Barkers Creek

Not all of the amazing sunsets are found high on a mountain top here in Western North Carolina, no indeed, there’s plenty of sights to behold down in the mountain valleys. The colors roaring over the peaks, with the subtle rolling hills of the rural farmlands, and residential areas deep in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I wanted to examine the possibilities of getting a stunning shot in an area that, while I was familiar with, had never photographed before, what better place to start than ones own backyard. Only a small trip from my home, this field often has stunning lighting during sunset, so here I was to document the magical experience, and relay it on to you, just off the highway.

Indeed, this little location is nestled behind a local church not far from my actual home. I opted to see if the light would kick off the way I wanted, and low and behold, the combination of thin wispy clouds and the setting sun put on quite the show for me on this occasion. It’s not often I get to reveal in silence, and solitude of a landscape photoshoot while also surrounded by people. many of whom had no idea I was even there.

The edit here was tricky, beyond my typical trickery, I had to bring the light up quite a bit in the valley foreground of this shot. It was near pitch black. The second big challenge of this shoot was the powerlines and power poles dotting the landscape. After cloning all of those out it was time to work on the sky itself. Bringing out the colors, and highlighting the beauty. Finally we added a little dodge and burn to the scene, creating the warm welcome glow down bellow.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f8
ISO: 160
SS: 1/6th
Focal: 21mm

Fujinon 16-55mm