The Old Guard

When I first moved to the mountains decades ago, when I was yet a young boy, this is where I ended up. This little homestead in the magical mountains, far away from the city lights, the overpowering aroma of industry clutching to the shores of the Great Lakes. It’s a long way from automobile manufactures, and busy street corners. The nearest street light to my recollection was some four miles away in a town spanning less than a mile long. From the big city sprawl my mind can barely recall, to the heart of Appalachia. Little did I know my love affair with nature was only a bud, as if growing on the limbs of one of the towering trees that now surrounded my new home. This tree then, was much smaller, a juvenile in its own right, and now it reaches towards the sky at the head of what was once a garden that still holds mythic memories for me, the last of the old guard of memories distant, yet so close to my heart. They say you can never go home, but to close your eyes and relive those long summer days, and chilly winter nights, home is always there for you. I say you can always go home, home will always be waiting.

Standing there at the time I took this photo was a true joy for me, despite the conditions at the time [we will get to that] I couldn’t have asked for a better trip down memory lane. This farm is the stomping ground of my childhood, I had been through every mud hole, creek, and climbed more than a few of those big lumbering trees. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have taken this photo had it not been for my grandfathers request, and it became something of a point of pride to turn in a result that satisfied. Having learned so much about rules of composition the scene was simple to define, and easy to see, I wanted the whole tree in a single image, starkly standing at the end of this field. Now… on to the difficult part.

This edit was complex from a technical perspective. I brought down the highlights on the sides, and within the sky, and gently massaged the colors to what I wanted. I lifted the shadows on the tree, and then I faced a few problems. Chief amongst them, the sky was pure blue, not a cloud in sight. The light was harsh, and difficult to work with. So, instead of admitting defeat, and abandoning the photo I pressed one and replaced the sky in totality. Then, I had to deal with a lawnmower in the background, and an errant powerline sweeping right through the shot, once again, I had to remove them and blend where they had been. A less experienced version of me would of balked at such a task, but today, with my experience I have become a bit more knowledgeable in how to perform such tasks. A few other modifications I did, brining up the color of the flowers on the right, pulling the shed out of the dark, and deepening the spring greens slightly. Indeed, it was a project.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f7.1
ISO: 125
SS: 1/30th
Focal: 12mm

Fujinon 8-16mm