An early morning sunrise hike on the Appalachian Trail just outside of Roanoke, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains to capture the sunrise at McAfee's Knob. McAfee's Knob is the most photographed location on the Appalachian Trail. Hiking McAfee's Knob is not hard at all. The hike offers two ways up to the top; a fire road of compact dirt and small rocks, and a more rugged trail with roots, big stone steps, and some mud.

blue ridge mountains photography

Hiking with a camera takes some effort. You want to bring your best camera, all of your lenses, a filter or two, and a tripod, but then you realize your hike is 5,8,12,15 mile round trip hike. Packing light when hiking is key. When camping or hiking my outdoor camera setup consists of 1 camera body and 1 lens.

Hiking with a tripod

Although a tripod would’ve been nice on this early morning sunrise hike, it would’ve been heavy and cumbersome to carry. Instead of carrying a tripod for slow exposure shots I always:

• Find a rock to balance my camera on

• Increase my ISO

• Photograph slightly under exposed and increase exposure or shadows in post production