Location: Mills River Valley Overlook “Mills River Valley Blue Hour Sunrise”
© Deborah Scannell Photography – 2013 Fall
Captured at Mills River Valley Overlook from the Blue Ridge Parkway, on October 30 2013.
Camera: Canon 5D MKII
Lens: EF 16-35 f/2.8 L II USM
Focal Length: 35mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/5
Aperture: f/8
Filters: Circular Polarizer
Exposure: Manual
How I Got This Shot: I arrived 50 minutes prior to the sunrise and boy, am I glad I did. This was captured during the Blue Hour. The Blue Hour is right before sunrise about the 30 minutes leading up to it and at sunset as well, about 15-35 minutes after sunset. It is a magical time and if you can arrive early or stay later to capture this magical time, do it. If i hadn’t gotten up early enough and arrived in time I would have left with nothing because this pre-dawn light only lasted for about 3 minutes, on this particular day. After that it became muddy and washed out. When the sun rose, I was still holding out optimism, but nothing happened. The sun was totally diffused by the thick cloud cover and the clouds were just to think. So when you arrive to take sunset arrive early and start shooting all the way through.
For More Information
- Additional photographs by Deborah Scannell Photography
- Categories where this photo is found: Mountain Horizons, Overlook Views, Sunrises & Sunsets