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Photo Trek: Pilot Mountain
Photo Trek: 10-18-2007 -- 10-21-2007, Pilot Mountain State Park, NC
Forest Stair Steps Photo Copyright © 2007 G. Kiser
Jennifer and I have just gotten back from a long planned camping trip to Pilot Mountain State Park. This was the first time that we have camped there, as we normally head to either Stone Mountain or Hanging Rock State Parks for our camping trips. With the weather getting cooler, there seems to be more and more people out camping on the weekends. It has come to our attention that Pilot Mountain tends to fill up slower than the other locations. We decided to give it a shot for a long weekend.
Both Jennifer and I have been here for day trips to the summit of Pilot Mountain which is one of the most recognizable of the NC landmarks. She, however, has never camped here. I, on the other hand, learned how to camp on this mountain some 20 years ago, so it holds a special meaning to me. It was great fun to get back to Pilot Mountain and spend some time around the camp grounds.
Of course, the weather played a large part in my photography for the weekend. However, for once, I had no idea at all what I wanted to photograph on the trip. I figured I would play it by ear. After setting up the camp site, I had several hours to kill before Jennifer arrived from work so I went off on a short hike to see what the area had to offer. I found a trail that started behind some unoccupied camp sites and I decided to go and explore. With the sun out, and the lighting very harsh, I didn't even take my camera. This was more an idea outing than anything else. Along my hike, I located several possible photo subjects and made mental note of their locations and what kind of lighting would be the best for the pictures. After a little while walking I decided to head back to camp.
The bright sun didn't last very long...as luck would have it, shortly after midnight it started raining....and raining, and raining some more. The good news is we were staying dry inside of our tent, but that is pretty much where we had to stay in order to stay dry. The rain continued until around lunch time. We were able to free ourselves from the tent long enough to get some lunch, but every time the wind would pick up, the trees would shed their water on our heads. After an hour of this, I decided I had had enough of sitting around the camp site. With the actual rain appearing to be finished, and the trees slowly drying, I decided to make use of the wonderful cloud-lined sky and water saturated vegetation.
Remembering the locations that I had wanted to return to, I grabbed my equipment and headed out. It just so happens that pretty much everything that I wanted to photograph needed well diffused, warm light...just like what I was seeing right before me. Even the brown leaves on the ground looked alive with the fresh rain water. The first stop was a rock nearby the camp site. This was not a regular rock....no....this rock had a reddish brown coloring on two of it's sides and the top was covered in moss. I tried several composition of just the rock, but none had any real visual interest. I decided to change my plan of attack and make it a supporting element in a broader composition showcasing the forest itself. This composition worked very well, and still showed off the color that drew me to the rock.
I continued onto the trail that lead to a series of rock outcroppings which I found quite interesting. I spent a good deal of time working through different compositions until I found the right combinations. A disappointment was the partial cave that I had found the day before. I thought that the soft lighting that I found myself in would be great for the cave, but alas, there was still too much contrast, and the textures of the wall just didn't show up. I needed more directional light....I would have to think on this some more. I'll do a follow up entry with more details.
Even though the cave, and some other locations didn't quite pan out from this hike, I came back with four new pictures which are posted in my Landscapes Room.
The rain moved out of the area and after a clear and calm night, a beautifully clear Saturday was upon us. The sky was a brilliant blue, which is wonderful to look at, but tends to make less than interesting pictures. I stayed around the camp site for most of the day until dark when I went out on a special assignment to reshoot the cave.
For having no idea what I was going to photograph on this trip, I have come back very surprised. I have added a total of six new pictures to the gallery, some of which are favorites of mine now. Sometimes photography isn't about planning as much as its about taking advantage of what is offered.
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I enjoy the bright contrast of the shape of the lime colored leaves against the dark brown tones of the rocks. The rocks in the foreground are quite interesting making me ponder if people or nature were responsible for positioning them in a cascade. Great photo! mark
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Great shots Greg!
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You got some great shots here Greg. I agree that you have to grab whatever chances you have for a good photo, sometimes when they're developed you get a nice surprise. Jeannette xx
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I like this one :) that little bit of spring green in the corner offsetting the dampy rich moss green on the stones if great. You can smell this one, that bark/foliage smell you get in corners of forests. Rache
11/2/07 9:15 PM