Photograph CT

After logging many miles together with our cameras over the highways and back roads of Connecticut, getting up before sunrise in hopes of creating that spectacular shot, my friend and I decided to share our discoveries with others who would also like to photograph the special places of Connecticut.

This project to photograph CT began in 2009, when the two of us first met volunteering in the beautiful gardens at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. It is fitting that the first posting on this blog will be that site.

We hope this blog gives you ideas of new places to go, whether you live in CT, vacation here or are just travelling through. Look for a tourist tip along the way: we share some of our favorite eating places or shops in some of the places that we go back to over and over.

Most of the places we talk about are within easy walking distance from the road, although there might be a few that might require a bit of walking to get to scenic points or lookouts. This will be noted in the descriptions. Most locations identified are accessible to the public, and do not need a reservation. Most are free, but when there is an entrance or parking fee, this will be indicated.

The sites are divided geographically into five sections:

* Southwest Connecticut

* Litchfield Hills

* Central River Valley

* The Shoreline

* Eastern Connecticut (including the Quiet Corner)

Search the 'labels' using these locations as keywords to find other places within a geographic section.

There are so many photo opportunities in this beautiful state, and I'll be adding new locations regularly, so check back often. You can also follow the blog to be notified when new locations are added.

So whether you like to shoot landscapes, nature, wildlife, gardens and flowers, architecture, street scenes or people, follow along, and we'll take you on a scenic tour through this beautiful, historic and picturesque state!


Friday, July 5, 2013

Enders State Forest and Waterfalls, Granby


Seasonal Ratings:  Spring***     Summer****     Fall****     Winter***


Enders State Forest Park was established in 1970 when the family of John Ostrom Enders and Harriet Whitmore Enders donated the land to the state. With additional land donated by the family in 1981, and another purchase by the state in 2002, it now encompasses 2098 acres of rich forest, with a river flowing through the rocky terrain. On one side of Route 219, you will find a small parking lot with a pair of trails leading to a series of waterfalls, which cascade over several rocky drops. Driving just a little further along Route 219, turn right onto an old gravel road that runs through the state forest, and leads to a marshy bed, just loaded with wildflowers that bloom throughout the season.

What to Photograph

Anyone who wants to practice their skills on photographing waterfalls will be in glory at this location. There are six waterfalls within a quarter mile stretch of the river, and all are just a short walk along the trail from the parking lot. Some say that this is the best collection of falls in the state. Most of the cascades have a good drop over a rocky ledge, creating a pool of water below. Most of these gorges are good for swimming, so if you go in the middle of a hot summer day, expect to find some locals cooling off in the pool below the falls.
If you are looking for wildflowers growing in a natural habitat, this is a great place. There are wildflowers that bloom from spring through fall along the marsh found inside the forest on the north side of Route 219. In the spring there are trilliums, jack-in-the pulpit, forget-me-not and skunk cabbage. If you're lucky and are there at bloom time, you'll find the native ladies slipper orchids tucked away in the forest. Later in the summer, the edges of the marsh fill up with water loving plants like the brilliant red cardinal flower, turtlehead, wood aster and arrowhead.

When to go

Textural reeds at the marsh
Waterfalls are great to photograph anytime of the year. Go on a bright, overcast day so that you can use a slower shutter speed to soften the water. Try to avoid the middle of a bright, sunny day when the harsh light creates strong shadows and contrast on the water. Winter is a good time for capturing some ice on the falls, or in the pool below. However, this depends entirely on what type of winter weather is occurring on a given year.
To photograph the wildflowers in the marsh, try going in spring to catch the early blooms. It's great to go later in the summer season when the marsh is dryer and it's easier to walk around and get up close. You'll find a surprising amount of color with the brilliant red cardinal flowers, turtlehead and other native flowers at their peak.

Tips and Techniques

A polarizer filter and neutral density filter are must-haves when photographing waterfalls. To get the soft water effect, a slow shutter speed is necessary, and these filters help reduce the light to get that cotton candy effect. Use a tripod, and try taking multiple shots at shutter speeds that are 1 stop apart, to use for HDR later. Combining shots into an HDR program creates an extra softening effect on the moving water.

Directions

From the intersection of Route 10 and Route 20 in Granby, head west on Route 20 for 3.8 miles to Route 219. Take Route 219 west for 1.4 miles to parking area on left with sign 'Enders State Forest'.

GPS coordinates: Latitude: 41.95417, Longitude: -72.87778

Wildflowers abound in the state forest like these flowers
of the arrowhead plant
Late summer cardinal flower glows beside the marsh


Parking is available in the lot on Route 219, marked with the sign 'Enders State Forest'. Head downhill along one of the trails leading from the parking lot towards the river, where it meets an old road that runs parallel to the water. The trail on the right end of the parking lot will take you to the top waterfall. Follow the path downstream to the left to get to the other five waterfalls in the series. Across the road, and a little further down, there is a rough road leading to the wildflower marsh in the state forest. Park along the road to access the marsh.


Hours: Sunrise to sunset. 

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