I was driving some back roads near Montgomery and Wetumpka and ran across some rather large cotton fields just before sunset. I spent a few minutes in awe of the combine harvesters running back and forth across the fields… and, of course, had to take a few photos too.
For the last several weeks, it seems that my timing has been off for everything. Mostly, the time I get to go out and take photos and it almost never coincides with sunrise or sunset anymore. I was able to get this one a couple of months ago. I was out just before sunset and convinced my wife that I needed to stop. I got a little quality time with the red orb in the sky.
Well, it looks like the sunset season is going to be good. At least that is for now. We have had storms about once or twice a week and seem to be finishing just around sunset. This one was not one of those days, but still had a few high flying clouds.
In Cherokee County, there is a small area called carpenters flats. My guess is there used to be a carpenter in that area. There is a nice creek that runs through the area that would be perfect for a mill. All that does not matter for this photo, but the location. Just along the side of the road, I found this tree just in time to shoot the sunset.
It’s that time of year again when anything is possible. Sunrise and sunset can either be great, or terrible from a photography standpoint. I shot this one on the way home from hiking a couple weeks ago. I hope I get more of these than the plain blue skies this year.
In all the travels I have made to Blood Mountain, I have always taken the Byron Reece trail to the Appalachian Trail and then to the top of Blood Mountain. I was surprised this last time when my brother asked if I have ever seen this balancing rock. I had not and he pointed me the opposite direction (North) on the Appalachian Trail from Blood Mountain when we reached the trail. Not more than a couple hundred yards down the trail is a massive boulder balanced on top of another. There is very little touching between the two. On our way back down from the summit of Blood Mountain, we stopped by the balancing rock just as the sun was setting behind the shoulder of Blood Mountain.
One of my favorite things to do is learn. I am always exploring new ideas and working out the kinks in stuff that I already know. Photography happens to be my hobby and my sanity, so I am always trying to learn more. That makes it interesting to periodically go back through my archive of photos. Some photos I did not like at the time and now, do not see them the same. I see the photos through new processing techniques. That is what happened with this photo.
Finally, more than one day in a row of acceptable sunsets. Hopefully this trend will continue for several months. This is a small stream that crosses Salacoa Road. I cheated and never got out of the car for this one. If I have time one day, I’m going to get into the stream for a few photos. The closer I can get to the water, the better the reflections.
Sometimes, the sun and clouds line up just right to make an interesting composition. I decided to go out and take sunset photos on Knoxville. I did some research on the sunset angles and the bridges on the Tennessee River in Knoxville. I knew I wanted to set up on the Gay Street Bridge and shoot downriver. I set up and began shooting and was surprised when I noticed that the sun was setting directly behind Neyland Stadium. Moral of the story, when you research sunset and sunrise angles, look beyond the immediate surroundings. Sometimes you get more than originally planned.
When I am out and about, I sometimes have to make the best of the landscape and elements that I can. I was out several weeks ago and was watching a beautiful sunset develop. I ran around like a crazy person looking for the right spot. I was not prepared for the beauty of this sunset, or I would have been some place better. However, I found this spot with a bucket and a fire hydrant. It would make a dog proud. On the other hand, I guess it is appropriate to put the cigarette butt can next to the fire hydrant.
