Well, I did something that I probably should not have done. Since I had worked a lot of overtime lately, I bought that new lens that I have been wanting. A super wide angle, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II and tonight was my first time using it. So where did I go? I went to the Ocala National Forest and set up on a spot that I shot before. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate as much as I hoped.
Image No 532
I drove to Hopkins Prairie in the Ocala National Forest on nine different occasions hoping to capture a scene with a fantastic sunset. I have yet to capture a sunset that illuminates the whole sky but I will keep trying until I get it.
Image No 524
The image above was taken on the Rokinon 14mm f/1.4, and surprisingly the image turned out really sharp. Again the weather was stormy and on this evening there wasn’t any color at all.
Image No 431
During a sunset I wanted to capture the reflection in this little lake at Hopkins Prairie.
Image No 527
The image above is not quite the image that I wanted to capture. I want to go back and wade out into the water with my new 14mm lens to recapture this scene. I love water reflections, and getting closer to the edge of the reeds I think would have helped improve this image. Of course, I will need waders and to pay very close attention to whats underneath the water. Here we have lots of snakes and alligators! But hey, what would you for a Klondike Bar?
One of the things that I am not good at is macro photography. I have done very little macro photography and I do not have any macro lenses.
I have searched the internet looking for scenic images of the Ocala National Forest and finding very few that represent the natural beauty of the place. There are a lot of photographic opportunities here, one just has to go out and explore the possibilities that are there. This post is just the beginning of a new photo series that I am working on that represents the Ocala National Forest. There will be more to come.
Information About the Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest was created by President Theodore Roosevelt on November 24, 1908. It has been claimed to be the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River, however technically the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota is older, created on May 23, 1908.
The forest is located just east of Ocala and south of Gainesville in Marion, Putnam and Lake counties. It encompasses roughly 607 square miles, has over 600 lakes and rivers as well as Salt Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, and Juniper Springs. The forest is home to the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest and has a diverse variety of wildlife such as black bear, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, gopher tortoises, bald eagles, migratory birds, alligators, and manatees.
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