Photo-Hiking

Kidd Creek III
Originally uploaded by Wayne-K

I had a great time backpacking this past weekend in the Trinity Alps. One of my backpacking friends is from the UK and mentioned it reminded him of the Alps in Europe.

We purposely planned the route with fewer miles per day. This allowed us to get a leisurely start each morning and get to our daily destination early. Personally, this made for an excellent photo-hike. I woke up at or before 5:30 AM each morning and was able to take lots of pictures in the beautiful morning light....all before the rest of the group awoke a few hours later. We arrived at our destination early enough to set up camp, brew some tea, take a nap, and for me to take more pictures in the beautiful afternoon light.

Before I left on the backpacking trip, I struggled with the tripod decision....do I carry my four pound tripod or do I leave it at home. Given the route plan, I decided to carry it....and I was very glad I did. The tripod allowed me to take slow-shutter speed shots that would not have been possible without a tripod. The tripod also allowed me to experiment with different shutter speed and aperture combinations, without changing the composition. I have a lot to learn about photography and I got a lot of practice in. One thing I've found is the more I learn, the more critical I become about my own work. At times I get frustrated and feel I've forgotten how to take pictures....but then I get home and realize the pictures weren't half bad. With more practice and continued effort, I hope to get better and better. My 365 photo project has definitely had a positive impact on my photography.

Here's a shot of Kidd Creek. The moving water in the foreground was much darker than the sunlit peaks in the background, so I used a neutral density, graduated filter to balance the exposure difference. I also shot it at an angle (Dutch angle) to add interest to the shot. This allowed me to capture more of the moving water, particularly the water moving around the nicely colored (and nicely lit) rock in the foreground. The sunlight was filtered through some trees and I liked how it hit the rock and the redwood log...bringing out the beautiful red colors in both.