Bell Smith Sublimity

Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area
Shawnee National Forest

I've been after this shot for months. This area features a distinct sandstone ravine that is unique to the area. For as interesting as the spot is, it's also very challenging to photograph. Until the evening I shot this each time I had tried I was disappointed by either a dull sunset or lack of water.

After shooting on the opposite side of this park literally all day I decided at the very last minute to come here for sunset. I was running late and didn't arrive until the light was close to peak, so I scrambled to get set up. Climbing down into the gorge itself is challenging and I fell squarely onto my butt trying to walk through the water, which is like walking on ice with the "slime" covering the wet sandstone. To complicate things even further, as I was setting up my tripod I noticed a large Cottonmouth less than ten feet away, watching me from the water underneath a rock overhang. (see this to get an idea of where I was standing and what it looked like behind me)

Needless to say, it was difficult to focus on composition while constantly watching my back for a venomous snake; those guys can be aggressive and I have had them come after me before! The moon was pure serendipity, I had no idea what the current phase was or where it would be. Because ultra-wides tend to render moons into tiny dots, immediately after this shot I pulled out my 70-200mm to get a moon shot to composite in at a size similar to how it would appear to the eye.

Technically this was one of the most difficult shots I've tackled due to the huge dynamic range between the shadows under the rock and the sky. I managed to get it all in three exposures, which were hand blended. Anyway, I've been staring at this image all evening so let me know if your fresh set of eyes sees anything that needs corrected.