P147H – First Light – Mount Katahdin, ME

Mount Katahdin, located in northern Maine within Baxter State Park, makes you feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere. Actually I guess you are. This small lake, called Sandy Stream Pond, is known for viewing moose. In fact several moose were in the area that morning but none were feeding within the water at the time of sunrise.

I made this image just before the sunrise light reached the water, while the early morning light was shining on the fall foliage hillside of the mountain. Waiting for the light to reach the water (like most people probably would have done), the intense early morning reddish light on the mountain would have been muted, plus the image would have been too contrasty. Instead, I photographed the scene with a longer exposure to obtain detail in the foreground. To further assist, I used a split graduated filter to hold back the light on the mountain while pulling out the darker area in the foreground. No HDR options available back then… you had to do it the old fashion way, which I must say, I still prefer.