Morning Hike

[jeremypayne]

Thank god for GPS ... I got totally lost in the woods trying to get to this pond before sunrise ...

[wolfnowl]

Nah... you're only lost if you've got a place to be and a time to be there.  Otherwise you're just 'here'.  Working in the woods I've had numerous times where I had no idea where I was and little idea of where I was going, but I've never been lost.

The middle image doesn't do much for me, but I like the other two, especially the movement in the first.

Mike.

[Randy Carone]

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there" George Harrison

Looks like you found your way. Number 3 is my favorite.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

For me, #1 and #3 have magic, but #2 doesn't match up to them.

Eric

[jeremypayne]

I agree ... the wife LOVES that stump shot (#2) ... me, not so much.  When I scouted the location the week before, the stump caught my eye ... but the angles and the light just didn't come through.

The birds in flight came as I was setting up the other shot.  I had bracketing on and was not at all prepared for the honking geese to come cruise through my frame.  I panned on the tripod and got 5 shots at a variety of shutter speeds.  I have one that captures the birds 'photo-realistically' against the blur at a much shorter shutter speed, but this one really speaks to me.

@mike ... I think even by your definition I was lost ... I was trying to get to this pond before the sun rose, and I was going in exactly the wrong direction for at least 10 minutes before I realized I was no longer on the trail ... it was DARK!  Seriously - without GPS and a track on the map from the week before I would have been wandering for a LONG time ... I was not anywhere close to where I would have guessed I was ...   

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

From the results, maybe you should get lost more often.   

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

The third shot is outstanding, excellent image, well seen and captured and a pleasure to look at. The middle image I would find myself tempted to reach for the del key I am afraid. The first image I think falls somewhere in-between - I would possibly try to brighten or even convert the first image to B/W or something, but the third image is definitely a candidate for hanging on the wall.

Nice work.

Dave (UK)

[francois]

The third one is also my favorite but I like the movement/blur and colors of the first one a lot. The second one is not as "special" but it's far from a bad photo.

I agree with Eric, you should get lost more often!

[popnfresh]

The first one doesn't really work as an impressionist composition. The second one doesn't have anything in it to hold my interest. The third one works, and it even looks good in B&W, too.

[jeremypayne]

The first one doesn't really work as an impressionist composition.

Why not?

[popnfresh]

Why not?

A fair question. Impressionism doesn't simply mean that everything's a blur. A good impressionistic image is one where you can still discern what's going on in the scene. I feel that this image is a little too diffused and amorphous to make an effective impressionist composition.

[Les Sparks]

Agree with others that 1 and 3 really sing.
But,  I can see why you visited the stump. Something special could be there if the light were different or something else framing, angle, or something. Not sure what, but the subject seems to have real possibilities and would be worth another lost visit.
Thanks for sharing.

Les

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I agree with Les about the stump. I'm a sucker for good stumps, too. A couple of weeks ago I saw a prime stump, naturally while I was hiking light, with no camera. I promised myself I'd come back with camera and tripod when the light was good.

And now I can't remember which place I was hiking when I saw the stump, 

Eric

[jeremypayne]

I agree with Les about the stump. I'm a sucker for good stumps, too. A couple of weeks ago I saw a prime stump, naturally while I was hiking light, with no camera. I promised myself I'd come back with camera and tripod when the light was good.

And now I can't remember which place I was hiking when I saw the stump,  

Eric

Do you have an an iPhone?  I am using an app called Motion X GPS that has downloadable topographical maps and lets you mark the spot - and the trail to get there - on the map.  Once you download the map, you no longer need a network to use the GPS and maps ... which is nice as many of the areas I hike in NW CT don't have cell service.

That's how I was ultimately able to get back to the same spot a week later ... in the dark!

[jeremypayne]

Agree with others that 1 and 3 really sing.
But,  I can see why you visited the stump. Something special could be there if the light were different or something else framing, angle, or something. Not sure what, but the subject seems to have real possibilities and would be worth another lost visit.
Thanks for sharing.

Les

Indeed ... I think the stump is an afternoon/sunset opportunity while the other shots, and the pond in general is a more morning/sunrise spot.

I'm going to go back in the late afternoon to try the stump from the other direction with more direct afternoon light on that side of the pond on of these days ... maybe Saturday ...

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Do you have an an iPhone?  I am using an app called Motion X GPS that has downloadable topographical maps and lets you mark the spot - and the trail to get there - on the map.  Once you download the map, you no longer need a network to use the GPS and maps ... which is nice as many of the areas I hike in NW CT don't have cell service.

That's how I was ultimately able to get back to the same spot a week later ... in the dark!

Alas, no iPhone. In fact, no cell phone of any sort. I like my peace and quiet uninterupted when I'm out hiking.
I do have a hiker's GPS but I don't usually bring that along on the familiar local hikes. But since my stump is, indeed, from one of my frequent local hikes, I do expect to find it again before long. And when I do, I'll at least make a note (pencil and paper, probably -- see what a Luddite I am after teaching math and computer science for 35 years) so I can find it again when the light is right.

Eric

[jeremypayne]

I've started documenting the trails in my area on my GPS/Mapping app - even the ones I know well.

For one thing, getting the exact GPS coordinates for potential locations allows me quickly load the spot in my other favorite app for photography ... the Photographer's Emphemeris ... once I get back home.