ESTABLISHED 2010 - Beyond The Campfire was created to encourage readers to explore the great outdoors and to observe it close up. Get out and take a hike, go fishing or canoeing, or simply stretch out on a blanket under a summer sky...and take your camera along. We'll talk about combining outdoor activities with photography. We'll look at everything from improving your understanding of the basics of photography to more advanced techniques including things like how to see photographically and capturing the light. We'll explore the night sky, location shoots, using off camera speedlights along with nature and landscape. Grab your camera...strap on your hiking boots...and join me. I think you will enjoy the adventure.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Just me and the morning...it don't get much better than that.

One of the first things I learned about Kentucky when I moved here eight years ago was...when it's nice here, it's really, really nice!  One of those nice attributes are the skies.  I've lived in a lot of different places and photographed a lot of different locations...what I've discovered is that Kentucky has some of the best natural photographic light found anywhere.  I've not found a wider variety and more dramatic combination of light than can be found in this part of the country.  Not sure why that is...could be the atmosphere...weather patterns...or maybe just the right combination of location and terrain. Regardless of why...I am continually amazed at the variety and power of the light in the Kentucky skies.

A few weeks ago on one foggy morning, I stumbled across a large pond early one morning just before sunup and photographed it during the course of predawn through first light and for the first fifteen or twenty minutes after (Photographing Changing Light). During that forty-five minutes or so I witnessed more different variations of light than I've ever seen before.  All very subtle ranging from soft pastels to bold golden browns. It was a lot of fun to observe and capture.

One of my favorite locations to photograph and a location I recently began a year long photo project...Shanty Hollow Lake...has rarely failed to generate some amazing skies...and it seems like no two are ever the same...the variations just keep on amazing me.

One of my favorite times is on a Saturday morning just before sunup during the summer and into fall.  That's when I climb into the hammock and wait for the morning to develop.  The air is cool...the skies are...well amazing...and the sounds of the country certainly help to dissolve the aggravations and anxieties of the work week away.  I often will just lay there swinging gently and absorb the sounds, sights, and flavors of the morning...no camera...no TV...no music...just me and the morning.  I must admit...it just don't get much better than that.
at 12:23 PM

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