Our group hiked along the Pico Ruivo trail in the early hours of one of our last days on Madeira. The idea was to capture a beautiful sunrise at a lonely tree shortly before the Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo.
As the first group to arrive at this stunning location, we secured a unique spot around the tree, a small space that accommodated our group of 7 people.
While the hike was not particularly challenging, navigating the paved path with our heavy gear was still a test of our endurance. The final part, gathering around that tree and climbing along the mountainside, was the most demanding. But the satisfaction of overcoming these challenges was unparalleled.
Using our headlights to illuminate the tree helped us set a focus point with our cameras before turning the lights off and taking our photographs. So, the biggest obstacle to our success was the hikers using the same path we had used, lightening it up with their torches and headlights.
I decided to opt for HDR images, with each exposure 2 steps apart from the next.
For this shot, I wanted the morning star to appear clear and sharp in my frame. To achieve this, I opted for an F/4.5 at 17mm, which allowed for an exposure time of a maximum of 23 seconds. I used an ISO 3200, dialling an exposure time between 1/4 and 1/100 sec. In the aftermath, I realized I could have gone lower on the ISO to capture a less grainy shot with a longer exposure time.
I combined those three exposures in Lightroom and brightened the tops of the bushes just a bit before exporting them to NIK Sharpener Output, where I increased the structure to 36%.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor