Photographic Treasures in Hillsborough, New Hampshire
It is always exciting to find new places to explore and photograph in my corner of New England. This spring I have discovered the Fox Forest which features a wide variety of New Hampshire habitat. The added bonus is that the forest is located in Hillsborough, New Hampshire which has many other photographic locations, including a famous collection of stone arch bridges and dramatic waterfalls.
The Fox Forest
The Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest (Fox Forest) is a 1445 acre demonstration and research forest in
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| Fox Forest Headquarters |
Hillsborough, New Hampshire. It was donated to the state in 1933 by Caroline Fox, who had summered on the property for many years. Miss Fox had a strong interest in forest management and directed that the forest should be used for research on the management of New Hampshire’s forests and other natural resources. That work continues today through the Henry Baldwin Forest Education Center and currently includes assessment of timber harvesting in New Hampshire, forest sampling studies, regeneration research for white pine and red oak, uneven-aged management research and growth and yield studies.
In addition to research areas, the Fox Forest offers to visitors 25 miles of trails through a widely a varied ecosystem. Habitats range from peat bogs to virginal forests and oak covered ridges. A marsh on the south side of the forest is the home of Black Gum trees that are estimated to be 400-500 years old. The trails are well marked and accompanied by detailed maps and descriptions of the native treasures.
Early Spring Tour
I was introduced to Fox Forest early this spring by Kristen Smith of Wicked Dark Photography. On our visit, we explored parts of the north side of the forest down to the Mud Pond. We saw many ferns raising their heads to the sun, but only a few blooms, being a bit early for the best show. We did find a few early blooming Trillium. I am a rank amateur when it comes to plant identification, so it was great to shadow Kristen through the
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| Mud Pond |
forest. She has a remarkable knowledge of the flora, but as she named obscure plant after obscure plant, I began to suspect that she was just making the names up. I would surely never know! Mud Pond is an interesting destination. Seen from a walkway extending to the edge of the pond there is a wide variety of peatland flora enclosing the the central pond. It was a lovely day in the forest and a chance to learn about a new location for further exploration. I decided I had to come back to explore the forest later in the spring season and I returned last week.
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| Wicked Dark Photographer |
A Return Visit
On my second visit I followed the Ridge Trail to the Black Gum
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| Swamp Trail |
Marsh on the south side of the forest. This was another day to focus primarily on macro photography of the flowers and emerging ferns. It was a lovely warm and sunny day, a great time to be outside and terrible weather to try to capture wild flowers. I slowly walked the trails looking for blooms that were covered by the forest shade, but where the bright contrasty light was unavoidable I used a small diffuser to soften the illumination. The important 
thing about using a diffuser is to position it as close to the subject as possible without intruding on the frame. This allows the light to softly wrap around the subject. On occasions I was able to use my body to block the light, but this would have worked much better if I had a partner to provide the necessary portable shade. It is always important to watch for distracting backgrounds in macro photographs and this is especially difficult when the backgrounds are
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| White Star |
illuminated by the bright natural light. Despite the challenges I was able to get some interesting images of flowers and ferns. The Fox Forest is a wonderful place to discover and photograph the special features of the New England woodlands. I look forward to returning in all the seasons.
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| Painted Trillium |
Gleason Stone Arch Bridge and Falls
Being in Hillsborough my mind naturally turned to flowing water. The town has a wonderful collection of stone bridges traversing a variety of tumbling brooks. Of these my favorite is the Gleason Bridge which crosses Beard Brook and Gleason Falls. The bridge is a classic dry-laid stone bridge which is held together through the geometry of its stones, without any concrete. Stone arch bridges are always fascinating, but what makes the Gleason Bridge special is that it spans a cascading waterfall.
Given the recent rain, I knew that the waterfall would be dramatic, but as I suspected the bright mid afternoon sunlight was spotlighting the cascades. The brilliant light contrasted starkly with
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| Beard Brook |
the shaded banks and made it impossible to get the long exposures required to soften the appearance of the flowing water. I tried combining my polarizer with a neutral density filter but high contrast was still an issue. I tried a graduated ND filter but had difficulty positioning it to get a smooth effect. I considered using multi-image HDR techniques, but I tend to go crazy when I try to combine HDR with focus stacking. In the end my best technique was patience. There were a very few small clouds skittering by and I settled in waiting for the few seconds of localized overcast that they provided. I framed my composition and adjusted the focus so I could grab the key images during the brief curtains of softer light. Although the swarms of black flies did their best to chase me away, I was able to catch a few nice images both below and above the bridge. I especially liked the small clutch of flowers clinging to the rocks next to the roaring Brook.
A beautiful New England forest, a classic stone arch bridge and waterfall, all in all a nice day. I scurried home to upload my pictures and treat my insect bites.
Directions
Fox Forest is located in Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Directions: On Rte. 202/9, take the exit for Hillsborough and Fox Forest. From the lights in the center of Hillsborough, take Center Road northwest about 2 miles to the parking lot on the right at the headquarters of the Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest.
Gleason Falls in Hillsborough
Directions: From Route 9, take the exit to Route 202 South for Hillsborough. Take a right on Main Street and then shortly another right onto Beard Road. The road follows Beard Brook north passing one stone bridge on the right which spans the Brook to Jones Road. Continue on Beard Road and a short distance further on the dirt road you will pass over the Gleason Stone Arch Bridge. There is a small turn-off on the right just before the bridge.
Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com
Capturing The Greening
There is no single season for Macro photography. The world of up close opens endless possibilities for fresh vision regardless of time or place, but early spring is one of my favorite times to slap on my 100mm Macro and start wandering about familiar places looking for new inspiration.
The Greening
We are currently in the middle of the surprising spring greening. At this time every year the leaves explode as if they knew that their preciously short time to gather sunlight has arrived. I love the variations of green that appear in the early spring, but, for me, the earliest part of the season is the best for macro photography. During the first few days of the awakening, the buds break open providing a wide variety of fragile and succulent projections that create opportunities for unusual micro compositions. I can usually find all the excitement I need by just wandering about my neighborhood, but his week I also stopped by Ashuelot River Park in Keene for additional opportunities.
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| Birth Spiral |
The Equipment
My usual lens for routine photographic explorations is the wonderfully capable Canon 24-105 f4 L Lens. It covers the
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| Spring Icon |
majority of my interests and is my one choice when I am traveling light, but occasionally, I like to force my vision in new directions by limiting myself to a different lens. It may be a wider view with my 16-35mm, but most often I will select my 100mm Macro. This is a wonderfully sharp and fast lens. The 100mm makes it a great portrait lens and its macro capabilities gets me to that magic 1:1 ratio that is especially good for capturing the first signs of the spring awakening. Of course, you don’t have to buy an expensive macro lens to get close. Both close-up lens and lens tubes are considerably cheaper although not as convenient.
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| Pasture Cover |
Finding FocusThe key to striking spring macro images is to find the fresh buds in good light and at a time when the wind is not strong. Depth of
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| Shallow Focus |
field is often a challenge with macro photography. The ability to stop down to small apertures may be limited when the subjects are blowing in the breeze and long exposure only produce an artistic blur. Higher ISO levels can allow shorter exposures but at the cost of image quality and noise. Focus stacking is another option, but blending the images can also be challenging when the subject is being blown about. One cheat that I have discussed previously is to shoot flowers and greenery in a greenhouse where the light is diffused and the wind is minimal. When a subject can not be fully in focus, the challenge is to pick the critical portions to bring into sharpness. It is remarkable how much soft focus the eye can forgive as long as areas of sharpness draw attention to key elements.
The Light
Overcast weather is always preferred to capture the true colors in their full depth, but when shooting macros in bright sunlight the stark contrast can be reasonably managed with a small diffuser or by taking advantage of trans-illumination to light up the young foliage. A flash may also be used to fill the shadows, and a polarizing filter can help to hide the bright reflections and to bring out the rich colors.
The Background
One great thing about macro photography is that even terribly ordinary locations may hold magnificent treasures at the macro level. It is important to remember that the same rules of composition apply, and it is often easier to arrange small nearby elements in a pleasing fashion than it is when the elements to be arranged are trees and mountains. An ugly cluttered background can be reduced to a lovely backdrop with the soft Bokeh created by wide apertures. Distracting background elements can still be a problem, but can often be eliminated with small changes in composition.
The Restless Spring
The one inevitable truth about the New England spring is that it is always changing. Too soon the fascinating virginal buds will mature. The detail in the wanton spring flowers will continue to provide excellent subjects for macro shots and the young leaves will continue to hold their fascination for a couple of weeks before they take on the deeper fixed green of the languid summer. The attractions of the New England Spring are ever changing and always spectacular, so while you have a chance get out and enjoy the wonder of the awakening macro world.
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| Apple Blossom |
Jeffrey Newcomerp
partridgebrookreflections.com
