Loren Fisher setup a meetup at the Ken Lockwood Gorge through the Somerset Photography meetup. I had never been to the gorge. I didn't know what a Gorge was. Loren explained it to me.
Ed, Prasanna and I carpooled from Skillman. We stopped in Somerville and had a leisurely lunch at Hurry Chutney.
While Saturday -- the day before -- was warmer and sunny, today, Winter came back. We were all dressed in layers from head to toe. Some photographers forgot to bring gloves, but fortunately, Loren had some extras in his truck.
The sky was all grey. Soft lighting would prevail. I had rented a Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5 expecting I would get many wide-angle shots. However, this area still had snow and ice and minimal greenery. Most of the other photographers decided to do long-exposure photography. Ed had brought his neutral density filters with him. He was able to get some very long exposure images. Prasanna and I were a lot less prepared for that sort of photography.
The most prolonged exposure we could do without blowing out the image was ¼ second at f/29. I still think we got some great shots. I tried to extract more colour from the images. I wanted to make them look warmer and more "spring" like than the weather indicated.
I didn't use the Sigma 8-16mm as much as I thought I would. At one point, I took it off and shot exclusively with my Nikkor 35mm f1/.8. Maybe it was my familiarity with this lens, but I feel the images are sharper and livelier.
I enjoyed the hike, and I expect to return in the spring when the trees have some leaves, and the air is warmer. If you live in New Jersey or are just travelling through and have some time, drop by the gorge.
Wonderful nature shots. The woods come alive in them, despite the grey weather.
Hi Mersad. Thanks for dropping by.