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Photo Trek: Hanging Rock State Park, Part II
Photo Trek: 03/21/2008 -- 03/23/2008, Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury NC
As the afternoon drew to a close on Saturday I decided to make a return trip to the summit to view the actual Hanging Rock from which the park got its name. This hike was a little over 1.5 miles from camp and mostly uphill. I left at 5:40pm with intentions of getting up to the summit in plenty of time to catch the 7:30pm setting sun. However, my legs just don't take me as quickly as they used to and I ended up reaching my destination in about an hour, and then there was another 15 minutes to actually get to my shooting location on an outcropping beside the actual summit, and to set up my camera. That put me almost too close for comfort on the lighting that I was wanting.
Unfortunately, there were not many clouds in the sky for added visual interest, but I was not going to admit failure just yet. The sun was getting closer and closer to the mountain ranges behind me, and the normally concrete colored rocky outcrop was beginning to come alive with color. Using a 2-Stop soft edge Gradual ND filter, I was able to tone the sky down while exposing for the rocks. This gave me just the exposure that I was looking for.
Jagged Precipice
You will undoubtedly notice some similarities with another photograph that has adorned the pages of this journal from time to time. The difference is that this picture was created with my superwide angle lens which was able to take in much more of the scene than before. The ledge that I was perched on, did not allow much room to move, so lens choice was the only way to control how much of the outcropping would be included in the picture. I must say, the Canon 10-22mm did a great job here set at an equivalent of 16mm, and included everything that I wanted in the scene. For comparison, take a look at last year's composition created with the Sony at 28mm.
Ultimate Overlook Photo Copyright © 2007 G. Kiser
Since these pictures are very similar, the newer one has replaced Ultimate Overlook in the gallery. The reasons are quite simple...Jagged Precipice is a much higher resolution image with better noise control that can be printed in any of my gallery sized options. This is also the view that I had in my mind the first time I photographed this subject, but was limited with my equipment.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, my day of shooting was far from over. I swung the camera around to view the mountain range to the rear. Like I said, there was very little room to maneuver on the outcropping I had decided to shoot from, so I didn't have to worry too much with positioning. Keeping my same basic location, and lens selection, I swapped out the 2-Stop soft edge for a 3-Stop hard edge split ND filter. While the sky wasn't as colorful as I would have hoped, there was still something magical about this spot at this particular time.
The Day Surrenders
The title of this shot was one that I came up with while taking the picture. The sun had just slipped below the elevated mountain range, but was still about 10 minutes from full sunset. The mountains blocked the full intensity of the sun, but the sky was still very bright where the sun had been. It was at this very point in time, the day had surrendered, and was giving way to the coming night.
There were a few more photographs created as the sun got lower in the sky, but within just a few minutes it was time to pack up. Remember, I still had about an hour or so hike ahead of me. We don't need an almanac to see that it will be dark long before I make it back to camp, and there was some pretty deep forested territory to get through before total dark.
You can view the results of this Trek in the Landscapes Room, the Sunrise and Sunset Room, and the newly renamed Macro/Details Room of the galleries of Four Forty-Six Photography.
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beautiful....all of them. looks like a terrific place to hike and camp.
gina -
This is fantastic, I enjoyed reading all of your technical explanations for the pics, slowing it is starting to fall into place for me. The difference in the Jagged Precipice is amazing, beautiful. I think I would faint though trying to navigate on that terrain!
Lisa -
I love the different lighting. Scary place to stand at the point but a beautiful spot
Julie -
Wow Greg, the difference is amazing in the two pictures. The color is so golden and beautiful in the Jagged Precipice. The trees amaze me how they grow there.
You must have been tired after the long hike and then standing on a ledge but it was so worth it. The Day Surrenders is a perfect title for this last picture.
The rocks stand out like I can almost touch them. All the cracks and shadows show up. I just love all your new equipment.
Myke
4/1/08 11:49 PM
Super captures!!
_rRose