Country scene - early morning "sweet light"

Dixie

I took this photo on the way home from Charleston, SC. It was taken on US 78 just before Williston, SC. I've passed by this location probably a hundred times, but it has always been from mid-afternoon to late night either coming or going to SC from my home in Alabama.

This time I decided that I was going to leave very early to be in the area of this shot around sunrise. I was a little early and had to eat breakfast in Williston while waiting for the sun to come up. Even after returning to the this scene I had to wait a while for enough light and for some of the dark shadows to go away.

Now I think that I want to shoot the same scene again this fall in the early morning, but that's another time.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Click on the image for EXIF data.



Thank you for taking the time to look.

Ann McRae

Lovely scene, lovely light. I'm not much of a really early monring person, but you did very well getting yourself there for sunrise! Good job!

ann

System

beautiful photo, dixie-

love the light-

ginger_55

Gorgeous light Dixie! Wonderful photograph. I will get back to you. But I wanted to comment on this photograph. Suggestion: take another in the fall, smile.
No one needs to tell you how to shoot. So much of it is being there, you know the right time, and you know how to put it all together. What more?

ginger

Chrissiebeez_NL

beautifull scene! very nice light as well love it!

tobers

Lovely photo, but I'd like to see more of the house. Fancy getting up early again?

Grizzle6

Love this photo. really enjoy your use of the tree in framing the house, and the entire image.

Elaine

Beautiful! Very picturesque, I might add.

Elaine

DavidS

Wow. That's beautiful.

jdryan3

Nice light and shot. Any chance you got one of just the house close-up in that morning light?

Marc Muench

This is a great shot but!

The tree trunk should either be all the way in or all the way out. There is an awkward tangency in the way the border of the image lines up with the right edge of the trunk.

Phil U.

Nice light and a great find! Oh and good job on getting up early - one of the many things I don't do well.

Dixie

Ann McRae wrote:

Lovely scene, lovely light. I'm not much of a really early monring person, but you did very well getting yourself there for sunrise! Good job!

ann

Thank you, Ann. The older I get the harder those early morning become.

Dixie

gefillmore wrote:

beautiful photo, dixie-

love the light-

Thanks, George. Lots of travel this year. It doesn't look like I am going to make it back to the Smokies until this June. :cry

Dixie

ginger_55 wrote:

Gorgeous light Dixie! Wonderful photograph. I will get back to you. But I wanted to comment on this photograph. Suggestion: take another in the fall, smile.
No one needs to tell you how to shoot. So much of it is being there, you know the right time, and you know how to put it all together. What more?

ginger

Ginger, thank you. I already have a fall stop planned for this location.

Dixie

Chrissiebeez_NL wrote:

beautifull scene! very nice light as well love it!

Thank you. Seeing where you are from reminds me that I have to get back to NL to shoot some more. The last time I was there was in 2003.

Dixie

tobers wrote:

Lovely photo, but I'd like to see more of the house. Fancy getting up early again?

Thanks, tobers. I don't like trespassing so I didn't enter the house. There is no place even near this one, but maybe I check to see who owns it and see if I can get permission to do some interior shots.

Here is the closest shot I have of the house itself.

Dixie

Grizzle6 wrote:

Love this photo. really enjoy your use of the tree in framing the house, and the entire image.

Thank you, Grizzle. I do tend to agree with Marc Muench about the tree being chopped along the right edge. When I respond to his post, I am putting up another shot which gives a little more room to the right of the tree trunk.

Dixie

Elaine wrote:

Beautiful! Very picturesque, I might add.

Elaine

Thanks, Elaine.

Dixie

DavidS wrote:

Wow. That's beautiful.

Thank you, David.

Dixie

jdryan3 wrote:

Nice light and shot. Any chance you got one of just the house close-up in that morning light?

Thank you, Dave. Check my response to tobers. That is as tight a shot as I made of the house. Even then I did get some tall grass between me and the house which I didn't notice until I was in post-processing. As stated in an earlier response, I think I will try to locate the owner and see if I can do a more in-depth study of this old building. I always feel funny, even if there aren't any no trespassing signs around, about going around old places without permission. I move into the area about 100 feet from the edge of the road and felt guilty doing that.

Dixie

Marc Muench wrote:

This is a great shot but!

The tree trunk should either be all the way in or all the way out. There is an awkward tangency in the way the border of the image lines up with the right edge of the trunk.

Marc, no argument from me on that accessment. I did shoot one other giving a little more room to the right of the tree trunk. Maybe it could have used a little more. I will be going back to this location and will try to do it more justice.

Here is the second shot. I also applied a photographic cooling filter to this one to tone down some of the "early morning light."

Dixie

Phil U. wrote:

Nice light and a great find! Oh and good job on getting up early - one of the many things I don't do well.

Thanks, Phil. I agree as those early morning forays keep getting harder and harder.

Marc Muench

Dixie wrote:

Marc, no argument from me on that accessment. I did shoot one other giving a little more room to the right of the tree trunk. Maybe it could have used a little more. I will be going back to this location and will try to do it more justice.

Here is the second shot. I also applied a photographic cooling filter to this one to tone down some of the "early morning light."

Right on Dixie I like seing the entire trunk.

Dixie

Thank you, Marc.

gus

I feel like i could put my hand into the monitor. Beautiful.

Dixie

gus wrote:

I feel like i could put my hand into the monitor. Beautiful.

Thank you, Gus. I'm looking forward to meeting you and the other DGrinners in Glacier NP for Shootout '07.