Location: Cove Field Overlook Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 439.0
Summer and fall colors mingle for a moment!
2013-08-30
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length: 30mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/4 – 1/2 – 1s – 2s – 4s
Aperture: f/11
Filters: B+W Polarizer
Exposure: Manual
How I Got This Shot: I drove past here earlier (but should have stopped while the light was better) and went to Looking Glass Rock Overlook, but it was mostly in fog. After that I had shot at Cowee Mountains Overlook. This was taken as I was headed back home. The sky was much brighter than the ground so I bracketed 5 frames in 1 stop exposure increments. On the Mac computer I merged them into a 32 bit HDR TIF in Adobe Photoshop CC, then adjusted in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.
The camera was on a tripod. I used a cable release and mirror lockup for the exposures. The lens was on manual focus (MF) and I focus in Live View with the lens aperture at f/2.8 on Aperture Priority (Av). I magnify the view to 10x and pick my desired area to focus. Once it’s set, I close LV and put the camera back to Manual mode (where f/11 is set). This way I don’t have to dial my aperture back and forth. Everything stays put and I’m ready to go.
For More Information
- Additional photographs by John MacLean Photography
- Categories where this photo is found: Blue Ridge Parkway, Flora & Fauna, Overlook Views