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Photo Trek: Hanging Rock State Park, Part I
Photo Trek: 03/21/2008 -- 03/23/2008, Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury, NC
Its camping season once again, so that means its time to pack up the truck and head out to the mountains for some quality outdoor time. I took some time off from work to have Easter Weekend free to go to Hanging Rock State Park. This is probably one of my favorite places to go camping and hiking because there is so much to see within the boundaries of this park. While we did have some issues such as some of our camping equipment failing, there was still some time to go out with my camera.
For most, the weather during the day was spectacular albeit a bit windy. There were very few clouds in the sky, and the days were reasonably warm for the time of year. The lack of clouds hampered me a bit as the light for the majority of the day was far too harsh for photography. I spent most of the day around the campsite relaxing and reading. At one point during the day, a few clouds passed by and provided a bit of diffused light. I immediately set out into the woods to see what I could see.
I came upon an old tree stump set in the middle of the woods that caught my eye. As you know by now, I really like to photograph fallen trees. This one was a bit different, however. As you can see from the picture below, the stump was twisted and the inside was hollow.
What you see here is one of my first attempts, but just didn't seem to capture what I wanted to capture. All I could really see here was the stump, none of the qualities that drew me in were captured in this picture...none. I had to step back and think about what I could do differently to make this picture work. Actually, if memory serves me correctly, I took about a half of a step closer, and zoomed way in. There was one particular section of this stump that really made me stop and pay attention, and that is what I wanted to show in my picture.
Wooden Gargoyle
To me, this is a much stronger image, and one that really conveys what it was that I saw in that stump. The limited depth of field makes this a three dimensional photograph, as opposed to just a two dimensional image. The depth of field is so small in fact, the only thing that is in sharp focus is a part of the exterior of a once proud tree that now looks like a gargoyle. As if this doesn't appear enough like a gargoyle, the rest of twisted bulk of the tree looks like the city that he is standing guard over.
This picture required a lot of work...in fact I went to this stump a total of three times, for a collective two hours waiting for the right quality of light. This image was actually taken on the second outing as the higher contrast worked very well. The bright leaves in the background provide a very nice negative space to really draw your eyes in to exactly where I want them to be.
The stump, while exciting to photograph was not the main outing of the weekend. There was also to be a return hike up to the summit to view the "Hanging Rock" at sunset. I have done this once before and found the colors that the sun projects on the rocky surface to be just wonderful. We'll get to that in part two of the Photo Trek.
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i think it interesting you see a gargoyle. i see a baby bird awaiting its meal from a devoted mother. sigh..............it is true that we all see things differently.
i truly love these images. but heck, you already knew that lol.
and please be careful perched on these ledges...........i would hate to have to send you flowers in the hospital in a body cast.
thank you for sharing your talent.
regina
http://journals.aol.com/wumzels2/SEDUCTIONOFLIFE/ -
Greg, I like the browns and greys in the first picture. I can sort of smell the stump and the area around it. I like this one. Then I saw the second picture and just couldn't believe it. This is so good. I didn't notice in first picture the gargoyle but this one is amazing. Made me smile .
Myke -
I saw the gargoyle... I find stumps interesting as well. Have you ever seen the openings at the base of tree trunks? you know, the ones that look like miniature caves. When I was a kid, I'd imagine fairies and elves and trolls lurking about the forest, and the openings amongst gnarled, moss-covered tree roots, were doorways into their world. Your gargoyle photo reminds me of those days, when I saw into the hidden world of fantasy. bea
http://journals.aol.com/bgilmore725/Wanderer/ -
In the second photo I saw what was special about the stump.
3/26/08 10:47 AM
Lisa