Bayou Dreams
Ever since seeing some great shots of Cypress swamps from
Tim Williams I've been really keen to go and shoot some. I've explored a couple of swamps around the Carolinas, but didn't find the right combination of trees and conditions. So, when a conference in New Orleans came up recently, I decided I had to add on a few hours to explore the bayou and try to get some good Cypress shots. Tim was even kind enough to share some guidance and tips for shooting these beauties with me (much appreciated Tim!). My hitch was that I was very time limited. Ideally I would've snuck out in the early morning to try to get some mist lying in among the trees. Unfortunately the only time I could escape was a late afternoon, but who knows when my next chance will be so I decided I had to go for it anyway.
I learned these magnificent trees are not so easy to shoot in the natural swamp setting, as they are often surrounded by tangles of branches and other swamp detritus, making for an overly busy shot. However, I was able to find this small cluster of taller trees well out in the open water, and while the sunset itself was quite plain, there was just enough afterglow hanging behind the trees during blue hour to backlight them in an intriguing way. This was in to the deep part of blue hour where the sky is turning to purple, so I thought this made for a pretty unique color combo. Can't wait to go back again some time and try to get those awesome misty shots I missed this time around.
Bayou Dreams
Ever since seeing some great shots of Cypress swamps from
Tim Williams I've been really keen to go and shoot some. I've explored a couple of swamps around the Carolinas, but didn't find the right combination of trees and conditions. So, when a conference in New Orleans came up recently, I decided I had to add on a few hours to explore the bayou and try to get some good Cypress shots. Tim was even kind enough to share some guidance and tips for shooting these beauties with me (much appreciated Tim!). My hitch was that I was very time limited. Ideally I would've snuck out in the early morning to try to get some mist lying in among the trees. Unfortunately the only time I could escape was a late afternoon, but who knows when my next chance will be so I decided I had to go for it anyway.
I learned these magnificent trees are not so easy to shoot in the natural swamp setting, as they are often surrounded by tangles of branches and other swamp detritus, making for an overly busy shot. However, I was able to find this small cluster of taller trees well out in the open water, and while the sunset itself was quite plain, there was just enough afterglow hanging behind the trees during blue hour to backlight them in an intriguing way. This was in to the deep part of blue hour where the sky is turning to purple, so I thought this made for a pretty unique color combo. Can't wait to go back again some time and try to get those awesome misty shots I missed this time around.