rickbails

_20150421_010223

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.
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NIKON D3200

settings

Aperture 11/1 ISO 360 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 55/1

upload_date

Aug, 2016

Views

315

Likes

+15

Awards

People's Choice in Hills and Mountains Photo Challenge

Peer Award

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

PRO+

Congratulations on your Challenge Award!

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Bighorn ewe in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was taken at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN.

Time

The best I can remember, I took this photo at about 5:00 PM.

Lighting

Lighting was not planned, just a happy accident. I liked the shadows and the way they highlighted the mountainside. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Equipment

Nikon D3200, F3.5 18-55 mm kit lens with a Tiffen circular polarizer. F11, 1/500th, 55mm. I let the camera choose the ISO of 360. This photo was taken handheld, I used the hood of my car to steady my arms.

Inspiration

The clouds and sky were just right. For those of you who haven't yet been to Cades Cove, you need to try and get there. It is lovely with many opportunities for great landscapes and nature photos.

Editing

I did very little post-processing. I used Nikon View NX-I and Microsoft Photo to lighten this photo about 10% as best as I can recall. I do not Lightroom or any other post-processing software yet. I'm working on my photo skills first, maybe I'll get into more post processing in the future. I still have much to learn about exposure, lighting and composition.

In my camera bag

Nikon D3200, 18-55 mm Nikon lens and 55-300mm Nikon lens.

Feedback

Use a tripod, if possible. Invest in a remote shutter control to avoid camera shake. Use a circular polarizer or ND filter for landscape photography in bright sunlight. I use aperture to control DOF and usually let the camera choose shutter speed and ISO. I'm still a novice photographer, this lets me worry about composition and focus.

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rickbails

rickbails

_20150421_010223

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow rickbails

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