This was the first backpacking trip that I brought my mini tripod with me, which extends up to about four feet high. It weighs about a pound and a half, which is kind of a lot on a trip like this, but it was totally worth it - I'll never leave it home again! I knew that I'd be in a lot of low light situations under the forest canopy, so I knew I'd need it to get sharp photos. I've had my camera (Panasonic FZ20) for well over a year, and this was basically the first time I've used it as anything other than a point and shoot.
I left it in manual mode most of the time, and basically went by trial and error with the aperture & shutter speed. I'm still getting a feel for how to get the right photo in each situation, and I have a long way to go before I'll truly be satisfied with my photos, but I'm excited about how these came out.
I got a lot of shots like this: random trail shots attempting in vain to capture the overhwhelming richness of the greenery that I was surrounded by. This was hiking in on the Gabes Mountain Trail. Lots of rhododendrons.
Another shot from farther along the same trail, right before I got to camp.
Hen Wallow Falls. I literally took about 40 photos here, deleting most of them and trying to figure out what worked. This one is still too dark for my liking, even after messing with it in Picasa.
This was on day two, beginning the hike up to Maddron Bald through the Albright Grove of old-growth forest. This is one of the few shots I took that actually captured what the intensity of the colors was like.
Maddron Bald. A lot of ridgetops in the Smokies have wide areas with no trees, and many blooming azaleas and other wildflowers. There is debate about whether or not these areas are natural.
This was a trail junction, early in the morning. All of the little white blossoms
everywhere are from Carolina silverbell trees, which apparently prefer to grow in old growth forest areas, and as such are increasingly rare. The blossoms littered the trail, and the entire forest beneath the silverbell trees, which (like everything else) grew to enormous size.
Another trail surrounded by wildflowers. I believe these were mayflowers.
Violets and fringe phacelia along the Swallow Fork Trail.
Big Creek, which I camped along on my third night out. This was at about 8:30 PM, with a long exposure, I think somewhere between 4 and 8 seconds.
I can't wait to go back! This was my favorite place that I've ever hiked, and I do this a lot. Great excuse to make the thousand-mile drive back to the Dragon!
And just so this is MINI-related, here's a photo of the group photo, taken from the top of Fontana Dam. The
full size one is way too wide to post, but here's a thumbnail:
