Photographing Woodlands: The Allure of Morning Light

 I stretched my back after a night of sleeping on the hard Mammoth Cave NP backcountry ground. The small packers air mattress I brought along for the occasion helped...some...through the night, but after several hours of tossing and turning inside my cramped packers tent, well my back needed a good adjustment. As I tried to straighten out the kinks and shivered in the morning chill, I cast a gaze upward along the steep slope that angled toward the treeline along the top of the ridge. The morning light was just then beginning to filter through the canopy of trees flooding the early fall foliage with a golden glow accented with an almost fluorescent green tint. Standing in the shadows where I camped, the entire area rapidly began to fill with a soft iridescent glow, the kind that takes on an almost eerie feel to it. I removed the camera from its tripod, and searched the view finder for the right moment. The allure of morning light once again resonated from within my photographers heart and another woodlands image was added to my growing list of the finery of what nature offers.

Morning light in the woods offers perhaps the best opportunity to capture a woodlands photograph with surprising detail and allure. The canopy will often glow with a resonance unsurpassed in its quality of light and it is this light quality that matters most. Framing the image will many times simply present itself when the light is right. Being able to recognize the moment and capture it can often seem elusive. But, the moments of light are there, it just takes a willing eye to find it.

It is important to locate an uncluttered area when making woodland images. I look for places with an openness and length to it along with a measure of depth and purpose to its layout. Sometimes, maybe even most times, finding such a location takes time and patience. But when you do find one and catch it in morning light, well, the results will justify the effort. Framing an effective composition is so subjective, it is near impossible to suggest any kind of how-to advise. My best advice would be to simply allow your eye to wonder both physically and imaginatively. When the right framing, the right light, the right moment appears...you will know it.

The most important trick is to possess a willingness to be there...I call it 'The Art of Being There'.  Doing so is not always comfortable, often time consuming, and many times frustrating. It requires an educated eye, an instinctive sense of potential, an awareness of place, and a preparedness to endure what most try to avoid. 

You will discover just how many rewards can be absorbed by simply taking an early morning walk through the woods . The satisfaction gained when it all comes together, well, it is quite difficult to place a value on such things. I suppose the allure of morning light is what draws me toward such things and allows my often tired body and mind to push past what I might otherwise think I am capable of achieving. When those moments of light present themselves, all the uncomfortable efforts leading up to them suddenly not seem so bad after all.

The Campfire - Overnight Backpacking into Mammoth Cave NP

Cool air and overcast skies along with a backpack that felt much heavier than it might otherwise be greeted me as I began the methodical pacing of steps toward my favorite camping area inside the backcountry of Mammoth Cave National Park. Not even the weight of the pack and weakness in my troublesome hip could deter the sense of anticipation that welled up inside of me as I again worked my way toward "The Bluffs" area.

More an outing to just get away for a short overnighter than anything else, as always I toted along some basic camera gear for I anticipated some very nice photo opportunities with the changing fall season. Camera gear always adds extra weight...camera/lens, small tripod, extra batteries...in and of themselves are inconsequential when compared to the overall weight of the backpack. However, every ounce matters and just how quickly those ounces multiply into pounds became apparent once again just a short distance into the hike.

The hike in was not all that bad, with the last half mile or so evolving into a steep downward climb requiring steadfastness of footing and balance to prevent any trip ending slips and falls. The hike out is always more of a challenge as steepness now works against you presenting a zigzag upward climb. About every six or eight steps I'd have to stop to allow my hip and legs and heart and lungs to recover enough to allow the next six or eight upward climbing steps. 

I did manage a few photos and video clips which were incorporated into this short video. I always enjoy working around a campfire especially in the evening right at dusk when the air temperature drops and the woods become still. Please enjoy..."The Campfire".

Exploring 'The Narrows' October 2023

 When I awoke from a surprisingly sound sleep that brisk Tuesday morning, the sky was already starting to grow brighter. The sun was still a good 30 minutes or so from rising, but the air was filled with the song of numerous birds. I rolled onto my right side and with one eye barely open I peeked from under the edge of the protective tarp hanging over me to view the lake. It took a couple of blinks before my eyes would focus. What came into view was a dull gray draped over the landscaped. I blinked again and stared into the gray void a second time. Fog…and lots of it drifted across the surface of the lake. I rolled onto my back trying to decide if I wanted to get up or sleep a few more minutes, but the photographer’s instinct in me won out and I unzipped the sleeping bag and stepped into the quite brisk, and unseasonably chilly morning.

Early October in Kentucky can often be some of the most pleasant of seasons. Fall teases the landscape with a touch of color and cooler temperatures, you know, not quite fully fall, but not ready to let go of summer just yet. I was on an overnight canoe trip once again on Kentucky’s Barren River Lake and exploring the area north of what is known as ‘The Narrows’. In previous weeks I had made a couple of day trips into this location and discovered a very nice and somewhat secluded camping spot. The canoe trip into this new camping area required a leisurely and unhurried paddle. It turned out to once again be a marvelous overnight adventure.

Please enjoy this newest of BTC videos:

The Blue Hour

 The afternoon drifted along about as slow as the lazy clouds moved across the late October sky. The deer herd I wanted to photograph were slow to appear and never really came close enough to offer any kind of decent photo op. As the light began to fade, I slowly made my way along the outer edge of the cornstubble field heading back home. Across the way, the sun dipped below the treeline that stretch across a good portion of the west end of the field and I paused for a moment to see if a sunset might develop. It just wasn't working as the light turned into mostly a diffused and muted gray. Sometimes, most times actually, I would just simply pack up and keep on going. On this trip I employed a technique I learned many years before; I turned around and looked in the opposite direction.

 

To my pleasant surprise, a few slivers of clouds were being highlighted by the last remnants of the sun's rays and cast a pale pinkish orange glow across the sky. The remainder of the clouds reflected a bluish and contrasty tint. I framed a few images, then captured a series of overlapping vertical images that were used to create a panoramic photo. That composite turned out so subtly dramatic, I used it to create a mirror image...and the rest is history.

What made that image work is the prevailing blue light, cast by the late hour of the day. The composition is quite simple and the pink highlights added just enough complementary color to create a memorable moment of light. The Blue Hour can often provide some of the most dramatic moments of light and do it with such subtle textures as to provide some of the best and often overlooked photographic opportunities.

The Blue Hour most often occurs just before sunrise or just after sunset, however it can occur at other times as well. Overcast or rainy days and shady locations, can provide very natural bluish light. My favorite is the early and late light opportunities. 

Capturing effective exposures with blue light can also be enhanced by manually adjusting the white balance to a more bluish tint value. Use caution when doing this as you can also really create a ghoulish look if you are not careful. Just normal daylight white balance ranges around 5000k works just fine for most situations. Auto white balance might also shift the natural blue light to more of a gray look as well. So...the point is, just experiment with what works best. Most of the blue light shots I make are made using ordinary daylight settings.

Blue Hour light moments are not always simply..well, blue. Sometimes they can be quite bold and filled with a more lavender or purple tint. This can often be very rewarding as it is the contrast of different light tints that make the image. When I do shoot in blue light, I will look for some kind of contrasting or complementary lighting situation. Complementary light is light were tonal values fall on the opposite side of the scale...like blue and red shades or green and orange shades.

And then there are the times where the image demands simplicity and just blue light will suffice for the composition. It just depends what you the photographer is looking for and what nature presents to you. Trust your instincts and most of all do not be afraid to try something different. 

Avoid backing yourself into or locked to a single way of looking at things. Not every photo must fit a list of "photographer laws". You, the photographer are in control of what you create. Not everything must look a certain way. Be creative. Experiment. Don't accept the ordinary.  Strive to achieve the extraordinary. Looking for and using blue light situations can often provide an extraordinary opportunity to exercise your creative instincts.

You do not have to capture nature the way you see it. Capture nature the way you feel it. Capture emotion and work toward achieving a visual impact. The Blue Hour provides for a major emotional and visual impact. Use it. Look for it.