Shenandoah National Park
In this episode, I take my Triumph Bonneville, loaded with camera gear, to Shenandoah National Park. This was a test ride to work out the logistics of taking camera gear along for a ride and how I would secure the motorcycle gear in order to leave it while going off on a hike or spending the night on the trail.
I did manage to take one photograph during this trip, but you have to watch to the end in order to see it.
See the show notes for links to the gear I discuss in this video.
In episode 2 of my photographic adventure VLOG, I try my best to make some photographs in Shenandoah National Park after a very challenging start.
Even when things don't go exactly as planned, it's best to keep shooting, or at a minimum remember that whatever else, you are still in a wonderful location.
1/15 @ f18, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 24-70mm at 70mm.
This is the fourth time I've photographed "Big Meadows", located at mile marker 51 on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, and each time it produces something different from what I expected. This time I was expecting wildflowers; what I encountered was something more dead than alive.
In order to prevent the meadow from becoming a forest, the park mows a portion, leaves a portion fallow and then burns a portion. Apparently they burned a portion on April 5th, which became apparent as the sky began to light up the field; and also when I looked down at my pants.
As I worked my way along some of the many paths located in the meadow, I passed many of those burned out spots and I knew that they would provide some interesting photographs, but the sun was rising quickly so I made my way further into the meadow searching for something to put in the foreground. The tree in the above photo caught my eye for two reasons; it was the tallest thing in that part of the meadow and it was the only thing that wasn't brown. I knew the white bark would give me separation from the background and then I moved around looking to place the sun in different parts of the frame. It didn't take long before the sun was up and it was time to move on.
1/15 @ f18, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm at 16mm.
Stripped of ground cover, the patches created by the prescribed burn provided a unique look at what the meadow floor looks like stripped of its cover and with the light low in the sky it created deep shadows which emphasized the roughness of the bare ground.
The other thing I noticed was a difference in color temperature between the warm yellow grass and the cool blue of the bare patches. So I decided to use that as one element to add depth to my photos. The other thing I did was include these little trees that seemed more like someone had just placed sticks in mud. It was just so different from the field of wildflowers I was expecting. Using a wide angle lens and getting close, it made these sticks appear more prominent in the scene and helps to draw you in.
1/20 @ f20, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm at 14mm.
I moved on to another bare patch where a stick on the ground caught my eye. I lowered my tripod in order to emphasize the foreground and then used that stick as an element to lead you into the scene. Again, I also relied on the various color temps to add depth and interest.
1/800 @ f7.1, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 24-70mm at 62mm.
For the final shot, I switched back to a longer lens and used the trees as a graphic element in the foreground. I like how my attention switches between foreground and background. One moment I'm focused on the trees, the next I'm trying look through them. Those layers provide the depth that draws you into the frame.
I don't know what photos I expect to get at Big Meadows, but I know that I haven't made them yet. In fact even as I look at the photos above, I can't help thinking that I could have done more, embraced the scene and accepted it for what it was and forget that it was not what I expected. I will return and keep an open mind.
This photograph which was taken one hour before sunset exhibits typical lens flare that causes artifacts usually in the shape of the iris. Lens flare is more common when using a zoom lens. ISO 200, f11 @ 1/500, with a Nikon 70-200 2.8 at 200mm.
Light is the key to photography and as we continue to chase that light, more often than not we find ourselves out during the golden hour; that wonderful time around sunrise and sunset. However, after it has risen or while waiting for it to set, we rarely point our cameras in the direction of the sun and that's a shame.
During two recent visits to Shenandoah National Park, I found myself embracing the idea of pointing my camera into the sun and came away with some beautiful results.
This photograph was taken one hour after sunrise from high above the valley backlit by the sun. The light shining through the early morning fog gives this image a soft, ethereal feel. ISO 200, f22 @ 1/400 with an Nikon 80-400 4.5/5.6 at 400mm.
One reason, of course, you might avoid shooting in the direction of the sun is lens-flare, but perhaps that is the exact reason you should keep shooting. Traditional we have been told that lens-flare is a mistake, something to avoid, but more and more I'm seeing it used as an artistic effect. I believe it can add an authenticity to a photograph, almost like you did make a mistake, as if you suddenly turned around, grabbed your camera and fired off a frame.
Another reason that you might avoid shooting in the direction of the sun is that it tends to produce flat, monochromatic images. However, it is just that lack of contrast that can give a photograph an otherworldly or ethereal feeling. A sense of being overexposed, but in a good way.
The sun, just out of the frame at right one half hour before sunset produced this unexpected pinkish hue. Shooting into the light can often result in flat, monochromatic images. ISO 200, f4.5 @ 1/80, with a Nikon 300 2.8.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes lens-flare and flat imagery is not desired, otherwise we could all throw away our lens shades and only purchase inexpensive zoom lenses and place cheap filters on them.
Keep in mind a few things when shooting into the sun. Use live view instead of looking through your DSLR camera, especially with a long lens. Set your camera to manual mode, both exposure and focus, so you control the effect, otherwise the camera will try to compensate for your "mistake."
So the next time you are waiting for the sun to set or turning your attention elsewhere after the sun has risen, keep shooting. And if you quickly dismiss a photo because of lens-flare while editing, go back and take another look, you might be surprised.