Off the beaten Path
I stopped into Hartwick Pines State Park in late October hoping to get some color and check out some of the old growth pine trees and while there I came across ...
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I stopped into Hartwick Pines State Park in late October hoping to get some color and check out some of the old growth pine trees and while there I came across this shot as the sun was going down.
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Nov, 2016Views
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Contest Finalist in Dear Trees Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was shot in Northern Michigan at Jordan River Valley (Deadmans Hill Scenic Overlook). It's such a cool area and the Fall is the best time to shoot it. This was shot an hour or so after sunrise.Time
I left early one Autumn morning when my Fall color website said this area was in peak Fall color. I arrived just after Sunrise and took this image around 9 am.Lighting
The lighting for this shot was very bright so I had to close down the Aperture a bit but I still wanted to catch the blue sky and the shadows from the trees.Equipment
I shot this on my Canon 5D Mark iii with my Canon f/4, 24-105mm L lens at f/16 in Aperture Priority Mode handheld. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I have had this location on my shoot list for quite awhile but it seems like each Fall I miss peak color or it's raining or I'm too busy. I finally had a day where the weather was good, the trees were near peak color. I wasn't sure what I'd see but I was very happy with the colors and the lighting. I had shot the sun through Pine trees before and wanted to get some of the fall color with the sun casting long shadows through the trees.Editing
I always upload my photos to Lightroom classic and see if they need post processing. This photo I tweaked the shadows and contrast a bit along with adding a little more saturation. Overall the image was pretty good straight from the camera but I also warmed it a little. Overall a quick 5 minutes of post processing and I had an image that I had seen earlier that day.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 5D Mark iii with the Canon 24-105mm L f/4 lens ready to go. I also carry a Canon 20mm, f/2.8 Prime, a Canon 50mm f/1.8 Prime, a Samyang 14mm f/2.8 Prime. I carry a Rocket blower as well as some assorted filters including a polarizer, ND and UV. I also have a Intervalometer for long exposure shots as well as a Vanguard Carbon Fiber Tripod. I carry an extra Canon L6 battery and charger along with a flash light and headlamp, I also keep a Ziploc and a baseball cap just in case it starts raining or snowing.Feedback
My best advice is to have patience and shoot as much as possible. As a Landscape photographer you are not always going to get "The Shot" the first time you visit a location. Sometimes you do get lucky and everything is perfect but that's rare. Timing and lighting is everything. The best advice I have learned over the years is if you are shooting the Sunrise get there at least an hour before Sunrise and if shooting a Sunset stay an hour after Sunset. I have arrived late to a sunrise missing the best colors in the sky during blue hour and have left early missing the sky catch fire. I have also decided to skip shooting a landscape on a certain day only to see shots of it the next day and it was magnificent, wishing I had gone. I have gone to the same location multiple times and each time it's different. For this shot you must time the Sun rising or setting at the right time as well as the weather with little to no clouds to get a bright light filtering between the trees. My last piece of advice is just get out and shoot, shoot everyday that you can.
