Sitting in the Sun at Fort Pillow State Park
During our visit to Fort Pillow State Park in Tennessee, it was time to take a break after a few hours of walking. So we found a nice spot to relax for a moment.
This little spot has a rather interesting view. You can see in the distance the Mississippi River where it is today. It is that big watery area, if you could not tell. But to the right of the river, down in the trees, is where the river ran during the Civil War. The boats on the river passed much closer to the fort site back then than they do now. If you don’t know that fact, it makes you wonder just a little why they built the fort where they did. Once you learn that, it all makes a bit more sense. It is interesting to me to see how much the river channel has changed in the last 150 or so years.
I like the rustic nature of the sign, but it sometimes can be a little confusing until you figure out how to read it. Just don’t try to read it straight across, because “Mississippi Osceola Mississippi River Arkansas River…” does not make any sense. But the sign is telling you that when you look straight ahead you can see Osceola, Arkansas, all the way from over here in Tennessee. Pretty cool.
I like the view from here. But I also liked the view of Laura sitting on the railing that keeps cars from driving straight down to where the river used to be. And I liked the sun shining through the trees, too. So I did my best to capture all of those elements in one photo. I think it turned out well.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. - Proverbs 16:3
About the photo:
The fisheye lens was a must to get this photo to be like I wanted it to look. I had actually left that lens in the car (which was right behind me) so that I could zoom in on the river. So I went back to the car, swapped lenses, and got this photo. I closed the aperture way down to f/22 or so to create the starburst effect. That meant that I had to bring up the shadow detail a good bit using the Raw file, but it all turned out well.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
Date: April 29, 2017
Location: Fort Pillow State Park, Tennessee
