Last weekend I took a hike in the foothills of Mount Diablo, and found a mix of rolling grass covered hills, and wooded slopes with trees casting long shadows.
Just a short distance up the trail and it felt like you were immersed in nature. The path followed a creek for a while before turning upward, and into the hills. There were a couple of trails forking off in different directions along the way, which made it fun wondering to my heart’s desire.
A Peaceful Place For All the Senses
The trail itself seemed to be popular as I crossed paths intermittently with other hikers. While enjoying the fresh spring air, birds were singing blissfully somewhere in the nearby trees.
Frogs croaked by the creek, adding to the chorus of natural sounds. I could have stopped and relaxed there all day. It was much better than any of those noise machines or meditation apps.
Quick Tip: Experiment With Longer Focal Lengths
Shooting in wooded environments can be challenging. Trees alone can clutter a scene with all their branches, twigs and leaves. At one point during the hike I decided to put on my long telephoto lens. That long lens allowed me to exclude the clutter that I didn’t want in the final image.
For instance, the image above was shot at 214mm. I focused deeper into the scene to blur out some of the foreground I found too distracting.
In the following image, I wanted to use the longer focal length to compress the image. Basically making objects further back in the scene appear closer together.
And Finally...
This final image is of a hillside on the opposite side of the small creek. The elongated interplay of tree and shadow stopped me dead in my tracks, and the late morning sun made the grassy hillside explode bright green. This final image is a vertical panorama, something I’ve been playing with on my last few photo-ventures.
If you liked this post, feel free to leave a comment and share! Until next time, keep on shootin’ what you love.
Here is a map to the specific trail I took, which is named Donner Creek Middle Earth and Falls Trail. It is a 5.2 out and back moderate hike, the upper end of the trail takes you past a few waterfalls. It is also one of the more popular hikes to be found within Diablo State Park.