Old Growth Forest Sunshine

Yesterday morning, I visited Rockport State Park, having read some forecasts of a cloud layer setting up overnight. Rockport consists entirely of old-growth forest, so overcast lighting would have been perfect for photography. Unfortunately, skies cleared much more quickly there (pretty far inland) than I had planned for. The lighting was very high-contrast for most of the day, and gusty breezes kicked up at times. It was still a nice day in the woods, of course, but the amount of photography I could do was limited.

While the sun was still low and somewhat filtered by the retreating clouds, I did manage to get this interesting landscape - and while the ferns were all holding still, no less. I like the warm feel of the lighting, and the highlights aren't too blown out. F/18.

Next, a patch of vanilla-leaf or deer's foot (genus Achlys). Because of the sunlight, the highlights are a little bright, but manageable. Getting this image was a lengthy process; I'd take the shot, wait a minute or two for the light to change, take the shot again, rinse, repeat. This is one of the challenges of doing photography in the forest on a sunny day: the light is constantly changing. It's common that I'll see a shot, only to find that the lighting has changed to make it less attractive by the time I've set up my tripod. The trial-and-error-and-waiting tactic that I used worked in this instance, but I don't always have time for it. F/5.