Blackwater on Maryland's Eastern Shore

[KirbyKrieger]

Hi.  I'm going to be in the vicinity of a favorite spot of mine, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, for much of next week.  Does anyone have any suggestions for shooting there or nearby?  (Blackwater is outside of Cambridge, Maryland.  It's a migratory bird stop-over, but my main interest is the landscape, which is flat, broad, interleaved with waterways, and rich in maritime light.)

This will be my first attempt at landscape photography, so any general hints are also much appreciated.

Thank you.

[framah]

That area is pretty boring until in the fall when the corn fields are cut and the geese  are in the thousands. Take a look a bit north into Delaware for Trap Pond SP.  It is the northern most stand of naturally occurring cyprus left in the US. You can drop a canoe in and suddenly you are back in a primordial forest.  The cyprus there are deciduous and will drop their leaves in the fall unlike their cousins down south. In the spring, the leaves should be starting to bud out.

Of curse, the whole area should be budding leaves so the color will be coming back in to the woods in the Blackwater area.

Many years ago, I was down there and there had to be 3 or 4 thousand snow geese! Amazing to see and hear!!

[KirbyKrieger]

That area is pretty boring until in the fall ... Take a look a bit north into Delaware for Trap Pond SP.

Framah -- thanks for the tips.  I have done some canoeing on the Eastern Shore -- mostly quietly following muskrats and heron -- I know the "back in primordial forest" feeling.  I'm going to have to practice a bit before I am comfortable taking my camera in a canoe, though (it's a modest kit, but I can't afford to replace it).  Looking forward to Trap Pond SP -- will definitely make the visit.

[fike]

Bald eagles, osprey, herons of all variety (Blue, White, Green, Black Crowned Night).  We like to take our kayaks and paddle up the green trail (8 miles round trip).  Lots of birds and marshy variety.  there is a scenic drive that is nice, but there is a nicer road (I think it is Maple Dam Road) that threads its way through the upland (freshwater) marsh.  It is a very scenic area.  Be there at sunset or sunrise and you won't be disappointed.  

another nice nearby area to go is St Michaels.  there is a nice maritime museum there with some nice shops and restaurants.  

These folks were really helpful and nice about getting some friends set up with kayaks and the will ferry people around and stuff. They gave us lots of good advice.
http://www.blackwaterpaddleandpedal.com/

[KirbyKrieger]

These folks were really helpful and nice about getting some friends set up with kayaks and the will ferry people around and stuff. They gave us lots of good advice.
http://www.blackwaterpaddleandpedal.com/

Thanks.  Checking it out now.  The birding is superb.  Osprey have made a really good comeback.  Eagles are common.  Not like "the old days", but improved over how bad it got.

[Jay Kaplan]

Try Worcester County  and the area around Snow Hill or the Pocomoke River or Shad Landing State Forest. Also Somerset County and the areas around Pocomoke City

[KirbyKrieger]

Try Worcester County  and the area around Snow Hill or the Pocomoke River or Shad Landing State Forest. Also Somerset County and the areas around Pocomoke City

Thanks.  In Maryland now.  Will check our your recs.  Snow Hill I know.  Pocomoke was the name of my parents' dog when I was I kid -- I have some familiarity with the river.  Shad Landing I don't know -- will look up shortly.  Dorchester and Wicomico I know a bit -- Somerset is beyond my ken (as is most of Worcester).  Already had a terrific time shooting pre-dusk to darkness from a canoe in a creek in Talbot County.

Thanks again for the pointers.

[fike]

Assateague island is also a great spot for photography.

http://www.trailpixie.net/general/sand_water_sky.htm
http://www.trailpixie.net/cute_enough_to.htm

[KirbyKrieger]

Assateague island is also a great spot for photography.
http://www.trailpixie.net/cute_enough_to.htm

Ponies!

The bird is fabulous.  Well done all round.

[framah]

We expect a full report with photos!!
(...and we will check spelling!!)

[KirbyKrieger]

We expect a full report with photos!!
(...and we will check spelling!!)

I am having a GREAT time.  My first vacation with a camera.  

Photos to come.  Must be something worthwhile in there -- I've shot 1800+ exposures in three days.  And two afternoons were spent trying to find a 2,000' boardwalk in a wildlife refuge (Choptank Wetlands Preserve, a/k/a Hog Island) .  Turns out the boardwalk was only accessible by boat when it existed, it was never in Hog Island (a swamp, or, as they say, a tidal estuary), and it no longer exists.  I did not take any pictures of the boat ramp; I am not, alas, traveling by water.

Back to Blackwater tomorrow, and perhaps pre-dawn Wed (new moon).  The light is gorgeous, the fields bright with fresh growth, and you can't not see eagles, egrets, osprey, crimson-winged blackbirds, and swimming muskrats.