Wide open spaces.
That’s what I think about when the name Anson Williams and the word landscapes are thrown around, such as Cheri did for Photo 101 lesson 15.
Wait a second. Potsie Weber from “Happy Days” didn’t shoot great photographs of the world we live in. Make that Ansel Adams.
I knew I was scheduled to drive from the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood up, up, up to Syracuse University, for a business meeting in the offices of Syracuse Public Media site waer.org.
They call that neighborhood The Hill. I knew it would hold potential for me and my iPhone 6 to find a scene for a landscape or two. My loose plan was to find a high spot and shoot down.
I settled my Chevy Cruze on the winding road of Thornden Park because finding on-street parking with students in session is a bear.
The Rose Garden caught my eye on the day when spring will officially begin some 20 minutes past 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Here in upstate New York, we’re still covered in snow. I must come back and show you all the robust garden this will be months from now. My dear wife Karen and I adore this spot. However, with the arches as a focal point, a true landscape shot by Cheri’s definition this does not make.
I worked an angle into these snow-covered steps, and cut out a sign that declared that it led to a pond. There were too many buildings in the background above to make it a landscape shot, so I headed sideways.
The natural bowl amphitheater shape is naturally breath-taking, as the snowflakes pick up in intensity. Take my word for it.
This line of pines provide a natural barrier of protection against the wind and snow. I placed it a third of the way into my frame.
But my favorite landscape photo of the session is also the one I chose to crop. I caught a guy walking his dog in one of the fields of Thornden Park. There was a football field off to their left and a fire hydrant to their right. He let the dog off its leash to run, and it sure did romp. I shot away. Looking at the results, I thought the best result was to take out the hydrant and most of the snow in the foreground and tuck the goalpost into the bottom left corner. I decided to leave much of the sky above, though.
Do you have a public rose garden that you like to visit, and have you ever checked out what it looks like before the growing season? Which of the non-cropped shots do you prefer, and why? What would you have done to the composition to the final photograph?
Beautiful snow photos, Mark! I love how each season has it’s beauty! I love seeing the snow on this warm August night!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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Thanks for clicking back for the chill thrill, Carolyn. ❤
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The stairs, how can they not be my favorite. I enjoyed viewing the snowy pictures, Chum. Your photos are really improving. Cheers to that!
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Stairs like that are fun, because you wonder where they’re taking you. Right, Aud? 🙂
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Yes, exactly, Chum. Let’s climb them, I say.
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One foot in front of the other, Red. 🙂
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I can see why you like the last one, Mark, but for me, the first is the favorite, and then #2. I like lonely emptiness with a sense of receding, and both of those have that.
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They do, Babe. There I was, a Friday, noon-ish, in Syracuse, N.Y., and not a soul to be seen in either of those shots. In the city. You got it!
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Nicely done Mark. I like all of the shots. It is a beautiful place.
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I will take you there come blooming time, Paul, and we will have a grand photographic visit!
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My favorite is the top one because I like the crunchy texture of the trees with no leaves. I was disappointed to learn Potsie did not in fact take stunning photos. 😦 The bottom one is perfect for you because of the goalpost thingy. 😀
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Yes, I almost cropped out the goalpost thingy, but left it in for the more drastic horizontal shape. Good photographic decision, pro photographer?
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All are nice. I like #2 because it leads the eye upward. Like hope.
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I hope we get some nice weather soon, Kerbey. Like that? 🙂
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Precisely!
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I see grass!
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I know. I’m posting a couple from our yard tomorrow morning, Wormy … !
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Mark … My favorite place to shoot photos is Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, New York. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been there and how many photos I took.
I do love your photo of the arches. But I also like that wide expanse of snow and field that the dog is contemplating “Which way do I go first?” 😉
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I have to say, Beaver Lake is now on my photo shooting list, Judy, thanks to your endorsement. I’ve driven past it and heard all of its publcity, and never have gone!
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i love the shot with the arches the best. can’t wait to see the garden in bloom.
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Me, too, Beth. It’s a great rose garden.
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From the non crops I like the first one Mark, but I really, really like the last one with the dog and his man. ❤
Diana xo
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Thanks, Diana. I want to remember to take a shot of the Rose Garden from the same angle tihis summer. And I can go 100 days in a row and not capture a dog and his man again. That one just was too special, I agree
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Beautiful photos! Too bad the sun didn’t show up for his spring debut!
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The sun is scheduled for a May cameo, PJ. 😦
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Ahhh, that’s the pits. Hopefully it will show up earlier!
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Mark, in your anniversary post you showed how far your photos have come…and look at where they are going! Awesome!
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Thank you, Angie McFly. This workshop is helping me think about my approach to each shot. 🙂
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T he Rose Garden hooked me in but it was the final widescreen shot that I enjoyed most. I find I’m editing most of my shots to widescreen, I’m sure I’m being influenced by the fact that I’m doing this on a laptop which lends itself to the widescreen shot. Also the caption may have influenced me here – it made me smile.
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Thank you, rambler. On your wide laptop, I accomplished my aim with my caption and corresponding dog and guy shot.
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Nice photos, but where’s the grass? 🙂
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That’s what we all need to find out here, Me Who. Where’s our green?
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You ruined it for the dog’s buddies when you took the hydrant out. Other than that, nice work.
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They still have a leg up on the landscape, Scott, crop or no crop. 🙂 It was an odd place for a hydrant, but needed, obviously.
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That’s a beautiful spot indeed, Mark, and you made the most of a very, very gray day in Syracuse.
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It was a tough sell today, my friend. Gray blanket.
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I got the same sky here Mark and it bums me because I want to get up to Lake George for some shots while it is still frozen (at this rate- with this winter, I may have a few more weeks to do it!) – it is almost impossible to take a nice picture with a flat grey sky like that—I admire the effort. Spring is coming. 🙂
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Albany-Syracuse-Buffalo axis has been locked in the snow-gray grip, Wayne, It does make the photography challenging, my friend. Get the shot at Lake George, a lovely spot as I’ve ever seen, and then let the melt go on in full!
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All five are wonderful Mark! I particularly like the “I want to take you higher”,most uplifting concept ..
~ Happy Spring my friend ~ ♥
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Happy Spring, DG! Two hours away!! I am glad you found my work uplifting today.
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One better than the others, I can not choose only one, I like them all!
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Thanks, Norah. I think they were good cold-weather shots.
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Think I like the picture. Something about the stone fence that pleases me.
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I liked all of my pictures today, Marissa. Ouch! I hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back like that. Thank you very much.
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I know Mark…you have to do some preliminary stretches before you go and do something crazy like that!!
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Humble Pie for dessert for me, Marissa. 😉
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