Forsythia in Bloom in Princeton NJ

After my day of running around doing errands I was determined to find a photo opportunity. I brought my camera and tripod with me because I was hoping to find SOMETHING...Nothing crazy...I didn't want to be out for hours....I just wanted something to photograph today...I guess I just had the "itch" to take something. Do you know that feeling?

When I was driving I spotted something YELLOW our of the corner of my eye that grabbed my attention. I memorized where I saw that pop of color along the highway and then on my way back from shopping I pulled down the main street that takes you into Princeton, NJ and I found what caught my attention.

It was a long line of forsythia in bloom running along the side of a farm that I actually photographed a while back.





Next to the line of forsythia was the line of beautiful trees that leads you all the way into Princeton that I always enjoy seeing as I ride along this road. It got so cold by this point and I was wearing a light jacket. I stood there praying that cars would stop coming down the VERY busy road on the left so I could snap my photos and get back in my warm car!



You can check out my entire HDR Gallery by clicking HERE.

The Completed Colonnade Series

In continuation of this prior blogpost I wrote this past week...I finished the Colonnade photos I took in Princeton, NJ this past Monday.

This placard talks about the history:



I chose 10 photos for the series and did them in HDR. Each is made up of 3 exposures.

Me Again...

After I took a number of shots from every angle of the Colonnade (featured in the post below) at the Princeton Battlefield State Park I decided to take some self portraits. "Why not" I told myself...the site turned out to be a great place for photography of all kinds and I hardly have anyone who wants to let me take their photos...so I have to use myself since I'm willing!

The only one around was a guy who stood in the field next to me doing "yoga-like" stretches for at least an hour.... LOL

I think when I finally get some "people subjects" I will take them here to take portraits. If I ever get an engagement shoot I know I will definietly bring them here as well! I can just see the photos in my head.

Anyway, here I am...again... I set up the tripod with the timer and stood pretty close to the camera. When I tried to take them from further back they were always blurry! I even tried manual focus but nothing helped. One day I will master crystal clear self portraits.

I think this is one of my top favs from the "self portrait shoot"



I swear I don't have a bald spot at my part in my hair...I think it's the action I applied to this shot along with the fact that my gray hair really needs a touch up that made it look so largely white there...despite that I like this shot and conversion:



Most of the shots were pretty serious-faced because that's just how I'm feeling lately but there was one with a smile:





I like the sun-flare in this one:





Oh, I guess there was one more with a smile from today!

This action gave it a soft dreamy feel:



And I can't decide if I like the one above better or this conversion (decisions, decisions...not like I'm actually doing anything with these photos besides posting them here LOL):





Ooooooo, the mysterious "hood" with the super mysterious look....ahahahah...I CAN laugh at myself.... LOL!

Princeton Battlefield State Park - Mercer Oak and Colonnade

What a day! The weather was insane! I woke up to a downpour that only lasted less than 20 minutes and then there was a dark overcast sky. My husband told me that it was 65 degrees outside and I didn't believe him.

I sat down to edit photos for a while and looked up to see an amazing blue sky with the best clouds EVER!

I decided to get up and go for a drive to the Princeton Battlefield State Park which I've been wanting to visit for a while to see what it was all about.

The further I drove the darker the clouds got and then the rain came down. It was hard to even see where I was going. As it poured harder and harder I got sadder and sadder as I drove that my photo time was going to be ruined by the rain. I decided to drive to the park anyway to see if it was somewhere that I would like to return to. Funny thing was that when I got there the sun came out and suddenly there were some of the best clouds I've seen in a long, long time.

I stopped and parked and walked over to read the sign that explained what was special about this fenced-in area in the field. The placard read:



I set up my tripod to take this shot of the site of the former Mercer Oak:

The beloved Mercer Oak, which had seen and survived the Battle of Princeton and the birth and vibrant life of a new nation, state and municipality, was torn by high winds on Friday March 3, 2000. It was a sad sight to see the once giant oak finally succumb to nature's elements. Many came to mourn the tree, which had stood bravely alone on the battlefield for about 300 years.

Although the Mercer Oak is no longer it looks as if another tree was planted there.

This is an HDR shot of the site of the Mercer Oak:



Article on the Mercer Oak after it fell.

After I photographed the beautiful scene above I walked across the street to check out this Colonnade and Gravesite:



I set up the tripod again and took a series of HDR shots of the Iconic Colonnade.

The Iconic Colonnade which was designed by Thomas U Walter, architect of the US Capitol building. It is a stone patio which marks the graves of 21 British and 15 American soldiers killed during the Battle of Princeton.

Here is a sample of one of my Colonnade photos. I have a lot more to go through and decide which I want to edit:



Once I edit the rest of the Colonnade I will share more from other angles.

If you would like to see FULL SERIES OF THE COLONNADE PHOTOS that I completed click the link below to go to a later blog post where I posted the photos:

http://jenweaverphotography.blogspot.com/2008/02/completed-colonnade-series.html