Charlie's Bunion

Drawn at Charlie's Bunion on the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky

Mountains National Park watching the sun rise above the low-lying

clouds blowing across the mountain range. The foreground rocks has

been polished by the boots of the many hikers who come to this popular

spot, and so reflects the sunlight and adds the quality of this shot.

The image is a amalgam of 5 exposures. I combined them in photomatix

both as a traditional HDR and using the "fusion" option. The HDR did a

good job of the clouds, but otherwise the "fusion" was better. Thus I

combined them as separate layers. In addition, I has a separate layer

for the sun using just the lowest-exposure image. Finally the plant on

the rocks moved considerably during the exposure, so I took the best

exposure for it and added it in on a separate layer. Otherwise there

was some local tweaking of exposure and sharpening.

great image and nice job with all the blends.....

Very interesting image, Robert with the well Hdr job. Congrats , best regards,

Beautiful tones and superb lighting. Congrats.

My compliments, you used all your skills and all your inspiration to make a real great image. It is very strong and convincing imagery. A treat for the eye. A picture to return to and watch over and over again.

Regards,

Herman

Postcard picture perfect, what else can I say, but well done. Kind regards from, Kyn, New Zealand.

Hi, Robert.

Outstanding image, indeed!! The light you got here is just amazing. Perfect job!! It goes straight to my favorites.

Kind regards,

Ramon.

(BTW: Thanks for technical details!)

Outstanding landscape shot, Robert !! Great capture ...

More than sharing this grand picture with us I really appreciate your sharing your techniques.  That's very generous and as the perennial learner, I thank you.  S

Best regards Robert!

PDE

Awesome looking shot with excellent p/p work

Simply the best :) Congrats!

Best regards,

Eugene

Robert...  A superb rendition of Charlie's Bunion, dramatic, and totally in keeping with the early morning atmosphere.  Did you stay at Ice Water Springs or walk the full 4 miles in while dark?  Thanks for sharing, I never tire of the Smokies.... Mike

It seems you worked hard to capture this beauty.  It's a fantastic image!

Wonderful capture of a beuatiful place, like the light and layers in your photo!

Thanks for all the comments.

Michael, I stayed in the Icewater Spings hut overnight and it was about about 1/2 hours walk to Charlies Bunion. On the way there I came upon a big group of pigs which quite surprised me, especially in the dark.

Robert...  The "feral" pigs have become a serious problem in the Park.  Non-native and very destructive.  If we see fresh evidence of pigs while hiking, we report it to the Rangers.  They will then attempt to capture and/or dispense them by other measures.   Again, a very compelling shot... Mike 

one of the most amazing shots I've seen in a while. Nice job Robert

Wonderful!

This shot made me stop and ponder the early morning fog clearing and the lone tree reaching above the rocky ridge top.

Shot is truly amazing.

Thanks for the detailed explaination, and good job on the HDR. I might crop the top just a bit (but then loose some of the cool sunbeams so not sure it would be worth it). It would also might work cropped half way down the sun to put even more epmphasis on the fantastic clouds.

Great light.