Grand Prize Photo: “Diamond on the Blue Ridge Parkway”

The Event: The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed “The Great American Eclipse” was a total eclipse visible within a band that spanned the entire contiguous United States, passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. Prior to this event, no solar eclipse had been visible across the entire contiguous United States since June 8, 1918. My photo was taken on August 21, 2017 at Mile High Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. I had scouted the parkway for several days prior to the event in search of a location that would incorporate both the sky and the parkway. I knew the final image would involve a composite of two photos since most lenses used for landscapes, due to their wide angle of view, will make objects such as the sun and moon appear very small. I wanted the final image to appear just like you would see it if you were there.

Set-up/Equipment: I used two different lenses, one for the landscape and one for the eclipse. The landscape image was taken with a 14mm f/2.8 lens at 1/4000 shutter speed, f/11, ISO 100. The eclipse was taken with a 250mm f/3.5 lens at 1/320 shutter speed, f/5.6, ISO 100. Both images were taken with a Nikon D610 DSLR. The landscape shot was taken with a wide-angle lens prior to the event when conditions were brighter in order to get a wider point of view and capture the most detail. The solar eclipse was taken with a telephoto lens so that the sun would appear its normal size. The two images were later merged.

Winning Image: This photograph won Best in Show at the 15th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Out of a total of 1,083 entries, 56 images were selected as finalists and displayed at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State. The winners were announced April 20, 2018. This competition provides both amateur and professional photographers the opportunity to showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.