Favorite Images of 2024, Part XVI: Louisiana Swamps, Day 4
Favorite Images of 2024, Part XV: Louisiana Swamps, Day 3 (PM)
Favorite Images of 2024, Part XIV: Louisiana Swamps, Day 3 (PM)
Favorite Images of 2024, Part XIII: Louisiana Swamps, Day 2
Favorite Images of 2024, Part XII: Louisiana Swamps, Day 1
Favorite Images of 2024, Part XI: Caddo Lake, Days 7-8
Favorite Images of 2024, Part X: Caddo Lake, Days 5-6
Favorite Images of 2024, Part IX: Caddo Lake, Day 4
Favorite Images of 2024, Part VIII: Caddo Lake, Day 3
Favorite Images of 2024, Part VII: Caddo Lake, Days 1 & 2
Favorite Images of 2024, Part IV: Massachusetts, Day 1
Favorite Images of 2024, Part V: Massachusetts, Day 2
Favorite Images of 2024, Part VI: Massachusetts, Days 3-6
Favorite Images of 2024 Part III: Blue Ridge Parkway, Days 5-8
Favorite Images of 2024, Part II: Blue Ridge Parkway, Days 1-4
Favorite Images of 2024, Part I: Shenandoah National Park
This is the final post in the series detailing favorite images of 2024. And, I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit of an anticlimax, as there was very little photography on this day.
It was back to Lake Martin for sunrise on a cloudless, extremely cold day. It was barely above freezing when we arrived in the dark at the boat launch, with just enough wind to really make you feel it. It was the coldest I’ve ever been out in a kayak and, honestly, after 30-45 minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore, and paddled back to the launch and got out so I could walk around and try to warm up. This despite extra clothing all over my body. I wore two pairs of wool socks but my feet were freezing anyway.
Honestly, I don’t think my calling it a day early caused me to miss any images. In fact, it may have helped me nab a couple (on terra firma) that I wouldn’t have otherwise obtained. But, let’s get to the photographs.
(Click an image below to view a larger rendition.)
The conditions simply weren’t great for photography this morning, beyond the bone-numbing cold. As noted above, there were no clouds at all, and there was plenty of wind (making it feel even colder, just as an added bonus), which significantly disrupted reflection opportunities, as you can see. It also made it difficult to retain one’s shooting position, as the breeze kept blowing the kayak around. Still, I did my best, and when the sun came up, which didn’t take long, I tried to pick out a couple of sheltered intimates to highlight the spotlighting.
The spotlighting opportunities didn’t last long, and between the rising sun and the freezing cold, it was an easy choice to head back to the launch, as I mentioned earlier. But after I got out of the water and warmed up ever so slightly, I grabbed my long lens, taking note of some nearby birds, wading in the shallows and perched in the trees.
I took particular note of an egret perched on a branch across the canal from where I stood and focused in on him. After a few minutes, he prepared to take off and I made sure I was honed in on the action.
That was it for the day’s photography. The wind got stronger as the day moved along, and while it warmed up a bit, it didn’t much matter. No one had the slightest interest in heading out in a kayak in 20+ mile per hour winds, so that brought the tour to an end. The weather had been challenging at times, but there had been some outstanding opportunities along the way.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the extended look at 2024’s favorites.
