After packing up, and driving further West along Creek road in Glenmoore, I found my next little parking cove, and pulled in.
The breeze from the drive helped, but it too was warm.
From the rear of my car, I gathered my gear, and started to walk back down the road, to find a path down to the creek.
After a 100 feet or so, I climbed over the guard rail, down a small embankment, and stopped at the water’s edge to view my options.
From where I was standing, it was a near perfect 90 degree bend in the creek, so I waded into the warm water and headed up.
As I walked through the shallow water, I could easily see the creek bed rocks.
I continued to walk further and further, until I finally reached a series of trees that had fallen over the creek, resting on the banks.
In my heart, I wanted to continue. I could see deep shade on the other side, but it was too hot to be climbing over any trees today.
Trail Head – West Glenmoore 01 HDR
Heading back down the creek, to near where I started, I exited the water and entered into the woods, seeing a potential short-cut to get further down the creek.
As I walked in through the woods, I kept my eye on the creek, looking for my next shot.
I finally found an interesting area, and setup. I took several captures before taking the one at the top of the page, and it was the sun penetrating the water, revealing the details of the creek bed that I wanted to emphasis.
After a few more clicks on the camera shutter, I looked at my watch, and started back to the car.
There was one last place I wanted to try before calling it a day.
At the car, I put my gear in the back, jumped in and headed further west to the spot that I had stopped and visited the night before.
This time, there was an actual parking lot!
Once again, I gather my gear, and headed to the creek.
As you can see from the first two pictures, this area of Chester County is dry, and the water levels are down several inches.
During my visit the night before, I had taken note of the much large rocks in the creek, and I had been looking forward to doing some exploring with my camera.
Water Cooled at 101° F
With the bigger rocks, it was also fun to bounce from rock to rock, trying to find scenes to photograph.
I was also very apparent how low the water table was by looking at the levels on the larger rocks. In the “Trail Head” image, you can see several lines on the rocks.
I setup and took a number of another shots, including this close-up detail of the top region of a small waterfall, “Water Cooled at 101° F”.
Looking around some more, I made a metal notes on areas I wanted to return to in the cooler Fall days when the tree are in full color.
Once again, I looked at my watch, and started back to the car.
It was also nice to consider that there was a pool at my next stop!
I was very ready to for this!
– Andrew
Notes
All Images were bracket multi-exposure captures into Canon CR2 RAW format
Images were then converted to Adobe Digital Negatives (DNG)
HDR Post Processing was done with Adobe Photoshop CS5
Web images (jpg) were created with Adobe Lightroom 3.4.1
Finally, I got a day to myself to go on a photo-walk!
On my drive out to my sister’s last night to drop off Madison, I got a chance to do some drive-by scouting of the various areas along the Brandywine Creek that I wanted to try the following day.
Later in that night, I spent some time using Google Earth to further explore my options, and also figured out a potential route to the Quarry!
I spent the morning getting work related things out-of-the-way, and finally just after noon, I was walking out the door.
Pow! – The heat and humidity smacked me in the face!
I should have known better – Earlier, when I had been checking Facebook, several friends had already been posting that the weather outside was really bad.
But I did not expect this…
20/20 Vision – On Wednesday morning, when we first looked out the windows, we though we saw fog, but in reality, it was the thick humidity of a new day!
The drive to Marsh Creek Speedway was not that bad, but that because I had ALL the windows down!
At the Speedway… The heat hit me again – Now there was no breeze… and I was closer to water…
I parked the car; gathered my gear; and found the closest entrance into the creek and waded in… I was already wet from the day…
Along the Fence of the Quarry
Even the flowing creek water was warmer than normal…
This was a HOT DAY!
As I moved up creek, I noticed a parked car above me, by no easy path up, so I continued.
After about 150 feet, I found something that looked like a path and followed it up, until I reached a surprising dirt vehicle road.
I headed in the direction of the car, and finally came to an open area, where a light blue car was parked, along with a beach chair and a large thermos container.
Then I noticed an older women dressed in a Security Guard’s uniform, backing out of the car, on the edges of nowhere.
This was odd…
We both said hello, and started to talk about how hot it was.
Turns out she is about to retire at the beginning of August, and she was within her last few days of sitting in the heat!
After some time, I asked her which of the trails lead to the Quarry.
She pointed to one trail, and said that it was the main entrance, but because it was Private Property, there was no access.
She then pointed back down the dirt road I had just emerged from, and said that if I head back far enough, there was a trail that went off to the right.
She also warned that there had been a lot of snakes reported, and there was a Mountain Biking team using the trails in preparation for an event.
We chatted a little more, and I started back down the vehicle trail.
Quarry Gates – Glenmoore, Chester County, PA
I passed the spot from where I started, and continued walking till I reached the split in the road, and headed right.
The trail started up a hill, and just seemed to continue. After a while, it leveled off a bit, and turn into a young growth area, with no trees thicker then 3 inches.
Then it was back to the woods, and up more hill, and soon begin to see the fence that will be at my side for the rest of my trip.
Finally, I reached a corner, where I stopped and rested, and during my rest, I noticed that there is a gated opening, which a small vehicle might be able to get through.
I also noticed, that someone or some group of people already tried to gain access through this particular gate.
Question – Have you ever knowing crossed a ‘fence’ to obtain an image?
Looking at the gap, I did contemplate trying to crawl under, but with the excessive heat and agility not in my favor, I decided not to pursue this avenue.
After my break, I started back up the hill and finally reached the trail head.
From my previous nights investigations, I knew that this trail led into the main part of Marsh Creek State Park.
Trail Head (North) – Quarry in Glenmoore
As I rested, I listened into the woods for any sounds that might be the mountain biking group, or anything else.
Looking up into canopy of green leaves, I was rather amused to notice, as I drank my water and rested, a group birds circling my location.
I captured a few more images, drank some more water, realized I was three-quarters empty, and started to head back down the hill.
The walk back down the hill was rather uneventful – I did not even see a snake my entire hike!
At the car, I removed my vest, which was already several shades darker from wetness and my tripod, and placed them both in the back of my car, hoping that the air generated by my open windows while driving, might dry the vest off, as I headed to my next location.
With the keys in the ignition, I started the car, rolled down the windows, retracted the sunroof, and aired out the car for several minutes…
Looking at my thermometer in my dashboard, it read 101°F…
and the car had been sitting in the shade…
Off to my next point-of-interest (POI) along the Brandywine on Creek Road!
Updates
2012 July 18 – Nearly a year later, and the temperature is nearly the same… Also in reading my web logs, I have noticed a number of hits that asked the following question:
“Who owns the Quarry in Glenmoore?”
and according to the picture I took last year, as noted in this blog, the quarry is owned by Philadelphia Suburban Water Company in Bryn Mawr, PA, which can be seen in this extreme close-up of the fence.
Extreme Close-Up of the Glenmoore Quarry Fence Sign
Notes
All Images were bracket multi-exposure captures into Canon CR2 RAW format
Images were then converted to Adobe Digital Negatives (DNG)
HDR Post Processing was done with Adobe Photoshop CS5
Web images (jpg) were created with Adobe Lightroom 3.4.1
It was Monday afternoon, and after doing our morning errands, my daughter, Madison and I were in the Glenmoore area of Chester County, and we decide to take a relaxing drive through Springton Manor Farm.
We got to the farm without issue, and proceeded do drive around for a little bit, and finally ended up at the Butterfly House, where the grass parking area was empty, except for a ranger’s truck.
After parking, we walked down the small incline, and got to the Butterfly House just as a tour was beginning.
Since we did not have reservations, we did not join them, but we did comment to one another, that we needed to return with the rest of the family, or with friends, and on a cooler day.
We walked around the exterior of the Butterfly House, and read the various stages of a Butterfly’s Life, and then headed back to the car.
Back out at the main road, we turned and continued further down the road, till we reached the yellow gate posts, and turned around, eventually finding our way to the demonstration farm.
After parking, we quickly surveyed the farm, and made note of the hours, pricing and the reservation policy for the guided tour.
Even though we did not take full advantage of our visit, we did do enough scouting to see that we do want to return at another time, especially when it is cooler.
During the Fall, when the leaves are in full color, Springton Manor will be a great place for a Nature walk with the kids!
If you do wish to take the tours, they are $2.00 per tour/per head, so a family of four would be $16.00.
and don’t forget to bring a blanket and a picnic lunch!
Earlier in the week, I started my adventure with Google+…
After playing with it since Tuesday, July 12th, I offer up a few comments, thoughts and observations in this following Post.
I by no means have all the answers, and I may not have found what I am looking for yet, but I hope to!
If you have anything to add, please let me know!
“Invite Only”
First, it required that one gets an invitation to this new service, which I received from an old high school friend, who became my first Circle member.
Somewhere on the web, I read that “Invite Only” appears to be an old marketing ‘thing’ that makes the person feel special once they get one, and in the case of Google+, this seems to be the same idea.
Remember Buzz? they did the same over there.
But at the same time, Google+ is still in “Beta”… (Haven’t we see this before?)
Quick Update – Some early reports/posts to suggest there are sections/features that maybe a little rough…
Sign-On
Second, and if you have a Gmail account, this is a ‘no brain-er’, but after you sign on, it is suggested that you take a few moments, and review what has been transferred.
In my case, I added a new description, which was blank; updated some of my links; as well as my profile picture, which had been originally created in a lower size, so when G+ showed it, the image was very pixelated.
This time, I made a 1024×1024 at 72dpi image, uploaded and it looks very nice!
Third, start poking around the interface.
“Wall” (Stream)
On the surface, it looks much like Facebook, which starts with your “Wall” (Stream) – your snap-shot of your “life”.
If you happen to have a very active “Wall” on Facebook, the same thing should happen as you connect with more and more folks on Google+.
A nice ‘new’ feature on Google+ (G+), is the “filters” on the left navigation area, that are based on your “Circles” (Friends/Groups), and simply clicking on one, you can focus your Stream.
This is also available in Facebook, but for some reason, at least for me, this feature seems to have taken a higher preference in Google+.
The Post
As with Facebook, Google+ also presents you with an area at the top of your Stream, where you begin your basic thought communication.
You click on the man box, and just start typing your content.
From there you can easily add a Picture, Video or Link, just like Facebook.
A new addition to this feature bar, is the Location button, which really seems geared toward the mobile phone user.
With Facebook or Flickr, I could do the same thing, or I had the option of using Adobe Lightroom for uploads.
A cool new feature with Google+, for me at least, especially since there does not appear to be a Lightroom plug-in, is the ability of doing a ‘drag-and-drop’ a group of image files directly from the desktop (Windows XP)!
One of the things that I do like about JPGmag’s image upload requirements, is 1000 pixels or above, which when viewed on-screen, does render much more nicely and Google+ also can take advantage of!
Photo Management
At this point, I have uploaded about 30 images, and out of habit, I have checked what information is associated with a given image.
The Photo Management area which is provided by Picasa, and is very similar to the management area on Flickr, and is very welcomed when dealing with one or a group of images.
Geo-tagging
One of my peeves about Flickr’s geo-tagging function, is that it can or has been difficult, or at least it use to be, but when compared to Picasa/Google+, it is a breeze because: 1) GPS info seems to carry over from Lightroom/Jeffrey’s “GPS-Support” plug-in; 2) one can use the Google Map interface, which has a search function, unlike JPGmag.com!
General Tips & Suggestions
Terms of Service (TOS)
In an earlier post this week, I initially express concern about several reports on Google+ “Terms of Service” as it related to posting photography.
I have finally decided that, in this day and age, it is more important to just get my images out there and in front of as many eyeballs as possible, and seems to be worth the risk.
Copyright-Watermarks
Years ago, when I was working as a Freelance Assistant, there were may days that I sat in front of stacks of slides from a recent photo shoot, and used a rubber stamp to copyright each slide.
Needless to say, that was rather time-consuming, and is far easier today, but today, the Copyright-Watermark now can actually appears on the image itself, or be changed on the fly!
On Flickr, I have seen some very creative Copyright-Watermark, and have worked on my own, but in doing some reading via a several Google+ threads, there seems to be an open debate.
A well followed Photographer, Thomas Hawk, actually suggests not to include a Copyright-Watermark, because it can distract the viewer. (See Point #4 in “Top 10 Tips on Google+ for Photographers“)
Then there are others, like myself, who can not conceive of not including a Copyright-Watermark, but maybe not as predominately across the image.
Of the folks that are for a visible Copyright-Watermark, the debate has also gotten to the level of:
I spend a great deal of time on my old IBM T-23 laptop, which has a small LCD screen.
Google+ has a much more open feel to your environment, and is wonderful on a large monitor screen, but when viewed on my laptop, I have to move up and down far more frequently.
Facebook on the other hand, is more compact, and one can get more info per screen.
Early Observations
I do want to emphasis that these are EARLY observations, and with all things Google, things will change.
Converts
At the moment, I see this as the single biggest issue for Google.
Google definitely has the advantage in terms of daily eyeballs, but how many people are willing to spend the time to convert their existing social network to another platform.
I have also heard from my contacts on Facebook, that they do not want to learn another social media environment.
Cross Pollination – (Google+ > Other Social Networks?)
One of those terms that is first introduced in a Biology class, but makes abundant sense when used in the context of Social Media.
I am still new to Google+, and I may not have found to yet, but how does one Post in one environment and have the Post pollinate other Social Media accounts?
Like many others, I have a Facebook page, that is Linked to Twitter, and vice-versa, Twitter to Facebook… I also have my Flickr Photostream pollinating Facebook and Twitter… Toss in my WordPress blog…
I’m hoping that someone can help me, and I will continue to search for an answer, but…
If Google could Link everything in a Post-Once-Cross-Pollinate-Others environment, that would be a “Killer Application”!
I can already hear folks saying the Google already has too much info on “you”, but who doesn’t? Have you looked hard enough?
Visual Orientation
Google+ has a much cleaner and open design, and with large image thumbnails, and even better Album thumbnails, I have to go with G+, especially if you are doing something visual, such as Photographers.
Google Life – Welcome to the Cloud
I must say, that it is very nice to have the Google tool-chest in front of my in one spot!
Gmail, Calender, Documents, G+, etc. all in once place, and ready to go, and the best part is that it is Free! (well, but that is another post to be done…)
One can log-on from anywhere, and get stuff done!
Very cool and I do see this as the Future!
But…
Do I use all the Tools? No…
Why?
If I post something… My original thought… My artwork….
Once I post it to another machine, Who owns it?
From my point-of-view, it is my series of thoughts and ideas that created the file, but to the machine that it now “lives” on, it is a bunch of 1s and 0s, and I do not own that machine.
This issue needs to be discussed more, and a common practice needs to be identified and implemented before there is wider adaptation by people.
Finally…
I do NOT have the answers to many of these questions and issues that I have outlined above, and I am sure, that I will find many answers in the coming days and weeks, so I am hoping to get some great feedback!
I also hope that this latest experiment from Google does not go the way of Wave…
