In Hot Springs, we are blessed to have some wonderful, caring people. One local man, Dr. Kevin Hale, has built such a reputation in our community. He lives just down the street from me and was gracious enough to allow me to take pictures on his property recently. The land is gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to get some photos of the mist rising from one of the ponds in the golden glow of a sunrise!
Today was my first day to stop by. There is so much potential in the area that I hope to come back again for more varied looks. What a view! God certainly made a beautiful world for us to live in!
What’s crazy is that these first few pics are taken just off of the driveway. What a nice scene to wake up to each morning!
Ok, I have to explain this duck… There are various geese and ducks that enjoy the ponds on the land. I pulled over on the driveway and popped open my trunk to get my camera and tripod. I heard some leave scuffling so I turn to look and I see this duck waddling his way up the hillside to greet me! The geese didn’t want to have anything to do with me and refused to pose for pictures. The duck however followed me all over the place! At one point I was taking a picture of the pond, looking through the viewfinder on my camera. I was making sure the framing and focus was just right and steadying my finger on the trigger to take the shot when this duck swims right in my frame of view! I guess he was wanting some attention.
Here are some of the shots I had envisioned when thinking about the landscape… Steam rising up with some sun rays coming through.
Notice the geese fleeing my presence on this one. At least I caught them before they could get away!
Ok, the next photo was a bit accidental. I was simply trying to use my zoom lens before the geese could get away and was not even paying attention to my composition. The end result with the light and fog turned out pretty cool in my opinion. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!
Time to explore pond #2. Now you begin to see more of the frost that was present. FYI, it was cold out there!!! About 30 degrees! My fingers and toes were about to freeze and break off I think! I really must get an extra tripod plate so I don’t have to move it back and forth between my camera and zoom lens. That thing is cold and hard to switch when your fingers are frozen!
I had really been hoping for some nice reflection pictures with the ponds. There were a few too many ripples to get a really good reflection though. My ultimate goal is to try and get a better sunrise with some dramatic clouds in the sky so I can pick them up in the reflection too. Another day maybe…
A few close-up detail shots…
And two more where I was just looking for something a bit unusual…
A big thanks to Dr. Hale and his family for allowing me some time on their property! God bless you!