It has been a busy few weeks for my family and I and I’ve been needing some down time in nature. The weather was about perfect, so after work I packed up a camera bag and my mountain bike and off I went to Cooper’s Rock State Park in West Virginia. Once I arrived I started off with some light mountain biking since the light was much to harsh. I rode some miles and then put the bike away so I could just trek around. Once the sun started to go down, the light changed and everything looked so much better.
The evening was fantastic and just what I needed to clear my head. The biking was fun, using my new Peak Design Everyday Messenger 13 bag was fantastic and the sunset over the gorge was splendid.
The weather was cloudy with chances of rain, but that didn’t dissuade me from loading up my mountain bike and a backpack full of camera kit and heading out into the woods. Wanting to spend as much time pedaling as photographing, I opted to drive to the Jonathan Run trailhead in Ohiopyle. This trail is about a mile and a half long and runs to the main biking trail. Almost to the main trail, another trail branches off called Sugar Run. Both of these trails are mostly nice singletrack with some sprinkling of technical rocky sections, some nice flowy up and downs along with a few climbing sections. The scenery is top notch and there was no one around. I saw a single group of hikers all 3 hours I was on the trail.
Since we’ve had some rain the past few days and I was in the woods, the camera and tripod came along for the ride. I brought only a prime lens kit which consisted of a 12mm, 23mm, 35mm and my 56mm. The most used was my 12mm and 56mm. Having only primes was a nice change of pace and made me think more about the shots I wanted and the angles. I brought a variable neutral density filter and a circular polarizer as well to help with the colors and exposure times. All in all, it was a great morning of riding and picture taking.
My wife and I recently returned from a trip to a resort just outside of Panama City, Panama. While most of the trip was dedicated to relaxation, we did get out and take a boat ride on the canal to see the rainforest around Gamboa and some of the canal. It was a beautiful country and we hope to be able to return and explore more.
My family and I just returned from a few days in Florida to visit family. The break from the cold of winter was very welcome and the chance to relax was much needed. Even though the camera wasn’t out much, I managed to get some interesting shots.