MinterPhotography

08/31/2026

I did make it to the Sylvan Beach watercross event yesterday. Since I was under no obligations there I did get to do some long exposure photos with lower success rates. I was shooting at 1/50 sec at this point. This was a very fast watercraft, so following it was as much luck as it was skill. Unlike car and horse racing, water adds the element of vertical movement.

I was shooting rapid fire shutter, around 9 frames per second. The few before and after this one are good, but in this one the nose of the craft split the splash from the preceding wave it crossed, exploding it in a burst of water.

It probably happened in milliseconds, and that coupled with the long exposure follow of the driver being close to perfect makes me feel this is a one in a million shot.

I will be posting quite a few more shots from the event, and those will be without all the copyright watermarks and net that I use. They will have one watermark with and sized for any riders that I did catch on camera to download (you know, copy-paste) for your personal social media sites.

So stay tuned... or follow my page!

Sylvan Beach and Oneida Lake Facebook Group Sylvan Beach Tourism

08/30/2026

A few more shots from the Paranormal Circus (Paranormal Cirque) running this weekend in New Hartford.

Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to do this. I loved the challenge of the dark venue and constantly changing lights. Photographers will understand just how challenging it is, and my hopes are that the performers and producers enjoy the result of my work!

Paranormal Circus Paranormal Cirque II

08/30/2026

After dropping off my two photos for the upcoming photo show at MVCA in Little Falls, I went to Indian Castle church since it was a rare opportunity to actually go inside for photos.

The first photo is the exterior, taken in 2023 it's one of many I have taken of this historic church in all seasons over the years.

The rest of these are interior photos. I used a very wide angle fish eye lens to capture the entire interior as best I could. The church had burned down many years ago but you can see many of the original roofing supports that are there, charred by the fire.

For more information on it's long, interesting history, the link is https://indiancastle.church/

08/29/2026

If you want to see a unique circus experience, see the "Paranormal Cirque" in New Hartford under the big tent (black and white) in the parking lot. Sort a a cross between a haunted house, circus, and burlesque comedy, it is 'adult only' or older teens accompanied by a parent. There were a lot of great acts and some old fashioned off-color jokes and sketches. Many laughs, many thrills. It was an awesome experience being permitted to photograph it!

Paranormal Circus Paranormal Cirque II

08/29/2026

Some photos from last night's Cruise Inn By Mike. The guest last night was an Elvis Presley impersonator but I had to leave before he started. The set was put up before that and the wind blew it down. All the wood strip letters on the curtain came off, and the 'S' broke. So last night Elvis broke his 'S'!

I had to leave to get to the Paranormal Cirque in New Hartford. I took a good number of photos there and will post them after I get through processing them all.

As most of my followers probably know, it is rare for me to photograph a simple 3/4 view of a full vehicle, I prefer to concentrate on iconic details. There was so much variation back in the classic car times!

08/28/2026

This juvenile Mallard duck swam by close to shore yesterday at sunset and although they are common I was hoping it would be interesting enough for a nice photo. I shot with the settings based on the darker image of the duck hoping to bring the reflecting sunset colors on the ripples out in post.

Original full non-cropped and non-edited image is in the comments (converted to JPG from the RAW file) so you can appreciate the difference from a quick cellphone snapshot. Takes some work but to me worth it for the sharp detail results.

08/28/2026

Now that's the way to use a good sunset.

08/28/2026

One of the people that traveled to Sylvan Beach for this weekends watercross competition. Mark (the owner) is inside the camper cab and in addition to giving permission to photograph the reflection he posed inside the vehicle for this special effects photo. Didn't get a last name but had no trouble remembering his name! 😂

Thanks again Mark, I am adding a social media size image for you in the comments.

Traveled to Sylvan Beach last night for sunset photos. This weekend is the big 'watercross' tour event, similar to motocross but with watercraft. There were a number of early arrivals there with their campers and equipment parked on the grass near the water, and I saw this one which was parked in just the right angle for one of my 'experiments'.

First of all, if you decide to attempt this, get permission. Pointing a camera at the window of an RV could definitely look suspicious and be hazardous to your health! Fortunately Mark allowed me to do it, and even was gracious enough to play along with my request to go inside and look out at me.

With a bit of work this photo was the result.

08/28/2026

The weather yesterday was totally inconsistent, ranging from sunny to sporadic thunderstorms and even a tornado warning a bit north of here. But the fact that the weather that was on it's way meant there would be clear skies to the west which would let the sun shine under the clouds above- a good sign. Also, the sites I use for researching told me the lake was relatively flat which is ideal for reflecting it. So I went to Sylvan Beach.

They were preparing for this weekend's watercross event, so there were some pylons out for the course and there were a couple of people that I presume were working for the event testing out the course. At one time I would take photos of sunsets, but I have now realized that they are the perfect backdrop. Rarely are they a good subject for a photo. Something in the foreground brings it to the next level.

I will most likely return to SB this weekend. Still undecided if that will be Saturday or Sunday. I will be 'freelance' this year and not planning on repeating my 'bell to bell' from last year unless I'm paid for it. Takes the fun out of it! There is a lot going on this weekend. It's like event planners all want the end of summer weekend for their event. Therefore I'm still undecided which ones I will forego.

Here are a few of last night's photos to enjoy for now.