Thursday, April 2, 2009

a rough road

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.
--Seneca (mid-1st century AD) Roman philosopher

I wasn't sure it was worth stopping along this section of the Unaka Mountain Road - I opened the door, stepped out, cranked the ISO to 800 and took a quick hand-held shot. I quickly decided that although it looked okay, it wasn't really worth setting up the tripod and spending additional time working this scene. After all, I thought, there's more road up ahead. Now I wish I had worked harder on this shot and not given up so quickly. Even with a 'VR' lens (vibration reduction), nothing sharp in the above photo. There's the moral of the story. On a misty, foggy day, don't be lazy. Set up the tripod, take advantage of the unique atmosphere. I don't know if you like this kind of shot, but I love the leading lines of roads, trails and fences. In this shot, I like that the road, with its gentle curve, fades away in the distance, but is still visible -- and that the trees, too, fall away in the mist.

For directions and a full discussion of all there is to see and do on Unaka Mountain, click here.

For similar Unaka Mountain Road scenes, click here, here and here.

Details: Nikon D90 with 18-200mm lens at 52mm, f/22, 1/10 sec, ISO 800.

3 comments:

  1. It's a great image; I really like how the line of the snakes through the image.

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  2. I love the tunnel effect. The image makes me want to walk down the road into the light. The slightly off center aspect combines with the tire tracks to draw a person's eye through the photo, along the road. Beautifully done!

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  3. it doesnt always have to be sharp to work. it looks great to me.

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