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rogersmj

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 10, 2006
2,161
1
Indianapolis, IN
I drive 60 miles to work on the interstate, and most of it is out in the middle of nowhere. This morning, I looked to the east as I was cruising down I-65 and saw the most beautiful scene -- the sun was just rising over the distant treeline, and in the foreground were thousands of acres of gently rolling farmland, crested in a thick fog that was glowing from the illumination of the sun. If I could have captured it, it probably would have been the best picture I've yet taken.

Why didn't I capture it? Well for one thing I usually don't bring my camera bag to work. But even if I had it with me, could I have stopped? Should I have stopped on an interstate with people going 80mph to get a shot? With the number of accidents I've seen, intuition tells me 'no', but how can you pass up such a great photograph? When you're traveling, do you ever get the urge to just stop the car and shoot something off the side of the road? Is this even legal?
 

Doylem

macrumors 68040
Dec 30, 2006
3,858
3,642
Wherever I hang my hat...
I keep my camera with me all the time; it would drive me crazy to see something amazing and not be able to get a shot. So it's frustrating to be on the motorway, see something really photogenic... but be unable to stop. There's enough crazy drivers on the roads without me doing an 'emergency stop'... :)

Very few good pix seem come from me stopping the car. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's 'cos I need to slow down when I'm photographing... which means being a long way from my car, and in a calmer, more 'meditative' state of mind...
 

Triplenickle

macrumors regular
Oct 10, 2005
248
0
yes, all the time... but never done it. I drive 50,000 miles/year, cover 17 states in midwest in sales and SEE ALL KINDS of Photo Ops from the interstates.... I will stop on lesser traveled state/county roads.
 

AlexH

macrumors 68020
Mar 7, 2006
2,035
3,151
I doubt I would risk it on an interstate, but there's a few factors I'd have to consider (traffic, cops, how to get the shot, etc). It would have to be just right.

Here's as brave as I've gotten shooting around roads (a quiet, country road):
2444603946_a19b7fab86.jpg


The most dangerous part about shooting on these old country roads are the rednecks in going about 65mph in 4x4s with 100" lifts. :D
 

rogersmj

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 10, 2006
2,161
1
Indianapolis, IN
^ Nice shot. My skies rarely look that punchy, or at least not while I'm exposing for the landscape. Any tips to get a photo to come out like that? What time of day did you shoot that?
 

AlexH

macrumors 68020
Mar 7, 2006
2,035
3,151
^ Nice shot. My skies rarely look that punchy, or at least not while I'm exposing for the landscape. Any tips to get a photo to come out like that? What time of day did you shoot that?
It's sort of a fake HDR I created from 1 RAW with Photomatix Pro (really fun app) and Lightroom. I shot it late afternoon (probably sometime after 5pm), and got really low to the road (really stupid, but I did have a friend watching my back). Other than being mindful of where the sun was, I can't think of anything special to get a shot like that. It would probably look really nice to get right down on the pavement, but I couldn't bring myself to do that!

BTW, ever try train tracks? That's fun!

2444602640_795bd725b5.jpg


(right off the same road pictured above)
 

61132

Guest
Oct 31, 2005
327
0
Got this a couple years ago in Minden, NV. Thought I'd throw the other two in there for fun :) I guess it would have been more dangerous if I would have been taking a picture of the plane from the runway

DSC006.jpg


DSC011.jpg


DSC018.jpg
 

wheezy

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,280
1
Alpine, UT
I love stopping, I have no problem with it at all. Just keep in mind to use common sense and not get hit and you should be just fine. Sadly, power lines have a tendency to get in the way though. Curse electricity! :D

This first barn I stopped while taking back highways through Iowa on my way to Florida. I stopped all the time. Loved it!

20061118130508_iowa_barn.jpg


And last April we took the Road to Hana and I got a little daring and actually put the camera down on the road, but it was worth it.

road_to_hana.jpg


So I would recommend keeping your camera with you, and don't be afraid to stop, as long as your safely out of the way.
 

AlexH

macrumors 68020
Mar 7, 2006
2,035
3,151
Great shots wheezy! I love shots right at ground level, especially on roads.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
This morning another driver wanted me to stop on the highway so that he could shoot me.

There's always one! :p


I've stopped but as many will say, not on some interstate. For me though my roads are the 5 and 405, if anyone knows anything about so. cal. traffic then they know I am stopped quite often but the scenery is hardly something I care to shoot.

Interestingly enough there was something mentioned in Outdoor Photographer's recent issue about remembering that you're not the only one on the road and using common sense when it came to stopping for a shot.
 

seenew

macrumors 68000
Dec 1, 2005
1,569
1
Brooklyn
I carry my camera with me everywhere and have stopped for as long as a couple of hours to shoot something that caught my interest. Of course, it all depends on where I'm headed and if I can afford the time to stop. The interstate, that's a different situation. It's not legal to stop unless you can't help it, and I doubt a cop will agree with your photo-addiction being 'unstoppable'. ;)

I would start taking my camera everywhere if I were you. Who knows if you might see something totally fantastic some day? It might not even have artistic merits, but wouldn't you kick yourself if you were cameraless the day aliens invaded your city?
 

Westside guy

macrumors 603
Oct 15, 2003
6,335
4,152
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
If I was on I-90 in eastern Washington and saw something worth photographing... I'd stop regardless of the law. I doubt the State Patrol would care much either - traffic is pretty sparse.

Now, stopping on I-5 in the middle of downtown Seattle is another matter. :D
 

Westside guy

macrumors 603
Oct 15, 2003
6,335
4,152
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
... This morning, I looked to the east as I was cruising down I-65 and saw the most beautiful scene -- the sun was just rising over the distant treeline, and in the foreground were thousands of acres of gently rolling farmland, crested in a thick fog that was glowing from the illumination of the sun. If I could have captured it, it probably would have been the best picture I've yet taken.

I'll tell you about a photo I still regret not taking.

I was getting in my car to head to the train station one typical weekday. It was early, and the sun wasn't up yet. You could see traces of light just starting to show on the clouds - and I saw just a touch of pink. For a few seconds I toyed with missing the train and driving east a couple miles, where I knew I could get a reasonably good shot of Mt. Rainier - but I was already late, and missing the train would mean dealing with Seattle's traffic. Besides, for all I knew the color was just a momentary thing. So I got in the car and drove to the train.

Well, I'm on the train maybe 15-20 minutes later, on a stretch of track that has a reasonably good view of the Cascade Range (including Mt. Rainier). Suddenly the sky was this amazing red color - I've never seen anything as dramatic as that, ever. And the clouds were very high, so you could see the mountains cleary.

So I missed what likely would have been the best shot I've ever taken - all because I didn't want to deal with traffic for one day. I will NEVER make that mistake again.
 

tonie

macrumors 6502
Mar 29, 2008
487
0
i always wanted to stop on the highway but afraid i might get hit by a intoxicated driver.
 

RainForRent

macrumors 6502
May 31, 2006
291
3
Greenville, SC
Life is too short to worry about silly traffic laws. Stop, take the shot, enjoy nature, and glory in all that is living. Tell THAT to an officer if he gives you trouble.
 

kidkaprie

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2008
89
0
Philadelphia, PA
I work in the middle of nowhere. nice drive through the country in the morning. today, i drove by this field that had a nice layer of fog / mist on it. but what was absolutly beautiful was that there was another layer of fog / mist over top of that one that looked like it was molded around something invisible, at certain points.

hard to explain, wish i had taken a picture to show you all....but alas, i can't bring my camera to work to do so :(
 
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