Splashes of Color from the Chimney

Splashes of Color from the Chimney

GRSM11D-34

October 8, 2011

Wrapping up this week of shots from the mountains, this last photo explodes with color.  Taken from the top of Chimney Tops trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can see the various shades as autumn sets in.  Reds, golden, with the evergreens still holding their own, it has a nice rugged feeling about it, though it is separated from much perspective due to the longer focal length.  (and it seems, in retrospect, that the uploader somehow crunched the photo more than I had anticipated, it seems blurrier than it did in LR).  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/80 @ f/16 ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Softness of Season's Change

Softness of Season's Change

GRSM11D-58_HDR

October 8, 2011

Hiking through the woods of NC, one thing you come to realize is that there are an astonishing number of waterfalls around.  The area is very lush, much more so than you'd think offhand, and it holds home to an incredible diversity of species, including salamanders and fungi.  And with some late-summer/early-fall rain storms that preceded our trip up to the mountains, the streams were in full bloom.  This small unnamed cascade was spotted coming down from Chimney Tops in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  You just barely get a glimpse of the colors changing, but it is a good contrast against the greenery all around, and the general coolness of the scene.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: var @ f/16 ISO 100

Post-processing: HDR image compiled from 5 images (+2, +1, 0, -1, -2 EV) in PS4.  Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Fall From Atop the Chimney

Fall From Atop the Chimney

GRSM11D-26_pan

October 8, 2011

The Chimney Tops Trail is a pretty tough slog up the side of the mountain; in the 2-mile journey, you rise close to 2,000 feet, most of which is in the last mile.  So you reach the top, having panted your way across the trail, and you scramble up the final couple hundred yards of craggy slate.  But your rewards are immense.  Perhaps not the tallest peak of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it has commanding views of the surrounding peaks.  And when fall is in full-swing, it is quite a sight.  This image shows off the patches of color erupting through the forest, and the crags of Chimney Tops below.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/80 @ f/16 ISO 400

Post-processing: Panorama compiled from 8 images, cropped own to final size in PS4.  Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Smoky Autumn Waterfall

Smoky Autumn Waterfall

GRSM11D-16_HDR

October 7, 2011

We came across this scene while driving into the park actually; from the road you could see higher up into this little creek, and the trees were alive with the colors of autumn.  So I pulled a fast turn into the pull-out, rattling my passengers, but that is the risk you take when a photographer is driving through the mountains.  We scouted around, and ended up looking down in the creek a little, looking up past this small cascade and into the fiery brilliance of the forest.  This is an HDR, a little blurry in the trees due to the wind, but still helping pick out some of the tones in the rock and river that otherwise could have been lost.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  10 mm

Exposure: var @ f/13 ISO 400

Post-processing: HDR image compiled from 3 images (0, +1, -1 EV) in PS4, tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Burgeoning Fall

Burgeoning Fall

GRSM11D-35

October 8, 2011

Well, fall is here, and to celebrate I spent the weekend exploring Great Smoky National Park, my first visit to the most popular park in the country.  The park is huge, though tremendously busy, which led to some unfortunate traffic jams.  But climbing up the trail at Chimney Rocks, we came across this scene of fall, with the trees turning, broken up by the evergreens below.  Quite a beautiful day to be hiking in the woods.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/80 @ f/16 ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.