Summer’s End
Crystal Lake was smooth as glass when I arrived for this late September sunrise. A gentle fog hugged the surface where warmer water came in contact with the cooler air. I patiently waited for the sun to crest the low-level clouds and prayed the four loons swimming in the area would remain in the image when I finally pushed the shutter button.
This image provided a learning experience for me. It had been a while since I ventured out for a sunrise. The weather this summer has been less than conducive for sunrise events. My first learning experience relates to equipment. When I got to my desired panorama destination I realized my tripod was not in the car with the rest of my equipment. It was still in the RV from our Cape Cod trip. My second learning experience had to do with age and condition. To get this shot I had to set my camera and tripod low to the ground. That meant I had to be low to the ground also. After sitting on cold, crushed rock for thirty minutes, my age came into play as I was forced to "roll over" onto my hands and knees to attain the vertical stance needed to get back to the car. It wasn't pretty. It was not well received psychologically either.
This image is a focus-stacked build from four sets of bracketed photographs. Focus was targeted on the foreground grass, the brown grass farther out, the treeline in the back, and finally the hillside in the distance. The bracket shots were merged in Adobe Lightroom and then brought into Photoshop where the four individual images were merged for sharp focus front to back.
In its native size, it measures 26” x 18” at 300ppi. It is available in sizes ranging from 12”x 18” up to 36” x 52” as a paper print, canvas wrap, acrylic, or as a print on infused aluminum, also known as a metal print. Use the email button above for inquiries.
