Leaves are off the trees in the Southern Appalachians but there is still some color to capture on film. A super saturated sky is what happens after the sun has disappeared behind the horizon. Patiences helped in this case. I just waited until the sky was glowing with warm tones. Notice the lower part of the sky is red because it is closer to the setting sun while the upper part of the sky is starting faint to a cooler purple. LynnFreeny.com
I take my camera everywhere. I know this may seem I have gone to far by having my camera in the bathroom. Well I could not help it when I saw the light and plants showing through the frosted glass of the bathroom. The image remains me of the impressionist painters.LynnFreeny.com
Fog is an amazing thing to photography. Getting images of it frozen can be very interesting. In this early morning shot near New Found Gap in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park the frozen fog coats every limb and plant in its path. LynnFreeny.com
Bad weather can be a good thing for nature photography. After hiking all day in the rain I was ready to give up on interesting light when the clouds opened up. I was amazed to see purple fog in a skeleton forest. I measured the light in the sky as the main subject knowing this would cause the trees to become a dark silhouette against the purple sky. LynnFreeny.com
Churches are very plentiful in small towns in the Southern Appalachians. Here in Greeneville, Tennessee this church reflects off one of many historical buildings in the downtown area. LynnFreeny.com
When it seems like I am in a not so inspiring place with a camera some people ask me the question," What are you taking a picture of ?". This image was taken along Interstate 40 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Shooting at f2.8 I was able to cause the lights to balloon out of focus creating an interesting background for the chain link fence. I used a tripod because the shutter speed was 1/2 second. Remember beautiful images are everywhere so get out there and get inspired. LynnFreeny.com
Frozen fog also called "hoarfrost" in the Southern Appalachians is called "pogonip" by Native Americans out west. The beauty of "hoarfrost" is that it coats the trees with a thick covering of frost only where fog travels. In this image you can see the evidence of how selective this type of frost can be. The frost produces a very reflective surface which causes the coated trees in this image to appear blue as the trees reflect the deep blue sky above.LynnFreeny.com
Black and white photography can be so powerful when it comes to capturing tone. In this image of a church steeple there is a feeling of loftiness as the tip of the steeple disappears into a very dark sky. The distortion was caused by positioning myself close to the building. With the use of a number 25 red filter I was able to darken the sky to absolute black. LynnFreeny.com
Back roads have interesting subjects and lots of curves. The combination of a beautiful Victorian house and interesting clouds in the evening light made this subject worth the drive. Using the red channel only and converting the image to gray scale gave me the same effect as a number 25 red filter with black and white film.LynnFreeny.com
Shadows at times dominate our vision. In this case the shadow becomes the main subject because of its sheer size. The tree is massive, but the shadow is even larger because of the low angle of the evening sun. The real trick to this was to make sure I positioned myself in the shadow so my own shadow did not show up.LynnFreeny.com
Early mornings always reward me with interesting subjects to photograph. Here is one of those subjects that is missed by most people because the actual object is not very popular. This is a close up of dew on a trash can lid. The curving lines are caused by large water droplets traveling down the slick plastic surface of the trash can. It reminds me of the surface of some far away planet. LynnFreeny.com
Shadows are such important elements in photography that I am always looking for interesting ones. In this image the shadows even have a color cast from the flame of the lamp. Also, some highlights from the glass globe create bright reflections on the wall. The strong crossing shadows are from the window which is lighting the subject. Never underestimate shadows and their ability to add to a composition. LynnFreeny.com
No, it's not Christmas lights but it may be Christmas shoppers. With a 200mm lens focused on a fence along interstate 40 in Knoxville, the headlights and taillights balloon out of focus creating a magical light show. LynnFreeny.com
I often walk with my eyes toward the ground this time of year looking for that leaf that needs to be photographed before it denigrates. This Bradford Pear leaf became one of those leaves that made me say, "Wow!", when I saw it. LynnFreeny.com
Many times shadows become much more interesting than the actual object they came from. This image of shadows on a porch illustrates this very concept. Also, notice negative space in the shadows seems to glow in the bright white areas of the image. LynnFreeny.com
Some very everyday objects can be transformed by light. In this image of bottles in a window the direction of the light caused the bottles to actually become a light source. I am always looking for this type of effect. One of my favorite things to shoot are leaves that become a light source as the sun shines through them. LynnFreeny.com
Shadows are important. This image is an example of the shadow being the dominant element. With the help of Photoshop I was able to tint the balloon red in this black and white photograph. The late day low angle of the sun causes the elongated shadows. This image was used on a Psychology text book cover.
Night photography is interesting in a city. If it is raining you get the bonus of reflections from the wet streets. In this image I was stopped at a red light. I looked to the right and saw a row of street lights, car lights and glowing signs in the background . With a 200 mm lens I knew I could compact the information and include all the interesting elements. LynnFreeny.com
Remember always have your camera with you. I was on a commercial flight cruising at about 30,000 feet when I saw this rainbow out my window. I used a lens hood pressed against my window to help shade any reflections. LynnFreeny.com
My favorite light occurs in the evening and morning. At these particular times of day most things look more interesting. Why? Maybe it is because you only see this quality of light once a day. This is an evening image of Knoxville Tennessee at sunset. LynnFreeny.com
Here is another example of shadows used in photography. Shadows repeat the the shape of the original creating a rhythm in the image. They also make complex objects very simple helping us to see things like the delicate positioning of the dancers hands. Remember not to under rate shadows when looking for subjects to capture on film. LynnFreeny.com
Shadows are under rated in the world. Some people never notice shadows. Without shadows the world would look really crazy. Have you ever been to the state fair and see the paintings with no shadows. Objects in paintings like that cause the cabins or barn to look like they are floating in front of a natural background. It looks out of this world. As a photographer you should almost be obsessed will shadow awareness. Shadows can make or break an image so watch out for this seemingly harmless element when doing photography. The image here was taken at Tremont during my photography workshop. LynnFreeny.com
This subject caught my eye because of the complementary color relationship that was screaming at me visually. In the art and design world complementary colors are often used to bring attention to objects. Red and green are the complementary colors in this image. On an artist color wheel they are opposite of each other. When colors are opposite on the color wheel they create a type of visual excitement that give the colors more punch. LynnFreeny.com
This cascading section of the Middle Prong in Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park craves a zig zag pattern through the rock surface forming a modest but beautiful water fall. In order to avoid strong shadows this image was shot in the early morning hours. Another great time to shoot this type of subject in the Southern Appalachians is on a cloudy days. Always make sure you have rain gear on a cloudy day in the mountains because if there are clouds usually rain will follow. LynnFreeny.com
I consider both the negative and positive space when composing an image such as these leaf patterns in the water. The leaves are the positive space and the water surrounding the leaves is the negative space. Both are equally important in creating a successful image. This image was shot during my photography workshop at Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. LynnFreeny.com
In the fall small streams in the Southern Appalachians become these wonderful natural mirrors that reflect the brightly colored trees surrounding them. Along with these reflections comes a colorful sprinkling of leaves on the rocks looking like confetti after a big parade. This is an image I shot during my photography workshop in Tremont along the Middle Prong of the Little River. LynnFreeny.com
On the workshop at Tremont I looked up from Middle Prong and saw this composition. Using a 15mm lens I was able to show how plants reach for the sun. The rhododendron is in the shade of the noon day sun along with a rocky cliff overhang creating an interesting depth to the image. LynnFreeny.com
This is another image I shot in Tremont during my photography workshop . The roots look like stairs because of the pattern they form growing down hill. The colorful carpet of fall leaves add to the interest when contrasted with the dark roots. Using a wide angle lens helped show the progression of the roots giving a rhythm to the photograph. To get the foreground sharp along with the background I had to shoot at f- 22 for 2 seconds. LynnFreeny.com
Today I led a photography workshop to Tremont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Perfect weather and beautiful scenery made the day great. This image of Middle Prong was taken early this morning during the workshop. The key to an image like this one is using a sturdy tripod to produce a sharp image.The camera was set at f-stop 22 with a shutter speed of 8 seconds. This gave me a lot of depth of field and produced a smooth look for the water motion. LynnFreeny.com
This is not the normal wildlife of the Southern Appalachian, but that is where I found these strange creatures. Before you call the University of Tennessee to report a new species in the mountains, I must confess I got this picture at Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg Tennessee. I set the camera at 400 ISO to take advantage of the existing light. When shooting through glass it is always better to avoid flash photography. Setting the camera on a higher ISO enabled me to set a fast enough shutter speed to stop the movement of the jellyfish. LynnFreeny.com
This is why I always have a camera with me. I walk my dog Charlie every morning, and the amazing thing is every morning is different. This was one of those mornings that looked like one of the old masters oil paintings. As I looked at the sky, suddenly the sun popped out between the trees on the horizon. I know a lot of people are not morning people but with a little coffee maybe you to could enjoy the morning light. LynnFreeny.com
I love the change of seasons. When someone asks what do I like about summer? I say "fall". And what do I like about fall? I say "winter". The change of seasons gives a photographer different opportunities to capture much more than someone living in the tropics. The Southern Appalachians have a more gentle change in seasons than the northeast or northwest. To me this makes the area seem more friendly when it comes to climate. This is one of the first frosts of fall on a window pane with the brilliant fall colors in the background. The key to making the frost standout is by using an f-stop of 2.8 to help produce shallow depth of field, and by positioning the camera at an angle that shows the sun's morning light reflecting off the frost. LynnFreeny.com
Black and white photography can be much more abstract than color photography because it takes color and turns it to tones. The trees along this road are autumn yellow. With a number 25 red filter over the lens these trees were transformed to a tone close to white. The early morning fog created a very stark white background. The image was cropped to give it a long landscape ratio showing the directional lines of the road,trees,and fence.LynnFreeny.com
I love trees because they offer so many interesting photography opportunities. Even in death a tree has a beauty that can not be ignored. This is an image of exposed roots of a hemlock tree that has fallen in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The lines on the wood look like a pencil drawing. LynnFreeny.com
Fog is a wonderful thing in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. This is one of those rare cases, the opportunity to be above the fog like a bird flying over. I shot this at one of the highest points on the Foothills Parkway in the early morning hours. Under this heavy fog is the small mountain town of Townsend Tennessee. LynnFreeny.com
I took my camera mounted to my tripod and started walking along the banks of my favorite river in the Southern Appalachians. It is the Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I had my camera on a tripod because I knew the light would be low as I followed the direction of this small but beautiful stream surrounded by very dense vegetation. I wanted to capture the brilliant colors of the surrounding forest along with the same colors reflected in the water. My exposure ended up being around 10 seconds because of the dense tree canopy and a f-stop of 32. F-32 was used to get the depth of field in the picture.LynnFreeny.com
A photographer's best friend many times is fog. This image reminds me of rock concert lighting where they use a smoke machine. Fog is wonderful because of its ability to show the direction of light. In this case the fog reveals each point of light coming from the various openings in the top of the tree canopy. Always remember moisture is your friend and fog can help you capture great images. By the way, I did not have to go far for the picture. It is my back yard. LynnFreeny.com
My favorite time to be in the Appalachian Mountains is evening and morning. At these two different times of day the light can be magical. This image was shot in Grayson Highlands in Virginia on top of a grassy bald. When composing a landscape image I usually don’t like equal amounts of sky and ground because this produces a very static composition. In this image the sky dominates because it is the most interesting part of the subject showing color and movement while the mountains are dark and absent of detail. LynnFreeny.com
I was out with my family for a walk in the park the other day. I caught the sun as it began to set between the trees. By using a orange filter over the lens , normally used for black and white photography, I gave the image a warming effect. LynnFreeny.com
Washington DC has a seemingly endless variety of interesting architecture. From modern to classic DC has it all. This is the original Smithsonian Museum and was the only building the Smithsonian Institution had until the 1960's. As I was looking at the old tree and the Castle I thought the two have existed together for a long time. By shooting black and white I was able to capture an image that concentrates on the rich tonality of the subject. Notice the leaves on the tree are white because of the fall color change.LynnFreeny.com
This is another leaf on a dogwood in my yard using the same camera and lens as the last blog. The shallow depth of field helps isolate the leaf from the background. The nice glow is caused by the sun shinning through the leaf. LynnFreeny.com
I was walking through my yard looking for interesting things that were showing the signs of fall. With my Sigma SLR mounted on a tripod with an 80 to 300 zoom lens, I started looking at leaves on the trees. The absence of wind was a plus because it made it possible for 1/2 sec exposure to be made of this leaf. The sky, deep blue didn't hurt either giving me a perfect background. I also positioned my view so sun light would actually shine through the leaf making the leaf like a light source revealing more detail on the surface. LynnFreeny.com
In the Southern Appalachians in autumn at times there are days of strong winds that cause the sky to be filled with colorful leaves . It is hard to capture these gushes on film. I decided to put my camera on a tripod and shot at a slow shutter speed in order to show the motion these winds cause. It's like its snowing leaves. LynnFreeny.com 
No one likes heavy traffic, including me. But when you get stuck it is always good to have a camera. As I slowed to a stop I quickly pulled out my camera to capture the reflection of the sunset of the back of this big rig. Most of the highway was in shadows causing a large difference in the color temperature from the glowing truck. LynnFreeny.com
Cherohala Skyway is one of the best places in the Southern Appalachians to view fall colors if you like large vistas that show mountains as far as your eye can see. In this image I wanted to only include mountains keeping the viewer in the composition. The progression of one ridge after another adds a nice rhythm to the image. LynnFreeny.com
Back roads are a wonderful place in the Appalachians. The rewards are little treasures that escape most peoples vision because they opt for the faster four lane highway. I was in the North Carolina mountains when I came upon the Appalachian version of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It isn't as grand but makes up for it with simple beauty. This small barn is made from hemlock which never seems to rot but weathers to a rich brown color rather than the cold gray most commonly seen.
When it comes to shadows, sometimes I think that is what black and white photography was made for. In this image shot at Greenbelt Park in Maryville Tennessee, the simplicity of black and white shines. The repeating curving lines of the tunnel along with the more organic shadows of the people walking combine, looking very much like a pen and ink drawing.
Shooting black and white film in the fall may seem foolish to many. Guess what? Sometimes I prefer black and white to color during the most colorful times of the year in the Southern Appalachians. With this image shot in Grayson Highlands the time of day was not right for color photography. It was around 1:30 and the sun was washing out the bright colors. By using a number 25 red filter I was able to darken the blue sky and gain overall contrast in the image. The branches of the birch tree helped fill the sky with interesting lines and shapes. LynnFreeny.com
I love ginkgo trees in the fall. They have a brilliant yellow color that you can see from far distances. Another characteristic of the ginkgo is its leaves fall all at the same time, leaving a beautiful carpet of yellow on the ground. In this image I was able to capture this carpet along with the shadow of the leafless ginkgo tree.
