Haviland Cove Park

Haviland Cove Park is a nice location in Glens Falls, New York that has a few different things to offer. You can swim, kayak, and fish in the water. You can rent a pavilion for a picnic or you can use one of the picnic tables for free. There is a playground for the kids to play on. Lastly, there is a long trail you can walk that is absolutely stunning in the fall when all the leaves are changing colors.

Here are my top 3 tips for if you plan to go –

1)      You must clean up your trash so I would recommend bringing trash bags with you.

2)      If you plan to walk the trail, wear appropriate footwear because it is a long walk.

3)      Be aware of others, especially if they are fishing. Watch where they are swinging the pole back, you don’t want to be the catch of the day!!

Safari Golf, Berlin CT

Safari Golf in Berlin, Connecticut is a cute miniature golf attraction where you can go and try your hand at 18 different safari themed holes. The course is located atop a hill, and has a body of water that runs through it and flows into a waterfall at one point. The course is filled with statues that resemble safari animals such as elephants, zebras, giraffes, etc. Prices are $8 for adults, and $7 for kids, and the course is open during the spring and summer months with varying hours depending on when you go. From my own personal experience, I would rate this course as a beginner friendly course. The holes are incredibly easy, and I will say they got to be a bit redundant towards the end. Unlike Around the World Golf in Lake George, NY – the holes are not interactive – basically meaning that they are just holes with little to no obstacles in the way. I believe it would have made the course better if they could have found some way to include the safari animals in each hole, however, it was still a fun experience.

Here are my top 3 tips for going –

1)      Parking is a bit scarce so be aware of that!

2)      They only allow 4 people in a group, so if you plan on going in a larger group you will have to split up.

3)      The pollen in this area was terrible, so if you have allergies just be more cautious.

Here is a link to their website if you would like to check it out - http://www.safarigolfct.com/

Food Photography

Food photography is a type of photography that is being made all the more popular with the rise of social media sites such as Instagram. People love snapping aesthetic photographs of their food and sharing it with their friends. In my opinion, the best food photographs also have an artsy side to them. If you are one of the people who enjoy sharing what they are eating, then this is the post for you!

Here are my top 2 tips for taking photographs of your food -

1) Make sure the food looks good, and not just in the sense that the viewer would want to eat it. You want to make sure that you are presenting the food in a nice manner. Don't be afraid to do close ups of the food, and don't be afraid to get creative!

2) If you are in a setting that includes other people being around, like a restaurant or a carnival, be respectful of them!

Lake George, New York

Lake George, New York is one of my favorite locations – as I grew up in the area and spent many summers having fun up at the lake. There is so much to do and see, and the area is also no stranger to American history. Battles were fought in the area which resulted in Fort William Henry being built, famous author James Fenimore Cooper also wrote the book The Last of the Mohicans about the battles fought in the area. Many famous artists also lived in the area for short periods of time, such as Georgia O’Keeffe. Up at the Lake, you can go swimming or boating. You can rent cabins up there and there are also plenty of campsites to go camping at. There are also a lot of hotels you can stay at – including the Fort William Henry hotel. FWH also has a museum you can explore, and you can take tours as well (normal tours in the morning and ghost tours at night if you are interested in that stuff). A lot of interesting shops line up on both sides of the road across from Shepard’s Park (where they sometimes play music, do fireworks, and have craft fairs). Shops include Adirondack Winery, an ornament shop, an arcade, etc. Two things that I also really love about the area are Dr. Morbid’s Haunted House, as well as the House of Frankenstein Wax Museum. Both of these locations are great for people who are thrill seekers like myself. Dr. Morbid’s is a bit scarier in my opinion, so if you want to go just keep that in mind. There are also a few mini golf locations in the area, such as Around the World Golf – which I have written about previously. Restaurants (both fast food and sit down) are also abundant in the area. There is so much more that this area has to offer, so I would definitely recommend visiting if you get the chance.

My top 3 tips for going –

1)      Bring a lot of quarters as you will need them to put in the parking meters.

2)      Be cautious of other people, especially during the busier times. This area is a tourist attraction, so it can be incredibly busy at times.

3)      Pick up after yourself – don’t litter!

Panorama Photography

Panorama photography is an interesting way to show off a lot in one picture. Panorama’s are often used with landscapes in order to get more of the area into one picture. The format of a panorama is an elongated photograph – as seen below. The creation of panorama’s is really quite easy. On a lot of camera’s, there are often settings that you can use to specifically create panorama’s. You just choose your starting point, and then move the camera in a straight line to the right until you reach your endpoint.

Here are my top 3 tips for panorama photography –

1)      Make sure the area you are doing a panorama in has a lot to show off, you don’t want it to be a boring image!

2)      Try to avoid having things that move in your panorama (people, animals, cars) unless they are perfectly still because if they move when you are in the process of taking your panorama, it could mess up the image.

3)      If your iPhone has a panorama setting, I would recommend starting with that instead of an actual camera’s setting – as this can be a bit easier to work with. I have found that my iPhone’s panorama setting works better than my camera one, and it even allows you to choose how long you want the image to be. With the last one, that is an example of a shorter panorama.

Around the World Mini Golf

Around the World Mini Golf in Lake George, NY is a wonderful tourist attraction and I figured it deserved its own post. I have been going to this mini golf attraction for as long as I can remember, and I can personally tell you that it never gets old. It is a challenge each time, and is a lot of fun as well. There are two separate courses that you can choose from when you go, or you can play both in the same day if you want to! There is the US course, or there is the other course which features landmarks from around the whole world – hence the name Around the World Golf. Both courses provide a challenge, but are still fun for children as well as adults. Tickets are $8.25 (adults) and $6.75 (child), and then if you do decide to play a second game, you get a discount at $5.95 (adults) and $4.50 (child). They also offer a senior discount, as well as coupons.

My top 5 tips for going –

1)      Wear appropriate shoes, so if by chance you happen to accidentally hit your toes with your golf club it won’t hurt so bad.

2)      I would recommend going either in the morning or in the afternoon/night when it is cooler outside so you don’t get too hot.

3)      Going in groups of 3+ is a lot more fun, so gather up all your friends for a round of golf!

4)      Be mindful of other groups when you are playing. Don’t move on to the next hole if there is still another group there – wait your turn!

5)      Lastly, be mindful of the statues! Don’t stand on them or deface them – admire from afar if you must.

If you go, parking can be tricky to find, especially during the busier times of the day/summer. This is a tourist area so it is bound to be busy up in the lake during the summer. They do have a small parking area; however, it is usually full. You can also park on the street, you will just need to remember to bring a bunch of change to put into the parking meter. Around the World is open from 9 to midnight May to September, just be sure to check the weather because they could close if it rains or storms badly. Here is a link to their website, if you want to check it out - http://www.aroundtheworldgolf.com/index.asp.

Still Life's

Still life photographs are a great way to essentially show something off. For instance, if you have a new coffee cup, take a still life to show it to your friends! These are also great for taking photographs of flowers in a vase, like I have below. You can also be creative with your still life’s, and assemble them into a creative “pose” and then snap away, occasionally readjusting what you are working with – like my paintbrush/palette examples.

Here are my top five tips for still life photography –

1)      Be creative! Don’t be afraid of thinking outside of the box with still life’s, as this is how you will get some of the most interesting shots.

2)      Use props that you like, so that you will feel passionate about photographing them. It is easy to get bored or discouraged with still life’s because they are unmoving and never change (unless you change them)!

3)      Set your props up on a flat surface with a plain background, so as to not distract from what your subject is.

4)      Experiment with the whole “rule of thirds” idea – essentially divide up your image into three. I think of it as left, middle, right and top, middle, bottom. Then move your object within this perimeter so as to not have it in the middle at all times. Like with the Chip cup, it is set more to the right of the photograph – this is an example of the rule of thirds.

5)      Black and white has the ability to enhance some still life’s (like the first picture I posted) so experiment a bit with that as well!

All in all, have fun! Still life’s are a great way to showcase how creative you can be, so don’t hold back with them, and let the creativity flow!