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Tag: Connecticut

October 4, 2026

Why Fall is My Favorite Time of Year

Walking in a park on a warm, sunny fall day is the best. Here are a few photos I snapped to capture the kickoff of the fall foliage season.

I expect many people would pick summertime as their favorite season. Warmer temperatures. Vacations. Grill action. Beach time. General fun in the sun. What’s not to like? 

Well, all that is indeed great, but I’m wired a bit differently. I like 75 degrees in the sun with low humidity.

And summer is often hot and humid. I don’t dig that. (Humidity is my kryptonite.)

Don’t get wrong… I enjoy the summer months… just not all the heat and sweat.

Instead, I prefer the cooler conditions that fall weather usually brings.

New Beginnings

However, fall gets a bad rap for ending summer’s bliss. Sure, it’s back to work. Back to school. Back to being serious.

But I like morning chill in the air. The crisp edge. The resulting sharper focus when you’re out and about.

Yes, I like putting on my big boy pants.

Of course, as a kid, I dreaded the first day of school. But it was also exciting. A new beginning. A fresh start.

And I’ve carried that enthusiasm for fall throughout my life.

There are also two big reasons I enjoy fall here in Connecticut.

Fire and Ice

Fall brings us right to the intersection between hot and cold. And I love that space. There’s nothing better than that glorious feeling of the warm sun on your shoulders on a cool fall day.

That’s when you can really appreciate nature’s warm vibe. And knowing it’s among the last few opportunities to feel it for months makes it even more special.

Colorful Conditions

The many colors of fall, of course, provide a great canvas for nature photography. And the fall foliage projects the similar theme of a last hurrah before all the leaves snap away into oblivion.

Yes, winter’s coming, but it’s not here yet.

To celebrate this time of year, here are some early October photos I snapped in a park near my local beach on a sunny weekend morning. The fall colors were just starting to show on the trees.

Warm. Cool. Perfect.

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August 2, 2026

Seven Lighthouses in New England

You never know when you might encounter the perfect photo opportunity by a lighthouse. So why not be ready to record a little video clip as well? I’ve been fortunate to capture video b-roll of seven magnificent New England beacons across my travels, and here’s my little video tribute to them.

A few weeks after a wonderful experience capturing my drone footage of Goat Island Lighthouse in Cape Porpoise, Maine, I recognized my interest in this beautiful beacon wasn’t an isolated pursuit. In fact, this creative exercise was part of a larger visual exploration I’ve been organically pursuing for the past four years.

My travels have placed me near other New England lighthouses, and I’ve been drawn to them as well, recording b-roll video clips with the camera gear I carried at the time.

My Video Tribute to New England Lighthouses

I planned to use my DJI Flip drone for my Goat Island Lighthouse project, but my tiny DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera has been an indispensable tool for more spontaneous lighthouse spotting opportunities (such as during harbor cruises with my family).

So, I decided to review my lighthouse b-roll I’ve ‘randomly’ collected across the years, and then I edited together a few of these clips under a music track I created using Google Flow Music. 

Now, the pattern is suddenly much clearer to me: I love shooting videos of lighthouses!

Here’s my salute to seven of them…

From Connecticut and Rhode Island up to Maine

If you should be interested in checking out some of these lighthouses for yourself, here are their names and locations:
(listed in the order first seen)

  • Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Portland, Maine
  • Goat Island Lighthouse, Cape Porpoise, Maine
  • Peck Ledge Lighthouse, Norwalk, Connecticut
  • Sheffield Island Lighthouse, Norwalk Connecticut
  • Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine
  • Rose Island Lighthouse, Newport, Rhode Island
  • Ram Island Ledge Light, Portland, Maine

A Guiding Light

The destination for any creative process is often unknown. But the path that leads me to capture the powerful beauty of lighthouses appears well lit.

Yes, I will continue on this journey…

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March 29, 2026

Capturing Spring’s Early Flow with My Microscope Lens

This is a tight shot I snapped of a spring vinca flower that reveals the pent-up energy about to blossom over the landscape. Below are a few more spring pics I captured with my microscope lens mounted to my iPhone.

That anything living can break through the barren, winter-scarred ground always seems like a miracle. Yet, of course as the fading winter releases its brutal grip and the temperatures begin to rise, early spring begins this annual rebirth.

I’m always delighted during these first days before spring really kicks in. That’s when you need to make an effort to spot the signs. Though tiny, they’re everywhere. The trees are still barren, but the first flower buds are already starting to make their move.

Look Closer

I think we’re likely a week or two away from ‘opening day’ here in southern Connecticut. (That’s when you look out the window and almost fall over from the impact of spring’s stunning return.) 

I took my Panasonic Lumix mirrorless camera outside this week to take a few early-spring test shots but found my results underwhelming. Maybe it was too soon. 

Then, I thought for a moment and realized I just needed to get a little closer to nature’s magic. So, I pulled out my SANDMARC microscope lens for my iPhone and screwed it onto my iPhone case (also made by SANDMARC).

When I bought this lens system last summer, I wasn’t sure how often I would use it. Well, this was clearly one of those moments.

So, I set out to try again.

Early Days

The images I captured were not your typical bright and colorful spring collection. The shots were necessarily darker with my microscope lens pressed close to the flower buds. 

But this framing style also created a more intimate result, revealing a view of a young spring not yet fully formed.

Time to Expand the View

My microscope lens provides an especially narrow depth of field. Much of each image blurs away from the tight focal point. As a result, I think I’ve captured more of nature’s organic flow in action. 

And this flow will soon burst onto the landscape. Then, it will be easy to expand the view.

I couldn’t be happier being able to see this preview.

Hello, spring!

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