Category Archives: Smokey Mountains

Smoky Mountain Fall Color Workshop, Gregg Cable House, Cades Cove

From October 26-29 2014 I will be conducting a Fall Color workshop tour in the Smoky Mountains. The Smokies are blanketed in their autumn tapestry at this time of year. One of the days we will be spending time in Cades Cove capturing the colors. During our time in Cades Cove we will spend time photographing the interiors of early american cabins taken care of by the parks service.

Cades Cove Cabin Processed with Nik software HDR Efex Pro 2

Cades Cove Cabin Processed with Nik software HDR Efex Pro 2

Nik HDR Efex Pro 2 is a great tool for bringing out the detail of these interior images.

Cades Cove Cabin Processed with Nik software HDR Efex Pro 2

Cades Cove Cabin Processed with Nik software HDR Efex Pro 2

I bracketed the time for this interior cabin image at F/13 with a focal length of 24mm at ISO 400

One of two CR2 Raw files used to process this HDR image.

One of two CR2 Raw files used to process this HDR image.

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Smokey Mountain Photo Workshop – Ogle Cabin

The Ogle Cabin is a Photographers paradise. Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, her children and several other family members arrived in a remote locale of the Great Smoky Mountains inEast Tennessee called White Oak Flats in 1807. It was their wish to honor her recently deceased husband, William and settle in the “land of paradise” he had found for them. That paradise  the Ogle Cabin in Gatlinburg which  is one of my all time favorite locations in the Smokey Mountains to work with clients.

Photoshop CS 5.5 - Camera Raw 6.6

Photoshop CS 5.5 – Camera Raw 6.6

After I opened the Canon CR file in Camera Raw 6.6 I made minor adjustments in the Basic Pallet. In the White Balance drop down menu I selected Auto Temperature 4850 Tint +30 and adjusted the  Fill Light to 30

Basic Processing in Camera Raw 6.6

Basic Processing in Camera Raw 6.6

This image opened out of Camera Raw 6.6 would look good if you haven’t  seen the image finished using Nik Software.

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete - Film Efex - Kodak Portra 400 VC

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete – Film Efex – Kodak Portra 400 VC

Using Color Efex Pro 3.0 I selected Film Efex 3.0 and selected Kodak Portra 400VC from the drop down Menu.

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete - Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete – Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Using Color Efex Pro 3.0 I selected Film Efex 3.0 and selected Kodak Portra 400VC from the drop down Menu.

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete - Tonal Contrast

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete – Tonal Contrast

Next with Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete I used Tonal Contrast

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete - Remove Color Cast

Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete – Remove Color Cast

Next with Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete  I used Remove Color Cast and using 50% Opacity in the Blend Modes

Ogle Cabin Finished using Nik Software

Ogle Cabin Finished using Nik Software


Greenbrier – Smokey Mountain National Park

 Just north and east of Gatlinburg there is an amazing area in the great smoky national park called Greenbrier. The rock formations in Greenbrier look like the formations you would find on the Moon.  It is an amazing place to photograph especially after a fresh rain.  The crevices fill with water and create wonderful reflection pools of the surrounding trees. I like to visit this area in the late afternoon when the light is being blocked by the surrounding hills and trees.  You can get some amazing reflections on the water lying in small pools between the rocks

Greenbrier Moonscape - Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee
Greenbrier Moonscape – Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee

I came in at a low angle and Captured my images at F16 through F32 so my depth of field would not only keep the rocks and small reflection pools in the foreground in focus but also keep the waterfalls and trees in the background in focus.

Greenbrier - Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee
Greenbrier – Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee

Image number 16, 17 and 18 in the Smokey Mountain gallery were photographed in the Greenbrier area.

Greenbrier - Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee
Greenbrier – Great Smokey Mountain Park, Tennessee

I selected my camera White Balance for Auto and selected my Camera Profile for Neutral in Adobe Camera Raw and then opened the images into Photoshop CS 5 so I could do my adjustments using Nik software. With these single images I found that running them through the Nik HDR program game me amazing contrast that I couldn’t achieve with any other tools I had used.


SmokeyMountain Workshop Tour April 22 – April 17, 2012

     SmokeyMountains, Tennessee

                 April 22-27 2012   

                 $700.00, Limited to 8 Students

 

Bonsai Dogwood - Smokey Mountains

 

The Smokey Mountains come alive during the spring. This is the time that the dogwoods come into bloom and the streams run fast from spring rains and winter run off. This is the time that early morning mist looks like early morning mist can give you some dramatic images. Our field time will be spent on composition and proper use of light. We will spend sometime processing Raw images using Photoshop and Nik Software to help you with your processing skills. A training video is included that you will be able reference when you are processing images at home. Our goal is to teach you how to capture beautiful images and explore how to create the images that continue to inspire.

• Learn tips and tricks used by the professionals to create impressive photographs.
• Discover new viewpoints, interesting details which might be overlooked, see the
world photographically.
• Learn to sense the direction of light and how to capture the magic moment.
• Improve your photographic technique.
• Learn your camera and how to get the most out of it.
• Have fun!

Brief Itinerary:

Day One: 5pm get together in Townsend to go over equipment and if time allows Photograph at sunset.
Day Two– Five: Photograph at sunrise in the Smokies and when the light is right.
Day six: Photograph Sunrise and go over final thoughts before saying goodbye.

A Journey shared is truly a Journey remembered