Arriving at the trailhead parking area while it was still dark, I hoped for fog in the forest when I got to a grove of towering redwoods that I’d scouted a couple of days previously. I delighted in being the first visitor of the day on the trail, hiking in the dim light of dawn with the only sound that of my boots on the path and a few birds calling in the forest. As the light increased, I was happy to see, if not thick fog, at least some patches and the promise that more would roll in.
Reaching the small clearing surrounded by gigantic trees, I saw that what little fog was in the area was quickly burning off, revealing a clear, blue sky above. Bright sun is definitely not the best light for forest scenes, but very early and late in the day when the sun is low and the trees are backlit can work really well.
As the sun popped over a distant ridge, I worked quickly to capture that beautiful light, using a very wide-angle lens pointed almost straight up to emphasize the towering trees. I positioned my tripod very carefully to catch the sun star effect. Recognizing that the overall contrast in the scene was extreme, I made a series of bracketed exposures with the intention of merging a few frames in processing to create one image with a full range of tones.
How to create sun stars and how to blend images for increased dynamic range are two of the skills that many of my photo workshop participants are eager to learn. I’m looking forward to helping a new group of photographers learn those skills, and a lot more, during my next Redwoods workshop this coming May. There are still a few spots left on this small group, all-inclusive workshop. Head on over to Muench Workshops for more details and to register. This workshop has sold out the past two years, so don’t wait to sign up if you’re interested. I hope you’ll join me both for the photography and for the personal experience of the wonders of the Redwoods National and State Parks.
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