The Bald Cypress swamps of the south are known for their gnarly trees, spanish moss, alligators, and misty mornings. In the fall, the leaves on the Cypress trees change color and eventually fall off. On particular mornings, when the dew point and temperature match, mist forms on the waters of the Bayou and the morning sun turns it to gold. David took Carolyn, Willie, and I to this particular swamp because the trees were some of the oldest (and largest) in the area and because we had a feeling we'd finally see some mist form on the water! Sure enough, we were in luck. The trees were in a beautiful place of their fall transition, a small layer of mist formed on the water, and we were spoiled. I came upon this scene as the sun was rising just enough to start turning both the trees and the water golden. I loved the way the mist caught that "golden hour glow." Between the fall colors on the leaves and the glow, it seemed like a treasure chest had appeared before my eyes! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8: 185mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO 500
Sunrise on Cypress Trees Southern US Those of you that know me, know that I love to spend as little time at home as I can. Obviously I have to balance that with a job that I absolutely love, friends, family, and all my other hobbies. For me travel is not just about going to a new place, but to really experience it. To dive in and get to know a place. To see it during its best light. To do the things that normal people don't do. So when I first visited New Orleans I decided to get out of the city and go kayak in the bayou. We passed gorgeous trees, alligators, logs, moss, levee's and got to hear about the history of the area from a local. When David and Willie asked if I wanted to go back, rent kayaks, and paddle around the swamp with our cameras in tow, I immediately jumped on board. And that's exactly what we did. We avoided falling in and destroying our cameras, and instead spent 4 beautiful mornings and evenings soaking up the scenery. This was our last morning with the kayaks and we opted to visit a lake with the biggest and oldest trees that we knew. The dew point was predicted to match the air temperature and we knew there was a chance for some mist on the water (which we hadn't seen yet in our trip). As the sun rose and crested over the distant trees it started to hit the mist and moss at just the right hue, turning them golden and warm. I loved the way the diagonal lines from the tree branches made it look like the trees was waking up, doing its morning stretch, and reaching for the warmth of the morning light. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8: 185mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 500
A little bit of sunset light hits the clouds over a few Bald Cypress trees.
