Crowder Park modest in size, attractions

Crowder County Park in southern Wake County, N.C., encompasses 33 acres of land that includes a very modest pond, recreational fields for softball, volleyball and soccer, a paved trail around the pond and dirt trails in the wooded area, a rudimentary amphitheater within the woods, three playground areas and three picnic shelters.

The park's website says the park also has a bird garden, prairie garden, shade garden and butterfly garden. I walked past an area that was labeled rain garden as well. I'm not sure what each of these is supposed to show for visitors; each is quite modest, and you could easily miss it if you weren't specifically looking for it.

The photo leading off the post is among my favorites at the park. It's a reflection of a very small section of the pond along one side of a wooded observation deck. The vast majority of the pond is on the other side of the deck.

The website also says the park's address puts it in the community of Apex, which is the fourth place I visited on this day (the three others were churches) that claims to reside in Apex ... even though in each case I was several miles from what I consider to be closest border for the town limits of Apex. So there's some geography I apparently need to study up on.

As always, if you'd like to view a larger, sharper version of a photo, simply click on the image. This is particularly helpful for those of you who access the blog on a mobile device. To view a full gallery of images from my visit to Crowder Park, follow the link in this sentence.

Photo geek stuff: For the entire shoot, I used Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens. I took three slightly different exposures (one as metered, one 2/3 stop over and one 2/3 stop under metered), which I blended into a single frame in post-processing using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software. Most of the shots were taken at 100 ISO or close to 100 ISO and f/8, although in extremely shady areas I needed to boost the ISO to much higher levels. I used the shutter as my variable for the differing exposures for each composition.

The park's offices (above) are just inside the main entrance, and not far from it is a feeding station (first below) and a bird bath basin (second below) that was empty ... except for these frog figurines. 

As one walks from the Cardinal shelter (above) and descends those stairs, he/she sees the playground shown below.  

The view (above) from the deck at the park's Upper Pavilion (there is a Lower Pavilion deeper into the park) looks out onto a wooded area. It's a good place to appreciate the sounds of the woods. Below is a look out onto the recreation fields, with a sand volleyball court in the immediate foreground.  

Above is a look at the pond from the observation deck. Below is the view of the pond and observation deck as seen from the opposite side of the pond. 

Above: A "reflective" composition featuring wood poles, their reflections and other reflections on the pond, all framed by the foliage in the foreground. 

Quite a few turtles make the pond and shore area their home. There is a raft in the center of the pond (above) for them. The first two photos below are closeups of some turtles that swam near and underneath the observation deck. 

Above: A swing -- and its shadow -- at the end of the pond opposite the deck. 

On a dirt trail en route to the amphitheater (below), I came across the unusual rocks shown above. 

Above: A couple walking the paved trail around the pond. 

Went out to photograph a park, and I came back with 4 churches to boot

I took off from home the other day, planning to do a photographic profile of Crowder Park, part of the Wake County Park system.

By the time I got home, not only had I photographed the park (a future post will be devoted to this), but I also stopped to do profiles of four churches I came across on the commute -- two on the way to the park, and two on the way home. As a bonus (to me, anyway), these churches were pretty close to each other.

Swift Creek Baptist Church

Probably my favorite of the four was Swift Creek Baptist Church, 9300 Penny Road, so I elected to lead the post with its photos. And when it came to picking my lead-off image, I was torn between the one you see at the top ... and the one immediately below. They're similar, but taken at slightly different spots -- and from slightly different vantage points relative to the ground. As you no doubt noticed, the primary difference is the amount (or lack) of tree foliage overlapping the church tower.

I liked the foliage's delicate kiss as illustrated in the lead-off image, which I composed while standing in a normal, upright position. But ... I also liked the lack of foliage ... and the modest clump of open blue sky ... enjoyed in the image below, which I took while crouched.

The church gathering hall (above) and a close up of its tower (below). 

Swift Creek Baptist was one of two the churches I visited that also have graveyards. The area near the entrance to its graveyard (above) is nicely landscaped and includes this bench and striking iron gate doors. To the left of this view is a modest memorial (first below) to what I'm presuming are former church members. Just outside the fence surrounding the graveyard (second below), one gets this vista of grave monuments, a tree and the church in the background. 

Above: I mentioned the nice landscaping, which includes a couple of flower beds, including this pink and white rose. 

Inside the graveyard, I came across the monuments seen in the image above and first five below. 

Above: The church's side features this white cross that faces the graveyard. 

As always, if you'd like to view a larger, sharper version of a photo, simply click on the image. This is particularly helpful for those of you who access the blog on a mobile device. To view full galleries of my shoots at Cary Alliance Church, Catawba Springs Christian Church, Fairview Baptist Church and Swift Creek Baptist Church, click on the link with the respective church names in this sentence.

Photo geek stuff: I shot all four churches with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens. I took three slightly different exposures (one as metered, one 2/3 stop over and one 2/3 stop under metered), which I blended into a single frame in post-processing using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software. Most of the shots were taken at 100 ISO or close to 100 ISO and f/8, although in extremely shady areas I boosted the ISO to much higher levels. I used the shutter as my variable for the differing exposures for each composition.

Catawba Springs Christian Church

Catawba Springs Christian Church, 6801 Ten-Ten Road, Apex, is the other church I came across with an adjacent graveyard. This church, like Swift Creek Baptist, uses a light brown brick for its facade. It also has a community gathering building as well as an adjacent building and playground that appears to be connected to the church (this structure lacks signage in front to help verify, but it appears to be connected based on the fact that the parking lot in back is accessible to the church).

Above and below: A full perspective and sectioned look at Catawba Springs. A note on the front door of the church indicates that Sunday services are held in the larger, community building in the back, shown in the third photo below.

The backside of the community building (above), nicely landscaped with trees and shade. Below is the next-door structure not marked by signage but appearing to be associated with the church. Behind it is the playground (second photo below). 

 Above and below: Two shots taken inside the Catawba Springs church graveyard.

Fairview Baptist Church

I don't have too much to say about Fairview Baptist Church, 5608 Ten-Ten Road, that cannot be conveyed in the pictures that follow.

A look at the church from across Ten-Ten Road (above), from behind (first below) and from beyond its huge parking lot well behind the main structure and annex (second below). 

Above: A biblical reference imprinted on a door to the annex building.  

Most of the churches I visited have some recreational facilities. Fairview Baptist has the full outdoor basketball court and, behind it, an outdoor volleyball court (above), a soccer field (below) and a softball diamond (second below).  

Above: I wasn't sure what to make of these buses parked in the church's lot between the sanctuary and annex. 

Cary Alliance Church

Cary Alliance Church, 4108 Ten-Ten Road, was the most difficult of the churches to photograph this day because the sun was on the wrong side of all of the best angles for compositions.

My Favorite composition of the church (above) because of the detail reflected in its distinguished and massive glass facade. A wider perspective is shown below.   

Above: A look at the side of the church complex. 

Above, a bloom in the garden seen in the bottom left of the photo of the church side view (two above). The roadside sign (below), a view of the church (second below) as visitors reach the top of a snaking hill to reach the facilities from Ten-Ten Road and a closeup of the tower (third below). 

An area to relax (above) in a wooded area on the other side of the parking lot, a closeup of a window adorned inside with paper cutouts (below).