Blog - Page 67 of 69 - Kate Bab Photography

Massawepie Easement

The day after Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to spend a day hiking at Massawepie with some of my family. I don’t think the temperature passed 20 degrees and the wind was picking up at times, but it was a beautiful day. It had snowed a few inches the night before so there was a fresh dusting on the ground. Along part of the trail I was even able to see the tallest mountain in St. Lawrence County. I only had a 17-35mm wide angle lens that day, so I was not able to get any long distance shots. This only mattered twice… We found two otters that were too far away for a good shot and a Ruby Crowned Kinglet.

Once we were done hiking, we stopped at the Raquette River Brewing Company for some pizza and beverages. It was a great day!

For more information on Massawepie, visit Hiking The Trail To Yesterday!

Otters

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Waters of Long Island & NYC

Whether it is fresh, salt or somewhere in between, I absolutely love the water. I love how powerful the water can be one minute and how calm it can be the next. Long Island has some great waterways and if you live in the area, I hope you get to spend some time enjoying them.

The NYC Skyline from Jones Beach

Fire Island National Seashore

The top of the Fire Island Lighthouse

Jones Beach

Sea foam

Viking Cruises ship in Montauk

Normal J Levy Park

A barge in front of NYC

Sailboat in Sheepshead Bay

A salty sea cat in Brooklyn

Sheepshead Bay

Sailboat off the NYC coast

Sheepshead Bay

Stuck At Home Series – Prisms & Fractals

Last year for Christmas I received a package of prisms and a set of fractals for my photography. I have been able to create some very unique pictures using them. If you are interested, you can find the fractals here and the prisms here. They are a great way to make what would be a boring picture very interesting.

A triangular prism reflecting a faceted ball prism

A faceted ball prism

$A Star Wars lunchbox through a fractal$

A Star Wars lunchbox through a fractal

$Luke and Leia through a fractal$

Luke and Leia through a fractal

$A Marvel Comic through a fractal$

A Marvel Comic through a fractal

Morton Salt Girl

Sunset At Port Washington Bay Walk

Last night I went to the Port Washington Bay Walk to test out some new equipment. I was able to catch a great sunset on the water with some very cooperative clouds. I used a 50mm lens and a wide angle lens to capture these. I did not use any filters this time because I wanted to see what the camera could do by itself. I must say, I’m impressed!

Sea Life Of New York

New York State has a large amount of biodiversity. Usually when people think of New York’s wildlife, they typically think of deer and other animals that call the Adirondacks home. What some people seem to forget is the marine life that also calls New York home. I have been lucky enough to take several trips with American Princess Cruises and Gotham Whale to see this state’s marine life.

If you are not able to take a boat cruise, you can still see some amazing marine life from the shore. In some areas you can see whales from the beach (I watched one from Robert Moses’ Field 5 this summer). You can also go seal watching. I have gone to Jones Beach on New Years Day several years in a row to see the seals. No matter how you watch them, marine life is always fun to observe.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Humpback Whale

Humpback

Smooth Hammerhead Shark

Humpback

Horseshoe Crab

Harbor Seal

Captive Beauty

Zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries can be a great place to practice photography. They offer an opportunity to see animals that you probably would not normally see. These organizations (when run appropriately) do excellent work towards conservation and stewardship. Living in a zoo gives the animals a second chance at life where their needs will be taken care of by humans, as most are captive bred or would not survive in the wild due to injury. Farm sanctuaries often rescue animals from bad situations and give them a comfortable “retirement” home. Family farms that are open to the public are also a great way to teach young kids about livestock. I really enjoy visiting well run zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries.

The following pictures were taken at the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, Nettle Meadow Farm Sanctuary, Sweet Briar Nature Center, the Beekman 1802 Farm and the Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden.

California Sea Lion

Rock ptarmigan

Goat

Inca tern

Sheep

California sea lion

Little blue penguin

Harris’s hawk

Goats

King vulture

Bald eagle

Gharial

California sea lion pup

California sea lion

Gorilla

Grizzly bear

Harbor seal

New York City Trip 11/11/21

On Thursday, my husband and I went into New York City for the first time since the pandemic started. There were definitely less people around but the city was far from empty. It was good to be back after so much time.

Edge NYC:

We started off the day by visiting the Edge in Hudson Yards. This sky deck is 100 stories tall and gives you a 360 degree view of the city between the indoor and outside sections. There is also a bar and a restaurant at the top if you want some food or drinks. For the more adventurous visitors, you can try the City Walk where you lean over the side of building, 1,200′ off the ground (we skipped this part). Reservations are required but you can spend as much time at the top as you like (as long as its during business hours).

The bar inside

View from the stairs

The City Walk

Some rose champagne

Spiked apple ciders

The Vessel outside of the Edge

Edge from the street

The Little Island Park:

After visiting Edge, we walked part of the High Line down to the Little Island Park. The Little Island is a new park that opened in May 2021. It is free to enter but during the busier seasons you need a “timed entry ticket” so the park does not get overcrowded. It is not a large park but it is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. We walked the entire thing and it only took about 30 minutes (even with photo stops).From the park you can see the Statue of Liberty and the Whitney Museum. Some of the buildings in the surrounding area are quite interesting and great for architectural photography.

Macro Photography – Monarch Butterfly

Over the summer tried a macro lens for the first time. It is going to take some more practice before I master macro photography but I look forward to the challenge. Here are some pictures of a very cooperative Monarch butterfly that let me use it as a model.

Stuck At Home Series – Toys & Figurines

If you are ever stuck at home with no clue what to photograph, look around you. A lot of times there are things you have just laying about that you can use as a photo subject. I have a large amount of Funko Pops and Legos that are perfect for still photography. I have also taken pictures random products I have laying around the house. This is a very easy way to get a good shot with little planning. Here is what I have come up with:

Jones Beach West End 11/9/21

Here are the pictures I took on my most recent trip to Jones Beach West End. The West End is used mostly by photographers and fisherman so it is less crowded than other beaches. The new Nature and Energy Center is also located here. It is definitely worth a visit!