Spring Photo Ride

Click Here for More Pictures
Before I had to take pictures for the book I never really bothered to take a camera along on my rides. Although there is always some nice scenery along the way I never had the desire to stop and capture it. But now that I have spent the last two years with a camera with me when I ride I find that taking pictures has become part of my rides. I try not to let the photography interrupt the flow of the ride but there are always opportunities for a few nice shots.

During the winter I read a couple of good books on photography and now better understand how aperture, shutter speed, white balance and a number of other factors affect a photograph. I am still a long way from mastering photography but I when I look at my pictures after a ride I can tell what I did wrong on certain shots and am learning how to take better pictures. This past weekend was Easter Sunday and because of the rain on Saturday and the family gathering at my house on Sunday I wasn't able to get a group ride it. I was lucky enough to be off on Monday with decent weather and decided to take a ride by my self and concentrate on trying to get some good pictures.

I headed for the Sourlands and my goal was to try and get some scenic shots of some of the rivers and farmlands. I thought after all the rain we had last week that the rivers would be flowing full force and would afford some nice photos. Unfortunately the rivers really weren't as high or fast flowing as I expected but there were a few nice photo opportunities. You can click here to see all the pictures that I took.

I started off in Rocky Hill on the other side of 206 and ended up going to Stockon and back. I went over the Sourlands through Sergeantsville pass the Covered Bridge to Bulls Island and back. I tried to hit all the major rivers and stream that I always pass. Being by myself I took a little more time and stopped more than I usually do for pictures. It was fun experimenting with my camera and trying out different combinations of shutter speed, aperture and exposure. I learned a few things about my camera and how different settings affect a picture. Its still early spring so the land is a little barren but I still managed to a get a few good shots. I know the land will look a lot better in another month so I plan to dedicate a ride every now and then to photography. I may never be a great photographer but I have found that biking and photography go good together and it is something that I really enjoy now.