Photographing on Blue Cypress Lake

I live near Blue Cypress Lake in Florida and spend many days photographing on the lake. The lake is in a remote area and have as numerous old cypress trees growing in the lake. I started photographing the trees from my kayak and quickly learned that the mornings are the best time to photograph to avoid wind that usually starts blowing by 10 o’clock.. To successfully photography from a moving kayak it is important not to forget where you are and the expensive equipment you have with you. It is easy to get distracted with your photography and trying position the moving kayak and you could flip over and have a disastrous day. I use a couple of water tight float bags that are tied off to the kayak. My equipment is divided into groups. One bag will have things like my vehicle keys, cellphone, extra camera batteries, and filters. The other bag will have the one or two of the extra lenses I bring along. I pad the bags with foam rubber to protect the equipment when moving around in the kayak. The bags remained closed and water tight other than accessing them for equipment. When photographing from a kayak it is best to work slow and not get overly excited of being in a new location. I used a Sony A7Rlv and keep the camera setting on steady shot with a shutter speed no less than 1/30. I used manual exposure most of the time but on occasion I might use a custom setting to set a minimum shutter speed with auto ISO setting. If you decide to photograph on Blue Cypress Lake you can put in at Middleton’s Fish Camp, the only lanch site on the lake. The lake has plenty of large alligator and a good variety of birds to photograph. The lake is uninhabited other than a small community near the fish camp. Once on the lake you will pretty much have the place to your self. It is important to follow all the boating safety regulations and let someone know where you if you go alone.

https://www.middletonsfishcamp.com

Quiet Afternoon

I enjoy the days I can get out in my small boat on a lake nearby. Often times I am the only one on the water, and the quiet time is a nice break from the negative noise most of us have to endure with during these times. The winter months in Florida can have some great skies with the occational cold front that moves down from the North.

Morning Fog

I was out on a lake in my kayak before sunrise a few days ago. The morning had a heavy fog and in the darkness it was a bit difficult to find my way at first. The winter time in Florida can produce some wonderful foggy mornings for landscape photography. It can be hard to know which nights will produce a good fog, so I find myself getting up a few hours before sunrise and going outside to to see if any fog has developed. The fog event can lasts a couple of hours and the light is constantly changing once the sun has risen. This was the last image I made from my morning kayaking trip and the light was still soft and moody.

In the shadows of the cypress trees

I enjoy getting out in my kayak to do some photography.  One location that I like to photographing in is Blue Cypress Lake here in Florida.  The shoreline of the lake is filled with century old cypress trees that have weathered many powerful storms over the years. I find the best way to access these location is with my kayak.  I have a small boat of about 10' with an electric tolling motor.  It allows me to cover a fair amount of distance when the lake is calm.  I use a Sony A7R111 camera that has a 5 axis stabilization system in the camera body.  This is the prefect camera when photographing out of a boat that is constantly moving. 

Evening Light

I live near Blue Cypress Lake in Florida.  It is a wonderful wilderness area that has plenty of wildlife.  I enjoy kayaking along the shore of the lake where there are numerous tall cypress trees that stand in the water.  My little kayak is equipped with an electric trolling motor to reduce the amount of paddling I need to do when I am out photographing.  My camera of choice for this type of photography is the Sony A7R11 because of the five axis in camera stabilization system the camera has.  I like to use a Zeiss Batis 18mm or Sony 16~35mm zoom lens when I am out on the water.  Both lenses are ideal for these kind of images because it lets me include a lot of sky and water in the image.  I am always fascinated with these majestic trees that stand alone surrounded by water.