The World Around Us The Chapel at West Parish (post 23)

A few weeks ago, Romi and I were in the town of Andover, Massachusetts and I had about 30 minutes of free time, so I took a quick ride over to the Chapel at West Parish located in the West Parish Cemetery of Andover. (Had the camera with me)

The Chapel was built in 1909 and is included as part of the West Parish Center National Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

With a fresh coat of snow on the ground and a mid-morning sun the Chapel sparkled with its stained-glass windows and a well-maintained presence. I made a note to return on another day before sunrise or just before sunset as I am sure this location has a lot to offer.

I did not know much of the Chapels history prior to visiting but it is worth a review with an interesting read at “http://westparishchapel.org/history.htm”.

Having my go to camera and lens and I did quick 360 of the chapel with the lights and shadows providing some interesting views. One thing you need to consider when shooting in snowy scenes is your camera’s metering systems. They are going to try to expose the snow at a middle gray so the snow can become a muddled/dirty white and not what your eyes are seeing. I find the easiest way to resolve that is to expose to the right anywhere from a half stop up to 2, allowing a lighter exposure and rending the snow white.

A side view

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

Lens EF24-70mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Focal length set at 31mm

1/400 sec, f11, ISO 400 – exposure comp set to +1.5

Tripod: No

Entrance with a nice morning sunburst

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

Lens EF24-70mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Focal length set at 24mm

1/80 sec, f16, ISO 320 – exposure comp set to +1.5

Tripod: No

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Take care & smile before you hear the click

The World Around Us - The Albany Covered Bridge (post 22)

We are staying in the White Mountain of New Hampshire for this post and in distance we are around 40 miles southeast from the Mount Washington resort shown in last week’s post.

In the town of Albany, New Hampshire just off the scenic Kancamagus highway spanning the Swift river is the Albany covered bridge.

The bridge was initially built in 1857 but was destroyed in a windstorm and rebuilt in 1858. There has been renovations and maintenance done over years but some of the original (1858) structure remains intact. The bridge is 120 feet long and can handle loads up to six tons.

This bridge is closed for parts of the winter but is accessible in the spring into the fall, busy with locals and tourist (campers and leaf peepers). This location is a sure stop if you are on the Kancamagus and do not be surprised if you find yourself spending the day walking along or in the river, or just relaxing on a warm rock in the summer sun.

The two pictures shown are wide angle views, one just on the side of being wide and the over very wide(winter). Both required me to work to get in the position for the shot I wanted. For the late spring shot, I walked into the water and set my camera on a rock and used the self-timer. The winter shot was a bit more challenging; the bridge was closed for vehicles but open for foot traffic. I walked across and then into knee deep snow to the position and angle I wanted.

I hope to get back up there this year and take a few more of the bridge and other locations along the Kancamagus.

Spring - warming up

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

Lens EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Focal length set at 24mm, the widest this lens would allow.

1/320 sec, f8, ISO 250

Tripod: No, placed camera on a rock and used the timer.

Winter - Cold, Calm and Beautiful

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

Lens EF16-35 mm f/2.8L IS III USM

Focal length on the wide side at 16mm

1/30 sec, f/20, ISO 400

Tripod: Yes

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Take care & smile before you hear the click.

The World Around Us - The White Mountains (post 21)

Winter Time in the Mountains

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are one of my favorite places to visit and have been since my early childhood. No matter the season you will never be disappointed.

In the early spring you will be in awe of the rivers full of melting snow, pushing the water down their channels, you feel the power and it is alive. Then summer comes the campgrounds are full and the wildlife is all about you, you may see Black Bears, Deer and of course those sneaky Moose.

Next comes the explosion of the Autumn colors which some say only the White Mountains of NH and Hokkaido, Japan produce such a vivid display of nature’s colors.

Finally, winter comes. The mountains and lower valleys have all been covered in white gold and the ski slopes are full. The temperatures can be a bit nippy but still, like spring, summer and fall there is a calm and at least for me, it slows things down and allows me to enjoy the world around us.

During the winter of 2018, Romi and I took our annual winter trip north to relax and on one cloudy day we took a long slow ride along rt 302. When we came to the Mount Washington Hotel (now called the Omni Mount Washington Resort) the sun poked out from the clouds, lighting the hotel, causing me to stop (I just happen to have my camera). Note: Romi said it was too cold to get out and it was nippy, like right around 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mount Washington Resort

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

f/16, 125mm

1/100 sec

ISO 160

EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

This second picture is a panorama (3 stitched photos) from the same location & time, just to the right of the hotel.

Panorama view

Camera Settings

5D Mark IV

f/16, 200mm

1/200 sec

ISO 320

EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Tripod: No, but should have

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Take care & smile before you hear the click.