mild and the evenings are cool and crisp, but not below freezing. However, if daytime temperatures are too warm for a relatively long period of time in the fall, the colors may be less intense. Due to the strict weather requirements and the abundant tree species, foliage in New England undoubtedly ranks top in the United States.
This short trip dated back to October 2015, lasted for 4 days covering the town of Stowe in Vermont and White Mountain area in New Hampshire.
It is challenging to catch the peak days of foliage. The foliage network website http://www.foliagenetwork.com gives status reports twice a week in Fall season as well as historical reports, which provides very good reference. From my past experience, the real peak color occurs when the report says ‘near peak’. A large percent of leaves drop and colors turn gray if you wait for ‘at peak’ in reports.
About the Town – Stowe
This is a small yet famous town in Vermont and was voted by TripAdvisor users ‘the best Fall Color Town’ in 2015. What benefit me most is the 15 scenic drives summarized by the website of Stowe http://www.gostowe.com/. The drives covered all kinds of attractions including farms, lakes, mountains, forest… This town knows exactly how to guide the tourists in this whole area with stunning natural scenery. The only drawback, to me, was the turn-by-turn instructions, which indeed overloaded me as I kept driving, finding my way while looking for good photography opportunities. Luckily during work days, there was very little traffic on road otherwise it could be a nightmare. I would suggest to bring a friend at passenger side serving as a pilot. The scenic drive on the website has foliage status indications and was in very good consistency with the actual view from my observations. That’s the secret how I caught the foliage at its peak color. As White Mountain in New Hampshire is not far away, whenever you see ‘peak color’ at Stowe website, the colors in White Mountain area are vibrant as well.
Photography Locations
Below are several photography locations I like during my trip. I would like to skip the popular attractions for regular tourists as the information is everywhere over web.
The landmark church of Stowe with typical New England architecture style – the signature Stowe shot: good photography opportunities no matter in the morning, mid of day, or at dusk. Definitely one of my fav. GPS: 44°28’6.61″N 72°41’14.83″W
Vibrant foliage colors
Mist and morning light
Sunset and colorful sky
Waterbury Reservoir (GPS: Parking – 44°22’44.63″N 72°43’31.87″W, Lake Front – 44°22’57.86″N 72°43’43.10″W) is another nice location with only 10 minutes’ drive from town center. Due to the cool temperature at night in Fall, there is high chance to have fog above lake water in early morning, which yields nice shots.
As the waterfront is wide-open, it is a perfect location to shoot the starring night sky. Since Vermont has forest covering 70% of the land, the air is clean. The town lights, which is only 6 miles away, surprisingly did not pollute the sky. The stars and milky way were bright enough to be seen by naked eyes.
The shot on left is the milky way over southwestern horizon and is bright since it is closing to galaxy center. The one on right is the far part from center in northeastern direction. A bit dim actually. The best time to photography milky way in Northern Hemisphere ranges from Spring to Fall with the milky way at its brightest in Summer. In winter, as the center is well below horizon, the part visible is very light.
Couple of technical issues to get a nice milky way shot below…
First, the stars except Polaris are all moving even though your eyes may not see it. The long exposure creates light trails in your photo just like the one caused by car taillight, which blurs the milky way. As a result, shutter speed cannot be too slow.
How to get bright picture when sky is dark and shutter speed can’t be slow? You need lens with large aperture ($$$). As the star movement appears less with wide angle lens, you need it as well ($$$$$$). Now the picture is still dark? Let’s go with high ISO. We know noise is huge and details are crappy. Ok, you need better camera with good high ISO performance ($$$$$$$$%#@&&###!).
My settings for your references: Nikon D800 (not indeed a high ISO camera but ok), 14-24mm at 14mm, f2.8, shutter speed 30s, ISO 3600.
Thank you for your time. You are welcome to check my site for full collection of this trip.
