North Cabarrus Park

I decided to take a trip to a nearby park today. I've actually been planning on making a visit out there for the past few days now. It's only about 2 miles from where I live, but I didn't find out about it until about a week ago. So, here's a little about my trip to North Cabarrus Park.

Boardwalk

The plan was to get up early and get to the park to try to get some shots in the soft morning light. Well, that didn't happen. I rolled out of bed at about 7am and stuck my head outside. Just as quick as my head was out the door, I came to
the conclusion that I wouldn't be following my early morning plans. My main form of transportation is a motorcycle, and it was still covered in a light layer of ice in certain spots. I decided the pictures could wait awhile longer.

Dogwood Shelter

I got to the park at about 11am, right about that time where you Don't want to start your photography outing. That harsh mid-day light is just very unflattering on almost any subject. For my landscape shots, I only had a few options to work with. I could either underexpose my ground to bring out the sky, or get a proper exposure of the ground and blow out my sky. Neither of these are very appealing options, but a camera sensor can only cover so much. So I decided to go for option 3, HDR. I set my camera up on a tripod and bracketed my shots 2 stops apart, with a total of 3 exposures. I try not to use HDR if I don't need to, but sometimes it's just necessary. After my landscape shots were done, I decided to wait around and see what other subjects would cross my path. I was lucky enough to see quite a few people out there. Some were lounging around eating during their lunch break, some were out walking their dogs or exercising, and others were out there with their children, letting them play on the sets. There were also plenty of ducks and geese around who had no fear of people. They'd come right up to your feet looking for food. There's also a great little place to bring the family to eat called "Dogwood Shelter". It's just a bunch of tables with a roof, but it's a nice location.

Jogging with the Dog

This park is a great place to visit for a few hours, or even for most of the day. There's about 90 acres of land out there. At first look, it doesn't seem anywhere near that big, but there's a lot of land beyond the large pond, winding paths, and large playsets for the kids. There's quite a few trails back there for you to follow if you're the nature type. It may not be as great as taking a trip up to the mountains, but it's a nice getaway spot close to the city. I definitely recommend giving this place a visit if you haven't been here before, it's right on the edge of Concord. I'll surely be going back in a few months to do a re-shoot once the park starts staying open until 8pm. I'd really like to get some great "Golden Hour" shots, as well as some sunset photos. 

To see the rest of the photos from today, click the link below

North Cabarrus Park

Give North Cabarrus Park a visit and let us know how it went! You can visit their site here http://www.cabarruscounty.us/