Palisade Head is one of the more heavily photographed landscape locations along Minnesota's north shore. The tall cliffs overlooking Lake Superior and Tettegouche State park, coupled with relatively easy access, draw many seasonal visitors and photographers. As a whole, I tend to avoid these iconic types of places, as most of the best compositional options have been exhausted (or beaten to death ) by others who have come before. Still, I greatly enjoy this place and the feelings that it invokes within me. If you would like to see some more nice takes on this location, both Danny Burk and Craig Blacklock have images of Palisade Head on their websites.
This particular mid-summer morning, I woke up at an ungodly hour to walk up to the top of the cliffs and watch the sun break the horizon over the lake. Thankfully, there wasn't another soul to be seen. I brought my camera with, just in case there was an unexpected moment of inspiration. There weren't any clouds in the sky, so I wasn't to interested in photographing the sunrise scenery that are typically done here. Instead, I found myself observing the graphical curve of the cliff line and composing a bit of a ying/yang composition between the rock formations and the water. As the sun crested the horizon, light slammed on the rock face, bathing it in intense, warm light. I actually desaturated the color some from my Provia transparency since it looked a bit to crazy for my tastes. Anyhow, it's not a phenomenal image, but I enjoy looking at it and remembering that warm summer morning. Thanks for looking.
Joel, very nice indeed. I recall the discussion we had about a similar look along the Pictured Rocks, but it's still a lovely photo. I like that you excluded the sky completely....
CJ
Posted by Susie Hopkins on November 30, 2007 at 7:31 AM
Sweet rich color! Good job on the edit. I like seeing into the water... One of the plus' of living in the Northern regions with the clear, clear waters! This is a place I would love to visit.. Got to git there now! Thanks Joel, for the enticing shot!
Posted by Chuck Beatty on November 30, 2007 at 8:04 AM
Beautiful ligh, Joel. The fact that you can see the rocks below the surface makes this image for me.
Discussion
4 repliesThis particular mid-summer morning, I woke up at an ungodly hour to walk up to the top of the cliffs and watch the sun break the horizon over the lake. Thankfully, there wasn't another soul to be seen. I brought my camera with, just in case there was an unexpected moment of inspiration. There weren't any clouds in the sky, so I wasn't to interested in photographing the sunrise scenery that are typically done here. Instead, I found myself observing the graphical curve of the cliff line and composing a bit of a ying/yang composition between the rock formations and the water. As the sun crested the horizon, light slammed on the rock face, bathing it in intense, warm light. I actually desaturated the color some from my Provia transparency since it looked a bit to crazy for my tastes. Anyhow, it's not a phenomenal image, but I enjoy looking at it and remembering that warm summer morning. Thanks for looking.
Tech Stuff: Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 135mm, Provia 100f
CJ