Nature Phototography in New Jersey

[sergej_zoubok]

Hello everyone,

 

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Although this is my first time posting to photo.net I want to thank everyone for hours of informative (and often amusing) reading. I've learned much from the content here.

 

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I live in Brooklyn and am interested in any nearby (less than 3 hours driving) destinations (to the South) for nature photography. I mainly have in mind landscapes and macro flower shots. I've heard that there are some nice places in southern New Jersey but would be interested in some specific sites. Any thoughts?

 

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Thanks again,

 

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Sergej Zoubok

[phil_johnson]

I live in northern NJ and there are many places that are not even a 1 hour drive from my house to get some great nature photography. One place you might consider is bear swamp. The swamp is a wildlife refuge. It is packed with beavers. If you are interested in macro and closeup work, they have some of the most interesting little critters you're ever going to see.

 

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- Phil

[bob_atkins]

To Phil: I know where Turkey Swamp and Beaver Swamp WMAs are in

NJ, but where is Bear Swamp? I'd like to find a place with a lot

of beaver activity. I've seen evidence of beaver presence (trees

clearly cut down by beavers) in one part of the Great

Swamp, but never found a dam, lodge or seen a beaver there.

 

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To Sergej: <a href="http://www.fieldtrip.com/nj/14251222.htm">The Great Swamp</a> (yes, NJ does have a lot of swamps!)

isn't more than about an hour from NYC (on a good day). It's

not spectacularly scenic, and there are bugs around in the

summer (watch out for the Lyme disease ticks), but there are

certainly oportunities for macro work on flowers, frogs and the

like. I wouldn't say it's the best National Wildlife Refuge for

photography, but if you work hard you can get some interesting

shots.

 

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Brigantine NWR can be a great place for bird photography at some

times of the year (though summer isn't one of those times). You do need

a long lens (400mm or more) and most of the photography is

from the car (the birds scare easily and rarely tollerate

people outside cars setting up tripods!). Not much in the way

of flowers though. Lanscapes are possible in great light (sunrise

and sunset) but it's the light that's interesting more than

the landscape itself (wetlands).

 

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<a href="http://www.fieldtrip.com/nj/12342677.htm">Buck Gardens</a>

(Near Far Hills in Somerset county) has a huge variety

of (cultivated) flowers and landscape gardens. Not quite "nature"

by the stict definition of the term, but if you are just looking

for flowers, it's probably a great place. Some of the flowers

may qualify as "wildflowers" - I'm no expert in that area.

[phil_johnson]

Bob: I live in North-west NJ. I happen to live in a small township, not even enough population to be called a town. About 15-30 minutes away from where I live is bear swamp. It is located in Hampton, NJ. I have not been there recently but last year there were 3 families of beavers living there.

 

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What part of NJ do you live in?

[rich_ernst]

Sergej,

 

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While iit may be on the "rim" of your three hour drive condition, for some really good macro flower shots you can't beat Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. I am assuming that you are willing to point your lens at hybrids, not purely "wild" flowers. You should be able to get directions/maps on the internet. There is an admission charge and a weekday will be far less crowded than a weekend. Another benefit of a weekday: tripod use is permitted from 9-11 AM - you simply stop at the security desk and ask for a permi tag. If you try it...good shooting!

 

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Rich

[sergej_zoubok]

Hi all,

 

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Thank you everyone for the advice. I'll break out the map tonight and see exactly where these places are. It sounds like the summer is not ideal but maybe the fall might be productive. My equipment is not quite ideal for birding (300/f4 is my longest lens) but maybe some nice fall color and macro flower shotso could result. After three years I'm still learning a lot about the craft so I'm really looking for quick get-aways to experiment with techniques.

 

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Thanks again,

 

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Sergej

[bob_atkins]

With a 1.4x TC on that 300/4, you'd have a long enough lens for

Brigantine birds if luck is with you on the day you visit. Great

Blue Herons are pretty large, as are Egrets and if they happen to

be close to the road (which does happen, it's just a matter of luck), a 420/5.6 would be fine. The Canada geese are easy targets since

they barely even move off the road even to let cars pass, but most

people don't want pictures of Canada geese (which have almost

reached the saturation level in some parts of NJ)!

 

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BTW, Buck Gardens has no restrictions on tripods as far as I know

and there is no admission charge (though you can make a small donation

if you wish).

[sergej_zoubok]

Bob,

 

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I've been thinking along the same lines but the price of Nikon's x1.4 TC is currently beyond my budget. Photography, computers...so many hobbies, so little cash :-)

 

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Thanks again,

 

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Sergej

[bob_atkins]

On a budget, consider the Tamron 1.4x TC. It works pretty well on

a Canon 300/4L - not quite as good as the Canon TC, but close (AF

isn't quite as positive and there is very slight vignetting).

It's only about $100 or so, and if you later get the Nikon TC, you

wouldn't lose a lot selling the Tamron.

[rob_sheneman]

I've enjoyed the suggestions from Bob, Phil, and Rich. I've got a couple of suggestions myself.

 

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I just got back from a family vacation in Avalon. While one always has to consider the summer crowds at the shore, you might want to drive down the Parkway to Cape May County. I spent my mornings and evenings on the islands, dunes and salt marshes near Avalon, Stone Harbor and on down to Cape May. This allowed for beach time with the family during the day. Lots of shore birds (skimmers, plovers, etc.) and nesting birds (egrets, ibises, herons, etc.) beautiful sunsets, flowers and macro shots were plentiful, but not many truly "scenic" shots. I carried everything from 17mm to 400mm (w 2x TC). My 400/5.6 capability was okay, but at times it made me long for a 600/4 L. It's a bit of a drive from Brooklyn, but if you make it a weekend trip, you'll have plenty of time for shooting.

 

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If you're interested in migratory birds, Cape May County is almost unbeatable in September and October, especially for raptors (thousands per month). Visit the Cape May Bird Observatory. You might also consider investing $20 in a boat tour of the marshes and inlets. One of the naturalists on my tour was a (struggling) professional nature film maker who is working on several interesting films about the salt marsh habitat and the wildlife it supports. The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor also has some nice programs. They helped me have a better understanding of the wildlife and habitat and that made for better photographs.

 

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Despite its reputation, New Jersey really does have some beautiful nature photo opportunities if you're willing to seek them out.

 

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Enjoy!

[sergej_zoubok]

Hi everyone,

 

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I've been in Montana for the past week and half (film undeveloped as yet) so I only just read the last two responses to my question:

 

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Bob: I've considered getting a 3rd party TC for my Nikon 300/4. What's held me back is my experience with a Kenko 2x TC which I had in my Minolta Maxxum days. I was not very happy with it's performance. On the other hand, the 300/4 is a MUCH better lens than the 70-210/2.8 Sigma I was using at the time (my newbie days) and x1.4 TC's should show less image degredation.

 

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Has anybody used the Tamron x1.4 on this lens?

 

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Rob: Cape May sounds like a great idea. I'll do a little more research and maybe give a shot this fall. Thanks!

 

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All the best,

 

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Sergej

[Brian P Bower CamraScapes]

A wonderful spot to explore and photograph is in the NW part of the state. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, offers alot of wildlife and scenics. 1800 foot cliff carved out of the appallation mountain range by glaciers and the delaware river. quiet country roads and waterfalls with something new around every bend. probably about 2 hours from NYC off of Rt 80.

Good luck and enjoy.

[martin_schwartz]

Some possible locations you might consider in NJ and Pa.

Island Beach State Park , wild flower gardens at Washington Crossing Park on the Pa. side of the Delaware River. Sandy Hook Nat'l Park. Have fun