Posted by TIMERNST on December 21, 2006 at 3:46 PM
Just FYI if anyone here is interested - I'm heading into the great sandstone arch at Buzzard Roost tomorrow morning (Friday, December 22nd) to shoot the winter solstice sunrise. This is the only day of the year where you can catch the sun rising underneath the arch (at least the only time I have seen it - may do it again on Saturday or Sunday too, not sure). Looks like we will have a clear sky. The hike in is about two easy miles, a little tougher on the way out since it is uphill some, but almost all of it is along an old jeep road and easy hiking. I will be parking at the old barn on the main forest road where you turn off at 6:15am (sunrise is at 7:18am) - see the directions on page 50 of the Arkansas Nature Lover's Guidebook for how to get to this spot. There is a photo of what you can expect on page 51 - it was shot with a 21mm Zeiss lens on a fullframe Canon, so you will need an ultra-wide to get everything in, plus a tall tripod (probably 14mm or wider on a crop camera - 10mm or 12mm is better).
Posted by Tim Ferrell on December 21, 2006 at 9:07 PM
I have appointments already or I would try to swing it. I cant get 21mm wide even if I dusted off a film camera. I was hoping my wife would get me a 5D for Christmas but so far I'm not missing $3k so its not looking good. I can make it on Saturday though.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on December 21, 2006 at 10:56 PM
Tim, thanks for the invite, but I'd have to leave in about an hour to make it! I'll just have to leave it to those of you closer and wait to see the results of your efforts!
Good hunting out there!
Posted by TIMERNST on December 22, 2006 at 4:56 AM
You should have come on down Wayne - I would have fixed you a cup of tea! I'm up now at 3-ish ready to head out the door for the two-hour drive and 45-minute hike in, then a little rest time to stand back and admire the view before 30 seconds of frantic shooting. And I have to be back home by 10am - not sure how I'm going to make that but what the heck, it only happens once a year! I'm going to shoot with my 12mm this time and see how it looks (17mm on the Nikon).
Posted by Bill Dark on December 22, 2006 at 9:03 AM
Tim - I'd really like to have made the trip over, but I don't think I have a lens that would do this scene justice. The widest lens in my bag is a 12-24mm zoom, and like most zooms, is prone to flare in situations like this. Guess I'm going to have to find a wider prime than 24mm if I'm going to shoot landscapes into the sun.
The clouds just rolled in a couple of hours ago here, so I'm hoping the edge was just at the horizon at sunrise where you were shooting. Looking forward to a report...
Posted by TIMERNST on December 22, 2006 at 11:30 AM
Bill:
Thanks for holding off those clouds - nothing but clear skies at sunrise at the arch. We had a great hike in and out- I'll post a photo in a little while in the Journal. I'm not sure how good the ones with my 12mm were, but I got a good one with my new camera, a 1.3mp phone...
12mm was perfect for this shot. Actually I mispoke before about my last photo of this event - it was taken with the Canon 17-40mm lens at 17mm on a fullframe Canon, so the effective 18mm of the Nikon lens was just barely wide enough. All of these lenses will flare when shooting at the sun, and prime lenses have always done so too - just the nature of the beast. In fact if you look close at the flare you can tell how many elements are in the lens and what type of coating they have on them!
Posted by Bill Dark on December 22, 2006 at 3:20 PM
Glad you got some good shots Tim! The one on your Journal page is superb - I just love the primeval mood.
Well, guess you can tell how many images I've shot into the sun...I probably could count them on one hand. If there's no avoiding flare, I may as well go for it. What's there to lose but a two-and-a-half hour drive (and a couple of pounds of body fat climbing out of that ravine)? I've got my Christmas shopping done, so I'll be there in the morning. The sunrise azimuth should be about the same as today - less than a tenth of a degree difference.
Posted by Glenn Carter on December 23, 2006 at 7:01 AM
Tim,
Where is this place?
Posted by TIMERNST on December 23, 2006 at 7:49 AM
Bill:
Every time that I read in a camera owner's manual not to point the camera directly at the sun I run out and do just that, and have been doing so for 30 years. One hint - stop down all the way with your wide lens to get the most starburst effect. You will often get odd flare spots but these are normally easy to take care of in post processing. Since it is clear again this morning I bet you got a great shot through the arch! The hike back out is not too tough, and really only 1/2 mile climb. I did it yesterday with my camera pack and did not even break a sweat or get to breathing hard.
Glenn:
The Buzzard Roost area is located in the Big Piney River drainage to the southwest of Pelsor between Hwy. 7 and the Big Piney River. You can find the map and specific driving and hiking directions on page 50-51 of the new ARKANSAS NATURE LOVER'S GUIDEBOOK (plus 100 other neat places around the state too). It is a two-mile hike in and is one of the more interesting geological areas in the state (a pretty small area though). Most folks who have been going to Buzzard Roost for years had no idea this terrific sandstone arch was just a couple hundreds yards away, but that is what these kinds of guidebooks are for...
Posted by Glenn Carter on December 25, 2006 at 1:06 AM
Discussion
9 repliesGood hunting out there!
The clouds just rolled in a couple of hours ago here, so I'm hoping the edge was just at the horizon at sunrise where you were shooting. Looking forward to a report...
Thanks for holding off those clouds - nothing but clear skies at sunrise at the arch. We had a great hike in and out- I'll post a photo in a little while in the Journal. I'm not sure how good the ones with my 12mm were, but I got a good one with my new camera, a 1.3mp phone...
12mm was perfect for this shot. Actually I mispoke before about my last photo of this event - it was taken with the Canon 17-40mm lens at 17mm on a fullframe Canon, so the effective 18mm of the Nikon lens was just barely wide enough. All of these lenses will flare when shooting at the sun, and prime lenses have always done so too - just the nature of the beast. In fact if you look close at the flare you can tell how many elements are in the lens and what type of coating they have on them!
Well, guess you can tell how many images I've shot into the sun...I probably could count them on one hand. If there's no avoiding flare, I may as well go for it. What's there to lose but a two-and-a-half hour drive (and a couple of pounds of body fat climbing out of that ravine)? I've got my Christmas shopping done, so I'll be there in the morning. The sunrise azimuth should be about the same as today - less than a tenth of a degree difference.
Where is this place?
Every time that I read in a camera owner's manual not to point the camera directly at the sun I run out and do just that, and have been doing so for 30 years. One hint - stop down all the way with your wide lens to get the most starburst effect. You will often get odd flare spots but these are normally easy to take care of in post processing. Since it is clear again this morning I bet you got a great shot through the arch! The hike back out is not too tough, and really only 1/2 mile climb. I did it yesterday with my camera pack and did not even break a sweat or get to breathing hard.
Glenn:
The Buzzard Roost area is located in the Big Piney River drainage to the southwest of Pelsor between Hwy. 7 and the Big Piney River. You can find the map and specific driving and hiking directions on page 50-51 of the new ARKANSAS NATURE LOVER'S GUIDEBOOK (plus 100 other neat places around the state too). It is a two-mile hike in and is one of the more interesting geological areas in the state (a pretty small area though). Most folks who have been going to Buzzard Roost for years had no idea this terrific sandstone arch was just a couple hundreds yards away, but that is what these kinds of guidebooks are for...