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All Things Connecticut Events and Awards

2012 Connecticut Forest & Park Association Awards

The Falls of Blackledge (Blackledge Falls Park, Glastonbury, CT)
"The Falls of Blackledge"
Blackledge Falls Park, Glastonbury, CT
© 2012 J. G. Coleman

I am very pleased to announce that two of my works have won awards in the 2012 Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s photography competition, a contest which seeks out imagery that is especially representative of the state’s natural landscapes, flora and fauna, trails and hikers.

Blackledge Falls in Glastonbury was the subject of my piece titled “The Falls of Blackledge”, which won 1st place in the Connecticut Wildlands category. I shot this photograph in Autumn of 2011 during my very first visit to Blackledge Falls Park and I still vividly remember the way that every facet of the environment seemed to come together perfectly to create a truly dream-like scene. It was a privilege to be in the forests of Glastonbury to see this vista unfold before my eyes!

Shooting this photograph involved using a couple filters in order to capture all of the color and detail in the landscape. For example, a circular polarizing filter was essential to bring out the warm colors of the leaves against the bold blue sky, as well as to remove distracting glare from the wet rocks beside the waterfall. But even more important was the use of a graduated neutral density filter which allowed me to hold back 3 stops of light from the brightly illuminated trees in the background. This went a long way towards balancing the exposure, allowing me to capture detail in the shadowy, moss-laden rocks without overexposing the forest and losing those deeply-saturated colors.

This next piece, titled “Life on the Nonnewaug”, won 2nd place in the Flora & Fauna category. I shot this photograph at Nonnewaug Falls in Woodbury, where the East Nonnewaug River drops about 15 feet into a shallow pool before meandering further into the woodlands. The real challenge with this photograph was being patient enough to wait for the scene to come together as I envisioned.

Life on the Nonnewaug (Nonnewaug Falls Open Space, Woodbury, CT)
"Life on the Nonnewaug"
Nonnewaug Falls, Woodbury, CT
© 2012 J. G. Coleman

I had seen a couple of green frogs darting about the pool and decided that I wanted to portray them in the context of their idyllic waterfall environment. Of course, this meant that I needed one of these skittish frogs to perch in the water in a somewhat specific area of the pool and remain still for a long enough time for me compose a shot. From the start, it was clear that they weren’t interested in participating. Every time I approached them they would quickly dive towards the deeper water and surface in the shallows elsewhere along the perimeter of the pool. This went on for a couple of hours. In truth, I had just about given up and I packed all my equipment back into my bag and was making one last walk around the pool before hitting the trails.

To my surprise, one of the green frogs had surfaced in the shallow water just as I was walking by and I figured I’d give it one more shot. I slowly unpacked my gear and set my tripod up so that my camera was suspended just above the surface of the water. To my amazement, the frog sat motionless even as I delicately extended my camera to within 6″ – 8″ of his nose! I took a small series of photos with slight variations in angle and exposure before packing everything back up. Still, the frog remained motionless until I took my first step back towards the trailhead, at which point it quickly darted away to some other corner of the pool. I have a tendency sometimes to personify nature and as I made the hike back to my car, I couldn’t help but smile at the way these little amphibians had effortlessly played me for nearly two hours before finally giving in. It was as if the frog had seen me leaving and said,” Look… we were just messing with you, but you’ve been a good sport about it… I’m going to give you one shot at this… don’t mess it up!” I’d like to think that I made the most of the opportunity.

You can see both of these works, as well as many other winning photographs, online at the Connecticut Forest and Park Association’s website at ctwoodlands.org.

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All Things Connecticut

Winter on Big Falls

Winter on Big Falls (Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield, Connecticut)
"Winter on Big Falls"
Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield, Connecticut
© 2012 J. G. Coleman

Central Connecticut is oftentimes thought of as a portion of the state where there is a bare minimum of natural wonders to be seen. There’s little doubt that the wide breadth of the Connecticut River, for example, must have been quite a sight to behold for Native Americans and early European settlers alike, though modern times seem to have found that mighty stretch of water crowded with civilization. However, upon visiting a place like Wadsworth Falls State Park, you might just reconsider the possibilities for finding beauty in even the most densely-populated regions of Connecticut.

Wadsworth Falls State Park straddles the border between the towns of Middletown and Middlefield and has much to offer in the way of natural splendor despite its proximity to the crowded Connecticut River Valley. Not surprisingly, Wadsworth Falls is the single most notable feature of the entire park and the landmark from which the park draws its name. Truly one of our state’s most beautiful waterfalls, Wadsworth Falls dumps the Coginchaug River down a steep, 30-foot cliff of weathered traprock.

My latest piece from Wadsworth Falls State Park, “Winter on Big Falls”, captures the essence of New England winters bundled with the raw power of the river as it crashes over the falls on its way to calmer waters downstream. Amidst a landscape enveloped in fresh snow, huge sheets of fragmented ice drift rhythmically in the current, occasionally being crushed by torrents of frigid water if they stray to closely to the falls.

“Big Falls”, if you were wondering, is something of a nickname for Wadsworth Falls. It derives from the fact that a second waterfall can be found in the interior of Wadsworth Falls State Park. Much smaller and considerably less powerful than Wadsworth Falls, this additional waterfall was at some point given the name “Little Falls”. I can only imagine that those who were familiar with both of these waterfalls needed some way to differentiate between the two, and it naturally occurred to them to refer to the duo as “Big Falls” and “Little Falls”.

If you enjoyed “Winter on Big Falls”, be sure to take a look at some of my other fine art prints from Wadsworth Falls State Park such as “Little Falls at Wadsworth” and “Fishermen at the Falls”.

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Photography Tips & Tricks

Top 3 Ways to Make the Most of Cold Weather

If you do most of your landscape photography in the northern reaches of the world, chances are pretty good that your year has a number of distinct stages… some more anticipated than others.

Continue reading “Top 3 Ways to Make the Most of Cold Weather”
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Events and Awards

2011 Granby Land Trust Juried Art Show

You can be among the first to see J. G. Coleman’s print, “Old Dish Mill Falls on Jim Brook“, a fine-art landscape photograph taken at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, Connecticut. The work will be on display through the month of November at J. Vallee Brunelle Fine Art & Framing in Granby, Connecticut. “Old Dish Mill Falls on Jim Brook” is only one of many works that will be on display for Celebrating Art in Nature, the 2011 Granby Land Trust Annual Juried Art Show.

Celebrating Art in Nature is a small art show that features paintings, drawings, photography and 3D works inspired by nature and landscapes of the Farmington River Valley region. The opening reception for the showing is on Thursday, November 3, 2011 between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

The showing will run from November 3, 2011 through December 1, 2011 and every piece on display is available for purchase. The Granby Land Trust will receive 40% of the proceeds for every work purchased at J. Vallee Brunelle, which will help them continue to preserve Granby’s natural heritage (a portion of those proceeds will also go towards supporting the event).

Feel free to learn more about this event by visiting the Granby Land Trust website or the J. Vallee Brunelle Fine Art & Framing website.