Fincastle Fields HDR

Fincastle Vineyards and Winery, Fincastle VA

HDR image of fence and fields at sunset, in Fincastle VA

Nancy and I are now traveling southern Virginia by car, researching our next iPhone app (Virginia Wine In My Pocket) in what Nancy has dubbed the “Nine Days of Virginia Wine.” We’ve taken the week off from our day jobs to visit wineries across the southern end of the state, which are just too far away from home to do in a day or weekend. We’re now on day five.

To my (mild) surprise, I’m really enjoying the trip. Many (?most?) of these wineries are beautiful. All of them are in lovely hills and mountains, surrounded by history and bucolic scenes we all so admire (especially as Halloween and Thanksgiving approach). As always on one of Nancy’s schedules, there isn’t enough time for photography just just to capture the shot, but even so it is hard to miss the photo ops that abound all around our route. There are old barns and houses galore, frequently showing the distressed wood grain and textures that seem to draw me. It is also turning to fall; the greens are turning to yellows and muted reds with the promise of the flamboyant seasonal colors to come. (So far, the reds aren’t at their peak flaming beauty, but the occasional yellows are striking.) Sunsets can be particularly striking up in the hills in this season; the warm sunset light illuminates the landscape, adding an extra boost of yellow and gold to fall foliage that is just beginning to flame.

Yesterday evening we found ourselves in Fincastle, Virginia, rolling up near closing time at Fincastle Vineyards and Winery (also a B&B). Nancy hurried into the tasting room, hoping we weren’t too late. I had to pause. The long rays of the sunset light brought extra warmth and glow to the early fall scene, turning the white picket fence a little yellow and emphasizing the occasional fall yellow or maroon reds (not yet at full glory, but just a little more dramatic for their sudden appearance in a landscape that is still mostly green).

(Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom at 58mm. HDR capture from nine exposures at f/3.2, ISO 200, and shutter speeds varying to provide an exposure range from -4 to +4 EV.)
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 at 09:46 AM. It is filed under Land & Air, thePhotoTourist, Virginia Wine In My Pocket and tagged with 2010, autumn, B&B, barn, bed and breakfast, bright, bright & sunny, countryside, daylight, evening, fall, fence, Fences, field, fields, Fincastle, Fincastle B&B, Fincastle Bed and Breakfast, Fincastle Vineyard, Fincastle Vineyard and Winery, Fincastle Vineyards, Fincastle Winery, food, forest, forested, geotagged, grape vines, grapes, guide, HDR, IMP, In My Pocket, In My Pocket Guide, landscape, pasture, shed, sun, sunny, sunshine, trees, United States, US, USA, VA, VA Wine, VA Wine In My Pocket, valley, VAWineInMyPocket, VAWineInMyPocket2010, view, views, vineyard, Virginia, Virginia Wine, Virginia Wine In My Pocket, wine, winery, wooded, Woods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.