Faded Summer

A stiff, crisp winter breeze cut right through me as I ventured out to photograph what looked like a lonely paddle boat. Stuck half way into mud and surrounded by ice, the faded red paddleboat looked like it had been abandoned years ago and seeing it immediately brought back memories of when I used one as a kid in New Hampshire at my uncles cabin on the lake.

At first I figured I fire off a few frames and then quickly jump back into the warm van, but as I got closer and framed up the image, I noticed that the contrast between the boat and the angry skies would make for a handsome HDR image.

But first, I would need my winter coat. Brrr baby.

After bundling up and realizing my tripod was safely home and not with me (when I needed it most) I decided to handhold the camera and squeeze off 3 frames as quickly as possible. In less than a second I had my shots, and then I quickly jumped back into the warmth of my vehicle.

Processed in Photomatix Pro and Lightroom 4, this is the final image. The amazing thing about HDR images is that basically what you see is what you get....in other words, the picture you see here is almost identical to what the scene actually looked like there at the edge of the pond.

Like the paint job on this boat, the summer of 2012 has faded away, soon to be replaced by ice fishing, snowmobiling and skiing. But for today, I'm happy to have captured an image that stands on it's own, a picture that revives long dormant memories of many summers gone by.

Kevin Kratka