Location: Cowee Mountain Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina

“Cowee Wowee”
The sun sets below the clouds on an October evening at the Cowee Mountain Overlook.
© 2013 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved

Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: Nikkor DX 18-55mm 3.5
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 0.7
Aperture: 22
Filters: Cokin gradient density
Exposure: Aperture Priority
How I Got This Shot: The light and layers of clouds over the Cowee Mountains showed promise for a colorful sunset on this warm October evening. As the sun descended below the dark gray clouds, the sky exploded into hues of rose and peach. I used a tripod and a 2 second self-timer shutter release along with a handheld Cokin gradient density filter to capture the richness of the colorful sky against the inky clouds and shadowy mountain ridges.

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Date Taken: 10/16/2019
Location: Cowee Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: Pentax 80-160
Focal Length: 90mm
ISO: 400
Shutter: 0.3 sec.
Aperture: F/16
Filters: Circular Polarizer
Exposure: Aperture Priority
How I Got This Shot: Being one of the best locations on the Blue ridge Parkway to shoot a sunset, the Cowee Overlook always offers splendid possibilities. There weren’t many clouds in the sky which made it very difficult to “hide” the sun behind and therefore the exposure to capture the entire scene must be manipulated . I chose to shoot five exposures of this scene, with the camera mounted on a very stable tripod so there was no movement whatsoever . The exposures ranged from two stops below to two stops above (-2 to +2) on the camera meter. To capture the detail in the sky and sun plus get detail in the ground scape this method works very well. I then post process the images and blend them into a single image, via photo editing software. Following up with regular editing produces a nice final image.
I chose a focal length that would cover most of the mountain layers in the area but keep the view tight enough to keep the sun and clouds close. I use the two second self-timer so I don’t have to touch the camera during the actual shutter operation.

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Date Taken: 10/13/2016
Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina

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Date Taken: 10/13/2017
Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook is a milepost 430.7 on Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It is one of over two hundred overlooks along the 469-mile Parkway.

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Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 430.7
The Blue Ridge gets bathed in warm light through as a fog bank rolls through the setting sun along the Parkway.

Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: Tamron 70-210 f/2.8
Focal Length: 95mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/6
Aperture: f/16
Filters: None
Exposure: Aperture
How I Got This Shot: Taken on Friday 10/18/13 at sunset from the Cowee Overlook. As the sun began to set, a fog bank rolled in and foiled any plans of creating more traditional sunset shots that evening. Rather than pack it in, I pulled out my long lens and look for small areas of the landscape that was being bathed in the wonderful, warm diffused light caused by the combination of the setting sun and fast moving fog.

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Date Taken: 06/25/2017
Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina

Camera: Fuji Xt 2
Lens: 16-55 mm
Focal Length: 16 mm
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/30
Aperture: f/11
Filters: none
Exposure: manual
How I Got This Shot: This image was created using 9 separate images, and stitched together in Photoshop. the sky colors and hues are natural, only a slight bump in vibrance and saturation to achieve the overall color.

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Over two hundred times along the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, drivers will pass pull-offs that look onto wide, breathtaking vistas, luring them to stop their cars and take in the views. Visit our Blue Ridge Parkway guide for a complete list of the overlooks.

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Date Taken: 05/31/2016
Location: Cowee Mountain Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesville, NC and the Nantahala National Forest.

Camera: Sony A57
Lens: Tamron 17-50mm 2.8
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/40
Aperture: 9.0
Filters: None
Exposure: Aperture Priority
How I Got This Shot: No tricks or special steps for this shot. Just beautiful scenery!

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Visit our Blue Ridge Parkway Guide for a complete list of overlooks.

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Date Taken: 10/23/2015
Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Camera: Canon 5D Mark 111
Lens: Canon 24-105L F/4
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/30
Aperture: 16
Filters: Circular Polarizer
Exposure: Aperture Priority
How I Got This Shot: This image required shooting several exposures and blending them in post processing. With sunsets, one shot will not capture the highlights and shadows that the human eye actually saw at the moment. With blending shots , the tonal range of the scene is all there. Sunsets at most overlooks from Parkway can be outstanding. Use of a steady tripod and either a cable release or self timer is a must. The small aperture of f/16 allowed a deep focus field for maximum sharpness throughout the scene.

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Want more overlook views? Visit Virtual Blue Ridge, our guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway, for virtual tours from the Parkway’s overlooks.

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Date Taken: 07/15/2016
Location: Cowee Mountain Overlook, Milepost 430.7

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View a list of overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway on our Guide to the Parkway.

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Date Taken: 06/04/2016
Location: Cowee Mountains Overlook, Milepost 430.7 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

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Visit Virtual Blue Ridge, the premier online guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway, for a complete list of overlooks.

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