Thunder on the mountain and there's fires on the moon

3/4/2011

High 44, Low 24.

Windy, and Clouds gathering.

It seems that all you have to do to make kombucha taffy is leave a little bit sitting in a jar with the lid partly off and let it dry out, i'll let you know what its like once mines ready. I've just read some great ideas for kombucha, including: Salad Dressings, Marinade, Smoothies, Foot Soak, Dog Biscuits, etc.

Jeanette Meyer

3/4/2011 12:34:32 am

I'm one of those quiet observers that just wanted to thank YOU for making WINTER so amazing with you awesome LeConte blog and photography. Enjoy your future travels!

Jacque J

3/4/2011 12:36:19 am

Alex,my husband and I have very much enjoyed your posts and pictures this winter! Thanks so much. We love Mt. Leconte and plan on hiking back up soon. Good luck to you in your new adventures!

Tony

3/4/2011 12:49:25 am

Out did yourself on the pictures this time.

Tony

3/4/2011 12:50:40 am

Foot Soak taffy....no thanks.

Ethan

3/4/2011 01:45:07 am

Dude those pics are awesome. I’m a photog and love the detail of close-up nature still lifes. What kind of rig did you use? I have a Cannon EOS–1D Mark III digital SLR with an EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM fisheye lens. It’s attached to a Pro Optic auto expansion tube set with a top linear polarized glass filter for capturing max visible light. I overexpose the photo to get some totally righteous pics.

Pam

3/4/2011 01:50:43 am

Alex, I have so enjoyed the post and pics this winter. When it's a good or rotten day at work I can jump on the computer at lunch and look at great pics. It's a great stress reliever. At inside recess the kids will see the pics and they enjoy them also. We plan to hike up this summer and meet Allyson and crew. Would have liked to meet you too but you'll be having a great time in Europe! Thanks for all the mountain updates. Safe hiking to you and can't wait to hear about your adventures this summer. :)

edwinnia

3/4/2011 02:16:17 am

I feel like I'm coming to the end of a wonderful novel; I don't want to turn the last page! Alex, thanks for all you have done. Your blog and pictures have been a treat with my coffee each and every morning! Safe travels; God bless!

Scott

3/4/2011 04:05:57 am

Alex, awesome job this year with the pictures and blog. Allyson has some serious shoes to fill but I realize she doesnt have as much free time as you do. Hope your hike this summer goes well. Looking forward to getting to the lodge near the end of May.

Todd

3/4/2011 04:36:36 am

Ethan, you should try a macro lens for close ups. The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 would work well with your configuration. The advantage of the macro lens is that it will not eat up as much light and you won't have to over expose. Of course you could opt for a 50-60mm macro for less $$$, but the 100mm will give you more working distance. You can also employ the Scheimpflug principle to change the plane of focus for additional effects.

ethan

3/4/2011 04:54:16 am

Todd, thanks Dude. I sometimes use a 1.4x teleconverter with a reversing ring to get macro effects. I also use a flash diffuser to provide even illumination when I can't gather enough natural light and have to go with my Sigma EM140 ring flash. I've messed around some with the Scheimpflug principle but I find it difficult to coordinate the oblique tangent from the image plane with the lens plan at the point of focus. Any suggestions?

Todd

3/4/2011 05:12:03 am

The trick is find the plane of critical focus. Once you've achieved this, everything on this plane will be sharp at the widest aperture. The thing to remember is this - the rear and forward standard movements will affect both focus and perspective with rear movements affecting mostly perspective and forward movements having a greater influence on focus. And, the depth of field from a receding focus plane of this type will be greater at the far end than at the near end. If I get frustrated by the movements, I stop down until everything comes in, then go on down to at least f/22 or f/32 or more just for the DOF. Hope this helps.

Juanita

3/4/2011 05:40:21 am

You boys surely seem to know your stuff when it comes to snapping pictures. I haven't owned a camera since they quit selling Polaroid instant picture film. What would be a good camera for a novice making her first trip to Mount LeConte later this spring?

Wanda

3/4/2011 06:02:37 am

These photos are fabulous! Appreciate all you have done this winter. Will miss you!
Wanda

Ethan

3/4/2011 06:06:32 am

Nikon D-7000 DX digital SLR two lens outfit (18-105 AF DX & 55-200mm VR f/4-5.6G). It has a high resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor, 0.13 sec and short 50ms Shutter Lag options and EXPEED 2 image processing and 14-bit A/D Conversion. You should add a Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX DG APO HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens (more than 300mm things get grainy) and a AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED wide-angle lens for clifftop photos. This rig is weighty so be sure to buy a tripod for stability. It's also expensive (about $5500 for everything) but you'll never have to buy another photographic system.

Juanita

3/4/2011 06:36:44 am

Oh dear I didn't understand any of that. Thank you though boys. Maybe I will just buy a disposable camera- waterproof in case I find that irresistable skinny dipping hole. LOL!

Dick

3/4/2011 07:21:43 am

If you want wide angle photos from Clifftop, a 24mm on a DX format camera is not wide enough! You would need more like a 16 or 18mm lense. Just use the 18-105mm recommended. One less lens to carry.

Timothy

3/4/2011 07:26:07 am

Wow! Is all that equipment really necessary? I'd like to know what camera Alex uses for all the wonderful photos he's brought us over the winter. Bet he doesn't have a 110 this or a 50 that. Holy Cow!

Dick

3/4/2011 07:31:32 am

I would agree. I bet it is small and lightweight with a fixed zomm lens. Even camera phone are getting pretty good these days.

Jennifer

3/4/2011 07:34:10 am

I have a little point and click Cannon digital camera that takes great pictures. I just plug it into the USB port when I get home and download everything to my laptop.

Todd

3/4/2011 07:53:22 am

Quite a debate: When photographing a rectilinear image from a great distance, as you have on the Clifftops, you have to compromise something. The 16mm image will give you specific panoramacally desirable characteristics but may also fisheye the image. Remember it's a long way from LeConte to Clingman's. The 24mm lens will bring the image in closer, thus eliminating some of the periphery but it will have crisper definition. It's a matter of artistic preference and the essence what you are wanting to capture. It also depends upon the lighting and many other factors, not only of that day, but also the exact time you're photographing. That's why you have to be prepared with an arsenal of lenses, filters, and other tools.

Juanita

3/4/2011 07:58:44 am

I'm still very confused, especially with all this mm stuff. Don't nobody measure things in inches anymore?

sandee link

3/4/2011 09:03:46 am

My camera is a Kodak point and shoot basic camera. Great pictures at normal range, iffy at super close up and ok at landscape...but it's light, easy to carry and that's an important factor for me. I mostly take pictures of my cards on my blog and it works well for that. And my tripod is a gorilla, which I love cause it will wrap around a tree branch if I need it too.

Gully Bill

3/4/2011 09:09:15 am

Juanita, I used to be 5'8" till you started pullin my leg.Now I'm 6'4". Thanks.

Mary

3/4/2011 09:19:16 am

Thanks Bill, for the first belly laugh I had today!

Dick

3/4/2011 09:23:15 am

Juanita, GO buy a point and shoot in your price range at Best Buy or such. Lumix by Panasonic would be a good choice.

Todd, As for Clifftop photos, I would want a tripod, a sunset with nice scattered clouds all the way back over my head for color, a WIDE lens to get something/somebody in the forground for interest and prospective, and no filters, or a graduated filter only. As for Clingman's Dome, I would not care if it was identifiable. Any lens distortion would be correctable in software. At other times of the day, yes a zoom to give you control over prospective and allow for more isolation makes more sense. I do agree that personal and artistic preference will be the biggest factor in the decision. Last time I was on Leconte I turned to my 24mm on my 35mm flim camera. Now I would take my 12-24DX lens so I could reach that same angle of view at 16mm. But that is just me.

Rod

3/4/2011 09:24:48 am

Looks like a path in a fairytale land!

Allyson

3/4/2011 09:25:40 am

Well folks, I will have to tell you. The photos that you see on this site are taken with an entry level point and shoot. The photos I put on the blog during last season were either shot with a Nikon P5000 point and shoot or a Nikon D200. For those of you just wanting a simple camera, the point and shoots these days do an amazing job. It doesn't matter how much equipment you have if you don't know your composition. As you can see, Alex has an eye for detail.

Dick

3/4/2011 09:43:20 am

Allyson, perfect! You nail it!

Tony

3/4/2011 10:10:17 am

Gully Bill you hit the nail on the head.

Terry

3/5/2011 12:18:10 am

And if you don't wish to carry a tripod, you can find someone else that is out to view the sunset and use their shoulder/back to help steady your camera. Helps if you know the person and don't pick a random stranger! Hi Allyson! You can Chris need to come out to Wears Valley and see us before you head up the mountain!

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Thunder on the mountain and there's fires on the moon

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