tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72080654017758486472024-02-22T02:13:06.207-05:00Greg Kiser PhotographyAn online collection of my fine art photographyGreg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-16749555853040811112018-11-28T08:42:00.002-05:002018-11-28T08:43:17.480-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><b>We have officially moved to a new platform. You can catch all of the latest blog entries and the newest pictures at <a href="http://www.gkiserphotography.com/">www.gkiserphotography.com</a>. Please update your bookmarks.</b></span></div>
Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-28414705332785288872018-11-05T09:57:00.004-05:002018-11-05T09:57:38.447-05:00Rust Therapy at Outlawed RestorationsSunday, November 4, 2018<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Lacking Motivation</b></i></td></tr>
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I have migrated my platform over to my new website at www.gkiserphotography.com. You can read the blog for this trek by <a href="http://gkiserphotography.com/rust-therapy-at-outlawed-restorations/">clicking here</a>.Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-60513499675728681782018-11-01T18:30:00.001-04:002018-11-01T18:30:03.777-04:00Behind the Camera: My Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back to another installment of <b><i>Behind the Camera</i></b>, which is a monthly feature here. In this feature I usually tackle a question that has come up about my photography in the previous days. I'm going to go about this one in a little bit of a different way this month. Since October 18th, my mind has really not been on photography at all. I've just been going through the motions during the second half of the month. When it came time to think about what to write here, I just couldn't formulate any thoughts that I was excited about sharing. In the end, I just decided to talk about what I've been going through and how it relates to my photography.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth C. Kiser 1947-2018</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my Mother, Elizabeth Kiser passed away suddenly on the afternoon of October 17th. She was not found until shortly after midnight. I am still processing this as we were very close, and typically I would not put this out there as I am about to do. Honestly, I have no idea where this entry is going to go, but I think that I need to do it in order to get myself back on track with my photography. You see, I owe a lot to my Mother when it comes to my photography, as well as many other aspects in my life. In short, without her assistance and support, I would have never been able to achieve a lot of what I have accomplished over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At every stage of my photographic endeavors, my Mom was there with funding assistance and an unwavering support. When I wanted to get a digital camera to make sharing images on the web easier back in 2002, she purchased a Sony FD-200 digital point and shoot for me as a gift. It was clunky, and saved files to a 3.5" floppy disk or a 128mb memory stick. It did start me down a long road of photography. I bought my next camera which was another Sony, but a much higher powered one called the F-828 which was a "prosumer" camera. It was this camera that allowed me to start creating the images that I had learned that I wanted to create.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course Mom was there every step of the way and wanted prints of everything that I shot. This was the typical Mother thing where all of your art projects ended up on the refrigerator door. I lost track of the refrigerators that she bought over the years to hang my work up. I'm kidding of course, but she did have a growing collection of 8x10" prints which I framed using Walmart frames. For close to three years I honed my abilities as a photographer and started to make waves in the internet world with my images and tutorials. Mom paid very close attention and was always very interested in what I was up to with my camera; so when the time came to think about upgrading she was a natural person to talk with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I let her know that I had reached the limit of what the Sony could do. I was having lots of noise issues and chromatic aberrations which the camera was known for. In order for me to create the images that I was wanting, I was going to need a DSLR camera. Seems simple enough right? Well, I was going to have to revamp my entire kit to switch over to a DSLR, and since I was going to be shooting in RAW, I was going to need a new computer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Camera body, a couple of lenses, a new computer, a printer, filters, bag, tripod, etc... carry the five....Holy cow, I was looking at thousands of dollars to get what I considered a workable kit. I talked to her for hours one afternoon and shared with her what I was needing, and started asking how I was going to afford such an investment when I wasn't really making any money with photography...at least not on the level where I could justify that kind of expense. After I babbled on for a while she simply stated make a list of what you need and send me an email.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I set to work putting that list together with the help of B&H Photo and Dell Computers. I think that the ending figure came to just shy of 10 grand. I prioritized what I would need first and send the list. Without blinking, she said order it and it would be covered. I wasn't expecting that, but there it was. I had a complete Canon DSLR kit with everything that I was going to need on the way in time for an Alaska trip I was planning. I had just enough time to figure out how to work the camera before flying across the country with it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Boat Launch</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By this time, her walls were filled with 8x10 images that I had shot over the years and I was figuring that there was no way she would want more, but she did. In fact, she started to like my sunrise pictures and started telling me that she was going to buy some of my new images as I added to my collection. I felt really bad selling her images shot, processed, and printed with equipment that she had bought but she would have it no other way. She got a hefty discount, and basically just paid for framing, and occasionally I was able to make these prints gifts to her. Regardless she kept adding to her collection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What made this so amazing was she was living in assisted living at the time and had an efficiency apartment with two main rooms. She had prints on the walls that were 17x26" which were then matted and framed. It was crowded, but it did look good and she got a lot of compliments on her collection from everyone that came into her room. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When 2011 rolled in and I had gotten burned out with photography, she was fine with me selling everything off and using the money to start another passion that was about to be developed. I found a buyer for every last bit of my equipment who came with a pickup truck and took it all from the spirit level on top of the camera to the ONE HUNDRED POUND printer I had been using for so long. Even though I was out of photography, she still displayed my work proudly in her apartment and would talk to me occasionally about my photography, all the while still supporting my new passion of cycling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For those that don't know, Mom had Multiple Sclerosis which is why she was in assisted living. She was diagnosed in 2003, and by '05 she was in the bed more than anywhere else which prompted her to move out of her house and into an independent living facility. I found this out when I called her house and there was no answer. I called the cell phone and she said that she hadn't switched over the phone yet. She liked to do things on her own. By '07 she realized that she was needing more care than her current situation would provide, so she let me help her get into an assisted living facility. She would remain here for the rest of her life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With MS, she would go through ups and downs and at times be very active, while others be completely bed ridden. She made the suggestion that I participate in the Bike MS, Tour to Tanglewood which benefited the NMSS of NC which she leaned on so heavily in the early years of her diagnosis. It was the least that I could do to do that, and it became a yearly thing for me to participate in. It turned into a great idea as I was able to raise many thousands of dollars for the NMSS and brought a lot of awareness to folks. In 2013, she was feeling pretty good and actually worked the Linking Lives Tent which coordinated with the ones suffering from MS with the riders that were riding for them. She was also in training to do one of the MS walks on her own. Her goal was to do it unassisted, but she did have to use a walker to walk a bit over a mile. This was huge since a few years before she was pretty much a prisoner of her bed or a power chair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the end of 2013, I was getting a little burned out with cycling haven ridden 13,000 miles in a couple of years time. I wanted to get back into photography, and was really regretting my decision to sell all of my equipment before. I refused to talk to my Mom about this because I knew what her answer would be, and I didn't want to accept any more money from her since apparently I was having a really hard time committing to my passions. My wife, Toni, got involved and wanted me to be happy and knew that I would only get back into photography if I could do it on my own terms. She went behind my back and brokered deal with Mom that ultimately lead to a conversation on the phone. It was a long one where I played the stubborn and proud son that wasn't going to accept any more money. She played the part of the stubborn and proud Mom who insisted that she needed new wall art in her apartment and didn't like anything other than my pictures. We went back and forth with Toni pushing me to cave in. I refused to cave in....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After effects of a rather large UPS delivery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new camera, a 5D Mk3</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything all put together in the bag</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So three days later, B&H delivered my new gear to the tune of $14,000. Did I mention that I refused to accept any more money? Well, I was grounded and sent to my room until UPS came. Once again, I was back in business thanks to my Mom. I went at things much slower than I had before and did it for me rather than to try and make a business for myself. She was supportive of that plan, and still made me make prints for her...which she insisted on buying from me. I don't know how she manged to get all of these prints on her walls since I was now printing everything for her at 13x19" which was my favorite size.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the end of 2014, I was just not happy with my photography anymore. I didn't like it was going and I was feeling very guilty for the money that Mom had spent on my gear. She wasn't concerned and supported me putting more of my time and energy back into cycling once again. This time I left the photography gear in the closet and would go back to it occasionally for a picture here and there. It wasn't until 2016, that I found the missing piece to my happiness in photography. I ended up with Lightroom after a computer crash forced me to invest in a new computer. I learned how to control the color replication to the printer which had always been a problem. This springboarded me right back into photography once again. Mom was thrilled and tried really hard to understand color management while I was explaining my breakthrough to her. She never figured it out, but was excited for me, and the prospect of new pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The funny thing was, I was slowly starting to wear her down with my old rusty cars and she was starting to appreciate what I saw in them. She even had me make her a print of an old pickup which turned out really nice and she really liked it. I could never get her to fully commit to a black and white image, but she did like a few of them that I did. She absolutely adored anything dealing with sunrises or sunsets, and had started to like the waterfalls that I did as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking back, I would get an email after every blog post that I did, and I could count on it like clockwork. Based on what I had shot I could pretty much tell what the email would say. I could always expect trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway to result in "I want everything that you shot" to show up. If I did waterfalls, she would send "I'm glad you got to go out and shoot your moving water, I found a lot of them really relaxing to look at." If I had shot barns that day, it would go a little something like this: "I didn't see anything I had to have from this one, but they turned out great." The old cars were always a toss up though. It would go like this: "I just love your titles on these, but they are not my cup of tea," or like this: "I'm starting to see the personality in these cars and I can relate based on how I am feeling right now."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My last two treks didn't have any emails. The first one, she was really busy doing things to get my Grandfather's house ready to sell and I didn't really expect her to sit down to read the entry until she got to a point she could breathe. I was really looking forward to what she thought of the old mill that I had shot. I was expecting this to fall in the category of "I want the color one, but I'm just not a fan of black and white." I knew that she would really like the colors that I captured with the reds and blues. She also was developing a like for the long exposure shots I was doing. I'll never know what she thought of this shot, but I know she saw it at least.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPdou1cMprlYvmjd3F6Kpi6Lt0gvHgo5KtZfGG1DuGdf2jK_bwwfnbmt0R31EANatTNvEkm3KQeJ5usAsXCstKJLnrqRTwt0frxMNe6NLitCbAe4OysBbJSqaB7wsvgSXaQodkNroCcU/s1600/Old+Mill+of+Guilford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPdou1cMprlYvmjd3F6Kpi6Lt0gvHgo5KtZfGG1DuGdf2jK_bwwfnbmt0R31EANatTNvEkm3KQeJ5usAsXCstKJLnrqRTwt0frxMNe6NLitCbAe4OysBbJSqaB7wsvgSXaQodkNroCcU/s640/Old+Mill+of+Guilford.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old Mill of Guilford</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trek that I took next was on the morning of the 16th. I am pretty sure that she never saw this one at all. I didn't get a chance to process the images and do the web end of it until late that night after work. She left her apartment early in the morning for an appointment and died later that afternoon while still away from home. I can say with some amount of confidence that this set of pictures would have hit home with her. She would probably say that she still didn't care for the old rusty hunks of junk, but the Ramblers were something that sparked memories for her. My Grandfather had a convertible Rambler when she was growing up, and I'm sure that would have made at least one of these images something that would make her list of "one day, I'm going to have that on my wall."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEWlrRgrJBMcNXldX5eIhqZqbWebYQfSKuj_AwkcuSB8ub51OAzX3JYT3Bza8kiPDkMJSN_Q7zFIXagehlU8MFJVI0EQYBgAOan9MpdJd9_qssDoT7ykXSfK1A9vDv_yb1PO1qZHCVqM/s1600/Ramble+On.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEWlrRgrJBMcNXldX5eIhqZqbWebYQfSKuj_AwkcuSB8ub51OAzX3JYT3Bza8kiPDkMJSN_Q7zFIXagehlU8MFJVI0EQYBgAOan9MpdJd9_qssDoT7ykXSfK1A9vDv_yb1PO1qZHCVqM/s640/Ramble+On.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ramble On</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It really makes me sad that I've lost my biggest cheerleader, and that she will never know just how far I might go in photography. I do know that I owe it to her to take it as far as I possibly can. I remember clearly years ago telling her that I couldn't necessarily believe her rave reviews of my photography since she used to be proud of the scribbles that I drew in elementary school. She was my Mom, she was supposed to like whatever I did. I would shrug her opinions off many times and search for validation from people I didn't know. Somehow, I felt that those opinions carried more weight. I feel guilty about dismissing her opinions through the years though. She had earned the right to have a voice in my photography because without her, I would have probably never even had the chance to see what I could do with a camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life is precious, and the world has lost a wonderful woman. I have lost my Mother, my biggest cheerleader and supporter of everything that I have done, even the stupid things. I'm going to miss you Mom, and I promise to continue down the path that you have so graciously paved for me on several occasions. I'm going to miss you, and I love you.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBvE-FcqvV8GpWaRCmtzICkPMt_AhnmC29_5yKn4TA2QpA3Hy68zVk9RntPiKQnInOzDdsq6P6Lb0r_HMelIWS8OMJm5J0IHqkfnxgbLNN8544tuJVx8gHkXGGOOqLn2OqaSOt_krk0A/s1600/Scan_20181025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBvE-FcqvV8GpWaRCmtzICkPMt_AhnmC29_5yKn4TA2QpA3Hy68zVk9RntPiKQnInOzDdsq6P6Lb0r_HMelIWS8OMJm5J0IHqkfnxgbLNN8544tuJVx8gHkXGGOOqLn2OqaSOt_krk0A/s1600/Scan_20181025.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks for joining me on this emotional ride. This is about as "Behind the Camera" as we can get. I will get back on track as soon as my creativity comes back. For now, my heart is broken and I am having a real hard time tapping into my artistic side. There are a lot of things on the horizon though. We have workshops starting up in a month and a new website that is currently trying to be launched. I'm hoping by the next installment of Behind the Camera, I am back to some semblance of normality once again.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-12243349743871722732018-10-16T23:44:00.001-04:002018-10-17T11:59:47.667-04:00Rust Hunting in Danbury<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday, October 16, 2018</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After this past weekend, I was left feeling a little unsatiated when it came to my photography. Yes, I was able to go out and I spent about an hour in the field, but when it was all said and done I had only worked one composition. It turned out nice but I was still wanting more. As luck would have it, I had a meeting Tuesday evening and that meant that I would have a little bit of time in the morning to go out with the camera. To make matters even better, the forecast was calling for clouds and even a possibility of rain. After all of the rain that we have had recently, this meant one thing...WATERFALLS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started to look at the time that I would have to work with and that put three locations in range for me. That was Hanging Rock, Styers Mill Falls, and Widow's Creek Falls at Stone Mountain. Any of these would look good right about now but just thinking about them caused me to yawn. I've done some fantastic waterfalls here lately and I do enjoy them...but the ones that are close just weren't exciting to me right now. In fact, after working so many waterfalls in the past couple of months I really didn't feel like that was where I wanted to focus my attention. Add to it the fact that I've been to each of these falls more times than I can count and know every composition available for them. I wanted to be creative and shoot something different.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhyphenhyphenHnEz7TxMBqjJFX9DRcVRDO1Q1Wsa5GjemYBiWPqskO1pqd_g9786sAxIOSfnnLG3HtDVDVEzayWZqhpERPCkPIYSdGb2N8LMeWTr0hZ5NSnOK9tefXNZhCmOhy7Y1-iSrJxDtZMoo/s1600/American+Textures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhyphenhyphenHnEz7TxMBqjJFX9DRcVRDO1Q1Wsa5GjemYBiWPqskO1pqd_g9786sAxIOSfnnLG3HtDVDVEzayWZqhpERPCkPIYSdGb2N8LMeWTr0hZ5NSnOK9tefXNZhCmOhy7Y1-iSrJxDtZMoo/s640/American+Textures.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>American Textures</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I looked back to a previous trek that took me out to <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-little-rust-in-stokes-county.html">Stokes County</a> when I found three different rusty treasures. I remember driving out to that location that I passed by Priddy's General Store which made me look back. Thinking about the low clouds I was going to have got me considering a long exposure on the store for a little dramatic flare. I was starting to get a little excited. I also recalled seeing an old Mustang behind a house coming back home from the previous shoot as well as what looked like a parts car storage behind a shop of some sort. All within about 10 miles of each other I had three possible locations to shoot rural and rusty subjects. This excited me, and gave me the thrill of the hunt which was missing from waterfalls. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SNxRiG89RK6FtheK9pmHSkwM0bGQ_MG528-YuiWhexFxSOpzofo0FRCwTQC7iTreG9a-D19aenxtjbnlPSJdDsPDP7xxWLsiaVVRJgijNrnB_rZynDbAkUmU2y9Wzxsn6E8zOyyGpSo/s1600/French+American+Stalemate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SNxRiG89RK6FtheK9pmHSkwM0bGQ_MG528-YuiWhexFxSOpzofo0FRCwTQC7iTreG9a-D19aenxtjbnlPSJdDsPDP7xxWLsiaVVRJgijNrnB_rZynDbAkUmU2y9Wzxsn6E8zOyyGpSo/s640/French+American+Stalemate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>French American Stalemate</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started to plan out my morning which would include dropping Sierra off at school and then heading to Danbury. I wasn't quite sure what order I would work things in, but was really interested in shooting the General Store. However, looking at it on Google Maps, I was a little concerned about compositions and felt that this might be a long shot subject. I was going to be close and figured that I could at least give it a second look if I didn't shoot it. The Mustang would be a sure thing as long as the owner was home as I would need to get fully into the property to shoot it. The shop was a bit of a question mark since I had only seen it for a fraction of a second driving down the road. I saw rust, but didn't know the compositions or even what types of cars would be present. Based on all of this I decided to start with the Mustang and then decide from there where to next.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDjY6gD3cqasZDimJvPGLISEsLgjA2SPJMIW0wQ-hvzkpSTJk_NH5zjwZgpnHCSsvM7IXk4Zl6ovTRgmEY1TcZFRqfShW8VZOFjid4W9iQFBDVbwXMCVk8Uidn0bchyoQzhZlqPd3UW8/s1600/403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="800" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDjY6gD3cqasZDimJvPGLISEsLgjA2SPJMIW0wQ-hvzkpSTJk_NH5zjwZgpnHCSsvM7IXk4Zl6ovTRgmEY1TcZFRqfShW8VZOFjid4W9iQFBDVbwXMCVk8Uidn0bchyoQzhZlqPd3UW8/s640/403.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>403</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After dropping Sierra off, I took stock of the sky. It had been phenomenal at the start of the day and the clouds were still really great but losing the definition. This was going to be just fine for the automotive stuff and I didn't feel bad about putting off the store since the sky wasn't good for long exposure work just yet. I made my way out to the area where I remembered the Mustang and the shop to be. It was going to be difficult to find the Mustang coming from this direction as I would have to look behind me so I figured first come first served.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB0KtBDENEErJhAxQMuYpzAB0ldqz_sTXgBF4iNxJyk59bSPLullzHdyFBsBG8Flabpav4GtuwbXSUz3eCd7cWsPKUNKEV-8gDA_Qcf4_nDS6i-HqGyBWzeHWCE46Z5sMEyp2g__quos/s1600/Car+of+the+People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB0KtBDENEErJhAxQMuYpzAB0ldqz_sTXgBF4iNxJyk59bSPLullzHdyFBsBG8Flabpav4GtuwbXSUz3eCd7cWsPKUNKEV-8gDA_Qcf4_nDS6i-HqGyBWzeHWCE46Z5sMEyp2g__quos/s640/Car+of+the+People.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Car of the People</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As luck would have it, I found the shop first and slowed down. I could seen about a half dozen old cars in the back and a couple of them I didn't recognize the makes of. They weren't quite the rusty messes that I like to work with, but I saw some potential. It was a shop they were behind and I could see that the doors were open. This was going to work out very well I thought. I pulled off the road and took stock of the cars in the back once again before finding a place out of the way to park. As I was parking, two guys came out of the shop with that look of questioning on their faces that I know ever so well. I got out of my truck and introduced myself and shared why I was there. They seemed cautious of me, but were willing to let me shoot some pictures which was all that I needed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHBg_UdctPmETJaV5Mi2odHvSIbLkDXDGDlrTMXYBJFv6M8yk_I7sr_gwMp4XTUdSO8zrhY4cVnUGbKGLOFzyXhLv2iTrrlX-mWJQeC0_BJ3Vh7ZNgu0ALCRPdfcvegbv3gfF67_3nfc/s1600/Double+Dubs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHBg_UdctPmETJaV5Mi2odHvSIbLkDXDGDlrTMXYBJFv6M8yk_I7sr_gwMp4XTUdSO8zrhY4cVnUGbKGLOFzyXhLv2iTrrlX-mWJQeC0_BJ3Vh7ZNgu0ALCRPdfcvegbv3gfF67_3nfc/s640/Double+Dubs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Double Dubs</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I grabbed my gear and went around back to see what was there in detail. I saw four cars up against the tree line that were definitely American and I was able to determine that these were Ramblers. I just don't see that many of those around anymore, and it was a pretty cool find for me since my Grandfather had driven one many years ago. On the other end of the lot there were two cars that looked German and turned out to be Volkswagons. In the middle there was a modern Mercedes V12 car which I cared absolutely nothing about, but beside it was a blue car I wasn't familiar with. The emblems were long gone from the back, but doing a little further looking I realized that this was a Peugeot 405 which was another really cool find! The last car was some type of personal car which held no interest to me, but was cool at any rate.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SZolfCv2ONFTrGzBodY-kHsE1f4HVcZSh_Px-fwzcR9i3K4RNGVVw1iXY1OYD-Wwbj-66tpooMh95b3rX9cM2hFCtk1qrR6v0V8m42H9ZB9vYdgKZwk6SZUFQJjKuGDc2G1fUWbj5MI/s1600/American+Decay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="800" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SZolfCv2ONFTrGzBodY-kHsE1f4HVcZSh_Px-fwzcR9i3K4RNGVVw1iXY1OYD-Wwbj-66tpooMh95b3rX9cM2hFCtk1qrR6v0V8m42H9ZB9vYdgKZwk6SZUFQJjKuGDc2G1fUWbj5MI/s640/American+Decay.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>American Decay</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I went with the easiest to work with first, and that was the pair of Volkswagons on the far end. For these, I opted to fit my 24-70mm lens and the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. That gave me a great deal of flexibility in composition. I found that there was a great tree that was behind the cars which I tried to include in several of the compositions. Also, I saw that the clouds in the sky were getting much better so I was able to do compositions from down low that included the sky. What I had to worry about was a shelf and a couple of trash cans on the far side of the cars. Fortunately with some creative compositions I was able to block them out with the cars. I was even able to shoot from both sides relatively easily.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpfBU_zy_IH05iCEtqSNfx_JLfs4GdY_XI9JlUEllXPHCiMm_TCeFrguN1-UJagrQttrP1tT9-6ODQ_JRjJ07Vu9UTpBbvNPELRlK948zFVWTUp7F9t1jsPxAv2jzbbj0vNh394LnjKs/s1600/Ramble+On.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpfBU_zy_IH05iCEtqSNfx_JLfs4GdY_XI9JlUEllXPHCiMm_TCeFrguN1-UJagrQttrP1tT9-6ODQ_JRjJ07Vu9UTpBbvNPELRlK948zFVWTUp7F9t1jsPxAv2jzbbj0vNh394LnjKs/s640/Ramble+On.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ramble On</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I ran out of compositions I moved over to the Ramblers and started to work them for a while. I tried to get them individually, but that was very difficult to do with how close they were. I found that the better compositions included several of them at once. The trees made for a nice back drop for most of the shots and the sky cooperated with me in the other direction. The held a lot of interest, but I was running into exposure problems. With the front of the cars in deep shadows the sky was overexposing too easily. I added the Lee Filter Holder and then started to work my Singh-Ray ND Grads to keep the sky under control. I started with a 3-Stop and found that was not enough and added an additional 2-Stop. That still didn't give me what I was after, so I swapped that out for another 3-Stop which seemed to work well. I had the soft edge one down lower to soften the line of the hard edge while keeping the cars exposed properly.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pJ3OWSmQSuTfqCCslM6eTkP-vacrFPx0h_RvNwiNU5lSL06gB5hj8hVzC6lBvctmiZ4cQgA3CL0KPUCbMH2PZjl7HBxe6egHjhfo-KjlAJFjlOEJkatIMW7Enb3lOfbXFEqBLef08jU/s1600/Classic+Peugeot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pJ3OWSmQSuTfqCCslM6eTkP-vacrFPx0h_RvNwiNU5lSL06gB5hj8hVzC6lBvctmiZ4cQgA3CL0KPUCbMH2PZjl7HBxe6egHjhfo-KjlAJFjlOEJkatIMW7Enb3lOfbXFEqBLef08jU/s640/Classic+Peugeot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Classic Peugeot</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This seemed to be the key and I moved over the Peugeot and had to get real creative with compositions since the Mercedes was parked right next to it. I worked low so that the smaller in comparison Peugeot would completely block the large Benz. That put a lot of the sky in the picture so I was having to use the ND Grads here as well. I was able to drop down to just a single 3-Stop grad though which was nice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwz2OonfDRMKijYh9XFd6HOmvCcnhi4ZSFqZSTwqQsxZoUL5zGG59gJoaawx7tq_XQFR8H2QP7Fus2xaobPx4u-OW-Ug1_g1Z3FAn_dHeGNA7gRD0c6-aC6suPPG93Cr4P3SmPBGmJdM/s1600/Moby+Dick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwz2OonfDRMKijYh9XFd6HOmvCcnhi4ZSFqZSTwqQsxZoUL5zGG59gJoaawx7tq_XQFR8H2QP7Fus2xaobPx4u-OW-Ug1_g1Z3FAn_dHeGNA7gRD0c6-aC6suPPG93Cr4P3SmPBGmJdM/s640/Moby+Dick.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Moby Dick</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was about ready to call it a day and go find the Mustang when I started to consider other options. I went crazy and slipped on the 16-35mm lens with the slimmer B+W Polarizer for vignetting concerns. I started working all three sections once again and found that I was getting some very dramatic compositions that included the sky. Of course with the sky, I was having to add combinations of ND Grad filters to keep the exposure right. Regardless, I was getting some very different feeling images while working on the same basic compositional ideas from earlier. I was really on a roll, and loving getting in close and adding a lot of perspective distortion to the images. The fun did eventually dry up and I found that I had run out of compositions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ONyGuvFJ7eVADjYE6sZhh6zrsMabLKCjAdiOmPyZPkEZEDHSOGAQrf6stpeJ0S8nOaYQT27CG2maRZX_lwSYN9azBdgUtnVKKdkSTlAg7Xb58TzfbMHgxsTGd3xzYcDDnS2aMOQjH4/s1600/Double+Vision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ONyGuvFJ7eVADjYE6sZhh6zrsMabLKCjAdiOmPyZPkEZEDHSOGAQrf6stpeJ0S8nOaYQT27CG2maRZX_lwSYN9azBdgUtnVKKdkSTlAg7Xb58TzfbMHgxsTGd3xzYcDDnS2aMOQjH4/s640/Double+Vision.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Double Vision</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started to pack things up and saw the 70-200mm lens sitting there looking all pitiful. OK, I'm a real softy and wanted to show it some love. I attached it to the camera and added the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer once again and started to work some isolations. It got rolling with a shot of the taillight on the Rambler wagon which I found quite interesting. That lead to other isolations of emblems and rust. I even started to shoot head on shots of the Peugeot since the front end was quite a bit different than anything in my collection and it was just cool to look at.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqDB_yWZStkUza2c4aOiHtvh5BI7IuyrJqq6l0lI7BTLv-8YCJV7d5QxaRhT8aDxFKRAxB66gKiUekwGEDSBCtmCJK6bCAJnM8rYsoYAGLaDLDVwLLp8eWolTsQQIca9BMYUP9PCejMo/s1600/Needs+A+Second+Chance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="607" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqDB_yWZStkUza2c4aOiHtvh5BI7IuyrJqq6l0lI7BTLv-8YCJV7d5QxaRhT8aDxFKRAxB66gKiUekwGEDSBCtmCJK6bCAJnM8rYsoYAGLaDLDVwLLp8eWolTsQQIca9BMYUP9PCejMo/s640/Needs+A+Second+Chance.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Needs a Second Chance</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After roughly an hour and a half on location, I had run out of creativity and the sky was starting to get a little active with some movement. I would be able to shoot long exposures with this sky, but the only way to do that here was to include trees which were blowing too much to try several minutes worth of exposure. I packed up my gear and thanked the guys once again for letting me shoot the cars and headed off to Priddy's.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCw15b90el2klfKRplV-oPsCNs96dZPvFJMqtmYBRR4welZxAUweD_PlTUxF7K5QqHX7PGH5j0MnHp4Aa69T6dlQPe0PW4_pZt0gnEf6BLVyRA0I0NAUEkmdMGveJWBxht0vqOk4nHOo/s1600/Rambler+Flare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCw15b90el2klfKRplV-oPsCNs96dZPvFJMqtmYBRR4welZxAUweD_PlTUxF7K5QqHX7PGH5j0MnHp4Aa69T6dlQPe0PW4_pZt0gnEf6BLVyRA0I0NAUEkmdMGveJWBxht0vqOk4nHOo/s640/Rambler+Flare.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Classic Flare</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It didn't take but about 15 minutes to get there and the sky was still pretty good. The problem that I immediately saw was that there was a Tesla parked in front of the store. That wouldn't fit my vision at all. I did take the opportunity to look at how the compositions would work out. Honestly, I wasn't all that happy with what I as seeing. The sky would be a great element, but to include that I would need to include a lot of power lines and some other clutter that I didn't like. The store wasn't all that interesting on its own, although it did have a yesteryear feel to it. With all the things working against a picture of this, and not much really going for it, I decided that this was not worth my time. I looked at my watch and wondered if I had time to try and find the Mustang at this point. I really didn't since I was going to have to talk with the owner to ask permission. The day was done, and it was time to get to work.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWwM2k4e6jzHf6Jm-RcuCOzkLpzONdNHMQY2SsLoNLNE2JhSRy3P2yUtPAi9-Z7zQGhKkGicVGwvkx2HDDwYvQOw53MMM6IY5kTVPzRTpAuPGBgX7UU48JefuurZ7K5nHyQknqBKPeN8/s1600/Spotlight+on+Decay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWwM2k4e6jzHf6Jm-RcuCOzkLpzONdNHMQY2SsLoNLNE2JhSRy3P2yUtPAi9-Z7zQGhKkGicVGwvkx2HDDwYvQOw53MMM6IY5kTVPzRTpAuPGBgX7UU48JefuurZ7K5nHyQknqBKPeN8/s640/Spotlight+on+Decay.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Spotlight on Decay</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I spent the day not</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> really having a clue in the world about what I had captured through the morning. I was hoping that I had about six good images out of the bunch. I wasn't quite sure how many I had captured since the last time I looked I was at 60-something frames. When I got home I went right back to the office to upload the pictures from the day. I had to wait a bit because there was an update ready for Lightroom which needed to be installed. That took a little while, and then I finally was able to upload the images from the day. I was surprised to see that I had 83 frames captured in less than two hours. My hopes were for eight or nine keepers to turn up out of the bunch. I went through the culling process and kept tossing images out and when I was finally happy with what I had in front of me, I was looking at 21 images! That is a 25% hit rate which was amazing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF6H03881RRDJJiWVTJz-B-cOym-H-53pH58uD4jfYtO0sJ00mucJmuLmd1Khs9a6OpVbW6qK-5Tc6FwyPtJ8ov426NbLxW11wBSXlmOMeGelZ-ZIcv7cUg_NEe_uH2vXG5J5C4yX0G4/s1600/French+Patina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF6H03881RRDJJiWVTJz-B-cOym-H-53pH58uD4jfYtO0sJ00mucJmuLmd1Khs9a6OpVbW6qK-5Tc6FwyPtJ8ov426NbLxW11wBSXlmOMeGelZ-ZIcv7cUg_NEe_uH2vXG5J5C4yX0G4/s640/French+Patina.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>French Patina</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I eliminated a few others as I was doing the processing and finally came away with a total of 14 keepers from this trek. I would say that is a pretty good haul for a morning. It definitely satisfies my creative desire from the previous weekend. I am very happy at this point, and can now look forward to the next trek to see what I will capture then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a reminder, if you are interested in trying out some of the filters that I use, be sure and visit <a href="http://www.singh-ray.com/">www.singh-ray.com</a> and remember to use the code "<b><span style="color: red;">KISER10</span></b>" when checking out to get 10% off of your order. I sure wish I had that code when I was purchasing my filters years ago.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-54073059425580021482018-10-13T21:30:00.001-04:002018-10-13T21:30:06.815-04:00Long Exposure at The Old Guilford Mill<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, October 13, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rYJ84tIjoQqWocAiMJdCWDmdrR9R8da03naquFIjt7P7zY1gUIfKnAXXQvKazysNbkvjXuoqVkBXuZQzaiY59JC2X06loexgqdGg8upBt6FPVukPnZs0ZDbUsVuiQSeQQPGgBOW1Jhc/s1600/Old+Mill+of+Guilford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rYJ84tIjoQqWocAiMJdCWDmdrR9R8da03naquFIjt7P7zY1gUIfKnAXXQvKazysNbkvjXuoqVkBXuZQzaiY59JC2X06loexgqdGg8upBt6FPVukPnZs0ZDbUsVuiQSeQQPGgBOW1Jhc/s640/Old+Mill+of+Guilford.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old Mill of Guilford</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To set the scene, the Southeastern US is getting over Hurricane Michael which hit Thursday afternoon. While we didn't get hit nearly as hard as the Panhandle of Florida, North Carolina received a great deal of rain and some very high winds during the mid afternoon hours. My plan Thursday was to go after work to the Old Mill of Guilford to take advantage of the dramatic clouds and the extra water that should be in the stream. Well, shortly after 4, I got word that all units were being held over to be a storm response team. By 5 I was out answering calls. The hurricane passed through quickly though and by the time I got out of the office the rain had stopped. The clouds were wonderful, and the lighting was just what I was after. I was hoping that it wasn't going to take more than an hour to deal with the extra call load. Boy was I mistaken! I was at work until 11pm dealing with downed trees and such.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the time that I was out in the field, all I could think about was how great the conditions were for the composition that I had in mind of the Old Mill. By the next day, the clouds were all gone, and I was back at work dealing with the damage. It hit us a lot harder than I had thought while I was sitting in the office prior to it passing over Greensboro. The forecast for the weekend was looking pretty much as expected after a major storm passes though. That's right, it was straight sunshine all weekend long. I wasn't going to get my clouds, and there was even a chance that I wouldn't get any photography done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home on Friday, the sky was still crystal clear and while I had a little time to go out with the camera, I really saw no need. I decided to mow instead. While I got the mowing done, I ended up doing it under one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen over the house. The color was completely covering the sky from West to East. I was a little upset that I wasn't out with the camera, but it did get me thinking that I could possibly catch some really nice sunset colors over the Old Mill instead of the clouds that I was after. If I was really lucky, I would hit magic light and have the mill bathed in warm light while the sky was shaded in subtle hues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started to look at the weather predictions for Saturday and found that there was supposed to be a really good sunset, or at least the conditions were favorable for a good sunset. Knowing that the water would still be up, I decided to give it a shot and hope that the few clouds that were forecasted would actually pick up the color. In the meantime, I would have the chance to work on some video productions that I had been planning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started early on Saturday morning setting up my studio. I had my bag set up and my video camera (cell phone) on a tripod elevated just right. I was going to do a tour of my bag with all of the contents. I started the recording and started my presentation. Of course, I goofed when I started so I went and checked everything and made a few adjustments before starting to record again. This one went great. I was going through everything in the bag and telling the purpose behind each thing and why I had it where I did. At the end of the production, it looked like I had been talking for about 35 minutes. Perfect!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to turn off the recording and was greeted by a black screen on the phone. I opened it up and found that the video had stopped long before I had finished, or even gotten into the good stuff. I noted that there were some alerts that had popped up and I thought that might have stopped the recording so I put the phone in airplane mode before starting again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not wanting to spend another 35 minutes talking again, I decided to reduce the content and just focus on the filters that I use. I was rolling and feeling really good about things and stopped at the 15 minute mark to check my progress on the phone. Black screen again! It stopped at the 5 minute mark, which was exactly where it stopped on the first one. Now I knew that I had only 5 minutes to work with for a video. I thought about doing one more take but this is how it would have gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roll camera</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my bag</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is full of stuff</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are the filters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the camera</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is really comfortable</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cut</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not wanting to sound aggravated I opted to just put things away and try again another day. For the rest of the morning, I took care of some things on the computer and kept an eye out for the weather at sunset. It was promising that there were some nice puffy clouds rolling in, but the sun was too harsh to take advantage of them. I was working out plans for what kind of compositions I would try at the mill, and even started thinking about alternate plans just in case that didn't work out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGVm85SxrzgF9wPqTU4IuGRVXI77IWziPuKaFd1zjgH7BLUDLj3ENq_NRBqwegUmDA8pGdlMJ2Q5y_IRuAC4P8D32kDCaNHA4qzNVlAKJttmvqTfQazisD6n8mF4tymZaDTvp9OSzz1U/s1600/Old+Mill+of+Guilford+BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGVm85SxrzgF9wPqTU4IuGRVXI77IWziPuKaFd1zjgH7BLUDLj3ENq_NRBqwegUmDA8pGdlMJ2Q5y_IRuAC4P8D32kDCaNHA4qzNVlAKJttmvqTfQazisD6n8mF4tymZaDTvp9OSzz1U/s640/Old+Mill+of+Guilford+BW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old Mill of Guilford </i>in B&W</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it was about an hour and a half before sunset I looked outside. There were some very thin clouds working their way from the West. The East was pretty blank and that was the direction that I was going to be shooting. I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a try anyway. I arrived just about an hour before sunset, and took a view of the scene. The banks of the stream were grown over more than I was expecting but the water was at least flowing well. The mill was mostly in the shadows which was not really to my liking. However, on a cloudy day, it would have worked with the sun higher in the sky as my original plan had been. It is nice to know that the concept is valid, I'll just have to wait to get another chance to shoot it in those conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I was here I did set the camera up. Looking at the available compositions I opted to go with the exact one that I had previsualized a few days ago. I positioned on the bank near the roadway, but over the culvert that took the stream under the highway. I made sure that the tripod was stable in the moist ground and mounted the camera with my 24-70mm lens. I was shooting water, so I added the B+W polarizer which is a slim mount and allowed me to mount my Lee filter holder in front of that. I knew that I was going to have to pull the exposure down on the sky to make this work since I only had some very thin clouds in the sky to work with. I started with two different ND Grads and shot with 5 total stops of light reduction. This was working, but I wanted a different effect. I wanted the thin clouds to move a little and give some smoothing to the sky to match the water. I left my 3-stop Hard Edge Galen Rowell ND Grad attached and added another Singh-Ray Filter, the 10-Stop Mor Slo ND Filter. This was what I needed to really slow the exposure down. I figured out my exposure and shot at ISO100, f/13, at 2.5 minutes. The resulting image looked like it had some promise with the elements that I was after being represented.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked on some other variations on this theme with different exposures and compositions and ultimately decided that the sky was just getting more and more boring. I packed up and cautiously made my way back along the railing trying not to slip down the embankment. I looked around for more compositions and more specifically, isolations. The lighting was not good on the mill for this and I ended up not pulling the camera back out again. I decided to leave right at sunset. I had managed to get a total of 17 images from the evening. It was all one angle really, so that was a lot of shots, and I was looking forward to seeing what I had to work with. My last set of three shots was looking like the best of the bunch though and they were vertical shots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home and loaded them in the computer, those were still my favorites. However, I really wanted to see how the two long exposures I did turned out. These always look a little off as digital negatives, and I wanted to see just what I could do with them. I picked my favorite of the two which happened to be the shorter exposure of the two (151 seconds vs 210 seconds). I started to work with it and the more I developed the shot the more I really liked it. In the end, this was my favorite shot of the day, and I didn't even bother processing the others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I pulled the image into Photoshop to prepare for the web, I decided to try a quick conversion to monochrome to see how I liked it. I played with it a little bit and decided that I had a nice moody image, but something wasn't quite right about it. I started to play around and added a blue filter to see what that would do. It gave a slightly cool tone to the image which I really liked. I actually liked it enough to add the monochrome shot to my keepers from the evening. It is a little bit of a moody piece where the color one has a completely different feeling. I think that they both say very different things and I like that about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It wasn't the image that I had previsualized, but I had proven to myself that the concept would work with the right conditions and I managed to pull a pretty good image out of the lackluster evening thanks to some filters on the camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>If you are interested in Singh-Ray filters, visit them at www.singh-ray.com and use the code "<span style="color: red;">KISER10</span>" at checkout to receive 10% off of your purchase.</b></span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-33820621882848468692018-10-06T20:44:00.001-04:002018-10-06T20:44:41.223-04:00A Little Rust in Stokes County<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, October 6, 2018</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlduK812OD8WVGucY11ylt5RK19LYhFB09AV4V5FCqmMMSWcPn4j390braTtobLMx_2mdxc1aN7O6Ml0m84VYKzHF6NwEg7DcVbWqVcTcWqgakjKfEEeW2LvXFx4lNqjWHMJdiL90SfO0/s1600/20181006_104620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlduK812OD8WVGucY11ylt5RK19LYhFB09AV4V5FCqmMMSWcPn4j390braTtobLMx_2mdxc1aN7O6Ml0m84VYKzHF6NwEg7DcVbWqVcTcWqgakjKfEEeW2LvXFx4lNqjWHMJdiL90SfO0/s320/20181006_104620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is officially Fall here in NC according to the calendar. The leave should be changing, there should be a certain brisk quality to the air. I should be in the mountains photographing the leaves somewhere around 4000 feet. The reality here is that we are still having ninety degree days, the trees are still green, and there is no telling when Summer will actually end. This is really messing with my head as I was getting into the Fall mood in the closing days of September. When it came to deciding where to travel for pictures, it should have been an automatic answer of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was not going to be quite that easy to decide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really didn't want to dedicate a full day to traveling to the mountains for more green. The rainfall has been minimal, so waterfalls weren't really an option either. Fortunately, I have been getting back into my mode of shooting old cars and trucks. That gave me a viable option. I also had some new locations that I wanted to try out as well. These are two places that I have seen before and filed away in my mind for when the conditions were right. In both cases, I wanted overcast skies and a low sun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Come Friday, I had not really had any time to think about what or where I was going to be shooting. I had no idea what the weather was going to be, and just didn't have the gumption to really go out at all. I guess this is what happens when the week has some unexpected ups and downs along with considering a complete rework of my website. Not to mention, I am starting to really put a lot of thought into where I could do a workshop for a small group of photographers. My mind was pretty much fried.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d6C4bbShNIJTkrOHIAf6iZfg-8H6H9_lFwwwsyXWyWSBL7sU5mMx2ISpzosvXTyIg36y6LrVbE141m5OwXgF71LFNAiKfiPOuc2EWowRRz-4CCrWju7I_bzDNuvnOX_A9fuABVmiZ1o/s1600/Inspection+Due.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d6C4bbShNIJTkrOHIAf6iZfg-8H6H9_lFwwwsyXWyWSBL7sU5mMx2ISpzosvXTyIg36y6LrVbE141m5OwXgF71LFNAiKfiPOuc2EWowRRz-4CCrWju7I_bzDNuvnOX_A9fuABVmiZ1o/s640/Inspection+Due.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Inspection Due</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was getting ready for bed I checked the weather and it showed cloudy conditions to start the day, but partly cloudy fairly early in the morning. It would likely be a good landscape day, but I just didn't want to photograph any more green landscapes right now. There weren't going to be enough clouds to do what I was wanting to do with the old cars that I had found. More than likely, I was going to be out of luck on Saturday and would just stay home. I wasn't arguing with that one bit actually. I did have Toni wake me up before she left for work so that I could check the weather one more time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A quarter of five in the morning happens all too quickly on a Saturday morning, but such is the life of a photographer. She woke me up and I checked the weather. It was looking pretty much the same as it was showing the previous night. I rolled over and went back to sleep. I figured today just wasn't going to pan out at all. About an hour or so later I woke up again and started to think about options to shoot. I looked at the weather again and saw that the clouds were pretty thick outside, and that the partly cloudy conditions were going to be around 70% coverage. I then had the idea to look at a new app that I installed a few days ago. This is "Clear Sky" and shows the detail of where the clouds are, and what kind of coverage is expected. This gave me a different perspective showing good cloud cover until early afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That told me that I was actually able to go to the two locations in Stokes County if I wanted to give it a try. The main location I wanted to try was off of Hwy 8 and was an old garage with a busted Chevy sitting out front. I have passed this location many times and wanted to get a composition, but the lighting had never been right with it. I also knew that I wanted the overgrowth of late Summer rather than just an empty frame rail. I was running out of time to shoot this car unless I wanted to wait until next Summer. With the weather looking good, I decided to go on and give it a go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grabbed my gear and set off on the drive into Stokes. The entire way there I was behind a dump truck that was going between 25-35mph despite the road being a 55mph limit in most places. There were no passing zones where I could get around him so I just sat in place and took in the scenery. A bit over an hour later, I arrived at the car. I have no idea who owns the property, but I decided to take my chances with this one and pulled off on the side of the road. I picked out my 24-70mm lens and added a Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer to it and mounted the camera on my tripod. I worked compositions on both sides of the car and tried to include the sign on the shop wall that stated that this was an Official Inspection Station. I found that rather funny when paired with the Chevy below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem that I was having with this composition was that to open things up and let them breathe a bit, I needed to include the sky. The sky was brighter than the shadows I was shooting in which caused exposure problems. Instead of hoping that I could recover the shadows, I just went ahead and added a Galen Rowell 3-Stop ND Grad to control the exposure at the very top of the image. This worked very well and allowed me to get the exposure that I wanted on the main subject while keeping the sky from blowing out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a while shooting with this lens, I decided to swap out to my 70-200mm and step away from the car to get a bit more compressed look to the image. I found myself shooting basically the same compositions with this lens. Without the perspective distortion, the car seemed to disappear into the background of the shop. In the end, I didn't like any of the ones that I shot with the long lens. In fact, out of thirty some pictures, I ended up only liking one enough to keep it. This was part of the reason it took so long to shoot this car. I knew that getting a good composition was going to be difficult with the lay of the land. I am quite happy with this image though, and it captured everything that I wanted it to.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEitrD_olCMWiSXznU-90CTKdPnwsDtwKOPM7FhTcbHyJcytY7t1cskRFK_LNtmUwFHncjgxfIm2xmtcta3hdP3tvaQlUmBeRY3_mD3ZXH8AGNn7czUljrUhQ5ctEp4T5wTYuDs3C59Y/s1600/Chevy+Coupe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEitrD_olCMWiSXznU-90CTKdPnwsDtwKOPM7FhTcbHyJcytY7t1cskRFK_LNtmUwFHncjgxfIm2xmtcta3hdP3tvaQlUmBeRY3_mD3ZXH8AGNn7czUljrUhQ5ctEp4T5wTYuDs3C59Y/s320/Chevy+Coupe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I seemed to end this one rather abruptly. When I decided that I was done I went back to the truck and broke down the camera rather quickly. I was getting sweaty and hot which was just not cool at 10am in the Fall! I got back on the road and decided that I would check out another location that I had scoped out a few weeks ago further into Stokes County. I had pinned the location on my phone so I just let it direct me to the location. I didn't have a lot of hope for this location since I was expecting it to be gated like when I saw it last. The car was sitting in front of a pretty bland commercial building, but it did have grass growing up underneath of it at least. My plan was to shoot with the 70-200mm lens with possibly the 2X teleconverter attached. That should isolate the car well enough from the road.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvCNlK6X7UbuvZ4ls68iW-TuL3ObHr_bYgqcWsVo7ntm8JppNFVbjAyAbVASlJ1clmUZZtozWJ-kdNQNsvC258r8Xfr6zhVA3_2_24TaU2WVLJzkqAXnbBQDxEGSXujcmfN-pF8p0OMw/s1600/Wing+and+a+Prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="800" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvCNlK6X7UbuvZ4ls68iW-TuL3ObHr_bYgqcWsVo7ntm8JppNFVbjAyAbVASlJ1clmUZZtozWJ-kdNQNsvC258r8Xfr6zhVA3_2_24TaU2WVLJzkqAXnbBQDxEGSXujcmfN-pF8p0OMw/s640/Wing+and+a+Prayer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Wing and a Prayer</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got there, I was actually surprised to see the gate open and a truck by the corner of the building. I didn't drive fully into the property though thinking that there was a good possibility that the gate might need to shut while I was shooting if I could get permission. I parked and started walking up to the shop. I saw no movement or signs of life. I knocked on doors to no avail. I looked around and figured since the gate was open, and there were no fences I might be able to stick around and shoot really quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grabbed my camera and mounted the 70-200mm lens as I didn't want to get too close to the car. I had also seen a couple of other old cars that looked promising as well which I could do easily with the long lens. Of course, I added the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer since I was dealing with glass and metal. I got everything set up and turned the camera on as I heard a lawn mower coming down the road. By this stage in my tenure as a photographer I knew a lawn mower driving on the road toward where I was could only mean one thing. The pavement needed to be mowed. (Pausing for laughter). It meant that the property owner was on the way to talk to me. This could mean that either I was going to be leaving shortly, or I was about to have better access to things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the mower turned into the driveway I knew I had pegged the situation. I made sure that the tripod was stable and I walked over to meet him. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but I introduced myself and explained why I was there. He ultimately gave me permission to shoot the cars out in the open area of the lot which included the Chevy that I had seen earlier as well as the shell of a Nash, and a Chevy Nova just on the side of the building. This was great news, and I was very thankful for the opportunity. It did come with one caveat though. It appeared that he was mowing the yard while I shot the cars. I get it, I really do. I would want to watch a stranger doing anything around my property as well. We managed to stay out of each other's way for the duration of the time that I was out there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqi_fOFHhCJI8cNiQ3FKcnl0rl6mCsElTjVTTV2dTrTEa34it80OIO59E8rKkRFdEzG8yJNAeWVauzt58WKOAuDwpPLK2AuRg4S_8_IHzIT5_mkbRRq_2d8HulKysm1nOa_l2RkNXvGM/s1600/Roll+the+Dice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="800" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqi_fOFHhCJI8cNiQ3FKcnl0rl6mCsElTjVTTV2dTrTEa34it80OIO59E8rKkRFdEzG8yJNAeWVauzt58WKOAuDwpPLK2AuRg4S_8_IHzIT5_mkbRRq_2d8HulKysm1nOa_l2RkNXvGM/s640/Roll+the+Dice.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Roll the Dice</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I had permission to be on the property, I was set to do more than just a quick overall shot before moving on. I had the long lens on, and did a couple of shots that I had previsualized when I had originally found this car. They weren't all that great, so I moved on to doing some more intimate shots of the sections of the car that particularly interested me. One of the sections that really caught my eye was the broken quarter window on the driver's side. I loved how the glass was shattered and it paired so nicely with the patina on the side of the car. As an added bonus, there was a skull and crossbones decal on the door under the handle that really set the tone for what this car is...or was.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKRHwLBP19IcuKkbeInAzO1KA9b5WFBJjZx-US_8M0O0mq6f2CshoZfDzZbbzDiydfHumwyukEKXmqt6bHIf4d8d-chMyEkIC9vYG51w2M1WQ0K1X_p0dfpniac_R4WmKphi6w_j3ov4/s1600/Deluxe+Decay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="601" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKRHwLBP19IcuKkbeInAzO1KA9b5WFBJjZx-US_8M0O0mq6f2CshoZfDzZbbzDiydfHumwyukEKXmqt6bHIf4d8d-chMyEkIC9vYG51w2M1WQ0K1X_p0dfpniac_R4WmKphi6w_j3ov4/s640/Deluxe+Decay.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Deluxe Decay</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was shooting my intimate shots, I moved to the front of the car for my trademark headlight/grill shot. Typically I would do this with my normal lens, but since I was usually zooming to nearly 70mm I decided to just keep the long lens attached. It worked just fine this way, and I managed to get a nice composition from the corner of the car. The chrome really stood out against the black paint and the rusty undercoat. The lines all seemed to work together to form an abstract design that flowed. Oddly enough, there was what appeared to be chrome paint on the bumper corner from an earlier repair possibly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was pretty sure that I was done with this car for now. I needed my 24-70mm lens to try some other compositions, but before I switched that lens in, I wanted to work on the Nash that was parked on the side of the property. This was just a shell and a hood, but the blue color along with the rust tones were just perfect against the trees in the background. I knew I was going to need the long lens for this since it was parked very close to a more modern minivan and I was going to need to cut in close to avoid that. The trees were also taking up a very small section behind before dropping off to show power lines and a house across the street.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsRaZx6g05Xo1S07SWqa3MsxSKOpAv39riSQzs9MRLc6dkQx9f21PfhKO6-dnLeWxJoh34fnQpjE69voE9R31gF_flK_vJcWRdSKACOrM8IU_HO3lVCKrUaXdcZ7rXFOcFbMBDnt-w3g/s1600/Nash+in+the+Grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsRaZx6g05Xo1S07SWqa3MsxSKOpAv39riSQzs9MRLc6dkQx9f21PfhKO6-dnLeWxJoh34fnQpjE69voE9R31gF_flK_vJcWRdSKACOrM8IU_HO3lVCKrUaXdcZ7rXFOcFbMBDnt-w3g/s640/Nash+in+the+Grass.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Nash in the Grass</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found this a very hard vehicle to form a composition with. The hood was angled off to the driver's side which pretty much dictated that I shoot from that side. This was fine since there was a long bungee cord holding the hood to the A pillar on the passenger side. It distracted from the composition way too much for me to want to shoot that side just for that reason alone. The lack of a front end of the car made the hood the anchor for the car, but there were no wheels visible through the grass to balance out the front end. I couldn't really do a full on quarter view since there was very little body. Essentially, I was taking a picture of a hood and a windshield frame. The colors were good, and the grass was tall so I went for it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVkblpNPl44u04ZTjpxV9c_m0y20VVWLhXmAv-j9vG7pWkEH30RHY_eMyK2m6-gTA8Fiwis1B2psQfIvZLSMR06axp9JEHmUZmNJ-LUkm7LMIiIwbuAKNOhgLY4A6qKuTj1fdb5ObSw4/s1600/Gnashing+Beak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVkblpNPl44u04ZTjpxV9c_m0y20VVWLhXmAv-j9vG7pWkEH30RHY_eMyK2m6-gTA8Fiwis1B2psQfIvZLSMR06axp9JEHmUZmNJ-LUkm7LMIiIwbuAKNOhgLY4A6qKuTj1fdb5ObSw4/s640/Gnashing+Beak.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Gnashing Beak</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sky was not looking great, but for the shot that I felt was really the key view, I was going to need to include the sky. Looking up, I didn't see much definition at all in the clouds. This was not going to be good at all to have a blank void at the top of the image. I flipped on the live view and started to reduce the exposure to see what effect it had on the sky. I was seeing it go from white to gray, but I could still see no detail in the clouds. That told me that it would be worthless to add an ND Grad to the lens as it would just turn the white sky gray. If this was going to work, I was going to have to hope that I could pull the detail out in post processing later on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see, I did capture some detail in the sky here. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary to accomplish this. I just added a grad filter in Lightroom where I reduced the sky exposure slightly, and then worked the "Dehaze" slider ever so slightly to get a hint of definition in the sky. It worked very well, and I ended up with a sky that was worth being in a photograph. The blues in the clouds as well as in the body of the car balanced very nicely with the greens and reds which made up the rest of the composition. When I was done with this, I thought about trying something with my 24-70mm lens, but opted out of it as there was too much potential clutter in the background if I went any wider than what I was already shooting at.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmYFYeJbi2Mzaq66HPwtM0Bqi5bt4ShpQMkns8n2QN3r6KXFhWgZ2gwFvrzy11jhet-dQdOUepK0Hxt9xkPnFFknO6ajZMcakVJiedQH0c65wMC32FWv9IjhoqGg2YIQjyezgNb3Ps-g/s1600/Winking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmYFYeJbi2Mzaq66HPwtM0Bqi5bt4ShpQMkns8n2QN3r6KXFhWgZ2gwFvrzy11jhet-dQdOUepK0Hxt9xkPnFFknO6ajZMcakVJiedQH0c65wMC32FWv9IjhoqGg2YIQjyezgNb3Ps-g/s640/Winking.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Winking</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still had one more car to work with. It was a pale yellow Nova sitting on the side of the shop. I was not happy to see that it was a four door version though. I would have much rather shot a two door, but I couldn't argue with the patina on it, so I got to work. I started out focusing on the front of the car against the side of the building. I thought by cropping out the back half of the car I might be able to disguise the sedan body. That image lacked any kind of emotion though and ultimately didn't make the cut. I worked around more and more and found that my standard quarter shot worked the best for this car using the trees as a background instead of the building. It wasn't a two door model, but with a 16:9 crop, I gave it a little bit of a sleeker feel leaving the primary focus on the front end of the car. I really liked that there was a headlight missing which really finalized the story of the car.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESRHzDpuyNDN7RDyww-b3zzewIQ7YkJfUCnKal5I-Ibvp-clVP8atgBvvKxAORbkzNCBIgXSLeLae9CrhiUoEURp6fFg0YLZNW5jP4LcHiK7WZY4DqzthiK-I3HavZxwU4cGJwT1Li0o/s1600/Weather+Worn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="800" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESRHzDpuyNDN7RDyww-b3zzewIQ7YkJfUCnKal5I-Ibvp-clVP8atgBvvKxAORbkzNCBIgXSLeLae9CrhiUoEURp6fFg0YLZNW5jP4LcHiK7WZY4DqzthiK-I3HavZxwU4cGJwT1Li0o/s640/Weather+Worn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Weather Worn</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I looked around the Nova to see if there were any isolations that I could do. Nothing really stood out to me though. The few areas that I would have typically worked were missing key parts that made the composition in my opinion. I decided that this one view was all the old Nova needed and moved back to the original Chevy out front. I was ready to try some different things with this car now. I swapped the lenses for my 24-70mm while keeping the Polarizer attached. I got in close to the car for a little perspective distortion and started working the composition. I wanted to minimize the building behind the car so I elevated the camera to about seven feet. This gave an interesting view of the car and really concentrated on the patina on the hood. More importantly though, the building was minimized. I was able to compose the shot in such a way that I was including the stairs to the door on the right side of the image for a bit of balance in the image. I cropped it as an 8x10 to keep it simple and add a little visual punch to the image.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JPjuLHMmAlHVhStsq4fI-xDbgbwtzNVTdsq61kqv7AvmXtYxzdGV1HOaib-2NXANMmEIqsNHuVwV_FGWkwg9aSelRK68TX-SW-UXLj5m5BpcaoNeR2Y71z7-YMb1o2VdarfKceZkVak/s1600/Hot+Rod+Deluxe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JPjuLHMmAlHVhStsq4fI-xDbgbwtzNVTdsq61kqv7AvmXtYxzdGV1HOaib-2NXANMmEIqsNHuVwV_FGWkwg9aSelRK68TX-SW-UXLj5m5BpcaoNeR2Y71z7-YMb1o2VdarfKceZkVak/s640/Hot+Rod+Deluxe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hot Rod Deluxe</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I liked how this composition was looking in the camera, but felt that it might not work as well at full size later on. I really wanted to get down low to show the stance of the car. The problem there was I was going to have to include the building as well as the sky which was still rather bleak looking. As with the Nash, I decided to give it a try and see what I could bring out in post. I dropped the camera down low to the ground and started to frame up a composition. What I found was I was able to get the angle where the two sections met. This was good as it helped give depth where a straight building would not have worked. It helped to lead the eyes to the car which was great. I also had a minimum of sky to work with which was a plus as well. The angle was such that there was no way I would be able to get an ND Grad to work, that was unfortunate. However, as with the Nash, I felt that I would be able to get some detail out of the sky in post. It was worth a try anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home, I found success here as well. I did the same techniques as I did with the Nash to bring out the little bit of detail in the clouds. It wasn't much, but it was effective in setting the mood, and providing just enough visual interest to make it worth including in the frame. What was really a gamble of a shot turned into my favorite of the day. Funny how that works out isn't it? I really do like this piece for the angles that are in it, the lines, the patina, and the shape of the building fully holding the car in the frame. It was similar to what I had previsualized, but so much better in every way. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hVARYKp9PBNjdn2vp-L_-EUIo8EcM8lrExovRl-6rbVNVvNNlyQDsdnU5PloH7XIEelJvinnBBhhi7Bqtwewub0BtcwT7DUVsmFx1jous7kpBajq8lnhAEZO82I7S2aueAfndHFkrj8/s1600/Style+and+Decay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hVARYKp9PBNjdn2vp-L_-EUIo8EcM8lrExovRl-6rbVNVvNNlyQDsdnU5PloH7XIEelJvinnBBhhi7Bqtwewub0BtcwT7DUVsmFx1jous7kpBajq8lnhAEZO82I7S2aueAfndHFkrj8/s640/Style+and+Decay.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Style and Decay</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I had my workhorse (for automotive photography at least) lens back on, I set to work picking out more details on the body. The rust was wonderful, and this car still had a good bit of its chrome still in tact. I started to look for abstract compositions that excited me. The sides gave me all sorts of views that worked well I thought. I looked for textures, and transitions between the paint and the rust. Occasionally, I was able to get the rust stained paint that glistened under the diffused light above.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55X4NfmLISsw7PQOfcWlefiT2M8QEr-S3qTiegT3m0DvSgY_U5TEc2_-wzETLPyEIS_nRhalLa6ORzTC9C__nf2U4cfksrp4aaYLA2W9XY_fMGWRt-F-yON36XCR1OvLyJUIHPaU6UmE/s1600/Fractured+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="800" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55X4NfmLISsw7PQOfcWlefiT2M8QEr-S3qTiegT3m0DvSgY_U5TEc2_-wzETLPyEIS_nRhalLa6ORzTC9C__nf2U4cfksrp4aaYLA2W9XY_fMGWRt-F-yON36XCR1OvLyJUIHPaU6UmE/s640/Fractured+Finish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Fractured Finish</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rear fenders really held my attention with their lines. The chrome trim at the tops of the fenders was great on both sides of the car. In an attempt to capture the awesome shattered glass once more, I worked out this composition that had lots of rust staining, abstract lines, textures, and just all around great patina. I'm usually not a fan of shooting black cars in this condition, but I have to say that this one is among my top choices with patina. The contrast is just so perfect and the paint still has a good bit of gloss that really draws the attention to the rust. I'm so glad that I had the ability to get up close and personal with this car.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gI96iS4XuTPLwZ9Datzy1gyYzQyKYhYVjTe4qlDUubteEhJeg8QxNkYt3CNWdWLJ4vkI962YROAnsPQaAEALr9FOxb6qP8FkdYkgtRlcPjuw4QLOqmdp9aC2qod_8phG3PhzTQmLu04/s1600/Where+to+Go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gI96iS4XuTPLwZ9Datzy1gyYzQyKYhYVjTe4qlDUubteEhJeg8QxNkYt3CNWdWLJ4vkI962YROAnsPQaAEALr9FOxb6qP8FkdYkgtRlcPjuw4QLOqmdp9aC2qod_8phG3PhzTQmLu04/s640/Where+to+Go.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Where to Go?</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I packed up the camera, I set up a shot that captured the steering wheel which still had the Bowtie emblem on the horn. The dash was pretty much in tact, and I was able to compose a shot that included the side mirror and hood ornament as well. The chrome of the door frame made a great leading line and frame for the cockpit as well. It is a little bit of a different image for me, but I'm starting to like doing them when the opportunity presents itself. This is also a great example of what a polarizer can do for you. The glass is in tact for the most part here, and had a glare on it from the clouds. By adjusting the polarizer to this point, I was able to eliminate the glare and be able to shoot into the car with no issues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point, the property owner was finishing up mowing and was going around to the side of the building. I was pretty sure that I had gotten everything that I could from this location. I started to pack up and went around to let him know I was leaving. We chatted briefly and he told me about another location with some older cars and said that he would try to get in touch with the owner of that property. It sounds really promising, and I really hope that it works out at some point in the near future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By this time, I wasn't sure how many images that I was going to have as keepers, but I knew that I had shot a total of 72 frames, evenly split between the two locations. The first location I had been mulling over for a year or more and felt that I had a lot of good stuff from there. This second location was my alternate subject that I really didn't have much enthusiasm for. It turned out to be my favorite location of the day with lots of variations on compositions, not to mention three different cars to shoot. It really is funny how the success of a shoot doesn't necessarily relate to how much thought or planning had gone into it. I love that about photography, and it goes to show that to be successful in this game, you have to adapt to what is there at the time. Planning will only get you so far, reading the scene will get you the rest of the way.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-34187467990712575392018-10-01T09:21:00.003-04:002018-10-05T08:43:13.588-04:00Behind the Camera: Photo Competitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSbvfYvqAjfnCMeTXEbybyaTqdtoR4cWjxWybH4wbYSmc3hd7YiRaZf-fbhInsQTaSSZ5SkAXZGj79JK_48mGmxhrJ4L4yyz7eK5byAbZfJKqNkG3_crFDreGomuG-fwlH3fU8QLalkg/s1600/Behind-the-Camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSbvfYvqAjfnCMeTXEbybyaTqdtoR4cWjxWybH4wbYSmc3hd7YiRaZf-fbhInsQTaSSZ5SkAXZGj79JK_48mGmxhrJ4L4yyz7eK5byAbZfJKqNkG3_crFDreGomuG-fwlH3fU8QLalkg/s640/Behind-the-Camera.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back for another installment of my <b><i>Behind the Camera</i></b> series. In these entries, I will highlight a certain aspect of my photography and the topic is usually selected from a question that I have received over the previous month. I'm going to do something a little different this time, however. You see, the first of the month coincides rather conveniently with the start of the Dixie Classic Fair here in Winston Salem, NC. This is something that I have participated in for a total of seven years since 2005. It is the only contest that I regularly enter, and I have learned quite a bit from it over my years participating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With this contest spending so much time in my head recently, I figured that this would be a great opportunity to speak about contests and what they mean to a photographer, and I'm sure any other artistic medium. Contests are always an interesting topic and there are some very wide views on their relevance and importance. I've run the gamut in my own personal experiences with contests over the years, and have come to a conclusion. Contests can be fun for the thrill, but they are always a learning opportunity more than a validation of your own work. What I mean is this, your goal should not be to win the contest, but to learn to view your own work more critically. Of course we go in hoping to win, but one thing that I have found is that the only part of a contest that you can control is your own entry. Beyond that, nobody knows what the judges will be looking for, nor what the other entries will bring to the table. Contests are in essence a contest with yourself to find your best work that fits the character of the particular contest. This is where you win or lose, the results of the contest are largely ceremonial and will likely come with dissension among those who have opinions on the entries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With that out of the way lets take a look at what goes into selecting images for a contest. This varies widely from artist to artist, so what I am going to talk about here only applies to my process. The first step is determining what contest to enter. There are a lot of them out there, and you have to be really selective in what contests to enter. Many of the ones that are based online are ploys to get stock photography for a website/company. What I mean with that is say you are submitting pictures for a calendar. The company that publishes the calendar also publishes other items. You submit your picture hoping to be featured in the calendar, and sign a licensing agreement that states something along the lines of you allow the company to reuse your image for this purpose and that purpose related to the contest, and for other promotional material. If you aren't really careful, you will sign away your rights to that image while in their control. This leaves them the ability to use it for whatever they want in many cases without any further compensation for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other type of contest I have seen is one where you submit the image, and get notified that your image is among the best of the best and will be featured in a coffee table book which you can purchase for the nominal fee of $50.00 or something similar. These contests usually have large prize money purses attached to them for the winners, and you have to pay to enter the contest. These contests are money makers for the ones holding the contest with entries more than paying for the prize money, and then you have the book sales that many will do after receiving notification that they are finalists. You should never have to purchase a book at full price where you are a contributor. These folks are preying on a photographer's desire to get published.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I actually inadvertently stumbled into this type of contest earlier this year. It was the <i>Photographer's Forum</i> magazine, 2018, Best of Photography contest. I saw an add for it in an <i>Outdoor Photographers</i> magazine which is a very reputable publication. I started to look at the website for the <i>Photographers Forum</i> and found some very quality images presented. I looked at the contest which was a yearly thing, and looked very legit. I perused through previous year's winners and thought that they had a wide variety of subject matter, much of which I shot. Since this was a legitimate magazine, and it was sponsored by a reputable lens maker I decided to enter a handful of images based on what I had seen winning in previous years.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWndvnXAk1YNuzm3jeQmvQvLKO6t2lPEshf_ELBrzKzfLHgnaHWWI04LamEvkGPytsAhwalPIYe5nLZtgL3bEt02kHtzLk8TyKsFLZ7IoTETLfVSHOK-VVKzJIu8CvYadpmeWhUZcdAs/s1600/Brake-Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWndvnXAk1YNuzm3jeQmvQvLKO6t2lPEshf_ELBrzKzfLHgnaHWWI04LamEvkGPytsAhwalPIYe5nLZtgL3bEt02kHtzLk8TyKsFLZ7IoTETLfVSHOK-VVKzJIu8CvYadpmeWhUZcdAs/s640/Brake-Time.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Brake Time</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back in July, I got word that one of my images had made the top 12% of the entrants to the contest. While I should have been happy, I was very skeptical almost immediately. There were several things that I saw wrong with this. Based on the reported 8,760 images that had been submitted this was among the top 1,000. Sure, I liked the image and I submitted it because it was similar in concept to a previous year's prize winner, but it was not the strongest out of what I had chosen to submit. The kicker came at the bottom of the letter when they notified me that there would be a "beautiful hardcover coffee-table book showcasing all the finalists." OK, I know where this is going. I opted out of the book of course and tried to regain my composure. I did some research (which I should have done earlier) and found that this was the way the contest ran. It was legit, but it was primarily a vehicle to sell books to photographers that wanted to be "published." Of course, I didn't win anything with this and that was not surprising at all. I did learn a lesson that I apparently needed a refresher on about entering contests. In the end, it wasn't a bad experience, and the winners were actually pretty good so no arguments there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWZb8Ni4EH_puUQpX6j-XdfLjda07lBt6bVJj3QFj2k4qsb2L64YRK2vNz1oGohyphenhyphenh-Q9_9ZdbkIwNEoYWhFoUsgdhUUE3HzVpZOyOX1z3JPGOf6uJ6i9Fs1Etl-hsgRFpoJ4fEyQ6lzI/s1600/14333786_1248492465190353_5409183632658345270_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWZb8Ni4EH_puUQpX6j-XdfLjda07lBt6bVJj3QFj2k4qsb2L64YRK2vNz1oGohyphenhyphenh-Q9_9ZdbkIwNEoYWhFoUsgdhUUE3HzVpZOyOX1z3JPGOf6uJ6i9Fs1Etl-hsgRFpoJ4fEyQ6lzI/s200/14333786_1248492465190353_5409183632658345270_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Down to Earth</i></b><br />
2016 First Place<br />
$270.00</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The one contest that I have entered over the years that I do actually like is the Dixie Classic Fair. It is an opportunity to display my work in its intended printed form. There are no licensing forms to fill out, no shady stuff behind the scenes. It is just a simple contest with a small amount of prize money attached. The judging is not always to my liking, but that goes with the territory. What I like is the excuse to print out my work and have it framed, which costs more than any potential prize money I might add. It is a great motivator to add to my own collection though so it is very much worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The way the contest is set up, you have to differentiate between professional or<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL56i-500v5VAdOGls6rrprhyBppCwXFFat_hlLv8Rm9UD8QZlvWxvt-jEfT4ZYCk3-pquy55-fSAMWO3jvjyipRR83B7ct3tPu3PakYEJD6djxXcPvPM3UbBmbCHajglWbs66BCeRFfQ/s1600/14344934_1247716171934649_1504963691313033232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL56i-500v5VAdOGls6rrprhyBppCwXFFat_hlLv8Rm9UD8QZlvWxvt-jEfT4ZYCk3-pquy55-fSAMWO3jvjyipRR83B7ct3tPu3PakYEJD6djxXcPvPM3UbBmbCHajglWbs66BCeRFfQ/s200/14344934_1247716171934649_1504963691313033232_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dairy Barn in the Summer</i></b><br />
2016 First Place<br />
$240.00</td></tr>
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amateur. Based on their definitions, I have to enter as a professional which limits me to two entries. I can do one black and white and one color image framed and ready to hang. Over the years, I have been very impressed with the amateur entries and find many of them to be competitive at the professional level. What I don't like is that they are only allowed to be mounted and not framed. I'm sure this makes it easier to display, but I think it detracts from the images. I am a fan of having a finished piece on display.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckxjkP-eRZqnSdQdr0As199Qwv7DWvSJrBm8f7gy-gM4eT7qwMacm41hytGTSRz4x_AuhyUIeVsOA1-qTlQOg2eJIlMc6knmihJJwnw3VCVqm1PIvttDtGhvORHXe0byYYzBZsJE0D1c/s1600/MintFramed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckxjkP-eRZqnSdQdr0As199Qwv7DWvSJrBm8f7gy-gM4eT7qwMacm41hytGTSRz4x_AuhyUIeVsOA1-qTlQOg2eJIlMc6knmihJJwnw3VCVqm1PIvttDtGhvORHXe0byYYzBZsJE0D1c/s200/MintFramed.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mint</i></b><br />
2017 First Place<br />
$290.00</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since returning to photography in earnest in 2016, I have had really great luck in the contest with three first place ribbons and a second place ribbon. I have regularly entered both the color and black and white categories even though I am primarily a color photographer. Based on my winning entries, I have determined that rural scenes tend to do very well at the Dixie Classic Fair. This starts to go into my decision making process when it comes time to select an image to enter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have entered landscapes in previous years, and some have done well, but <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgKObZ60fXt4CfHK-Gc-FF336Sr17BP9KDUIEncB7Y3zPJgCcEsbR4NA6y3a3Sm8trQsROm6BtCIYVLS3w8TP-3FjGyzMFItdoBjHvqELQVAg3RswhqXDzN77NCfWBpISVrbV1EZhvn0/s1600/SponsorsFramed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgKObZ60fXt4CfHK-Gc-FF336Sr17BP9KDUIEncB7Y3zPJgCcEsbR4NA6y3a3Sm8trQsROm6BtCIYVLS3w8TP-3FjGyzMFItdoBjHvqELQVAg3RswhqXDzN77NCfWBpISVrbV1EZhvn0/s200/SponsorsFramed.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sponsors</i></b><br />
2017 Second Place<br />
Sold</td></tr>
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most seem to fall short. What I have determined about that is that landscapes appeal to a certain type of person and then you have to find the exact type of landscape that will catch the eye of all of the judges. This is difficult at best, and I have found that the landscapes that have done the best have been of a particular feature or subject. With the rural photography, each image is featuring a particular subject that draws you into the image. I think that the judges like that, and I have been very fortunate with this recipe over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it came time to select the images for the 2018 contest, I thought long and hard about it. I really wanted to enter some landscapes this year and had a few in mind. They had a lot of wow factor to them, but in the end they were just landscapes. Several of which were sunrise/sunset images which should not be entered into competition since they are quite cliche' in the field. I knew my safest bet was to enter something in the rural category once again, and that narrowed my choices down significantly.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAs1AbWo_kskcNb6l2L07ivGahvKqulyPS9g7ubs8-22E1DBZnkjqKva8ST0Zkp7wHDOUiA4oE-vVQ859h70NegJQVU8jTftT6o-P6WPAOvLW4aw1jFvMkBJGY0F8uaUXOSLz1IDOJew/s1600/Timeless+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAs1AbWo_kskcNb6l2L07ivGahvKqulyPS9g7ubs8-22E1DBZnkjqKva8ST0Zkp7wHDOUiA4oE-vVQ859h70NegJQVU8jTftT6o-P6WPAOvLW4aw1jFvMkBJGY0F8uaUXOSLz1IDOJew/s640/Timeless+View.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Timeless View</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My black and white entry turned out to be the easiest choice to make. I did have several that I really liked to choose from. There was a beach scene, and a foggy tree from the Blue Ridge Parkway that were in the top slots. Both of these counted as landscapes, and the beach scene was a very moody piece and I knew it would have a limited appeal based on the emotional statement that it made. The tree was eliminated after seeing the previous year's winner. I saw that the judges really liked to see pure white and pure black elements in the monochrome entries. The foggy scene was just shades of gray and did not have the visual impact that I figured that they were looking for. The one from my short list that stood out in my mind and checked all of the boxes for what I was needing was <i style="font-weight: bold;">Timeless View</i> which had it all. There was excitement, depth, a country feel and a complete range of tonality from white to black. It was an image that amazed me at the time of capture, through the editing, and finally the print process. I looked for other options, but was unable to find anything that came close to checking these same boxes. It also turns out that this is one of my favorite images from the year thus far.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pDQJ9HP3qxnSrzC4GA3nyx6FxNi022YOkh1de_1UorPF1F9rpXEKK3ePXOWhfshdneBXHMwfopmMTbo8MJvuisVQwlukEsyaXQWg2k8FPzecYtE9PK7hyphenhyphent9iEawyYjIEIyqVdBdJ4Oo/s1600/A-Rusty-Streak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pDQJ9HP3qxnSrzC4GA3nyx6FxNi022YOkh1de_1UorPF1F9rpXEKK3ePXOWhfshdneBXHMwfopmMTbo8MJvuisVQwlukEsyaXQWg2k8FPzecYtE9PK7hyphenhyphent9iEawyYjIEIyqVdBdJ4Oo/s640/A-Rusty-Streak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Rusty Streak</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it came to my color entry, things got much harder. I had a lot of favorites in mind for this entry and started really going through them. There were several landscapes, a barn scene, and a couple from my rusty car collection. I was really leaning towards a sunset at the coast as it was one of my all time favorites, but I just hate to enter that type of image into a competition. The barn image was my initial selection as it was the quintessential rural scene, but the barn was small enough that it would almost be considered a landscape. That little voice in the back of my head kept saying to go with what has won in the past. I started to look closer at the old cars I have. The ones that I was really wanting to enter were more intimate shots and became more abstract. While they were strong images, I doubted that they would be well received by the judges. When it came down to it, </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">A Rusty Streak</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> edged to the top. It had the boxes checked that I wanted. It had the rusty car, and even added a barn in the background. The seasonal autumn colors were present in the trees adding to the palette of the image. The field of yellow bridged the two elements, and the patina of the car pulled in the tones and colors from the entire scene. It was a very cohesive image, and one that has been highlighted by Singh-Ray on more than one occasion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had the two images picked out, and win or loose, they represented what I thought were my best images for the contest that I was entering. That was a huge hurdle for me, but not nearly the hardest part of this choice. Now that I had the images, I had to get them prepared for display by getting them framed. This is one of the harder aspects of making a piece of wall art. It is very easy to slap a gallery frame job on an image and go with a black frame and white mat for uniformity. Unfortunately, this is not always the most flattering presentation for the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been going to <b>After 5 Framing</b> in Greensboro for years now for my framing needs. The owner, Dave is great at what he does, and has an eye for matching colors and pulling out the elements that you want highlighted in an image. I used to really stress getting a picture framed and would struggle for days to figure out just how I wanted it done. These days, I go in with the print and flop it on the counter. I just let Dave do his magic with just a little bit of guidance from me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuNb4-Xdum3s3vPdDZb0c4QW_XMNkK4lg7NXTKf1PI9rikqRxjt4ySocHxaYkpWiD3lYrVo9Brkv-9iBfwNaQOSc5kh6lHtLpw2LzQlzJiQ6sxq7slUDym42nTOqlMbwRqW5MYRwFF4E/s1600/Timeless+View+Framed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="800" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuNb4-Xdum3s3vPdDZb0c4QW_XMNkK4lg7NXTKf1PI9rikqRxjt4ySocHxaYkpWiD3lYrVo9Brkv-9iBfwNaQOSc5kh6lHtLpw2LzQlzJiQ6sxq7slUDym42nTOqlMbwRqW5MYRwFF4E/s640/Timeless+View+Framed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13x19" print matted and framed behind art glass<br />
$270.00 as shown</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first one to be framed was the black and white print. I typically do these with a white mat and a black frame just because there is no need to pull any color out of the image. This time, that just didn't look right at all. We ended up playing around with things and found that a light gray mat would work better, and he added a dark mat under it. That didn't look right so I flipped the mats and found that the light gray worked great as an inner frame and the dark gray brought out the textures in the print so much better. The black frame completed the tonal transition that lead your eyes into the image from dark to light. It was one of the more risky framing jobs that I have done with a black and white print, but I have to say that it turned out phenomenal and is one of my all time favorite framed prints. Despite that fact, it is for sale as are all of my personal collection prints.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxse3peDGJiHQ9FXEZwzTQ7o3vAoceiKwGK2BuutRpp8qnTA8CqI3cbs43GpQqvN-tvW8QJ5dgg4-GRXfVuZOVIn3Zzb3J0zE0C5DoZGRucv4EBqGByhlPNBrWokkkCPQer4eEXC-lJw/s1600/Rusty+Streak+Framed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="800" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxse3peDGJiHQ9FXEZwzTQ7o3vAoceiKwGK2BuutRpp8qnTA8CqI3cbs43GpQqvN-tvW8QJ5dgg4-GRXfVuZOVIn3Zzb3J0zE0C5DoZGRucv4EBqGByhlPNBrWokkkCPQer4eEXC-lJw/s640/Rusty+Streak+Framed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13x19" print matted and framed behind art glass<br />
$270.00 as shown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The old Pontiac was supposed to be much easier to frame as I had colors to work with this time. It turned out to be much more difficult in the long run. I was expecting maybe a light gray mat with a yellow inner band and a brown frame. Well, that just didn't look right at all, and we started to change things around quickly. Dave did his thing and went for a brown mat to pull the color of the car, but that was too much. We played with different colors for a mat to put on the top, and ultimately decided to go with a gray tone that matched the top of the hood and fender. My idea for a brown frame kept the eyes from settling in the picture, so we went darker and found a weathered gray frame that worked perfectly. When it was all said and done, the frame leads your eyes into the image with the gray picking up the sky and the car, while the brown grabs not only the car, but the barn in the background. Since the field was so resplendent in yellows and greens, they stood on their own very well. Once again, the frame helped to accentuate the picture, and really helped in the presentation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point, it was all done except for the competition. I was confident that I had selected two images that would show well, and hopefully do well during the competition. As of the time of this entry being published the fair is in full swing but I have not had the opportunity to get by there to know how my pictures have done. As soon as I find out, I will come back and add the results. Regardless of how they do, I am looking forward to having them up on my walls and available for clients to purchase.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Edit October 5, 2018</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The results are in from the photo competition. I'm excited to share that <i style="font-weight: bold;">A Rusty Streak</i> has earned top honors this year in the professional color photography category. I am really proud of this image and how it did in competition. There was a lot of thought that went into which image to select for this category and apparently I chose the correct one of the bunch. On the other hand, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Timeless View</i> did not do so well in the competition. Surprisingly, it didn't place. Since I have not been to the fair as of yet to see the winners, I have no idea what the judges were looking for this year in the monochrome genre. I can only assume that the competition is getting much stiffer as the years go on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can say that I am still very proud of this image. In fact, it is still one of my all time favorite shots and it captures everything that I wanted it to when I shot it. That is the thing with competitions, opinions vary and there is never a guarantee on how the chips will fall. I still say that of my two images, the black and white one was the stronger of the two. I would be interested to see which ones took home ribbons in the competition to see how I can improve on my selection process for this particular competition. It is always a learning process. </span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-28105693646909192932018-09-28T18:54:00.001-04:002018-09-28T18:54:56.122-04:00Graveyard Fields, In Search of Autumn<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Friday, September 28, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0crnegimXRp3v5xm50TFYkArN6Z8P7YTUt5_C99o6zcBKGW6szzw-4YYwdQ-p1qSdSrswvlzlZt6f61L1UkY8DtmjjKECkylz0_JRYwpdJKf8eGN1ZSbMpONUJvvro6EAkxuE4N9J8I/s1600/Clouds+Over+Pisgah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1048" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0crnegimXRp3v5xm50TFYkArN6Z8P7YTUt5_C99o6zcBKGW6szzw-4YYwdQ-p1qSdSrswvlzlZt6f61L1UkY8DtmjjKECkylz0_JRYwpdJKf8eGN1ZSbMpONUJvvro6EAkxuE4N9J8I/s640/Clouds+Over+Pisgah.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Clouds Over Pisgah</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll admit it, I have Fall Fever really bad right now which is odd considering that it is still very warm outside, and I'm still mowing every week. That being said, typically by this time each year I have already started seeing color in the higher elevations in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In fact, it was around <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2017/09/first-signs-of-fall.html">Sept 17th</a>, last year when I went to Graveyard Fields and found all sorts of color. I've been keeping track online to see how the color is coming this year and it seems to be a good bit later due to the warm temperatures. Based on what I was seeing though, I decided that it was time to make a journey out to Graveyard Fields and see for myself how things were coming along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With my work schedule this week, I ended up having to take Friday off (Darn!) since I was working on Saturday. Looking at the weather, there was a pretty good chance of clouds throughout the morning and showers later in the day. With some good rains recently, I figured that this would be a great time to see the Fall colors and to shoot some of the waterfalls at Graveyard Fields. I have yet to try the lower falls because when I have been there, the sun has been too bright to attempt waterfall photography. The forecast was showing some promise this time though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As an added benefit, the sunrise forecaster was calling for a good probability of some color in the sky as well. This was going to make for a really good trip if I could get a sunrise, and waterfalls in the same day, along with some bright colored leaves. I knew that it wasn't going to be anywhere near peak, but if I could just get a few trees here and there, I would be very happy with the first Autumn trek of the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As is typical, I had to wake up pretty early to catch a sunrise. Oddly enough, the sun was rising after 7am at this point in the year and that makes it much more tolerable than the middle of Summer when the sun wakes up before 6am. However, Graveyard Fields is just a tick over three hours from home. Doing the math...carry the one...that meant that I was waking up at 3:30 and on the road by 4. I hate early mornings!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNVqmDGreqDCYlZW4LAWsmyBB7RPMdQ-VbMnR0tK3NqvP-EBudtZOgsE1MmB2ll1sopuSN6F2InQWAY2JZStUkQfxMTOS2FmwDWmOoP5K350CqcuuWDqL7tPoFdSJiL9raGNhccBQr6I/s1600/20180928_072340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNVqmDGreqDCYlZW4LAWsmyBB7RPMdQ-VbMnR0tK3NqvP-EBudtZOgsE1MmB2ll1sopuSN6F2InQWAY2JZStUkQfxMTOS2FmwDWmOoP5K350CqcuuWDqL7tPoFdSJiL9raGNhccBQr6I/s320/20180928_072340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My plan was to get on the Parkway in time to find a place to set up for the sunrise, which shouldn't be a problem considering I was looking at arriving around 6:15 or so. The trip out there was interesting. I left in the rain, and had clouds and fog most of the way to the lower section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I wasn't sure how sunrise would look, but I was sure going to be in good shape for waterfalls. In fact, I even brought along directions to get to Estatoe Falls which is on my short list of waterfalls to visit. I figured that after shooting at Graveyard Fields, I could jump down the road to Estatoe and save the three hour drive I would have to make another day to shoot it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived on the Parkway, the fog was heavy and most of the overlooks were socked in. Not being very familiar with this section of the Parkway, I started hunting something that looked promising. The only problem was I couldn't see anything at all in the distance to know what to shoot. The sun was coming up too, and I was running out of time to find something. I started to drive by a long driveway that was marked "Mt Pisgah Parking" and thought about turning to see if that was an overlook. I remember thinking to myself, if I turn here, I won't have time to find anything else. If I stay straight, I don't know what I will find ahead. Essentially, it was a chance either way and I opted to make the turn and climb the short driveway.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jfRtXEVbdjsumxQEiz2FoCWUE7u1tMmtktlOOjCFT-UWuoLJZben4pAnzc4wBs1VasFgFNWXO5o3qNODk1mcOCeslGfFeBLoaQIvUjvoLAfUxO6tLuhctAm5wbLA8333T2Wm7SjdDEA/s1600/Passion+in+the+Air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jfRtXEVbdjsumxQEiz2FoCWUE7u1tMmtktlOOjCFT-UWuoLJZben4pAnzc4wBs1VasFgFNWXO5o3qNODk1mcOCeslGfFeBLoaQIvUjvoLAfUxO6tLuhctAm5wbLA8333T2Wm7SjdDEA/s640/Passion+in+the+Air.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Passion in the Air</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I found at the top of the driveway was the Buck Springs Gap Overlook. It was positioned perfectly to see the sun, and there were some of the most awesome clouds down below. I pulled in and just parked the truck right on the edge, not wanting to be concerned with whether or not I was in a parking space. I got out and grabbed the camera. I set the tripod up and fitted my 70-200mm lens to the camera. I made a single exposure and found that I wasn't able to get the reach that I really wanted at this stage of the game so I added my 2X teleconverter to extend the reach. I was now able to shoot at 400mm which was just perfect to capture the clouds and the color in the sky. I was right in the nick of time to capture this as the colors were unfolding quickly in front of me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the sky started to erupt in color, I removed the teleconverter and went back to my standard 70-200mm lens. I started looking at composition options and found that this was going to be a great prospect for a panorama. I flipped the camera on its side and got the tripod perfectly level. I did a dry sweep to check the exposure and set the focus. I then shot a 6 frame series across the horizon which I later stitched together for the opening image to this entry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked with other compositions and found some pretty good images over the course of about 30 minutes. In the end, I decided that I would pick the two best examples since they were largely of the same subject. These are the two that I liked best from the sunrise at Mt Pisgah.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qrbnuCZIT2HserJoTlpILZIwOC8ZWqFjdAf7FA2EnIWKRC2CqHO8PazrlM9_YHNZmEOzNKm8_l71fEcQ_Dg2gAiAFW6yIZ6sriB1z3Z0i3zseIDCcWAfbtaDaNPvFtPDrX_Eao5R0TE/s1600/20180928_073909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qrbnuCZIT2HserJoTlpILZIwOC8ZWqFjdAf7FA2EnIWKRC2CqHO8PazrlM9_YHNZmEOzNKm8_l71fEcQ_Dg2gAiAFW6yIZ6sriB1z3Z0i3zseIDCcWAfbtaDaNPvFtPDrX_Eao5R0TE/s320/20180928_073909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that series was done, I looked around to see what else was available. The sky was really nice, but I wasn't able to find any more workable compositions that excited me. I packed up my gear which actually took a minute. In my haste, I was throwing bits and pieces into the bag and not worrying about where they were landing. That meant that I had to move everything around to get it all back to where it was supposed to be. I considered shooting a short video here, but decided that the photography was more important than any video work. I still had a chance of getting some really cool skies if I found another vantage point to shoot from.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I loaded the truck back up and started back out on the Parkway towards Graveyard Fields once again. I ended up passing Funnel Top and saw some really interesting clouds around the mountains. It was most definitely worth pulling over and setting the camera up again. This time, I was pretty sure that the 70-200mm would be the right one, and it turned out to be just that. With the conditions present, I still wasn't using any filters as the exposures were still very good. I started doing my isolation thing with the mountains in the clouds. This is always a lot of fun to do and it starts to take on an abstract quality really quick. My intention at this point was to shoot in black and white, but when I got home I realized that the color in the sky was pretty nice and worth leaving in.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgMIT50QzI_UQlfFwx9By9WTCrNNnt3_VhMec_ZRGTzipZrdWkTo2TwNWkU0BiSi0vFKZlTr_4Is_kArtZWWHF5y-t2G1lkFU6DRpHSR_XCY5JveUchkpNOgZN8RHJJyMMisXR70OzEI/s1600/After+Dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgMIT50QzI_UQlfFwx9By9WTCrNNnt3_VhMec_ZRGTzipZrdWkTo2TwNWkU0BiSi0vFKZlTr_4Is_kArtZWWHF5y-t2G1lkFU6DRpHSR_XCY5JveUchkpNOgZN8RHJJyMMisXR70OzEI/s640/After+Dawn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>After Dawn</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The clouds were really thick down in the valleys and the sun was still being diffused by the clouds to the East. This gave me very soft light and that was just what I wanted. I loved being able to render the textures in the mountains, and even the hint of green. These would have been absolutely gorgeous if the leaves were at peak with the colors in the sky complementing the Autumn colors, but alas, that was not the case. I'm not complaining because regardless of the colors present, these were a lot of fun to compose and shoot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEfHn3EP0HVL23HOlxjBEs5dOgE0CEJiS9PSFar3LcQn_KvLrdbLuBGdWWCu0pit5BaA8owqqIaL1BbEj_nQkxCFttVECMXbSzWoTBbVBG2JI68DoeP9yFhtzXwZdF4zqpgezz0LRqHU/s1600/Reaching+For+The+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEfHn3EP0HVL23HOlxjBEs5dOgE0CEJiS9PSFar3LcQn_KvLrdbLuBGdWWCu0pit5BaA8owqqIaL1BbEj_nQkxCFttVECMXbSzWoTBbVBG2JI68DoeP9yFhtzXwZdF4zqpgezz0LRqHU/s640/Reaching+For+The+Day.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Reaching for the Day</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was shooting, I realized that there were a few clouds that seemed to be arching into the sky. When I started looking, I realized that their shape was mimicking the mountains beneath them. This was a good enough reason to capture that scene. I had no problem isolating this phenomenon with the 70-200mm lens. The background mountains even lived up to the name of "Blue Ridge" in this light. Again, the color here was too good to pass up so I opted not to convert either of these images to black and white. I stuck around here about 20 minutes or so before I realized that I had shot all that I cared to from this location. The clouds were not changing significantly, so there were really no other compositions developing. I loaded up and hit the road once again, still bound for the Autumn colors of Graveyard Field.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZ1AUwb0rAUkXcnzdhI2LB6sJFQ-AeMjBx_eqECeUECl9N6cxMIiyUtrxcyaq2LaEFTaYaziLzLi5B1xAr964eLwzXKq8I81eZsEtndOFZki5uw-yIq3lgQ8sCBU1I1gHnPW5I-x6iC8/s1600/Clouded+Looking+Glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZ1AUwb0rAUkXcnzdhI2LB6sJFQ-AeMjBx_eqECeUECl9N6cxMIiyUtrxcyaq2LaEFTaYaziLzLi5B1xAr964eLwzXKq8I81eZsEtndOFZki5uw-yIq3lgQ8sCBU1I1gHnPW5I-x6iC8/s640/Clouded+Looking+Glass.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Clouded Looking Glass</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not far down the road I passed by a well known landmark of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Looking Glass Rock. At first I wasn't going to shoot it, but when I saw how the clouds were looking around it I reconsidered. Once again I pulled out the 70-200mm lens and left any filters off of it. I worked on a few different compositions here before I found the one that I liked. There are repeating patterns of waves from the foreground into the background. The big interruption is the large bank of clouds with Looking Glass peeking out above it. The subtle hues in the sky rounded the image out, and I really liked how this one panned out overall. While I shot about 10 frames here, I only decided to keep this one. the others were just variations on the theme and really didn't stand on their own compared to this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was now time to move on down the road for my ultimate destination. I was looking forward to seeing the Fall colors at Graveyard Fields. However, when I arrived, my hopes were dashed. I could see the lower falls, or second falls from the Parkway and they were shrouded in green. They were also fully lit by the sun which had found its way into a large expanse of empty sky. The entire landscape mirrored what I was seeing at the falls with nothing but green present. I was disappointed to say the least because I was really hoping to see something similar to what I had seen last year, over a week earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh well, I was here and had driven a long way for this specific spot. I grabbed my gear and started off into the trails. As I was hiking through I could see where some of the trees I had expected to be in full color were now bare. It appeared as though those same trees had changed and then shed their leaves quickly. This would explain why I had been seeing pictures on Facebook showing some fair color in the area. I was too late for that, and too early for the majority of the leaves.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJURHcF2PIjJcDjardi2rWR8ZLCRSQ1ffZZRp4WckfloyzDy3V6RLvzXYHO4y1VCdYnBTg5Bb08Cva4z41kJcl9GMTSWZ5HTaE42plsrsg_yKA1yqtHJfvCrxlzrvRrsPIlMSeLpcGUSc/s1600/Cascades+on+Cascades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJURHcF2PIjJcDjardi2rWR8ZLCRSQ1ffZZRp4WckfloyzDy3V6RLvzXYHO4y1VCdYnBTg5Bb08Cva4z41kJcl9GMTSWZ5HTaE42plsrsg_yKA1yqtHJfvCrxlzrvRrsPIlMSeLpcGUSc/s640/Cascades+on+Cascades.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cascades on Cascades</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to skip the leaves this time and focus on the waterfalls. Yes, I know they were fully in the sunlight and that is a bad thing. My hope was by the time I got into position that the sun would be hidden behind the clouds. I was happy to find that the first little cascade by the boardwalk was in shadow. I had shot this last year with some color on the trees, but this year everything was totally green. I decided to give it a shot and I fitted my 24-70mm lens with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer before looking for a composition. I found a few workable compositions, but the lack of color left them rather flat and lifeless. The lighting was also not the best with some highlights in the background from the sun. After about a half dozen shots I decided that this wasn't going to work for me. I packed the camera back up and continued on to the lower falls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having never been here before, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as far as terrain. I knew what pictures were possible, but not exactly what was needed to get those pictures. After I made it down the steps, I came face to face with a rock garden like I have never seen before. The boulders were stacked up too high to get a good composition from where I was at. My only option was to find a way to rock hop to a location somewhere on the top of that pile. Fortunately I did have my waterfall boots on so some shallow wading was possible. The problem was the water was deeper than the boots were tall. I did manage to find my way around and over the boulders. My final location was interesting to say the least. I was standing on a rock, and there were three other rocks where I was able to place my tripod legs. I had very little wiggle room, and the camera was pretty much where it was with no movement possible.</span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I7DHiMw0ZDE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7DHiMw0ZDE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see, I made use of what I had to the fullest. I started out with my 16-35mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer, but quickly realized that that was just too much for this waterfall. I didn't like the compositions that I was getting and it was including too much of the foreground for my tastes. I swapped it out with my 24-70mm lens with the polarizer and found that focal length to work much better. My problem was the sun was still bright and causing my problems. The problems weren't my usual ones though with highlights and deep shadows. This waterfall is situated perfectly for a sunny shot as there are no shadows to contend with and everything is evenly lit. My problem was I was having a really hard time getting a slow shutter speed with just the polarizer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTTWidRl1RwVpUat7vuY98jrr7pxpWYOSIeyWEhMZHvwcuOAlnKGGwRGQ7yrT8N8_-sTXMOPkwYjAjfOrKYKNxmUWTHwWLsl5Xln_wmxIf17nidXuhLgApFTo-fBDWzcnT5bTiDaFTIA/s1600/Second+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTTWidRl1RwVpUat7vuY98jrr7pxpWYOSIeyWEhMZHvwcuOAlnKGGwRGQ7yrT8N8_-sTXMOPkwYjAjfOrKYKNxmUWTHwWLsl5Xln_wmxIf17nidXuhLgApFTo-fBDWzcnT5bTiDaFTIA/s640/Second+Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Second Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew I was going to need to add an ND filter to reduce the light and I have one for just this purpose. However, I was recalling my recent shot with Elk River Falls where I used the 10-Stop ND to get a three minute exposure. I figured that with the bright light here, I might actually be onto something with that kind of light reduction. I went ahead and added the lee Filter Holder to the edge of the polarizer and slid in the Singh-Ray Mor Slo 10-Stop ND filter. The lighting was much brighter than at Elk River Falls, so I knew I wasn't going to get a three minute exposure, and really didn't want that. Actually, I was aiming for 30 seconds, and was able to get just that with this filter combination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shot several different compositions and exposures for this waterfall. I did everything from 1/5 of a second up to 30 seconds. I was actually surprised to find that I liked the results of the 30 second exposure best by far. The water flow was quick, but it was cascading beautifully so that it maintained detail throughout the falls. In the end, I decided that I liked a horizontal as well as vertical composition of this waterfall. I did shoot some isolations, but none of them really stood out to me, and I ended up trashing them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After this I was feeling pretty good about the day, but the clouds were clearing and it was not looking like Estatoe was going to be a possibility. Instead of giving that one a try, I decided to pack up and head home. I was getting sleepy anyway having been up for a very long time already. The sky was gorgeous all the way home, but the lighting was not quite good enough for photography. I think I made the right decision in calling it quits. I will get to Estatoe Falls eventually, but I do want it to be on a very cloudy day as I have in mind what I want to capture and sunlight really won't play a part in it.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-40603447286563850522018-09-23T19:56:00.001-04:002018-09-23T19:56:15.129-04:00Pot Branch Falls<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday, September 23, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdzzT2VJlpypHU1ynC0qfX6Jo4IsRrxTeTodIwYKxyrOOs4XexnSIJ6zqjMbrLAG9lxSFQK48ozXW7AfTN7vx_KU5zyPN0MxprUb1cSs4C7rZfEi1dRbRrBOAZA6qk8bhRzqud5wN3ns/s1600/Swooping+In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdzzT2VJlpypHU1ynC0qfX6Jo4IsRrxTeTodIwYKxyrOOs4XexnSIJ6zqjMbrLAG9lxSFQK48ozXW7AfTN7vx_KU5zyPN0MxprUb1cSs4C7rZfEi1dRbRrBOAZA6qk8bhRzqud5wN3ns/s640/Swooping+In.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Swooping In</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple of weeks have passed since I have been out making any photographs, and my goal for this weekend was to change that. The weather was looking good with clouds both Saturday and Sunday at home as well as in the mountains. My initial thought was to spend the day around Graveyard Fields on Saturday to catch some of the early fall color. That would leave Sunday available to get two framed pictures to the Dixie Classic Fair for competition. It would all work out quite well. Well, you know how planning goes for me...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday turned out to be completely sunny across the state and there was nothing that I could do with a camera, or at least nothing that I wanted to do. I decided to take my pictures to the Fair early in the day in the attempt to miss the football traffic from the Wake Forest game at noon. There was no such luck, I wasn't even able to get to the parking lot. I abandoned that hope and went home. I started to work on a Plan D or something like that. The weather was looking great for Sunday with clouds, showers, and even the potential for fog. That forecast was pretty much from home to the mountains. The trick here was, I needed to be able to get the pictures dropped off between noon and 4pm as that was the only time I could get them there. To avoid last minute problems I needed to aim for something around 2pm for a drop of time. That was going to cut my available outing time down to a minimum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the weather looking gloomy I decided that waterfalls would be the best bet for the day. I didn't want to revisit one that I had shot before though, so I started to research other options. As I thumbed through the waterfalls in NC, I came across one that I had not seen before called Pot Branch Falls, which was located in Golden Valley, NC. It was about two hours away from me, and the hike seemed rather simple and quick based on the description. I was pretty sure that I could get there and have time to shoot it, and even have a little excess for another subject along the way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLEdf4lWQSt9gZzFgftnxqOCVKrx-6OtNUiiFffDqNRSRM5Y8skKkkBFX0T4aXMzBg85hevYfSUizhwcUyV-Z0KxHKb8KgeV09tlUS3e40InIdrzSb3DIYVBX3sGXmd-amMxNZMbupCw/s1600/With+the+Curve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLEdf4lWQSt9gZzFgftnxqOCVKrx-6OtNUiiFffDqNRSRM5Y8skKkkBFX0T4aXMzBg85hevYfSUizhwcUyV-Z0KxHKb8KgeV09tlUS3e40InIdrzSb3DIYVBX3sGXmd-amMxNZMbupCw/s640/With+the+Curve.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>With the Curve</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to give myself the most time, I decided to get up when Toni left for work at 5am. This would get me to the waterfall by first light and leave me with the majority of the morning to work it. I could tell when I left that it was cloudy, but not quite the full overcast I was expecting. As I went further West, I found myself under heavier clouds and even fog. This was going to be perfect! I was glad that I had opted to shoot waterfalls over Graveyard Fields since I would not have gotten the colors that I wanted in the dense fog. The excitement kept building as I came into Morganton, but started to fade when I saw the sky as the sun came up. There was some obvious blue up there, and the clouds were thinning out substantially. This was actually great conditions for doing the Autumn landscapes, but I was woefully out of position for doing that at this point. I opted to carry on and continue to my destination hoping that I would find something else along the way that was promising.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With my hopes dashed a little bit, I did continue on and found a good bit of fog developing as I made my way through Morganton. I saw an old Ford N Series tractor on the side of the road that looked really nice in the fog, but I was wanting to capture this waterfall if the conditions held. I decided to wait on the tractor till the return trip. I was proceeding with a new found dedication to seeing Pot Branch Falls. It was short lived though. As I approached Jonestown Rd, the last paved road before the falls, the fog cleared as did the sky. Oh well, I was minutes away from my destination.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNw_cvkntQPn1s1rQT39M-j_92i_Cu7lwwVkbKrgbt0g6Fd4-_4U2-7z_azpjnU8ZBdOyqW0wIaRoZ5RCAPpXawnud2otY0TC9Ljx5pJzvrYy64TKNqhcQaN8bgeUgsdOY0wyIVCji7U/s1600/Eroded+Steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1104" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNw_cvkntQPn1s1rQT39M-j_92i_Cu7lwwVkbKrgbt0g6Fd4-_4U2-7z_azpjnU8ZBdOyqW0wIaRoZ5RCAPpXawnud2otY0TC9Ljx5pJzvrYy64TKNqhcQaN8bgeUgsdOY0wyIVCji7U/s640/Eroded+Steps.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Eroded Steps</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The old service road was actually a great deal of fun to drive down for the 3 miles it took. There was even a small creek crossing to get to the falls. What I did notice was that the sun was hidden on the other side of the mountain, so that gave me a great deal of hope to have the waterfall in the shadows. When I finally arrived at the parking area the sky was pretty much bright blue with a few clouds here and there. I needed to hurry and take advantage of any shade that I could find. Fortunately the hike was quick and easy to navigate.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cmr4yrb2px-ZMIOz_OnXMid8iCmZD1Wt4P4jo3Avu_enJfeFgq5sSpqFQKk1MduOaLGKKf4GL4a4L8TKpP5PWqBj7rmTmI_2jePCD6yMDloMzC_oT_Gpbi22-qDg40pKhwEDu_o7kgk/s1600/Scooped+Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1232" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cmr4yrb2px-ZMIOz_OnXMid8iCmZD1Wt4P4jo3Avu_enJfeFgq5sSpqFQKk1MduOaLGKKf4GL4a4L8TKpP5PWqBj7rmTmI_2jePCD6yMDloMzC_oT_Gpbi22-qDg40pKhwEDu_o7kgk/s640/Scooped+Rocks.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Scooped Rocks</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived at the waterfall, it was indeed in the shadows which made me very happy. There were several sections to the waterfall and each had a different feel. What I was after was the long drop through the rocks that could be viewed from the bottom of the waterfall. It was a simple scramble to get down to the bottom, but there was a problem that I had not anticipated. There was a large tree that had fallen and was laying across the base of the waterfall blocking the view of the best part of this location. I tried to figure out a way around it, and even had a fleeting thought of trying to pull the tree out of the way. Don't worry, I didn't try as I know how heavy those things are, and knew I had no chance at relocating a tree. This was very unfortunate, and I had to regain my composure to figure out how I would shoot this waterfall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I decided to do was to shoot isolations of the upper sections which were rather interesting on their own. For this, I decided to use my 24-70mm lens with a Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer attached. This gave me a lot of flexibility about how I captured the elements of the waterfall. I even used it to get a panoramic view of the top of the main drop (pictured above). I stitched together what amounted to five images in portrait orientation. I was standing almost on top of the water, and I was shooting at 24mm. I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but by carefully moving through the composition, I was pretty sure that I had the raw material needed to stitch it together the way I was envisioning it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhoO1j0pzZK4d45VtLosUq09sljUwtWkQXYOirAK-GeOGYvkSFb3JV5f_wT4salFXW5E3pwjYyy6obyE5K3b1cytntD-WUjAoxWdJgDmoviAU4I-uAgoD8caaY2TyOSE99CNwx3cify4/s1600/Cavity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhoO1j0pzZK4d45VtLosUq09sljUwtWkQXYOirAK-GeOGYvkSFb3JV5f_wT4salFXW5E3pwjYyy6obyE5K3b1cytntD-WUjAoxWdJgDmoviAU4I-uAgoD8caaY2TyOSE99CNwx3cify4/s640/Cavity.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cavity</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I played around with the 24-70mm lens for a while, I decided to bring out the 70-200mm for some real isolations. Of course, I kept the polarizer attached to the front element. I started to work isolations of the section just upstream of where I started. There was a few interesting little creek cascades with the eroded rocks I found so interesting. I even set up another panorama of this section (<b><i>Eroded Steps</i></b>) in order to capture a little different perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took me about an hour's time to work this waterfall to the point that I was satisfied with my images. I was really surprised that the lighting remained really good for the duration of my time. I just wished I could have gotten the shot I was there to get. I will have to wait until the tree is no longer there to get that shot though. I did have a lot of isolation images of the different elements of the waterfall which was my secondary goal for coming to this waterfall. At least I was able to achieve that goal, and I shot a brand new (to me) waterfall. It would seem I am back to enjoying the thrill of exploring new waterfalls, and will likely continue that through the fall and winter when there are less people around on the trails.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made the hike back to the truck and made my way back out to the road headed to the house. I was looking for the old Ford tractor while enroute though. The only problem was the sky was pretty blue and the lighting was getting rather harsh. Oh well, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I missed out on the tractor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As it turned out, when I got to the tractor and really started to look at the setting, I decided that it was not quite the find that I had thought it was. It might have worked better in the fog, but currently, there was too much clutter around it to make it work as a photograph. I shrugged it off and continued down the road. As I was coming up on a gas station, I could see a rusty car off on the side of a neighboring field. I saw it in just enough time to hit the brakes and pull off on the side road which ran alongside the field.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9uNJwEQS1w5b6N69JDxWjrlDHidEgcBacnXfO3He5QDYmmzfHMUKJiDLAbeOzySAr7WA1GrvoZOfbOPTQ5rqc6dlPm91QMETQoFnx_naFTvfbYLNna9X7fZImqjWti9CYGlCYX0OpsY/s1600/Mercedes+Scorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9uNJwEQS1w5b6N69JDxWjrlDHidEgcBacnXfO3He5QDYmmzfHMUKJiDLAbeOzySAr7WA1GrvoZOfbOPTQ5rqc6dlPm91QMETQoFnx_naFTvfbYLNna9X7fZImqjWti9CYGlCYX0OpsY/s640/Mercedes+Scorn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Mercedes Scorn</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My eyes had not deceived me at all. That glimpse of rust turned out to be an old Mercedes sitting next to tree line. The lighting was pretty good on it as I was coming back into the cloud cover. I looked around and didn't see any indications that there were trespass issues, and I saw no structures at the field where I might try to ask permission. Since I was totally in the open, I decided to take my chances and I pulled into the field and grabbed my camera with the 24-70mm lens attached. Of course, I added the Color Combo Polarizer to the front and got set up for my first exposures. There wasn't a lot to work with around the car, so my overall shots were dependent on things like the branches overhead to really make a cohesive composition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I did like about this car was the bent hood and broken windows. The chrome bits were still there which was pretty awesome to me. The front end of this car really caught my attention as a matter of fact. After I did some overall shots of the car, I started to get in closer and work my way through the weeds to get some intimate shots of this old Benz.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjerQas_U36uChEsdBMDISF9Zs6IsLDHkniYEZs_d9pge7H8iA8io7TnmIF6qHiZvuYBN_fjxOF1rfQJ95zMz9pvXoi54UrJXbjA08UBMbc45jrEVXyY23EMrNDHLhncuRkxliCIQ_eEg/s1600/Where+Did+Time+Go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjerQas_U36uChEsdBMDISF9Zs6IsLDHkniYEZs_d9pge7H8iA8io7TnmIF6qHiZvuYBN_fjxOF1rfQJ95zMz9pvXoi54UrJXbjA08UBMbc45jrEVXyY23EMrNDHLhncuRkxliCIQ_eEg/s640/Where+Did+Time+Go.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Where Did the Time Go?</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was setting up a shot off to the side, I decided to get low and have the headlight looking off to the side. With the composition I was able to get, I swear the car looked like it was pondering something pretty serious. That is what I love about headlights on these old cars, the personality and soul of the vehicle shines through. The patina of this car was amazing and the textures just jumped out at you at every angle.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif35a4uHcOyfnvB-eoFP8yJkGRVhcpL6xd74dX_Yi8opCvL2LMVHcuBhWEEP9tS94qxhy4xmP4Cr134oN6-KYNFwm8qC9yPqPSSuSH96_K9AlO5NToaShSzAseYUkR3vxBeWVSm9_OHF4/s1600/Handle+It.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif35a4uHcOyfnvB-eoFP8yJkGRVhcpL6xd74dX_Yi8opCvL2LMVHcuBhWEEP9tS94qxhy4xmP4Cr134oN6-KYNFwm8qC9yPqPSSuSH96_K9AlO5NToaShSzAseYUkR3vxBeWVSm9_OHF4/s640/Handle+It.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Handle It</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started to look for ways to capitalize on the patina and found that the passenger side door had a great deal of character in the surface. I used the door handle to anchor the shot and got in really close to fully show off the old paint, scale, and rust. It has been much too long since I have shot a real rusty car and I have to say, I've missed it. There is just so much that can be done with these old cars. After every shot I made of it, I was looking over my shoulder expecting my time to be cut short. Fortunately though, nobody seemed to car that I was here. I wasted no time, and kept working different compositions of the car, and even started to look inside for ideas.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPr0a9-3RjlxiMu8bHazeIIu_uyYIhWECIapZfu6Q2XhVOeX7XCO2Sf0kV7nmn5NN0Oc3L74QeZOWkadKlbGM6lwZSdgnCnnzkLD8mh9WBlHDPQbtJKfoosdYnY8sUGRTlmq0bInRfcA/s1600/Take+the+Wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="800" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPr0a9-3RjlxiMu8bHazeIIu_uyYIhWECIapZfu6Q2XhVOeX7XCO2Sf0kV7nmn5NN0Oc3L74QeZOWkadKlbGM6lwZSdgnCnnzkLD8mh9WBlHDPQbtJKfoosdYnY8sUGRTlmq0bInRfcA/s640/Take+the+Wheel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Take the Wheel</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I loved about the view from the passenger's door was the strands of headliner that were hanging loose from the ceiling. The window was mossed over, and there was obvious mold in the seats. It just screamed age, but there was still a lot of recognizable features inside the cabin which told the story of the car. The rusty frame of the door kept your eyes centered on the interior which I liked as well. I tried a few different compositions here, and was really wanting to open the door, but I have a hard and fast rule that I shoot them as I find them unless I have an owner with me who allows opening doors and such.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7Abt4jxNNYftH9iErWfz_o8eqmTRhAS6FQ3JvmSUdI69Kp58oOYEI2oHRNzmKb7EjZqVtwjZp2HYqTNE8gR0AuFb7MTh5D2VXcDV3miahl8ShnzPZFtEEBVwD2OgqkH1UV8rGkHoZ_A/s1600/Benz+Attitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7Abt4jxNNYftH9iErWfz_o8eqmTRhAS6FQ3JvmSUdI69Kp58oOYEI2oHRNzmKb7EjZqVtwjZp2HYqTNE8gR0AuFb7MTh5D2VXcDV3miahl8ShnzPZFtEEBVwD2OgqkH1UV8rGkHoZ_A/s640/Benz+Attitude.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Benz Attitude</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing that I couldn't get away from was the front end of this car. The fact that the chrome was mostly in place was amazing, and I loved the bumper and the grill. I thought about shooting a perfectly symmetrical composition here, and thought about a straight on, off centered view as well. In the end though, I decided to go off to the side and make a head light and the grill the main points of the photograph with the opposite headlight as a balance element, all linked together by the bumper. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but after seeing it on the computer monitor I was happy I went this route. It is a little different than my normal shot, and suites this car all too well.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPm3NgvGZVCckiDqN9ED7izl8QyAqAPSXcq4srEirThOp490paC0LHIp2d_Y6Lk0VqI9YHVZ1Wam8ehE1J8gwUi3eNBiUtzHO0Y2qpTier8x6G9uXrisHDmjKBm4vKqV5Kl5ty-YvYJQ/s1600/Locked+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPm3NgvGZVCckiDqN9ED7izl8QyAqAPSXcq4srEirThOp490paC0LHIp2d_Y6Lk0VqI9YHVZ1Wam8ehE1J8gwUi3eNBiUtzHO0Y2qpTier8x6G9uXrisHDmjKBm4vKqV5Kl5ty-YvYJQ/s640/Locked+Eyes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Locked Eyes</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though I had seen some success with an angled composition, I was still wanting to try something a little more intense from the front of this car. I got positioned right at "eye" level to the headlight and squared up with the front of the car to get this very dramatic view from the front of the car. What I really liked about this view was the patina that turned into the background to the headlight and marker light. The slats under the hood were less than pristine, and the chrome surround made for a great framing element on the right side of this composition. The fronts of these old cars really make for great abstract pieces.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj1_MZeGPo5iU0OM7IcnTZsbGZwr4xQyBaHlllvyVMujxQK3qqTrfi_roJfd189pgFG7DHLqEnCnPwcMiyX-YRv9v2wRZEH-S5wk9OIkyA2AvxeQ4LT5zL-usID-Ga3gXiURdzid3mns/s1600/Patina+Luxury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj1_MZeGPo5iU0OM7IcnTZsbGZwr4xQyBaHlllvyVMujxQK3qqTrfi_roJfd189pgFG7DHLqEnCnPwcMiyX-YRv9v2wRZEH-S5wk9OIkyA2AvxeQ4LT5zL-usID-Ga3gXiURdzid3mns/s640/Patina+Luxury.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Patina Luxury</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When all was said and done with this car, I had a total of 80 frames shot divided up very equally with 40 at the waterfall and another 40 at the Mercedes. It was a simple day with only two subjects in front of the camera, but considering the weather playing tricks on me and a fallen tree that blocked my view of the waterfall, I really can't complain. The day went pretty much as planned and I was able to drop my two pictures off at the Fair with plenty of time left to spare. I'll have more on those pictures in the next installment of my <i>Behind the Camera</i> feature around the first of the month.</span></div>
Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-85552594040272996852018-09-10T13:56:00.001-04:002018-09-10T13:56:03.630-04:00Blue Ridge Weekend: Catawba Falls<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sunday, September 9, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnqwerZqlDNzKK55f8-AOTJUGSDXx6kch1FrbQI_Jheb6bJu1xZmAH9GtGAc_B9KGZ_oFxhto4K0XOyJUMV_5By6I75G-dAtACqfQ68PDr0HnSY0dpXGo7IMuPJVpslcN4kwIM38to6U/s1600/Catawba+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnqwerZqlDNzKK55f8-AOTJUGSDXx6kch1FrbQI_Jheb6bJu1xZmAH9GtGAc_B9KGZ_oFxhto4K0XOyJUMV_5By6I75G-dAtACqfQ68PDr0HnSY0dpXGo7IMuPJVpslcN4kwIM38to6U/s640/Catawba+Falls.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Catawba Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, here I was on my last day in the mountains. The weather was cloudy and rainy. There had been some rain moving across the area over the last couple of days. That could only mean one thing.....it was time for waterfalls!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To catch you up, I found myself on an unplanned trip to the mountains that was pretty much centered around the fact that I wanted to visit Catawba Falls on the suggestion of Michael Surratt. Looking ahead late last week the conditions were looking favorable for this waterfall on Sunday, and those conditions remained in tact. I stayed at the hotel long enough to grab some breakfast before checking out and heading towards old Fort, NC, where the falls were located. Along the way, I found a possible location for some old car photography along Hwy 221, and then again on Main St a few miles South of that. It was foggy and rainy, so I opted not to waste time scoping these locations out as it was too early to be knocking on doors to ask permission to be on the properties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I arrived at the falls about 8:30am and grabbed my gear and started out on the hike. I was a little surprised to see about a half dozen cars in the lot already, even though Michael had said to get there early to avoid the crowds. Regardless, I was here and I had time to work this waterfall before going home. The hike was a little longer than I expected as I hadn't really researched the distance. After about 30 minutes of hiking what seemed like constantly up a hill, I stopped and checked for internet connection on my phone. I was able to pull up the hiking information for the waterfall and found that it was about a mile and a half. based on my normal pace, that meant that I should be just about there. I continued on with the hike and started to climb some rocks. Just around the corner I found the waterfall. Had I waited about two minutes, I wouldn't have had to stop to check the phone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was really happy to see that there was nobody at the base of the falls, so I was totally alone with it for the time being. I got the camera set up for an overall shot in case somebody decided to join me. For this, I started out with the 16-35mm lens along with my ever present Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. This filter would stay attached throughout the day regardless of lens choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first shot used one of the rocks as a foreground interest to introduce the scene. The waterfall was rather impressive in sheer size, but there wasn't a ton of water running down the drops. What was there was really interesting and I was here for the isolations anyway. I had been more excited about that potential since the beginning.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lMp8KsYrqOvwBE17ysx7yDG0oPOVo-9QhYV0RKfIi_Xj9LVaPGaw58ChhiTT3P9U8UeeQe8YxM0b_Qix4ffejTjcOHS6Ke24qyxMKUEhLk_njbl9dKprF1bFsCGT4vTyTE_4ukTCy_s/s1600/Water+Cairn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lMp8KsYrqOvwBE17ysx7yDG0oPOVo-9QhYV0RKfIi_Xj9LVaPGaw58ChhiTT3P9U8UeeQe8YxM0b_Qix4ffejTjcOHS6Ke24qyxMKUEhLk_njbl9dKprF1bFsCGT4vTyTE_4ukTCy_s/s640/Water+Cairn.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Water Cairn</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the features that I found early on that I really liked was a cairn situated near the base of the falls. It was surrounded by some really nice cascades and that made for an interesting picture in my mind. For this, I was going to need a little more reach so I swapped lenses for my 70-200mm and started making compositions. I tried both landscape and portrait, but found that the tight portrait orientation seemed to work a little more effectively.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvZgLD6BevuVzr5rCKqlJDu2lvLlHCFBcUmA8wMYK9wZTaZ8nMxwpEwstiG_gXtnhpeYfdNb1xPeQFM8SE0tFlOGnF3xvJTwSjAU04BcKqD90d11t9pzcQbdNVUzGFMJiHFcYaZsG-Fg/s1600/Marking+the+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="800" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvZgLD6BevuVzr5rCKqlJDu2lvLlHCFBcUmA8wMYK9wZTaZ8nMxwpEwstiG_gXtnhpeYfdNb1xPeQFM8SE0tFlOGnF3xvJTwSjAU04BcKqD90d11t9pzcQbdNVUzGFMJiHFcYaZsG-Fg/s640/Marking+the+Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Marking the Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That is not to say that the horizontal composition was lacking. It stood on its own right, but the cairn lost some of the visual importance. I was able to capture another cairn to the left that I had not been able to see when scoping out the falls at the scene. I actually only saw it when I was starting the editing process of the pictures. That is the benefit of a nice long lens, you can see details that are hidden from view many times. I really liked the way the rocks framed the single cascade in this composition, along with the moss on the rocks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjdZ8tvHFDaasLoCjdvzcA2tbq-rCKgUGPVolKlQHtbrbcnMXjMPI2RprERTm128NnB6T1NxC4zNOMbauUQEPJ7MtfwW-L72PAMioFdo450gxvYlHch0R6cY0-mC-7EgE4pVr97F3VQk/s1600/Forest+Drops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjdZ8tvHFDaasLoCjdvzcA2tbq-rCKgUGPVolKlQHtbrbcnMXjMPI2RprERTm128NnB6T1NxC4zNOMbauUQEPJ7MtfwW-L72PAMioFdo450gxvYlHch0R6cY0-mC-7EgE4pVr97F3VQk/s640/Forest+Drops.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Forest Drops</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While shooting isolations on this waterfall, I wanted to get some compositions up near the top. For that, I was going to need a bit extra reach. I grabbed my extender and mounted it between the lens and camera. That gave me the ability to reach out to 400mm to capture some of the smaller sections near the top of the falls. I liked this section a lot because of the two colors of moss on the rocks. The cascades were also quite interesting in their patterns. If you look closely, you can even see a number of small streams coming off of a ledge that links everything up at the base.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvrIMmAZicUwDWwYNwlyZGBdTtbpMINdhozJ6nDXkdm2c-qBf7sYfT2PWD-H3KATGAEAQJ6neYZY9CfinOStdBRiNZuI7cG8BKrsD7gAa4rzJdRPQShzBsT9srCII6_5q9CrVS7xA_g8/s1600/Saturated+Moss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvrIMmAZicUwDWwYNwlyZGBdTtbpMINdhozJ6nDXkdm2c-qBf7sYfT2PWD-H3KATGAEAQJ6neYZY9CfinOStdBRiNZuI7cG8BKrsD7gAa4rzJdRPQShzBsT9srCII6_5q9CrVS7xA_g8/s640/Saturated+Moss.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Saturated Moss</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was the moss that really made the compositions for me. I loved the shades of green and burnt orange. It was almost like Autumn colors at the end of Summer. I found a few areas that had interesting cascades, or like this picture, just a runoff from the ledge. It really is amazing to me how the terrain works with these waterfalls and in the mountains in general. Always so rugged and inhospitable, yet so beautiful and full of life.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG2jGcFga76qA4WqTYymvqXkEOQyP1JTYw5CZLqWUjWJXgbkhYCEHOPRtnSdzYcoC0kBCmh4comrfJXrQ9WssojfPJ8_FgZQHaKmSRoN4s_vnzHL0GjPZUywdt724S9QVpNWVnz50GZA/s1600/Catawba+Cascades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG2jGcFga76qA4WqTYymvqXkEOQyP1JTYw5CZLqWUjWJXgbkhYCEHOPRtnSdzYcoC0kBCmh4comrfJXrQ9WssojfPJ8_FgZQHaKmSRoN4s_vnzHL0GjPZUywdt724S9QVpNWVnz50GZA/s640/Catawba+Cascades.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Catawba Cascades</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was really having a lot of fun with the reach of the extender and kept finding more and more compositions. This turned out to be a really good thing because while I was shooting up at the top of the falls there were several groups of hikers that showed up and wanted to experience the waterfall. For many of these isolations, I was actually shooting over the heads of other hikers. They were all very respectful and made sure it was OK to enter into the scene. I don't think they quite understood what I was trying to capture as I could tell they were feeling awkward standing in front of the guy with the camera while actively making exposures.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvr4Ph2Cial_XbkACE8f-QvbCXq_LUzNhC9YPIIl7bLdF7F3lCLbZYiSfuMZ8P_IpGnYsGf77645KAczzgsxPmAVueWxDhUSQermzlx3drzSTJRpjjB3CFv1WxnatjlSDyRCbqfDzVtk/s1600/Berries+by+the+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvr4Ph2Cial_XbkACE8f-QvbCXq_LUzNhC9YPIIl7bLdF7F3lCLbZYiSfuMZ8P_IpGnYsGf77645KAczzgsxPmAVueWxDhUSQermzlx3drzSTJRpjjB3CFv1WxnatjlSDyRCbqfDzVtk/s640/Berries+by+the+Water.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Berries by the Water</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really took this time to experiment with compositions. I found a lot of nice elements to include near the cascades like these berries to the upper left. They added another dimension in color as well as texture to the images. It was still the moss that captivated me for this section. I loved the browning tones and it gave a richness to the image that is lost with solid green moss.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq_Dso5zPgeRjQqV2lweO_IkQ_368b5S2TJp0ApQEssw0IJxuQmBDi0hQ2pWI_UhOavX8sihh5ssMk2kxWZzRgKw-zCYDoYN1cdvXZEuzIEPgmfni9D6vYvN3MmCpdtx8bFPvr0LisP0/s1600/Collection+Point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq_Dso5zPgeRjQqV2lweO_IkQ_368b5S2TJp0ApQEssw0IJxuQmBDi0hQ2pWI_UhOavX8sihh5ssMk2kxWZzRgKw-zCYDoYN1cdvXZEuzIEPgmfni9D6vYvN3MmCpdtx8bFPvr0LisP0/s640/Collection+Point.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Collection Point</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I had a break in hikers, I decided to try something a little different. I swapped lenses once again to my 24-70mm so I could get some midrange compositions of the cascades. I again turned my attention to the cairn that I had shot earlier. This time, I made it the base of the photograph with the larger cascade drawing your eye to it. The smaller cascades provided visual interest and patterns through the rest of the image. I was able to include the different color mosses as well which was a great bonus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Catawba Falls is an interesting waterfall to photograph. It is hard to have it make complete sense in the overall view. The isolations are very interesting, but have a certain careless quality about them. Finding patterns and lines is a difficult task. I see that as a plus as it probably means that each photographer will pick out their personal favorite sections which will probably be different from the next one. I haven't seen a lot of pictures from this waterfall before, but I can say that it is a really nice one with a lot of potential.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn_bGSS8nD8W48hSp7aSSygRUZwmwxrEKtkF18asIz7fXM-STlzN4z1CunhyphenhyphenHi7zR6ddZpisKvQwOa5YyJU0TXGU-YQ5hcudDdFN8IEUPByQ7BBIJikGNBDjx-A1Atbb5h2FFERIrpiM/s1600/Staccato+Drops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn_bGSS8nD8W48hSp7aSSygRUZwmwxrEKtkF18asIz7fXM-STlzN4z1CunhyphenhyphenHi7zR6ddZpisKvQwOa5YyJU0TXGU-YQ5hcudDdFN8IEUPByQ7BBIJikGNBDjx-A1Atbb5h2FFERIrpiM/s640/Staccato+Drops.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Staccato Drops</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One technique I found that works well with this waterfall is focusing on a single side of it. By including both exit points, you start to lose the top and mid sections. What I did here was eliminated the left exit, and chose to focus my attention on the dominant exit to the right. That allowed me to crop in closer to the rest of the waterfall and show more of its true character. I think I like this view better than my original opening image, although I do miss the rock as the foreground interest.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCx3i5-IZWR0wKUSL4lPJ0BfTv4bS7oEgal8g7m_9aa8LV6z20PefZVDa4eri6JX_swZFsCKFrMWANTT1DFA-jw8isl3vZTVlPBANch9kavoCfcO6eaQmH_bv-WY-6H5M9Peh1DArpvA/s1600/Foot+of+the+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCx3i5-IZWR0wKUSL4lPJ0BfTv4bS7oEgal8g7m_9aa8LV6z20PefZVDa4eri6JX_swZFsCKFrMWANTT1DFA-jw8isl3vZTVlPBANch9kavoCfcO6eaQmH_bv-WY-6H5M9Peh1DArpvA/s640/Foot+of+the+Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Foot of the Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While I was working on that half composition I decided that the exit of the waterfall deserved a little bit of attention on its own. I got in close with the 24-70mm lens and isolated what looked like a foot at the end of the waterfall. I was surprised that this hadn't spoken to me earlier. It photographed very well I thought and was one of the more simple scenes within the entire waterfall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point, more and more people were starting to join me. Considering I had used every lens in my inventory with the exception of the 14mm prime, I figured I was pretty well spent for compositions. I went ahead and packed up shop to begin the hike back to the truck. I left about a half dozen people at the base of the falls, and passed another 20-30 on the way out. Michael was right, even in a light rain, early on a Sunday morning, this park is packed out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My impromptu weekend was now over and it was time to make the drive home. In all, I had 330 frames shot with several HDR compositions and a panoramic composition. I ended up with 32 images that I felt were worth keeping. I have now completed the processing on them, and will work on getting a few of them in the gallery here before too long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday:</b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-mount-jefferson.html">The start to my journey</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday: </b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-driving-all-over.html">A full day driving in the mountains</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday:</b> You are here</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-53903896939979345192018-09-10T00:33:00.001-04:002018-09-10T13:57:06.275-04:00Blue Ridge Weekend: Driving All Over<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, September 8, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UqOcVolVSCEntZD6BGfeBMF1ewYAWKFShmxhE2DNy6a5aFAVuh1srlTyU1C8hwOzIeW215a90sTNN4PDPdfmXyaNCaDb_7Fw-2rWbYALcTOabuyH32UBZ5srIv06_8sxFPl5yQWW8ts/s1600/Elk+Lean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="800" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UqOcVolVSCEntZD6BGfeBMF1ewYAWKFShmxhE2DNy6a5aFAVuh1srlTyU1C8hwOzIeW215a90sTNN4PDPdfmXyaNCaDb_7Fw-2rWbYALcTOabuyH32UBZ5srIv06_8sxFPl5yQWW8ts/s640/Elk+Lean.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Elk Lean</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">OK, so to catch up here, this is the second part to a three part blog entry about a weekend in the mountains. This was my first full day, and my plan was to take advantage of the partial cloud cover and do some rural exploration. There are a lot of back roads in the mountains with barns and old cars just waiting to be photographed. The light that I was expecting was going to be pretty much perfect for this. When the alarm rang I checked the weather and found that there were going to be a bit more clouds in the area, and currently, the clouds were really low. I knew that sunrise wasn't going to be an option, so I set the alarm for another hour away which would get me up for the breakfast at the hotel. It seemed like only a few minutes, but 6am was here and it was time to get up and functioning. I was really glad that I had opted for a hotel rather than sleeping in the truck. I had slept all night, but was still tired.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I finished up with breakfast and finished getting ready to head out. With the increased cloud cover I thought it might be a good time to get Elk River Falls which I had originally planned for Sunday. No reason to wait if the conditions were going to be decent today. That would also get me out in an area that I recall had some pretty nice rural settings. I could reasonably see myself spending the entire day in the area of Newland, and Elk Park, NC. I got my gear and off I went. The trip was pretty simple and I enjoyed the drive. The clouds were clearing, however, and that made me a little nervous about doing waterfall photography.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first inclination was to abort Elk River Falls and concentrate on the rural settings. The more I thought about it though, something was pulling me to the waterfall. Despite the weather not really looking promising, my heart said to keep on going. I've learned to listen to these inner clues over the years because I usually get some of my best images when I follow their lead. I did know that there were compositions that could benefit from a bit of blue sky, and I was thinking that might just work with what I was seeing above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I finally got to the parking area, there was one other car parked in the lot. I was hoping for none, but a single car was no big deal. I grabbed my gear and started down the short trail to the falls. The last time I was here was 10 years ago and honestly, I wasn't recognizing any of the trails. I barely recognized the parking lot. There was a short spur off of the main trail that took you to the top of the waterfall. You can file this under something that I didn't recall, so I decided to walk out to see if there was anything picture worthy up there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I found was an impressive flow over the rocks, and lots of moss undertones to the water. The composition was interesting enough to pull the camera out and see what I could do with it. I fitted my 24-70mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer before mounting to the tripod. I started to play with different compositions before I finally settled on the one that opens this entry. It wasn't anything special, but the quality of the water was just too good to pass up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I really liked about how this shot worked out was it looked like an arm reaching out to the side as if to give an embrace. There was just something oddly human about this part of the waterfall, and it comforted me. This was ironic considering all of the signs posted about how dangerous it was at the top of the waterfall, and how dozens of victims had slipped and fallen to their deaths here. This is the sad part of doing waterfall photography. Just about everywhere I go, there have been deaths by people doing what I'm doing, or just simply being where I am. It is a sobering thought.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeKjLaCNSBs7VqYhlJcEKqrpmB02T_TloehYFqPTA9SkbmVka-y38fwgCsgBKdOmFZN1uF24lPnzw0Ar91Gs0t9ocNnQfQXdCjMDmCbchkhoRAGgJJYMucFrqxGtEwxNL8b54jfUvmEY/s1600/Elk+River+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeKjLaCNSBs7VqYhlJcEKqrpmB02T_TloehYFqPTA9SkbmVka-y38fwgCsgBKdOmFZN1uF24lPnzw0Ar91Gs0t9ocNnQfQXdCjMDmCbchkhoRAGgJJYMucFrqxGtEwxNL8b54jfUvmEY/s640/Elk+River+Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Elk River Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even though it was really pretty at the top of the waterfall, I was looking to get to the bottom of the falls and try some photographs of the main event. It looked as though there was nobody around, and that was a great surprise after seeing the car in the parking lot. It took no time at all before I got down to the bottom and started to walk over the long rock that acts as a bridge to the center of the pool. I saw a small jean jacket that belonged to child sitting on the rock that I guess had been left by visitors in the past. It had been out there for some time it appeared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started to survey the scene to see what I could come up with. I started out with my 16-35mm lens, but wasn't really happy with what I was getting. I moved up to the 24-70mm lens with the Singh-Ray Polarizer and found a little bit better of a perspective. It still wasn't what I was wanting though. I was happy that there was a bit of blue in the sky directly above the falls which I have found is pretty mandatory if you are going to shoot a full on shot of this one. The sun was still covered by clouds to my left so I had a good exposure. Composition was what I was lacking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I decided to see if a panorama would work out, and started to put the elements together in my head. I left the current lens on, and flipped it on its side. I did a test pass and everything looked good. I ended up doing an eight shot series of the pool beneath the falls. The rocks in the water made for great bookends to the shot, and the bit of blue hung nicely over the falls. This was pretty good, but I didn't like the way the water was looking. The ripples and movement disrupted the scene a little bit, but not terribly. It did lead me to an idea though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3tJE_Qkz_Oi4ZJBMi_yics69fiYMwPSz5VW6348cg9C-m6MVbWc0AIVT7BWxcux87s06Tw9IwviZitaMGWETWVqJiWU9kHMvOxt5IScCloeP4Zedx5w0QL5h7-5GHc4Tqf8yZdIqhdw/s1600/Without+A+Ripple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3tJE_Qkz_Oi4ZJBMi_yics69fiYMwPSz5VW6348cg9C-m6MVbWc0AIVT7BWxcux87s06Tw9IwviZitaMGWETWVqJiWU9kHMvOxt5IScCloeP4Zedx5w0QL5h7-5GHc4Tqf8yZdIqhdw/s640/Without+A+Ripple.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Without a Ripple</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been wanting to use my 10-Stop ND filter more, and I saw this as an opportunity to make that happen. I brought the 16-35mm lens back out since I had moved positions a bit. I started to play with compositions a little bit more and found one that I thought worked out nicely. I added my B+W Polarizer since it was a slim mount, and then screwed the Lee Filter holder onto that. I slid in the Singh-Ray Mor-Slo filter and looked through the viewfinder. It was pretty much black. I checked the live view, but it took adjusting my exposure greatly before I could see anything. Ten stops is a lot of light to lose!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I worked out an exposure at 30 seconds and looked at the results. I was onto something, but the water still was too rough for my tastes. I shifted into Bulb mode and started working some longer exposures. I ultimately ended up with a three minute exposure at f/14 and ISO 100. Not only did that smooth out the water, it showed a good bit of movement in the clouds above which added to the drama of the scene. The rocks were dead still , so they appear to be sitting on top of ice. This was the image that I was wanting and hadn't even known I wanted it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By this time, there were people joining me at the bottom and what was worse, there were more walking around at the top of the falls. My serenity was over, and the compositions I was wanting had come to an end as well. I packed up carefully since I was kind of balancing everything on the spine of a rock. I worked my way through the crowds back to the parking lot. However, I decided to make one quick side trip. There was a set of rapids before the waterfall that had interested me when I was walking down. Not wanting to miss out on any good lighting for the main falls, I had skipped this location initially. Now was a great time to give it a try though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_jFmLNgk5kEAM_3KGawdLT_ZmgGH3h85qyV9Ril7I-wyua6Z3DMclwaExlmhzTJ4J_A-nIDE8tCYhStZO8cHVvWPNQtRBWT4ieTgBaiUIu5HjAYTPvWBQCVbdim5AiphZn9Kb0qInAg/s1600/With+A+Quickness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_jFmLNgk5kEAM_3KGawdLT_ZmgGH3h85qyV9Ril7I-wyua6Z3DMclwaExlmhzTJ4J_A-nIDE8tCYhStZO8cHVvWPNQtRBWT4ieTgBaiUIu5HjAYTPvWBQCVbdim5AiphZn9Kb0qInAg/s640/With+A+Quickness.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>With a Quickness</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking at this section of water, I knew that I was going to be better off shooting isolations than an overall shot. I went ahead and fitted my 70-200mm lens and the Singh-Ray Polarizer. I started to frame up compositions, but wasn't getting the look I was after. I couldn't get any closer, so I decided I needed more reach. I grabbed my extender and added it between the lens and camera. There it was! I was seeing my ideas come into focus at this point. I started to pick out areas to isolate and cranked off about 10 different shots of the rapids. The one that I deemed the best needed one small tweak in post processing. I flipped it on its horizontal axis so that it flowed from left to right as we read. This made the image "read" much better than before. Within in a few minutes of arriving here, the sun was starting to get a little bright, and there were more and more people joining in on the trails. It was time to get gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I got back to the parking lot, it was packed with cars, and more were coming in. I loaded everything in the back of the truck and made room for somebody else. Man, I was glad I got there when I did because there would be no way I would have been able to shoot this location with all of the people that were showing up. Now the sun was out, and the clouds were sporadic at best. I figured I could possibly make it work if I was shooting rural scenes. I would just be very dependent on the direction of the sun to make my scenes work out. I started driving aimlessly around and looking for things to photograph.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There were a lot of great subjects, but the nature of everything here caused there to be no room for the subject to breathe. Without a compelling composition or great lighting I was letting scene after scene go by. I even found myself wandering into Tennessee for about 30 minutes. I was starting to get discouraged and a little frustrated at my lack of luck hunting rust. On the other hand, I was noticing that the sky was starting to get a little more cloudy. It was time to head back to the Parkway and start looking for grand landscapes where I could capitalize on the developing sky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I keyed the Parkway into my GPS as I was hopelessly lost at this point. I got on the correct course and began moving in the right direction. My eye caught a side road that sparked my attention for some reason. I didn't see anything on it, but something made me turn left. Within 100 feet of entering the road I passed by one of the oddest shaped rocks in a lake that I have seen. It caught my eye, but I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to photograph it. I continued on to the end of the road where I found an awesome old Chevy truck, but it was sitting in the most unpicturesque location I could imagine. There was a chain link fence, power pole, and an aluminum building all right in front of the truck near the bumper. The house was to the rear of the truck, across the road. There was no angle to shoot it from.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjTpSWWxW7ieAtls7OrkB6K7wxKqZw69rajibU0XnpgDDRnMFGYNgyTPvYY8DOxeK8tkOj02J4Qm4bZr4_2tNiZQV-lEm4UC0Iy486q7kQ_PNLBGa4mZVxhcQE9Oc_FWSUurkyrLewXo/s1600/Arrowhead+Reflections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjTpSWWxW7ieAtls7OrkB6K7wxKqZw69rajibU0XnpgDDRnMFGYNgyTPvYY8DOxeK8tkOj02J4Qm4bZr4_2tNiZQV-lEm4UC0Iy486q7kQ_PNLBGa4mZVxhcQE9Oc_FWSUurkyrLewXo/s640/Arrowhead+Reflections.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Arrowhead Reflections</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got turned around and went back to the main road. I stopped at the rock in the lake one more time and decided that it was worth taking a few shots of. With the distance I was having to work from, I knew I would need my 70-200mm lens. Since I was wanting a reflection, I skipped the polarizer, and shot with nothing on the front of the lens. I tried several different compositions, and even tried the 10-Stop filter. Unfortunately, the trees were not still enough for that to work. The composition that I decided on ultimately was the one that had the double rock on the left, pointing to the the alcove in the lake. There was a grove of trees situated in the right hand side of the composition that were illuminated by the sun providing a great bit of focal lighting. The water was still enough to provide great reflections as well. Hey, that little voice that told me to turn left really paid off. See why I listen to that voice so often?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point, I was back in the mood to shoot landscapes and I was looking forward to getting back on the Parkway. I entered it at Hwy 221 and headed South towards Linville Falls since it had started to rain. The closer to the falls I got, the lighter the rain became. It actually started to clear up as I was passing the Hwy 181 bridge. I happened to look at the bridge and thought that the light was pretty good on the bridge. I pulled off on the side of the road and grabbed my gear.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8c4a2fnjYJx6d1ZJNxmv7ZOMt-Wsb8PMiMaZGH5MbeutYr7mshmISCf2XveSR2eZHJFpP1XrYtY4cpy6D8VCqSUBXNNg-vHp2B-FMut0A3vu15Pye_CnU7DLSWDKrTgP_1uvYT_NRy4/s1600/Blue+Ridge+Intersection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8c4a2fnjYJx6d1ZJNxmv7ZOMt-Wsb8PMiMaZGH5MbeutYr7mshmISCf2XveSR2eZHJFpP1XrYtY4cpy6D8VCqSUBXNNg-vHp2B-FMut0A3vu15Pye_CnU7DLSWDKrTgP_1uvYT_NRy4/s640/Blue+Ridge+Intersection.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue Ridge Intersection</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had shot this bridge before and knew that the trick was a wide angle lens. I grabbed my 16-35mm lens and added the B+W polarizer so I wouldn't have any vignetting issues. I worked my way up the hill beside the bridge and worked out a composition that put an arch in the arch of the bridge. The actual roadway above was presented as a strong diagonal element that complimented the diagonal of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees made for a great balancing element. I started off shooting an HDR series just in case I wasn't able to get the exposure to work out. Then I started to shoot single shot exposures watching my histogram as I went. I even switched sides and shot from across the road. In the end, none of those images made the cut, and the HDR image that I had shot was also trashed in favor of this single image that I thought turned out really well.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPUbIU8RNitPCcdFSBsDPtrtrTd9DgCGU1sb5H4eaWkkoYlAjEq7iiaAG6dNo4CTekBJDsZZyEE7Hv72aTBicH0SbcvgdTe5mudteZ7apcANOVlvS6Uz-_SUZpQ3Z_kb04AgYiXFX0J0/s1600/Waiting+for+the+Thunder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPUbIU8RNitPCcdFSBsDPtrtrTd9DgCGU1sb5H4eaWkkoYlAjEq7iiaAG6dNo4CTekBJDsZZyEE7Hv72aTBicH0SbcvgdTe5mudteZ7apcANOVlvS6Uz-_SUZpQ3Z_kb04AgYiXFX0J0/s640/Waiting+for+the+Thunder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Waiting for the Thunder</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the sun back out, I wasn't going to finish heading to Linville Falls as I was sure the parking lot was jammed with cars, and the sun would make it too bright to shoot any of the moving water. Instead, I decided to go back North to see what I could see. The clouds were looking really cool in certain areas of the sky, and I wanted to go somewhere to take advantage of them. The further North I went the more I started thinking about Thunder Hill. This is one of those overlooks that can be shot from all different directions with equal success. There are even areas near the overlook that work out as grand landscapes. That was to be my destination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I arrived, I could see that the main overlook wasn't really that eye catching with the haze over the mountains in the distance. The back side of the overlook was looking spectacular. As an added bonus there were no people on that side. I parked the truck and grabbed my gear. I decided to use the 16-35mm lens with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer for this series. I started to look for different compositions on the ridge. There was just so much to work with between the fence, the sky, and the goldenrods that were in abundance.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXVs2aHvzSCEpqntOHE3IU71uM1M-mdc33VrfDOjCsT68inMT2kZVFJZJDLdpXa-PqH8DA7ZPq2e8Blf3IQHOX0VzneNYDTQcJ_gkHTv1bdl29vYSLk1z0aAvZdmStp7RDwY-OoG5n0k/s1600/Goldenrod+Ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXVs2aHvzSCEpqntOHE3IU71uM1M-mdc33VrfDOjCsT68inMT2kZVFJZJDLdpXa-PqH8DA7ZPq2e8Blf3IQHOX0VzneNYDTQcJ_gkHTv1bdl29vYSLk1z0aAvZdmStp7RDwY-OoG5n0k/s640/Goldenrod+Ridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Goldenrod Ridge</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sky was awesome in just about every direction. I even managed a shot that included the Blue Ridge Parkway as it split the treeline over the ridge to the North. The fence had several sections with a lot of character which I enjoyed taking advantage of. I think that my enjoyment of the area was starting to draw attention. One by one, people started to show up on this side of the road. They would start walking down the MST trail through the field, or would walk along the ridge where I was shooting. For the most part nobody got in my way which was nice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJdl47BQumVR7vpv_jgrIz0iEoGs7wQj9pbX8JFKGd4rz6qJpa4FhuMaKVqj5ok-FebxawuqrjebP7ZhyphenhyphenKIkJnrkGO_ItWXgyCnJVuSamt_HQUoD9VKqGWtdzp6v7kR8mtUSfMNmBn9M/s1600/Summer+Clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJdl47BQumVR7vpv_jgrIz0iEoGs7wQj9pbX8JFKGd4rz6qJpa4FhuMaKVqj5ok-FebxawuqrjebP7ZhyphenhyphenKIkJnrkGO_ItWXgyCnJVuSamt_HQUoD9VKqGWtdzp6v7kR8mtUSfMNmBn9M/s640/Summer+Clouds.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summer Clouds</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I managed to keep the wide angle lens attached the entire time I was on the ridge. I thought about switching over to a different one, but I could really find no compositions that would have supported a different focal length than I was currently using. There was just so much that caught my eye, and I was really having a great time. The light did eventually start to fade, and I decided that I would go and find another location to shoot. This one was getting overgrown with people the longer I was there. There was even a portrait shoot going on near where I was shooting in the field. I was pretty sure that this was the same photographer I had seen during a sunrise a year or so ago. Funny how paths keep crossing for photographers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I continued North and finally came back to the location that I had started my weekend at just below the Mount Jefferson Overlook. The sky was looking really nice for the middle of the day. I decided that I would take advantage of the sky, from the opposite side of the road. There is another fence and a green gate just a bit further down and on the other side of the road. This was going to be my subject for the next little bit. I grabbed my gear and decided to go with my 16-35mm lens once again, along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. I got set up where I could include the fence and the gate as it hooked off into the distance. As I started to shoot, I realized that there was a car parked right where I had been the night before. It was in a position where it would be really hard to clone out, but I had no choice for the longest time. When he finally left, I celebrated by moving across the road and including the entire stretch of empty roadway.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFCLntKun0pWgZv0Hxt7UH_e7mNpSnbTzWYofQxQ09nUs9sepfcGzmtoYT0lfXMEaRypSu2cv8SlSgtHEtFmWWJHKIDzxaAzCch_v2aFcfNAmcQQV1QBeqROd5M-YyriG4xz0uAF9m9g/s1600/Miles+of+Smiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFCLntKun0pWgZv0Hxt7UH_e7mNpSnbTzWYofQxQ09nUs9sepfcGzmtoYT0lfXMEaRypSu2cv8SlSgtHEtFmWWJHKIDzxaAzCch_v2aFcfNAmcQQV1QBeqROd5M-YyriG4xz0uAF9m9g/s640/Miles+of+Smiles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Miles of Smiles</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was so happy that the road was finally clear, and I had the shot that I was after. Including the roadway really brought this image new life, and it turned out to be my favorite of this set, even though I was able to get my original composition shot with the car gone as well. The one thing that didn't set well with me was the fact that the road traveled from right to left in the frame. Since we read from left to right, I decided to flip the image so that it would read a bit better. The converging diagonals in the image were fantastic, and added a lot of drama. I was still able to include the green gate, and the semi bare tree in the field which I have always been drawn to. The pines in the distance really give the image a sense of depth as well. Oh yeah, and that sky!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having worked this scene as much as I cared to, it was time to move on. I thought that the best option at this point was going to be the area of Doughton Park a bit further up the road. I had some ideas that might work well with the sky that I was seeing. I was also looking forward to seeing the fences along the Parkway once you get into the park proper.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUt_V-l-AYHeDmGFx13SFwM8Z1yqMLZ6utudb1RpUaHOD6pjAIru7f6LbSIGMxQ2nAU1EtnM2yp4c5u0AXSLBsNQnfeg-okSC9TphPr1_FlJbEPBLmFalBpowMN0g6QDfCabiMpzO8yo/s1600/Doughtons+Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUt_V-l-AYHeDmGFx13SFwM8Z1yqMLZ6utudb1RpUaHOD6pjAIru7f6LbSIGMxQ2nAU1EtnM2yp4c5u0AXSLBsNQnfeg-okSC9TphPr1_FlJbEPBLmFalBpowMN0g6QDfCabiMpzO8yo/s640/Doughtons+Gold.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Doughton's Gold</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't find any fences along the Parkway that I wanted to photograph, but once I was inside the park, I found a lot of great subject matter. The goldenrods were out in full force, and the grasses in the meadow were starting to change color so I had all kinds of color contrasts to work with, not to mention the sky that was looking really nice above. The first shot that I tried was right next to where I parked. I grabbed my 24-70mm lens for this shot and added the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer along with a 2-Stop Galen Rowell ND Grad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really wanted to include the goldenrods with the fence so I was needing to stay elevated near the parking lot. I set things up with a composition that had a nice diagonal line leading you into the scene, the different colors of the meadow as well as the sky above. I had just about everything that I could have wanted in a picture at this point. I did quite a few compositions on this theme until I was able to settle on this one here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVH-aYh1V-p8qpDlw5goQLyxwETAQJbJLx9jKUNnH-CtjUsMjyONcQQwKt4QeI2YsQ2wBl3OsCusc9dIzPL1-42D721v9WjlMqFepwcUn3674FS3BH9c1b4Rs2ZoWmcQExyH5QKirYqek/s1600/A+Field+to+Frolic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="573" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVH-aYh1V-p8qpDlw5goQLyxwETAQJbJLx9jKUNnH-CtjUsMjyONcQQwKt4QeI2YsQ2wBl3OsCusc9dIzPL1-42D721v9WjlMqFepwcUn3674FS3BH9c1b4Rs2ZoWmcQExyH5QKirYqek/s640/A+Field+to+Frolic.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Field to Frolic</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I continued along the fence to the main meadow of Doughton. this has always been a source of fun for me to photograph. I have been here in all seasons and have always attempted a shot or two of this area each time. this time I had some different elements that I wanted to include. The goldenrods were quite prevalent among the browning grasses. The green tree stood out strongly in the field as well. I still had my 24-70mm lens attached, and it was just about perfect for the composition that I was wanting. I framed a nice tight shot with the goldenrods as the foreground interest. The sky was looking really good with the benefit of the ND Grad I was using. The trick was to wait for the wind to stop long enough to make the exposure with the flowers relatively still. It happened occasionally, but patience sure was a necessary thing for this composition.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCxCFGnHVHbicM7DfBkbqOv7V1m4Ydb67AmlLLyivWpnCaQiAF6G1GH61rEu3UABOKe0WPtgc0tL38MKSXQaNoJdDQryh2X_EjKqXC1hFqMSNfylyaPabVkGqONQ49sCkisblwYzpIaM/s1600/Summer+Colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCxCFGnHVHbicM7DfBkbqOv7V1m4Ydb67AmlLLyivWpnCaQiAF6G1GH61rEu3UABOKe0WPtgc0tL38MKSXQaNoJdDQryh2X_EjKqXC1hFqMSNfylyaPabVkGqONQ49sCkisblwYzpIaM/s640/Summer+Colors.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summer Colors</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The more I looked at the field, the more I was really engrossed by the colors of the grasses and goldenrods. I decided that I would do an abstract piece highlighting these elements. I needed to get in much tighter than the current lens would allow. I swapped it out for my 70-200mm, to which I added the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. From here, I started framing patterns in the field that caught my eye. These are not really my typical shot, but it was fun to work outside of my normal box for a bit.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxFwhHklMh1AZjvd7S4opFxtMrZYMKIgzsOlffoRZqC92SXna2P9i8AWEiHE0BZtEbaj7RWTnE6nLa-A3Vfk7Q0_jVLm0IbSPZGdbGGVnoUH6KCt2MQXlAgcl3nk2jMqG2OnynoNqF_U/s1600/Summers+Last+Blooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxFwhHklMh1AZjvd7S4opFxtMrZYMKIgzsOlffoRZqC92SXna2P9i8AWEiHE0BZtEbaj7RWTnE6nLa-A3Vfk7Q0_jVLm0IbSPZGdbGGVnoUH6KCt2MQXlAgcl3nk2jMqG2OnynoNqF_U/s640/Summers+Last+Blooms.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summer's Last Blooms</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In some cases I was able to get in really close to the goldenrods and really get them highlighted in the frame. Using limited depth of field helps these to stand out from the background. An added benefit is that the shutter speed gets quicker with the opened aperture so the wind was less of an issue for these shots. I really wasn't sure how these would turn out, but I figured that it was a photo weekend and digital images were free...might as well give it a whirl huh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thought that before I left I would go and get some pictures of the trail through the meadow. Since the grasses were really high, there should be some good compositions to be had on the trail, especially if the sky held. I walked down to the opening in the fence and looked to see what kind of compositions I could find. As I was looking, the sky started to change in a very dramatic way. These clouds that were rolling in were incredible. I had to photograph these, and I had to do it quickly!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLKRSLM0vcega9pL3iouKzsHn4WB1m9cRJJ9A614kGABMrtyhYtdAZX6fx7_sNrzfpIOij_3x8rjCs-HPmEc_pDZazeNtoNwhsbOSAZhGE65lcCwkDa9-PTRO6f2TmUAYZNBBfyN8bbo/s1600/Oz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLKRSLM0vcega9pL3iouKzsHn4WB1m9cRJJ9A614kGABMrtyhYtdAZX6fx7_sNrzfpIOij_3x8rjCs-HPmEc_pDZazeNtoNwhsbOSAZhGE65lcCwkDa9-PTRO6f2TmUAYZNBBfyN8bbo/s640/Oz.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Oz</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had to think quick, and my instincts were telling me to grab my 16-35mm lens and my stack of ND Grads. Since I was shooting into the sun, there wasn't much need in a polarizer, plus that just slowed the process down when working with the Grads. I got the camera built and added a Singh-Ray 3-Stop Galen Rowell ND Grad to control the exposure of the sky. I started taking composition after composition. Each shot was delayed as I waited for the wind to die down a bit since I was so close to the goldenrods. The trail was amazing as a leading line through the scene, and the LCD review images were looking so promising.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf33SRVUssSqp7homht6ZNRnUE5OKhQhxOl2Ri4PvPBwj-GiVn0J9NTkHGwosNCkvmk63_DjBEZKO5KGZ2t4uUgdxBcZYmEGxG6VW26taq3eNccXutL0tTpQ9fN_ws1UOPm4-qT8O3mZk/s1600/Through+the+Never.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf33SRVUssSqp7homht6ZNRnUE5OKhQhxOl2Ri4PvPBwj-GiVn0J9NTkHGwosNCkvmk63_DjBEZKO5KGZ2t4uUgdxBcZYmEGxG6VW26taq3eNccXutL0tTpQ9fN_ws1UOPm4-qT8O3mZk/s640/Through+the+Never.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Through the Never</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sky and the lighting kept changing minute by minute. I ended up with two exposures made during the peak of the drama. I got a landscape as well as portrait of basically the same sky. While both are very similar, I have chosen to keep them both because one shows the drama in the sky, while the other shows the magnitude of what was going on in the sky. In both cases, the trail leads your eyes through the image. The clouds provide a background that pulls you deep within the frame. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These conditions lasted for about 10 minutes and then the clouds lost their drama. Finding myself under "normal" skies once again I thought that I needed to find a place for sunset. I had about two hours before that happened. I got everything loaded back up in the truck and grabbed a little snack before heading out in search of my next location. With the day coming to a close, I decided that it might be in my best interests to start heading back in the direction of Blowing Rock and the hotel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, good plans.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I ended up stopping a short distance from where I had been at the Alligator Back Overlook which was just on the other side of the meadow I had been shooting minutes before. I had shot this section of the Blue Ridge Parkway last year and figured that the composition would work at sunset as well. The clouds were decent, but time would tell if there would be any color in them come sunset. I got out of the truck and walked around looking to see if there were any alternative compositions that I could use. I found a couple of ideas, but as I was looking, the clouds were starting to actually fade away to just a hazy sky. This wasn't going to work. I decided to get back in the truck and head back South. If something developed on the way, so be it. I was tired and needed to get to the hotel sooner rather than later.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lCk5GJfSlre6oDm6jwB48KW1VvaKlVVdLC9nidD85NQvNvGrVEOoN6g5IeIhtt7_PbjlyuiovKrueKWjS42c_zcAbj4G1eMu-a_2xZF80O-icJiXN6gVuuiolN69RuCBzzNw9mS71P8/s1600/The+Lump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lCk5GJfSlre6oDm6jwB48KW1VvaKlVVdLC9nidD85NQvNvGrVEOoN6g5IeIhtt7_PbjlyuiovKrueKWjS42c_zcAbj4G1eMu-a_2xZF80O-icJiXN6gVuuiolN69RuCBzzNw9mS71P8/s640/The+Lump.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Lump</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was driving, I started to think about an image that I had seen of the Lump Overlook several months ago. It was a minimalist image, and one that has haunted me since. With the sky starting to look somewhat interesting again, I decided to give it a try. I stopped at the Lump Overlook and saw that the clouds over the hill were looking pretty nice. As an added benefit, the sky to the West was looking very promising as well. I got out and grabbed my gear. I wanted to start with the minimalist shot first. For this one, I attached my 24-70mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer so that I could get as much definition out of the clouds as possible. You see a polarizer works better when the sun is at 90 degrees from the angle of the shot, and I was shooting due South. I got down low and started to frame my shot. I couldn't remember how the inspiration image went, but that wasn't important. What I needed from that image was the inspiration to create an image of my own. I loved the fence, and wanted to include that. The trail snaked its way through the grass, but didn't have the benefit of overgrown grass as I had seen at Doughton.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I shot several different versions of this scene over the course of about 20-30 minutes. Each shot was composed differently, and had a different feel to it. They all stayed with a minimalist theme though. I was keeping a constant eye over my right shoulder to see when it would be time to play with the sunset. That time came about 45 minutes before sunset. It was time to get the camera set up slightly different for a new composition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose to go with my 16-35mm lens so that I could really emphasize the fence as a leading line. I picked out my location and started to frame up the shot. I quickly realized that exposure difference was just too much for the camera to handle. I grabbed a Singh Ray 3-Stop Galen Rowell ND Grad and slid it into the Lee Holder. It was looking better, but still wasn't quite right. I then added an additional 2-Stop Grad for a total of 5 stops of light reduction in the sky. Check out the video I shot showing how this works.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xHY4vn4gKt0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xHY4vn4gKt0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you can see, I was starting to get hopeful about the sunset. The clouds were really dramatic, and I was envisioning the sky exploding with color just before sunset. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. But....my patience did allow me to see a bit of color in the sky after the clouds moved in and covered the sun. There was apparently a small slit in the clouds right at the horizon. At 7:40 (2 minutes before official sunset), the sun found its way through the clouds for one last hurrah of the day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDxAT2F-cejwuPT79G0Y3WTNjppORZx0ryp7b4ECcqUcE34oQPCycyF01gUjZkmBMC8FdUKH8vJNun-A3mgQISvADD5yeTr_cXG1XSLZD2T8QMejUubhxrj3YcK1oY9_OzbFbu_jz2HY/s1600/Split+Rail+Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDxAT2F-cejwuPT79G0Y3WTNjppORZx0ryp7b4ECcqUcE34oQPCycyF01gUjZkmBMC8FdUKH8vJNun-A3mgQISvADD5yeTr_cXG1XSLZD2T8QMejUubhxrj3YcK1oY9_OzbFbu_jz2HY/s640/Split+Rail+Sunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Split Rail Sunset</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It wasn't a glorious sunset, but I had a composition I really liked, and I was hoping that something was going to happen even though the sun had slipped behind the clouds. I did get a bit of color, and I was quite happy about that. Sometimes subtle color can be just as effective as an impressive showing. Regardless, at this point, I had gotten what I had come to get. It was time to head back to the room and get a shower. Ahhh yes, I was so happy that I had opted for a room. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point, I started to look at my plans for Sunday. Since I had shot Elk River Falls this morning, that left me with Catawba Falls to shoot. The weather was still looking great for those with a chance of storms around 8am and then mostly cloudy skies for the rest of the day. It was nearly perfect lighting conditions for waterfall photography. I figured that I would get up, eat breakfast and be on the road in time to get to the falls between 8-9am. Michael had told me that I needed to get there early to beat the crowds. I was hoping that the threat of rain would keep everyone away. Time would tell if that was a reasonable theory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For now, it was time to go to bed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday:</b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-mount-jefferson.html">Old news, that was yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday:</b> You are here</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sunday:</b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-catawba-falls.html">One last stop before leaving the mountains</a></span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-41443454755445508522018-09-09T16:54:00.000-04:002018-09-10T14:21:57.746-04:00Blue Ridge Weekend: Mount Jefferson<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday, September 7, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWelbyuux_irRi0UtkFoUvgKfSqO1PaznnPYZFLJYKQ0NWr_Zf8spSaT9bRnBsFEuf7rfx0kRIqrJ8HWZg7HRJblgBnJ0ckxmF62lGZYd_WDjNE1vs4Pvwuzz_9GtTEb-b6VpnVF2FXI/s1600/Blue+Ridge+Fury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWelbyuux_irRi0UtkFoUvgKfSqO1PaznnPYZFLJYKQ0NWr_Zf8spSaT9bRnBsFEuf7rfx0kRIqrJ8HWZg7HRJblgBnJ0ckxmF62lGZYd_WDjNE1vs4Pvwuzz_9GtTEb-b6VpnVF2FXI/s640/Blue+Ridge+Fury.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue Ridge Fury</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Much like the week long beach trip from June, this weekend in the mountains is going to be too image intensive to do them all in a single entry. I am going to break them up by day as I did with the beach images. It will make it easier for me to keep things straight, and will make for more organization with the pictures. To get started, I decided at the last minute to spend the weekend at the mountains. The goal was to pretty much go off the grid and be alone with my thoughts for a while. Since this was last minute, I didn't have much time to prepare for anything. I just kind of added to a destination that I had thought about earlier. I had been looking at the weather for the weekend and had seen that I was going to have heavy clouds on Sunday. That meant that I was going to be able to do waterfalls, which was my goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe a month ago, a friend of mine, Michael Surratt had posted some pictures from Catawba Falls in Old Fort, NC. Surprisingly, I had never been there before. I was familiar with the name, but for some reason the pictures didn't spark any memories of researching this waterfall. It was a grand one, and it had a lot of isolations I could shoot as well. Since I was planning on going that way on Sunday, I decided to base in the Boone/Blowing Rock area for the weekend. That would get me a bit closer to the waterfall, and would put me in an area where I was confident that I could make use of the weather conditions that appeared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I got off work on Friday, I came home and loaded up the truck. Well, my camera gear took up most of the room as my personal effects took up a small duffel bag. My goal was to get up to the Parkway in time to shoot a sunset. I wasn't going to have a lot of time to explore, so I needed to get a destination in mind on the way up there. I had shot the standard locations plenty of times, but wanted to try something a bit different. The location that came to mind was the area just South of the Mount Jefferson Overlook. I have done many photos here using the fence and red gate. The last time I did, somebody mentioned that this view has great sunset potential. Well, that was all the prompting that I needed, and that became my destination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I stopped for gas in Wilkesboro, and then turned up Hwy 16 towards the Parkway. This would get me reasonably close to the area of Mount Jefferson and hopefully there in time to capture the sunset. The trip went well and I made it up on the Parkway about an hour or so before sunset. I pulled off to the side of the road and got the camera set up. I fiddled with a couple of different compositions and lens combinations before the light show started.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The magic bullet here was my 16-35mm lens with the Lee Filter Holder attached. I added a Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-Stop Reverse ND Grad to help with the exposure difference in the sky and foreground. As the sun dropped closer to the horizon, I fine tuned my composition so that I could capitalize on the sky as well as the fence and gate. I even shot an HDR image early on that I ended up tossing out in favor of a single shot that was made maybe 10 minutes later. This shot is the opening image of the evening, and quite frankly is my absolute favorite from the evening. It was only 1 of about 40 frames shot though, so there were plenty more other compositions as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsz3-yyIiEzQ2GoXPuyxxa4Ew9Qb7f00Kzpx_swDw775-D9jqlhU241Rp_oNhDU36XG7JRgMKQ6VLBzrwYDrrXBfb0itzC0YKFclE3FCcO7EUlufdSyBtfrA3snzrBosWNcZ3kHhJB2pE/s640/Blue+and+Gold.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><u>Blue and Gold</u></i></b></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsz3-yyIiEzQ2GoXPuyxxa4Ew9Qb7f00Kzpx_swDw775-D9jqlhU241Rp_oNhDU36XG7JRgMKQ6VLBzrwYDrrXBfb0itzC0YKFclE3FCcO7EUlufdSyBtfrA3snzrBosWNcZ3kHhJB2pE/s1600/Blue+and+Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><i></i></b></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I was pretty sure that I had the shots that I wanted of the entire scene, I wanted to shoot some isolations of the hills under the sky. I swapped out my lens to my 70-200mm long lens and started to pick out portions of the sunset that struck my fancy. The sky was dynamic in places, and this lens was really good at pulling those details out of the sky. In fact, my shooting position was the same for both of these images. You can really tell the difference from 16mm to the tight crop of a 182mm. There has been no post capture cropping of either image. Regardless, I was still not fully getting the isolation I was really wanting from the scene. I needed a bit more reach than I was using currently.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHIvfn966rXm9grXug456Wr8jWVoCZx4FglTt55dc0J497WxI4tQrgK4nPceUcKrbu-RM7bkh5OKQcQCG0MS0sowPmleiB59WmG6i0JDjJr6NyIgLwCzRxdef-C1C59sbRrwYBOX0H8U/s1600/Evening+Rolls+In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="800" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHIvfn966rXm9grXug456Wr8jWVoCZx4FglTt55dc0J497WxI4tQrgK4nPceUcKrbu-RM7bkh5OKQcQCG0MS0sowPmleiB59WmG6i0JDjJr6NyIgLwCzRxdef-C1C59sbRrwYBOX0H8U/s640/Evening+Rolls+In.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Evening Rolls In</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I reached into my bag of goodies and pulled out my 2x teleconverter and added it between the camera and lens for a bit more reach. This shot was done at 335mm from the same position as the other two. I really liked the abstract qualities in these shots with the rolling hills underneath the dramatic clouds. The sky was colorful enough that I shot these with the intention of keeping them color as opposed to converting them as I have in the past with these mountain isolations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sun was quickly dropping and my light was on the way to being done for the evening. While the color was fading quickly, there was still a bit of detail in the clouds to the Northeast, and the clouds were really cool looking. I had to get another shot of this before it went completely dark. I pulled converter and the long lens off of the camera and added the 16-35mm lens again, but with no filters. I got down low to the ground as the sky was my main goal to capture. I just needed to find a bit of foreground interest to set the clouds off.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5OxKgYINqBX_dkwvP4npvighZDFm-IAkiMdw7yIHZXckGR1FkMrZIJy2fWDweAUZNYBJlpdIU7HjTf9c9Xi-oICSvYgU38nOXnc87GeDT6CKw4uIL4ndONA7lEtauvvjaO0avUUWXQQ/s1600/Infinity+Cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5OxKgYINqBX_dkwvP4npvighZDFm-IAkiMdw7yIHZXckGR1FkMrZIJy2fWDweAUZNYBJlpdIU7HjTf9c9Xi-oICSvYgU38nOXnc87GeDT6CKw4uIL4ndONA7lEtauvvjaO0avUUWXQQ/s640/Infinity+Cloud.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Infinity Cloud</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As luck would have it, the gate that I so adore worked great. I just moved my position down a bit and got down on my knees so I could see the camera. I tried a horizontal shot, but it didn't get the full drama in the sky which was what I was after. Since there was a rather pronounced swoosh in the sky, I decided to concentrate on that and I flipped the camera on its side. That did the trick. I was able to zoom out to 16mm and get the fence and gate in the shot right below the edge of the cloud. It was dark, so this counts as a long exposure at 10 full seconds at f/16 and ISO 100. There were no filters used here either, but there was a fair amount of work in Lightroom to get the colors back to where they were to my eyes. The original image was pretty much all blue because we had started the "Blue Hour," but that wasn't what my eyes were seeing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I finally worked out that last scene, the light was all but gone. It was time to pack it up and find a place to lay down for the night. The though had passed through my head to just sleep in the 4Runner, which was part of the reason that I bought the SUV in the first place. Realistically, I could have done it without too much problem. However, the bugs were really bad and I was already eaten up. With the warm conditions, I was pretty sure I would be sleeping with the windows down which would make me a buffet for the bugs. Knowing that I would be out here for two nights and had worked a full day already, I wanted a shower. With that thought, I went into Boone to see what was available. The list of hotels were rather slim at a price that I was willing to pay. The cheapest had two rooms left, and both were smoking. That would defeat the purpose of the shower as I didn't want to smell like cigarettes for the weekend. The only other option that I could find was in Blowing Rock which actually worked out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got checked in and cleaned up. It was now time to look at what I was going to shoot tomorrow. Looking at the weather, the sunrise was not going to be all that great, and it was likely to be rather cloudy. This meant that I could sleep in a bit and then hit the continental breakfast before going out. The forecast was for intermittent clouds for most of the day with a chance for storms in the late evening. That was definitely workable, and I figured that I would be able to do some rural driving in search of rust and barns. I wasn't really wanting to spend all day on the Parkway because after a while that would start to get a little monotonous. The plan Sunday was to head out to Elk River Falls first thing in the morning and follow that up with Catawba Falls before heading home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had my plan, now it was time to sleep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday:</b> You are here</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday:</b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-driving-all-over.html">Come and take a long drive with me</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sunday:</b> <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/blue-ridge-weekend-catawba-falls.html">One last stop before leaving the mountains</a></span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-46599191419931457512018-09-01T22:14:00.001-04:002018-09-01T22:14:38.756-04:00Jumpin' Off Rocks For Sunrise<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, September 1, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Bo79tuNU7uDWjD3L_cpvwvJo6NaBxkCZg2T3rTBcc3p6swtQKUrRD1Trbm8Ur3wr_-aR_UhSnUa0cdPXa5HiMGWjJJftYpDgJrmoXoIrbz1mKnb9KsG8yhBzCWl0aME-P7JLY86Z3qI/s1600/King+of+the+Mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1429" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Bo79tuNU7uDWjD3L_cpvwvJo6NaBxkCZg2T3rTBcc3p6swtQKUrRD1Trbm8Ur3wr_-aR_UhSnUa0cdPXa5HiMGWjJJftYpDgJrmoXoIrbz1mKnb9KsG8yhBzCWl0aME-P7JLY86Z3qI/s640/King+of+the+Mountain.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>King of the Mountain</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was an odd trek to say the least. It wasn't well planned, and was more or less a complete gamble. I had been sick for the majority of the week and hadn't really put much thought at all into where I might want to go, and what little energy I had was spent working on the <i><a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/09/behind-camera-learning-photography.html">Behind the Camera</a></i> feature that was released earlier today. So when the weekend rolled around, I was feeling better and needed to start looking at where I might want to go. Checking the weather, it was looking like the mountains were all going to be seeing about the same conditions with 70-75% cloud cover through most of the day, and the potential for storms in the mid afternoon. These are definitely favorable conditions for photography as the unsettled atmosphere usually produces some really great skies and lighting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The question was, where to go in the mountains. What I was really waning to do was shoot Catawba Falls, but I had a feeling that the clouds were not going to be thick enough for that to work. I kept it as an alternate in the back of my mind, but I was looking to focus more on landscapes. I tossed around the idea of going back to the area of Boone where I always have great luck, but having recently been there, I opted to nix that plan. There was always Doughton Park which I enjoy, but I wasn't really wanting to do anything there since I don't have any new ideas for compositions. There was an overlook that I had been thinking about trying for sunrise at The Lump Overlook, and that wasn't too far from the house at about 1.5 hours away. That was going to be my destination for the morning.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68rP2tLJa7oOgeRZpZR064JeWM8MCjKiN6wovx7j34cGwlk04Hbty5laFOLK3LTxE3p7e0J_C-Q31EpwoB7QDqXsKwPoZylak_2Ei5wDbkv6gJEkFRXavFUtFdN1WhYOmvGDKnGOU2CM/s1600/Amber+Waves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="553" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68rP2tLJa7oOgeRZpZR064JeWM8MCjKiN6wovx7j34cGwlk04Hbty5laFOLK3LTxE3p7e0J_C-Q31EpwoB7QDqXsKwPoZylak_2Ei5wDbkv6gJEkFRXavFUtFdN1WhYOmvGDKnGOU2CM/s640/Amber+Waves.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Amber Waves</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My day started early as would be expected with the clock ringing at 3:30am. As you know, I checked the forecast, and the sunrise was expected to be less than stellar, but the actual cloud conditions were looking promising for a sunrise. The downside, was the cloud cover was showing to be thinning a bit as the day moved on. Even more disturbing, the hourly forecast showed cloudy conditions currently, but the actual reported forecast was showing clear conditions. This, of course, put the entire forecast in question. OK, I know that my history with forecasts should put every forecast in question, and it does. This time, I had evidence that things were not as expected already. But...I was already awake, and my mind was going. I figured I would give it a try, even if I went out and just stayed for a little while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trip went quick, and the entire way up to the mountains I could see the moon and the stars above. It was not looking good at all, but I was going to be in the mountains and that is always a good thing. When I hit the Parkway I could still see the stars, but oddly enough I was starting to pass through some fog here and there. This kind of got me excited because I could work with fog in the valleys below. I started to look out over the overlooks and wasn't really finding anything that caught my eye. When I got to "The Lump" I drove around the circle and found one other car there. That wouldn't be a problem. I could see the hill that I was thinking about shooting, but for some reason it just really didn't catch my eye at all. I wasn't feeling this location at all, and the lack of interest in the sky was not doing this location any favors at all. I decided to abandon this overlook and go searching for something else.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaIIk0XlxIcTtQvZbnTwUE4IeLPgxJUAvzF1r92G_eYunNlsRphuxItghgFzxODFPZsun7r0NemS8WoytFwDo72B3zwQucPVo98BEZ4l0YdW3WXNCzEg6o8rXAaDpxGOg8d_iCj33QlY/s1600/Resting+Easy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaIIk0XlxIcTtQvZbnTwUE4IeLPgxJUAvzF1r92G_eYunNlsRphuxItghgFzxODFPZsun7r0NemS8WoytFwDo72B3zwQucPVo98BEZ4l0YdW3WXNCzEg6o8rXAaDpxGOg8d_iCj33QlY/s640/Resting+Easy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Resting Easy</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started to head out towards Doughton with the hopes of finding something along the way that would work. I pulled into several overlooks which had great views, but nothing really to anchor the image. When I arrived at the Jumpin' Off Rocks Overlook I could see some nice fog between the rolling hills. I knew that there was a short trail that lead to an overlook, but I didn't have the time to make that hike. This was my last chance to catch whatever sunrise had to offer on this morning. I was pleased to see that there were some clouds in the sky now which offered the possibility of some color.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got the camera set up quickly with my 24-70mm lens with the Lee filter holder attached. I was expecting some situations to present themselves which would mandate some ND Grads to be used. I started to frame up compositions with the pale color in the sky just in case they got completely washed out when the sun came up. Fairly quickly, I decided that 70mm was just too wide for the color that I was seeing. I moved to my 70-200mm lens and skipped the Lee Filter Holder since I was seeing that the exposures were pretty simple so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things that caught my attention was this one lone house atop the major mountain in this view. Usually, houses won't draw much interest from me, but this one was different. It was all alone in this grand landscape as the only visible house for miles and miles. The tract of land that it was on was well cleared, and it was right on top of the mountain. This really stood out to me, so much that I wanted to capture it in some way. I had shot it a few times with the normal lens, but now that I had my telephoto lens on, I was going to be able to get in much closer. What I found was the closer I got, the less impressive it became. Then it came to me...Panorama!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got the tripod leveled, and did a dry sweep to check plum with the camera. I set the focus and double checked the exposure before starting my six image sweep of the landscape. Each exposure was several seconds long because of the low light so I was really worried that the quality of light would change drastically between the start and the finish of the series. According to my histogram, it all recorded as expected. It was my one and only attempt at a panorama shot, and it actually worked out pretty decent. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJG_t0gKwmWuIY-mHmxWTyVFbDYymwYaAZcbhcEbQa_gt4XDVPlDSe2KlobotUHXCfy0hiHloOUXzF1U2ixHr1F_Ia5jlrGT0XvLyLKz40aYDdsLIUrE-Zwicw6tVgJUPqpGrE_g6LS8/s1600/Foggy+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJG_t0gKwmWuIY-mHmxWTyVFbDYymwYaAZcbhcEbQa_gt4XDVPlDSe2KlobotUHXCfy0hiHloOUXzF1U2ixHr1F_Ia5jlrGT0XvLyLKz40aYDdsLIUrE-Zwicw6tVgJUPqpGrE_g6LS8/s640/Foggy+View.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Foggy View</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the sun came up, I shot several more in hopes that I could avoid lens flare which is a weakness of my telephoto lens. While I was shooting the sun coming up, I was watching my back to see what the light was doing on the other side of the ridge I was on. There was some pretty dense fog over there and I knew that there were some other mountain ranges in that direction. Feeling pretty good about what I had shot thus far I walked across the street to check that scene out. There was this one tree that was set right next to cabin which caught my attention. I got positioned so that I could place a distant mountain top in the background beyond the tree and I flipped the camera on its side for the shot. It took a few tries to get this image because I wanted just the right amount of fog in the view. The cabin needed to be visible, but not so much as to make you want to see the rest of it. I wanted the soft covering of the fog over the entire image, and yet I wanted to be able to see off into the distance. I had one frame that fit that concept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While shooting this scene and some other compositions with the distant mountains another Parkway visitor arrived at the overlook and walked over to me. He struck up a conversation and before I knew it I realized that I was talking to another Law Enforcement Officer. He was from the Charlotte area and was looking to retire in the mountains. Small world since that is my goal as well. He was a bit closer to retirement than I am, but not by much. There I was on the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway talking shop and the benefits of a 25 year retirement with a deputy while shooting a foggy scene such as this. It was a bit odd but a nice conversation nonetheless.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HMrMN2XZzvrdbjZAEBwh-S5AFQL8mRJR69vjpAQQH8JDTq9YHXOYZyBFu5uZtv4QagV7enbAHkrrAK3r4TlMJGP-1_w2qzyzlKVlBc1Lz0CA9lJjUvp2kzBCk1lDLh4YieOWWFdMcTk/s1600/Twists_and_Textures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HMrMN2XZzvrdbjZAEBwh-S5AFQL8mRJR69vjpAQQH8JDTq9YHXOYZyBFu5uZtv4QagV7enbAHkrrAK3r4TlMJGP-1_w2qzyzlKVlBc1Lz0CA9lJjUvp2kzBCk1lDLh4YieOWWFdMcTk/s640/Twists_and_Textures.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Twists and Textures</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding it increasingly hard to fight the fog on the other side of the Parkway I decided to go back over to the other side and see what the light was doing. I found some nice morning light hitting one of the trees feet away from my truck that I decided to capture. I left the telephoto lens attached and narrowed the depth of field a bit to capture this image. The slight twist of the trunk was pretty cool, and the extreme side light helped to accentuate that twisting. I did a few different compositions of this tree but in the end I found that the more intimate capture was the one that worked the best.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2-03grT0euuvLqQqyWdf56eK3UrYy3nPDmRocDZJkDD6rLuAloYdr9I1j4sRHLMtSYTdGywCJLc9Fef3uUog1W0riFpLuTAoOoimgVhYueOnKTblWKq04c0hCRE8l_2B2WvZPj_wGUQ/s1600/Cradled+in+Fog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2-03grT0euuvLqQqyWdf56eK3UrYy3nPDmRocDZJkDD6rLuAloYdr9I1j4sRHLMtSYTdGywCJLc9Fef3uUog1W0riFpLuTAoOoimgVhYueOnKTblWKq04c0hCRE8l_2B2WvZPj_wGUQ/s640/Cradled+in+Fog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cradled in Fog</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before calling it quits at this location, I wanted to take advantage of the layers created by the fog in the valley. In order to do this, I needed a bit more reach than my 200mm lens would offer. I added my 2x teleconverter and zoomed in to 400mm to pick out some abstracts. Since the light was less than colorful and the mountains were hazy and dark, I shot these images thinking that they would become black and white shots. It did work out with the various shades of gray moving from darker to lighter. This was my favorite of the intimate hill captures. My eyes keep moving all around the image seeing every texture and taking time to appreciate every ridge near to far.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmSaO1RRMDrOrwyEuSvzAKX1SbEs7ukYaeHO11iwMjYE1unfrul6rcaF7bNfpauE7Jg-RDv9UiE0UqHNURL5W2YkKRtYXjcMvZSrwA7hEMh4ogGU_O3mv_p07J9sKSV5NgA043nuKjlY/s1600/Golden+Hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmSaO1RRMDrOrwyEuSvzAKX1SbEs7ukYaeHO11iwMjYE1unfrul6rcaF7bNfpauE7Jg-RDv9UiE0UqHNURL5W2YkKRtYXjcMvZSrwA7hEMh4ogGU_O3mv_p07J9sKSV5NgA043nuKjlY/s640/Golden+Hour.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Golden Hour</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing that I wasn't expecting at this point was any real color in the sky. I was actually surprised to look over to my right and see some faint yellows still hanging around in the sky. There was still a good bit of fog in the lower areas, and the clouds were doing some interesting things above the color as well. I went ahead and trained my (extra) long lens in that direction to frame up this shot. It was a strange phenomenon and one that I really can't explain accurately. I can say that there were no filters applied to the lens for this shot, and Lightroom was only used to pull out the colors that were present when the shutter was released. My favorite part of this image is the background which is largely hidden in the fog. If you look closely though, you can see the distant ridges which are completely bathed in the warm light of sunrise. I resisted the urge to really do much in the way of processing this image because I wanted to keep it as accurate as possible to the experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This did represent the last image shot from this location. I had shot a lot of frames here and quite honestly wasn't sure if any of them would work as keepers. Sunrises are so hard to really determine since the preview in the camera is set with no contrast and no saturation. It gives me a more accurate histogram, but the cost is I can't really see how the colors are turning out. Regardless, I was pretty sure I had a few that were decent from the experience, and I was satisfied with my morning. It was time to move on to a different location to try some more shots.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ja_Wol5I9DeIZhOcoz6RfaRMmnHe9jWPRPdn9VsyHaIWAr7ip0w310HA6GsKwmSI1BjLrmFsk_RGpjsRY8VL1c_Eux3wd-Y5HqwEs2LEWY6XdixkK6x4NQnM973ElZG-IQVY04tA340/s1600/Organized+Field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ja_Wol5I9DeIZhOcoz6RfaRMmnHe9jWPRPdn9VsyHaIWAr7ip0w310HA6GsKwmSI1BjLrmFsk_RGpjsRY8VL1c_Eux3wd-Y5HqwEs2LEWY6XdixkK6x4NQnM973ElZG-IQVY04tA340/s640/Organized+Field.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Organized Field</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I started to dive North on the Parkway I was seeing that the clouds were all thinning out pretty quickly. I was finding myself driving into a bright and low sun which said that the light quality was going to be pretty lousy for most directions at this point. I did happen to pass by a field a few miles down the road which seemed to have a decent quality of light falling on it. As a bonus, there was a mountain in the background with some of the low fog right at the horizon. The composition wasn't a classic one, but it was worth trying a few frames out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got the camera out and set up with my 24-70mm lens since I wanted to include the broken fence in the foreground. I added a Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer to help bring out the colors in the grass and sky as well. I started to work on compositions, but the trees on either side of the field really made things difficult for me. If I included both banks of trees then the image seemed very compressed and didn't have room to breathe. By flipping the camera and shooting a portrait shot, I was able to include the fence, the distant mountain, and only one of the banks of trees for balance. This was the only composition that I felt worked for this scene. It had a very nice flow and the lighting was fair for it. I really liked the different textures as your eyes moved through the scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was going to be my last set for the day. I had full intentions of sticking around for a while and shooting some different areas, but the lack of clouds had other ideas. My options were to kill a few hours and wait until mid afternoon when the storms were supposed to be rolling in, or head back to the house. I chose the latter since that just made more sense to me. It was a fun few hours on the Parkway and I was very happy that I got to the mountains for a bit. I would have loved to have been out there longer, but I was happy having shot 83 frames in this time. The days images aren't spectacular, but they do represent a little bit of experimentation with techniques which is always worth while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have officially reached that part of summer where I am ready for the fall colors to get started. Everything is just so green with all of the rain that we have had this year. I need something to break that up! Soon...very soon.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-67560644806113305382018-09-01T03:52:00.000-04:002018-09-01T03:52:47.362-04:00Behind the Camera: Learning Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back to another installment of <em>Behind the Camera</em>. In this monthly feature I will tackle a question that has come up over the past month that relates to my photography. This month was a little slow for questions, however, so I have had to get creative about the topic for this entry. Instead of looking for a question, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the learning process of photography. When people look at photos, they are normally placed into two groups. The first group thinks that anyone with a camera can duplicate the image that they are looking at. The other one knows enough about photography to know what thought and considerations went into the image. In either case, if the image is successful, then it is appreciated on both fronts. During my time as a photographer I have fallen into both camps, and it has formed the way I have learned about photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Why I started in photography has been covered in my first <em><a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/04/behind-camera-me-through-photography.html">Behind the Camera</a></em> entry several months ago. The road has been a long and eventful one for sure. I had never had an interest in the visual arts growing up, and never bothered to take any art classes in school. My family background was not surrounded by a lot of exposure to the arts. I was a gearhead growing up and liked automobiles, and driving fast. None of this prepared me to be a photographer, and it was just the physical camera that caught my attention more than the photographs it captured initially. My photography started from a blending of a love for automobiles and cameras used as a tool to document what I did with my vehicles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This is where the "teaching" comes into play. Everyone learns a different way, and that means that no method is going to be equally successful for everyone. I have never taken a single photography or editing class, but yet I have learned a lot of things over the years in both of those arenas. I have jumped on the bandwagon and claimed to be "Self Taught" like it is a badge of honor or something. The implication here is I sneezed one day and spontaneously learned everything I know about photography. Being self taught sounds an awful lot like I sat in a room and lectured myself on the art of photography, and taught myself everything that I know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If that was the case, I am pretty sure I would be in a nice hotel with friendly staff that monitors my meds, and makes sure I sleep through the night. No, I didn't talk to myself on that level, although I still do have great conversations in my head. There just isn't any <i>teaching</i> going on in there. When I say "self taught", I am talking about being disciplined enough to search out the information from other sources and then study it to learn it. Really, being self taught is no different than if I went to school to learn it. My teachers were lots of books, magazines, and more recently videos. Of course, there was a lot of practice involved along the way. The difference is the feedback, and the coaching. This is where things get a little interesting, and the learning curve is much slower when you remove the instructor from the equation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I have had quite a few friends that have gone through classes to learn photography, and know of plenty more that have a formal education in photography. Concepts that they were able to learn in a matter of weeks, or months, might have taken me a year to really "get." They had assignments that were turned into an instructor who would then evaluate the assignment and give that all too needed feedback. My feedback came from my own eyes, and the eyes of a few people online. It was far from valid criticism from a learning standpoint. I was forced to compare my work to others' so that I could get an idea if I was progressing. Talk about a slow process, but it forced me to be an absolute ruthless critic of my own work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I think that this is where those who take on their education like I did will benefit and become better self critics. Those who rely on instructors to validate their work learn quicker, but also learn to need that crutch and a sense of affirmation from somebody else. Over time, this is minimized as experience is gained, but those who learn by pushing themselves to their own expectations get there quicker I believe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Regardless of how you choose to learn photography, probably the hardest aspect is figuring out how to show depth in a two dimensional image. This is probably where my images have come the furthest over the years. When I started, I would look at the work of Mark Lucock, or Bob Shaw and think "I can do that." They just shot a picture of an interesting tree. I was sadly mistaken in that simplified assumption. I was finding plenty of interesting things to take pictures of, but the end result was very much a snapshot and appeared flat and not overly interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>Understanding the basics</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am going to put up with a bit of embarrassment here and share some pictures from my early beginnings as a photographer. This picture above was shot on the Blue Ridge Parkway back in 2005. I had read about the rule of thirds, and just knew that if I put the point of interest at the precise location I would have a great picture. I even used a polarizing filter for this shot to capitalize on the blue sky. Well, the resulting image didn't have a distinct foreground interest, and the greenery that was used takes up nearly half the frame. The sky is boring and adds nothing to the scene. My main point of interest gets lost in frame. I had yet to learn the importance of balance in an image, and visual weight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This shot was also from 2005, at Fort Fisher near Carolina Beach. The trees were what really caught my eye here, but you wouldn't know it to look at the image. Again, I nailed the rule of thirds because that was what I knew. What I missed was the quality of light, exposure, and even focus in the foreground. Speaking of foreground, I had a real bad habit of filling half the frame with nothing of interest. Looking back, this would have been a composition for a panorama more than a 4x5 crop. As with the first image, the reason I shot the picture in the first place was lost in the grand scale of the frame. I really should have filled the frame with what I like rather than adhering to the rule of thirds so rigidly. At the time though, I thought I had created something great, but it wasn't looking like the images I had seen from other photographers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even as far back as 2005, clouds were some of my favorite subjects to work with, but I hadn't really figured out how to include them with landscapes. The silhouetted trees really had no strong foreground interest, but they did provide an anchor for the sky. I was really excited about how the clouds looked, but when I really looked at the image, it was as collection of elements that really didn't compliment each other. Again, I had failed to create the image that I was looking for. Had I turned this in to an instructor, I'm sure they would have looked at it, and given me a distant stare waiting for the punch line. There is so much wrong with this that it would be hard to even begin to make suggestions on how to fix it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I shot these three images, I didn't have the benefit of getting feedback from somebody with an understanding of what I was trying to create. I only knew that the part of photography that I was concentrating on was represented here. It would take a lot more reading to figure out the execution of the rules, and when to break them. I also had a lot to learn about combining rules to actually create a cohesive image. My list of books grew over the months and years. I would read books on composition where I learned how to actually apply the rule of thirds, and that there are alternatives to this rule which are more effective at times. There would be books on exposure, and how to properly read a light meter and how useful it can be. I learned about hyperfocal distances and how important that can be for making sure that your scene is all in relatively sharp focus. I read about the theories and concepts behind photography, and found out so much about how to present my visions. Ultimately, I learned how to read a scene that was in front of me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoVvvDjYmfPZMXFUEOH8ZboMROuOY_e9E4_bYdwHuKrmfaW8bHvCBtPXG93k2CvPsL2PNSvmNvvJ5Auj_I6LRwYROAauEE9qMj3wFAg3cUJ7UM6blJAgZQoxyjk9PKV1qqWX19NkyTUA/s1600/Rural+Virginia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoVvvDjYmfPZMXFUEOH8ZboMROuOY_e9E4_bYdwHuKrmfaW8bHvCBtPXG93k2CvPsL2PNSvmNvvJ5Auj_I6LRwYROAauEE9qMj3wFAg3cUJ7UM6blJAgZQoxyjk9PKV1qqWX19NkyTUA/s640/Rural+Virginia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rural Virginia</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some 13 years later, you can see how i have a much better understanding of how to present my visions. Here you see a barn in the mountains, not unlike the leading picture above. The difference was my use of an interesting foreground (the fence), elements of depth (diagonal flow following leading lines), and of course, a much more interesting sky. This represents how I have learned to "read" a scene before I even pick up a camera. I look for lighting primarily, but I also want to make sure that the elements that I am going to include all help tell the same story. Everything in this image works together to give a sense of time and place. The main element (the barn) is readily apparent, and is given a strong position in the image. The use of colors helps to add to the visual impact of the barn in the total scene. My subjects are no longer getting lost in the frame. The idea here is to include what is important in the scene and subtract what isn't.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzpHwO79MkhWZMNq4BTuqaYzz-RtDnM11asiRsAyONwcrfmH-PQ95hPIcDGwWO8obvjG0VGW9Ns3YQruPOq740d4s0Veu0pxj5xEokNSfDbhAVe7LA7k9ZQw5yUZQYQY58XkFyezdKs4/s1600/An-Invitation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzpHwO79MkhWZMNq4BTuqaYzz-RtDnM11asiRsAyONwcrfmH-PQ95hPIcDGwWO8obvjG0VGW9Ns3YQruPOq740d4s0Veu0pxj5xEokNSfDbhAVe7LA7k9ZQw5yUZQYQY58XkFyezdKs4/s640/An-Invitation.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>An Invitation</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this image, the tree was my focal point and the primary reason I wanted the image. The sky dictated the direction I shot in, but the tree was what I wanted to focus on as in the second opening image. I have learned to get in close. The rule of thirds is still alive and well here with the main trunks of the tree sitting on the right third and the lower third, with the outstretched branch at the upper left intersection. In short, I have learned that the rule of thirds can apply to the different parts of your subject as opposed to just a broad spectrum "place the subject at this point or that point." More importantly, I have learned to read the light of an image and capitalize on the light direction. This was at sunrise, and the sun was to my back. It lit the foreground and subject as well as threw color in the sky beyond the tree. These were tricks that I didn't know about years ago. Learning composition and the use of light are two very key things for a photographer to understand.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB8TqJSgOQF57r-lw8vkZ5Y_4tE6QVL1_FB_YnIT7tUVJBGzJgE0PXNipBVOoUkBsVjTVQ-R5XO9VV9oqorZIhKc0NEj6janMF60KrDeq_pn2xGrozlO8x4ArgHvl56_-AgrTK-v8DsA/s1600/End-of-Days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB8TqJSgOQF57r-lw8vkZ5Y_4tE6QVL1_FB_YnIT7tUVJBGzJgE0PXNipBVOoUkBsVjTVQ-R5XO9VV9oqorZIhKc0NEj6janMF60KrDeq_pn2xGrozlO8x4ArgHvl56_-AgrTK-v8DsA/s640/End-of-Days.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>End of Days</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clouds will always be an important part of my photography, and I have gotten much better at capturing them over the years. In the image from 2005, I had an exposure nightmare with the trees in extreme shadow and the clouds overexposed. There was no distinct foreground interest, and the reason for the shot wasn't exactly clear. These issues have been worked out learning how to control my exposure based on the light. Here, I waited until the sun was below the horizon which softened the colors in the clouds. I was able to expose in a way that I got plenty of detail in the foreground and in the sea oats. The foreground makes a lot more sense and sets the scene for the image. The clouds are not only pretty, but they are dynamic. There is depth for days in this image which the other sky picture was missing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In each of these cases, I have demonstrated what a little photographic understanding can accomplish with similar subjects. I didn't have to go to school to figure out how to create these images, but there was a lot of learning involved. I'm sure that if I had turned in the first three images to an instructor, they would have critiqued me very hard and then offered suggestions for how to correct these issues. With my "self taught" program, I had to really look into the images to find out what was wrong with them and why I wasn't getting the pictures that I was trying for. In each of the three cases, I was excited about the images and really thought I was capturing the moment when I pressed the shutter button. When I compared my images to those that I was trying to learn from I realized that I had missed the mark by a wide margin. That prompted me to read more in depth about how to construct a picture. These days, I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I can say that I have a very good understanding of the art and craft of photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Getting it right in the field</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing that I have always tried to do was to get it right in the field. In the beginning I needed to do this because I didn't have a photo editing program that was overly powerful, or one that I was proficient at. I used <b><i>Microsoft Picture It!</i></b> which was bundled with other software. My chances of ruining an image were higher than of me fixing one that was needing help. I had a much better outcome if I got things right in the field at the time of capture. That meant that I became rather proficient with filters to correct color, and exposure. These were largely tricks of the film age, but since the majority of the books I was learning from were based on film photography, that is what I did. It made me quite capable of reading a scene and photographing it in the best way possible. This has carried over to my current methods.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUwqN6Avfuv_8_S9x4eEidCFerf3WyWTEtA75ISGfO0vsNifUnicw8IxwZz9rLl4IfBzOlPrO7u7IQYaq_gFrRFQQbEdYnqRiExwXIXZSKqhvzyAvmuWCQFm6Tlv7ZCul9RqAyEmwHsc/s1600/Biscayne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUwqN6Avfuv_8_S9x4eEidCFerf3WyWTEtA75ISGfO0vsNifUnicw8IxwZz9rLl4IfBzOlPrO7u7IQYaq_gFrRFQQbEdYnqRiExwXIXZSKqhvzyAvmuWCQFm6Tlv7ZCul9RqAyEmwHsc/s640/Biscayne.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Biscayne</em></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I still use filters, even though I am using Lightroom and Photoshop as my processing tools. The number of filters that I carry has been reduced from the early years by a good many though. I don't have a need for color correcting filters like warming filters since I know how to work my white balance controls. I don't use funky Colored Grads because I never really liked the effect. I no longer carry three different ND filters because I have replaced them all with a single variable ND filter with the addition of one more 10-Stop ND filter. What I do carry a lot of are the ND Grads which represent six of my filters. You can see what they do in the video and picture above. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Sure, I have the option of using a digital version of this filter through Lightroom, and to be completely honest, I do use it. But...that digital filter doesn't help me when the disparity between highlight and shadow is so much that the camera can't capture enough detail in both. This is when I use the physical filters to get the image as close as I can to a finished product before I even press the shutter. This mindset helps me minimize my time at the computer after a trek. This is very beneficial since I usually have finished images by the end of the day that I shot them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKXyBvsDtiqwDRgbV8SF2Z_jPI1TCQDl-O-pwU-ZON47KdEHHsRdhXyGKORE2hnDIgkz5QFhMJpdHppSzasNp0oDiIGVKS79nnXQs12II1Yf9CFAbVHtW6u1S0_aMeZb5SFqw-h_LoUQ/s1600/Time-Passes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKXyBvsDtiqwDRgbV8SF2Z_jPI1TCQDl-O-pwU-ZON47KdEHHsRdhXyGKORE2hnDIgkz5QFhMJpdHppSzasNp0oDiIGVKS79nnXQs12II1Yf9CFAbVHtW6u1S0_aMeZb5SFqw-h_LoUQ/s640/Time-Passes.jpg" width="451" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Time Passes</em></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There are other times when an image wouldn't be possible without filters in the field. This is one of those times where I wanted some extra drama in the sky by incorporating some movement in the clouds. Since the sun was so bright, the only way to slow the shutter enough to give me a 30 second exposure was to use that 10-Stop ND filter. It is all about getting it right in the field. All of that experience shooting like it was a film camera has really paid big dividends for me in terms of my current methodology behind the camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Speaking of getting it right in the field, I know many photographers who shoot images with a lot of wiggle room so that they can crop later for the best composition. There is nothing wrong with that, and in many types of photography that is needed because the use of a single image will be different and will require different crops. For me, I don't like the thought of losing valuable pixels of information for no reason. I can see the image in the viewfinder, and on the LCD. This is how I know I have my composition right. If I have a question, I either move or go to a different focal length before releasing the shutter. This is how I end up with 10 shots of the same subject many times. I want to have options when I start processing the day's shots. I would rather throw out an entire wide angle shot in favor of keeping a different, tighter image, than throw out 2000 pixels in that image to get the same effect. The benefit here is ability to print larger with more detail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><strong>The most important things that I have learned</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">1) Fill the frame with what you like!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">2) Tell a story with your photos</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">3) Exclude elements that don't go with the intention of the capture</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">4) Include visual clues to give a sense of depth</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">5) Search out the light before concentrating on the subject</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">6) Change you perspective by using different focal lengths</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">7) Use the rules to set up initial shots, and then break the rules to improve it</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">8) Always look behind you as there might be better light in that direction</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">9) Experiment because digital images are cheap</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">10) Have fun and immerse yourself in your work!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>What is right for you?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I've tried to stay on the fence about which is better when it comes to learning. I have spent the majority of the time discussing what I know, so I'm sure it comes across like I'm saying this is the way to do things. That really isn't the case at all. Everyone learns differently, and depending on your learning style, you might benefit from one over the other, or possibly a combination of the two. It all comes down to figuring out the basics, practicing, and finding what techniques work for your individual visions. No matter how we learn, there will be a time when you file all of that information into a tool box and you go out and shoot images in your own specific way. This is when you become a photographer in my opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Far too often, I hear "what settings did you use?" or "what lens was that?" These questions are largely the wrong questions to ask. They will tell you what worked at that specific time for that photographer's vision. They really hold very little bearing on how you might shoot a similar image. Better questions would be "what kind of light were you looking for with this image?" or "Why did you include this element or that element?" These are the questions where a budding photographer will actually learn more about the craft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The act, <em>or art</em> of photography will always be one of the best ways of conveying what you see when you look at something. But as a writer must learn to craft a sentence, a photographer must learn to craft a photograph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-88791596237246448742018-08-25T23:37:00.001-04:002018-08-25T23:37:24.423-04:00A Rural Kind of Evening<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, August 25, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-_YB9fADthhqBDwGA7g5xgB35urKtqOYiOSCqzL4Bk5zWG7jEsx8EOsFVoShr1UdA1vvkKP4qStCvlWzLKPMQDzMGSNAH-g-XeCSw_JFTdhsnh-hMs94osP3JhQOMAvUOSuMvkK63hU/s1600/Rural+Twilight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-_YB9fADthhqBDwGA7g5xgB35urKtqOYiOSCqzL4Bk5zWG7jEsx8EOsFVoShr1UdA1vvkKP4qStCvlWzLKPMQDzMGSNAH-g-XeCSw_JFTdhsnh-hMs94osP3JhQOMAvUOSuMvkK63hU/s640/Rural+Twilight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rural Twilight</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These have been interesting times for me over the last two weeks. There has been a lot going on in pretty much every aspect of my life since the last trek to the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend, there just wasn't time to get out and do any photography. This weekend, I had a little bit of time, but not too much. The problem this weekend was the weather. The forecast pretty much called for very little to no clouds for the good parts of the day. The good parts are the ends at sunrise and sunset. I was pretty much set on not going out to get any pictures this weekend, which was fine. I still had a good many from the Parkway to handle my daily Instagram posts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did wake up around 5am on Saturday morning to check the weather since there was a chance of a decent sunrise in the Piedmont. I wasn't sure where I would go, but I wanted to be able to get out and do something if the weather looked promising. The reports were pretty dismal though. I saw no clouds, and the sunrise forecast had gone pretty blah overnight. I turned the alarm off and went back to sleep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I finally woke up, I wasn't even thinking about doing pictures. Toni, Sierra, and I went out and visited the book store, went to a movie, and then had dinner. All the while there were pretty nice clouds that developed in the sky. Unfortunately, the sun was high in the sky, and while the clouds were nice, the lighting was harsh and flat. Toni kept telling me to go and work on some pictures, but with the existing lighting I had no interest in shooting anything. I was hoping that the clouds would hold out till sunset as they would look really good then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we got home after dinner I started to look at the weather forecast. It wasn't really looking promising for clouds, and the sky was fairly empty at this point. The sunset forecast, however, gave me a little hope for some color in the sky. It might not be much, but it was worth going out and trying.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCmWjGKdNe3NjsKlNubxj-5Ekwlkp2xPVuC6apnMyGCwn0K_RH2NSC-tq85sIprun_xzen-Seo6U3ePBUrq8YKDPl5bKq6vu5sn3JBAVywQW0vueTRfhkysSxWH9-v0F5djuoIc5mPxE/s1600/The+Simple+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCmWjGKdNe3NjsKlNubxj-5Ekwlkp2xPVuC6apnMyGCwn0K_RH2NSC-tq85sIprun_xzen-Seo6U3ePBUrq8YKDPl5bKq6vu5sn3JBAVywQW0vueTRfhkysSxWH9-v0F5djuoIc5mPxE/s640/The+Simple+Life.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Simple Life</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I needed to come up with a location to go. I have been trying to shoot a barn nearby for several months now, and I keep getting stymied by the sky at every turn. I have been trying mostly in the morning for a sunrise behind the barn. The idea has always been to get there long before the sun comes up and trying to capture some interesting colors in the sky, while still being able to expose for details in the barn. Twice now I've tried that and failed. I have also been out trying for some cloudy shots, but to no avail. It has been about 4 years since I have successfully shot this barn, and I wanted to get it in the summer before the trees started to change, or shed their leaves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went ahead and set my course for the barn off of Union Cross Rd in Forsyth County. My thought was I would probably get there and turn around, or sit for a while before deciding to give up. I know, this is a terrible attitude to have, but honestly, I didn't really feel like going out. Had it not been for Toni prodding me, and my memory of many landscape photographers' vlogs talking about going even when you don't want to, I would have stayed home. Even if I didn't get anything, the weather was nice and it would be nice to get behind the camera for a short time if nothing else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived, the lighting was actually pretty good on the barn with the setting sun lighting the face. I went ahead and got the camera out and fitted my 70-200mm lens with the Sigh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. I actually stayed across the road to get the composition that I wanted. Since there was not much interest in the sky, I wanted to minimize the amount of sky that I included in the shot. I mainly wanted to get the barn, and the tree that stood next to it. The plan here was to shoot a color image of the barn, but when I got home and looked at it, the colors were just lacking something. I liked the lighting and composition though. I decided to see how the sky would stand a monochrome conversion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I got the conversion started, I could tell that the clouds were a little more visible, and the textures of the wood and crops stood out more. I worked with the contrasts and tonal relationships until I was happy with the image. It wasn't what I had envisioned when I shot the scene, but it wasn't bad either. It was a good start to the evening.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouese83QDrEayBXPxmlmjKQybuDqqhXtZ1cQL9UE42grpwq0gkD62Gy55VbF36ikbcBzXtY6Mn_5tqfIRQ_Ys1UhbgBfFCDR8XlLDsi-weYqISsXRM8w2g8x6Ftws2QSJXujiUGnZ3Ds/s1600/Carolina+Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouese83QDrEayBXPxmlmjKQybuDqqhXtZ1cQL9UE42grpwq0gkD62Gy55VbF36ikbcBzXtY6Mn_5tqfIRQ_Ys1UhbgBfFCDR8XlLDsi-weYqISsXRM8w2g8x6Ftws2QSJXujiUGnZ3Ds/s640/Carolina+Farm.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Carolina Farm</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sun was dropping now, and the lighting was improving. The clouds were also coming into play above the barn. I flipped the camera on its side and framed up a shot that captured the barn, tree, and the clouds above. I was really liking this composition. However, when I was looking in the review after the exposure was made, I realized something. In my excitement to set the shot up, I had missed a power line right at the top third point, which is why I missed it. I lined up perfectly with the grid lines in my preview screen. I was going to need to get to the other side of the road and shoot under the power line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got there, I knew that the long lens was the wrong choice for my new location. I quickly swapped out to my 24-70mm lens and swapped the Color Combo Polarizer over as well. I recomposed and found roughly the same image at 35mm that I had found at 70mm earlier. This is the power of lenses, I can get the same compositions from wildly different positions. I was also able to get a bit more sky and foreground in this image with the perspective change. I grabbed a few exposures as the clouds moved across the sky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continued to shoot different compositions as the sun faded to my rear. I was a little disappointed to see the best cloud formation in the sky, and also the best lit one, was to the South. There was nothing at all to put under that patch of sky except a line of trees and a power pole with a lot of power lines draping across the scene. This just wouldn't work at all. Oh well, I had a nice barn to work with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the sun dropped out of sight to my rear, the colors started to change up significantly. There were purples in the sky now, and the twilight sky was upon us. I set up a few different shots, and exposed as close to the right of the histogram as possible without blowing the image out. It looked terrible in the review image, but I knew that would be the case. I needed it slightly overexposed so that I could keep the detail in the barn, and I could recover the sky detail easy enough in Lightroom. I wasn't sure how any of these would turn out, but I knew if they worked, I would have something entirely different from anything that I had shot before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home and started to process it, it took a minute or two to start seeing the colors develop that I had seen while shooting the image. What would normally take 5-10 minutes, probably took about 15 minutes to process. I really started to see the possibility of this one looking like what I had envisioned while shooting the image. Yes, this one might be a little more "worked" than most of my images, but I felt that it deserved a little extra processing to be true to my vision. It is not manipulated, and is not a composite. It isn't even an HDR image. What it has turned into is a highly saturated image that has been dodged and burned to bring out the details that I found important to the image. It is a true representation of the actual scene, and is spot on with how I interpreted the scene at the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as I was about to pack up the camera, I started looking for the moon which was full. I knew it would be coming up very soon, and it should be near the barn. If I was lucky, I would get the opportunity to shoot the mood with the barn composition I had set up. Unfortunately, it was a bit far to the right for that to happen. I did move my position and shoot the barn square from the front with the moon just to the right. The composition was weak, and there was really no excitement in the image. It turned out to be one that I left in the discard file. I added my 2x teleconverter and tried for a moon shot at 400mm just because it was rather clear looking. It turned out pretty good, but I have just never really cared for moon shots that aren't a part of a complete composition. It was just a moon, and it was no better, or any different, than any of the other hundred moon shots I have seen. It fell to the discard pile as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of the evening, I had shot 59 frames of this barn and the moon. I knew I didn't want my normal 10% cut to be keepers since this was just a single subject. I was actually looking for one, maybe two images to keep. In the end, I found that I really liked three images. They were all quite different, and represented a different story of the barn. I was happy keeping all three of the images and sharing them with you.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-87655743901746464862018-08-11T22:49:00.001-04:002018-08-12T15:07:41.630-04:00Sunrise at Rough Ridge<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, August 11, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYJHW9rWRXEILoN2wp9SeO1xMoX4AeviawbZtNyeqX3J-b0XOsAML1cNNeqAGjOPKd3UrCwMA7uIuRQ3Rf9peAl8wP5WLxRMI2ItGm3gv0xNzvsUxWxiOcqE-L9WEPBdNQmX6iJdC3F4/s1600/Appalachian+Daybreak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYJHW9rWRXEILoN2wp9SeO1xMoX4AeviawbZtNyeqX3J-b0XOsAML1cNNeqAGjOPKd3UrCwMA7uIuRQ3Rf9peAl8wP5WLxRMI2ItGm3gv0xNzvsUxWxiOcqE-L9WEPBdNQmX6iJdC3F4/s640/Appalachian+Daybreak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Appalachian Daybreak</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Does anyone remember the last time I went to the Blue Ridge Parkway? It seems like forever ago to me. Looking back in the blog, it appears that it was <a href="https://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/05/if-you-dont-like-weather.html">May 19th</a> when I last visited the Parkway. That is much too long for one of my favorite places to go when it comes to photography. I've been wanting to get back there for a few weeks, but my scheduling has been such that I just couldn't dedicate that kind of time to a Trek. That changed a bit this weekend with Toni at work, and Sierra with her Uncle. I finally had the time that I needed to head West to the High Country. The only thing left to determine was where to go exactly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I looked at the weather, and it seemed that the chances of clouds were going to be better around the Boone, and Linville areas, while further North it was looking more like clear conditions. Of course, we all know my track record with the weather forecasts so I really wasn't all that sure of what to expect. The plan when I went to sleep was to get up at 3am and head out to Rough Ridge for a sunrise attempt. Looking at the sunrise forecaster, I didn't have a lot of high hopes for any color, but there were clouds in the forecast and they were showing to have a low ceiling. This meant that I might be able to do some woodland work along the Rough Ridge Trail. Either way, I wanted to get an early start to the day. From there, I was going to go where the conditions dictated.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLKuiXJl3reZF7hyphenhyphenMIO7cbGsOmHg-T6siBF-fkGq1NJVZEW3DmQbbpbK7n2pg4vH1gvEz5DgcFo-4cPNIqtmanVTB-JeWgPuhgjU5ujm-7YF0ZLwPefso-OAvIYsXh0jGlV0fgf7UEYI/s1600/Color+on+the+Ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLKuiXJl3reZF7hyphenhyphenMIO7cbGsOmHg-T6siBF-fkGq1NJVZEW3DmQbbpbK7n2pg4vH1gvEz5DgcFo-4cPNIqtmanVTB-JeWgPuhgjU5ujm-7YF0ZLwPefso-OAvIYsXh0jGlV0fgf7UEYI/s640/Color+on+the+Ridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Color on the Ridge</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My day started as planned, way too early for my liking. I checked the weather before getting out of bed and it looked like nothing had changed from the forecast that I had seen the night before. The chance of a great sunrise was going to be slim, but the clouds were looking good for most of the day with a slight chance for a storm around mid day. I went ahead and got things together and started my drive out to Rough Ridge. the entire way there, I was seeing stars in the sky, and was really getting worried about the conditions I was going to be faced with soon. I knew that whatever was going to happen, I was going to be in the mountains with my camera so it couldn't be too bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I arrived on the Parkway, a familiar dynamic started with me. One minute it was clear as a bell, and then all of a sudden visibility would drop to nothing due to fog and clouds. Weather like this makes for some very interesting photography and I was getting excited. I started looking for a good place to set up for sunrise in case a target of opportunity presented itself before I arrived at Rough Ridge. As luck would have it, nothing really fell into place, and I found myself nearing the parking area for Rough Ridge. Well, I was here, and there was only one other car in the parking lot. Let's do this!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I grabbed my gear and started the dark (and rather soggy) hike to the boardwalk where I was planning on shooting the sunrise. The hike went quick enough, and I was really happy that I had brought my waterfall boots in case the weather dictated that I start looking for cascades to shoot. I slogged my way up the trail and found the rocky outcropping just off of the boardwalk to be completely empty which was a nice treat. I went out on the rock and got set up on the smaller section closest to the boardwalk.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZtPCKrXa9hmQwtgQ-a75H3cVs73-1z1ebuXXb_bbPIVFPCJfFkFw1s48nocFtS5EWi-sElX2oGpW77SY-qtR-9TIyhiACDyh-cSxU2zi-cXp57C2ff90rgw-S7Q7ejwXUH5LG5pmeoo/s1600/Bridging+Colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="800" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZtPCKrXa9hmQwtgQ-a75H3cVs73-1z1ebuXXb_bbPIVFPCJfFkFw1s48nocFtS5EWi-sElX2oGpW77SY-qtR-9TIyhiACDyh-cSxU2zi-cXp57C2ff90rgw-S7Q7ejwXUH5LG5pmeoo/s640/Bridging+Colors.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Bridging Colors</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had been running different compositions in my head while hiking up to the boardwalk and knew that I was wanting to try out my 16-35mm lens to get a little different perspective from my normal 24-70mm choice. I started out with no filters at all, but quickly realized that the compositions that I was wanting to shoot were going to need some exposure help. Starting out early, I added my Lee Filter Holder and a 3-Stop Singh-Ray, Daryl Benson Reverse ND Grad. this helped the exposure in the sky right at the horizon, while letting the sky further up expose a little bit more. that was just the trick that I needed to get the exposures as close to correct as I could.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While I was shooting the opening series of the new day, a couple came hiking up the trail and joined me on the rock. He was apparently a photographer as well since he pulled out a camera and tripod. He set it up to shoot intervals as the sun came up. While the camera was firing off frames he got a drone ready, which he sent up to view Rough Ridge from the air. It was quite an impressive display, but I just sat there and worked my compositions one at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the sun came up and the colors started to fade towards the East, I decided to swap out lenses and use my 70-200mm lens to get some isolations of the clouds in the valley below. Since I wasn't shooting into the bright part of the sky, I opted to leave the filters off of the lens and just shoot as the scene appeared. What I found was as the color faded to the East, it started to pick back up to the West, and I had a lot of great color in the sky to play with.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2yRy4EP16wlqJsxXvdmjhG3kYM5pldJFk53w6jEnG1L84_awFQWfHrMpJJfsIlJWA0E_lGIHu_WPIhINBnu3V_fzsYxafKEQxlwlluQu4tMmEoblSHpLYVrmihFg8tcHCt2exTjyBuY/s1600/Vibrant+Viaduct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2yRy4EP16wlqJsxXvdmjhG3kYM5pldJFk53w6jEnG1L84_awFQWfHrMpJJfsIlJWA0E_lGIHu_WPIhINBnu3V_fzsYxafKEQxlwlluQu4tMmEoblSHpLYVrmihFg8tcHCt2exTjyBuY/s640/Vibrant+Viaduct.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Vibrant Viaduct</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Something that I am always seeming to photograph when I visit Rough Ridge is the Linn Cove Viaduct which is visible from many portions of the trail. With the 70-200mm lens, I can just about reach out and touch it. With the colors that were developing in the Western sky, I was able to photograph the Viaduct in a way that I hadn't been able to before. I was actually getting sunlight on the side of the mountain and the warm light was doing really cool things with the clouds above. As I worked this unique situation I noticed that there was another element that was working its way into the frames. There was a thin cloud coming between me and the Viaduct, and as it reached the frame it provided a really nice layer of fog to the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Viaduct wasn't the only part of the landscape that was looking really nice. The sky to the East was actually starting to erupt in color again and since the sun was partially hidden, the exposure looked very workable without any filters. I trained the camera back around and framed up a shot at 70mm that included part of the boardwalk as well as the sky above.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSYomOtL5HnOyc-K03w9_HCj0Wt6iVMpHv7OiDjNgjCj1STAO9zDBJWsmCf965VuLZIfSWwT39xgl1OJ2vQG8V1OrTszffkldgOCAhk3XVqzg1RGiMnNrweG4mJ6fHvx7NQiDh6YN8PQ/s1600/Tanawha+Tales_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSYomOtL5HnOyc-K03w9_HCj0Wt6iVMpHv7OiDjNgjCj1STAO9zDBJWsmCf965VuLZIfSWwT39xgl1OJ2vQG8V1OrTszffkldgOCAhk3XVqzg1RGiMnNrweG4mJ6fHvx7NQiDh6YN8PQ/s640/Tanawha+Tales_.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Tanawha Tales</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My main purpose in this shot was to get the sky, but I wanted something interesting in the foreground to anchor the image. Not wanting to lose the light, I shot it with the long lens and made due the best that I could. As it turned out, the little hint of the boardwalk and the rock made for a great foreground, and didn't weigh in too heavily at all in the composition. The colors in the sky were great, and the low clouds across the mountains in the distance really added the depth to the image that I needed. There was still the slight haze from the passing clouds which gave the image a dreamlike quality that I really liked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With all of this back and forth, I was starting to become overwhelmed at the list of potential subjects. As I was finishing up the shot over the Tanawha Trail, I happened to look back to my right and saw something that I can only describe as amazing. While the sky above was starting to settle into the normal hues, there was a large bank of clouds that was on the way across the mountains that was bathed in an orange and pink hue from the sun. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but it was just too cool for words.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I decided that was going to be my next shot. I just had no idea how to capture it. I was still shooting with my long lens and I was able to get a few shots of the clouds, but nothing that I really liked. I decided that I would try a panorama of it. I flipped the camera on its side, and leveled the tripod. I made a quick sweep to confirm that the camera was going to be level the entire trip across the image. I set my focus and exposure and shot a six frame series that I later merged in Lightroom.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5YhaQ0S1MNdj-JF5PtIGyixen6cSup8NzeqRzdhjQBfW_1F6zGYVygehhk7W9yMZhMeUtRHW61S7O6PgVlcpuhBgMWFQJXQoUxi89RKW3uHEfHBZvqG2QOEZhK8u_c3x4UYnUSwED48/s1600/Blue+Ridge+on+Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1166" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5YhaQ0S1MNdj-JF5PtIGyixen6cSup8NzeqRzdhjQBfW_1F6zGYVygehhk7W9yMZhMeUtRHW61S7O6PgVlcpuhBgMWFQJXQoUxi89RKW3uHEfHBZvqG2QOEZhK8u_c3x4UYnUSwED48/s640/Blue+Ridge+on+Fire.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue Ridge on Fire</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This panorama isn't one of my best ones. It lacks the prior planning that most of them really need. It is a great documentation of of the cloud that I saw which was just so freaking amazing though. The clouds above and below this one bank of clouds were all pretty much normal hues by this point, but this one cloud was like watching a flame move across the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was just incredible, and I'm glad that I thought to make this a panorama shot since swapping lenses would have allowed the light to be lost more than likely.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlH6y00USMnx3TsWkFm3rDchXos8IUzxXgC8Ts3H4YIJzARucNo7rzpX1QZLN244EO4qZLshKWYHkfrzfB0Jcay7iPjLb6Ox1-7vJIqXb2PQKYrxvvrNNjvYp8ZBQniaEL_jpQnvSmck/s1600/A+Ginger+Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlH6y00USMnx3TsWkFm3rDchXos8IUzxXgC8Ts3H4YIJzARucNo7rzpX1QZLN244EO4qZLshKWYHkfrzfB0Jcay7iPjLb6Ox1-7vJIqXb2PQKYrxvvrNNjvYp8ZBQniaEL_jpQnvSmck/s640/A+Ginger+Sky.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>A Ginger Sky</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I got done shooting the panorama, I went back to shooting single frame images of the cloud in an attempt to capture the unique look of this situation. I followed it all along its path until it was pretty well hidden by the peak to the East of the trail. As the cloud moved on, I could see that most of the color was now gone in the sky except for a small area to the South. I could see some remaining color in some of the clouds above the mountains and figured that I would give them a shot as well. They were far enough away that the long lens was a fine choice to capture them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXeUr_bYe0FqLnyfiYbcTPGfylMKfNZt9cJLIe-vYvfBbRWGWQlx-Ou7uAsSGlL8L_KyTZZUU5oJTY7VzobaOFuTPRsa54jF7hMYYDmcGj-8oqLPG4KddPvYFMJb-S5yeWtzbUonkn-E/s1600/Feeling+Peachy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXeUr_bYe0FqLnyfiYbcTPGfylMKfNZt9cJLIe-vYvfBbRWGWQlx-Ou7uAsSGlL8L_KyTZZUU5oJTY7VzobaOFuTPRsa54jF7hMYYDmcGj-8oqLPG4KddPvYFMJb-S5yeWtzbUonkn-E/s640/Feeling+Peachy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Feeling Peachy</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The composition here was a simple one. I was focusing on the low clouds in the valley below and using the clouds as a framing element and pretty much the only color in the image. I thought about doing this as a monochrome image, but that hint of warmth really helps the clouds stand out from the valleys. After shooting this image, I was starting to see the blues really coming into play in the sky, so I decided to swap out my lenses one last time. I put the 16-35mm back on and added a 2-Stop Singh-Ray, Galen Rowell hard edge ND-Grad filter to the front. This was going to take the place of a polarizer since I didn't want to cause uneven blues in the sky which is a risk using a polarizer. This would also allow me more flexibility in darkening the sky regardless of my angle to the sun.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5ekx-BkS2ylEKxWwN_AkThgBVNjYUEKRV2habG-IZSLNcz5kQfi_Fb6F5ROAy_R6Q9BfWA85GmIYU8HfPyfZ9nS0Va8R2RGn-vLosyba7pd9Pm5C8-FAKqQrGbh_ilrR_8PJZFl1f_o/s1600/Sun+Drops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5ekx-BkS2ylEKxWwN_AkThgBVNjYUEKRV2habG-IZSLNcz5kQfi_Fb6F5ROAy_R6Q9BfWA85GmIYU8HfPyfZ9nS0Va8R2RGn-vLosyba7pd9Pm5C8-FAKqQrGbh_ilrR_8PJZFl1f_o/s640/Sun+Drops.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Sun Drops</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I got the camera all put back together and ready to shoot I noticed that there was another bank of clouds moving across the valley that looked very similar to the earlier ones. These were a good deal lighter since the sun was still climbing in the sky, but the color was still there. The ND-Grad did an excellent job at bringing that color out by avoiding overexposure. I shot about four frames with this concept, but slightly different compositions. This was the one where the color showed the best, and the composition felt slightly better than the other ones as well. Honestly, this was the first image that I shot from the morning that I really felt good about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The funny thing was, I thought that I had shot about 45 frames during the sunrise. As it turned out, I had shot 79 frames in about an hour and a half's time. My how time flies when you are having fun!! It was time to move on to other things though. I went ahead and packed up the camera and started moving my way back down the trail to the truck. When I got there, I could see that the clouds were mostly clearing out at this point. It was also that strange time of day after the golden hour when the sky is just white. I wasn't looking to do much in the way of landscapes at this point until the sky got better again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I decided on was taking a little drive to a road that I had seen on the map earlier. It was Roseboro Rd, and it was just a little beyond the Viaduct. I had spotted this on the map because it looked like a good secondary road to find some old barns on. When I found it and turned, I found that it was a typical gravel mountain road. Oh well, I needed to spin the 4WD for a few miles this month anyway, I dropped into 4Hi and continued on down the road.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFowFbmpqsjZFBEKrKSJjApBB7X6NGGg31osDsdk1kJlq5oGXmuZY7hEWMPLYL4zBdAdxymMEZGIxrPSZgxRtvyRumAZn5KvVEUjNoc403Y6EImE_lRUyTaoFZ-zp0X7WC9cgK_2dQoE/s1600/Roseboro+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="588" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFowFbmpqsjZFBEKrKSJjApBB7X6NGGg31osDsdk1kJlq5oGXmuZY7hEWMPLYL4zBdAdxymMEZGIxrPSZgxRtvyRumAZn5KvVEUjNoc403Y6EImE_lRUyTaoFZ-zp0X7WC9cgK_2dQoE/s640/Roseboro+Falls.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Roseboro Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In an interesting turn of fate, I didn't find a single barn that I wanted to photograph on this road, but I did find a waterfall that to my knowledge is unnamed, and possibly only here during high rainfall times. Conveniently, there was a pull out on the side of the road a short distance from the waterfall which leads me to believe that this waterfall is a fairly typical feature. At any rate, I grabbed the camera and loaded the 24-70mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With this waterfall right off of the road, my compositions were limited. I tried some isolations, but the moving vegetation proved too distracting for the isolations to work. By capturing more of the falls, I was able to minimize the motion blur issues to a point. The composition that I settled on was one that actually included the sky peeking through the trees above the waterfall. I was worried about the exposure, but my histogram was telling me that I wasn't blowing out too many pixels by shooting this composition. It actually was a pleasing shot of this odd waterfall stuck on the side of the road.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't have long to work with this waterfall though. Remember how I said there were no clouds in the sky after I finished up at Rough Ridge? Well, the sun was now starting to shine through the trees and it was hitting the waterfall in a splotchy fashion. After maybe 15 minutes, I packed up the camera and continued down the road in search of a barn. I did find one, but the lighting was no good for it, and the setting was a little bland as well. I passed on the chance to do anything with it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0IzOAoTJIKHt9bH10UcnvDe4Elq7ksf5x2vOV3vnT6oDOllFuLOngjSRkXfZrzIJ9LvyhsMq9Z71HLFehf1ZzLudooPQ6b1ympspxsXiM9fcs-lq8hue_LuO96Up0SSK1Sr5ZlH9p8/s1600/Keep+it+Together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0IzOAoTJIKHt9bH10UcnvDe4Elq7ksf5x2vOV3vnT6oDOllFuLOngjSRkXfZrzIJ9LvyhsMq9Z71HLFehf1ZzLudooPQ6b1ympspxsXiM9fcs-lq8hue_LuO96Up0SSK1Sr5ZlH9p8/s640/Keep+it+Together.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Keep it Together</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did my normal get lost thing in hopes of finding a good barn to photograph. As luck would have it, I didn't run into anything promising before finding my way back to Hwy 221 and eventually the Blue Ridge Parkway. I started my way North hoping to find a few things to shoot before getting on the road home. As I was passing through Julian Price Park, I happened to notice that there were some clouds moving into view over a field that I enjoy shooting near the red barn that is so famous. I went ahead and pulled off on the side of the road and grabbed the camera. For this situation, I wanted my 24-70mm lens so that I could shoot up close and wide angles as well. I added my Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer as well to really help the clouds to pop against the blue sky. Since I was going to be shooting roughly ninety degrees to the sun, the polarizer was going to work very well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpAwC5NjSl5ll7a64HrthFzbNpkqKXqRpY7PNQ85nbzF4RirwPN8W5zvRTHLj4J7rfZVng0F973tiqxwrkxD4VLxMVbrWejcJJjR14HvvPD-a_NFMccID6KIZyVBDYmdLbv4sSiezj0s/s1600/Summertime+Blues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpAwC5NjSl5ll7a64HrthFzbNpkqKXqRpY7PNQ85nbzF4RirwPN8W5zvRTHLj4J7rfZVng0F973tiqxwrkxD4VLxMVbrWejcJJjR14HvvPD-a_NFMccID6KIZyVBDYmdLbv4sSiezj0s/s640/Summertime+Blues.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summertime Blues</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was shooting, the clouds were getting thicker and thicker. I was so glad that I stopped since I really like having these kinds of clouds in my photos. It just adds so much life to the image. I was shooting composition after composition. I slowed long enough to let traffic pass by when I was shooting from across the street. I did have the opportunity to watch about a dozen cyclists ride through the area which made me remember the several rides I had done on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I knew the struggles that they were involved in, and I kind of missed it...But, I had pictures that I needed to be working on, so I got my mind back in the moment and worked on more compositions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0nf5EROgqGJssTmY-oYcDOGhoxCQySOJ1h7_ratuXYR0GZhIDmjr1Ji5sJN0MEz-mIy0M2PdYwh1zMkZySguvqJdq6QPLF9wufIQ8uuxRKLWLekCbGeanyuvpOgHTQU62Jaud7SLvJM/s1600/Split+Rail+Dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="569" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0nf5EROgqGJssTmY-oYcDOGhoxCQySOJ1h7_ratuXYR0GZhIDmjr1Ji5sJN0MEz-mIy0M2PdYwh1zMkZySguvqJdq6QPLF9wufIQ8uuxRKLWLekCbGeanyuvpOgHTQU62Jaud7SLvJM/s640/Split+Rail+Dreams.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Split Rail Dreams</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For longer than I can remember, I have enjoyed photographing this one lone tree in the field. That is usually the reason that I stop here when I do. Something else that I really enjoy doing is photographing the fences along the Parkway. While I was setting up shots I decided that I would probably do well to include both of these subjects in a composition. I flipped the camera on its side and framed up a composition that had good visual balance, and took full advantage of the fence as a visual anchor. The clouds were really starting to come in nicely by this point, and I was having a lot of fun picking out views to put under the clouds as they appeared.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SrJnbBqgSC3d585VFomi5-XtKe4C4bi1szZM_k_98JdvLP9DyQbp15nrJhoH5becVEhuiRd28GMVJU2bbFz5i_FnIbdYEPPWLer02TvcfSiKiYnQpzUSJE8WiiFR90DgiRRaFvjSAnw/s1600/Time+Well+Wasted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SrJnbBqgSC3d585VFomi5-XtKe4C4bi1szZM_k_98JdvLP9DyQbp15nrJhoH5becVEhuiRd28GMVJU2bbFz5i_FnIbdYEPPWLer02TvcfSiKiYnQpzUSJE8WiiFR90DgiRRaFvjSAnw/s640/Time+Well+Wasted.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Time Well Wasted</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wasn't going to let this great fence get away from me. The overgrown weeds really created the perfect story for this fence, and I found a section that was very easy to isolate. I managed to work compositions in both vertical and horizontal orientations to go along with the tree in the background. The textures and colors really stood out, but that was what I was really liking about this fence and the field where it was standing. The greens of the weeds and grasses complimented the yellowing sections quite well. The bleached wood of the fence maintained its own visual weight despite being largely consumed by the vegetation. But was color really all that necessary for these images?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A5KjVRuDXMu0w1TOa35SYX1YMTmUjME0n8W_eo4vFqdrQAX8vxA3o97YXxTq-RnALkaG8NppchFpHQc3oeSx1H0hQAUiSYcSyMmuW606uynHZWb61SviciC4Z4b0L5rNezDmWiQqwwE/s1600/Monochrome+Malaise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="590" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A5KjVRuDXMu0w1TOa35SYX1YMTmUjME0n8W_eo4vFqdrQAX8vxA3o97YXxTq-RnALkaG8NppchFpHQc3oeSx1H0hQAUiSYcSyMmuW606uynHZWb61SviciC4Z4b0L5rNezDmWiQqwwE/s640/Monochrome+Malaise.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Monochrome Malaise</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wanted to find out, and actually set up a shot as a black and white image. What made this one different from the others in the series was the sky. There was a section of blue that was completely surrounded by clouds. This was the perfect scenario for a black and white conversion since I like to render my blue skies as dark grey. By putting a single post in the bottom right third, I was able to visually anchor the image. I shot it in color, but I had full intention of making this one monochrome when it came time to edit it. After I did the conversion, I could see that my previsualization worked just fine for this image. It all came together so nicely as a black and white image. The clouds popped, and the textures of the weeds and wood really stood out with the color stripped from the image.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVW0PJ4tXMbD_0Uq1HoSUQMo6iHBcSDeuDWFU8pEHjWR0tx7skPuTwFMXVsABqpKcfQWOQ9YmcQuRM0rv2ga1H-vJhnHkqxp3h-d7aUlpLWmkgysxiZZe3J3rj0B5jVx5tZYW6nQPzY4/s1600/Mountain+Motorway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVW0PJ4tXMbD_0Uq1HoSUQMo6iHBcSDeuDWFU8pEHjWR0tx7skPuTwFMXVsABqpKcfQWOQ9YmcQuRM0rv2ga1H-vJhnHkqxp3h-d7aUlpLWmkgysxiZZe3J3rj0B5jVx5tZYW6nQPzY4/s640/Mountain+Motorway.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mountain Motorway</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What's a day on the Blue Ridge Parkway without actually shooting the road itself. Well, I admit that is a new thing I'm doing these days. Years ago, I would occasionally shoot the roadway, but here in the last year or so, I have found that some of my favorite Parkway images actually include the road. The sweeping turns really do make fantastic leading lines for a sense of depth to the image. Of course, the fences that line the Parkway make for some outstanding complimenting elements as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpgtMrJIi4Emtw6DMTmU4hFd1fg4aitnUNThlkOK91jV09mClFZttkWArWUSGCqBeE3qNGnR3LmuSuRpcmuuIVLAlbg4ZHHu0xhY-IsFhuY1dMLpl_8uW-8KpS-LotbVtGpo8tpgrCFk/s1600/Melancholy+Barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpgtMrJIi4Emtw6DMTmU4hFd1fg4aitnUNThlkOK91jV09mClFZttkWArWUSGCqBeE3qNGnR3LmuSuRpcmuuIVLAlbg4ZHHu0xhY-IsFhuY1dMLpl_8uW-8KpS-LotbVtGpo8tpgrCFk/s640/Melancholy+Barn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Melancholy Barn</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As luck would have it, the sky that was pretty much void of clouds an hour ago, was now getting overloaded with clouds. Those clouds were bringing some rain as well. It wasn't enough that I was having problems shooting, but it was enough to get me thinking about packing up and going down the road to see what else I could find. Before packing up the camera though, I wanted to try shooting the barn once again. I've shot this thing in pretty much all seasons and in all conditions. There wasn't anything overly special about it today though. The lighting was flat by this point, and there was a bit of cloud interest above. The only thing that really stood out was the barn itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I decided to include the fence in my composition as a leading line and a bit of foreground interest. I really wasn't all that excited about how the picture was coming together, but pressed on regardless. When I got home and started to process it, I wanted to include it in my day's collection, but it just wasn't really speaking to me. The barn wasn't standing out at all in the field when I did my normal edit on the image. I started to think about what I could do to really make it pop and decided that by reducing the vibrancy of the image I could dial in the saturation on the red siding and really get it come together as an image. When I was done, I was actually rather impressed with how it came out. While not an award winning picture, it does capture the essence of how I saw the barn at the time of capture. There is enough blue to balance out the red, and the green is rendered almost neutral with this edit keeping the attention in the image where it needs to be.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTISYKlMm-jBKFkv9zxSmsKOe20YH3s63coiMKcZXWPwF2mjbkmXUUFayIsNSp1VNUFdvGHcDP-YJX8fgNrICzsZa5Y42puP33no1lfoRoLB7vVJcMKfSFDWod9AHrJw62nI8rEBMZd5c/s1600/Sidewinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTISYKlMm-jBKFkv9zxSmsKOe20YH3s63coiMKcZXWPwF2mjbkmXUUFayIsNSp1VNUFdvGHcDP-YJX8fgNrICzsZa5Y42puP33no1lfoRoLB7vVJcMKfSFDWod9AHrJw62nI8rEBMZd5c/s640/Sidewinder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sidewinder</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did move on down the road and ended up a little ways further up the Parkway near the Thunder Hill Overlook. This is one of my perennial favorites for sunrise, but I have shot here at all different times of day. As I came around the corner, I noticed that the clouds were looking pretty good here and decided to pull off to the side of the road. I went ahead and fitted my 16-35mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer since I was planning on shooting at an angle to the sun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started out working some compositions of a section right next to the MST, but wasn't really liking how the lighting was working out. I decided that while I was waiting for the lighting to chance, I would go ahead and shoot the Parkway headed towards the main overlook. I used the Parkway as a nice swooping leading line cradling the fenced field, and ultimately sending your eyes to the mountains range in the distance. To be completely transparent about this image, I have flipped it left to right to allow the eyes to read it better. I don't really count this as image manipulation as it doesn't change the content, only the direction.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzUPc8BI0otl57sbeZyWsY896kjOEWBfTEylBaHfGoXOAz8hIY2qgyY2_qVL2WUxvf1AA57GGeUyJFtRvQ0T2Owj6vCKZqvL_oW2iB7YainQeVqunpEEJHRB-qTCM2MISB2cQqk5tvo0/s1600/High+Country+Clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzUPc8BI0otl57sbeZyWsY896kjOEWBfTEylBaHfGoXOAz8hIY2qgyY2_qVL2WUxvf1AA57GGeUyJFtRvQ0T2Owj6vCKZqvL_oW2iB7YainQeVqunpEEJHRB-qTCM2MISB2cQqk5tvo0/s640/High+Country+Clouds.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>High Country Clouds</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While I was shooting the road I noticed that the behind me, the clouds were really looking crazy beautiful. I changed my position and framed up another image that took full advantage of the clouds. I used the Parkway once again to be the leading line which carries the eyes through the frame. These clouds really didn't need much help, but I liked effect the road added. Again, when I was processing it, I decided to flip the image left to right to improve readability since our eyes are designed to enter a page on the left and carry through to the right.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDr-PUvepQ7ZXCrQFeKYXtAY3ECJ8zJjTGcJGJ0GAcqogFavBs3CyqUzmsJbC8CWwtFmfFJhE2grWKwFbZgUT5PdkrqxlOeaRRuL93HHLvo48txrk06Vjqjy1ZpOT4xT6agfd6dqdWTQ/s1600/Dreaming+in+Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDr-PUvepQ7ZXCrQFeKYXtAY3ECJ8zJjTGcJGJ0GAcqogFavBs3CyqUzmsJbC8CWwtFmfFJhE2grWKwFbZgUT5PdkrqxlOeaRRuL93HHLvo48txrk06Vjqjy1ZpOT4xT6agfd6dqdWTQ/s640/Dreaming+in+Color.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dreaming in Color</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the clouds really coming to life, I decided that it would be a good idea to try my original shot once again. The clouds really made the image completely different from what it had looked like previously. The lighting was a little better on the landscape as well. It turned out that this final image was the one that I ended up being the most happy with. Shortly after this shot, the sky turned mostly overcast as had happened down the road. It was time to load up and head back to the house since it was about to be noon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got everything packed away and I started heading North once again looking for 421. As luck would have it though, I passed by one of my favorite locations and the lighting looked really good. Yeah, I had to get turned around to give it a try once again. This is another location I have shot in pretty much all seasons and in all types of lighting. Some I have liked better than others, so there was no reason not to give this a try again today.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekpTE0nnWPfLhZ-T6QLjHsAV6qH4yGanudNc-PXTEdCIpyJIrhV9kDsuCFzuQXQOYRoJ9TqNtJIGaoEtI6QRonZyaMwxOc5WE_hIXBjRIcg0McK1gRhz-09pxgcwFo_ClVBtQDwZVfLk/s1600/Dreaming+Field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="800" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekpTE0nnWPfLhZ-T6QLjHsAV6qH4yGanudNc-PXTEdCIpyJIrhV9kDsuCFzuQXQOYRoJ9TqNtJIGaoEtI6QRonZyaMwxOc5WE_hIXBjRIcg0McK1gRhz-09pxgcwFo_ClVBtQDwZVfLk/s640/Dreaming+Field.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dreaming Field</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The clouds were looking great overhead so I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to capture a good chunk of the sky. I went ahead and fitted my 16-35mm lens along with the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. I started to work my way up and down the road in an attempt to find the right spot. The weeds growing at the fence made for a very difficult time getting the right composition. There were only a few places that I could shoot from without getting tall weeds in the frame. Fortunately, the clouds lasted a good bit of time and allowed me to get several different variations on this image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of this series of shots I really did call it a day. I went home with a total of 193 new frames shot. I was really thinking I had done more like 130 or so. I really am having a hard time estimating my shutter clicks on these treks. It took me about five hours to cull the images and then edit the remaining 33 images. When it was all said and done, I had found 21 images that I liked enough to keep in my collection. The rest of them went out with yesterday's trash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since it is so late already, I will be waiting until tomorrow to figure out which images are going in the gallery, and to start posting to social media. At least the biggest parts of the Trek are done. I have been going strong since 3am this morning. I have put in 20 hours or work, driven over 250 miles, and still have a bit more to do tomorrow. The life of an artist, it is a labor of love.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-53171890482602528902018-08-02T08:16:00.003-04:002018-08-02T08:16:53.836-04:00Tory's Isolations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Wednesday, August 1, 2018</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">With lots of rain this week and going into work late, I figured that shooting a waterfall might be a pretty good idea this morning. The weather was right for it with deep, low clouds and even a little bit of mist here and there. The trick was finding somewhere I could go that wouldn't take too long since I needed to be at work around 10. That pretty much limited me to Hanging Rock which was about 40 or so minutes away from home, and an hour from work. That would give me enough time to do a little working of the scene.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9a9qbHXFUoaORa__YZ9QaMbnZXmfvWEKl0hnpHlnu0PFNmAgw2hlpCafbydlhqAY3Z7g9_T4S6SYNRFyPbVo0LxnNIqaXhyphenhyphenwjONMVwFnQ7yVlclox7WuBZSk7zNZyZdn-vY2QufJsFU/s1600/Torys+Character.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9a9qbHXFUoaORa__YZ9QaMbnZXmfvWEKl0hnpHlnu0PFNmAgw2hlpCafbydlhqAY3Z7g9_T4S6SYNRFyPbVo0LxnNIqaXhyphenhyphenwjONMVwFnQ7yVlclox7WuBZSk7zNZyZdn-vY2QufJsFU/s640/Torys+Character.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Tory's Character</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My day started at about 5am, and I was on the road around 6. I could have gone into the park itself and shot any number of the five waterfalls accessible from the main parking lot, but I've been happy with the images I've shot there. The one that I have been wanting to do a little more work with has been Tory's Falls which is outside of the park on Charlie Young Rd. This waterfall is the tallest in the park, but is also the one that needs high volume water flow to really present well. Most of the time I have shot this, there has been but a trickle and that has been disappointing. With several heavy downpours in the area I was hopeful for a little different look at this waterfall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The hike wasn't long at all, in fact, I think it was just 0.2 mile from the parking area, and it took me about five minutes to get there. When I first saw the waterfall, I was not all that excited as the volume of water wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. Regardless, it was better than previous times, and for what I was wanting to do, it was fine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've shot this waterfall many times and have included the entire setting, and moved into isolations before. I would really enjoy another opportunity to shoot the entire scene with a wider angle lens, but unfortunately the trees have gotten a little overgrown in the foreground, and another tree has started to infringe on the top of the waterfall. I just can't get the view I really want for a wide angle shot. On the other hand, the sections that I like to work as isolations were perfectly clear and visible.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkhp6yGUUCEyH8thlqH9yhlQrXaERsr8S4a1-5Mu_X-EAZ_Ihi6OCWokKkgfV6QLTOttRVou_j_GHYt9pIvFkSig6RkdkaCwAtfNbDQF-wyorsvTOemAFDBKzWrWZTblM1g9s9Uw3S2w/s1600/Textures+in+Paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkhp6yGUUCEyH8thlqH9yhlQrXaERsr8S4a1-5Mu_X-EAZ_Ihi6OCWokKkgfV6QLTOttRVou_j_GHYt9pIvFkSig6RkdkaCwAtfNbDQF-wyorsvTOemAFDBKzWrWZTblM1g9s9Uw3S2w/s640/Textures+in+Paradise.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Textures in Paradise</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like I mentioned, I have shot isolations here in the past. For this, I have used my 70-200mm lens racked out to 200mm. This waterfall is a good distance away from the closest platform that you can shoot from which means that even at 200mm, I'm getting a pretty broad view of the waterfall. Something that I had not tried before was using my 2x extender on the long lens which effectively makes it a 140-400mm lens. This was the combination that I chose to use, and I added a B&W polarizer. I didn't go with my Color Combo because the colors that were there were super saturated already with the spray from the water. The Color Combo would likely put those colors over the top for what I was wanting to capture. After mounting the camera on the tripod, I started to move inch by inch looking for the right angle to get the shots I was wanting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was actually quite different looking at this waterfall through the eyes of a 400mm lens. I could pick out detail shots within the detail shots I had done before. The water flow was really good for these shots as well. With the deep clouds and low light, I was able to keep a sharp aperture of f/16 and still shoot with a 20-30 second shutter speed. Normally, I don't like to go that long, but it really worked to create a mist where the cascades were dropping. That was just the effect I was going for, and it worked out great!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvpkajEbzfvn3cr8tvtnXHnV45tnCu_DOuKl9_Zrpr4ExO7ZCCGtX5MFFF4j4qKf9W2CqgPbjA2Vfl-752XB87qUE459n-I_5ZvZNCS1XeeN7dNxqgbeV5eLRKzyU5Pm3j-xFz9v30cM/s1600/Refreshing+Steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvpkajEbzfvn3cr8tvtnXHnV45tnCu_DOuKl9_Zrpr4ExO7ZCCGtX5MFFF4j4qKf9W2CqgPbjA2Vfl-752XB87qUE459n-I_5ZvZNCS1XeeN7dNxqgbeV5eLRKzyU5Pm3j-xFz9v30cM/s640/Refreshing+Steps.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Refreshing Steps</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shot about 20 different compositions focusing on different aspects of the waterfall but seemed to come back to the same sections over and over. The orange stones and green moss were just the perfect splashes of color for the scene. In fact, I had gone planning on shooting black and white isolations, but after seeing how the color really helped the image, I left them all as full color.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would have stayed a bit longer and tried a different lens, but it was starting to rain. Since I had shot this waterfall many times with my other lenses I figured there was nothing really new to gain. I packed things up and started back to the car so I could maybe do a little rural exploration on the way to work. When I got to the fork in the trail, the rain had let up a little bit. I opted to continue on to Tory's Den to see what I could do with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've tried to shoot the den several times in the past but have never been quite satisfied with the outcome. Mostly, I had problems with the sky being overexposed, or the shadows being too deep inside. The compositions had been lackluster as well. Since I was here and had time, I thought I would give it a try once again just to see what I could come up with.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89KXeTHpn8iMsGI7sBTzxMeP0w9Kzd3a9KlhD7nzOLI1LYKGpRdHbhOXOHp0hMTDkJGbpP4GISPE4J-FAK9ttYoOgv7yEmbKUEVAI9ThH3B_Qx4zV4nsqMo401iP2c4d5FODho0DfL_4/s1600/Lost+Souls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89KXeTHpn8iMsGI7sBTzxMeP0w9Kzd3a9KlhD7nzOLI1LYKGpRdHbhOXOHp0hMTDkJGbpP4GISPE4J-FAK9ttYoOgv7yEmbKUEVAI9ThH3B_Qx4zV4nsqMo401iP2c4d5FODho0DfL_4/s640/Lost+Souls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Lost Souls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I completed the very short hike to the den I found that the light was pretty good with just a touch of warmth. I looked at what I had to work with and decided that I would go for the gusto and fit my 16-35mm lens. I started to work compositions that showed the entire cave and the forest around it. I even included the stairs to the left. For these, I opted to fit a 3-stop ND Grad to control the sky, but in the end, I didn't like the light gray of the clouds behind the trees. It was just too contrasty, and pulled the eyes away from the actual cave. The shot that I found that I liked the best was a simple one that I needed no filters for. I had gotten in close, and racked the lens out to 16mm to really accentuate the foreground rocks, as well as the shape of the cave. There was enough even light that you could even see some detail in the back of the cave, but that was just enough to capture the imagination of what was in there. From this angle, the cave actually started to look like a spade, which I thought added to the geometric appearance of the image. It was the foreground rocks that really made this image pop though, and I am pretty sure that this is my favorite image of the den that I have ever shot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was working the den, the rain returned, and I decided it was time to get in the car and start looking on the back roads for additional subjects. I took the scenic way to work, and found a few more locations that were pretty good for pictures, but all of them would have required permission from the property owners to make the images work. I didn't have time for that kind of conversation so I decided to take notes of what and where so that I could return later and do the subjects justice. At least I have a direction for my next rural session.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, I had a total of 30 frames captured. As I started to weed out the shots I didn't want, I realized that my favorites were all of the same section of the waterfall, so I really worked on finding the best compositions to actually process. I found three of those that I thought were really strong images. With the cave, I reduced the 10 frames down to just one which captured the essence of the cave without the distracting elements that I had been dealing with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a short day, with only an hour and a half in the park shooting. I had another 45 minutes of successful scouting as well. With that it was time to go to work. It would be the following day before I could get the images edited and ready to go on the Internet. I am not a fan of waiting this long to go through the pictures, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-91520969560535209612018-08-01T10:03:00.000-04:002018-08-01T10:03:25.600-04:00Behind the Camera: Long Exposure Waterfalls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSbvfYvqAjfnCMeTXEbybyaTqdtoR4cWjxWybH4wbYSmc3hd7YiRaZf-fbhInsQTaSSZ5SkAXZGj79JK_48mGmxhrJ4L4yyz7eK5byAbZfJKqNkG3_crFDreGomuG-fwlH3fU8QLalkg/s1600/Behind-the-Camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSbvfYvqAjfnCMeTXEbybyaTqdtoR4cWjxWybH4wbYSmc3hd7YiRaZf-fbhInsQTaSSZ5SkAXZGj79JK_48mGmxhrJ4L4yyz7eK5byAbZfJKqNkG3_crFDreGomuG-fwlH3fU8QLalkg/s640/Behind-the-Camera.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back to another installment of my monthly <i>Behind the Camera </i>feature. In this feature, I try to give a little insight into my photography by answering a question that has popped up during the previous month. This month's topic comes from Beth Reed through Facebook. The question she posed is: How do I get that look with my waterfalls, where the water looks "thick" and blurry? That effect has also been called "milky" in several of the comments I've seen with my waterfall pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This question came at a really good time since I have recently been to two different locations for waterfalls. <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/07/summer-at-big-creek.html">Big Creek</a> and <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/05/if-you-dont-like-weather.html">Roaring Fork Falls</a> are some of my favorite places to go for moving water photography. I had also done a couple of videos specifically dealing with how I captured moving water. So, thank you Beth for suggesting this topic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a huge division out there on how best to photograph moving water. In one camp, you will find a group that likes a fast shutter speed which freezes the motion in the water and shows the detail down to the droplets as they move over the obstacles. In the other camp, you will find those which prefer to slow the shutter down and create a motion blur with the moving water that results in the silky look. For those of you who have viewed my <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/p/white-water-scenes.html">White Water Gallery Room</a> here, you will know without a doubt which camp I fall in. Yes, I like milk spilling over my rocks, and I don't cry about it either.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxfncy7sQGjlSUT76vcwiwcjzc23Xwlhwb-FwTrwjpE26yQD7j-EOl-M_RBMTWC9t8YrzO1w0SCT5r9YnFWGWVIG9q9yTyh15nzsXG08F3VwDML8o3zgmItp-TntG_Vempi-Zh0KAnfQ/s1600/What-A-Rush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxfncy7sQGjlSUT76vcwiwcjzc23Xwlhwb-FwTrwjpE26yQD7j-EOl-M_RBMTWC9t8YrzO1w0SCT5r9YnFWGWVIG9q9yTyh15nzsXG08F3VwDML8o3zgmItp-TntG_Vempi-Zh0KAnfQ/s640/What-A-Rush.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>What a Rush</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, how is this look achieved? It all comes down to having a long exposure which is very dependent on the light falling on the scene. For the most part, I much prefer cloudy days for waterfall photography because it limits the light that is available and it reduces the highlights as the sunlight comes through the trees. This starts me out with a great advantage for capturing these scenes. It still doesn't get me all the way there though. Lets take a look at this one video that I shot a few weeks ago at Big Creek which talks a little about one of the major filters that I use with this type of photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A polarizing filter is probably the most important part of photographing water, moving or otherwise. A good quality polarizer will make a world of difference in your photographs because of one simple fact. This filter will remove glare from water particles which is arguably a good portion of your composition. With the glare removed, the colors are more saturated, and you can actually see beneath the surface in many cases. This benefit will expand to the surrounding elements in your composition as well such as foliage as they have a certain water content in the leaves. The polarizer will add to the saturation in your greenery as well. I've done a quick comparison shot of the scene that I shot the video of to illustrate this concept.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j07LRRW90LHj2ViU2rPMxqgLbBNVODCTY6aVAVY6Xz5EWDcAsMG_D2Ze0T2Ii9f6ST6D9nfgdVIch4iqIl4OrWLG0yT1_Tzni0z-RXdRIfAQgjLWQnr2zMjwjI2_qTYMCR9CaWIVMwI/s1600/Waterfall-No-Filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j07LRRW90LHj2ViU2rPMxqgLbBNVODCTY6aVAVY6Xz5EWDcAsMG_D2Ze0T2Ii9f6ST6D9nfgdVIch4iqIl4OrWLG0yT1_Tzni0z-RXdRIfAQgjLWQnr2zMjwjI2_qTYMCR9CaWIVMwI/s640/Waterfall-No-Filter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this shot, I set the camera for a proper exposure without any filters on the front of the lens. I set it up as I would with a filter with the exception of the shutter speed. F/18 was plenty for the depth of field that I wanted here, and the meter ended up suggesting a shutter speed of 0.4 seconds which was not enough to really blur the water like I would want, but more importantly, there is a lot of glare on the surface of the water, as well as the wet rocks. It is not a bad image, but the water looked a little too chaotic for my tastes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-so1jXwgLhrX6XqziSNi5LKFrY_PcGlqtQSH4K4gFb0BBTMu_9Iyq-s44i-VdcCKRSA6weXouYVFVZyEbXMxZv6fFww3mE3D3shhainNDge0g8XlCKNnZLCEUNyDta_qRVgIHKsnp6A/s1600/Waterfall-CC-CPL-Filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-so1jXwgLhrX6XqziSNi5LKFrY_PcGlqtQSH4K4gFb0BBTMu_9Iyq-s44i-VdcCKRSA6weXouYVFVZyEbXMxZv6fFww3mE3D3shhainNDge0g8XlCKNnZLCEUNyDta_qRVgIHKsnp6A/s640/Waterfall-CC-CPL-Filter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I added the Color Combo Polarizer, my exposure immediately darkened due to the reduced light entering into the lens. I kept all of my settings the same with the exception of the shutter speed. Allowing for a proper exposure based on the meter and histogram, I slowed the shutter to 2 full seconds still at f/18. That is a huge difference with just a single filter being added. You can see the that the glare is removed, which yields a darker scene overall. The rocks near the white water are now rendered dark without the glare from the spray. Even the greens are saturated now as the glare was removed from the leaves. Keep in mind that both of these images are straight out of the camera with no editing except for the resizing for posting here. These are the RAW images that I captured.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are instances where I need a slower shutter speed than I can achieve with a polarizer alone. In these situations, I will add a Neutral Density Filter which has a sole purpose of reducing the light that enters the lens. If it is a good quality filter, there will be no color shift once it is added. I find that when shooting on very overcast days an ND filter is not needed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The key settings here are to shoot the image with your lowest ISO, which in my case is 100. I could go down to 50, but that actually degrades the quality of the image slightly and introduces a bit of noise as it is a product of internal manipulation on the part of the camera. You can only access this by unlocking the feature in a menu. To maintain the highest quality image, I leave it at the native low ISO of 100. I also keep the lens stopped down a good bit for depth of field when shooting any landscape, but for waterfalls, the narrower the aperture the better. I try not to go all the way to the narrowest aperture as diffraction becomes an issue. In these images, f/18 works well (f/22 is the highest aperture for the lens). Diffraction is a byproduct of a very narrow aperture where you actually start to lose sharpness throughout your image while maintaining a wide depth of field. Some images can handle diffraction better than others, and lens quality has a lot to do with the degree of diffraction.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZI8cr4XDGL6C1M1XFPvM0mYS2jlkuKi8EHStuhyphenhyphenc5griLuUUrSCBrJZZYWA_kieskCzQMndNfFRNqcbg99mra1IRn8eggRnyVuoEQb63H2T-giQnb5an8Uythie9Gn8CN3QfbHyQl9U/s1600/21743660_1624860430886886_4842387799284921293_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZI8cr4XDGL6C1M1XFPvM0mYS2jlkuKi8EHStuhyphenhyphenc5griLuUUrSCBrJZZYWA_kieskCzQMndNfFRNqcbg99mra1IRn8eggRnyVuoEQb63H2T-giQnb5an8Uythie9Gn8CN3QfbHyQl9U/s200/21743660_1624860430886886_4842387799284921293_o.jpg" width="112" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The idea behind all of this is to reduce the light that enters the lens to allow for a slower shutter speed. In the case of the aperture, it is a double benefit since you get more depth of field with the narrower aperture as well as the ability to use a slower shutter speed. The only negative to a very narrow aperture is that you will absolutely have to use a tripod for your waterfall photography. There is no way to hand hold a camera at 2 seconds and keep the image sharp. A tripod will also allow you to repeat the composition with different shutter speeds to see what you like the best. Of course, I recommend a tripod for all of your landscape shots because you are assured to get a stable and sharp image the vast majority of the time. You just have to be careful not to bump the tripod with your feet. To take full advantage of a tripod, I would also recommend using the mirror lock up feature and either using a remote release, or using the self timer (2-seconds) so that your image doesn't suffer from the mirror flipping up and causing a slight vibration.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGUQ-a9bi8xYhbbJlGKwlgaVekG7IarvLvgjE6ZEMMLI3E7iL8XNUtwTqelaE70Kr_dnvQa_Yra8QASofYTY7aDwfyCHjvVXFhUpF1srFS-3LsKWzZYSG1VBryFRXVtCEf8muMkgy98w/s1600/Cascades-of-Summer-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGUQ-a9bi8xYhbbJlGKwlgaVekG7IarvLvgjE6ZEMMLI3E7iL8XNUtwTqelaE70Kr_dnvQa_Yra8QASofYTY7aDwfyCHjvVXFhUpF1srFS-3LsKWzZYSG1VBryFRXVtCEf8muMkgy98w/s640/Cascades-of-Summer-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cascades of Summer</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here we have the final image after some editing in Lightroom. This is where the beauty of RAW comes into play. You can see what I started with in the above comparison shots. There was a good deal of contrast in the scene and not much was in the middle tones. By bringing out the details in the image, I was able to get details under the water's surface, in the cascades of the water, and on the rocks themselves. The greenery also comes alive. The process here took about 5 minutes to do, and required nothing out of the ordinary from any other digital negative that I have shot. There was only a small amount of cloning done on the bottom of the frame as there were some distracting bright rocks at the bottom edge of the frame that wanted to pull your eyes away from the scene.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIUVNrYwp_6-xkwU1743FIMVN9G9lKySPwjqW8sOgOIA-VZo-doNTlO-pZAVzDI9NpRaVHm2I2It3Lspkstpryz5zbUnaPU58WNtAA1msHGCmlDFdqRnNhrG1WcDNEjp7OVSZ-fcvGX8/s1600/Dreaming-in-Black-and-White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIUVNrYwp_6-xkwU1743FIMVN9G9lKySPwjqW8sOgOIA-VZo-doNTlO-pZAVzDI9NpRaVHm2I2It3Lspkstpryz5zbUnaPU58WNtAA1msHGCmlDFdqRnNhrG1WcDNEjp7OVSZ-fcvGX8/s640/Dreaming-in-Black-and-White.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dreaming in Black and White</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This pretty much covers the how behind my water photography, but why is it I like this milky presentation so much more than a fraction of a second shot? Simple...I love seeing the patterns that the water reveals as it moves. When you freeze the shot, the patterns are lost in the chaos of the flow. By slowing the shutter down, you are no longer looking at the droplets, you are looking at how the water deals with obstacles in its path. That is part of the power behind water, and to me, the beauty of it. In this shot of Mouse Creek Falls, I isolated the flow of the water to show the patterns and textures that I am talking about. To really accentuate those qualities, I stripped the color from the image and added a bit of contrast. You can spend a lot of time looking into this image and picking out abstract designs, and even a face or two. The slow shutter simplifies the motion, and makes it almost melodic in nature. That is completely missed with a snapshot of moving water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike those freeze frame water shots. I have seen several that were absolutely beautiful. I just don't look at them for long at all. Almost as quick as the camera was exposed, my eyes lose interest because there are no patterns to pick out. I look, I appreciate, I move on. When I look at a long exposure waterfall, I will stop and look at it much longer. I start to really look "into" the photograph. I become emotionally connected. It is no longer a shot of a specific waterfall, it is a piece of art that is to be appreciated.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0M6PCQfGAbPR1uUX3Nx3KC7uzrW_0mGkZqGntu96OKocdl_cXIctcvrKh0wMa6_tyoViVuwPPhKc087vGt0EdVMVhmeAjlBbErJX8ENsarAznRQSxuayti3V0eJyh2nR9ogJWm8zZ3Y/s1600/Royal-Veil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0M6PCQfGAbPR1uUX3Nx3KC7uzrW_0mGkZqGntu96OKocdl_cXIctcvrKh0wMa6_tyoViVuwPPhKc087vGt0EdVMVhmeAjlBbErJX8ENsarAznRQSxuayti3V0eJyh2nR9ogJWm8zZ3Y/s640/Royal-Veil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Royal Veil</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it comes right down to it, I think that all photographers can agree that the idea of an image is to prompt involvement from the audience. We want people to look, to study, to consider, and ultimately to react to the image. In order for that to happen, there has to be something to draw you in. When we look at a waterfall in person, we are seeing the water moving somewhere in the area of 1/60 to 1/125 of a second (estimated as our eyes don't have a shutter speed). This would be a typical exposure on a sunny day. By slowing the shutter speed, we are essentially creating the look of movement which gives life to the water and allows us to imagine seeing the motion which can't be captured except for video. It makes it more interesting to see, and will prompt the viewer to examine it closer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is one major pitfall that we haven't discussed yet when it comes to these long exposure shots. We have the camera set up on the tripod, we have our polarizer and maybe a neutral density filter attached. Using our remote and the mirror lock up we are all set for a great long exposure of moving water at 3.2 seconds. But wait, if we are using a long exposure to capture motion, would it not stand to reason that the breeze blowing around might cause motion in the greenery? Yep, when you are shooting a long exposure, you will capture any movement as a blur, and that includes branches and leaves. There is no cure for this (outside of a multiple shot that blends elements) other than waiting for the wind to die down a bit. I have stood patiently for 15 minutes or more waiting for a lull in the wind before releasing the shutter. It also pays to take several shots of the same thing on breezy days because you will then have several to choose from to see what blur you are willing to live with.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNc906_v33WcNACCbVkFoKLLcC60FYY2uxL_aMEupEnL4OSKjDPzQfqiR3ag6jCc93F_n4QjbJHha-vb2SkYhdENGdtBo0AHgtzaK-5EgwUoU-3yTdEtJaI5aYyY3CiIOsVmEjy0u82w8/s1600/Into-the-Gorge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNc906_v33WcNACCbVkFoKLLcC60FYY2uxL_aMEupEnL4OSKjDPzQfqiR3ag6jCc93F_n4QjbJHha-vb2SkYhdENGdtBo0AHgtzaK-5EgwUoU-3yTdEtJaI5aYyY3CiIOsVmEjy0u82w8/s640/Into-the-Gorge.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Into the Gorge</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that you are comfortable shooting waterfalls, you can use some of the same concepts with other landscape shots that include moving water. take for example, this shot from the top of Upper Creek Falls in the Pisgah National Forest. The main focus here is the sky and the landscape in general. The visual anchor is the small cascade, less than a foot tall in the foreground. Had I shot this at a normal shutter speed (a fraction of a second), I would have lost a lot of the visual impact of the small cascade and it would not have worked nearly as well as an anchor. By slowing the shutter speed using a polarizer, and a couple of ND grads (5 total stops of light loss), I was able to get the exposure to around 1 second. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get the effect I was after.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMi1Dl5vZZRNeHqMOQ2ASl0JSVE01LDkzYY9QfbN_h_86_C9FNCd5FVM_rxJ8AKcmiN18bMeRVzkmanL6jE41RemF04VRFJ9JupixBqpH-qWIUegSvv9t_hIKwVEKFhb2WMQi30HI9B8/s1600/Enter-the-Basin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="800" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMi1Dl5vZZRNeHqMOQ2ASl0JSVE01LDkzYY9QfbN_h_86_C9FNCd5FVM_rxJ8AKcmiN18bMeRVzkmanL6jE41RemF04VRFJ9JupixBqpH-qWIUegSvv9t_hIKwVEKFhb2WMQi30HI9B8/s640/Enter-the-Basin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Enter the Basin</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are, of course, exceptions to my methods of photographing waterfalls. There are times where a faster shutter speed is much more appropriate. For instance, this shot of Linville Falls was done using a shutter speed of under a second. I could have easily gone longer based on the lighting conditions, but I've found that any time I photograph this kind of volume spilling over rocks that too long of an exposure loses the detail in the water that I am after. The water is fast enough that even a fraction of a second will render this very silky. I've done Linville with 2 second exposures, and even longer in the past and it just turns into a white blob with no character. By speeding it up a touch, I still keep the details and excitement.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmagmFnGL_YmR5VLz7yAlbbkBRSQgj_jGKSVHTofcrKynIB5hDy4WwBqZM8jo8oYHMRFyVK7kmFP-tjE0qXj3em6AHkfeUoUrpEipRaHmR319tqqsa_zmmzGA_qpjYdaLdHH5ha5V5RY/s1600/High-Shoals-Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmagmFnGL_YmR5VLz7yAlbbkBRSQgj_jGKSVHTofcrKynIB5hDy4WwBqZM8jo8oYHMRFyVK7kmFP-tjE0qXj3em6AHkfeUoUrpEipRaHmR319tqqsa_zmmzGA_qpjYdaLdHH5ha5V5RY/s640/High-Shoals-Falls.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>High Shoals Falls</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Water slides are another time where you don't want to blur the water too much. With this image of High Shoals Falls, the way the water moves over the rocks leaves very little detail to be picked up. As with the previous image of Linville, less is more with your exposure. I shot this one a just under a second. The water flow was quick enough that I didn't need much exposure time, and this still allowed for some detail in the water, while rendering it silky smooth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are just some considerations while shooting waterfalls, and you can always allow more might into the camera by opening up the lens (lower f/number), or changing the ISO to make it higher. You do still want to use a polarizer as the removal of glare is very important for this type of photography. After your exposure, check the image on the LCD review and zoom in. While it won't be an exact representation of the captured image, it will give you an idea if you got the effect right. As with everything in photography, season to taste. there might be a time when you want just a touch of glare to make a rock stand out, maybe you want things to be a bit darker than they actually are. You are the photographer, you make the decisions on how your images are captured and then presented.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks for the topic Beth! Remember if there is ever anything that you would like to know more about with my photography, just ask. Your question might just be the next <i>Behind the Camera</i> topic!</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-60506331605283318952018-07-30T08:53:00.001-04:002018-07-30T08:53:07.585-04:00When Things Just Don't Go Your Way<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Monday, July 30, 2018</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I had a community function to do at work on Saturday, I ended up with a Monday off, and I wanted to try and do something real quick in the morning before spending the day with my family. I needed something that was close by, and could be shot with low clouds. My original thought was a barn that was out near Union Cross that I had shot a few times before. I had gone out to get it for a sunrise in the early Spring, but that didn't pan out because there was an enclosed semi trailer backed up to the door. This time I wasn't planning on any color in the sky, and was actually looking forward to deep clouds, and possibly a light fog over the barn. I was going to shoot this as black and white to accentuate the mood I was going for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived at the barn, it was shortly before sunrise and I could tell that the clouds were not as low as I was hoping. In fact, there was no definition at all in the sky, and the lighting on the bar was not good at all for how the scene was developing. Instead of waiting there, I decided to abandon that idea and move out to Walnut Cove to see what was at my favorite restoration shop. The last time I was out there there were a couple of Edsels which caught my eye and I thought with the diffused lighting of the cloudy morning I could so some more work with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was traveling down the road, I looked over to the left and saw a blue Chevy truck parked up against another shop with a white brick wall. The framing on the window was blue and it matched the truck. The lighting wasn't right for the shot just yet, so I continued on my way to my "plan B" destination. When I got there, one of the Edsels was gone, and there wasn't anything particularly that was jumping out at me. It was also starting to drizzle a little bit. I was starting to feel beat down at this point. I had gotten up early, and was driving around for what appeared to be nothing at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started on my way home, but I wanted to check out that one blue truck as I went past it. When I arrived at the shop, the lighting was a good deal better with the sun fully up. It was still very diffused thanks to the clouds, but the clouds had brought a steady mist. It wasn't enough to really hamper any photography so I pulled off into the side lot and grabbed the camera.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZB2sooFbVEREPWMJ5K2pKq_w4TNtKjA37E5VKUgBKAQMP9Eh37oF1yXI1lNPBZEPhzF9Y3tdTaRuW6vqvgfYAauzchow4F5TjcJJ50AQsGuhWK5bcphq3JSAMXnm0Uyj0ZCnAghl5ig/s1600/Beaded+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZB2sooFbVEREPWMJ5K2pKq_w4TNtKjA37E5VKUgBKAQMP9Eh37oF1yXI1lNPBZEPhzF9Y3tdTaRuW6vqvgfYAauzchow4F5TjcJJ50AQsGuhWK5bcphq3JSAMXnm0Uyj0ZCnAghl5ig/s640/Beaded+Blue.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Beaded Blue</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fitted my 24-70mm lens for the simple fact that I was going to need to be in the 50mm range for this shot. There was a newer Dodge pickup parked just to the side of the old Chevy that I wanted to avoid. There was also a bunch of junk on the side of the building. Had I gone any wider than 50mm, I would have been including too much of this. On the other end, I wanted to include the window that was on the side of the shop since it matched the truck and provided a very nice visual balance to the scene. Shooting with my long lens would have isolated the truck, but would have missed much of the window, and flattened the truck too much. I also wanted to saturate the colors and remove glare, so I added my Color Combo Polarizer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went ahead and started to frame up shots, and quickly realized that it was starting to rain pretty hard. It was hard enough that I was going to have to abandon this location rather quickly. I moved in close and opened the field of view up a bit and was able to grab this shot which I though was one of the best out of the six frames I was able to get. After getting this shot, it was time to head to the house. The rain was just too much for me to deal with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home and started to look through the images, I realized that the water on the truck actually worked to take some of the high gloss out of the equation. Since I was used to working with non-reflective surfaces, I liked how the water added a touch of texture to the shiny bits. The blue in the window frame mimicked the blue paint just like I had seen in the early morning hours and the white wall of the building complimented the bumper and grill on this this truck. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh4yU16_hFa9ntCC9bS4BvnYgcjLOwVWnTroCE20JKQTu4ptj0211SuMlQ_pNalqlDLlNO8jlTjg88beOHTOzT7kKEJ1cddGjIbRa6irZ6sU2dLYTw2tPJ59iXVZ6uHGoSaEszcOIyfM/s1600/Shop+Truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh4yU16_hFa9ntCC9bS4BvnYgcjLOwVWnTroCE20JKQTu4ptj0211SuMlQ_pNalqlDLlNO8jlTjg88beOHTOzT7kKEJ1cddGjIbRa6irZ6sU2dLYTw2tPJ59iXVZ6uHGoSaEszcOIyfM/s640/Shop+Truck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Shop Truck</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While going through my images, one of the first ones that I shot also caught my eye. It wasn't the color of the scene like in the previous one though. This one just had a certain feel to it that I liked, but it deserved a different treatment. I actually started by converting it to a black and white image. I worked on the tonal relationships and did some dodging and burning here and there before I really started to like how this one looked. I added a touch of grain to the image as well to give it a bit of a dated look, without going overboard on it. The key parts to this image are the door art, and the window once again which provides a nice visual balance to the whole composition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My morning certainly didn't go as planned, and I didn't even get my intended barn shot at all. I was able to find a truck that I had not seen before, and was lucky enough that it was in a setting that really fit it. I would like to go back another time to see if I can shoot it in different light, but I have a feeling that this was a fleeting chance to capture this truck, and had I not been out looking for that "plan B", I would have missed the opportunity to capture it at all. It might not have been the morning I was expecting, but some good did come from it.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-27572781798590297952018-07-21T21:37:00.001-04:002018-07-21T21:37:40.424-04:00Rural Virginia<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, July 21, 2018</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you might recall, last week I found myself in <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/07/virginia-is-for-photography.html">Virginia</a> after a quick planned shoot in Sparta, NC. I have to admit, I really enjoyed my time there and was wanting to go back and do some more exploring. As luck would have it, I actually had the time to go out and do some of that exploring this morning. It was kind of a complex decision, and one that really started out backfiring on me. So, here is now this all went down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My week had been pretty much taken up with planning for my webinar with Singh-Ray which dealt with my Wabi-sabi style of photography. That meant that for pretty much the whole week, I was working on my presentation and reviewing lots of images from my rural explorations. I had some mixed feelings about this. On one hand I was getting tired of seeing rust, but on the other hand, I was really studying my style and was really in tune with how my images were looking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Friday, at 9:15pm, my webinar was over and I closed out of the presentation program with a complete sigh of relief. I was now able to focus on where I wanted to go on Saturday, and it was the first time I had given it any thought at all. I looked at the weather and saw that sunrise wasn't going to look all that great here or in the mountains. There were chances of storms and rain through the early morning hours, and then sporadic clouds for most of the morning. The clouds would increase throughout the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was wanting to do some more waterfall work, but the lack of clouds in the morning would have been problematic. With the intermittent cloud cover, I thought that my best option would be to do either some landscape work in the mountains, or some barn photography. I wasn't really up to doing landscapes after a week of looking at specific subjects, so I figured that I would do some rural explorations. I might as well go to Virginia, and if I was going there, I might as well reshoot a scene from several years ago off of Hwy 52 in Cana, VA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just in case, I set my clock for 3:30am so that I could actually get up and to the mountains if the sunrise would be worth it. It was after 10 when I went to bed, so when the alarm rang at ungodly thirty, I was not overly happy. I looked at the weather, and the sunrise forecast was still looking rather dismal. The clouds were absent here at the house, but showed to be partly cloudy in the mountains. That was a far cry from rain and storms, but I was too sleepy to really care. I decided to forgo sunrise, and get another hour of sleep before getting up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu2oP2lTHi9vdSlz7DmmE5wBp8BYeVlWq9w6Hv6_b2iKa7kBUIm9HgNm5R7_ej5RrlhViR29oWjCd26mqF4NQ29QRB5RvSwle1jotLIru1OTRBFeT1BriW0STq6gfLeU_MNERQ1s05-M/s1600/20180721_072907%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu2oP2lTHi9vdSlz7DmmE5wBp8BYeVlWq9w6Hv6_b2iKa7kBUIm9HgNm5R7_ej5RrlhViR29oWjCd26mqF4NQ29QRB5RvSwle1jotLIru1OTRBFeT1BriW0STq6gfLeU_MNERQ1s05-M/s320/20180721_072907%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I finally did get up, I figured I would go on to Cana since the forecast was still showing patchy clouds for most of the morning hours. When I left the house, it was pretty clear in Winston, so I figured that the forecast was pretty accurate. I left about 5:45 and as I was traveling down the highway, I could see something that I did not expect in my rear view mirror. There was actually some pretty good color in the sky to the East. I didn't have any time to take action on that sky, so I just enjoyed it in my mirror for a bit. I guess my sunrise forecasting app missed this one. It wasn't a brilliant sunrise by any stretch, but it was enough that I could have put a barn I know under that sky to pretty good effect. Oh well, I was off to Virginia with high hopes of some great photographs</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, the further North I traveled, the more clouds I started to see. This was no problem and it was actually welcomed since there was really good definition in them from what I could see. However, as I climbed altitude I got closer and closer to the clouds and ultimately found myself driving through them. I don't mind working with fog so I was still happy with the turn of events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got to Cana, I took one more kick to my stomach though. The cars that I was there to shoot had been moved around a little bit, and the trees had overgrown most of them. The shots that I was wanting to do were no longer possible. With the flog, and now drizzle, I decided it wasn't worth going through the overgrown field to get close to the cars which were most obscured by the trees. Oh well, I was out here to explore, and that was what I was going to do.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk6AYxtR-wJoIINaISmmP9h1ZL5fOJiAuC87Go5-zaZ9ieOuhEFtxyRNuFGJ0AVJ0mMqOgMxNrZ2DpVZvpgkjv9GnWvB5K7uw5JEZJBNog3b6nq3iXAG07UlDrDfuSq194goeuIZIEuo/s1600/Mountain+Mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk6AYxtR-wJoIINaISmmP9h1ZL5fOJiAuC87Go5-zaZ9ieOuhEFtxyRNuFGJ0AVJ0mMqOgMxNrZ2DpVZvpgkjv9GnWvB5K7uw5JEZJBNog3b6nq3iXAG07UlDrDfuSq194goeuIZIEuo/s640/Mountain+Mist.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mountain Mist</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked my way North and then West. I found myself crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I only knew it by the GPS in the dash. I had absolutely no visibility, and I knew that the Parkway would be just as bad. I needed to loose altitude if I was going to have a chance of finding something to shoot this morning. I made my way towards Galax, VA on some road that was paved and had yellow lines (that was about all I knew). I would pass barns that were moderately interesting, but in the current conditions they were not worth me pulling over. I was starting to get rather discouraged at my progress at this point. I remember thinking to myself I should have brought my tall boots and just done waterfalls. The weather was perfect for that, but I was woefully unprepared for standing in the water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as I was starting to panic a little that I wasn't going to find anything, I passed by a red barn sitting at the base of a hill. The barn was really pretty, and the hill had a lot of character. The sky was really less than ideal though. But...it was something and the red of the barn would pull the attention away from the sky pretty well. I got turned around and pulled off of the road on the gravel shoulder. I pulled the camera out and set it up with my 24-70mm lens and a Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. The property was gated, so I wasn't able to get in close, but the barn was relatively close to the road, so that wasn't a huge deal. It just limited my compositional choices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I framed the barn several different ways both including the sky and excluding it. I didn't have much hope for the shots with the sky in it, but the histogram was showing that nothing was blowing out at least. I was really figuring that my money shot here was going to be the barn isolated on the hillside, omitting the sky entirely. I was happy to find out when I was gong through the images that I was able to pull in some detail in the sky which worked with the composition. I was really fortunate since when I was shooting these, I was seriously thinking that they would all be trashed when I got home. That was not a fun thought since it was looking like this was going to be my only subject for the day. The rain was increasing at this point.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HV5kZ97cPjh0MauutvoSSw5QM4n-ASkPRy2kWhcY0pQApyntlIMxM2igfqzzw9xg9QfYDhOj4s1jGyy3y-P5NZouka96AHkpVZQb2mQ4uSSOWd6IJXEXeERTfmGhwH39u-a-kPLeBiA/s1600/Pasture+Patina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HV5kZ97cPjh0MauutvoSSw5QM4n-ASkPRy2kWhcY0pQApyntlIMxM2igfqzzw9xg9QfYDhOj4s1jGyy3y-P5NZouka96AHkpVZQb2mQ4uSSOWd6IJXEXeERTfmGhwH39u-a-kPLeBiA/s640/Pasture+Patina.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pasture Patina</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was here, and I had the whole day to ride around. I might as well make the best use of it. I continued to drive around for the next two hours touring small towns, long country roads, and getting chased by dogs. It was starting to remind me of my cycling days, and I was getting pretty bored driving around. I started to explore those narrow, winding roads that may or may not lead somewhere. I found a bunch of barns that I would have liked to worked with, but there was nowhere to pull off of the road, and if I had, there is a good chance I would have caused a traffic issue in the event somebody else wanted to come down the road. Just as I was about to give up, I happened to see a truck surrounded by weeds well behind a house somewhere near Independence, VA. At this point I was getting desperate for something worthwhile to shoot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking at how the property was, there was no way to shoot this from the road, so I was going to have to get permission from the owner to go and play the truck. I pulled onto the long driveway passed the barn, and finally up to the house. I got out of the 4Runner and approached the house. The windows were open, and there was a car to the side of the house which indicated I might get lucky and find somebody there. I knocked and rang the bell...and waited. I heard nothing on the inside of the house and backed away from the door to give myself a view around the side of the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As if planned, as I was backing up, I saw a gentleman approaching with a concerned look on his face. I explained why I was there, and what I wanted to do. He looked less concerned at this point and more confused. He wasn't really sure why I would want to take a picture of an old rusting truck, but he seemed to believe my intentions were legitimate. He said that I was free to help myself and I couldn't hurt anything. That worked for me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got the camera out and decided since there was a little clutter around the truck on one side I would fit my 70-200mm lens to better isolate the truck. It also served the purpose of cropping out the sky which was pretty boring at this point. I set up a few compositions and grabbed a few shots before the property owner started to walk up the hill towards me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We actually chatted a few minute about the truck, and I found out that it was originally a Nebraska truck and his son had bought it with the intentions of restoring it. However, he has quite a few projects and it has been left to sit there. It is for sale, and if anyone is interested, I do have contact information.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we talked I noticed that the sky had changed significantly. There was detail in the clouds now, and that was a very good thing. I swapped out lenses for my 24-70mm, and moved the Color Combo Polarizer from the long lens over to this lens. Now the compositions were coming much easier. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBREX4jsLcTejk02qPqyr0BOWXTZD_R05AARpmoYoR79icjK3gexNdChVXQXvyAFPC-w2DgzLwp36nu_PVHDTVZy3GBorjK0L41UXuzbsX_ZOKwZuLks3wvtQZrL7XIelKZzBd3QBN9E/s1600/Bowtie+Break.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBREX4jsLcTejk02qPqyr0BOWXTZD_R05AARpmoYoR79icjK3gexNdChVXQXvyAFPC-w2DgzLwp36nu_PVHDTVZy3GBorjK0L41UXuzbsX_ZOKwZuLks3wvtQZrL7XIelKZzBd3QBN9E/s640/Bowtie+Break.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Bowtie Break</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something that I hadn't seen from the road was another Chevy truck parked behind the first one I saw. This was a flatbed, and while it didn't have a lot of rust, it still showed a great deal of weathering in the finish, and I thought that it would make for a pretty good shot as well. The clouds were really nice behind it, so I was able to get in close and go wide to get a good portion of the sky behind the truck. While I wasn't wild about the color of the truck, it seemed to work very well with the greens and subtle blues in the clouds. It wasn't my normal patina, but the final execution was something that I was pretty happy with. I didn't work much with this truck since the color wasn't the best. I only shot a handful of exposures and a couple of different compositions before moving back over to the other truck.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH8m6wWkM6Iu52p9GQbGFpbdy0KMLucRhPRavYrsrHNfSk6BhyphenhyphenltO1qtBKAitgTIzm7v2DvCZ_LmphyLK87z1wuhd4b4IirIWNHLsHyawGcDKdwKrnWOayfMjq2TwA2XeY3oQwlcXpxc/s1600/Rural+Revelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWH8m6wWkM6Iu52p9GQbGFpbdy0KMLucRhPRavYrsrHNfSk6BhyphenhyphenltO1qtBKAitgTIzm7v2DvCZ_LmphyLK87z1wuhd4b4IirIWNHLsHyawGcDKdwKrnWOayfMjq2TwA2XeY3oQwlcXpxc/s640/Rural+Revelry.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rural Revelry</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a barn situated off to the side of the scene that interested me. I really wanted to get that barn in a composition, but wasn't really sure how to go about doing it. There were a lot of vehicles around the base of the barn, and most of them really didn't fit with the story that I was trying to tell. The one Chevy was in a decent place to tie in with the barn, but I had to be really careful with the composition because I was using the cab of the Chevy to obscure a Geo Tracker, and a newer Ford Pickup. There was also a red Firebird in the field of view. I was able to block them all with the cab of the truck and still have the barn make sense in the composition. When I got home and started to edit this one, I wasn't really liking how the color image was working out, so I decided to see how it looked without the color. When I made the conversion, I could see a great deal of potential and adjusted the tonal relationships until I came upon this image. I wasn't positive I liked it, so I asked Toni what she thought. She liked it, and since she is the monochrome expert between us, I went with her opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After this part of the shoot was over, I decided that I had done pretty much all that I could do with this truck. I had tried to work some isolations out, but with the weeds in the way, I didn't like how they were looking. I didn't want to wear out my welcome either, so I opted to load things back up in the truck and continue on my explorations. At least I was feeling a little better about how the trek was going at this point. I was pretty sure that I had something usable from this set of pictures.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0Pnnah1sZDkC5CcQQ5axJgEeZqwn8GlCkOw9IMI7_fzFCTJJspCKulXQ1VcwApP_fZlocQosJX3KQh441t1pYbSJE4ABNZGrGpRjBOhQ2Qzxxmj0E5L2hIehMZMnazxgZecgE-TMxcI/s1600/Mountainside+Silo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0Pnnah1sZDkC5CcQQ5axJgEeZqwn8GlCkOw9IMI7_fzFCTJJspCKulXQ1VcwApP_fZlocQosJX3KQh441t1pYbSJE4ABNZGrGpRjBOhQ2Qzxxmj0E5L2hIehMZMnazxgZecgE-TMxcI/s640/Mountainside+Silo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mountainside Silo</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My happiness started to fade over the next two hours of driving around. I think by this time, I was in the area of Mouth of Wilson, VA. The sky was starting to clear which was what it was supposed to have done many hours before. It was now getting close to noon and with the clouds breaking up, the lighting was getting less and less flattering on the landscape. I had pretty much given up at this point and set the GPS for home. Of course, I opted for the back roads as my route just on the off chance I could see something interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, that actually happened. As I was driving down one of the back roads, I came upon this farm with a pair of barns situated at the base of a hill. The rolling landscape was rather interesting, and to top it all off, the clouds were really nice looking overhead. I made the decision to pull off on the shoulder and get set up. Once again, I was going to have to shoot this from the road since there was a gate and fence. Not wanting to loose the clouds, I didn't bother finding the property owner's house. I was hoping that they would come out and ask me what I was doing so I could ask to go in, but that didn't happen. In order to get the sky included in my compositions, I chose to go for the moderate zoom of the 24-70mm lens once again. I added the Color Combo Polarizer as well. The exposure was pretty straightforward, so I didn't need anything else to capture the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shot many different compositions from different locations behind the fence. Some of these compositions were dictated by the clouds, and others by the way the light was hitting the barn and mountains. As I was getting in a nice routine of framing images, I realized that the clouds were all dissipating in the sky. Without the clouds, I really had nothing at all to make this composition pop, so when I realized that the clouds were gone, I packed up and got back on my route to the house.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihavs8OBuMcAPI0DcuaBn1kqlUyWG5P3uZnyXVxHrsbUzOcUgXr13ZpMYIoxy_E2aKSYHl6I6T0R6ukw-hDT8HSxWYKn5VNjGEG4ihLZihtW11yZBfYqCqawE1x3WOceoDWZoSmd00tL0/s1600/Timeless+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihavs8OBuMcAPI0DcuaBn1kqlUyWG5P3uZnyXVxHrsbUzOcUgXr13ZpMYIoxy_E2aKSYHl6I6T0R6ukw-hDT8HSxWYKn5VNjGEG4ihLZihtW11yZBfYqCqawE1x3WOceoDWZoSmd00tL0/s640/Timeless+View.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Timeless View</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About an hour later, I was nearing the NC line and on familiar roads. I happened to pass a barn that I remembered from last week and it caught my eye. The difference was this time the sky was looking fantastic above it. The blues were really deep, and the clouds bright white. I decided that I would give this barn a shot or two since I had time and the conditions were really good considering it was about 1pm. I grabbed my camera with the well used 24-70mm lens and added that Color Combo Polarizer once again. I set the tripod up right at the fence line which gave me a pretty good composition. I started to make exposures as the clouds changed their positions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was shooting this shot, I was already thinking about doing it as a black and white image. This is the kind of sky that I love to see in monochrome with a red filter applied to darken the blue against the white clouds. The color version was pretty good as well, but it didn't hold a candle to the monochrome image that I had previsualized before setting the camera up in the first place.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0NW-01IzTKx0z6BzZe-1ClGzquG0bXUMH_pRVyRR89atQZA5XNAGTr0xXBzaq-YUSOB9AUh6_F1H3NcYO3aoNZwTOjbVlKRGmBDvvAQZuJexR2VQNUzA3EntVXFo3wZnIQX70pNgMmo/s1600/Rural+Virginia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0NW-01IzTKx0z6BzZe-1ClGzquG0bXUMH_pRVyRR89atQZA5XNAGTr0xXBzaq-YUSOB9AUh6_F1H3NcYO3aoNZwTOjbVlKRGmBDvvAQZuJexR2VQNUzA3EntVXFo3wZnIQX70pNgMmo/s640/Rural+Virginia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rural Virginia</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before packing up, I decided that I wanted to try a different composition from a bit further down the fence. I kept my same lens attached, and even stayed close to the same focal length (38mm with the first one, and 30mm with this one). The biggest difference is the change in location of about 60 feet to the right. This opened up the scene and really gave a lot of depth to the image. This is a more dramatic composition, but there is just something I really like about the more intimate shot of the barn in monochrome. Regardless, both of these images ranked among my favorites from the day which seems to be how I do things these days. I wait until I have given up and then my best work happens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had shot 97 images throughout the day which was pretty good considering the terrible weather that I started out with. I knew that many of them from the farm in Independence would get tossed since the sky changed midway through the session. The first half images were tossed just on that one criteria. I was happy with the seven images that I had decided to keep, even though it wasn't as many as I was hoping for considering the investment in time for the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was exporting them for resizing and watermarking I looked at two images from the farm in Independence and wondered about switching the monochrome/color format on them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pjqjXXd7P9_sYmAjgEhVpvPWy07GHS5YSKwDMxZAb-1cA8gYtdKIbt06i2JchvaY-YWmnQJ8vdoeHMKHeOux9BCXbnoIDV3hCmfcqCBDTn3hnCi0s2H_Y2jx1DifQA2F2B4cisca5IM/s1600/Rust+in+Peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pjqjXXd7P9_sYmAjgEhVpvPWy07GHS5YSKwDMxZAb-1cA8gYtdKIbt06i2JchvaY-YWmnQJ8vdoeHMKHeOux9BCXbnoIDV3hCmfcqCBDTn3hnCi0s2H_Y2jx1DifQA2F2B4cisca5IM/s640/Rust+in+Peace.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rust in Peace</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first one that I worked with was the final image of the Chevy and barn. I hadn't like it in color the way the processing was turning out so I had converted it to monochrome. Part of that conversion includes adjusting the white balance, tint, and some of the contrast controls to get the tonal separation that you want. Surprisingly, these color shifts that I made while in black and white actually really improved the appearance of the image. I can say now that I have processed a color image while color blind. I just made a few additional tweaks to the image and I decided that I was a fan once again of the color version. Both work equally as well I think, so I kept them both and gave them different titles.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOLiekRt85ZJZC_57KTjhupF5_t-PBpQs6SdfeKD8RX7NmEewbJ1b0ieFuQuNkm6nhFm4AIoFxniVnj4TwXNWga6IIenahHCKTeJDjtYdusq2ueoXjmP9D2bJAvrz3CEDco7m7LKbOB0/s1600/A+Storm+is+Coming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOLiekRt85ZJZC_57KTjhupF5_t-PBpQs6SdfeKD8RX7NmEewbJ1b0ieFuQuNkm6nhFm4AIoFxniVnj4TwXNWga6IIenahHCKTeJDjtYdusq2ueoXjmP9D2bJAvrz3CEDco7m7LKbOB0/s640/A+Storm+is+Coming.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Storm is Coming</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other one that I wanted to play with was the flatbed truck behind the original Chevy. I still wasn't really happy with the paint color on the truck, even though it worked for the scene. I wanted to see what would happen if the image was stripped of color. The initial conversion looked very promising indeed. I started to work on the sky a bit more, and changed some of the tonal relationships in the image. In the end, I found that this image had a lot more visual tension and drama than the color one. However, I still liked both of them equally as well, for different reasons. I felt that this one also deserved to stand on its own with its own title.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, I ended up with nine new images in my collection and these are nine that I am very happy with overall. I'm still very much a fan of Virginia and will be making a return trip out there again to do some more exploring at some point in the future.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-41137084758714533822018-07-15T10:10:00.001-04:002018-07-15T10:10:21.031-04:00Virginia is for Photography<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, July 14, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHyi3CkfatVemVaCsevcww-sBv-_3PxwI4OlIKW9MEFjCY7xmUYDYHlSiOs4XkvEc7hzRoXEORI-3TM8SnO2IHBo-2D0H9Jyrq1PKo4DfIvCL60SictOSEgKrUFW4tJOAAOkHGtHj0Rc/s1600/Journeys-End.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHyi3CkfatVemVaCsevcww-sBv-_3PxwI4OlIKW9MEFjCY7xmUYDYHlSiOs4XkvEc7hzRoXEORI-3TM8SnO2IHBo-2D0H9Jyrq1PKo4DfIvCL60SictOSEgKrUFW4tJOAAOkHGtHj0Rc/s640/Journeys-End.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Journey's End</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After spending the week working on my webinar presentation for Singh-Ray which is dealing with photographing the derelict and decaying, I was fully in the mood to capture some rust and rural scenes. The weather was a little uncertain for the weekend, but it was looking like Saturday was going to be my better day when it came to clouds in the sky. I had thought about trying to get a sunrise out of the day, but looking at the sunrise forecast the color was going to be non-existent. That meant I could sleep a bit later. The only question was, where to go on this trip?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years ago, I had found myself in Sparta, NC, after a tip from a fellow photographer. There is a great little roadside yard art display with a ton of tractors, and this one really nice GMC truck. I remember having a great time with it last time, although it was in the winter and I was standing in a good deal of slush to get the pictures. The green trees really should change the look of the compositions here. This was going to be my starting point for the day. I say starting point because I always have a first picture in mind when I head out, and then I start to explore from there. Since I don't spend a lot of time in the area of Sparta, I was looking forward to a little bit of rural exploration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted to get an early start on the day, but not quite early enough to catch a sunrise. This meant I left the house around 5:30am, looking to arrive in the area around 7ish or so. The trip out there was easy enough, and it looked like the clouds were going to be cooperating with me for a change. I found the old truck with no problems and saw that it was still pretty much as I had left it several years ago. The sun was just now starting to hit the side of the truck, so the lighting should be pretty good for what I was wanting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started out with my 16-35mm lens for a change. I wanted to accentuate the cab while visually reducing the impact of the rear frame and dual wheels. Of course, I added my Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer to really bring out the colors in the patina and increase the contrast of the scene. One of the first shots of the day turned out to be keeper which was pretty cool.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBgYzRd4PRtgyORCLy0Xgvyg5WzI_jiYwMU_QOrJt6bs7s5q6yo_q1H_dw1tIz95TmC4xuWbsaMTyXke1jPBvZGaUwJKmgU3wUhM4ldP5kqRFoidOEe7Pfig-Lp6C_przGBpv52aWt28/s1600/Patina-Panels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBgYzRd4PRtgyORCLy0Xgvyg5WzI_jiYwMU_QOrJt6bs7s5q6yo_q1H_dw1tIz95TmC4xuWbsaMTyXke1jPBvZGaUwJKmgU3wUhM4ldP5kqRFoidOEe7Pfig-Lp6C_przGBpv52aWt28/s640/Patina-Panels.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Patina Panels</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the aspects of this old truck that I love is the patina. There is so much texture in the rust and the colors are amazing. Something that I started doing a little bit the last time I was here was shooting isolations on the truck. I have gotten a bit better at it over the years and was all set to work some more intimate patina shots today. I decided that I needed a different tool to make that work so I swapped over to my 70-200mm lens and kept the polarizer attached to it. At this point, I was like a sniper picking bits and pieces of the truck out as subjects. The chrome emblems on the hood really caught my eye since the bright color really contrasted with the rust that surrounded it. The bit of pitting in the chrome pulled it all together. There was a vent in the cowl of the truck that added to the visual impact with the repeating horizontal lines, and I used the vertical lines of the hood, and fender to balance out the composition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm telling you, this truck is fascinating to work with, and every time I have photographed it, I have been quite fortunate and gotten many good images. There is just so much character to find, and every inch of this truck is part of the story behind it. The textures that it offers is nothing short of amazing though, and probably my favorite aspect of the whole truck.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRed0EUnPs4jvr1lka9mHCfCNIDDjUBnHcSO8Mc2GBZA3f4mhktGKk_EExQ31Qo5Bipt4BJatxKtFy33-auOZgQUiTLM8bGv9Y2qI7q05mTbVIGcTUTWjYLnFRn9mjJu8ni-XGLyXTxo/s1600/Final-Sigh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRed0EUnPs4jvr1lka9mHCfCNIDDjUBnHcSO8Mc2GBZA3f4mhktGKk_EExQ31Qo5Bipt4BJatxKtFy33-auOZgQUiTLM8bGv9Y2qI7q05mTbVIGcTUTWjYLnFRn9mjJu8ni-XGLyXTxo/s640/Final-Sigh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Final Sigh</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The grill of this old truck has always caught my attention, but it was a little blah when photographed straight on. I tried that not only this time, but the previous time. It just seemed to lack something in the translation and I have yet to be happy with a straight on shot of the front of this truck. However, when I moved over to the side and started to frame up a composition from here, the grill started to make sense. It was no longer two dimensional, it had depth and life, and was rather impressive without being overbearing. The patina detail on the bumper even added to the composition, giving a strong vertical aspect to compliment the horizontal slats of the grill. The greenery was a nice frame to the whole image and the one bit of dead leaves in the background helps to pull it all together. For a simple image, there is a lot to look at here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoR9qOtSIKuTU_ssOsF_0Ifq5yGpiGedqjp2-NdnrseZCZw2y-yL-i43Di6vKlgvkP7NaEW1tF7ChUkJkQI2dcV2sG6lfcLa_F6ZCXVsigEIyVRYW3_T0ZYupOVP4HrKuSNdkdIDD8mA/s1600/Strong+and+Gentle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoR9qOtSIKuTU_ssOsF_0Ifq5yGpiGedqjp2-NdnrseZCZw2y-yL-i43Di6vKlgvkP7NaEW1tF7ChUkJkQI2dcV2sG6lfcLa_F6ZCXVsigEIyVRYW3_T0ZYupOVP4HrKuSNdkdIDD8mA/s640/Strong+and+Gentle.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Strong and Gentle</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was paying attention to the front of the truck, I really wanted to do something with the flowers that were right beside the front wheel. I had included them in the overall shot, but they were just too perfect sitting where they were to ignore up close. I liked the grill shot that I had just done, but the flowers would not work with that composition. They were much too related to the wheel. Hmm, I could work with that. I decided to focus on the wheel with the flowers framing the rim. The fender would frame the tire, and the image would be bounded by a bumper corner, headlight, marker light, and the chrome emblem. This composition seemed to really flow, and it had a softer side to it thanks to the flowers. Even though this is just a small section of the truck, the sense of power that is conveyed here is unmistakable and the colors are rather dynamic which makes this an interesting image.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkuHtqhFal6gwczEx4nb4-SgG3qPSETmEPkdHoiinPTrppdNj-HnX1E4TiwL5_qXwI-xbKubJEn6Yvxd4xE8YRCcwTqSTOW5dDAvpq_vXTuU9g4zGAErLlgFK97SFDUinfbO-T315H-Y/s1600/Vent+Age.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkuHtqhFal6gwczEx4nb4-SgG3qPSETmEPkdHoiinPTrppdNj-HnX1E4TiwL5_qXwI-xbKubJEn6Yvxd4xE8YRCcwTqSTOW5dDAvpq_vXTuU9g4zGAErLlgFK97SFDUinfbO-T315H-Y/s640/Vent+Age.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Vent Age</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of the chrome emblem, the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud and the truck was getting bathed in a warm glow. The rust was absolutely on fire on the side of the truck. I reacted quickly and got into position for another composition on the side of the hood. This time, I was looking for a collection of lines, I wanted to reduce the composition down to the emblem, and the vent with just enough of the fender to balance out the composition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I framed the image very tight, at about 160mm and waited for the sun to hit it just right before releasing the shutter. When I saw the image come up on the LCD, I knew I had a winner. Even with the contrast and saturation reduced, there was color galore and the histogram showed a perfect exposure. This one was going to turn out really good I thought, and I was right!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried a few other things, and even tried shooting into the cab through the open window, but the compositions were not as strong as what I had already done. I looked on the other side to see if I was missing anything interesting. There just was nothing really to keep me here much longer. With the morning sun climbing into the sky, I wanted to continue on my journey to find some more rural subjects before the light got too harsh. I packed up my gear and got into the truck for a destination not quite known to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I drove around Sparta, and into Piney Grove before getting really lost. I was heading in a Northwesterly direction knowing that eventually I would come into Virginia. Of course, that did happen rather quickly as I was at the top portion of NC to start with. I believe I was entering Grayson County and found that there were a lot of great potential subjects, but power lines and bad lighting were getting the best of me. I just won't even stop if I don't see a pretty good potential picture. I was getting deeper and deeper into Virginia and was starting to get a tad discouraged as the morning was marching on quickly.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HNhWb_jplOniFxrpNyYrBUvjBqSq9wVj4B4ny0spGgZFLR8PdmmAOMJKZkC9dEQC6nHAQwnXYOLKIJzmrivuPc9sED8QnBgqUA3_ySyEHZXlwFQtM0YMNnEy__SiJkuZV9b1_G9GLIQ/s1600/The+Red+Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HNhWb_jplOniFxrpNyYrBUvjBqSq9wVj4B4ny0spGgZFLR8PdmmAOMJKZkC9dEQC6nHAQwnXYOLKIJzmrivuPc9sED8QnBgqUA3_ySyEHZXlwFQtM0YMNnEy__SiJkuZV9b1_G9GLIQ/s640/The+Red+Roof.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Red Roof</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Doing this type of exploring, I have gotten used to a whole lot of nothing punctuated with a quick blast of "Oh Boy!!!" That was just what happened as I was traveling down one of the state roads. I saw a barn set just off of the road with no power lines. It had this amazing red roof and the barn wood was perfectly aged. As I was passing it by, I caught sight of a Chevy Biscayne all by itself next to the hill. I even stopped in the middle of the road for a brief second and took it all in. The car had some aftermarket wheels straight from the 90's on it, but other than that it looked perfect to me. I got turned around and slowly came back. I could get the barn from the road, but the car was really going to need some permission to go that deep in. Looking at the properties around it, I was able to determine that the house across the street was probably the one associated with the barn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I parked in the driveway to the barn and walked over to the house. I picked a door that looked like a guest entry and and knocked. I could hear sounds inside so I was pretty sure that somebody was home. As I was looking around, I saw a dog coming out from one of the structures on the property beadlocked on me. He didn't look fierce or upset, so I just held my hand out and spoke with him. He came over and sniffed and then licked my hand. At that point, I knew I was in good shape with the dog. I rubbed his head for a minute and made friends. He even sat down right next to me while I waited at the door. I could still hear sounds, but the door wasn't opening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided it was time to move to the next door that looked like it went to a sun room. As I got close, I raised my hand to knock on the door as the door was opening. The resident came out looking down at the ground. I knew he did not know I was there, and I didn't want to scare him with my fist up in the air. I quickly raised both hands and said "don't let me scare you." He looked up startled but calmed quickly and we introduced ourselves. He confirmed that the barn was his property and even volunteered about 100 acres of land for me to photograph on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first order of business was to work on the Biscayne at the rear of the barn. I grabbed my gear from the truck and walked back there. The exposure was going to be difficult because the car was in the shadows and the sky was pretty bright. The clouds were nice though, so I was willing to work with the scene to make something great. I went ahead and built the camera with my 24-70mm lens and added the prerequisite Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer. Knowing that the exposure latitude was going to be too great, I added my Lee Filter Holder and slid in a Singh-Ray 3-Stop hard edge Galen Rowell ND Grad. After the first couple of exposures I had a realization...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have yet to do a video on the ND Grads for Singh-Ray, so I decided that this would be a fantastic time to do just that. I pulled out my phone and set it up to shoot video. Then I started to figure out how to make my one remaining hand be able to manipulate the filters. I bypassed some of the steps just simply because I didn't have enough hands to be able to go through all of the steps and demonstrations, but in the end I think I got the general idea out there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DAhlAVPe3FTEv77_WMCU9EWAx6-eIBZ-tyKlDzjLI4k6b6KoorKK4J9WsNQPNKOcKxWvv9SnLgBBVL3-VjUwAA-8qe5PO04LGLmrAMQLcJq6-pDTGYQ4wfLd57zAxvpfUsWWJjapisE/s1600/Biscayne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DAhlAVPe3FTEv77_WMCU9EWAx6-eIBZ-tyKlDzjLI4k6b6KoorKK4J9WsNQPNKOcKxWvv9SnLgBBVL3-VjUwAA-8qe5PO04LGLmrAMQLcJq6-pDTGYQ4wfLd57zAxvpfUsWWJjapisE/s640/Biscayne.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Biscayne</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The resulting image turned out quite nice and really shows the patina that caught my eye in the first place. The sky exposed well using the 3-Stop Grad. There was just something about this car sitting there beneath the hill that captured my imagination. The colors on the car really suited the environment it was in with the blues relating to the sky, and the green and rusty hues matching the landscape. The chrome bits complimented the lighter parts of the clouds. Everything just seemed to flow with this image</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vq2sG2P6z9JsjMXO6hoHsX1i-5rdKY-KCFu9CSfNSZivn8ajUgpbIqfjpggmF654ExXT_TX15OmA-WdA7AjXKAgObEDESpG79-VDGVDvCKojh5xMQVeD7AiamWrWoR1t_C1uwmaIxJY/s1600/Deep-Fins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vq2sG2P6z9JsjMXO6hoHsX1i-5rdKY-KCFu9CSfNSZivn8ajUgpbIqfjpggmF654ExXT_TX15OmA-WdA7AjXKAgObEDESpG79-VDGVDvCKojh5xMQVeD7AiamWrWoR1t_C1uwmaIxJY/s640/Deep-Fins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Deep Fins</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sky was starting to clear at this point and the sun was hitting the car pretty hard. I really wanted to do something to highlight the wicked cool fins on the back of the car. I moved to the rear of the car and set up close to the ground. I opted for a pretty wide angle shot to really pull the attention to the lines in the back of the car. The harsh sun actually helped here by showing off the shadows deep under the fin. Without this shadow, the dramatic lines would not have been as obvious. For this shot, I was able to remove the Grad filter since the sky wasn't as bright in comparison from this angle..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked around the car for a bit, but surprisingly was unable to find any isolations that I really liked. The overall shots turned out so much better than any of the isolations that I did, so that is what I decided to keep from this shoot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the sun rising, and the clouds looking different, I decided to move onto other things. I wanted to go out and shoot the barn real quick, so I grabbed my stuff and moved back out to the road. I was able to keep my 24-70mm attached based on the distance I was shooting from and I started to fine tune the composition of the barn. Now, according to the owner, this was a school originally before the civil war. After that period of time, the school was moved to the current location and reassembled as a barn. It is still in use to this day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2JmgAudsVJGNa9Zxpe6NMivp5zBc52o8L-E0z4TjSNrlHcOcgihksHXwIeiMeXlJiWjzc_nwSxy01sHC8VlmA_02mSDvh7Zm7t0R3cvVXkVCWFRrgkJ6yC1UoUX0l_FENBHL6o5YMGQ/s1600/In-the-Barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2JmgAudsVJGNa9Zxpe6NMivp5zBc52o8L-E0z4TjSNrlHcOcgihksHXwIeiMeXlJiWjzc_nwSxy01sHC8VlmA_02mSDvh7Zm7t0R3cvVXkVCWFRrgkJ6yC1UoUX0l_FENBHL6o5YMGQ/s640/In-the-Barn.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>In the Barn</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I finished with the barn pictures, I made my way back across the street and worked my way to a small shed over in the corner of the property. I had seen an old Ford tractor sitting in it while talking with the property owner. This tractor was still in use, but had a certain rustic look sitting in the shed. The lighting was not great with the back part of the tractor in the full sun and the light shining in from the rear pretty bright. The nose of the tractor was fully in the shade, and I really liked the textures of the wood siding. I decided to get a tight crop shot of the front of this tractor using my 24-70mm lens right at the frame of the entrance. The Singh-Ray polarizer helped to make the red bumper pop and to control the glare on the hood of the tractor. I tried several positions, but found that this one from about four feet off the ground worked the best out of all. These N series tractors are always a lot of fun to photograph when I'm given the opportunity. I was wishing for more compositions, but with the lighting, I was lucky to get the one that I did. It was now time to move on to the next opportunity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having been given the overview of the property, I remembered that the owner said that the view from the top of the hill behind his house was fantastic. Since he said that I could go check it out, I decided to put on my landscape eyes and give it a go. I walked up to the top of the hill and checked things out. Yes, you could see for miles and miles in two different directions. You could make out Mount Rogers in one direction, and see into West Jefferson in the other. It took me a few minutes to really determine how best to capture this view.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19r1yeGSS6VmwNftY9haScEwyK-B4s44yfvHH-i-PpEFr7BJdVD-3bB557EsVdgBb1AySDYLMPKK-hZP8dQf3rREa5qKkE4Kl9I0DSc5eO8ZoOiKi9EnZCjJ9a72D7cWZZpLiTz3HSEY/s1600/Mount-Rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19r1yeGSS6VmwNftY9haScEwyK-B4s44yfvHH-i-PpEFr7BJdVD-3bB557EsVdgBb1AySDYLMPKK-hZP8dQf3rREa5qKkE4Kl9I0DSc5eO8ZoOiKi9EnZCjJ9a72D7cWZZpLiTz3HSEY/s640/Mount-Rogers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mount Rogers</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking at the sweeping views, I really wanted to take advantage of all there was to see. I swapped out my lens to bring my 16-35mm into play. I added the Color Combo Polarizer to bring out a little more contrast in the sky. The composition needed something to anchor it, and I decided on a huge tree which dominated the landscape. At the wide end of the lens, the tree was no longer as heavy in the scene and actually provided the perfect visual balance to the slope of the hill that I was on. The strong diagonal helped to bring the attention to the distant mountain range and Mount Rogers in the distance. The warm rolling hills transitioned into the Blue Ridge Mountains which blended nicely with the sky. It was a simple landscape, but I thought it was an effective one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next concept was to get right beside of the tree and do something with the small rocky outcrop that was just to the right of it. When I got over to it, I could already see a composition taking place right in front of my eyes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwG88vTJFv7m4fkWwZ4mSjQbAeSzbF2r_T0qz8hHchT7aP_IK45bcuwhcF9chn24Eu4TsdPVchvUWHyy3b-LrqBIvIFuCViLqMELvniJaAkOktusDaClH0nDzK47YHGDmuDWHwQ7-TAk/s1600/The+View+from+Here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwG88vTJFv7m4fkWwZ4mSjQbAeSzbF2r_T0qz8hHchT7aP_IK45bcuwhcF9chn24Eu4TsdPVchvUWHyy3b-LrqBIvIFuCViLqMELvniJaAkOktusDaClH0nDzK47YHGDmuDWHwQ7-TAk/s640/The+View+from+Here.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The View From Here</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things that immediately caught my eye was a pond in the valley below. It was just perfectly nestled at the base of the trees and helped to guide the eyes through the image. The clouds seemed to mimic the ridges in the distance as well. My initial thought was to shoot this as a sweeping landscape, but it lost the sense of meaning by doing that. When I flipped the camera on the side and recomposed, it all made perfect sense. My eyes were going exactly where I needed them to go within the frame.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0soivPyf7Mg1dci8sO7hpHIlG3MSgPswi9Xez5xqVB8GshCqC2Q1yf6ayrblK7d_uSpVFPcxzl7A_s6hhBr0JSmbX1ti58viU0UPUU3OrPtJLPUe8rXUwV5Viu1XKB_m9l9oHGLPtIgE/s1600/A-Rolling-View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="611" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0soivPyf7Mg1dci8sO7hpHIlG3MSgPswi9Xez5xqVB8GshCqC2Q1yf6ayrblK7d_uSpVFPcxzl7A_s6hhBr0JSmbX1ti58viU0UPUU3OrPtJLPUe8rXUwV5Viu1XKB_m9l9oHGLPtIgE/s640/A-Rolling-View.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Rolling View</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just below the big tree where I was standing currently was a field with lots of hay bales scattered about. I have always enjoyed photographing hay bales and decided that I would give these a shot or two before heading back to the truck. Leaving the wide angle lens on, I started to put together some compositions. I found a few bales that would give me a leading line into the scene and got in close as to really make the bale prominent in the scene. In this picture, I was actually about 10 feet away from the first bale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I liked how my eyes moved from one bale to the next until the leading lines of the distant field pulled you the rest of the way in. The dark green trees provided a great framework for the image, and the clouds again seemed to mimic the features in the landscape with the largest hanging above the largest grove of trees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried this scene as a landscape shot as well, but it just didn't have the same visual impact and the eyes seemed to rove all over the image as opposed to following a course. I looked around for some other shots as well, but I was seeing nothing else that caught my eye with the current light. I went ahead and walked back out to the truck. Before loading up, I went back over to the Biscayne and shot a few more images with different light. At the time, I was thinking that these were going to turn out better, but after getting home and seeing them on the monitor, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the original ones had turned out better by far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This pretty much wrapped up my day, and it was time to get back home since it was nearing noon. I wanted to spend the second half of the day with Sierra since it was her birthday. That is why it took so long to get the images processed and the blog entry done. I didn't start it until 5am the following morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had shot a total of 92 images from essentially two locations which was pretty good. I was thinking it would be somewhere more in the area of 75 frames. I had estimated about ten of the images would be keepers, and I managed to make a collection of 12 shots that made the cut. It was a successful day and I was able to get my old iron, and even added a rustic scene with the barn. I even got to do some landscape work which I usually don't get to do when I'm working on rural exploration. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViCbBVkE5Efw1loii6KbNl9VSNgM1ZHZsXTVxrEIQiitWzaUnQYF210jSj9C5L5hmAd3Zj42XyxipjoEuPOL-5kfhElHkALAQmXNrcaGw2LlpsNB9sgcQF3FyHANCEg_phVW_f8fBGpM/s1600/36899977_2029187663821197_202485198082801664_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViCbBVkE5Efw1loii6KbNl9VSNgM1ZHZsXTVxrEIQiitWzaUnQYF210jSj9C5L5hmAd3Zj42XyxipjoEuPOL-5kfhElHkALAQmXNrcaGw2LlpsNB9sgcQF3FyHANCEg_phVW_f8fBGpM/s640/36899977_2029187663821197_202485198082801664_n.png" width="592" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, it is time to put the finishing touches on the webinar presentation, and get ready for that. It will air on Friday the 20th at 8pm. To view it, you will need to <a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4pHm7XDSQseEmB766zqviQ">register</a> with Singh-Ray which is free to do. Once you are registered, you will be able to view it live, and will have access to the archived recording as well. I hope to see you there!</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-53329555895914280632018-07-07T23:06:00.001-04:002018-07-07T23:06:51.676-04:00Summer at Big Creek<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, July 7, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46Py_dC2UIhSUttc9WV7EQvwVKF68vJXZ_leIaiW9WvkgQmGmDsRMpuCE0J94C7gxbMy4MUJOcfxuW-k-4I9Rssc-DNHrbgoj-VyqGg3b-ptACgGD0cJkrzAOSKDBYF4RmyJ-a_hofh8/s1600/Cascades-of-Summer-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46Py_dC2UIhSUttc9WV7EQvwVKF68vJXZ_leIaiW9WvkgQmGmDsRMpuCE0J94C7gxbMy4MUJOcfxuW-k-4I9Rssc-DNHrbgoj-VyqGg3b-ptACgGD0cJkrzAOSKDBYF4RmyJ-a_hofh8/s640/Cascades-of-Summer-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cascades of Summer</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would seem that I have been very much focused on old iron here lately, with the exception of a week at the beach. I have been away from the mountains for far too long. I had the opportunity to spend the day in the mountains today and looking at the weather, my best option was going to be waterfalls. I have a lot of options when it come to waterfalls, but since we have had a lack of rain lately I wanted to go where I stood the best chance of getting some good flow. That meant going to Big Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains since it was usually unaffected by water tables. I actually had a little bit of luck the night before and there were some pretty strong storms that moved through that would more than likely boost the water levels a little bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since it was full on Summertime, I knew that I was going to have to get there early to get a parking spot with all the hikers and swimmers that would be there when it warmed up. This posed a slight problem since the park was a bit over three hours away from home. I was wanting to get there shortly after sunrise, around 7-7:30am. Doing the math, that meant that I was going to have to leave around 4am, which put me waking up earlier than that. I'm not a morning person by any stretch, but a photographer has to do what a photographer has to do in order to get the pictures.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-r38v7K6mT58L040XQzkJqo6NL9yjS5m8OivyyhQTSDvlpt9Ls9N8Tarx6Qv_WwjR51gIacW5ejwr7XiR9ecbWqYdUAMCXpBBHAyY4VWrnyMGM7uiFYYfzYcdddZqGfz3vbZNw0358I/s1600/Beneath-the-Blooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-r38v7K6mT58L040XQzkJqo6NL9yjS5m8OivyyhQTSDvlpt9Ls9N8Tarx6Qv_WwjR51gIacW5ejwr7XiR9ecbWqYdUAMCXpBBHAyY4VWrnyMGM7uiFYYfzYcdddZqGfz3vbZNw0358I/s640/Beneath-the-Blooms.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Beneath the Blooms</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somehow, I made it out of the house shortly after 4 and was on my way to the mountains. I ran into a little rain here and there as I was heading West, but I knew that rain was a potential for the day. Sometimes rainy weather makes for the best waterfall photography. I arrived at the park just before 7:30, and I was already about the 10th vehicle in the parking lot. I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to jockey for position at the different sections that I like to photograph.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAbMlX_g01OhwNVfqx49FtfyS3Mv81YeXmhGThFcQYFs1Yo-LC4dj9etD5u_wyDt96spq-EHmdbIOyk6SG7zFpZIOlbu6NX-grRCVMKXrzuinOkZ7EQIDREp_sW2TyufpA3tTy1H6Ii0/s1600/A-Bit-of-Drama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAbMlX_g01OhwNVfqx49FtfyS3Mv81YeXmhGThFcQYFs1Yo-LC4dj9etD5u_wyDt96spq-EHmdbIOyk6SG7zFpZIOlbu6NX-grRCVMKXrzuinOkZ7EQIDREp_sW2TyufpA3tTy1H6Ii0/s200/A-Bit-of-Drama.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Bit of Drama</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My goal for the day was to capture a section of Big Creek that I shot <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/2016/11/where-did-all-water-go.html">during a drought</a> a couple of years ago. I had not been back to this particular section since that trek and really wanted to see what it looked like with water flowing. I have actually really liked this image since I shot it, and have entered it into several contests since. In order to make sure that I achieved my goal, I wasn't going to stop at places unless there was something particularly interesting to photograph differently than I had seen before. This would speed things up and make sure that I could get to the the intended location well past Mouse Creek Falls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another one of my goals which I had was to shoot some more instructional videos for Singh-Ray about how to use a polarizer for a more normal application than old cars. I wasn't sure when this was going to happen, but I went into it knowing that I would be shooting some video since the lighting was good, and relatively stable. This is what I love about shooting waterfalls on cloudy and rainy days. I can pretty much count on the light being right for long periods of time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7o2smdQKczf5vitJ5zitYjd9gwU5WYtNywMqiNXSA5c7qhNGYVxY5ABSBDeSO8Ij3oOilS_6gu4R1Ao-UHGyzYuoRc6zGbD_Yuzu6LRRHgZ5hokWLslS9r3vqieGQOsCa76yuVj2OfU/s1600/Summertime-Swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7o2smdQKczf5vitJ5zitYjd9gwU5WYtNywMqiNXSA5c7qhNGYVxY5ABSBDeSO8Ij3oOilS_6gu4R1Ao-UHGyzYuoRc6zGbD_Yuzu6LRRHgZ5hokWLslS9r3vqieGQOsCa76yuVj2OfU/s640/Summertime-Swim.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summertime Swim</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was working my way down the trail, I was looking over to my left where the water was flowing to see if there was anything interesting. One thing that I quickly noticed was that the brush was pretty thick this time of year and it was obscuring many of the locations that I was used to shooting. I didn't spend long trying to get a vantage point at these locations since there wasn't much different than what I had shot previously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was one little section which I tend to shoot regularly which caught my eye once again. It wasn't the water this time, but the blooming Mountain Laurel just above the falls. This was worth taking a little bit of time to work with, so I worked my way down the scramble path to get into position. I did a little rock hopping until I found the position I wanted to use to capture the falls and the seasonal greenery behind it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was setting up with my 16-35mm lens, I decided to do a little comparison shooting with and without a polarizer. This might be the first time I have ever shot a waterfall without a polarizer, and honestly, I didn't like it much. It was a good comparison though, and I was able to send them to Singh-Ray.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFxcqbupMAfbOymWjxhH8vji8OaZ2eCErrgI9_7KBc1m_T6oH3l3zFUD1wybZK-yAZeSZVDpAHR24WJ1bbcdHNxaVqCtRdkQFmwkHydXm7EsaytRv-GTOObKq68MGqrm5vR6JI1_XBT8/s1600/Waterfall-No-Filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFxcqbupMAfbOymWjxhH8vji8OaZ2eCErrgI9_7KBc1m_T6oH3l3zFUD1wybZK-yAZeSZVDpAHR24WJ1bbcdHNxaVqCtRdkQFmwkHydXm7EsaytRv-GTOObKq68MGqrm5vR6JI1_XBT8/s200/Waterfall-No-Filter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This image is straight out of the camera with no filters. I just did a proper exposure and shot it. You can see how the water shows a great deal of glare, and it lacks a little visual pop which I like in my images. This composition ultimately ended up as my opening image for this blog entry.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVH1NhamOLXgCstr-DXE8pj8R4mCyWIBMZ3qHl37qX-lsaiWUOqPl-jJCvE8ooARwEj3FLwCBmmXnhWWvMAIBiJqjM-aZc-d-hYj5PG346uCWFr9v-rL1gazpcBW3MLKexwmsKzxNjRY/s1600/Waterfall-CC-CPL-Filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVH1NhamOLXgCstr-DXE8pj8R4mCyWIBMZ3qHl37qX-lsaiWUOqPl-jJCvE8ooARwEj3FLwCBmmXnhWWvMAIBiJqjM-aZc-d-hYj5PG346uCWFr9v-rL1gazpcBW3MLKexwmsKzxNjRY/s200/Waterfall-CC-CPL-Filter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This next image is the same composition but with the addition of the Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer that I use in the majority of my photography. You can immediately tell the difference in the water, and a lot more contrast has been added. Just the addition of the polarizer lengthened the shutter speed from 0.4 seconds to a full 2 seconds to blur the water.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I was already working without a filter, I figured that this would be the best time to shoot the video that I had been planning on. I went ahead and got everything prepped for easy of manipulation with only one hand and got my cell phone out to record the video.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After doing some of the behind the scenes work that I had planned on doing, it was time to pack up and move to my next location. There were several along the trail that I really enjoy working with but this time, they really didn't stand out all that much to me. The next time I exited the trail was at Midnight Hole which I really didn't want to stop at since I have two really good pictures of that waterfall already. However, when I walked passed it, I could see that there was some really good color to the water. It was worth a stop to see what I could do with it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuyAowYEt5Eb1GU2cZKDxcuOTwFvZPa0-RQqrWX5U75QDpsewE5zsafM4ISlm0jHLLdN4xZBWHgz1FI7XAJW2UCPtgejhpvWXk7TPxqaYN6gMWH0oshyphenhyphenaCZ5HVoBVN03_T-KSfsENxAo/s1600/Summer-Smells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuyAowYEt5Eb1GU2cZKDxcuOTwFvZPa0-RQqrWX5U75QDpsewE5zsafM4ISlm0jHLLdN4xZBWHgz1FI7XAJW2UCPtgejhpvWXk7TPxqaYN6gMWH0oshyphenhyphenaCZ5HVoBVN03_T-KSfsENxAo/s640/Summer-Smells.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summer Smells</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked the scene from a distance away and gradually moved in closer. For this waterfall, I used my 24-70mm lens with the polarizer attached. The ones from a distance were fair, but nothing all that special. As I got in close to the tree with the exposed roots, I ran into a problem with a tree that had fallen and was floating on the water. This was just too much of a visual distraction and I had to abandon that composition relatively quickly. I composed a tight crop on the falls and included the blooming tree above it for a touch of seasonal flare. As I was shooting this series, the air was thick with the perfume of Summer. With all of the moisture around and the Mountain Laurel in full bloom, it just smelled like Summer in the mountains. When I was titling this piece, those memories came right back to me, and it pretty much named itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did a little work with the small cascades in the stream over to the side, but I wasn't able to find a composition that really worked. There was just no organization among the rocks. I needed something for the eyes to follow. Since I Wasn't having much luck, I went down to another section by the trail and found that the lighting was even better on the rocks. I went ahead and pulled out the camera once again, and fitted the 70-200mm lens and polarizer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP4HTXbIjFl-HT5Eukm8jFcUXmfhgDAT-DqW6e-5J3ILncpaaUx3XouKsB9NSd-AySyKnOsGqCyBsn45wVWqRa_4bETKYTupBwGlTA3Dq8Yqv3GU11GA0bf8NmJwVYrmaVOqThLHZBzI/s1600/Mountain-Stream-Abstract.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP4HTXbIjFl-HT5Eukm8jFcUXmfhgDAT-DqW6e-5J3ILncpaaUx3XouKsB9NSd-AySyKnOsGqCyBsn45wVWqRa_4bETKYTupBwGlTA3Dq8Yqv3GU11GA0bf8NmJwVYrmaVOqThLHZBzI/s640/Mountain-Stream-Abstract.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mountain Stream Abstract</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was starting to have some pretty good luck with these rocks. I could find order in the chaos with them, and was able to pick out several workable compositions. While shooting these isolations, I got the idea to do another video about how I can get a nice long shutter speed with just a polarizer attached.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Video is not my specialty by any stretch, but considering I'm doing this on a cell phone while manipulating the camera I'm doing pretty good. This shows a bit about how I do these isolations, and what I'm looking for on the back of the camera. Unfortunately, I ended up not liking this particular composition on a big screen so it was trashed. However, I did do another one from the same area which turned out pretty good.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobJ-rwrApFAjhLGSGpA9s5rVHz2LaX0OHEok_mx4hwWhhq5DlZb6UvdoNlOakz_tcd9oHAwhyoYjk84EA4X8l_Xs94_rcTmr6OmTcKOg4tgKaK3vs8JAg4-oQgK9NxwoFjpnjUD-rB8o/s1600/Mossy-Islands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobJ-rwrApFAjhLGSGpA9s5rVHz2LaX0OHEok_mx4hwWhhq5DlZb6UvdoNlOakz_tcd9oHAwhyoYjk84EA4X8l_Xs94_rcTmr6OmTcKOg4tgKaK3vs8JAg4-oQgK9NxwoFjpnjUD-rB8o/s640/Mossy-Islands.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mossy Islands</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When doing these intimate captures, it really is all about simplicity of composition and having something poking up above the water to give a nice visual anchor. The silky ribbons from the passing water give the visual drama to the image which makes it interesting. It didn't take long and I was tired of shooting the intimate shots and was ready to get on to the main goal which was still a good ways up the trail at this point. In order to get there, I chose to pass right by Mouse Creek Falls which was looking pretty good, but not spectacular. I even passed right by the bridge which overlooked some really good cascades. I thought that if I had time I would grab a few shots here on the way back, but for now, I needed to get moving.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1psye8UW-fAq10LIR6-xTXAZNyqqe5UNfcyThgEHBTJ7IHbyGJ2JCu_yl84szc8JzfSscfBjrpLFcmzKA3ulJnCGeafZxat5vJya60IrfNZRagZjthiW5LJUS8W1fTCWN0TmgLbGfGg/s1600/The-Drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1psye8UW-fAq10LIR6-xTXAZNyqqe5UNfcyThgEHBTJ7IHbyGJ2JCu_yl84szc8JzfSscfBjrpLFcmzKA3ulJnCGeafZxat5vJya60IrfNZRagZjthiW5LJUS8W1fTCWN0TmgLbGfGg/s640/The-Drop.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Drop</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Things had changed so much with the extra greenery and increased water flow that I almost didn't recognize my spot. It also happened a good deal further up the trail that I had anticipated. When I arrived, I quickly remembered where I had been set up and made my way to that spot. I was actually pretty amazed at the difference a little water would make. I went ahead and used my 24-70mm lens with the Color Combo Polarizer. I wasn't quite happy with how the overall composition was going, so I started to shoot some isolations here showing off the full flowing water. The one that I really liked ended up getting processed as a black and white image because it lacked the visual pop it needed in color. This way, the detail in the water is very apparent, and I think it is a much stronger image this way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr3PCw-fiNu1JqU7eBOiSfbu89Hk2FBMlDOTH_dLPoUIMojcnUORPojerD7m_t9x0SiN9eNgXRLFsTT9VPmFIdFaQE6fy1Hr55ggR4KGKNdha30sI1yQrBkTpggECAAE4cMYAW4UJH_w/s1600/Revival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr3PCw-fiNu1JqU7eBOiSfbu89Hk2FBMlDOTH_dLPoUIMojcnUORPojerD7m_t9x0SiN9eNgXRLFsTT9VPmFIdFaQE6fy1Hr55ggR4KGKNdha30sI1yQrBkTpggECAAE4cMYAW4UJH_w/s640/Revival.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Revival</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did finally settle on a composition that I liked. I had to adjust from how I shot it last time because the pool at the bottom right was just too bright, and became too much of a focal point if I included too much of it. By reducing the footprint of the white water, I was able to compose a workable image of the location that shows the difference in the water. I still like the original image, and possibly better, but this one turned out quite nice as well. There is a lot to look at as you eyes work their way to the background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After about 20 minutes here, I had shot all that I cared to shoot of this location. My camera position was pretty restricted due to the rock that I had to be on, so there was only so much that I could do compositionally without falling off of the rock I was on. That was OK since I had plenty of other things that I wanted to shoot. I started to work my way back down the trail towards the bridge overlooking the creek.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGPs9hESwlPr5r2QABFMHT6ivLr_C2WLYGn9rKTSgctS6pLL1EcbqDeDdennmL2AYL8l9M2bW0SOYumvQs7rRtgoDCVVw4sgbx9A1aJNAa4Frh5SLyw792kO7hmTT8PfvpyPhRHSkJTw/s1600/Full-of-Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="800" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGPs9hESwlPr5r2QABFMHT6ivLr_C2WLYGn9rKTSgctS6pLL1EcbqDeDdennmL2AYL8l9M2bW0SOYumvQs7rRtgoDCVVw4sgbx9A1aJNAa4Frh5SLyw792kO7hmTT8PfvpyPhRHSkJTw/s640/Full-of-Life.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Full of Life</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived, there was no longer anyone standing on the bridge which was a very good thing. You see, on these wooden bridges, any movement translates into vibrations which affect the sharpness of the image. I had the bridge to myself and took advantage of it. I shot low to minimize the perspective distortion that I was going to have from shooting this far up. Fortunately, I was able to peak the 24-70mm lens through the slats without any issues. I had to use my B+W polarizer for these shots because my Singh-Ray had gotten fogged over pretty bad on the last set and had a thick haze on it which I was unable to remove with a lens cloth in the existing humidity.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvzkb4N-zEfK8J11O3bI-zmTFRVF9iwKsWdeco_kgHfD6fAXR1WkMqrxNuw4bOEP8WcvTmW23MKhkJTSD8VYWCevYXjuCRn7A3_7OzIH-VKPubNYlS65uMj01BoJaFWAXk2ZowLQYKHU/s1600/Through-the-Trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvzkb4N-zEfK8J11O3bI-zmTFRVF9iwKsWdeco_kgHfD6fAXR1WkMqrxNuw4bOEP8WcvTmW23MKhkJTSD8VYWCevYXjuCRn7A3_7OzIH-VKPubNYlS65uMj01BoJaFWAXk2ZowLQYKHU/s640/Through-the-Trees.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Through the Trees</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The gentle curve of the creek allowed for a great composition in both landscape and portrait orientations. When I was editing the landscape shot, I started to see it as almost a square composition. I ended up cropping pretty drastically from the right to change the feel of the image. It allowed everything to line up much better than its native aspect ratio. The portrait shot worked well as it was thanks to the two rocks in the foreground that really provide a nice visual anchor for the eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would have loved to have gotten down to the water for some really dramatic shots, but there was just no way I could get down there safely. I checked a couple of different locations for other compositions but found that I had already located the best spots to shoot this from. I went ahead and packed things up and got ready to head on to Mouse Creek Falls a short distance down the trail. The lighting was about the same as it had been, and I figured as long as there were no people there I would give it another try.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0h_LvbLSqvI2hlNJYSdzXkuxVKfETIrZmXIgugSkNVS08XBL_crWIBQlfDpSER76cAoQV2UPNmBBlWyy5pByNGWsEiQt42vdl6qGBdyq8skj-AR2mMFAyqBkciSEIt7UO4UnBw_8U0s/s1600/Cascades-in-the-Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="800" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0h_LvbLSqvI2hlNJYSdzXkuxVKfETIrZmXIgugSkNVS08XBL_crWIBQlfDpSER76cAoQV2UPNmBBlWyy5pByNGWsEiQt42vdl6qGBdyq8skj-AR2mMFAyqBkciSEIt7UO4UnBw_8U0s/s640/Cascades-in-the-Forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cascades in the Forest</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I arrived at Mouse Creek Falls, I was very happy to find that there were no hikers to be found. I started to work my way down the scramble path to the bottom. I knew that the best composition was from about the half way point on the path, but with the low limbs near the falls with leaves on them, I needed to get down lower. Looking at the scene in front of me, I decided that while I really wanted to use the 16-35mm lens, I would be better suited with the 24-70mm which I put on the body. I added the B+W polarizer as well since I had smeared my Singh-Ray beyond use for the rest of the day. I found a couple of workable compositions before trying to get in closer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was swapping over to my 70-200mm lens, I had my first real run in with hikers. There were two guys coming down the scramble path to enjoy the waterfall. They asked if they would get in my way with I though was very considerate. I said that I doubted it, but I would only be another couple of minutes. They patiently waited as I got the long lens fitted with the polarizer and started to make a few images. I wasn't really happy with what I was shooting as I wasn't getting quite close enough. I thanked the hikers and said that I was finished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They actually went well out of my way to sit down and have lunch which made me feel kind of bad since they wouldn't have been in my way regardless. While I was starting to pack up, I remembered my 2x teleconverter which I carry in my bag. This piece goes between the camera body and my 70-200mm lens to make it equivalent to a 140-400mm lens. I have only used it twice before, and figured that this would be a good time to give it another try.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-UVJfVvvQvUtKGVUa0VzU1bhKBquX0ev6Aqj1wVJ8FxqkWTa_XKXCwfgGJRD7AvIb-WQYue0d_UOnhiE4bqfI1czjwNPv0Et8LRX4RnyeoQlnKq2UlYWI6VCoJFLewIKXwJ2rcNB4s/s1600/Dreaming-in-Black-and-White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo-UVJfVvvQvUtKGVUa0VzU1bhKBquX0ev6Aqj1wVJ8FxqkWTa_XKXCwfgGJRD7AvIb-WQYue0d_UOnhiE4bqfI1czjwNPv0Et8LRX4RnyeoQlnKq2UlYWI6VCoJFLewIKXwJ2rcNB4s/s640/Dreaming-in-Black-and-White.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dreaming in Black and White</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was very happy that I thought to give this a try. I was able to zoom into about 253mm for this image. It was just a smidge tighter than what I had been able to get with the lens alone, but it was an important compositional change. It also kept the lens at its sweet spot near the middle of the zoom range. I shot this figuring that I would convert it to a monochrome to really make the water stand out. The color version was pretty good, but there was just too much green in the image, and I wanted a higher level of contrast. The conversion to black and white worked just perfectly and I ended up with a really nice execution of the concept that I had when I switched over to the long lens in the first place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the last bit of pictures that I shot. When I got back to the trail, there were hikers by the dozens going up and down the trails. Many were obviously set to go swimming in addition to hiking. The clouds were also starting to part a little more than I liked. With these things going against me, and seeing that the time was after noon, it was time to head back to the truck. I had shot 123 frames during the five hours that I was in the park. That would be enough to keep me busy for most of the night once I got home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It turned out to be a pretty good day. I achieved all of my goals that I had set for myself for this trip. It was also a fantastic day to be outside. The temperatures stayed right around 70 with just a passing drizzle with the clouds. After weeks now of 90+, it was almost a Fall day in the woods. I am starting to get tired now as I have now been awake for 19.5 hours and still have a few more things to do before bed. Thanks for joining me on my hike at Big Creek!</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-89887121091318175532018-07-03T13:09:00.001-04:002018-07-03T13:09:20.547-04:00Revisiting the Blue Apache<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday, July 3, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmksxDxdHVCmZJIWS_kwWTePC0PlGm95df-eWYfuUa32iKY8JU_B7oTjLjGpM9uHAqw5Pq7tMbziTP53xE5bNLL3hlj5-je5jnYvWDU1aQ1shyZ-cvF01-atgpEL47w5BSo-XyNzdIJNs/s1600/Patina-in-the-Morning-Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmksxDxdHVCmZJIWS_kwWTePC0PlGm95df-eWYfuUa32iKY8JU_B7oTjLjGpM9uHAqw5Pq7tMbziTP53xE5bNLL3hlj5-je5jnYvWDU1aQ1shyZ-cvF01-atgpEL47w5BSo-XyNzdIJNs/s640/Patina-in-the-Morning-Sun.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Patina in the Morning Sun</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been in a little bit of a creative slump for the past couple of weeks. Shooting a week solid at the beach, and then coming home to working on the series for the rat rod Cadillac really wore me out. Add to that, I have been having problems with the computer locking up once again which has really caused me a great deal of stress. I think I've got the computer issues under control though. I am limping on a single bank of memory right now (8 gigs), while I wait for two new banks of memory to arrive later this week. At least I am able to function at this point, just a little slower than I am used to is all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I have a traffic assignment this evening, into tonight, I thought that I would use this time to try and get my creative groove back on line. I had looked at the weather and the morning showed to be mostly clear with a few clouds here and there. That wasn't enough to justify going to the mountains which was what I wanted to do. However, it was passable light for doing some rural shooting as the sun came up. Since I had a print to deliver in Yadkin County, I figured that I might as well hunt around out there for something to shoot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After doing my last <b><i>Behind the Camera</i></b> entry, I was feeling nostalgic about the old Blue Chevy Apache that I had shot in 2014, and done a fresh edit in 2016 which had won a photo contest shortly thereafter. I checked the map and found that according to the last pass over the area, the truck was still there. I remembered speaking with the owner back in '14 and getting a little history on the truck. I was expecting to speak with her once again to gain permission to get in close to the truck.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdijts0sdYBZQ5CUuYqOs8gw6nPNgbu8p_mn9ExWVMurXTxTJQ79JBJM53dojN3CtcdjI0cguBYTqJCsPQObPDlMOB17TyqL6HuzbgMcY8-ZxvsCdmN5GKT0bk_sqa01iQGjxTkAagQFE/s1600/When-the-Light-Hits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdijts0sdYBZQ5CUuYqOs8gw6nPNgbu8p_mn9ExWVMurXTxTJQ79JBJM53dojN3CtcdjI0cguBYTqJCsPQObPDlMOB17TyqL6HuzbgMcY8-ZxvsCdmN5GKT0bk_sqa01iQGjxTkAagQFE/s640/When-the-Light-Hits.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>When the Light Hits</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Knowing how this is situated, I was expecting the sun to catch the front of the truck more than anything and that was fine by me. It should provide some dramatic light to work with. When I arrived at the house, the sun was up and already bathing the shelter and the truck. There was a good deal more hay in the shelter than the last time, but the house looked to be in a much different state than I remembered. It looked to be vacant, but the yard was mowed. There were no cars around, and all of the blinds were closed on all of the windows. Weeds were grown up pretty tall around the base of the house. From the looks of it, I wasn't going to get an answer at the door. To keep legitimate appearances up, I parked in the driveway with my tag showing to the road and neighbors. I went ahead and grabbed the camera. Just in case, I fitted the 70-200mm lens with a Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer to give me the reach to get some shots in quickly without having to completely walk through the yard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started making some compositions and noted that the exposure, while pretty contrasty, was within the latitude of the camera. Knowing that the grill would be my biggest problem, I exposed for the highlights, and let the shadows fall where they would. I had plenty of details in the shadow portions so I was pretty confident that I could balance the exposure in Lightroom so that the image would reflect the view that my eyes were seeing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I worked my way closer and closer in until I was at the wide end of the lens. I hadn't been challenged yet, so I went back to the truck and swapped over to my 24-70mm lens which would allow me to get in close and distort the perspective of the truck ever so slightly. I kept the polarizer attached though as it really helped bring the blue of the truck out a bit more.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7CHF6_r5s8fLU73yqWMokaMJAaMfITMRPu8gceGown_b6BnAO0NeqjAmzpVtfBPsRcTvQCmJkDr9aiGVWXrzF9drdyzC1T6QAHPZAlsPsWM6LZuOkQDPS7uueE4ShN8wbwPu8h0r60I/s1600/A-Summer-Morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7CHF6_r5s8fLU73yqWMokaMJAaMfITMRPu8gceGown_b6BnAO0NeqjAmzpVtfBPsRcTvQCmJkDr9aiGVWXrzF9drdyzC1T6QAHPZAlsPsWM6LZuOkQDPS7uueE4ShN8wbwPu8h0r60I/s640/A-Summer-Morning.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Summer Morning</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I got done with the basic shots of the truck, I started to work on some of the details. The problem that I was running into was the weeds that had grown over the truck. Where the lighting was the best, I wasn't able to really get a good view. The ones that I shot were not all that great and I ended up trashing them in the first or second pass through the images. The remaining three compositions were surprisingly similar, but the more I looked at them, the main subject was different in each one. I felt that they each stood in their own right, and deserved their time on display.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was getting back in the swing of photography, and was starting to feel that creative energy surging once again. I spent some time driving aimlessly around Jonesville, NC, looking for some more rural subjects to photograph. I found a few, though not as many as I was expecting. The lighting wasn't right for any of them, so I just filed them in my head for later and kept looking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a while, the sun was up too high and the light was too harsh on the West side, so I opted to wrap it up. It was time to go and deliver my print in East Bend anyway. This is part of the frustration of photography. I had spent about three hours on the road looking for things to shoot and ended up only finding one subject that had good light. There are plenty of times that I don't even find that so I'm pretty happy with the morning altogether.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm hoping for some really good weather very soon so I can get out and do some mountain landscapes again. It has been far too long since I've been out to the Blue Ridge Parkway under some dramatic skies.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-4336928290288269732018-07-01T22:47:00.001-04:002018-07-01T22:47:02.805-04:00Behind the Camera: My Wabi Sabi Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back for another installment of my monthly "Behind the Camera" series. In this series, I delve a little bit into the motivations behind my photography and why I do some of the things that I do. This month, I have decided to talk a little bit about my interest in the rusty and aged subjects that I have been shooting here of late. I'm actually scheduled to do a webinar on this very topic later this month with Singh-Ray so this is a chance for me to start to get my ideas together on the topic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started photographing old barns almost immediately when I got my first camera. In fact, the first day I went out with the intention of capturing "art" instead of just pictures, I found myself at the Old Mill in Guilford County, and also found the remnants of an old house well in the woods off of W Market St in Greensboro. Those constituted my first images with my first "real" camera. From there I started to concentrate more on landscapes, but if I came across a nice barn I would shoot it as well. I read recently that old barns are a favorite subject for newbie photographers and I guess I fell right into that mold. My primary motivation for photography was capturing the landscape though. It just took me a while to learn how to organize things in the landscape to make a compelling image. I think that this is why barns are a favorite subject for photographers. There is already a point of interest in the landscape, and an anchor to capture the eye of the viewer. My landscapes at the time looked like a layer cake with the sky above, with a fairly flat horizon and not much in the way of visual anchors to draw you in. A barn added instant visual interest to the picture and I enjoyed that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For years, I would go out to capture the landscape, but I would keep finding rural settings that would grab my attention more and more. I found that I loved to see how the wood aged, and how rust would start to coat the metal roofs. Then I found my first location with some old trucks. I had not thought to capture vehicles before, but for some reason the rust caught my eye. There were a total of four trucks at this particular property, three of them were stuck in the woodline, and the fourth was just on a ridge at the beginning of a clearing. There was even a pair of tractors that I started working with in the same area. In the end, I had a whole bunch of pictures with subjects that I had never really worked with before. I was amazed at how much personality that the images had, and the textures of the rusted trucks added a pretty cool touch. I was so impressed with the way one of them turned out, I actually entered it into a photo contest later that year. It actually won a third place ribbon, but I forfeited it because I felt that the judging was flawed across all of the categories. That is a different story altogether. The point was, the pictures of rusted vehicles were obviously appealing on some level to others as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It wasn't until I came back from a long hiatus from my photography that I started to learn why I was being drawn to rusted relics, and old barns. I had even been drawn to rotting tree trunks over the years. As part of my re-education in photography, I selected a lot of books to read in order to brush up on some of the new technology and techniques. One of these books was <b><i>Creative Landscapes</i></b>, by Harold Davis. In addition to hitting on lots of different elements in landscape work, he also touched on some of the concepts behind it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrmXbURZe02h8Ma4YHKur_coXvjnuPck2Ogfb-aiTgvwJDBEiZZaAARLPoglEUdqnaODFdJ_VvSbS-fdVZbIwleJPqmD3-GFUGWkU5SGZy51teFz3hv4dqY899elf3v-_K_umHuTXg_I/s1600/Spring-Cradle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrmXbURZe02h8Ma4YHKur_coXvjnuPck2Ogfb-aiTgvwJDBEiZZaAARLPoglEUdqnaODFdJ_VvSbS-fdVZbIwleJPqmD3-GFUGWkU5SGZy51teFz3hv4dqY899elf3v-_K_umHuTXg_I/s640/Spring-Cradle.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Spring Cradle</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first concept that he speaks of is "Tao" which is a philosophy with roots in ancient Chinese culture. Tao is traditionally connected with the landscape painters who seek a spiritual connection with the landscape that they are painting. This applies to both grand landscapes as well as intimate, or even microscopic renditions of the landscape. It was these connections to the landscape which had always drawn me to what I wanted to photograph. I was finding myself being drawn more and more to images that I shared a emotional or spiritual connection with. Old wood, whether it was in a natural setting as seen above, or as part of something man made, drew me in on a very deep level. As I was reading this book, many of my motivations on photography started to make sense.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I moved through the book, I came upon another concept from the East which really should have stumped me, but it was like a light had turned on when I read it. The concept that the author was trying to convey was an ancient Japanese aesthetic and world view called "Wabi-sabi". This view accepts that everything passes, and is by nature, transient and incomplete. Art which is based in the Wabi-sabi concepts accept that this decay and decline is beautiful. That decay is then used as the prime vehicle for conveying the emotion in the imagery. Simply put, "All things pass, and in their passage lies beauty."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Under Cotton Skies</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was finding my rhythm once again in photography, I was putting to use this newfound knowledge of Wabi-sabi and looked to strengthen my connection with what I was shooting. I celebrated the decay that once appealed to me as just something interesting to photograph. That decay became the main element in many of my photographs. Barns fit that bill very well, but in no time at all, I was working on finding old cars to photograph for the same reasons. Being a car guy at heart, I found that I was able to achieve a great level of Tao in my compositions because I already had a deep connection with these vehicles that were left derelict in yards, or in the woods.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A Rusty Streak</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the beginning, finding these old cars was quite difficult. It usually involved a lot of luck as I was just driving around and a sharp eye looking out behind houses, and in the woods. I found that barns were quite a bit easier as they are pretty big, and usually set fairly close to the road. It became the thrill of the chase to find these old cars though. Since I have been doing this type of photography, I have gotten increasingly better at spotting these old relics. For instance, the picture above is a Pontiac which has been sitting beside this field for a number of years now. It is visible from the highway that I use most often to get to the mountains. I had passed it by many times before catching it one day coming home. I had trained myself to look off to the sides of the highways, well into the yards of houses that I passed, and there it was, right beside a big white house. I exited the highway and snaked my way back to the location and determined that the property was more than likely vacant, so I had the opportunity to check the car out. The driver's door was open, and the grass was completely grown up around it. It had been here for a while, but I wasn't sure how long. I don't know how I had missed it over the years, but I was glad that I had found it. I have since been back many times to photograph it, with the most successful visit shown above.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4ujvXG2JlZRKqW5nEXO9m9rB8hMSXr6r4nJ8IEKhzdx1KqYGBJvnwKKQQYJR6pm5X94Gwl00J42aq1AKbAB8KBoEbzMu9aZIbYhPtFFshxMGtka3Q7tdGvlojIO42JAt1Lsg4zW-sQQ/s1600/Wide-Grin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4ujvXG2JlZRKqW5nEXO9m9rB8hMSXr6r4nJ8IEKhzdx1KqYGBJvnwKKQQYJR6pm5X94Gwl00J42aq1AKbAB8KBoEbzMu9aZIbYhPtFFshxMGtka3Q7tdGvlojIO42JAt1Lsg4zW-sQQ/s640/Wide-Grin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Wide Grin</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other times, these cars are just sitting right out in the open for all to see. In this example, the old Plymouth is sitting in a repair shop parking lot at a major intersection in Yadkin County. I had been out driving in the area looking for some barns the first time I photographed it. I have been back a few times and was able to take advantage of different lighting each time. Also, each time I saw it, the car was in a different state of deterioration. In this last visit, the trim was dangling, the wheels were removed from the front, and the windshield was broken out. All of these elements gave more clues to the current state of affairs for the car. It is the continued visits to this car that really fascinate me. Whether the changes come from vandals, or parts scavenging, it shows a different character each time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6H8VRlzS5Q2jf88PexM_5A7huqUgrrXrnQatwcvW44Q_K1hB6Xe1FCammDr5W49p0gtqADddOeAfzSfYtcWL8HdMAJyouHcawQ-9vfRMuPYMKi_k1vjSHgGyRJNM7qWxMHGwDGwJ2LZQ/s1600/Impressive-Stance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6H8VRlzS5Q2jf88PexM_5A7huqUgrrXrnQatwcvW44Q_K1hB6Xe1FCammDr5W49p0gtqADddOeAfzSfYtcWL8HdMAJyouHcawQ-9vfRMuPYMKi_k1vjSHgGyRJNM7qWxMHGwDGwJ2LZQ/s640/Impressive-Stance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Impressive Stance</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are other times that I rely on word of mouth as to where to find these cars. The salvage yard where I found this rotting Buick was based on a tip from a friend of mine. I have since been to White's Salvage yard twice to photograph the different cars in the lot. They have a lot to choose from and every time I go there, I come back with some pretty amazing images. The nice thing is that the owners don't really mind that I am walking among the boneyard. Their only request is that I do it during business hours and let them know that I am there. I find that completely understandable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other end of the spectrum to finding these cars and even barns is that so many times they require entering the property to photograph them. This is harder than it sounds, especially with me being a police officer. I just don't feel comfortable walking right onto private property to photograph something. Ideally, I will be able to make contact with the property owner so that I can ask permission. The conversation usually goes a little something like this: "Hi, I'm a photographer and I enjoy photographing old cars and barns. I notice that you have a ____________ in the back yard and I was wondering if you would mind if I shot a few pictures?" The answer is typically "You want to take a picture of that old junk back there?" We chat for a few minutes and then with any luck I will get permission to enter the property. Other times, I am denied that permission, oftentimes before I'm ever able to ask.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cracked but Intact</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is one of those funny stories from my adventures searching out these old cars. I was out driving around one Sunday and happened upon Pack's Body Shop which had a rather large salvage yard attached to it. It was obviously closed, but I noted that there were no fences, or other barriers in place. There were no signs indicating that I wasn't allowed on the property, and nothing in place that prohibited me from walking through. I parked right up front in the parking lot to indicate that I was there, and grabbed my gear to start photographing the area. I was out there a couple of hours that morning and had no issues at all, even with lots of cars passing by.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Several months later I returned on a Saturday and figured that I would do the same thing. I got my gear and started to get set up near some cars up front. This time, there was a guy that slowed to a stop in the road. I went out to meet him and asked if he was the property owner. He wasn't but stated that the owner lived right down the street and that I should probably go ask him. I could handle that, so I went down the road on foot and found the house where the owner lived. I knocked on the door and stepped back from the door allowing a full view of myself (hey, I understand folks get apprehensive about strangers knocking). While waiting for the door to open, I caught a sense of movement from the side of the house. I looked over and found a gentleman coming around the corner with a gun in his hand. OK, it wasn't pointed at me, so I was not terribly concerned, although I was unarmed. He inquired as to why I was there and I gave my normal speech. He was less than impressed and said that he never wanted to see me on his property again. I attempted to plead my case one more time, and was met with a similar reaction. I left, and have not returned since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That was the first time that I had been turned down for a chance to shoot on somebody's property. It was one that I will always remember since there was an off chance that I could have gotten shot. Although, I am glad that it went that way rather than him finding me among the cars and shooting first and asking questions later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There was another time that I was coming from Hanging Rock and stopped off to photograph a truck that was sitting under an overhang of an old gas station right off of the road. There was nothing but businesses around, and it was a Sunday. I got out and set the camera up and started to get my composition just right and I see a truck coming from a little ways down the road. They slowed and entered the lot. Before I could ask anything the driver asked (with his right hand conspicuously out of sight) what I was doing there. I answered that I was photographing the truck sitting under the overhang. His response was "Who takes pictures of things that don't belong to them, you need to go." I tried to show examples of what I did, but he was not interested, and I still couldn't see his right hand. I figured it was time to go, so I packed up, and while loading my camera gear back in the bag he continued to question why I was there. Knowing that there was probably a gun aimed at me, I opted not to engage in any arguments. I got in the car and left with him following behind me for a mile or so.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Fire Prevention</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the other hand, I have had the completely opposite experience when photographing these rural scenes. One of my favorite stories is one that happened recently in East Bend, NC, at Outlawed Restorations. I had found this location after a full day of photography in the mountains. It was just too good to pass up, so I pulled off to the side of the road and surveyed the scene. There were a couple of houses that could have been attached to this property, but with the changing weather I needed to shoot fast and didn't have much time to ask any permission. I figured that the scenes that I wanted to shoot I could get from the street. I started working out positions and compositions, but before long a gentleman stepped out of the shop that I had assumed was closed since it was a weekend. I was all prepared to be told to leave, but saw him motioning me in to talk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was where I met Dean Cornelius and he was quite gracious about letting me onto the property to photograph whatever I wanted to. What a nice surprise!! He told me a little bit about the vehicles on the lot and about what he did there. The difference being able to be on the property versus standing on the road was huge. The picture above was shot with my 70-200mm lens zoomed in to almost 200mm to get the composition I wanted for a panorama. Once I got onto the property, I was able to swap to my 24-70mm lens and get images like this...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Shattered Dreams</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is just no substitute for being able to get up close and personal with your subjects. Dean and I have since formed a pretty good friendship, and I've been back out to his place once more for my own purposes and then was invited back for a contract shoot of a Caddi that was going up for sale. What started out as a normal contact asking for permission has since blossomed into other opportunities. I have to say, I like these experiences much better than those where a gun is involved.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei4FwYu_awQjzokCTsTlSpEY3ZCRtklNZ_KQzXiKgyZO-zeYxCjwVDgahqV5rqQlcBAvp-fSpox3AxnKhOM9D1GKkxtjqxUj1m6xVHdOsTHpnl72kmmoGOVwZB2Br42riGklm6By9Qww/s1600/Ole-Caddi-at-Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei4FwYu_awQjzokCTsTlSpEY3ZCRtklNZ_KQzXiKgyZO-zeYxCjwVDgahqV5rqQlcBAvp-fSpox3AxnKhOM9D1GKkxtjqxUj1m6xVHdOsTHpnl72kmmoGOVwZB2Br42riGklm6By9Qww/s640/Ole-Caddi-at-Home.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ole Caddi at Home</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another benefit of speaking with the owners of these cars is that I get a lot of the history behind them, which aids in the spiritual connection with the subject. I've talked with several folks who have their deceased loved ones vehicles on their property. Some are destined to be restored, others are just there as a tribute and memory to somebody they have lost. Either way, it is fascinating to me to learn about these cars and what they mean to the owners. As a car guy, I completely understand the emotional connection that we have with our vehicles, and how those vehicles somehow become linked to us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are plenty of times that I am unable to make contact with the owners of the properties, and in those situations I have to make a choice. Should I just come back another time, or try to capture something from a location that I feel comfortable in. I've shot a lot from the side of the road, and I've ventured onto property that looks to be relatively abandoned. Every time I do this I expect to have a property owner approach me, so I usually work fast in case I am told to leave. I'm always very conscious of signs indicating that they don't want anyone on the property, or fences that provide some type of barrier to the property. Again, as a police officer, I just can't risk a criminal charge over my photography.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRFNwqBw125QurM-KnRWY1hVrCAvjXwnNXZyqzINWkhCmVmzt73yz1l0gM7n4dW43F1cVYoGrpCFWR4d1DUYcbpZlVnClAfyqanvFtp6B-Mjip7vzMwRKSeQ8W9tENh6K841uGvdiIqs/s1600/Found-On-Roadside-Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRFNwqBw125QurM-KnRWY1hVrCAvjXwnNXZyqzINWkhCmVmzt73yz1l0gM7n4dW43F1cVYoGrpCFWR4d1DUYcbpZlVnClAfyqanvFtp6B-Mjip7vzMwRKSeQ8W9tENh6K841uGvdiIqs/s640/Found-On-Roadside-Dead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Found on Roadside Dead</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it all comes down to it though, I've found that these rusted out cars have a soul remaining and it wants to be captured. When I see this decaying Ford, I am transported back to a time before I was even born. I am hearing the cheers of kids in the back seat on a family trip. I am imagining the owner of a brand new car taking it home and polishing it. I can imagine the lengths that the owner would go through to keep the car on the road and then finally being forced to give up the ghost leaving it in the yard, until it could be overhauled. In a way, the car's life flashes in front of my eyes, and I can imagine 40 or more years worth of history behind the subject that I am photographing. It is my hope that I am sharing that same reaction with the viewers of the pictures. It is a great case of "if that old car could talk..."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIcqBEPMbw17xQW-w8G98eJLF2BqsD9Ay4447wyYYxuA6IvmCh_fTI1f6KtEfDm09mOGBqG0oDEqVHKXnotw5osaZzMBbxEsmtQMsTxxyDJYnHl3H9ENt9B9INCt_nMkrHgCHveVb7-Y/s1600/Time-to-Mend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIcqBEPMbw17xQW-w8G98eJLF2BqsD9Ay4447wyYYxuA6IvmCh_fTI1f6KtEfDm09mOGBqG0oDEqVHKXnotw5osaZzMBbxEsmtQMsTxxyDJYnHl3H9ENt9B9INCt_nMkrHgCHveVb7-Y/s640/Time-to-Mend.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Time to Mend</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Wabi-sabi approach to photography applies to just about every aspect of my photography these days. I might not always be photographing old rusted cars, or even barns, but I can find beauty in the decay of so many things that surround us. This fence along the Blue Ridge Parkway illustrates that quite well. In the middle of the Spring flowers and vibrant colors, we have a very dramatic sky that breathes life into the image. Then there is the fence. It has obviously seen better days and has been standing for quite some time. Several of the boards have fallen, and what is still standing is showing signs of decay. By definition, this really should not fit in the image, but it does. In fact, the fence becomes the image in a way. It is all beautiful and shows life in different stages all at the same time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TCuXZ6CiClsWIrGqHJNP99CzF1atpiIHoQg-bwQDQ4S4Q_VTCpUXPocr16yCekc3VQFSG3Rlvgd9uRN6IHBmu6gCz4EHN9E-LDdTprsbTOSoh_AMCn6F4fZtSEVIWXJna8gg4qRFeCY/s1600/Chrome-Scallop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="800" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TCuXZ6CiClsWIrGqHJNP99CzF1atpiIHoQg-bwQDQ4S4Q_VTCpUXPocr16yCekc3VQFSG3Rlvgd9uRN6IHBmu6gCz4EHN9E-LDdTprsbTOSoh_AMCn6F4fZtSEVIWXJna8gg4qRFeCY/s640/Chrome-Scallop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Chrome Scallop</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even in an abstract composition, I can find beauty in decay. Here we have the side of an old Ford that has clearly been left out in the elements for some time now. The chrome is no longer shiny, and the paint is no longer rich in color or gloss. There is mold where Turtle Wax used to be, and pine needles where glistening reflections had once been. To look at this pictures, you really don't know what you are looking at, unless you are really familiar with the cars of the era, but the shapes and textures stand on their own. There is an understated beauty to this scene even though there is a lot of deterioration going on.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXURJFKttv5PExiHOMn_g2nh1Q4PG1ZEI3fzKnxUWCFJvz1wrK3WWMqFv5LGAFZg4gQC4m_0_rOuNTi4pytNS79hhypFWfUltskr7CHu6jeiOd_O5hAstEFnw4svKd_33SuTdxk6zek7Y/s1600/Guarded-and-Weathered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXURJFKttv5PExiHOMn_g2nh1Q4PG1ZEI3fzKnxUWCFJvz1wrK3WWMqFv5LGAFZg4gQC4m_0_rOuNTi4pytNS79hhypFWfUltskr7CHu6jeiOd_O5hAstEFnw4svKd_33SuTdxk6zek7Y/s640/Guarded-and-Weathered.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Guarded and Weathered</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next time you are driving down a country road and thinking to yourself "this is such a nice road," consider why it is a nice road. There sure isn't a lot of high rises, and concrete. The cars aren't flashy, and you will see that weathered wood and rust dominate the man made elements. Might it be you too are enjoying the beauty is the passage of time? We say it hearkens back to a simpler time, but I would disagree. Sitting in your car with air conditioning and an automatic transmission whizzing down the road, are you really thinking that working on a farm is simple? Maybe driving a car with three on the tree and an AM radio is somehow more relaxing than what you are in. Somehow I think we are getting things confused, and we are actually seeing these things in the waning stages of life which is much simpler than when they were in full functioning trim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For me, there is a certain quiet, calm, reverence to these old structures and cars. I can remember the good times that were had in and around them, but not really the hard work. I see many happy memories that I have never experienced first hand, and that helps to center me in a current world of turmoil. I guess in a way I am capturing a fantasy image of what once was, while celebrating the life of the subject I am photographing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBVKQEthnKbiix9omwvkys7p1wnLZG2lOoygasB-_HxaEYxWkm9qpOtVy34uAdO1rWjvjxq2SzRv0bImVoMTXJSse5Ace8SDaaMmsB4WQInzTaF5JvJ3HCPM1Z2aCKrT1QwK7a4PPC3o/s1600/Magic-Bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBVKQEthnKbiix9omwvkys7p1wnLZG2lOoygasB-_HxaEYxWkm9qpOtVy34uAdO1rWjvjxq2SzRv0bImVoMTXJSse5Ace8SDaaMmsB4WQInzTaF5JvJ3HCPM1Z2aCKrT1QwK7a4PPC3o/s640/Magic-Bus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Magic Bus</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another equally valid point to this type of photography is that you never know when these pieces of our collective history will be gone. Case in point is this bus. I have shot it a total of three times in various states of decomposition. This was the most recent and it dates to 2014. Shortly after I shot this bus, the property sold, and the new company that bought the building had this bus hauled off. I don't know of the outcome of this bus, but I do know that it will never be here to be photographed again. My camera was able to document the last days of this bus that served proudly for a career. With every click of the shutter, I might be taking the last picture of an object that will ever be shot. To be that kind of historian is pretty impressive when you think about it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-_plbLoBeDizuXXgcCaVPV34WZTXWo6cEi6O0QNbOM2RvGpM_5C5F_kjg7Pj7HS9RP_tzwBz5QqzY6xgNr9eCbK8JGFKKF3G7DW-HOXWilitD7HMxPzcqZHB1byQcIhaIQJz8fdvu2A/s1600/Just-Tired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-_plbLoBeDizuXXgcCaVPV34WZTXWo6cEi6O0QNbOM2RvGpM_5C5F_kjg7Pj7HS9RP_tzwBz5QqzY6xgNr9eCbK8JGFKKF3G7DW-HOXWilitD7HMxPzcqZHB1byQcIhaIQJz8fdvu2A/s640/Just-Tired.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Just Tired</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is one of those pictures that documents a scene that didn't last for another 24 hours. Most would have passed the opportunity by, but I saw something really cool in this setting and stopped to photograph it. I spoke with the owner and found out that there was a guy on the way to pick up the tractor to take it away later that afternoon. This was absolutely the last chance to photograph this scene as it sat. I found that it spoke volumes with all of the little subtle elements within the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope that I've opened your eyes a little bit as to why I'm drawn to these rustic scenes and rusty old cars. I really do believe that there is a lot of beauty in them, and I really hope that I capture that beauty in a way that speaks to you. I know of many in my audience that don't really care for these types of images, but I know a good many are coming around to enjoy them on some level. There is beauty at all stages of life, and we owe it to ourselves to stop and enjoy it when we can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until next time, enjoy the beauty that surrounds us!! If there is anything that you would like to know about my photography, let me know. I'm always looking for inspiration for these Behind the Camera entries.</span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208065401775848647.post-29888755620821774082018-06-24T17:06:00.001-04:002018-07-01T19:58:24.604-04:00On Assignment: Outlawed Restorations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, June 23, 2018</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTsxykYsdfV3Bb0ewdQoAgQX0YwN6c3jMBKVEB8HaOBukqMrfdBftwRFuLhmeWyRshXnP57pA3Ziv34YQvoFE_rpC46IMzPJ9lzK4H3LzXnR0LbvG3b1LegYjLD6IGzXQNTmm0f_FrLk/s1600/Hello-Dolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTsxykYsdfV3Bb0ewdQoAgQX0YwN6c3jMBKVEB8HaOBukqMrfdBftwRFuLhmeWyRshXnP57pA3Ziv34YQvoFE_rpC46IMzPJ9lzK4H3LzXnR0LbvG3b1LegYjLD6IGzXQNTmm0f_FrLk/s640/Hello-Dolly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hello Dolly</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing that I failed to mention in my series from Topsail Island was that I received a text from Dean Cornelius with Outlawed Restorations in East Bend, NC. I had just <a href="http://446photography.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-outlaw-and-kid.html">finished up a shoot</a> from his shop the previous weekend and that had lead to a conversation about the rat rod Caddi that I had shot in the barn. It was going up for sale and the actual owner of the car had commissioned some pictures to be taken of the car for the broker in Florida. Well, when Dean texted me, he let me know that the owner was now interested in me doing the pictures for the Caddi. To make a long story short, I spoke with not only Dean, but the owner of the car and came to an arrangement. It was going to have to wait until I got back in town before I could get the pictures, and they were OK with that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Essentially, the assignment was simple, shoot between 12 and 15 shots of the Caddi so that the broker can post them online. They needed to capture the spirit of the build and car, and spark the imagination of the potential buyer. These types of shoots are all about feeding the fantasy of owning a product. It was a little different that what I was normally accustomed to, but I jumped at the chance!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUO834ffFBBb-Yjea7wLGzdt8XyaWmZCCfqwp8oXWB7fnTWG9YsC7hO276GU0BaGXxaLKsJy5l18shysa0s_IIHEGjxjJhNPbXfz_nc8oKkmC2b55yw3hehxEXnR7Ul_IPtSmJJrnfRg/s1600/Caddi-Pipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUO834ffFBBb-Yjea7wLGzdt8XyaWmZCCfqwp8oXWB7fnTWG9YsC7hO276GU0BaGXxaLKsJy5l18shysa0s_IIHEGjxjJhNPbXfz_nc8oKkmC2b55yw3hehxEXnR7Ul_IPtSmJJrnfRg/s640/Caddi-Pipe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Caddi Pipe</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before going, I had a few ideas of what I wanted to shoot of the car since I had now seen it a couple of times. The biggest thing that I wanted to capture was the exhaust pipe out of the side of the car. This is just not something you see on a Cadillac, and I thought that feature alone would sell the car. Having the emblem below the pipe was an added bonus. I set the shot up here to showcase the lowered stance of the car, the whitewall tire with original hubcap and the shiny bit of chrome trim. The highlight was that gigantic hole in the side of the fender where the diesel fumes could escape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJTFO2ETScmsr00xE1oRQkwawKCxC8JSLbLK3CmkwaZWnoH5GsgYgNo3IYGqIutttJCuqV1CVRbr2uL3awbU4sZnEy8pUIt3fWJ4rm_pF_B6Z1F6lnzHUgtfIcWkADPKpUF3GbL5D5TE/s1600/Resident-of-US.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJTFO2ETScmsr00xE1oRQkwawKCxC8JSLbLK3CmkwaZWnoH5GsgYgNo3IYGqIutttJCuqV1CVRbr2uL3awbU4sZnEy8pUIt3fWJ4rm_pF_B6Z1F6lnzHUgtfIcWkADPKpUF3GbL5D5TE/s640/Resident-of-US.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Resident of US</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another feature that I wanted to capture was the seal on the door. I had always been under the impression that it was a replica of the Presidential Seal which is on the Limos of the POTUS. Well, I was shown to be wrong by Dean. He pointed out that he had the seal slightly altered when it was painted on the door. To avoid any possible problems with the Secret Service, the seal reads "Resident of the United States"...I guess that is a true and accurate statement. It is a really cool feature on this limo. This shot also shows the stance of the car on the air bag suspension and the section of a tree trunk that grew over the exhaust hole in the rear bumper. Instead of removing it, Dean just cut the wood around the corner of the bumper and left it there. While you see a lot of rust here, there has been plenty of metal welded up behind the panels to make sure that the car is still solid.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-hcG5ZPhJbBGBRizWDoGPK4UW4EQ7w8SDmTKZTqE2RJJ6FplmLD30Zw7ukZuImZjDVAF04M1vwRXqJ9kVIu4F8KtSydaxcwhHJ8GyTndO5-Tc8z6nBQV5WPwUdpvVmqLNpQTWOO8KS0/s1600/Air-Compressors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-hcG5ZPhJbBGBRizWDoGPK4UW4EQ7w8SDmTKZTqE2RJJ6FplmLD30Zw7ukZuImZjDVAF04M1vwRXqJ9kVIu4F8KtSydaxcwhHJ8GyTndO5-Tc8z6nBQV5WPwUdpvVmqLNpQTWOO8KS0/s640/Air-Compressors.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Air Compressors</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Speaking of the air ride suspension, Dean wanted me to get a shot of the air compressors and tank in the trunk of the car. What is so special about this is the way that the lines were plumbed. They were done to mimic exhaust headers and should appeal to any car guy. By the way Dean, I vacuumed up a little bit on the carpet with a clone stamp tool just to clean up the appearance a bit.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRK6aebgx3amzgOWXckt2z6Lif3rBebQuAE34VtVRiWHB91S1BHPaKrdVR26Vg_Qu-CI36YXdDyp3XflpzavWtqq-wto2tkGOGLi7n6WyTckqTdTOkU3Vn2DZDSkzurhKQHI2nF-eg6Q/s1600/Cummins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRK6aebgx3amzgOWXckt2z6Lif3rBebQuAE34VtVRiWHB91S1BHPaKrdVR26Vg_Qu-CI36YXdDyp3XflpzavWtqq-wto2tkGOGLi7n6WyTckqTdTOkU3Vn2DZDSkzurhKQHI2nF-eg6Q/s640/Cummins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cummins</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiULoo6ScLyFsDGHqi0CdQEsPNeDN0YuCRj68rNnyMfaZTz1tHGFlG1UzQkHwmH_rBfBWoI0O5-YzUoQBhe1PBVe0bRzHwftz8Xlw-k6H2FxRXUWBF2dMbr7Z-J5xyq_df21dUglu8U0/s1600/Diesel-Caddi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiULoo6ScLyFsDGHqi0CdQEsPNeDN0YuCRj68rNnyMfaZTz1tHGFlG1UzQkHwmH_rBfBWoI0O5-YzUoQBhe1PBVe0bRzHwftz8Xlw-k6H2FxRXUWBF2dMbr7Z-J5xyq_df21dUglu8U0/s640/Diesel-Caddi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Diesel Caddi</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While externally, the big exhaust pipe is the eye catcher, it is what is under the hood that makes that pipe so cool. This thing runs on a Cummins diesel engine which is turbo powered and has several very cool touches under the hood. Most notably is the radiator overflow jug which pays tribute to Dean's Fire Department days. Yep, you see it correctly, that is a fire extinguisher. I wonder if Kidde ever though that they their product would be used for this purpose?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BXTM2YXiWtHDKT4-iif5-_DZC5W_zLpHFbI0cjMW6qE2_tFHsvOLIfL90cvXTq33fjfuSrTDup2md4kuliajKriX_VoQccJGGSsfmYNRpXn0Ebc8JfUATEvP7HVvmQsryNq3-Bn5gTQ/s1600/Captains-Chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BXTM2YXiWtHDKT4-iif5-_DZC5W_zLpHFbI0cjMW6qE2_tFHsvOLIfL90cvXTq33fjfuSrTDup2md4kuliajKriX_VoQccJGGSsfmYNRpXn0Ebc8JfUATEvP7HVvmQsryNq3-Bn5gTQ/s640/Captains-Chair.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Captain's Chair</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No automotive shoot would be complete without a shot of the interior. I mean that is where the owner will be sitting and spending most of their time. The burlap seats are quite the centerpiece in the car, and the texture on the dash is from the burlap pad that was glued on it to replace the failed leather upholstery. The owner decided that he didn't like the burlap and Dean took it off which left this residue. Honestly, it works! You can also see the air controller here in the seat, as well as some of the gauges. For those who are interested, this was an HDR shot made up of five exposures which allowed me to get plenty of detail throughout the cabin. I think it is a great representation of the interior.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOH1KcMKAC5GX_rM6W2m2XW6Dx63MJEo8ncoWKzjE8YOxnq5SpFb2V9-H0tjhJuhmmGpFvXEykberYDIGOx-VgcGJ08cPaCsjMevRKqwfg4VuS_7qbTPjJFur9ATwlg3bG9QTLCGuQs4/s1600/Control-Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="800" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOH1KcMKAC5GX_rM6W2m2XW6Dx63MJEo8ncoWKzjE8YOxnq5SpFb2V9-H0tjhJuhmmGpFvXEykberYDIGOx-VgcGJ08cPaCsjMevRKqwfg4VuS_7qbTPjJFur9ATwlg3bG9QTLCGuQs4/s640/Control-Center.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Control Center</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For those that want to get up close and personal with the instruments, I got in low and shot this view of the dash. It is not quite fine art quality, but it does a great job at showing what it needs to. This car is just so cool!!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuagTwkCHe7BsQJz9vVlxsrbV_LnG79FBs7SNW1BOr-IzfxD5f1romjtL7X-28vsZJhyphenhyphen4DcBWc2YTXG6FDqVlI7lemfaVKqDFkxE94Naam3UW6CCbnFWEiDp1q2VndD03CU6XgXR8QFE/s1600/Limo-Interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuagTwkCHe7BsQJz9vVlxsrbV_LnG79FBs7SNW1BOr-IzfxD5f1romjtL7X-28vsZJhyphenhyphen4DcBWc2YTXG6FDqVlI7lemfaVKqDFkxE94Naam3UW6CCbnFWEiDp1q2VndD03CU6XgXR8QFE/s640/Limo-Interior.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Limo Interior</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is a limo used for? Hauling lots of people, or a few of them in extreme comfort. I would be totally remiss if I neglected to include a shot of the rear of the car to show the expanse of room and the jump seats. The question was how to do this. Well, I had a trick up my sleeve that was going to really impress Dean. I pulled out my Rokinon 14mm lens and fitted it on the camera. I got right up on the door and set the image up. When I was done, I had to show Dean what I had captured with this nifty lens (best $250 I've ever spent). He was amazed that is showed the entire interior of the car. Honestly, I was pretty amazed at the outcome of this shot too.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVt-3D0B_s1IZNKcyDh5mbDS9JYZ24XWvKmj1A7Wmlr-Q5_fgqK93jXP_TxUmEPhjxLD4nyP5R2jsFa4x9osbRCKJ6VGKdkuRxSsNa1Ij6Wpm2jAkH_Ox4ORmmBvx_Gjy3tXHsdQifZA/s1600/Draggin-Like-Friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVt-3D0B_s1IZNKcyDh5mbDS9JYZ24XWvKmj1A7Wmlr-Q5_fgqK93jXP_TxUmEPhjxLD4nyP5R2jsFa4x9osbRCKJ6VGKdkuRxSsNa1Ij6Wpm2jAkH_Ox4ORmmBvx_Gjy3tXHsdQifZA/s640/Draggin-Like-Friday.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Draggin' Like Friday</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point I started to ask Dean what features he wanted to capture that I had missed. I mean, this is to show off his work, so I wanted his input in the shots that I used. He started to tell me about the air horn (yes, a road tractor air horn on this Caddi) which was located just behind the passenger front tire. OK, that was going to be easy enough to capture. I got down low and used the whitewall tire as my anchor, and I exposed to capture the horn in the wheel well. I also got the exhaust pipe...yes, that is my favorite part of the car I think. Does it show? The lowered stance and patina are also very visible here in this shot.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq-M-BEQk7D_5p_c7t7PxFM28S_44IyvpM6LqKM8hWhcIfIaG3ehfzFhB0YOWxG8rYJoP7YHc7wsGG8HD2YeM11JoJhdVvYn7aVVXCgTfwKu5e8Vbm0tIDBWk21Jf2RQYuxY7l-N4pN4/s1600/Fill-er-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq-M-BEQk7D_5p_c7t7PxFM28S_44IyvpM6LqKM8hWhcIfIaG3ehfzFhB0YOWxG8rYJoP7YHc7wsGG8HD2YeM11JoJhdVvYn7aVVXCgTfwKu5e8Vbm0tIDBWk21Jf2RQYuxY7l-N4pN4/s640/Fill-er-Up.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Fill 'er Up</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going down the list of details, he showed me the fuel filler which is still used. It is a standard feature on this car, but still quite cool, and the tank has been replaced by a smaller '55 Chevy gas tank to allow for the air system to be in the trunk. I tell you, there are so many thoughtful touches on this car! You can also see the intake vent for the air conditioning right in front of the trunk lid, as well as the patina on this side of the car.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcMIU3xiwvxgv_cMPVgviLGiqQ47gy87LRb7dBZsdRrc6Ygu74Lg0XyIQm6hiMWLwb_rEbW7iZgVCfmokVXIqusEHMSl93ZivLqoQ_vjDjQvSAx3edI9OGyK99exHGsC5PJzOIC9pth4/s1600/Number-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="800" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcMIU3xiwvxgv_cMPVgviLGiqQ47gy87LRb7dBZsdRrc6Ygu74Lg0XyIQm6hiMWLwb_rEbW7iZgVCfmokVXIqusEHMSl93ZivLqoQ_vjDjQvSAx3edI9OGyK99exHGsC5PJzOIC9pth4/s640/Number-30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Number 30</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LibkDAYyDj7zkUcaNRQIpML7C7bPKJUA7u_a5TbRn_Fr3Rn1y1N8T1kMQ7BzuotkoE6rkG0-3CnqsTdEsn93GCG510sJQwQvyw9PF8CbKKoWy6Kl1jFDiZVHa8NGAimyYYRufyl7vk0/s1600/Vin-Plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LibkDAYyDj7zkUcaNRQIpML7C7bPKJUA7u_a5TbRn_Fr3Rn1y1N8T1kMQ7BzuotkoE6rkG0-3CnqsTdEsn93GCG510sJQwQvyw9PF8CbKKoWy6Kl1jFDiZVHa8NGAimyYYRufyl7vk0/s640/Vin-Plate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>VIN Plate</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Two other little details were the plate that goes on all of Dean's builds, as well as the original VIN tag that shows that this is number 213 for the '55 Caddi Limo body. An interesting side note here, the current owner of the car wanted Dean to sign below the edition plate. This is not something that he normally does, but I really like the idea. He is an artist and should sign his work, each and every time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this point I was pretty much done with the require shots, but I wanted to play a little bit more with this car. I had a few images that I shot which were more or less for me, but included in the package if wanted. They highlighted features that liked, and just a shot that I wanted to take.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIRCHzC_AVotixgOoYSc2IPDho-phUX1s-9nD7JGEsPdCS61BKRTFuVDHgD7DIHAYlxyaIyPn_vBdInvt4vRHcQdwU3tcYrkksojBJyu7GyJx9GLpBUDvCIZEWSHIZmUoZc2r_5g0emU/s1600/Custom-Touches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIRCHzC_AVotixgOoYSc2IPDho-phUX1s-9nD7JGEsPdCS61BKRTFuVDHgD7DIHAYlxyaIyPn_vBdInvt4vRHcQdwU3tcYrkksojBJyu7GyJx9GLpBUDvCIZEWSHIZmUoZc2r_5g0emU/s640/Custom-Touches.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Custom Touches</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I just can't get enough of the exhaust pipe sticking out of the side of this car. I love the fact that there is a factory emblem right below it which is unharmed. The chrome trim makes for a great leading line, and you can see the details in the distance of the seal, and the chrome trim. This is just a fun image, and one that I like.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXxEI82so0lrLZtKRrByPbHOMMEnmgUmD5rsn5OXbbOv2fs1w2JfaOAa6ANj0qKcc6j26uB1LGfxeLY4WrCts38qrxGWdyjHEB2lHnTQLtb7zzNs1vFCPV55W2exMhDJK4P388-a6Hpg/s1600/Vintage-Caddi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXxEI82so0lrLZtKRrByPbHOMMEnmgUmD5rsn5OXbbOv2fs1w2JfaOAa6ANj0qKcc6j26uB1LGfxeLY4WrCts38qrxGWdyjHEB2lHnTQLtb7zzNs1vFCPV55W2exMhDJK4P388-a6Hpg/s640/Vintage-Caddi.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Vintage Caddi</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, there comes a time in every blog entry where I have to say "the end". This is that time. I had a great time with Dean and spent about two hours capturing the images. I had another hour processing them once I got around to doing them. I could definitely see myself doing more of this type of shoot, whether it be for a broker, or for a celebration of your own vehicle. I am a car guy at heart and I love working with automobiles. I just hope it shows here, and that my client is happy with the images.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Edit: 06-28-2018</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After speaking with the broker, I realized that I forgot some of the obvious shots that were needed for the car. I needed broadside images. I knew this, but since I was quite worn out from the recent trip, it just slipped my mind. I was able to schedule another follow up shoot where I collected the last two images needed for this Cadillac before the add would go live. Of course, since it was my mistake, there was nothing else charged to the client. That was the proper thing to do, and I how I like to do business.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatTf8RN-rxpgQdpgxCrSR_3eHk_IengTngGv0VpEDpWgBnJS_TWaLvzEBeqJ1TrDosWV9lYUf1dLWkxZMq-q7FSBWegMgYJgpXcz-XPOcCeg3cSC-9ri-Rl-tMeBc6cOEzt55w3EA0fI/s1600/Long-Caddi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatTf8RN-rxpgQdpgxCrSR_3eHk_IengTngGv0VpEDpWgBnJS_TWaLvzEBeqJ1TrDosWV9lYUf1dLWkxZMq-q7FSBWegMgYJgpXcz-XPOcCeg3cSC-9ri-Rl-tMeBc6cOEzt55w3EA0fI/s640/Long-Caddi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Long Caddi</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEES6A-8m-nS7nI4r_MeNJIr57B5Rk8e3EkLHRjhG8pTtYYzeCbPibUd_27ELweS0-hgjI0uOzWadfqw41EM3Bzqp9dQicnEtwHTuUHfonB0LPYkaJJMFO_hc4gmMOpmc94G4ebaVT9oU/s1600/Power-Caddi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEES6A-8m-nS7nI4r_MeNJIr57B5Rk8e3EkLHRjhG8pTtYYzeCbPibUd_27ELweS0-hgjI0uOzWadfqw41EM3Bzqp9dQicnEtwHTuUHfonB0LPYkaJJMFO_hc4gmMOpmc94G4ebaVT9oU/s640/Power-Caddi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Power Caddi</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d9rkj4c3I7C2EzA_NFWkDmw1tZD4rV8p_dMlov-hbNNU1kkY_25kRJJXESaaImbV-CwOvlAOt-rLynScGLPht-Xcx2P9uQhj-cCeF2HA_Q-9nte2zTf6LEBwoBJMaZXACod-TRXYrKM/s1600/Circle-the-Wagons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="800" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d9rkj4c3I7C2EzA_NFWkDmw1tZD4rV8p_dMlov-hbNNU1kkY_25kRJJXESaaImbV-CwOvlAOt-rLynScGLPht-Xcx2P9uQhj-cCeF2HA_Q-9nte2zTf6LEBwoBJMaZXACod-TRXYrKM/s640/Circle-the-Wagons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Circle the Wagons</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00802855619539590923noreply@blogger.com0