Sleepy Hollow Cemetery WAW

Sleepy Hollow Starbuck
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/100sec, 1600ISO, 24mm

Halloween is just around the corner, and I found my travels taking me to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. No headless horseman, but lots of cool old tombstones and mausoleums, including a Rockefeller. 

All the walking made me dead tired, stopped at this Starbuck, but it was missing the S. 

Cunningham Park

Just Off the Motorway During the Autumn Season
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/60s, 3200ISO, 29mm

New York City has many great parks, and another one close to where I live is Cunningham Park in Queens. You can read about the history of it here: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cunningham-park/history. For the past few summers, my wife, daughter, and I have attended the New York Philharmonic free performances that end with a fireworks show. In the autumn, we enjoy walking down the old roadway of the Long Island Motor Parkway, the first roadway designed for automobile use only, built by William Kissam Vanderbilt II. It was in operation from 1908-1938.

This park has served as the backdrop for a couple of my family portraits and Halloween portraits. If one finds themselves in Eastern Queens, I recommend a visit to this park.

#tbt Autumn in Central Park two years ago

Central Park Detail
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 200ISO, 40mm

Two years ago in October, the company I formerly worked was illuminating a wedding at the Central Park Boathouse. My day consisted of me stopping by the venue to ensure quality was top notch, and interface with the client and the venue contacts. The event setup went well, the crew had no real issues. I can't remember if I took photos of the setup for that wedding or not, but I had taken my camera with me, and the lens of choice for that day was the 40mm pancake lens. 

Central Park Autumn Evening
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you will notice that I mainly use three lenses. I use the Tokina 11-16mm f2/8 lens a lot for work, and it is usually the lens for my Wide Angle Wednesday posts. When I purchased my first dSLR, it came with a kit lens, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, which is my third most used lens at this point, it is the lens I use when I know I will want wide angle shots and a little telephoto action. But my pancake lens, the EF 40mm f/2.8, might be my favorite. 

Boats and the Boathouse
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/250sec, 640ISO, 40mm

The small size of the shorty forty means that the 60D doesn't feel as bulky or heavy, so I am more apt to throw the camera in my bag and take it with me. I also like the challenge a prime lens offers, as I have to think more about composition, and use my feet to zoom. 

8th Ave Looking South from Columbus Circle
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

That day two years ago in October, I walked from the west side of the park to the Boathouse, which is closer to the east side. Afterwards, I walked back out to the west side and down to Columbus Circle to the ACE trains, and then down to Penn Station. I was glad to have taken the camera with me, as my walk to and from work became a photo walk, allowing me to stretch my photographic muscles. I also captured a few of the photos that have become favorites of mine, such as the second one in this post, and the final one below.

LIRR Penn Station Clock and Flag Entrance
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/4, 1/160sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

More Autumn fun!

Orchard
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/200s, 200ISO, 53mm

This past weekend we visited Beardsley Orchard and Cider Mill and Jones Family Farms in Shelton, CT.

Beardsley
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/200s, 125ISO, 113mm

As I said previously, I love autumn and all of the activities, apple picking, leaf peeping, pumpkin picking, apple cider donuts...

Colors of Fall
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/800s, 800ISO, 50mm

This trip was planned over a month ago, and I had been looking forward to it ever since we picked a date.

Some Enterprising folks made off with all the non-rotten apples!
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/200s, 200ISO, 72mm

It was the last day of the apple season, so pickings were very slim. And by slim, I mean almost everything was gone. Plenty of rotten fruit, but hardly any worth picking. We left the orchard with the least amount of apples we've ever gotten. 

Barn
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/125s, 200ISO, 55mm

Beardsley has some great cider, and more importantly, one of the best cider donuts! So we did not leave disappointed.

Perfect Color for Fall!
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/250s, 200ISO, 62mm

We did get a pumpkin and take a hayride at Jones Pumpkin Seed Hill. 

Hayride View
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/160s, 200ISO, 18mm

Grape vines for the vineyard
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/160s, 200ISO, 44mm

Gorgeous Fall
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/200s, 200ISO, 55mm

Autumn's Arrival

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/800sec, 160ISO, 40mm

I think my favorite time of year is autumn. The weather cools off a bit, the trees change color, the food in season is great, and my favorite holidays are in the fall: Halloween and Thanksgiving! A few of the activities that I look forward to is road trips up the Hudson or north to Connecticut for apple picking.

Central Park at the beginning of Autumn
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Even New York City is transformed by the change of the seasons. The parks take on a magical feeling. The brisk air changes your wardrobe. The food available changes, soups and oven baked goodness become standard fare. 

Connecticut Views
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/160s, 320ISO, 135mm

These are a few of my favorite photos from autumn.

Pumpkins
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/320s, 320ISO, 113mm

Hitchhiker
Sony DSC-P200, f/6.3, 1/80s, 100ISO, 11mm