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kathykuhn100
Above the Fog
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Above the Fog



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Winter's sunrise at Mt St Helens, WA

Winter's sunrise at Mt St Helens, WA
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cameraNIKON D600

settings Aperture f/22.0 ISO 100 Shutter 10/1250 Focal Length 320/10 

upload_dateFeb, 2015

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4015

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Awards

Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 28 Photo Contest
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Runner Up in Sun Flares Photo Contest
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randalwallen TonyGuzmanG MjBain davidjprosser Ulysees gman176 Vorster +146
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Tanya333 royalgardenphotography RickJ httppluto Rusanne123 PrakashDeshmukh Cathleen_Shea +92
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tkmac Burnettj DadiGylfason Geren111 ashleydawnphotography p_eileenbaltz BramblinOnPhotography +8
All Star
chuckmyer PatricaK VictorHawk LauraMedina dpandtp shmchuck collie +7
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Ottolia LondonMcCormick
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WRC19 Albert-Serra-Photography

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Happy
chuckmyer

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11 Comments |
terryc Platinum
 
terryc February 10, 2015
Love it!
JulesB
 
JulesB February 16, 2015
Just heavenly.
MarshaMarie
 
MarshaMarie February 16, 2015
Incredible!!!
Ingleman
 
Ingleman February 27, 2015
Perfect. Stunning landscape.
adriansart Platinum
 
adriansart July 24, 2015
Spectacular Kathy!
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots July 31, 2015
Beautiful! Congrats.
ClaudiaKuhn
 
ClaudiaKuhn August 03, 2015
Congrats Kathy!
snowdon PRO
 
snowdon February 03, 2017
Brilliant Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 28 .. you are on a roll :) Congratulations
anthonymannion PRO+
 
anthonymannion February 22, 2017
great shot
Caz6969
 
Caz6969 March 23, 2018
Love it
DNproSTUDIO
 
DNproSTUDIO October 12, 2018
nice very amazing the light

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#cascades #fog #Pacific Northwest #mountains #nature #scenic #st helens #sunburst #sunrise #volcano #washington #winter
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Behind The Lens

Location

Just off highway 504 N of Mt. St Helens, WA before Johnston Observatory

Time

I took this just before sunrise at the very end of December 2013. My husband, son & I were trying to get a sunrise shot of St Helens but were being foiled by thick fog at the lower elevations. Suddenly I saw the mountain starting to emerge through the fog . We found a place to pull over then clambered carefully over icy snow banks, with camera & tripod & grabbed this shot as the sun hit the rim of the volcano.

Lighting

Since the sun was already up by the time we got out of the fog, I waited a few minutes to get the sun star on the Volcano's lip. I shot with the highest f-stop I could to get the sunburst.

Equipment

I shot with a Nikon D600, using a 24-120mm lens. I believe I was using a graduated ND filter as well.

Inspiration

First, the mountain began to emerge from the fog but there was still a wonderful sea of fog in the valley. Then I chose this composition because I loved the regular tiers of Noble fir branches on the hillside. Lastly, working quickly, I got the sun star on the lip of the volcano.

Editing

I made RAW adjustments, lightening shadowed areas and used layer masks to lighten a bit further. The ND filter allowed me to leave the sky pretty much untouched.

In my camera bag

Depends on what time of day I'm shooting & how far I'm planning on walking. I have to travel light because I have a lot of arthritis, so usually I'd just be carrying polarizer, graduated ND filters & holder, extra memory sticks & batteries and maybe my 70-200mm lens.

Feedback

Sunrise & sunset give the most spectacular light to Mt St Helens. I have had the best luck catching those times of day by staying as close to the mountain as I can (which is about 40 minutes, unless you're camping). There are amazing trails on the N side of the mountain starting - specifically the Boundary Trail from Hummocks, past Johnston Observatory all the way to Harry's Ridge & beyond. Unlike most mountain trails, you get a full view of the mountain both coming & going almost the entire time.

See more amazing photos, follow kathykuhn100

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