photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Ed Knepley | all galleries >> Photo a Day (PAD) since 5/04 >> mar_08_pad > 3/5/08 - Misty "S"
previous | next
04-MAR-2008

3/5/08 - Misty "S"

"S" for Shenandoah (or Skyline?) - as in Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
Curves, switchbacks, stone walls, rocky hill sides abound along Skyline Drive. What doesn't abound is a safe place from which to shoot them. You can't just stop in the road - although some fools do. Blind curves, double yellow lines and no shoulders make it inadvisable as well as illegal. The alternative is to park legally and then hike to your spot. Also, what abounds in SNP if you live nearby and are patient is beautiful photography weather/light - and I don't mean mid-day sunshine. Put it all together - curves, trees, mist, emotion - and it's hard to make a bad image. I only go when the forecast is for precipitation.
I post-processed this in Nik's Color Efex Pro using the Polaroid Transfer filter to get the arty edge. It's just as nice without it, but we need to do something different every once in a while.
One of my favorite mantras is "it's all about the light, stupid" as I search for images. It goes without saying that another should be - "and don't forget about the composition, dummy". This image is all about light and composition - and the scene doesn't hurt either.
PS - shot this at least a dozen times without changing a thing; just waited a few seconds while the fog moved in waves. The trees in the center were the key as they changed from invisible, to totally visible and all points in between. I chose this one because of how the top of the tree seems to pop up out of the mist (they were CLOUDS actually).

Nikon D300
1/30s f/16.0 at 135.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
comment | share
Jim Coffman16-Apr-2008 00:08
Outstanding image!
Tom Briggs06-Mar-2008 22:24
Unbelievable shot, Ed ... the fog is a bonus but that "S" is a photographer's dream ... extremely well done ... voted
Sue Robertson06-Mar-2008 02:02
Yes what a difference. Two very different images. Both lovely.
Bill Gallagher05-Mar-2008 20:49
Very nice, you definately got this one right. V
Guest 05-Mar-2008 17:53
Absolutely beautiful! I love the way the wall seems to guide you down the hill and into the fog.
Sam Stevenson05-Mar-2008 17:43
You definitely succeeded in your aim - great light, composition, and scene. I agree with GLOphotography, the curve starting in the lower corner of the frame works just fine here. I've got to get over there for some photography one of these days.
Guest 05-Mar-2008 17:00
Super image Ed, I love the way you composed this foggy image. The stone wall is a great leading line..voted
Side note: I was reading one of the leading photo mags a while back and one of the photo editors stated that he did not like the way people where composing their subject coming from a cornor of the image..I do not necessaryly agree with him, I've used this composition method many times in the past and felt that it was photographicaly proper. I have always said, " whatever works is proper". I love this image Ed and the mood...
Jola Dziubinska05-Mar-2008 16:38
Excellent seen and done :)