Landscape Lessons Learned

This weekend I wanted to try a little landscape photography.  Like most things in life, it turns out to be more difficult than it looks.  This shot was taken at Lake James State Park in North Carolina.  It's the first of a series of lakes along the Catawba River which drains the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina.  Being the first lake, it's the only one that doesn't get effluent from nearby towns and so has relatively pristine water.  Certainly clean enough for swimming.

The thing about going to new places is that you have no idea where the good photo spots are.  The park maps and brochures don't pay a lot of attention to photographers, and the trail guides are all about how difficult the trails are.  

I found this spot after talking to another hiker.  Turns out I was parked maybe 500 yards from the location buy had already spent an hour hiking through the bushes going the opposite way.  And once I got there I realized there is another parking area only 150 yards from this view.   The lesson here is that you can't do enough research.  Often the web fails in this regard.  But the locals know.  So lesson learned.

 
I'm throwing in a quick snap of the actual lookout.  Very well built and it certainly provides excellent views.   North Carolina state parks are very well maintained with good trails, bridges and timber or stone stairs where they're needed. 

One thing I like to do is look for the unexpected shot.  This park is all about the lake views, so it's worth trying to find a few non-lake views.  Most of the time this is not going to be your award winning shot, but once in awhile there might be something most excellent.  The idea is to train your mind look past the obvious shot.  It's a way to enforce a different way of looking at things. 

On this excursion I did find a quiet little backwater cove.  These are often very difficult shots with extreme exposure range, reflections and detail.   I feel I have a way to go before magic shots of this kind of subject.  You just have to keep trying to find the right combination.  Be harsh and critical of your work, and do some thinking about what would have made a better image.  Another lesson learned.