tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82232100739155090812024-03-08T06:14:14.683-05:00Denham PhotographyNature and Sports PhotographyDenham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-4479507851090151592017-11-01T15:58:00.001-04:002017-11-01T15:58:23.160-04:00DECONSTRUCTION<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bYA6f7KFOHM/WfnkO2UerCI/AAAAAAAAfU8/6gNLJJSlQ9sNugMDBvvsZJ1o8aMPwKGxQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sitting%2BAt%2BThe%2BFalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bYA6f7KFOHM/WfnkO2UerCI/AAAAAAAAfU8/6gNLJJSlQ9sNugMDBvvsZJ1o8aMPwKGxQCLcBGAs/s640/Sitting%2BAt%2BThe%2BFalls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tierra Osorno above Baby Falls at the peak of fall color in the Cherokee National Forest<br />Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 125, f/13, 0.4 seconds, 24mm</td></tr>
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This past weekend I believe I took my best portrait, or at least best senior portrait, ever. In the very least it is my favorite that I have taken. Not only is the picture just visually stunning in my opinion (helps to have a beautiful young lady like Tierra in the frame kick that stunning part up) but I had actually had a plan for the shot and the plan included a bit of experimentation in taking the picture that worked out perfectly.<br />
Something I've always wanted to try was combining a long shutter speed from a landscape image such as a waterfall with a portrait to try and use flash to expose the model and also to freeze their action but not have to have them completely freeze to allow for the long shutter speed.<br />
With doing Tierra Osorno's senior pictures on this past Sunday, I felt we had the perfect opportunity because we were going to be at Baby Falls in the Cherokee National Forest for part of the shoot. We got incredibly lucky because in addition to that the forest was at peak fall color as well.<br />
My thought process for this shot wasn't really any different than what I normally do for any of my portraits. I would let the camera expose for the background and then let lighting expose my model, Tierra, in the foreground. To expose for the background I approached it the same way I would if Tierra wasn't there. I used Live View to frame up the shot with the camera on a tripod. After setting my focus on her, I turned off the autofocus and then moved my focus square in Live View over the white water of the waterfall. This allowed me to keep my focal point but expose for the water, or the brightest part of the scene. If I had exposed for the foreground, the water would have had blown out highlights.<br />
I used a small aperture in order to get a really large depth of field in focus but also to get a longer shutter speed. I settled in at f/13 because this gave me plenty of the scene in focus and put my shutter speed right at 0.4 seconds, which is a good target for silky smooth water with just enough detail in it if there is a lot of water flow, which there was. My ISO was set at 125 mainly because it was completely overcast so it helped bump the light of the scene up just a touch. Below is what the frame looked like before adding any lighting:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTfqLJ5izaE/WfoGIdUl8YI/AAAAAAAAfVM/kWcMTnuYbuo3Rxm6QpvW6hMt5AcaZ3HLACLcBGAs/s1600/Tierra%2BNo%2BLights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTfqLJ5izaE/WfoGIdUl8YI/AAAAAAAAfVM/kWcMTnuYbuo3Rxm6QpvW6hMt5AcaZ3HLACLcBGAs/s640/Tierra%2BNo%2BLights.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then came the lighting setup. For standard portrait sessions I use a tri-flash setup of Godox TT600 speed lights. The lights are run from camera with a X1T-C Remote Trigger mounted on the hot shoe of my Canon 5D Mark III. I usually use a 47" Godox Octa Umbrella in tandem with the speed lights for portraits but with the day being a bit windy, I chose to leave the umbrella off so it didn't become a large sail and instead use a Neewer 31" x 47" Translucent Reflector which was held by Tierra's boyfriend, Troy, over the lights. This softened and spread out the lights so they wouldn't be so hard and sharp like they would be if they were uncovered.<br />
I had been using the lights at 1/8 power and zoomed to 50mm the entire shoot until we reached here. With having to place them on a hill they were a pretty good distance from Tierra so I bumped the power up to 1/4 plus 2/3 after experimenting with them a bit.<br />
The lighting layout looks something like this:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRLtSmYMLqQ/WfojdujkClI/AAAAAAAAfVg/omGKa7-7ty0PzOXy4e_C8J2MPPSMsgwywCLcBGAs/s1600/light%2Bsetup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="445" height="588" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRLtSmYMLqQ/WfojdujkClI/AAAAAAAAfVg/omGKa7-7ty0PzOXy4e_C8J2MPPSMsgwywCLcBGAs/s640/light%2Bsetup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The shot worked exactly like I had hoped it would and post processing was pretty easy. In Photoshop I separated Tierra away from the background with the selection tool to make sure that I could edit her like a portrait and the background like a landscape photo. I also used the separation to even out the exposure by bumping the background up a bit and getting some more saturation out of the awesome fall foliage behind Tierra. I also did some dodging and burning on the rocks the water was falling over because I didn't have a polarizer filter for my 24mm lens to get rid of some of that glare on them.<br />
So there you have it. The deconstruction of what is right now my favorite portrait that I've taken. Hope it was helpful and informative.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-45692713355687241192015-08-05T21:35:00.001-04:002015-08-05T21:35:18.804-04:00IN THE DARK ROOM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I posted this image of Kassidy Kenny the other day someone commented (actually in her mom's post when she reshared it on Facebook) "who took this and how did they do it?". Well I thought I would briefly show how this image was created.<br />
Just to give a quick background, this is not an original pose. I saw an image like browsing through images in a Google search. I loved the image and when I knew I was going to take Kassidy's pics and her being a catcher I was going to use it. <br />
Now here is a general layout of how I took the picture:<br />
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As you can tell from the final image, I was laying on the ground right in front of home plate as low as I could get and still comfortably hold my camera. I shot in manual mode so I could sync my flashes with the camera sync speed of 1/250 of a second. I used a hatchet lighting setup that is my normal setup for an athlete. This includes a single flash almost directly over my head as the key light with a 32" Octo-Umbrella with layer of diffusion to soften the light on her face and spread the light over her entire body. I didn't record the flash power it was set on but it was about 50-60% power if I remember correctly. I then have a flash on either side and slightly behind her pointing directly at her shoulders. These are uncovered to create a harder light along each side of her. These also create hard shadows as well which really add contrast and drama to the shot. These were set at a lesser power than the key light but once again, didn't record the levels.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My original shot out of camera</td></tr>
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To get the deep blue sky and darken the background I used a relatively small aperture to underexpose it. Although I had a wide angle lens, I cropped it down to 20mm to get rid of stuff that may distract from my subject. My settings were ISO 200, f/8, 1/250, 20mm<br />
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After importing into Adobe Lightroom I did some initial processing that involved slight Contrast, Clarity, Vibrance, and Sharpening. I also cropped the image to center up Kassidy and the plate in the image. <br />
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Then I sent the file to Photoshop to do some more advanced editing. I use a high pass filter for sharpening. Then I used the dodging and burning tools to really pull the accents out in the highlights and shadows the rim lights created. The next step is to use luminosity masks to darken the background without changing the foreground. A Gaussien Blur was applied to make the colors pop.<br />
Then I noticed that I really didn't like the blue sky and stairs visible on the right of the image. I used a rectangle marquis tool to copy and paste the section of the brick wall on the building in the background and moved it over to cover up the distracting sky and stairs.<br />
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Once back in Lightroom, I added a bit more Clarity and then applied a John G Moore Classic Colour Lightroom Preset called Nostalgia. It darkened the background even more and slightly de-saturated the ground but still allowed great color on the reds and blues in her uniform. This gave it that gritty look that I wanted and really set Kassidy out away from the background and put the finishing touches on the image.<br />
Hope this was helpful and gave some insight to what goes through my head both pre and post processing of an image. Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-37340935109857693502014-12-07T22:02:00.002-05:002014-12-07T22:02:46.730-05:00THE WAY I SEE IT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UT's Josh Richardson glides in for the wide open layup</td></tr>
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Wow, been a while since I've used the blog. But I thought it would be a great way to reach some people and explain how I choose and post sports photographs like basketball. I was told by a good friend of mine that professional photographers only show their best work. This really hit home with me. After watching Scott Kelby's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ4KsGYDzgU" target="_blank">Tips For Shooting Sports Photography</a> a few years ago combined with thinking of that statement, it really has changed first of all what sports pics I will keep and especially which ones I will post. At events like basketball and football games at the University of Tennessee, there are a bunch of photographers there and getting something unique is both hard and key.<br />
First, the picture MUST be in focus!!! There is no wiggle room here. Even if the picture is slightly over or under exposed you can usually save that in post processing but a shot out of focus cannot be helped and made in focus in post. I will zoom up real close and make sure the image is in focus and have trashed shots that would have made incredible action shots had they not been fuzzy and out of focus.<br />
Next I will not post an action image if the ball is not visible in the shot. Granted you may be able to catch a decent shot of guys blocking out for a rebound, and I posted one like that this week in a high school game, but I usually only take that low hanging fruit if I have a request to make sure and get a shot of a player that doesn't play much. Otherwise you really don't have an action shot without the ball.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UT's Kevin Punter #0 applies physical full court pressure on Kansas State's Jevon Thomas #1</td></tr>
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The next thing I look for is if I can see at least one eye, and even more so the entire face of the player I'm shooting. If all I have is the back of their head forget it. The only time you will see something like that from me is if they are celebrating the play and the crowd is visible in front of them. Side shots of the head where I can see the player's eyes are fine as long as one of them is visible.<br />
So let's recap, the shot must be in focus. The ball has to be in the action shot. And the player's face must be visible in the action shot. Check! Now everything after this is personal preference but very important to me.<br />
I really love the conflict of a sporting event. So shots that have physical contact are by far my favorites to capture. The first shot in this post of UT's Josh Richardson is a sweet shot but I haven't posted to the web due to him being by himself gliding toward the basket. Nothing wrong with the shot but more than likely 10 other guys have the same shot from the game.<br />
Now the shot just above of UT's Kevin Punter bumping K-State's Jevon Thomas is one that I really like even though others may not. You have the struggle of Thomas trying to beat the full court pressure of Punter and even though there is plenty of contact on the play there wasn't a foul called. Now the viewer of this picture doesn't know that but you can see the worry on Thomas' face and Punter's expression is of working hard in that he is letting out a huge breath of air. In focus, the ball, both players' faces, and physical contact. My kind of shot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UT's Detrick Mostella #15 thinks about his next move</td></tr>
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Now the picture above of UT's Detrick Mostella is a bit different but no less compelling. All of the main rules apply, in focus, ball, face. Even though there isn't any contact or even true action in the shot, his facial expression and stance give the potential for action. You can actually see the wheels turning as he looks to make his move against the K-State defender. Almost a desperate look to his face and worried what to do. These type of facial expressions are another way of capturing the emotion of the competition and almost a personal shot. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UT Head Coach Donnie Tyndall and his bench celebrate a UT play</td></tr>
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The last type of picture is not necessarily a unique image but is one that I am absolutely obsessed with capturing. The emotions of the game. Both celebration and dejection. In this case the entire UT bench is excited and stand up celebrating a great play on the court. The way to capture these shots are to either keep following a player after he/she makes a great play or when the play happens turn to the bench. If you have an animated coaching staff you will get gold like the fist pump of Donnie Tyndall in this shot. These celebration shots tend to capture the viewer and mean more than the standard action shots as well. <br />
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<br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-73858835836442042942013-11-20T22:09:00.001-05:002013-11-20T22:09:14.343-05:00REWARDED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last evening I had a phone conversation with my brother Jim. Now if you know me, you know that this is not a rare occurrence. Jim and I talk all the time, especially since we both share the same passion for photography. I usually call Jim when I have been somewhere neat or got an opportunity to do some unique photography and we share techniques, thoughts on equipment and other photography related things.<br />
Last night's conversation was a bit different, however. Granted, it started like most of our calls, but took a turn when I started talking to him about something that had happened to me over the past few days<br />
For the first time in a very long time I was experiencing happiness. Most friends and family who are close to me know that the last year has been pretty rough for me. Due to multiple circumstances, that I won't delve into, the happy times have been few and far between and definitely didn't experience a long term engagement.<br />
Photography over that year has been a valuable outlet over this time and has provided tremendous relief and up until the past few days, I thought great reward. I had sold prints, started a business, taken portraits for individuals, teams, leagues, etc. I even rediscovered my first true love of photography in Sports Photography which was kicked off by getting a couple of games down on the field at the University of Tennessee football games. I have made it a goal of mine to get into the sports photography business with either a wire service, newspaper, web site, etc. and am going to try and achieve this in the next 2-3 years. Pretty exciting.<br />
As I explained to Jim on Tuesday night, though, 2 great experiences over the last few days have completely changed my outlook on what is truly rewarding about photography.<br />
Sunday morning I posted the image you see above on both my Facebook and Google+ streams title "ELATION". It was my favorite shot from a day of just casual shooting at Hiwassee College's Homecoming basketball games. I was excited about the shot because I captured an emotional part of the Lady Tigers' close win on the day. I got 45 likes on FB and that is a good day for one of my pics but it was nothing compared to what happened that evening.<br />
A young lady named Nikki Dean reshared my image with a headline that read:<br />
<i>"Precious Memories. Thank You Jerry Denham"</i>. You see Nikki is the young lady #10 with her back to me in the shot catching/embracing the other girl in the shot. She considered the picture a "precious memory". Never has one of my sports images been called anything like that before.<br />
A few minutes later, another young lady named Haylee Morrow reshared the same image with this as her heading: <i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> </span></span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent">"My
favorite picture from all the years of playing basketball! I just love
this and Nikki! Thank you to Jerry Denham for this awesome picture"</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> </span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent">Haylee Morrow just happened to be the other girl in the picture that Nikki Dean was embracing. What I didn't realize I had done was capture a powerful, emotional moment between these two girls that lifted my picture from being a good image to being something completely special to these two girls. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> What an incredible feeling. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> The very next night I captured this image:</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> Now I happen to know #32 Caston Moses here in this picture and his family. He goes to school with my daughter and she is a cheer leader for Caston's Vonore Middle School basketball team. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> He had just had a fantastic individual game as well as his team outlasting their opponent in 3 overtimes for a victory. As close as this game was I definitely wanted to capture some emotion on the Vonore team whether it was dejection from a loss or jubilation from a hard fought win. Luckily, it was latter. When the game finished Caston walked away from the huddle and let out this big yell and I just happened to have the camera pointed at him to capture it.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> Like the shot of the girls from the Hiwassee game, I was excited about this shot because of the situation and capturing that decisive moment of victory for Caston.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> That night, when I posted my pictures from the game, I singled out this one and tagged his dad, Greg. Although I had captured a really good shot of Caston early in the game taking a jump shot, Greg made the emotional attachment to this image because it anchored a somewhat breakout game for Caston and one that Caston was caught up in emotionally as well. Greg messaged me and thanked me in the same way that the young ladies from Hiwassee had done the night before.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> So when I was talking with Jim on Tuesday the happiness I was feeling was not from making a sale, getting tons of "likes" or +1's, or awesome comments. What it turned out to be was that my happiness was a bi-product of making other people happy. It felt and still feels tremendous and has carried over til today. I have been a new high that I haven't experienced in a long time. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> Now I know that the true reward of being a photographer is not only capturing the moment but capturing a moment where someone can see the picture as something more than just a picture.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent"> Gosh what a feeling.</span></span></span></span><br />
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-78245134126090558492013-06-22T21:40:00.003-04:002013-06-22T21:40:27.926-04:00ROUND BALD RAYS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB2SJVpHjtE/UcZR2myOOiI/AAAAAAAAPMI/UOyJ79ED35Y/s1600/Roan+Rays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB2SJVpHjtE/UcZR2myOOiI/AAAAAAAAPMI/UOyJ79ED35Y/s640/Roan+Rays.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/16, 1/6 second, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">
After patiently waiting through complete cloud cover the skies opened
up and gave us some awesome light and rays over Round Bald.<br /> </span></span></h5>
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-72242528462901495732013-06-22T08:18:00.001-04:002013-06-22T08:18:37.011-04:00EPIC<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdkcNuX7KK0/UcWURe7Lu6I/AAAAAAAAPJ4/ofQEtDW6zI0/s1600/Epic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdkcNuX7KK0/UcWURe7Lu6I/AAAAAAAAPJ4/ofQEtDW6zI0/s640/Epic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 2.5 seconds, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wednesday's sunrise was one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. It is primarily due to the view we were looking at on Round Bald in the Roan Highlands.<br />
One of the neat things about Round Bald was the long grass that was covered and highlighted by the heavy dew. I was completely soaked within 5 minutes from walking around in it. That was the only drawback. When the sun started to crest the mountains on the far horizon, that dew started catching that light and created some magical highlights against the green grass. It was just awesome.<br />
I positioned myself next to this group of rocks that were engulfed by the grass and the rocks captured that same light as well. It was just a complete epic light show in the sky and on the ground. With the fog-covered valley separating the two, I don't think it could have gotten any better.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-57112202639165365392013-06-21T06:45:00.001-04:002013-06-21T06:45:11.381-04:00ROANE CLEARING<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5cM_2w_xaqU/UcQugSuwNHI/AAAAAAAAPIg/Mx2v0rNfOHs/s1600/Convergence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5cM_2w_xaqU/UcQugSuwNHI/AAAAAAAAPIg/Mx2v0rNfOHs/s640/Convergence.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/16, 1/6, -0.3EV, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our last destination on Richard Bernabe's Roane Highlands First Bloom Workshop was just up the Appallacian Trail from Round Bald on a gathering of rocks that made for some neat compositions looking to the north, south, and especially looking back west toward Round Bald from where we had hiked from.<br /> We were on these rocks for at least 3 hours watching nature do it's thing. When we first arrived, the cloud formations toward the west for sunset were incredible and we were expecting epic light. Somewhere around 7:00-7:30 the gray clouds we watched approach for an hour or so finally overcame the scene and we were completely engulfed in cloud cover giving us doubt of seeing that epic light.<br /> The 4 women our group of 11 gave up on sunset and started their way back to the parking area. About 20 minutes after they left the clouds parted like Moses parting the Red Sea. Just in time for us to see the ladies hiking their way up to Round Bald. Richard let out a couple of large WOO-HOO's and we could hear the ladies laughing across the way.<br /> Our patience paid off. We ended up seeing some terrific light and cloud formations directly over Round Bald and the setting sun.<br /> The entire time we were on these rocks I found my favorite composition in front of these few rocks that seem to all be pointing in the direction of the sunset and Round Bald with Rhododendron blooming just the other side of them. I made sure and rushed back over and capture this sunset in this spot and luck should have it that right above it everything seemed to converge right where these rocks were pointing. <br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-22093237258166433952013-06-06T20:25:00.000-04:002013-06-06T20:25:00.037-04:00TAYLOR BARN ROLLS IN<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RsqS4NDalcI/UbEmuat_CzI/AAAAAAAAO1o/i1VXYIrOVwg/s1600/Taylor+Barn+Rolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RsqS4NDalcI/UbEmuat_CzI/AAAAAAAAO1o/i1VXYIrOVwg/s640/Taylor+Barn+Rolls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 0.6 seconds, -0.3EV, 16mm</td></tr>
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Boy, you just can't beat a morning that involves hey rolls, an old barn, sunrise light, and fog. Yep, believe it or not, I had all of these converge into a fantastic, yet quick morning of photography.<br />
Instead of driving to Vonore and shooting on the way to work like I normally do, I took a detour towards Sweetwater in hope of finding some hey rolls on old 68 highway. Luckily, at the old Taylor barn, the field was littered with rolls and a little bit of fog in between the trees in the background. the sunrise was slightly blocked by clouds was diffused enough to not overpower the scene but create enough nice light against the gorgeous clouds. It was a perfect scene.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-23620372536101628152013-06-02T20:49:00.001-04:002013-06-02T20:49:30.804-04:00MUDDY ICON<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MgICmGFY2c/Uavkx6bwQmI/AAAAAAAAOsw/1TsxyOqhmmU/s1600/Splitting+Bald+River+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MgICmGFY2c/Uavkx6bwQmI/AAAAAAAAOsw/1TsxyOqhmmU/s640/Splitting+Bald+River+Falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/22, 0.6 seconds, +0.3 EV, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since acquiring a wide angle lens I have made it a point to re-visit places that I have taken shots of before just to see what the new lens can do for new compositions.<br />
This afternoon I made the trek down River Rd to see what 4-6 inches of overnight rain did to the Tellico River. Wow! Completely swelled up the Tellico River and turned into a brown, muddy mess.<br />
After driving roughly 12 miles down the road and finding a few neat cascades to shoot, I made my way back to Bald River Falls. As I thought, directly in front of the falls was completely covered in spray as if it was raining. The spray did not carry over to the parking area side of the road though, leaving a decent composition with a small grouping of trees splitting the Bald River in two before it joins back together under the bridge and dumps into the Tellico. <br />
At 10mm focal length, the two form leading lines up to the falls from the bottom corners. Wouldn't have been able to capture it that way with my old 19mm lens.<br />
Normally, the water coming over the falls is just white and beautiful. Today it was brown with mud but pouring heavy over it. You can see the heavy spray coming off the falls to right as well.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-60906708763675235342013-05-19T17:03:00.002-04:002013-05-19T17:03:54.516-04:00SEEING THE LIGHT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b4vaMt1v4aM/UZk6mkBdy3I/AAAAAAAAOXc/nBvbtn6uBj4/s1600/Seeing+the+Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b4vaMt1v4aM/UZk6mkBdy3I/AAAAAAAAOXc/nBvbtn6uBj4/s640/Seeing+the+Light.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/16, 0.6seconds, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Normally, when I'm out photographing waterfalls, the shining sun is detrimental to getting a good image of the water. This morning, however, I stumbled upon a scene where the sun made everything magical.<br />
The biggest part of my morning in Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was spent trying to keep water from getting on my gear from falling rain and drips off of overhanging branches. I thought I was gonna get to photograph falls all day long from the cloudy skies.<br />
At about 10:00am though, the sun poked it's head out of the clouds and seemed to ruin my waterfall expectations. I gave up and got in the car and started my way out of Tremont. On my drive out I noticed a huge grouping of butterflies on the ground next to the road and I pulled over to try and capture a photograph.<br />
When I parked, I happen to notice some fantastic rays of light shining down through the canopy of trees on the Middle Prong of the Little River. With all of the rain that fell, when the sun started shining, it burned off the wet rocks, grass, and trees that were wet from rain. This burning off created a mist and when the sunlight strikes the mist, magic happens.<br />
I immediately forgot about the butterflies and scurried to find a composition to capture the sun's rays.<br />
The scene got better as I got closer to the water. Soon working where the rays formed a fan-like formation in the center of the river with the green, moss-covered rocks and trees with golden sunlight and shadows contrasting on them making a wonderful foreground around them.<br />
I did go back and shoot the butterflies, but they failed in comparison to seeing this light.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-3525956971412983822013-05-16T22:27:00.000-04:002013-05-16T22:27:03.713-04:00PERSISTANCE<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QlZgvLmmTfU/UZWSuI4ohdI/AAAAAAAAOU0/isxDo_pFAU0/s1600/Wheat+Barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QlZgvLmmTfU/UZWSuI4ohdI/AAAAAAAAOU0/isxDo_pFAU0/s640/Wheat+Barn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/16, 3.2 seconds, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As usual, my plans for the evening changed dramatically. My intent was to drive into the Smokies after work and shoot some pictures. Everything went well til I stopped at Maryville's Wal-Mart to grab some new pants for the my son's graduation tomorrow night. I also grabbed some new hiking boots due to the fact that I forgot to put mine int the car this morning. They were starting to wear a bit anyway so I welcomed the opportunity to buy a new pair.<br />
When checking out of Wal-Mart, however, the lines were extremely long and it seemed like forever to get out. This set my mood back a bit.<br />
I then noticed a large grey cloud pushing it's way toward us and it looked like I would get wet. This was also a drawback considering I still had at least a half hour of driving in front of me depending on where in the mountains I wanted to go.<br />
I ended up losing my interest in going to the mountains. This was sad and very unusual. So I drove back towards home. I stopped at my new second home, River Rock Bar & Grill, to eat some dinner. As I was eating I noticed that grey cloud completely miss and then dissolve away from the area. So I missed out on some great skies over the mountains for some shots.<br />
The whole time I was at River Rock I was noticing how nice the light was and kicked myself several times for not tripping the shutter at something.<br />
At about 7:30 I started my way home. The skies were still gorgeous so I drove back roads hoping to catch some of this light on a couple of wheat carpeted fields I've noticed the past few days.<br />
Sure enough I found this wheat filed next to this barn that the roof had slightly fallen in. With the neat wheat as a foreground and the awesome sky as a background, I used the barn to connect them both and it all tied together.<br />
So I didn't waste my beautiful sunset after all.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-8069240792722315602013-05-12T16:20:00.001-04:002013-05-12T16:20:19.265-04:00FIRSTS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE54SFTZVU/UY_2AYxqcPI/AAAAAAAAOEM/nzx0KBAcmYo/s1600/Mingus+Mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE54SFTZVU/UY_2AYxqcPI/AAAAAAAAOEM/nzx0KBAcmYo/s640/Mingus+Mill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 0.6 seconds, -1EV, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This morning was a morning for a couple of firsts.<br />
To start it off it was the first time I have ever driven into the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park past the Clingman's Dome split off on Hwy 441. Back in March, when I was going to start my trip to my buddy John Deas' house in South Carolina and then on to the Outer Banks, I was trying to figure out someplace to stop along the way to John's and shoot pics. John suggested that I go by Mingus Mill. Mingus Mill is right at the end of the National Park on 441 before entering Cherokee, NC. This sounded like a great idea except I found out that the highway was closed past Newfound Gap for a landslide. I instead drove through Gatlinburg, TN to the Roaring Fork and did some shooting in the rain.<br />
This morning I was going to get up at 3:00am and drive to Clingman's Dome and catch sunrise from there. I just couldn't force myself to get up that early though. After finally pulling myself out of bed at 4:50, I decided I would drive to Mingus Mill since the road was back open to through traffic.<br />
Turns out the North Carolina side of Highway 441 is absolutely gorgeous! Caught some great light at Oconaluftee Overlook, took some shots of some roadside waterfalls, and then arrived at Mingus Mill around 7:00am and after doing some photog'ing there, wish I had gotten out of bed earlier and gotten there in better light. What a great place.<br />
On my way back to good ole Tennessee I stopped at several small streams. At one, when I was leaving, I noticed my second first of the day. There were several Elk grazing in a field just off the road. It was the first time I had seen any of the Smoky's Elk and was very surprised by them. If the setting had been better, I would have taken some shots of them, but the field was boring so I just marveled at their size and beauty and went on my way.<br />
Had a great morning on the other side of the mountains and due to it being a lot closer than I thought will be back in the future to do some more exploring. Until then, I hope you enjoy my shot of Mingus Mill from this morning.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-87406380960610361632013-05-09T22:25:00.001-04:002013-05-09T22:25:22.231-04:00BOILING OVER<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e00B2foH51w/UYxXmHP7_aI/AAAAAAAAN1U/OSbnRyKn0sw/s1600/Boiling+Over.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e00B2foH51w/UYxXmHP7_aI/AAAAAAAAN1U/OSbnRyKn0sw/s640/Boiling+Over.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, f/16, 1 second, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I always seem to find myself drifting back to the same places I have shot before. Take tonight for example. I finished umpiring my softball game in Tellico Plains early so I thought, I'm in Tellico already, let's go shoot some pics on the Tellico River. So I did.<br />
After stopping at a couple of lesser known waterfalls just past Baby Falls, I made my way to North River Rd. Once I am on N River Rd I always find myself at The Boils.<br />
Now I have photographed the Boils dozens of times, but tonight I had my new 10-24mm Tamron lens that I picked up from my buddy Curt Fleenor. I am so in love with this lens. The extreme wide angle creates so many new compositions. Not just that I can fit more in the frame, but anything up close in the foreground is slightly magnified and is really accented. This held true for the fresh-water grass at the bottom of the image in this post.<br />
The colors are rich and amazing with this lens as well. Can't wait to visit some more familiar spots with this lens.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-38945521171365888122013-05-05T08:54:00.000-04:002013-05-05T08:54:02.653-04:00OVER THE FORK<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnIl3IcaA4Y/UYZUJ3OolzI/AAAAAAAANP8/JeDrBFxPZaE/s1600/Down+the+Fork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="590" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnIl3IcaA4Y/UYZUJ3OolzI/AAAAAAAANP8/JeDrBFxPZaE/s640/Down+the+Fork.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/11, 1/2 second, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One thing about taking photographs on the Roaring Fork Motor & Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can never run out of different things to take pictures of. There is an endless amount of cascading waterfalls and green, moss-covered rocks. Then if you get tired of those, which I never do, there are old home places, wildflowers, and lush green forests.<br />
And then, you can go to a place you've photographed before and try and find a new angle to shoot it from. The photo in this post is an example of that. In March, on my way to the Outer Banks to shoot pics with my brother Jim, Curt Fleenor, & John Deas, I stopped along the Motor Trail in the rain and snapped a shot of this waterfall from downstream. Yesterday, on a photo jaunt with Alex Banakas, I climbed up around and on top of the falls and was pleasantly surprised at the view and how great the water looked from beside it.<br />
Even with a 10mm wide angle lens I had to piece together a 3 shot panorama to fit the entire scene in.<br />
<br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-42862713390299445182013-04-30T22:29:00.000-04:002013-04-30T22:29:07.795-04:00COMMITMENT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uP_EIhXlyJc/UYB3266BLgI/AAAAAAAANK0/G9_efwQaT7c/s1600/Commitment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uP_EIhXlyJc/UYB3266BLgI/AAAAAAAANK0/G9_efwQaT7c/s640/Commitment.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, f/20, 1 second, -0.7EV, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My friend Alex Banakas has said a couple of times, and I paraphrase, "eventually, when photographing waterfalls, there comes a point when you just have to get in the water. Jerry's point is very quick."<br />
Alex is absolutely right. Normally, I am very quick to get my feet in the water to get the shot I want of a waterfall. I commit myself to try and get something unique and different from the guy who stands on the dry shore and shoots from there. If the shot I want requires me to get wet, I do. When my mother visited us a couple of years ago, I remember being chest deep in the North River trying to achieve the shot I wanted. I know this sounds idiotic with $1000 worth of camera equipment standing in that water with me. To me it's worth it though. Otherwise I will take the same shots that everyone else does. Not to mention that in the warm summer months it feels really good.<br />
Saturday, when I was braving the rain in the Cherokee National Forest at Lowry Falls, I didn't feel as though I stuck with my commitment to go that extra mile to get that special shot. Sure, I got my feet wet once standing on the rocks in the middle of the stream, but there were so many other opportunities to improve on my composition by getting in the water and I just didn't take that step.<br />
The good part is, I live close enough to these wonderful set of waterfalls to go back this evening when the rain is long gone and sunshine lighting up the forest. One positive from it raining all day Saturday & Sunday, the water level in the creek was twice as large as it was Saturday. Spots where there was about an inch of water flowing over the rocks had at least 2 inches and flowing very fast. It was really nice. With the sunshine lighting up the forest backgrounds for me, it was an ideal waterfalling session.<br />
And today, I was committed. Using tree branches and moss-covered rocks to anchor myself, I waded into spots that I neglected Saturday and was rewarded for the effort.<br />
This shot was the last I took at the falls this evening and was by far the most fun to get. I used a fallen tree to anchor myself and wade out into a strong current to get in front of this little step in front of me. To be honest, it was 80 degrees today and after climbing up these rocky trails, the water felt fantastic as it splashed my ankles.<br />
The overhanging, curvy tree in the background kept me from trying to get a better angle Saturday thinking it would block the waterfall in the background. It actually did just the opposite and formed around the falls very nicely.<br />
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-63324933612943995232013-04-28T09:42:00.001-04:002013-04-28T09:42:29.159-04:00MY VIEW<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QqydlfYaJfM/UX0ec09GJlI/AAAAAAAANGU/8QKzQsxCBXQ/s1600/Green+Tremont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QqydlfYaJfM/UX0ec09GJlI/AAAAAAAANGU/8QKzQsxCBXQ/s640/Green+Tremont.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, f/20, 1/2 second, -0.3EV, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have left no doubt over the past few years that my favorite professional photographers and the source of inspiration for my photography are <a href="http://www.ianplant.com/" target="_blank">Ian Plant</a> and <a href="http://www.richardbernabe.com/" target="_blank">Richard Bernabe</a>. Their styles are very similar and incredible and both are great at sharing their vision and techniques.<br />
Richard Bernabe has claimed that he has a long-time love affair with the Great Smoky Mountains and conducts workshops there in both the spring and fall. One of his incredible images from the Smokies is <a href="http://www.richardbernabe.com/gallery_pages/tremont_fall.htm" target="_blank">Tremont Fall</a>. I have passed by the spot where he took this shot 5 or 6 times over the past few years and even though I tried to capture a winter shot from that spot this winter, have never came up with anything that I've liked and didn't want to do a carbon copy of Richard's shot.<br />
Friday morning I found myself standing at this spot again, which is almost at the very end of Tremont Road before the Middle Prong Trail Head. Even though it is springtime instead of fall, the view from the road is still breathtaking. I snapped off a couple of shots from the same angle as Tremont Fall but knew I had to try and get a unique image.<br />
In the bottom of Richard's shot you can see a large rock that has scattered leaves all over it. I elected to climb down and stand on that rock and get a low, in your face angle at the gorgeous cascade right in front of it.<br />
The cascade sitting large in the foreground with the sunlit, spring green trees in the background worked out perfect. I now had my unique view of a great iconic shot by Richard and was extremely happy with it.<br />
Below is my springtime shot from Richard's vantage point.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dPHNnDLHcLk/UX0m610uvWI/AAAAAAAANGk/As_x0Yyq9QM/s1600/Tremont+Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dPHNnDLHcLk/UX0m610uvWI/AAAAAAAANGk/As_x0Yyq9QM/s640/Tremont+Spring.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/16, 1/13, 14mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-33132573884478553532013-04-27T08:40:00.002-04:002013-04-27T08:40:22.493-04:00SUNNY DAY<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AWw9rtywF0/UXvDV2tBwzI/AAAAAAAANEc/kjTKtdp25oM/s1600/Lynn+Prong+Sunburst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AWw9rtywF0/UXvDV2tBwzI/AAAAAAAANEc/kjTKtdp25oM/s640/Lynn+Prong+Sunburst.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 0.8 seconds, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had the day off on Friday and after dropping my daughter off at school headed directly to Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I stopped a couple of times along the road and took some shots and then when I reached the end of the road, took off down the Middle Prong Trail.<br />
The Middle Prong Trail is a converted railroad line from the last logging camp in the Smokies. The trail starts where the Middle Prong of the Little River begins and follows the Lynn Camp Prong with waterfall after waterfall along the way. It is one of the easiest trails in park and extremely beautiful.<br />
Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the trail, the sun was already up and shining down creating hot spots on all of the waterfalls. I was lucky enough, however, to climb down to this small shelf waterfall just below Lynn Camp Falls just before the sun created too much havoc with the water. The sun did help the green of spring shine in the background and provide a nice sunburst for the scene.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-90890493540666800882013-04-25T13:48:00.001-04:002013-04-25T13:48:28.366-04:00DOGWOODS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OkxTOZSrPWw/UXlpldNZf3I/AAAAAAAANBg/41YZ9CzPWLg/s1600/Backlit+Dogwoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OkxTOZSrPWw/UXlpldNZf3I/AAAAAAAANBg/41YZ9CzPWLg/s640/Backlit+Dogwoods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/5, 1/200, 105mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the main staples of Spring in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are the Dogwoods blooming. Thousands of people flock to the Smokies in the spring just to capture these beautiful flowering trees.<br />
With the cool weather that we have been having in the past few months, the Dogwoods seemed to be a week late or so blooming but have now exploded all over and especially in Cades Cove, the primary location to view and photograph them.<br />
While I was taking this shot, another former Michigander and I were standing along the loop road in Cades Cove just marveling at the color of both the sun striking the flowers and the green and blue background from the trees and mountains in the distance.<br />
If you ever get the opportunity, I highly suggest getting to Cades Cove in the spring to witness the blooms of the Dogwoods and other flowers and trees. It is quite an incredible time in the Smokies.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-79036027449020624912013-04-22T16:29:00.001-04:002013-04-22T16:29:39.794-04:00NEW START<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXJNITJCAhg/UXWbP0Pz4yI/AAAAAAAAM_U/9ELCwr7xeYQ/s1600/Whoosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXJNITJCAhg/UXWbP0Pz4yI/AAAAAAAAM_U/9ELCwr7xeYQ/s640/Whoosh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, F/10, 180 SECONDS, 10mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, it's been a while since I've posted on blog site. The reason has been because an anonymous person has been using it to post comments trying to draw attention to his/her site. They didn't have anything to do with the pictures I was posting or anything that I was writing about on the blog.<br />
Hopefully, to put a stop to this I have deleted all of his comments and then made any further comments moderated by me in an email notification to approve or disapprove. I hate the inconvenience of this for my friends that actually come on the site and comment on the blog itself, but it is the only way short of deleting this one and creating a new one to try and stop all the nonsense.<br />
My picture that I have posted on the blog is of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in the Outer Banks, NC. We (Curt Fleenor, John Deas, my brother Jim, and me) were there trying to capture star trails around the lighthouse. The full moon was really adding a new curve to the process by coming up over the Atlantic Ocean to the east. I wanted to see what kind of image could be created by going to the opposite side (west) of the lighthouse and eclipsing the moon behind it. It ended up being a very cool and unique shot. Especially with the clouds flying by and being lit up by the moon behind the lighthouse. It was so bright that the lighthouse was even somewhat lit up in it's own shadow.<br />
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment if you like. Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-61901652207098279932013-03-12T21:37:00.004-04:002013-03-12T21:37:42.654-04:00AROUND THE BEND<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_5zEH-NxZQ/UT_YJfiYOAI/AAAAAAAAMAE/s3AsmVAfcN4/s1600/Around+the+Bend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_5zEH-NxZQ/UT_YJfiYOAI/AAAAAAAAMAE/s3AsmVAfcN4/s640/Around+the+Bend.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/20, 1/5 second, -1EV, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">This corner in the Middle Prong of the Little River was a great place
for shooting a few different types of things on Sunday morning. This
tree that overhangs the river with a weeping willow type branch was too
good to pass up. The sun shining in from the left to create some
contrast was great as well. A little Dreamland effect from OnOne's
Perfect Effects 3 Free and viola</span></i></span> </span></span></h5>
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-62436610808359439692013-03-10T13:52:00.001-04:002013-03-10T13:54:36.285-04:00TREMONT TREE<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B32oUh7tHbo/UTzIiq7HeuI/AAAAAAAAL9o/vxMC-sb4WRs/s1600/Tremont+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B32oUh7tHbo/UTzIiq7HeuI/AAAAAAAAL9o/vxMC-sb4WRs/s640/Tremont+Tree.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, f/11, 1/5 second, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i> You know sometimes you just have to break the rules.<br /> Most of the time I try to keep the horizon of an image level in the frame. Today I got a bit "crazy" and while shooting this awesome tree in Tremont of the Great Smoky Mountains this morning I couldn't help myself. Wanting to accent the tree I cranked over the tripod head so it would reach from the bottom left to the top right and stretch the entire length of the frame. The Middle Prong of the Little River running under the tree is slanted quite a bit, but I really like the way this works with the tree.<br /> Something that I've learned is that no matter what anyone else thinks of your image, as long as you are happy with the outcome, that is most important thing. </i></span><br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-29293102666035388142013-03-05T19:06:00.001-05:002013-03-05T19:06:04.201-05:00SNOWBLIND<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpYhycYF4dU/UTaIIiIFa8I/AAAAAAAAL5g/zvkrNpa6BX0/s1600/Winterland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpYhycYF4dU/UTaIIiIFa8I/AAAAAAAAL5g/zvkrNpa6BX0/s640/Winterland.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 200, f/20, 1/5 second, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You filled me with confidence, but you blinded my eyes<br />You tricked me with visions of paradise<br />Now I realize, I'm Snowblind<br />-Styx<br /><br /> No tricks of visions of paradise in Tremont in the <a class="ot-hashtag" href="https://plus.google.com/s/%23greatsmokymountainsnationalpark">#greatsmokymountainsnationalpark</a>
on Sunday. Just pure winter wonder and beauty. Fresh snow and a
roaring Middle Prong of the Little River create a different type of
beauty that doesn't occur at any other time of the year that I have seen
here.<br />Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-80878313216333902122013-03-04T19:19:00.001-05:002013-03-04T19:19:10.866-05:00AND SINCE WE'VE NO PLACE TO GO. LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwjIfkruxxU/UTU5x19FcOI/AAAAAAAAL24/LUFSzlp3YSc/s1600/Snowy+Tremont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwjIfkruxxU/UTU5x19FcOI/AAAAAAAAL24/LUFSzlp3YSc/s640/Snowy+Tremont.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 400, f/16, 1/4 second, +1EV, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"> Tremont
was definitely a winter wonderland yesterday. Overhanging trees that
usually show off the green moss that covers them were balancing an inch
or two of snow and reaching a bit closer to touching the swelled Middle
Prong of the Little River. <br /> Climbing around on the rocks was a bit
tense. Not only did I have to contend with the wet rocks they were
covered with frozen snow and were extra slick and dangerous. Couldn't
get to normal vantage points as well from the extra water in the river. <br /> Was an incredible sight to behold where ever I got to stand and point the camera.</span></span></span></span></i></h5>
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-66183351867263142662013-03-03T22:53:00.003-05:002013-03-03T22:53:46.415-05:00DETOURED<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrzJxmZIHZw/UTQXJjZv0zI/AAAAAAAAL14/pEYl0nI-F9s/s1600/Snowy+Path.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrzJxmZIHZw/UTQXJjZv0zI/AAAAAAAAL14/pEYl0nI-F9s/s640/Snowy+Path.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 1/4 second, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The best laid plans are filled with good intentions.<br />
This morning, my plans and intentions were to go to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to capture some of the snowfall that we had gotten over the past 2 days. As I turned right onto Little River Rd to head that way the gate just past Tremont Rd to Cades Cove was closed and could not go that way. This was the first time I have ever seen this road shut down.<br />
With access to the cove blocked I turned down Tremont Rd with hopes that it was not closed as it had been the last time I tried to got there when it snowed. As I approached the Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont the gate was open and I was able to continue on. WOO-HOO!<br />
As it turns out, being blocked from going to Cades Cove was a blessing in disguise. The further I traveled into Tremont, the deeper the snowfall was and the more beautiful the Middle Prong of the Little River became. Places I had photographed in the fall, summer, and spring were totally different now with 4-6 inches of snow on the ground and swelling streams. It was amazing!<br />
As the sun rose the blue skies were very prevalent as well with wonderful puffy white clouds floating all through them. What a great scene.<br />
Today's post is from one of the many parking areas along the road where I really loved the way the snow-covered pines, blue skies, and white clouds all merged together. I liked the way the road curved through the scene and only when I was processing the image did I noticed my own tire tracks leading in from the bottom left of the frame to mirror the roads curve. Bonus!<br />
Way more shots to post from a gorgeous morning in Tremont coming soon.Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223210073915509081.post-66291116473338218632013-02-20T19:29:00.004-05:002013-02-20T19:29:37.227-05:00FEBRUARY REFLECTION<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AIRO_CQdrok/USVqMP7nMgI/AAAAAAAALqQ/HYcHpbkfvSU/s1600/February+Reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AIRO_CQdrok/USVqMP7nMgI/AAAAAAAALqQ/HYcHpbkfvSU/s640/February+Reflection.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO 100, f/20, 2.5 seconds, +1 EV, 19mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">This morning's sunrise was beautiful. I took this at work around 7:15.</span></span></span></span></h5>
Denham Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991163382312381661noreply@blogger.com1