Photography Road Trip to Dawes Arboretum and more....

The Facebook  Ohio's Nature and Wildlife Photographers group is heading to the Dawes Arboretum on Saturday April 7th for an informal photo shoot, all photographers are welcome to join in the fun. The early birds will be getting there at 7:00am but since everyone has a different schedule a lot of photographers will be getting there later in the day. We can all meet up around noon at the Visitor's Center to get to know each other and maybe head out to get something to eat.

For more info on this and other events please check out the  Ohio's Nature and Wildlife Photographers group page on Facebook. The group was set up by Debbie Dingus to allow Ohio photographers to post their nature and wildlife photos. Debbie is also setting up photo trips to various places in Ohio. The Dawes Arboretum is the one of the first trips. A trip to Hocking Hills is coming up the weekend of June 8th.  The group is open to all Ohio photographers feel free to join the group if you want.



Also, since it's a long drive to Dawes some people are planning on heading down a day early on Friday and staying overnight. For those going down early on Friday, some of us are planning on checking out the Newark Earthworks and meeting there at around 10 or 11am.


Here's a Google Map with directions to Dawes and the Newark Earthworks,  click on the northern camera icon for directions to the Earthworks, click on the southern camera icon for directions to Dawes Arboretum.  The bed icon is for the Best Western where some of us are staying on Friday night.


View Dawes and Newark Earthworks map in a larger map

Lake View Cemetery - Maps and Information

Every year in the spring hundreds of Daffodils bloom on Daffodil Hill in Lake View Cemetery, this year with the unseasonably warm temperatures the Daffodils are blooming early as well as the other plants and trees in Lake View.

I'm going to check it out on Sunday March 25th.  I plan on getting there between 7:30 and 8:00am to catch the good early morning light and the dew on the plants.

There are lots of famous people buried in Lake View and lots of interesting buildings and Crypts to photograph. Buildings you want to check out are the Garfield Memorial where President Garfield and his family are entombed.  Also check out Wade Hall.



Daffodil Hill (Click on the photo to go to the gallery)



Here's a Map with the locations of the Garfield Memorial, Wade Chapel, and Daffodil Hill and also the Euclid Ave entrance to Lake View. Click on the blue icon to get directions from your location.


View Lake View Cemetery in a larger map

Ohio Nature and Wildlife Photo Shoot at Hocking Hills 6/8 to 6/10/2012

Hi everyone the Ohio's Nature and Wildlife Photographer's group on Facebook is having a photo shoot at Hocking Hills State Park from Friday June 8th till Sunday June 10th, everyone is welcome!!!!

When: June 8 to June 10th   ( I will be there from June 7-10)  Come for all the days or the days convenient for you

Where: Hocking Hills State Park

Where to stay:  A lot of us are going to be staying in the State Park Cottages, they sleep up to six people, they are a little expensive but close to the action.  You can also stay at a hotel in Logan or at any of the nearby private cabins and cottages in the area, or even in the State Park Campground.  For those who make their own lodging arrangements, we will probably use the State Park Dining Lodge as a central meeting place.

For those of you that have never been to Hocking Hills you can hang out and go on  group shoots with everyone, for those that have been there before you can venture out on your own if you want and then meet up later for lunch and dinner and shoot the breeze and ask questions about Hocking Hills and photography stuff.

Here's a link to the Hocking Hills Trail Maps

Hocking Hills is a large park with lots of waterfalls and some of the best hiking trails in Ohio, here's some of what you'll see:
Ash Cave in Spring and Winter



Cedar Falls


Lower Falls and Upper Falls at Old Man's Cave


Other things to see and explore are Conkle's Hollow, Rockhouse, Cantwell Cliff's

More Hocking Hills photos can be seen here:  Hocking Hills Galleries

GPS Coordinates in Decimal Degree format:
Lat: N 39.4376
Long W 82.5379

To get directions to Hocking Hills from your location click on the Green State Park HQ icon:


View Hocking Hills in a larger map

Favorite Places to Shoot Fall Colors in Northeast Ohio

Well its that time a year again, when the leaves on the trees turn all sorts of beautiful colors. Luckily for those of us that live in Northeast Ohio, there are a lot of places to take beautiful Fall Color Shots. Listed below are some of my favorite places to take Fall Color Photos.

Mt Jeez located across from Malabar Farms



Mt Jeez is a large hill that overlooks Malabar Farm and the valley below, more Mt Jeez photos can be seen here:

Mt Jeez Photo Gallery


Tinker's Creek Nature Preserve



Tinker's Creek Photo Gallery

The Seven Pond Trail is a great place to take Fall Color photos, there are lots of ponds where you can get some great reflections of the colors in the water.



Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation



All of the Cleveland Metroparks are great places for taking Fall Color Shots, here's a photo of my buddy Denny aka Wood Duck Dude taking photos at the North Chagrin Reservation.

North Chagrin Fall Color Gallery

Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Blue Hen Falls



There's lots of cool places to take Fall Color Shots in the Cuyahoga Valley, but Blue Hen Falls is one of my favorites. (Also check out Brandywine Falls and the Beaver Marsh)

Blue Hen Falls Gallery

So get out to your favorite Fall Color spot before the leaves fall off the trees and have fun!!! You may even want to pull out your fisheye or super wide angle lens and get a couple of Fall Color Self Portraits!!!

Balloon Classic Invitational - 7/29 - 7/31

If you like photographing Hot Air Balloons then you might want to check out the Balloon Classic Invitational taking place in North Canton Ohio from 7/29 - 7-31.

I attended this event last year and had a great time, it's one of the largest Balloon Fests in the area. There will be 65 Balloons at this years event. Here's a slideshow from last years event:

Balloon Classic Invitational Slideshow
 

NOTE: Access on the field is not allowed except for pilots and crews, but you should still be able to get some good photos.


Click the photo to see more photos!

BALLOON CLASSIC ACTIVITIES:  Hot air balloons fly best in less than 8 mph winds, and the weather must be almost perfect for these beautiful balloons to take to the skies. Pilots are briefed on weather before each and every flight; flights may be delayed or cancelled due to weather conditions.

Helpful hints:  If you’re an early bird, come check out the morning flights!  For evening flights, traffic is especially heavy, so plan ahead.

FRIDAY, JULY 29

5:00 AM – Dawn Patrol

6:30 AM – Media Flight

6:30 PM – Balloon Launch

9:45 PM – Night Glow

SATURDAY, JULY 30

6:30 AM – Media Flight

6:30 PM – Balloon Launch

SUNDAY, JULY 31

6:30 AM – Balloon Launch

Here are some of my Balloon Photography Tips

Balloon Photo Tips:

1. See which way the wind is blowing then position yourself so the balloons will fly toward you.

2. Look for colors, shapes and patterns















3. Use people as scale to show how large the Balloons are








4. Show the crew at work








5. And of course show them in the air!!!








More balloon photos here: Hot Air Balloons

Here's the address and a Google Map

Kent State University Stark Campus &
Stark State College of Technology
6000 - 6200 Frank Road NW
North Canton, Ohio 44720

Convenient parking available
Enter public parking lots off Frank Road,
and pay only $5.00 per vehicle after 3:00 PM

For those with a GPS here are the Coordinates in the Decimal Degree format

LAT N 40.867810
Long W 81.441656

Click on the Camera Icon to get directions from your location.


View Balloon Classic Invitational - Canton in a larger map

2011 Veterans Memorial Bridge and Subway Tour 7/2/2011

Here's another great Photo Op over the July 4th weekend - a self guided tour of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (aka Detroit Superior Bridge) The bottom part of this bridge was used for Trolley traffic over the Cuyahoga River in the Flats. I've done the tour about 3 or 4 times and its a great place to photograph Cleveland history. They'll have displays of old trolley cars and you can even see the old tracks in the ground. You can also get some great views of the Flats from the bridge. So if your looking for something different to shoot on Saturday July 2nd check out the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Click photo to go to gallery


Bridge & Subway Tour

When: Saturday, July 2, 2011
Times: Open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Northeast Corner of W. 25th Street & Detroit Avenue, at the west end of the bridge. Free parking is available at the Department of Public Works Bridge Garage, which is located at the tour’s entrance.
Cost: FREE

No reservations
Self guided tour with volunteers on hand to answer questions
Wheelchair & stroller accessible
Cameras are welcome
Attractions include films, trolley displays, streetcar, and a unique view of the area
All ages

Directions and where to park!

Click on the camera icon to get directions from your location

GPS in Decimal Degrees N41.492884 W81.705633


View Veterans Memorial Bridge Tour in a larger map

Parade the Circle 2011

Now this is a Cool Photo Op.... Parade the Circle. I've gone the last two years and it's always a lot of fun, lots of cool costumes to photograph. If you get there early you can photograph the participants getting ready for the parade in the staging area on the top deck of the Art Museum Parking lot.

Saturday, June 11, 2011
11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Parade at Noon
Wade Oval, University Circle

More info here: Parade the Circle Info


Click Photo to see more photos





Click on the camera icon for directions to Parade the circle

GPS Coordinates in the Decimal Degree format.

Latitude: N 41.50888
Longitude: W 81.61077


View Parade the Circle 2010 in a larger map