Ever since I was little, I have enjoyed the outdoors, camping, and the general peacefulness of nature and the the wilderness. Seeking that escape, in August of last year I headed out to the Adirondacks (also known as Adirondack Park). My Aunt and Uncle have a cabin there and I was looking for a place to stay while I got a feel for the area and decided on where I wanted to come back to for some backcountry hiking and camping. The temperatures are much cooler than those of the city or the Jersey Shore, there is absolute quiet, and there is virtually no light pollution. Provided the weather is good, this allows for clear views of the Milky Way as well as millions of stars. The park was established in 1892 by the state of NY as a way to preserve the natural resources of the region and is the largest park in the lower 48 states. (My favorite place thus far, Alaska, boasts larger parks) But, just how large is it? At 6.1 million acres, if you combine Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon and the Great Smoky National Parks, Adirondack Park would still have more area. And it is only a few hours from Jersey shore points.
The area is beautiful, and I would be impressed if anyone was able to spend time there without shedding some of the stress that life seems to heap on our shoulders. During my short visit there, I found cool crystal clear lakes, dense ferns and plenty of forest to enjoy. One morning, upon waking, I went down to the water to enjoy the beginning day. The lake was perfectly smooth and the cool water helped to form fog as the sun began to heat everything, creating the scene you see in this photograph. The fog didn’t last long, but it set the tone of my mood for the day. I felt an amazing calm come over me, and as I watched everything take shape, I envisioned what the final print would look like and then framed up the scene in my camera to make the exposure. I wanted to give the feeling that the viewer was right on the lake, right there with me, so I went out on a dock that was supported with floats. Careful inspection of the print reveals a few ripples in the water; this is from the dock moving a bit just seconds before the photograph was made.
This print is included in the show I am a part of that opens in NYC this Thursday at SPACEWOMb Contemporary Art Gallery, 57 Stanton St, NY, NY. (The photograph was also used for part of the printed gallery announcement!) This is my first NYC show, so I am pretty excited about it. I initially was not planning on using this photograph as I usually try to not show the same print twice within close proximity of other shows (this was in the Monmouth Museum for their “Natural World Exhibit), however, due to time constraints, I decided to include this one for the NYC show, along with one other. I also have 3 prints that are in the Ocean County Artist Guild show for the month of July. All of the prints are large, and if you have a chance, I encourage you to stop in and check them out, along with the other excellent work in both galleries. Hope everyone has a good week, Colin.You can see this photograph and others along with the various notecard options on my website at www.colinseitzphotography.com.
