Sunset on Sturgeon Creek
Snapped this quick shot with my iPhone 4s while visiting my girlfriend’s parents recently. They have a beautiful waterfront home on Sturgeon Creek, and the sun was just setting when we arrived for dinner.
I’ve been absent from my blog for several months, but hope to return to regular postings. I’ve missed this great community and all you have to offer.
Wake Rider
The Captain Thomas has been carrying passengers on Rappahannock River cruises for decades. From Tappahannock, she churns 18 miles up river to Leedsville, offering spectacular views of Bald Eagles, Blue Herons, Osprey and…. Wake Riders. These are the jet ski dare devils who get adrenalin rushes jumping the 3-foot wake the Captain Thomas makes from her displacement haul plowing through the green water at 10 knots. Here’s one rider I caught just as he went airborne.
Specs: Nikon D7000, 210 mm, F/7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400
© R C Norman Photography, July 2012
Net Watchers
This Great Blue Heron found the perfect perch on the bow of this skiff, joined by an Osprey atop a nearby pole, each patiently watching and waiting for their lunch from this fish net on the upper Rappahannock River.
Specs: Nikon D7000, 300 mm, F/5.7, 1/1250, ISO 400.
© R C Norman Photography, July 2012
Miss Diane
“A Good Day’s Catch” is the name of a John Barber painting that hangs in my office. It came from the old A.H. Robins Company that was headquartered in Richmond (and is now part of the long Pfizer lineage). One of Richmond’s most notable philanthropists and patron of the Arts, E. Claiborne Robins accumulated numerous prints and paintings of Virginia artists like Barber to display for the enjoyment of his employees and visitors at the home office — still a familiar landmark along I-95 just North of Richmond. Today, however, the building sits empty and mothballed. With no signage atop the iconic executive tower and no cars in the crumbling, grass-patched parking lot, the property is barely a shadow of its former days as a giant in the pharma industry. Fortunately, much of the art that adorned its walls can still be found across the Interstate at the company’s old R&D facility that was renovated and today serves as the home for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare’s Global R&D. The Barber painting on my office wall, depicting a deadrise fishing boat unloading its catch at the dock, reminds me of scenes like this one pictured here of the Miss Diane returning from a fishing charter to her dock on Broad Creek. On lazy weekends at the river, I sit on my boat and watch these charters returning in the late afternoon and wonder if the tired fishermen had “a good day’s catch”.
Specs: Nikon D7000, 195 mm, F/5, 1/1000, ISO 100
© R C Norman Photography, June 2012
Albermarle Sunset
Here’s another sunset shot I took a couple years ago when vacationing on the Albermarle Sound in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This shot was right out of the camera with no post processing other than to add my copyright. August 2, 2010.
Specs: Nikon D50, 200 mm, F/6.3, 1/2500
Small Wooden Boat
Here’s another shot from my kayak adventures with Jenny on Broad Creek last weekend. This small wooden boat, a miniature deadrise, made the perfect subject for this somewhat symmetrical shot comprised of wood and water. While the boat is center frame, the boathouse door provided the imbalance to make this visually interesting. I’m a huge fan of the old, wooden deadrise boats, and this shiny little replica offered a stark contrast to the usual work boats I normally photograph. I enjoy shooting from my kayak, but am limited to my Canon PowerShot since I’m not inclined to take my Nikon DSLR in a one-man vessel that can easily capsize. June 10, 2012.
Specs: Canon PowerShot, F/9, 1/320, ISO 80.
Evening Sky Ablaze
One of my favorite things to do is sit on the bridge of my boat at dock on Broad Creek in the evening when the wind and the water calm and the sun rests on the horizon before vanishing into the night. This is the time I call “sweet light”. I captured this photo this past Saturday evening while Jenny and I enjoyed a glass of wine after a day of visiting consignment shops and wineries. June 9, 2012.
Specs: Nikon D7000, 80 mm, F/11, 1/500, ISO 100
Sleeping Lady
The Mattie Joan deadrise workboat asleep at her berth on Broad Creek. I love the way the early morning light casts a shadowy blue tint on her forward port freeboard (left bow) and sparkles gold across the ripples of a gentle creek. I awoke with the sun on Memorial Day weekend to capture this shot from the opposite bank.
May 28, 2012. Deltaville, Virginia
Specs: Nikon D7000, 300 mm, F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 320
Quiet Evening
This empty dock silhouetted against the soft blue water of Broad Creek at dusk conveys the feeling of a quiet evening with the boats tucked away in their covered slips across the creek. May 29, 2012.
Camera: Nikon D7000, Focal length: 300 mm, Aperture: F/9, Shutter: 1/30, ISO: 800.
A Golden Moment
Sitting on the bridge of my old motor yacht, I have the perfect vantage point to observe life on Broad Creek, a bustling waterway of marinas, boatyards and river homes in Deltaville, Virginia. The creek, which spills into the mouth of the Rappahannock River at its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay, was especially active this past Memorial Day weekend as families flocked to the water. This shot captured a father and daughter kayaking with the family dog, the water-loving Golden Retriever. The sun’s sparkle on the kayaks and water droplets off the paddles added to this “Golden Moment”.
May 29, 2012. Camera: Nikon D7000, Focal Length: 270 mm, Aperture: F/11, Shutter: 1/8000, ISO: 6400
Red Sky at Night
Often times the best light comes “after” the sun dips below the horizon. The sun’s reflection off the clouds creates a soft, warm glow that is even more prominent over water. The silhouetted dock in the foreground gives perspective and helps lead the eye. Albermarle Sound, North Carolina. August 1, 2011.
Nikon 48 mm, F/4.8, 1/60, ISO 720
Sunset over Albermarle Sound
One of the advantages of vacationing on the “sound-side” in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is seeing spectacular sunsets like this one. This was the view from our vacation rental last summer. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. August 1, 2011.
Nikon 20 mm, F/5.9, 1/200, ISO 80
Mattie Joan Home
Here’s an interesting and somewhat eerie perspective of the Mattie Joan work boat berthed at her home dock on Broad Creek. This was in my view directly across the creek from where my boat is docked. Early morning light reflecting off the boat and dock house, which were surrounded by woods, enabled me to exaggerate the shadows and isolate the subject. Deltaville, Virginia. May 28, 2011.
Nikon 98 mm, F/5.6, 1/50, ISO 800
Sailboats at Dusk
Sailboats at Deltaville Yachting Center rest on the glass-like water as the last vestige of sunlight fades into the blue night.
Deltaville, Virginia. June 25, 2011.
Nikon 18 mm, F/3.5, 1/6, ISO 500
Rivah Culture
These two fellows, who were fishing on Jackson Creek near the Deltaville Maritime Museum, capture the essence of what I call “Rivah Culture”. Casual garb, sunshades, hats, fishing, boat and a lazy afternoon. They had it all. I’m sure there were more than a few beers in the cooler.
Deltaville, Virginia. July 3, 2011
Nikon 190 mm, F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200
Wind Power
An umbrella comes in handy on a breezy day for this Broad Creek kayaker. Because I did not want to crop out the boats at the top, since they offer some perspective, I used a color focal zoom technique against a B&W waterscape to help the subject stand out.
Deltaville, Virginia. August 14, 2011
Nikon 200 mm, F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200
Evening Paddle
A slow shutter speed and unusual white balance created this surreal shot of a loan kayaker on Broad Creek at dusk.
Deltaville, Virginia. June 20, 2011
Nikon 150 mm, F/5, 1/4, ISO 400
Unlucky Fish
I had ventured off the beaten path of the shoreline trail along Dublin Bay, to catch a closer look at a Grey Heron that was feeding in the shallows. I found a nice perch on a concrete jetty where I could sit and watch this graceful bird. As I was texting my girlfriend on my iPhone, I heard a loud splash in the water that nearly startled me. When I looked up, I saw a disturbance in the water about 30 meters from me and knew something large had surfaced and submerged before I could catch a glimpse. I immediately aimed my Nikon in that direction and waited. A moment later, I snapped this photo as a sea lion broke water again showing me his dinner. He surfaced several times, until alas he swallowed the fish whole and was gone. I waited for more activity, but the tide was receding and soon the inlet would be a mudflat. He and any others had moved out to deeper waters.
Dublin Bay
Arrived in Dublin this morning and after a nap to adjust from jet lag, I walked to Dublin Bay to photograph the birds and other wildlife at the Irishtown Nature Reserve. While walking along the shoreline path, I snapped this photo with my iPhone looking across the bay toward the city. Had my Nikon and will post other pics, including a sea lion that broke water with a fish in his mouth. Uploading this post from my iPhone while enjoying a pint of Guinness at a local pub.
Sunrise Over Broad Creek
It was quiet across the creek at Norview Marina while I was waiting for the sun to break the horizon. When it did, a slight breeze rippled the golden surface that was like glass earlier when the sky was a washed out pink.
Broad Creek, Deltaville, Virginia. May 28, 2011
Nikon 40 mm, F/9, 1/320, ISO 100
Lone Waterman
I admire those who make a living on the water, like this lone waterman who awoke before dawn to prepare for his day’s work harvesting crabs on the Rappahannock River. I snapped this shot just after he left his small dock navigating out Broad Creek, hopeful for a good day’s catch. Deltaville, Virginia. May 28, 2011
Nikon 105 mm, F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200
Still Water
Sailboat masts reflect across the glass surface of Broad Creek on an early Spring morning, even before the birds were awake. There is something quite magical and mysterious about this time of day of still waters and quiet shadows. Deltaville, Virginia. May 28, 2011
Nikon 48 mm, F/8, 1/250, ISO 180
Mattie Joan
Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve had an affinity for the Chesapeake Bay Deadrise boat, like this one here named Mattie Joan. She is berthed just across the creek from me. During the warm season, she usually goes out twice a day to harvest the crab pots. I snapped this photo one evening in late May when I heard the low rumble of her diesel engine approach on her way out of Broad Creek.
May 28, 2011
Nikon 35 mm, F/10, 1/400, ISO 100
Early Morning Visitor
This fellow rested for a brief moment on my boat’s weathered teak rail early one morning before moving on with the day’s delights.
Broad Creek, Deltaville, Virginia, May 28, 2011
Nikon 105 mm, F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200
In My View 