Looking for the Perfect Photo

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Since I started taking pictures on rides as part of writing Road Biking New Jersey I have learned how hard it is to take good pictures and have a greater appreciation for the work it takes to use a camera to capture a moment in time.



Over the past 2 years the I have taken almost 3000 pictures and actual got a few ones worth keeping. Most of my better photographs happen by luck so by taking a lot of pictures I increase my chances of getting a good photograph.

Taking photographs on a regular basis has given me the desire to become better photographer. I have definitely gotten better over the last two years but I still don't understand the real aspect of composition, lighting and a lot of other factor that can make a snapshot become a photograph that you want look at more than once.

Over this summer I had two really good photographic days while not on a bike. The first was at Thunder over the Boardwalk which is an airshow in Atlantic City. It was a bright sunny cloudless day and I got a lot of good photographic. Check them out. With the sun so bright the shutter speed was fast so I was able to capture the action with good clarity.

The second great photographic day was on my recent vacation to Cape Cod and Block Island. It was again another good weather day and I managed to get some great sunrise and sunset photos as well as some great scenic shots of Block Island. You can see the full set of photos here

This past weekend I went along on Mike's ride out of Rocky Hill. We road through the Sourlands with is always picturesque. I managed to take some photos. I got a couple of nice one of the canal early in the morning but else nothing really great. It was a nice ride. We took the northern route around the top of the Sourlands and then through Neshanic Station and ended up on Rainbow Road. Except for a small steep hill this is a nice road. I know Laura hates this road so I know as she reads this she will be glad that she wasn't on this ride. One the way back to Rocky Hill we passed by some farmland where the grass was florescent green. I joked it was probably a new food source Solent Green (Yes, I know Solent Green is people)

When we got back to the parking lot I kept going and put on another 8 miles because I wanted to do a few more miles and do a little climbing.

Taking photos is now part of going for a bike ride. I am hoping for a colorful fall so I can get some good pictures of the fall foliage

Belmar and Back

This week was another ride to Belmar and back. I lead this ride the third weekend of Sept every year. This is when the weather is still warm but most of the crowds have left the beach so there is less traffic. Since this ride is late in the season I take the longer route to Belmar and the ride usually ends up being around 80 miles. This is always a fun ride and I always look forward to doing it.

Although the roads were wet at the start and the weather had a 30% chance of rain I still had good group of 7 people. The ride started from Cranbury so we headed out toward Federal Rd. We had to make a detour because the bridge on Federal Rd was under constructions and impassable. Luckily there are a lot of different ways to Belmar. With George leading and pushing the pace we make it quickly to Farmingdale. On the way we went around the Manasquan reservoir because there are some nice scenic views along the way.

George headed home after a stop in Farmingdale and the rest of us continued on the long way to Belmar pass Allaire state park and through Sea Girt before ending up on the beach in Belmar. The weather had gotten better as the day progressed so by the time we got to the beach the sun was out and it was getting humid.

The rest stop in Belmar by 16th street is always inviting with outdoor tables, a lot of places to get food, and plenty of activity to watch it is easily a place you can be temped to spend the rest of the afternoon.

The wind was lite so the ride back from Belmar wasn't too bad and we maintain a good pace. We had a couple of flat tires right out of Belmar but that is just par for the course on a long ride.

It was getting a little hot and humid by the end of the ride so but still wasn't too bad. We ended up with 82 miles even with the detour at the beginning and got back around 2:30pm. Joe ended up doing another 18 miles, with Mary, so he could say he did a century.

Although I have been to Belmar 3 times this year I still enjoyed the ride and may do another shorter one next month if the weather holds out.