ISOLATION

ISO 100, f/20, 1/3, 19mm

  Something I learned while photographing in Cades Cove yesterday was that without their leaves, the trees there have kind of a personality.
  Alex Banakas and I had the intentions of catching some early morning fog on the trees and bushes there but Mother Nature did not cooperate. Instead of frost, we were treated to cloudy, gloomy skies and damp conditions. Not really prime photography weather. We made the best of what we were dealt though.
  I made this an opportunity to shoot more in black and white than color with the blown out sky and colorless landscape.
  Along Sparks Lane we really noticed this pair of trees and instead of photographing them from the usual angle on the road like I did in the fall with Sparks Lane Fog, we walked into the adjacent field. I really loved the angle from here. Standing slightly downhill from the trees, I was able to isolate the pair of trees above the foggy mountains in the background.
  In post-processing, I was able to pull the gray details out of the cloudy skies as well. Even got some unexpected color out of the green grass. This allowed me to keep it in color instead of the brooding black and white I expected.
  One thing that was really cool about being in Cades Cove for the first time in winter conditions was being able to see into fields and forests that are normally blocked by leaves and foliage. It will make coming back in the spring very exciting to explore from these angles with the leaves back on the trees.