While on a drive in the Pacific Northwest along the Oregon Coast, I made a short pitstop to stretch my legs near the town of Florence, Oregon. My intent was to park near the beach, bring my camera and snap some photos of the waves. But while at the beach, I happened upon a seemingly plain path through the woods. I thought I could take a short walk in the shade and then make my way back to the car.
I was delighted to find that the path was not as plain as it seemed. I was surrounded by unusual flora, in a dense unfamiliar forest when I came across this wonderful scene. The trees along the wooded path formed a natural arch. Their gnarled branches twisting overhead with a mix of luscious green leaves, allowed just enough of the sunlight to playfully highlight a sprinkling of perfectly set bright pink rhododendrons peeking through the foliage.
Luckily, I had my Nikon D810 and tripod with me to snap evidence of this magical and moody scene. Since the area was fairly dark I had to rely on my tripod to hold the camera steady so that I could take a long exposure (2.5 seconds). I also wanted to capture the full depth of field, so I set the aperture to f/14.
The end result is a perfect capture of the moody, magical scene that captivated my imagination. And what was originally to be a fifteen-minute walk turned out to be a two-hour exploration with photography, as is usually the case when I have my camera in tow.
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