Greg Molyneux Photography

Tag: pinelands

  • Pine bound

    A low key macro photograph of the end tip of a pine branch. Tucked away within the pine needles, small brown nodes of new growth mark the focal point of this image.
    Pine bound — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/250

    I had some time to kill yesterday and met up with friends at my buddy’s place. With some fresh growth breaking ground across the property I went for the macro lens. After all this time attached to my wide angle lens, the macro felt good and comfortable. Like meeting up with an old friend.

    I made my way flower to flower (most of which were daffodils this early in the season), even stopping at some fungal growth clinging to old wood, until I settled upon a little pine tree. Eyeing it up I went with a center focus on the new growth.

    In this setting applying heavy contrast during post processing serves to draw attention right to the midpoint while the background falls away into blackness. I had a hard time deciding upon this image and its black and white equivalent. I like them almost equally. Perhaps I will post that interpretation later.

  • A path in the pines

    Manahawkin photographer Greg Molyneux's black and white photograph of a snowy trail turning off to the left in the Pinelands. This photograph features a grainy treatment and stark black and white contrast juxtaposing the light and dark. All light focuses on the path.
    A path in the pines — 40mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/640

    Yesterday morning I woke up to a late season South Jersey Special. Which is to say we received about 6 inches of snow in Manahawkin while the good folks to the north (about 40 miles) saw next to nothing. You win some, you lose some in New Jersey. Wanting to make the most of the fresh fallen snow my buddy and I made for the Pinelands. After about 3 abrupt U-turns we pulled down a small little trail.

    I started the shoot with my 40mm pancake lens—it seems like months since I’ve taken it for a spin. Not far from the truck I quickly framed up a shot, focusing on the trail that doglegs to the left back behind the pines. It advances the story and leads us wondering what’s around the bend. I didn’t know it at the time but this would wind up as my shot of the day. Different from my usual style, this grainy black and white calls for your attention at simply cuts out the rest.

  • Out where we cannot be

    Out where we cannot be

    A dark sepia HDR photograph of a frozen wetland of the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area taken just before sunset
    Out where we cannot be — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures

    I got wet today folks. That’s right, I did what we shan’t do and fell through the ice. Levy any and all criticisms here, and yes I was immediately reminded of what we all learned from our parents as children. Now, while I was very near to shore and hardly in peril, the ordeal was still a bit of a stunner. Between the freezing temperatures as my right leg plunge down to the knee or my discarded camera and tripod, my immediate attention was to my camera, lens, and their collective well being. Frost bite be damned, I’ve dropped this pair once before and was having not so great flashbacks—I didn’t have time to be fretting over a wet foot. As it turns out, the camera and lens seem fine despite the fixed lens hood acting as something of a snow plow. But I digress.

    Fractured ice aside, I had a blast shooting with Ben Wurst of Reclaimed today. We took advantage (mostly) of the unusually cold temperatures and ventured out on foot over wetlands we’d otherwise never have access to. While we were clouded out at the key moment rendering the idyllic sunset palette a bit stale, the array of clouds made for an interesting composition; made all the more dramatic with the dark sepia treatment. This is a composite of seven exposures to extract the great dynamic range from the scene.

    With any luck if the cold stays, I can avoid falling in and successfully return to this spot for a more winter stunning sky.