509 - Sugarloaf Mountain
Fuck it. I’m not in the mood for a blog post today.
Here’s the photo I took on today’s adventure, which was at Sugarloaf Mountain Overlook in Tennessee:
“Woodland Frame”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Zeiss 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 24mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/40s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
Well, you know what? Let’s get into it a bit. This was a fun shoot because I met some random chick in a hammock that happened to be at the viewpoint. We ended up hitting it off and talked for almost an hour and half while the sun set.
She was a raft guide for a local river system, and moved to Tennessee just to hang out for the summer. Kind of like how people in Colorado move up to the mountains to work in a resort and “ski bum it” for a season or two. Except she was the Tennessee version.
Welp. Here I am talking about girls again. I swear I’m addicted to talking to chicks now that I’m single. I NEED TO FOCUS ON PHOTOGRAPHY.
OK? OK. Let’s talk about today’s photo. It reminds me of something straight out of Avatar. The blue people Avatar, that is. And since it reminded me of that, I figured I’d shoot it during blue hour.
Blue hour is a significantly underrated time to shoot. I'm even guilty of walking away right after the sunsets sometimes. But one thing I’m working on lately is sticking through it to see how light affects things in the more subtle areas. You could say it’s… melancholy.
Damn that’s such a good word.
But seriously… If the sunset’s not the best, stick around for the blue hour. Also known as twilight. You might be surprised at what you find. I like to look for more “chill” subjects to shoot, to compliment the relaxing vibe of blue.
Uh… do I have any other advice about this shot? Not exactly. I leaned into creating an Orton Effect (subtle blurring of highlights) on this shot, primarily because the shot had a bit of a haze to it anyway. This is usually a good indicator if you should use the Orton effect. If it’s foggy or hazy already, it’ll only make it better if you use it sparingly. I also think the Orton Effect adds to the “Avatar” vibe.
Alright. That’s all I got for today, folks. On the next photoshoot I meet up with an ex from 5 years ago to shoot some horror portraiture…
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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