In the Woods
Outside of Guyton, GA in Effingham County
Outside of Guyton, GA in Effingham County
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Jun, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is on a back road in Effingham County, outside of Guyton, specifically. Effingham County tends to be more rural, and was settled by a group from Salzburg, Austria, who were followers of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. They'd been driven out of their home by Edict on Oct. 31, 1731, by Archbishop Firmian. Over 2,000 people were driven out - some were accepted into present day Germany, but 300 of the group migrated to England, and set sale for Georgia by way of London. They landed in Savannah, where they were greeted by James Oglethorpe, the appointed 'governor' of the 13th colony by King George III. Oglethorpe appointed an area, what is now part of Effingham Co, to be their spot for 2 reasons - first, because he really wasn't interested in 'outside interference' from any group looking for religious freedom; on the other hand, he felt he could hardly turn them away, and felt they would be a good buffer against the Yuchi Indians. I loved this setting, and stumbled on it quite by accident (which is so often how I find and take my best shots!!)Time
After spending some time in the now-defunct town of Ebenezer, in Effingham County, in an effort to learn more about the Georgia Salzburgers, I wandered down the road less travelled, and found myself down this dirt road, amid these pines and hardwoods. The lighting, as it came through the trees, was magnificent, and I stopped and snapped this picture. I had my tripod in the trunk, but I did not pull it out, as I wanted to try and capture this precise moment. I propped my elbows on the hood of my Honda and snapped the photo.Lighting
I wanted to present a mysterious ambience here, and it just so happened to be the perfect time of day. Summer in this section of Georgia gives off a certain amount of light during high noon, and I felt very fortunate to come across this scene at the moment in time that I did - it was absolutely perfect, and to me, presented the peace of the woods perfectly!!Equipment
I used a Nikon Cool Pix 100, with a regular lense - no other equipment was used.Inspiration
My primary interest is in historical cemeteries and churches, and I had been to New Jerusalem Church and Graveyard, as well as in and around the now dead town of Ebenezer - this photo was taken after my meanderings at these two locations. Dirt roads are one of my favorite things to drive down and explore, and often give good fodder for some of my own favorite shots - it's often impromptu. The scenery was beautiful to me, and along the way, I've come to find that nature shots, such as this, are an accidental favorite of mine.Editing
In this case, I simply utilized software to enhance the clarity of this shot, as well as to darken it a tad - the trees provided for a good, natural barrier from the hot, bright, coastal Georgia sun, but I chose to darken the light just a tad - I love to play around with the enhancement mechanism on my computer once I upload the shots. I also have access to filters, but once I enhanced the clarity and dimmed the lighting just a bit, I found no need to utilize a filter - I was happy with the end product without the use of any filter.In my camera bag
I do keep a tripod with me whenever I go out on 'shoots'. My camera has a built in telephoto lenses, which I utilize often (but not here.)Feedback
Weather and sun can make or break a particular photograph. I have learned this the hard way, regardless of whether I'm shooting a landscape like this, or the outside of a building, or a bridge, or pasture land that catches my fancy. In this case, I was lucky that I came across this scene at a perfect time of day, as the sun was starting to go down - always keep in mind that the weather can play a role in the quality of a photograph. I have so many 'scenes' that did not turn out well, even with post-processing. This particular situation was actually completely impromptu, in that I stumbled on it while out taking photos of other things - sometimes, that's just how it turns out: it's good to try to plan around bad weather and/or time of day, but even then, there are not any guarantees - I was actually very lucky on happening upon this scene at the proper time of day. Always keep that in mind, along with whatever the weather may be doing. I've also taken pictures right before, during, and right after storms....often, right before and right after turned out better than during!! Be willing to 'wait it out'. And don't be afraid of going down these roads less travelled - the rewards are fabulous, and the adventure of it, unto itself, is one of the best parts to it!! Many of my friends gasp at some of the stories I've told them - some have called me insane, but many have had gleeful, and envious, reactions, to my willingness to go down the stranger paths!!! Life is an adventure, and photographing it adds to that adventure!! Be safe and vigilante, BUT HAVE FUN - and be willing to take that adventure!! We only live once....
