nomadlens
Images of the South West
Light, Bodmin Moor
Sometimes you are driving along and suddenly the perfect light for a great shot just appears; fleeting sun and cloud effects that often last for a matter of moments. Nineteen times out of twenty you miss the shot because there is simply nowhere to stop the car.
Fortunately that is rarely the case on the massive expanse of the former Davidstow Airfield on Bodmin Moor. We had been driving up from the south on the mainly tree lined road when we reached the open moor, this huge vista and these incredible lighting conditions. I was out of the car in a flash to shoot the five frames that comprise this High Dynamic Range (HDR) shot. In the distance to the left is the granite topped Rough Tor; to the right the sun is reflecting off Crowdy Reservoir.
Much to the relief of local residents, and after a battle lasting many years, plans to carpet this area with some of the highest land based wind turbines in this country, whose blades would have been higher than Rough Tor have just recently been abandoned (there is still a large farm of smaller turbines only a couple of miles south of here unfortunately).
If you are passing on the A39 and have never been (and it is not at all obvious that it is there) turn left near Davidstow Cheese Factory and drive up onto the old airfield site. It is a unique place and quite unlike anywhere else in the South West of England.
Location
Bodmin Moor, Camelford, Cornwall, UK
EXIF
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 22mm
Aperture: ƒ/11
Shutter Speed: 1/320s
ISO: 200
Image Details
This is a five shot (1ev stops) handheld HDR. Initially processed in Photomatix 5 with its new Contrast Optimizer tonemapping algorithm, it was then further toned in Color Efex Pro using Detail Extractor (the resulting image was a little soft - I hadn't got the aperture and hyperfocal distance right in my hurry to get the shot), Pro Contrast (all HDRs need a dose to this in my opinion) and Graduated Neutral Density. The colour separation in the moorland grass was enhanced in LAB and then OnOne's Perfect Effects was used to create the autumnal feel.
1 Comment
Beautiful landscape under a dramatic sky. I love the light rays projecting down, and I love the scale of the tiny trees in a huge landscape. Lovely image.