December Featured Photographer: Sabrina Eberhard

Date Published: November 30, 2020

Each month Dutchess Tourism features a local photographer to help showcase the beauty and variety of Dutchess. This month meet Sabrina Eberhard! See some of her work and learn more about why she loves photographing the heart of the Hudson Valley. 

What is your name and where can people find your work?

I’m Sabrina Eberhard. You can see my photography on my Instagram @sabrina.eberhard or on my website www.sabrinaeberhardphotography.com

Describe your perfect staycation in Dutchess, or your idea of a fun weekend in the County. 

It is late Friday evening of my perfect Dutchess county staycation, and the first thing I think of is, what’s for dinner? I head to a local mom and pop run market, Quattro Farm Store and once I walk in, I am greeted by fresh Migliorelli Farms produce a fierce beer selection and some insanely good-looking cuts of meat. Being my decadent self, I pick up a whole duck to roast up in the oven along with some fresh veggies, but what is dinner without the wine? I head over and visit my friend Carl at Village Wine & Spirits Front, where Carl helps me select the perfect pairing for my roast duck dinner. After my home-cooked meal, I set up my outdoor projector and watch a movie over a crackling fire.

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning and I go outside to say hello to my chickens as I grab my mountain bike out of my shed. I hit the Taconic State Parkway and find myself at Hereford State Park, where I rip up some single track in the beautiful forest along the stream­—don’t worry I leave my DSLR at home on these types of adventures. After a nice sweat with some great views, it’s time for a bite. I drive to Poughkeepsie and head to my go-to lunch spot and grab a crispy chicken panini, with prosciutto, gooey mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and pesto, all perfectly cooked up on delicious house-made focaccia from Rossi’s Deli— be warned the 7-inch panini is bigger than my head! With a sandwich in hand, I drive over to the Marist College waterfront and take in the river views. After I recover from my food coma I drive over Beacon and grab a couple of hoppy brews with friends at the legendary Hudson Valley Brewery. I finish up my night for another Hudson River sesh, taking in the sunset at Long Dock Park and hopefully coming home with some great pics!

My staycation is coming to an end but there is always time for one more adventure. I head over to Rhinebeck to grab a bite to-go from Rhinebeck Bagels. After I enjoy my loaded lox and a bagel sandwich, I am fueled up for my hike at Ferncliff Forest. Just a few minutes outside the heart of town this beautiful hike brings you to one of New York’s many fire towers. As I reach the top of the tower I am blown away by the view, each time I visit it is more beautiful than the last. Afterward, I head back to the village of Rhinebeck and putz around the charming village streets. It's time for dinner so I go to one of my favorite restaurants, Terrapin. I order up a nice cold beer and my usual, a duck quesadilla and arugula salad with goat cheese wontons. With a full belly and a great few days behind me, I would say this was the perfect Dutchess County staycation.

What is your favorite place to photograph in Dutchess and why? 

This is a hard question to answer since there are just so many beautiful places to choose from, but if I were to have to pick, I would say Beacon. The town has so many nooks and crannies to explore—like the Hudson Valley waterfront, the many waterfalls, the lively town, abandoned ruins, and this doesn’t even cover it all!

What equipment do you use in your photography?

I photograph on a Nikon D750 with my go-to lens, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens. I also have a 50mm prime lens and of course, my iPhone 11pro is always on hand in case I am not lugging around my normal setup. In the works is my next addition, the DJI Mavic 2 pro, so I can capture photographs from a new perspective and develop my skills with video work.

Do you have somewhere on your list that you want to photograph in Dutchess, but haven’t gotten there yet? 

Innisfree Gardens in Millbrook is a place that has long been on my list to photograph. If you do not know about Innisfree, it is recognized as one of the world’s best gardens and is just the most beautiful place to visit. I have always wanted to get there for sunrise to capture the golden morning light and explore all of the little treasures the gardens have to offer.

Give us a few photography tips:

Light is everything, and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Always move around your subject, see where the light lands the most beautifully. Study the area you want to shoot and learn when the light has that golden hue hitting just the right spot. Bright sunny days are the worst and you risk hard shadows and overexposure, though a polarized filter can help. I regularly shoot on cloudy days since the light is diffused and gives an alluring mood.

Be creative when you shoot. What sets a good picture from a great picture is photographing from angles that are not at eye level. Get low, get high photographs from unique perspectives are typically the most interesting.

Most importantly, just go out and have fun! Learning to shoot on a DSLR can be daunting, but you will get there with practice. If your photos aren’t perfect don’t fret. I studied underneath a National Geographic photographer, Matt Moyer, and he told me that most National Geographic photographers will turn in around 60,000 images for one shoot, and of those images, less than 10 are standouts. So, if you don’t get the shot try again, each missed shot is a lesson learned.