In June 2012 I was on my way to Baxter State Park in Maine to photograph moose. My original plan was to drive straight through but I was getting tired after about 10 hours so I pulled out my road atlas and found Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. I had a blow up mattress, food, and a cookstove in my van so all I needed was a campsite. It was mid afternoon and I found a trail nearby so i decided to scope out any photo opportunities. The short trail led me down to this beautiful river but the harsh afternoon light was not very pleasing, I decided I would need to be back here before the sun hit the water in the morning.
It began to rain just as I got back to the campsite but the van kept everything nice and dry so I popped open the two back doors, boiled some water for Ramen noodles, and made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. I spent the rest of the evening sitting in the back of the van listening to the rain falling on the leaves in this beautiful forest and let the satisfying wave of self sufficiency wash over me and coax me towards sleep.
Back on the trail before sunrise. The water was shaded from the sun at this early hour so I was now able to use shutter speeds of 1/3 to 2 seconds for these photos which gives the dreamy “cotton-candy” effect I was looking for.
FLYING-FUR PHOTOGRAPHY 