There is this little creek about 10min from my place on a gravel road that I have photographed many times. It is kind of my zen spot when I am busy and need to get out of the house to clear my mind but don't have time to travel a long distance. I have made 3 trips there in the past couple of weeks (photos 1,2,3). I have been trying to capture some great colours but have been running into road blocks.
#1 I was really hoping these great clouds and patterns would light up with some intense oranges and reds. Unfortunately the sun got gobbled up by clouds and killed that hope.
#2 This was the tail end of what was THEE sunset I was wanting to shoot. I got there early enough and was taking some pictures standing in 3-4ft of grass. When the colour started to deliver I moved to my spot and realised my filter holder with 2 filters was no longer in my pocket. The next 30+ minutes were spent frantically looking for them with a flash light. Luckily I found them but only after the most amazing sunset was pretty much over! Still sour about that one!
#3 This is my most recent attempt. Again, no colour as the sun once again got eaten up by clouds but I do like the mood in this one. I also took some very long exposures as the clouds were moving towards me. I can post if there is interest.
#4 This was taken last summer when the moon was in the right spot. Not as dramatic clouds but I really like the colour I got. You can see how much lower the water is.
#5 This was also taken last year but at sunrise. One of only a handful of sunrises I've ever photographed. I just stayed up all night for this one.
I still haven't gotten "that" shot yet so I will return many more times. I need to get some Autumn shots too.
Scott, even though these are not "the shot" they are still amazing. I would love to see the longer exposures if you have the time. Also, thank you for sharing your story about the filters. It makes me who is new to landscape feel better knowing that even someone who has the talent you do can still run into the occasional problem. Thanks for sharing.
I was hoping to get back to this spot yet this week before leaving on vacation but got too much to do before I leave tomorrow!
Here is the long exposure I took on the same night as photo #3. This is almost a 7 min exposure. 0.6 GND + 0.9 GND + Big Stopper ND. There was no wind so super long exposures were in order since there was no colour in the sky! Which isn't all bad as this was a photo I wanted to take at this location.
Hey Scott, thank you so much for taking the time to post this long exposure. I love it! I think it has a great moody feel to it and the detail that is still in the shadows is awesome. Thanks again for posting it and have a great vacation!
Glad I came a little late, Scott.
I might have missed the last image- which is (by a small margin) my favorite.
But the whole set is excellent.
Charlie
