Beaver Pond Journal 2002-2007

Journal entry for November 11, 2002    Mary and I took the day off to visit Moose River Plains. We had driven in to the end of the road at the smaller Indian Lake. The journal entry reads: "During our return drive back towards the Plains we stopped at the unnamed beaver pond near Squaw Lake trailhead. Mary and I needed to stretch our legs, plus the beaver pond looked interesting enough to photograph, which we did."

 Beaver pond in Moose River Plains Wild Forest after a cold rain

Journal entry for June 24, 2007    "Drove on to Otter Brook then towards the end of the road at Indian Lake. Stopped at the beaver pond just east of the trail to Squaw Lake. The beaver had abandoned the pond and the dam is now in disrepair. The water level is down somewhere between 2-3 feet. It occurs to me as I write this journal entry I should begin a photo documentation of the pond reverting back to solid ground."

Journal entry for August 19, 2007    "About 10 A.M. Mary and I stopped at the large beaver pond east of Squaw Lake trailhead. The pond had been abandoned by its resident beavers two years ago. The dam has given away dropping the water level over three feet. It occurred to me it would be interesting to photo document the succession process from year to year.

As best my memory would let me, I framed an image similar to some I have taken in the past. The light overcast sky provided more contrast than the camera's sensor could record so I shot six bracketed exposures to try combining in Photoshop. While I was picking up my equipment I noticed some deer tracks in the mud and photographed them for stock.

The Abandoned Beaver Pond

Drove on to Indian Lake, which was crowded again this week. Turned around and, drove back to the campsite at the top of the ridge above Squaw Lake, where we ate lunch last week. We ate lunch there again and explored the immediate area around the campsite.

After lunch we returned to the beaver pond. I had decided to try shooting a panorama of the pond. Set up my tripod over a cluster of  four beaver cut alders. After adjusting my camera, I shot a series of eight images that assembled perfectly to provide a panorama that encompassed a view of 220°."

2007 Panorama

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More beaver pond images can be viewed at the Adirondack Beaver Pond Gallery on my website

bunchlewisphotography.com

Thanks for visiting my journal,

Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal November, 1999-2001

November 28, 1999- Stopped at the beaver pond east of Squaw Lake where we shot a few photos.

Beaver pond in Moose River Plains Wild Forest during a November 28, 1999 snow squall

October 11,2000- "The light was too harsh for photographs."

Obviously my memory failed me when I wrote my journal entry for the day. I shot four images looking across the beaver pond, the far hillside ablaze with peak autumn colors and the surface of the pond without a ripple, reflecting the hillside

The beaver pond on a glorious autumn day

October 7, 2001- Approaching the large beaver pond east of Squaw Lake we could see there were images here waiting to be captured. Pulled into the parking turnout, then walked over to the pond for a better look. Mary went back to the Trooper to retrieve her camera while I debated whether or not to get out the 4x5 camera. Big snow plops were dropping off of the trees. Finally I decided I would be far too distracted to do a good job with the big camera.

Eventually I got out my Minolta 7xi body, added the 28-80mm lens, mounted it on my tripod and returned to the pond.Composed two different images looking across the pond. These images contained lots of color, lots of snow and the pond. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the light I wanted before tripping the shutter.

Looking across the beaver pond after a snow squall

Mary had finished photographing by now. She and our golden retriever, Sairy, went for a walk up the road. Sairy seems quite spry today.

I changed my composition to look across the pond, parallel to the dam, towards a stand of spruce trees. This was about ninety degrees to the left of my first images.When I got the image framed snow began falling and the sky darkened. My shutter speed dropped to 1/15 second. I reasoned the snowflakes would show as streaks, adding to the mood of the image. We'll see. The intensity of the falling snow increased after taking a few images, so I shot a second set. 

By the time I was picking up it was really coming down!

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You can view more Adirondack Beaver Pond images on my website
www.bunchlewisphotography.com

More beaver pond journal entries from the past and photos will be on upcoming posts.
Thanks for visiting my journal,
Bunch