Adirondacks – Page 4

Friday Night Lights in the North Country

2016-Sep-05 adohertyh1 Comment

The roars and gasps of the crowd could be heard all over town: Friday night football in the North Country of New York. St. Lawrence’s Saints dominated Morrisville to the tune of 28–0. From quadcopter, the action on the field is just a bit out of range. One of the recurring themes of my work is the civilization gradient between densely human areas and wilderness; I view this picture as another interpretation of that theme. There’s perhaps no urban center in Canton, but there are quaint homes and university buildings giving way to farmland and, eventually, the foothills of the Adirondacks in the distance where the Earth begins to curve.

Real-World Zen Garden

2016-Aug-17 adohertyhLeave a comment

The Japanese rock gardens that we’ve visited in the past were beautiful combinations of moss, stone, and trees. In Stone Valley, the same setting exists in the real world. (Just with more mosquitoes.)

“Secret” Island “Fort”

2016-Aug-12 adohertyhLeave a comment

An almost-island was hiding in the background of this photograph of Stone Valley. Most of my childhood adventures involved sorties from some kind of tree-based fortress; this formation silhouetted against the setting sun reminded me of those adventures. Or maybe just the fort from a particular film. (Even it’s neither truly secret, nor a fort.)

Kinds of Water

2016-Aug-082016-Aug-08 adohertyhLeave a comment

When chemists study water, the molecular-level view offers a lot to consider. Bulk water takes on two fluid phases and seventeen (depending on who you ask) solid phases, from a physical scientist’s perspective. That’s my normal mindset. Even when I see liquid water in a photography, however, I’m astonished to see wispy white tendrils and glassy surfaces that are all created by reflection and scattering from the same material.

Earth, Water, Fire, and Air

2016-Aug-05 adohertyh4 Comments

Classic Stone Valley! A few minutes and meters down the trail from Monday’s image, I caught my favorite part of the hike at a great time of day. Previous trips to this this spot turned into rehearsals for navigating slippery rocks. This has turned out to be one of my favorite pieces of nature photography, but there’s more to come next Monday.

Stone Valley Before Sunset

2016-Aug-01 adohertyh1 Comment

Except perhaps in winter, I’ve always hiked when the sun was high in the sky and settled in before sunset. I have always wanted, however, to capture some dramatic nature scenes with a crazy sky, so this weekend I went sunset hunting. This shot, appropriately, is from early in the night. Later in the week, I’ll be showing more of the shots as I hiked on and the sun disappeared.

Exploring Stone Valley

2016-Jul-27 adohertyh2 Comments

If the weather is just right and recent rain has the Raquette River running high through Stone Valley, a summer hike is just the thing. A geologist would have the technical explanation of the valley’s odd geometry. The hydroelectric dam secretly controls the scene (or the water release, anyway).

The scale of the setting doesn’t really become apparent until you try to spot the tiny people (chemists and physicists, in this case) on the rocks. Bob Ross would be proud.

Complicated Cabins

2016-Jul-20 adohertyh1 Comment

“Cabin” is more an aesthetic style than a humble building in the North Country. At St. Lawrence’s Camp Canaras, the cabins are large structures with complicated architectural flourishes; at midnight, they take on a Tolkeinesque vibe.

Along the Cliffs

2016-Jul-04 adohertyhLeave a comment

Students hike the cliffside where geological formations collide. On July 4th, let me compose an overly-ornate sentence about the season and the nation.

“Summer hiking in the North Country of America, at the edge of the Adirondacks: stripes of chlorophyll and aluminosilicate and tanninful water.”

Weekend Special: Lampson

2016-May-29 adohertyh2 Comments

Summer hit the North Country like a truck, ricocheting us from frosty mornings to hyperdense afternoons in the space of a single week. Out in nature, the volatile organic compounds are thick on the breeze. Even the sky is bluer. Above Lampson Falls, everything is placid.

Camping on the beach beneath the falls is grand—though less so when a thunderstorm is right around the corner. The beach shows evidence of the water readily rising.

ADK Autumn

2016-May-162016-May-16 adohertyh3 Comments

Students bring energy and excitement to my world, so there’s no more exciting time of the year than the start of fall. Though the school year has just ended and summer is beginning, I’m already looking forward to the next season. I live in some bizarro-world version of what I remember experiencing as a boy, when I awaited the start of summer and dreaded the return of the school year.

The Vernon Blur

2015-Dec-21 adohertyhLeave a comment

Strange weather persisted, but living in the North Country, I always knew the truth: Winter is coming!

This photograph, from Thanksgiving 2014, looks far more like winter than anything I see out my window today.

Industrial Birches

2015-Nov-13 adohertyhLeave a comment

I couldn’t resist just one more image from the foothills of the Adirondacks in this weird, gentle fall. The bright blotches of birch branches (I couldn’t help myself) and their attendant leaves stand in contrast to the mechanical, industrial aspects of the scene.

Generation Gap

2015-Oct-09 adohertyhLeave a comment

Two groups on the rail at Lake Placid Horse Show, each one crowding against their edge of the frame and leaving a notable gap between them. The subtle varieties of postures and accessories and facial expressions: Though I began with landscapes, I’ve grown to understand the appeal of photographing people.