Raven's Roost Sunset
Aug, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this shot at Raven's Roost over look on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. This has always been on of my favorite places on the parkway. This is also one of the places where the Appalachian Trail meets the parkway.Time
This shot was taken just before sunset. This particular week produced several very stunning sunsets and sunrises.Lighting
The lighting was a bit difficult to deal with for this shot. The sun seemed to be brighter than normal and I was scared that my reverse ND wasnt going to hold the highlights back enough to keep detail in the tree, dark clouds and dark mountains.Equipment
This shot was taken with my Canon 60D using the kit lens that it came with which is a 18-135. I also used my Cokin P series filter holder with a Singh Ray Daryl Benson Reverse Graduated 3 stop filter and a very cheap tripod.Inspiration
A fellow photographer had posted several very nice shots from earlier in the week and I was chomping at the bit to try to catch at least one sunset before the clouds moved on. Thursday of that week finally rolled around, which is my day off from work, and I went out that morning and tried to get some sunrise shots but the clouds weren't cooperating and I had gotten discouraged that the front had moved on and I had missed my opportunity for a great shot that week. As the day turned to afternoon the clouds had taken a similar formation and I was about to just stay home and do a few things around the house for the evening, but then something was telling me to just go ahead and and see what happens. I'm glad I did I made it up on the mountain to Ravens Roost with only about 15 minutes to get set up before the sun was going to be behind the mountains. I rushed as quickly as I could to get the camera on the tripod and the filter on while trying to decide where I was going to set up. About that time the sun had just dropped below the clouds and I decided if I didn't stop where I was then I wasn't going to get the shot. So I stopped and this is what became of it.Editing
I used Photoshop CC to further hold back the highlights and slightly brighten the shadows. I noticed that I wasn't getting enough detail from the tree so I selected the tree and created a new layer in order to get as much detail out of it as I could.In my camera bag
I ALWAYS have my Canon 60D with me as well as my 18-135 kit lens, my nifty fifty, and my favorite 17-40 f/4 L (which I didn't own when I took this shot). I also keep my Cokin filter holder, Singh Ray Daryl Benson Reverse Graduated 3 stop filter, and a Hoya circular polarizer.Feedback
Don't let the weather trick you when it comes to photography. In hind sight I should have left earlier to arrive where I snapped this photo because even if the clouds hadn't cooperated its still a beautiful place to spend time at.
