Niagara Falls, August 2008

Do a trip report here....go to another city and want to relate it to what KC is doing right or could do better? Give us a summary in here.
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grovester
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by grovester »

Roanoker wrote: Image
We had dinner at the place under the awning, decent food, great red ale, incredible views.  That's the SKYLON in the background.  There's a restaurant up there as well (buffet I'd imagine)
mudjack
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

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We were there in May of 08. We first made it to the falls on Memorial Day and the place was absolutely packed with people from everywhere. Everyone was nice and friendly. I was amazed to find that there was no trash anywhere the next morning.

They had fireworks over the falls which was very nice. I don't know if they do that all year long.

Maid of the Mist sounds cheesy, but it is great.

On the Canadian side, both a Canadian flag and an American flag were flying. On the American side there was only the American flag. I don't know what that says.

We're hoping to get back to Canada next year, but it'll probably be Vancouver.
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Roanoker
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

mudjack wrote: Everyone was nice and friendly. I was amazed to find that there was no trash anywhere the next morning.
It was clean and friendly when we were there, too.
They had fireworks over the falls which was very nice. I don't know if they do that all year long.
I don't either. We didn't stay late enough for fireworks.
Maid of the Mist sounds cheesy, but it is great.
I didn't go, but the boats made for good pictures.

Here are more pics.
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A nice park was on the other side of the walkway.
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Queen Anne's Lace could be found everywhere.
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We were supposed to be looking at the Falls.
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Apples, I guess.
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People boarding the Maid of the Mist.
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This is the building thing at the end of the walkway.
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This is what you could see from there.
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Another angle.
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“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
IraGlacialis
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by IraGlacialis »

What kind of camera do you use?
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Roanoker
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

IraGlacialis wrote: What kind of camera do you use?
It's a Nikon D70 I got in 2005. While it has all sorts of bells and whistles that real photographers would understand, I usually just put it on automatic and click away. I also crop the pictures in Photoshop to fit into a 4:3 frame and reduce the 300dpi to 72dpi so it won't take too long for the pictures to load.
“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by mudjack »

The "building thing at the end of the walkway" is a perfect spot for watching the fireworks if you ever get back there.
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

mudjack wrote: The "building thing at the end of the walkway" is a perfect spot for watching the fireworks if you ever get back there.
Thanks for the tip!
“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
IraGlacialis
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by IraGlacialis »

Roanoker wrote: It's a Nikon D70 I got in 2005. While it has all sorts of bells and whistles that real photographers would understand, I usually just put it on automatic and click away. I also crop the pictures in Photoshop to fit into a 4:3 frame and reduce the 300dpi to 72dpi so it won't take too long for the pictures to load.
You are really missing out on the possibilities able to be done on manual. At the very least, try on aperture priority.

In either case, since you have a DSLR, I am thinking that a lot of potential could be realized with a polarizing filter. It will add contrast to those clouds and bring the colors out.
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

IraGlacialis wrote: You are really missing out on the possibilities able to be done on manual. At the very least, try on aperture priority.

In either case, since you have a DSLR, I am thinking that a lot of potential could be realized with a polarizing filter. It will add contrast to those clouds and bring the colors out.
You are absolutely correct. However, it is all I can do to keep up with my family after I stop to snap a picture. Whenever I would try to do something "clever," I would forget I had done it and then wind up with a bunch of blurry close-ups. I lost a lot of good pictures while in Hawaii that way. I suppose I should learn how to do one type of setting really well and then move on to something else.

I do have some kind of filter now. My son told me I'd better put it on to protect the lens. As you can see, my camera skills have not improved much since I used a Brownie Hawkeye box camera in the 1950s.  :shock:
“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by IraGlacialis »

Roanoker wrote:I do have some kind of filter now. My son told me I'd better put it on to protect the lens.
Probably a simple UV filter (pretty much a mandatory accessory for reasons of protection).
What I'm talking about is a circular polarizing filter. It is recognizable in the fact that it is made up of two sections. The base section is the part that is screwed on the same way any filter would be, but the section containing the filter itself can be rotated. This allows you to adjust the angle of incidence to mostly allow polarized, not reflected light in. If you want reflections, simply turn it 90 degrees either way, or get creative by going in between. 
Only downside is that it will set you back several stops, making it slightly impractical for action shots and fully impractical for indoor. But with landscape pics, that is an issue easily surmountable.
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by mudjack »

Roanoker wrote: Thanks for the tip!
I'm guessing the huge ferris wheel would be good too, but I like my feet on the ground.
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

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“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
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Re: Niagara Falls, August 2008

Post by Roanoker »

We are at the end of the day on 8/1/08. These will be the last pictures taken at Niagara Falls.
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Water can be fascinating.
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This is my favorite.
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I don't particularly like this picture, but there are so few of me.
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These last two were taken at a New York park next to Lake Ontario.
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“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
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