Clingman's Dome Sunrise

Dixie

It was cold, but worth it to me to get this one.

ian408

I love the color range in this shot!

Ian

wholenewlight

Dixie wrote:

It was cold, but worth it to me to get this one.

Indeed!

Very nice and frame'able

Andy

lovely, dix!

long time no see, welcome back

shaman

Beautiful Dixie!
By the way, I haven't seen anything or heard from you since the first week of April!! I was going to the Smokies that weekend and you were going to shoot a NASCAR race.
I've been back to the Smokies twice since then... got to hike out Forney Ridge to Andrew's Bald (from the Clingman's Dome Parking area) in late June. The Flame Azaleas and Catawba Rhododendrons were in peak bloom! I also got some incredible sunsets at Morton Overlook.
It's great to have you back...

PEACE

shaman

gluwater

That is absolutely gorgeous!:wow

I see the sun come up every day on my way to work but none of them have looked like that.

Nick

Dixie

Thanks to one and all. It's great to be back.

Shaman, the racing has gone out of the window since June. This year we were running truck 66 which was a Toyota with Todd Bodine driving. We had the top Toyota truck and driver in the points standing and still couldn't get full time sponsorship so the team owners sold the team back in June. Todd went to Arnold racing and the entire crew changed and I didn't know a soul so I just decided to spend more time shooting scenics and animals and leave the racing to others.

I've been to the Smokies four times since I was last on. I'll make a post before I head up that way again and maybe some of us can get together. I would enjoy that.

Hikin' Mike

Stunning shot Dixie!!

Phil U.

Great Shot!

Dixie wrote:

I've been to the Smokies four times since I was last on. I'll make a post before I head up that way again and maybe some of us can get together. I would enjoy that.

I might be interested in that. I was kind of thinking of heading that way around "fall color" time.

S. Reed

Gee. That will make a lovely print.

Dixie

Thanks, Mike.

Hikin' Mike wrote:

Stunning shot Dixie!!

Dixie

Phil U. wrote:

Great Shot!

I might be interested in that. I was kind of thinking of heading that way around "fall color" time.

Phil, I spend about 2-3 weeks in the Smokies (Cades Cove, Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail, and Clingman's Dome are especially great that time of year) and along the Blue Ridge Parkway shooting the fall colors every year. Company is always welcome.

The photo below was taken along the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail early last fall and should give you an idea of the possibilities.

shaman

Dixie,
My wife, my Granddaughter and myself spent a few days in the Smokies in late June. We were in Gatlinburg late one afternoon and the noise and hucksterism that defines Gatlinburg was begining to give me a headache.
I wanted to leave, they wanted to stay, so I told them I'd meet them back at OberGatlinburg parking lot in an hour and a half.
I hopped in the truck and headed straight to the Roaring Fork Motor Trail.
What incredible photo ops there are! Water and dark, lush forest everywhere!
Unfortunately it was getting too dark to shoot anything and I had to get back to pick up the girls.
I WILL be back in the Fall! Your last shot just convinced me of that...
thanks for posting.

PEACE

shaman:D

Dixie

Shaman,

It's virtually never too dark to shoot.

The shot above was taken at 4:28 PM EST on Oct. 31, 2004 and sunset that day was at 5:26 PM so it was late in the day. No sunlight was reaching the area. The shot was done with a Canon 10D using a Canon EF 28-135mm set to 135 mm. The exposure done on a tripod at ISO 100, f/32 for 8 seconds. All settings were done manually. Mirror lock was used and the exposure executed with the Canon wired remote. First click locks the mirror up and then I wait about 10 seconds to make sure everything is stabilized and then release the shutter. I also use about 15 pounds of weight hung from the tripod as a damper to further reduce any shake or movement.

In my opinion, the best time to shoot in Roaring Forks is very early when you get a chance to get the early morning mist/fog and late in the evening. You just have to be prepared to use a tripod and long exposures. I also recommend the use of manual settings to get the results you want rather than taking what the camera is willing to give you when you go auto or either Av or Tv. Over 90% of my shots are done manually when shooting scenics.

Dixie

Shaman,

I should have also mentioned that I tried the same shot about two hours earlier and the sun caused a hot spot in the upper portioned of the framed shot which I knew would blow out when I went with the long exposure to get the flow of the water (which they did when I did a couple of test exposures). I specifically made the circuit again just to get the exposure after the sun had gone behind one of the mountains.

I agree with you totally about the hucksterism in both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. I avoid both like the plague. I won't even stay in any of the hotels around that area. I normally camp in either one of the park campgrounds or in my favorite which is Tremont Family Campground in Townsend, TN which is about a mile outside the entrance near Cades Cove. Tremont also has cabins for those who don't want to go the tent or camper route. During the fall, you need to make reservations early because of all the tourist.

I normally go through the park to reach Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail and enter Gatlinburg from the Sugarland entrance. That means you only have to go a few blocks in all the traffic and commercial interests. Travel may be slow through the park, but view and lack of traffic sure make it worth it. ...and talk about hucksterism - never buy gas at the first gas station you see when entering Gatlinburg from the Sugarland entrance. They don't show their prices on any sign and have their prices jacked about 40-50¢ per gallon more than any other gas station in the area. They are out-and-out thieves in my opinion.

shaman

Dixie,
Thank you for the insight on the long exposures (the weight bag and mirror lock up). I worry about 'noise' that I've noticed on some long exposures, even at ISO200, which is the lowest sensitivity on a Nikon D70. Noise Ninja helps, but it would be nice to not have to deal with noise to begin with. Like you, I shoot almost exclusively in manual mode, although I will use autofocus when I feel I can't trust my 53 year old eyes.
We ALWAYS stay in Townsend.:D We haven't settled on any one place to stay yet, we've tried 3 different cabins this year so far. All were really nice...
We always take the Townsend entrance into the Park too. Take 73 at the 'Y' either left or right (Sugarlands, etc. or Cades Cove). Townsend is a good choice for us, we just head down I-75 from Lexington, cut through Knoxville and Maryville, go east and in 3 short hours we have arrived.
I can't deal with the PF/Gatlinburg mess... but do you realize how sad it is... so many people just go there for that mess/shopping(?) and most never even enter the Park!!! Poor, superficial souls!
They wouldn't fare well in the forest anyway...
Thanks again for all your info!

PEACE

:Dshaman:D

P.S. Here is a shot I took in late June at sunset at Morton Overlook, looking northwesterly toward Chimney Tops, upper left. I did use Noise Ninja to 'smooth' it out a bit...

Dixie

Great sunset, Shaman.

Look at it this way. PF/Gatlinburg act like filters to help keep some of the riff-raff who don't belong there out of the park. If they dig that cheap plastic stuff with "made in whereever" on a little tag on the bottom, they don't know how to appreciate the real things in life anyway.

shaman

Dixie wrote:

Great sunset, Shaman.

Look at it this way. PF/Gatlinburg act like filters to help keep some of the riff-raff who don't belong there out of the park. If they dig that cheap plastic stuff with "made in whereever" on a little tag on the bottom, they don't know how to appreciate the real things in life anyway.

My sentiments exactly... very good analogy.
I notice a similar phenomena on longer hikes. The first mile or two of a trail has 95% of the trash, defacement and illegal campsites. My simple theory states an inverse relationship; 'the more distance you travel, the less riff-raff you encounter'. Obvious... but it demonstrates the superficiality/laziness of the riff-raff.

PEACE

:Dshaman:D

Dixie

...and of course they blame the park for them leaving the trash because the NPS didn't have the foresight to put a trashcan where they needed one. Heaven forbid that they should put it in a pocket or back in their little fanny packs until they got back to the parking area where they could dump it.