Archives For Cuyahoga Valley National Park

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Which photo do you prefer?

Varina Patel —  October 30, 2012

I took this shot of my youngest son, Damian, a few years ago in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Damian and I spent that morning traipsing through the woods, playing in the leaves, and enjoying the breathtaking beauty of autumn in Ohio. And of course, I took a few photos. :)

I rarely include man-made elements in my images – and my landscape photos almost never include people. But sometimes a photo just works better with someone in it. In this case, my little son made a perfect point of interest, and he loved being a part of the photograph.

So, what do you think? Maybe I just like the shot with my son in it because he’s my child, and the memories are good ones. Which photo do you prefer? And why?

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Featured Download: Autumn Wanderings

Jay Patel —  September 21, 2012

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Cuyahoga Valley is the only National Park located in the state of Ohio and every fall it puts on a stunning show of colors.

I took this shot on an overcast day when the fall colors were at their peak. On this particular day, we decide to go wandering along the river towards the base of Brandywine Falls. We came upon this beautiful cascades that was flanked on both side by steep walls of stone. The deciduous trees growing all around us were dropping leaves into the gorge and creating a carpet of autmn color.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print or on the web or on any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

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Upcoming Presentation: Following the Light

Jay Patel —  August 30, 2010

The DreamingPresenter: Varina Patel

Date: Thursday, Sept 16, 2011 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Price: Free

Location: Happy Days Visitor Center, Cuyahoga Valley  National Park

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Description

All are welcome to join us at Happy Days Visitor Center in Cuyahoga Valley National Park for a 2-hour presentation by Varina Patel – award-winning wilderness and landscape photographer based in Northeast Ohio. Varina has been invited to the Cuyahoga Valley Photographic Society to present her image and discuss the importance of light in her photography. She will talk about the factors involved in choosing locations – including weather patterns, topographical information, and season. This is an informal talk – and I hope you will all come out and join us if you can.

The lodge is located near the intersection of Routes 8 and 303 in Peninsula, Ohio. Please download the map (above) for more detailed directions.

Earth BreathesSunbeamsFlood on FireThe GloamingWaiting for the NightBeauty Creek

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What Sells? Graphics Company Calendar

Varina Patel —  January 22, 2010

One of the best markets for landscape photography are annual calendars. Recently two of Jay’s images were chosen by a local company for publication in their large art calendar. This photo, titled Reflections of Beauty, was selected for the cover.

This one – titled Stranded – was selected for the October page.

Images for calendars like these are chosen based upon location, theme, or terrain (seascapes, forests, waterfalls, mountains, etc.) – and shots from National Parks are some of the most popular. Most of the time, the calendar company is looking for landscape images that are appropriate for a particular season – so we try to make sure that we shoot in a variety of seasons. For example, if you have photos of Yosemite in Summer, but not in Winter, the publisher will have to go with someone else for those winter images. We visit locations more than once to fill in gaps in our portfolios.

Several months ago, we got a call from National Geographic asking about images for their 2010 Calendars. In the end, they selected two images from National Parks which were published in their 2010 National Park’s engagement calender.

The market for landscape photography for calender companies is pretty broad. You can maximize your chances of getting published by expanding your portfolio to include a diverse set of images from a variety of locations – during a variety of seasons.

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Autumn in Ohio

Varina Patel —  October 21, 2007

I spend a lot of time trying to book my next ticket to somewhere else, but every now and then, it’s nice to be right here. There’s nothing like Autumn in this part of the country. It’s just amazingly beautiful. We took the kids down to Cuyahoga Valley National park this weekend. The skies were bright blue, the weather was warm, and the trees were absolutely gorgeous. We went for a short hike and let them play in the river for a while – making boats from sticks and leaves. They had a great time and so did we.

The weekend isn’t a good time for photography in the parks, though. Too many people. Instead, I went out on Friday morning when the light was still soft – and before the leaves were trampled. I took a couple of Fall shots for my portfolio. Nothing spectacular – just the dazzling, quiet beauty of Autumn in Ohio. Kind of takes my breath away sometimes. This is Brandywine Falls. In a few months, it will be frozen over – with water still running beneath a thick layer of ice.

I hope your weekend was as nice as ours.

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