At 6:30 am last Saturday I found myself in the parking lot of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. A new photo group I’ve met with, the 4th Tuesday photography group, were going on an early morning photo shoot at the center. We got there in advance of the sunrise and made our way along wooded trails toward the American River.
We had good light for about 1 1/2-2 hours before the golden colors of morning washed out. Small groups of young deer and clutches of turkeys crossed our paths and wandered through the oaks. It was my first time at the center and was a great way to spend a morning with friends without a long drive out of town.
Well into summer the vibrant color these plants once had is long gone. But enough interest remained in the way of texture and subtle shades for me to compose a close shot of random foliage.
Without a graduated neutral density filter this shot required a bit of massaging in Photoshop to bring the highlight and shadow portions into line with what the scene looked like. I’m using the classic compositional technique of leading the eye from the foreground into the scene to the background.
This shot of trees both in the shade and in the light didn’t work to my satisfaction in color. I converted to Black and White and cropped it down to a narrower view that I thought best represented where the interest really was.
The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is a great place to spend any portion of the day. Our early morning outing was especially rewarding. Highly recommended.
