Winter Photo Safari and Backyard Bird Count - Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve (Dike 14) 2/20/11

Hi Everyone, I read about this in Tuesday's (2/15/2011) Plain Dealer....   I guess Dike 14 is now called the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve and they are having a Winter Photo Safari and Bird Count, there are group photo safaris at 1:30 and 2:30 or self guided tours from 1 to 4pm, you can find out all the details by clicking on the flyer link below. Sounds like a Cool Photo Op!!! 

DIKE 14 WINTER PHOTO SAFARI & BACKYARD BIRD COUNT—SUNDAY, FEB. 20 @ 1—4PM

Meet at the park office for site briefing. Group bird hikes & photo safari groups will depart at 1:30 & 2:30. Self guided visits from 1 pm—4 pm. Participate in the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count or take photos of the winter landscape to submit for display in the Exploration Station during the month of March. Co-sponsored by the Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative.**The Exploration Station will be open during this program.** Click Here for flyer.

Cool Photo Ops - Great Places to Take Photos in NE Ohio and Beyond

Attention Photographers, looking for fun places to take photos in Northeast Ohio? Then check out my Cool Photo Ops Blog.

Everyone is welcome to come on the shoots or go on your own when you get a chance, the more the merrier!

You will find information on the fun places to take photos in the Northeast Ohio Region.

You will also find links to Maps with directions to the shoots (including GPS coordinates), weather maps, sunrise and sunset information, photography links and helpful photo tips.

Coming soon is the Sled Dog Classic




Also if you have suggestions for shoots, let me know and I'll post them on the blog.

Punderson Sled Dog Classic 2/26 & 2/27 HAS BEEN CANCELED!!!

 According to the Siberian Husky Club the Sled Dog Classic has been Canceled!!!

Go here for Details: Siberian Husky Club



Now for something different the 2011 Punderson Sled Dog Classic taking place on Saturday Feb 26th and Sunday Feb 27th 2011!
Pick the date that's convenient for you,


Click the photo to go to Sled Dog Gallery



Hi Everyone a cool place to shoot this winter is the Sled Dog Classic at Punderson State Park on 2/26/2011 and 2/27/2011. The event is free for spectators. This should be a fun Photo Shoot,  a lot of us went last year and had a great time.  You can see my photos at this link Sled Dog Classic Photos



They have all different classes of races and even have a Kid n Mutt Fun Run

More information can be found here: Sled Dog Classic Race Info

Time : 9:30 am    Races are from 10am to 3PM
Place: Punderson State Park
Park Map: Punderson State Park Map
Directions: Click on the camera icon to get directions from your location. To view a larger map Click on "View Larger Map" below.

GPS Coordinates
latitude: 41.46118938889867
longitude: -81.21947765350342


View Larger Map


Sled Dog Photo Tips

This will be the second time at the Sled Dog Classic for me, here are some photo tips I learned from last year

1. The best shots are taken with the Sled Dogs running toward you.  Shots from the side are not as dramatic

2. Get down low at the dogs eye level.

3. Try and take some human interest shots of the dogs and their owners

4. Sled Dogs are cool, try and get some good portrait shots of them.

5. Try to capture the peak action.

6. Try to show how strong these animals are as they pull the sleds.

Well those are some of my tips, if anyone else has any tips to share, just click on "comments" below and leave your tips, comments and suggestions.

If you are going on the Sled Dog Classic Shoot or any cold weather shoot you want to keep your hands warm but still be able to use the controls on your camera so what do you do?  You might want to try a pair of Glommitts, Glommitts are a combination of a glove and a mitten.

Glommitts will keep your hands warm when you're not using your camera and the top mitten part folds back to expose your fingers when you are taking a shot.

There are a lot of different makes and models. Just Goggle glommitts to find out where you can purchase them.

Glommitts can be found at most sporting good stores. I get a lot of my stuff at Cabela's online. Click on the Cabela's link and enter glommitts in the search field.  Mine are a couple of years old so they may not carry the brand above anymore, but they probably have new and improved models.

Balloon Classic Invitational - North Canton 7/30-8/1

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 7/31 to 8/1.

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



For more information go here to the HotAirBalloon.com site

I got the following information off the HotAirBalloon.com site. Here's what you'll see.

After the sun sets Friday night, a special show begins with the spectacular balloon glow. The balloons tether on the ground and fill their balloon envelopes with propane so they glow brightly in the night, in a musically choreographed program. On Saturday night, the balloon flight is followed by the fabulous Jackson-Belden Fireworks show, also musically choreographed and sure to delight people of all ages.

Here's a schedule:

Friday, July 30th
Dawn Patrol – 5:00 am
Media Flight – 6:30 am
Evening Flight – 6:30 pm

Saturday, July 31st
Morning Flight – 7:00 am
Evening Flight – 6:30 pm

Sunday, August 1st
Morning Flight – 7:00 am

While I've never been to the Balloon Classic in Canton I have been to the Chagrin Falls Balloon Fest many times. It's very colorful and fun to watch!



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

Parade The Circle - Saturday June 12th

Attention Photographers - Parade the Circle is happening this Saturday June 12th in University Circle. I went last year for the first time and had a lot of fun. Lots of great photo ops and colorful costumes. If you get there early you can photograph the participants in the Art Museum Parking lot getting ready for the Parade. Find out more here: Parade the Circle

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

Lake View Cemetery and Daffodil Hill

Ok Spring is finally here and it's time to get out and start shooting. A great place for April photography is Lake View Cemetery. Lots of great buildings to photograph like the Garfield Monument and Wade Chapel. Then there's the famous Daffodil Hill that is lined with hundreds of daffodils. You'll be able to use all of your lenses here from macro to telephoto.

Dona and I scouted out Daffodil Hill on Saturday (4/3/10) and there were small patches of Daffodils on the hill with a lot more still waiting to bloom. If the weather stays warm there should be a lot more daffodils in a week or two. Pick a day and check it out for yourself! You might want to avoid Daffodil Sunday (4/18/10) though cause it may be pretty crowded on that date.



See more Lake View photos here: Lake View Cemetery Photos

Lake View Euclid Ave entrance GPS Coordinates

Latitude 41.5139448
Longitude -81.598742

Click on the Blue Balloon to get directions to Lake View from your location:

View Larger Map
Click on the camera icons to see where the Garfield Monument, Wade Chapel and Daffodill Hill are located

Headlands Dunes In the Winter

Here's a cool photo op or should I say COLD photo op cause you can only do it in the winter months. It's a trip to photograph Headlands Dunes in the winter! I've photographed Headlands Dunes many times but never in the winter until last Sunday. Since Dona and I love taking photos at Headlands Dunes we decided to see what it looked like in the winter and boy were we surprised by what we saw. We knew Lake Erie would be frozen, but we figured it would be a flat frozen lake, instead we saw large dunes sticking up in the lake that made for some interesting photography. We were even able to walk out on the ice and got some photos of the lighthouse that you can't get other times of the year. Check it out if you get a chance, yeah it's gonna be cold, but the photos you get will be worth it.

Headlands Dunes in the Winter - Click Photo to see more.





To get to Headlands Dunes take the road just to the right of the entrance to Headlands Beach, this is shown on the map with the green icon, this will lead you to the 24 hour fishing entrance indicated by the red icon (look for the 24 hour fishing entrance sign) and the Dunes Parking area. To get directions from your location just click on the green and enter your address.

GPS coordinates:
Lat N41.752793
Long W81.287831


View Headlands Dunes Nature Preserve in a larger map