Location: East Fork Overlook
On the very first morning of my North Carolina trip a few weeks back, I headed up the mountain to one of my favorite spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway to hopefully catch a sweet sunrise with my girlfriend. I parked the Jeep at the East Fork Overlook while still dark and scouted around the area with my flashlight to find a nice spot to set up. The skies were mostly cloudy so the chances of catching a great sunrise were pretty much a coin flip. You can sit for an hour or two and not catch a glimpse of the sun at all. On the other hand the sun can come up and at just the right moment, find a perfectly placed hole in the thick clouds, making magic unfold right before your eyes. Fortunately this was the case on that glorious Monday morning high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Camera: Nikon D-90
Lens: NIKKOR 10–24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
Focal Length: 10mm
ISO: 400
Shutter: Multiple – 1.5, 3/4, 1/3, 1/10 & 1/45
Aperture: F/22
Filters: circular polarizer
Exposure: manual
How I Got This Shot: I set up the tripod on the East fork overlook in front of a nice looking rock with an open view of the mountains. I waited until the sun found an opening in the clouds, then fired off multiple shots in RAW format at F/22 at progressively faster shutter speeds. I post processed each RAW image in Capture NX2, then combined them in Photomatix in exposure fusion mode.
For More Information
- Additional photographs by Jeff Burcher Photography
- Categories where this photo is found: Editor's Picks, Fall Color, Overlook Views, Sunrises & Sunsets