Sunrise Glow at Hartig Nature Preserve — Kentucky’s Hidden Landscape Gem

Join me for an early-morning landscape photography adventure at Hartig Nature Preserve, where I set out hoping to photograph a sunrise panorama overlooking the Ohio River, Kentucky, and Indiana. The original plan doesn't quite work out—the overlook has become overgrown and the view is largely blocked—but that's often how landscape photography goes. Instead, I work with the conditions I have, including beautiful morning atmosphere, fog, golden light, and a riverboat pushing a long string of barges down the Ohio River. Along the way, I experiment with different compositions, discuss my camera settings, work with an L-bracket, and try to capture the riverboat as it moves through the scene. I also explore several other photographic opportunities around Hartig, including straw bales, wildflowers, berries, an old stone wall, and reflections along the water. Later in the video, the conversation turns toward something every photographer can relate to: how much camera gear do you really need? I've been thinking about simplifying my photography setup and getting more out of the equipment I already own. Rather than constantly buying another lens, filter, tripod, or camera accessory, I'm finding that working with less equipment is actually making photography more enjoyable. I share some thoughts about my Leica SL2, lenses, tripods, filters, and why having too many choices can sometimes make it harder—not easier—to get the photograph. 📷 Camera & Photography Leica SL2 24-105mm lens Circular polarizer L-bracket Three Legged Thing Winston 2.0 tripod 🌅 In This Video • Sunrise landscape photography at Hartig Nature Preserve • Ohio River photography • Kentucky and Indiana landscape photography • Riverboat and barge photography • Working with fog and atmospheric conditions • Golden-hour photography • Photographing when the original composition doesn't work • Slow shutter speed and water photography • Leica SL2 photography • Camera settings and composition • Photography gear minimalism • Why you may not need more camera gear The biggest lesson from this morning? You don't always need more gear—you may just need to work with what you already have. I'd love to hear what you think: Are you a photography minimalist who prefers to get the most out of a small kit, or do you prefer having every camera, lens, and accessory available for every situation? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for coming along, and as always, stay safe and keep making photographs. #LandscapePhotography #LeicaSL2 #SunrisePhotography 1-TO-1 PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION One Hour. Just You, Your Photography, and Me. Personalized photography coaching from wherever you are. Sometimes you don't need another YouTube video. You need someone to look at your camera, your photographs and your questions and help you figure things out. That's exactly what this session is. We'll meet online for a private, one-hour photography session focused entirely on what you want to learn. $75 • 60 Minutes • One-on-One WHAT CAN WE WORK ON? Your session can be customized around whatever is holding you back. 📷 Camera & Settings Understanding your camera Aperture, shutter speed and ISO Autofocus settings Metering Manual exposure Shooting RAW Camera setup and customization 🌄 Making Better Photographs Composition Finding better light Landscape photography Travel photography Wildlife photography Street photography Black & white photography Developing your photographic eye 💻 Editing Lightroom Lightroom Classic DxO PhotoLab RAW processing Color and exposure Black & white conversion Cropping and composition Noise reduction and sharpening Preparing images for print or the web 🔍 Photograph Critique Have a photograph you're struggling with? Bring it to the session. We'll look at it together and discuss what's working, what could be improved and how I would approach the image. HOW IT WORKS 1. EMAIL ME TO BOOK YOUR SESSION (deweybphoto@gmail.com) Choose a convenient date and time and tell me what you'd like to work on. 2. SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS After booking, I'll ask you what you'd like to accomplish during our hour together. If we're reviewing photographs, you can send them to me before the session. 3. MEET ONLINE We'll meet using a simple video call. You can be at home, sitting at your computer with your camera and photographs nearby. 4. LET'S TALK PHOTOGRAPHY For the next hour, it's all about you. Ask questions. Share your photographs. Show me your camera. Let's work through whatever is keeping you from getting the photographs you want. Email: deweybphoto@gmail.com