I had an incredible time exploring Holcomb Creek Falls near Clayton, Georgia over the weekend. It was a beautiful hike and the fall was stunning.
I captured this image using my 16-35mm f/4, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. For this capture, I had to balance the tripod on the rails of the footbridge at the base of the falls. The bridge was too narrow to set up my tripod properly. I hope everyone else found the opportunity to get out and explore also. Thanks for stopping by.
What began as a well thought out plan to capture an image of Denton Branch Falls – Georgia, turned unexpectedly into a long hike exploring in North Carolina. The directions that I had from the web, were less than accurate. The roads were not all marked. The GPS names for the roads did not match the names of the roads that did have signs. So, I simply drove as far as I could drive down the main road. It lead to a small parking area and a trailhead. I grabbed my gear and started hiking. I explored the area and took a few shots. It was all about exploration at the time. I didn’t know what I would find. It wasn’t until I returned home and looked at the GPS coordinates that I realized that I hadn’t even been exploring in Georgia. But, that I was actually in North Carolina for the entire hike. I guess no one has ever felt the need to mark the state line with a sign.
Needless to say. I never found Denton Branch Falls. If anyone has some good directions they would like to share, I’d love to visit the falls. Otherwise, they’re likely to move down my list. I guess I’ll look for them on a day that I wake feeling the need to explore and drive in circles.
After reviewing my EXIF data with my GPS coordinates, I discovered that this is an image of Chimney Rock Branch – North Carolina just before it reaches the Tallulah River. I captured it using my 24-70mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. Thanks as always for stopping by.
I captured this image of upper Yosemite Falls in the mid-afternoon. (Anyone that follows my blog knows that I prefer to shoot falls in the golden hour. ) I think it is hard to get a terrible image at Yosemite at any time of day.
I captured this image using my 24-70mm f/2.8 tripod mounted. Thanks for stopping by.
This is one of my favorite captures of Half Dome from my Yosemite trip. I processed a black and white version of it that I prefer. But, I decided to publish the color version online.
I captured this image using my 24-70mm f/2.8 tripod mounted. I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks for stopping by.
San Diego was one of the destinations on my recent trip to California. I captured this image of sea lions enjoying a rest on the beach in the Village of La Jolla, California.
I captured this image using my 70-200mm lens handheld. Thanks for stopping by.
I captured this image of Yosemite Valley at sunset. Swirling clouds between the setting sun and the valley did not permit me to capture the faces of El Capitan and Half Dome fully “lit”. However, I do think the shadows the clouds created lend some interest to the scene and they also put more emphasis on Bridal Veil Falls. (Which I believe that anyone that follows my blog knows I tend to favor waterfalls.) I hope everyone finds an opportunity to get out and explore for themselves this weekend.
I captured this image using my 24-70mm f/2.8 lens tripod mounted. Thanks for stopping by.
I just returned from a trip to California. I was able to spend a couple of days in Yosemite National Park. I’ve always wanted to visit Yosemite and it did not disappoint. It is an incredible destination for any photographer or adventurer. I have not had time to review all of my captures from the trip. But, expect to see more in the coming weeks. I hope everyone else found some time to explore also.
I captured this image using my 24-70mm f/2.8 tripod mounted. You can see more of my gallery images at http://tobygant.com/Gallery. Thanks for stopping by.
The trail leading to Dukes Creek Falls follows Dodd Creek. Almost a half mile into the hike to the main falls you have a view of these smaller falls on Dodd Creek. Personally, I preferred them to the much taller Dukes Creek Falls. But, no matter what your preference is, this site has something for everyone.
I captured this image using my 70-200mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. As always, thanks for stopping by.
If there was any doubt, the spring season has arrived in northern Georgia. I’ve been spoiled during the winter months. With very little exception, I’ve been alone at most of the remote locations where I shoot. It is great when you don’t have to compete with others for real estate. It’s also a bit more serene shooting in solitude. Don’t take it the wrong way, I enjoy a pleasant conversation as much as the next guy. I’ve met many kind and considerate people with similar interests over the years. While I can say I find positives in both scenarios. I certainly do enjoy the winter months when it is usually just me and my camera.
I captured this image of the falls on Crow Creek near Lakemont, GA using my 50mm f/1.4 lens, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. I hope everyone had an opportunity to get out and enjoy the warmer weather. (I know for certain that many of you do did. I was they guy competing with you for the only empty parking spot.) Thanks for stopping by.
I explored the Dukes Creek Falls Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest over the weekend. It is a scenic 1 mile hike where you walk along Dodd Creek until it converges with Davis Creek and then becomes Dukes Creek. (I hope that isn’t too confusing.) There are plenty of shoals and several small falls along the creek and Dukes Creek Falls is much taller. I hope you were all able to get out and explore over the weekend.
This image was captured using my 24-70mm f/2.8, tripod mounted. Thanks for stopping by.
Short on time but, not short on determination, I captured this image of Dicks Creek Falls near Cleveland, Georgia well after the sun had gone down behind the mountains. It was so dark that I was hardly able to see my hand in front of my face. The exposure was just over 2 minutes at f/16, ISO 800. Sure there is some digital noise to be found if you look at the image at 150%. But, to paraphrase pro photographer Rick Sammon, if you are distracted by the noise in an image, it probably isn’t a very interesting image.
I captured this image using my 16-24 mm f/4, tripod mounted. (It was so dark that I actually removed the polarizer if you can believe that.) As always, thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been using a color calibrator for my monitor for years now. But, after recently upgrading my printer, I felt the need to upgrade to a system that would allow me to manage color precisely through my entire workflow. I want my colors to be as precise as possible and thanks to all the choices we have today, color management is now easy to do. My new calibrator along with the printer allows me to build custom profiles depending on what type of paper I print on. This saves tremendous time and resources (paper and ink). If you have not looked into any of these calibrators you should really go out and take a look. They have them to fit anyone’s budget and I think you’ll agree that it makes it much easier to express your vision on-screen or on paper.
I captured this image using my 50mm f/1.4, tripod mounted, using a Westcott 5 in 1 panel as a diffuser for the remote flash. As always, thanks for stopping by.
I captured this image of a local park a couple of weeks ago. Snow is not very abundant in the Southeast. So, it was a nice change of pace for some of us. The park is easily accessible to anyone.
This image was captured using my 24-70mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. Thanks for stopping by.
While modern cameras and software provide us with tools to capture some wonderful images. There are certain situations you simply cannot work around. Yes, there is HDR. But, even then it still has it’s limitations. I found myself in such a situation yesterday. The sun was shining directly on the top of the falls and the cliff face as I was trying to capture Toccoa Falls. There are extra limitations here because you have to enter the falls through a gift shop whose hours are 9-5. This automatically places our friend the sun high in the sky. Which also means harsh and in some cases extreme lighting conditions. I will attempt this shoot again on a cloudy day at some point. It is a beautiful place and easily accessible. Regardless of the lighting, I had a wonderful time and I was able to walk away with a couple of interesting captures.
I captured this image using my 16-35mm f/4, tripod mounted, using a circular polarizer and a graduated ND. I hope everyone was able to get out over the weekend and get some captures of your own. I look forward to looking a them. Thanks for stopping by.
I just added a couple of new images to my gallery images. This image of Bad Branch Falls near Lakemont, GA is one of my favorite captures from 2013. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
I captured this image using my 16-35mm f/4, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. You can see more of my gallery images at http://tobygant.com/Gallery . Thanks for stopping by.
When shooting outdoors some captures can be a real challenge. There can be many factors that make or break a shot. It is not like shooting in the studio where you can control and program every facet of your operation like it is almost an assembly line. (Your subject excluded of course.) You have to constantly account for changes in lighting, shadows and weather conditions.
For me I am always looking for the perfect mix of even lighting, good weather and an interesting subject. (My trifecta.) I was rewarded with such wonderful conditions recently while visiting DeSoto Falls in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest following a rare winter snowstorm in this part of the country.
I captured this image using my 24-70 mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and a circular polarizer. Thanks as always for stopping by.
I believe this perspective of Yellow Branch Falls in South Carolina lends itself to a more intimate view than the previous capture I shared a few weeks ago. It’s a beautiful location that I plan to visit during all seasons of the year.
This image was captured using my 16-35 f/4, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone is able to find time to get out and explore this week.
If the icicles scattered around this image give you the impression that it could be cold in this area of the Blue Ridge Mountains in January, then you would be correct. Despite the weather it was great to get outdoors for some fresh air.
I captured this image using my 70-200mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. Thanks as always for stopping by.
As promised in my early blog on Dicks Creek Falls – Georgia, here’s a wider view of the falls. You can actually see the falls from the roadside and there is parking available just across the roadway.
I personally prefer the perspective my original post of Dicks Creek Falls captures. But, I believe they both have their own merits. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.
I captured this image using my 24-70mm f/2.8, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. I hope you all find an opportunity to get out and explore this weekend. I’ll look forward to looking at your captures. As always, thanks for stopping by.
Here’s another image from Dry Falls near Highlands, North Carolina. I’m still not certain how they got their name. I suspect someone just enjoys the confusion they caused by the irony. If anyone knows how they did get their name please let us all know.
This image was captured using my 16-35mm f/4, tripod mounted and using a circular polarizer. Thanks for stopping by.
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