One of the many tools I use for scouting out places to shoot is the free and powerful Google Earth. I’ve been a user since it’s release years ago and it has only gotten better and better. Perhaps too much so, I’ll explain shortly. But beside the fact that you can explore the world or your neighborhood from your desktop or phone, and it’s loaded with features, I still find that many people don’t even use it at all. Are you a GE user? Anyhow, I love it for it’s pinpoint-accuracy, landing you exactly where you want to go.
The image below is an example of it’s usage. I was scouting a very rural area some months ago and saw an interesting bridge. It looked like an awesome river crossing and I wanted to check it out and see what the surrounding area had to offer. Bridges have no addresses but everything has a GPS coordinate (latitude & longitude), so I entered that data into the vehicle and off I went.
Now this is where I made reference to Google Earth being “too” good. When I arrived, the bridge was a far cry from that wonderfully rendered structure I saw on the monitor. Guess I should have known better. 
However, it was exactly where it was suppose to be. After shooting some brackets and exploring the area I discovered that this was a hidden watershed that fed a downstream reservoir.
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The bridge needed painting and was looking quite weathered so I applied a painterly effect to help this scene become a little easier on the eyes.
Thought I’d try a mono version as well.
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color is my favorite
Chantal recently posted..Not a sun flower
Very nice find Jimi and well captured. I don’t use Google Earth. I do use Trey Reatcliff’s Stuck on Earth app which shows you actual images. You should try it — it’s free!
Len Saltiel recently posted..I Get My Kicks…
Great shot Jimi! I don’t use GE myself, but may give it a try. I, like Len, use Stuck on Earth sometimes. Most of the time I’m just “winging it” for photo ops of new places. Maybe I should focus on more prep work to save on the gas money!
Thanks for the info!
Rich McPeek recently posted..Downstream
Love these Jimi. I’m a huge bw fan so that 2nd one really grabs me.
Chris Frailey recently posted..If A Tree Falls…
Beautiful Jimi. I really like both version and love the way you’ve composed the image with those low branches.
Edith Levy recently posted..The “Marilyn Monroe” Towers
It’s amazing what technology can do for us these days. Great shot.
Steven Perlmutter recently posted..Sandollar
I like the color version, I love GE, have a great day Jimi
Mike Criswell recently posted..~464~
looks good Jimi, nice work!
Jim Nix recently posted..The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert
I prefer the color version, Jimi. It’s a little more expressive to me. I used GE when I was trying to buy a house in another state and was unfamiliar with the residential areas. I didn’t want to looka at any houses next door to a Taco Bell (much as I love TB).
Great work! Amazing photos! Congrats!
PhotoLeoGrapher recently posted..… symmetries …
You had a perfect idea doing this kind of photography..Thanks a lot for sharing..
Laura recently posted..Ich mochte eine schlanke Bikinifigur fur den Sommer
creative comp Jimi. I dig it. Nicely done. Check out lighttrack (spelling?). I use that for all my sunrise/sunset shoots.
Adam Allegro recently posted..Venus Transits the Sun
LightTrac is awesome, been using that for some time. As you say, great for positioning yourself for sunrises and sunsets. Nice moon locator too.
Here’s another you may want to try if you haven’t already. Star Chart. Awesome app for night shoots. Locates everything in the sky, above and below the horizon.
thanks for clicking by.
Jimi Jones recently posted..Docked – The Lady Maryland
Love that artistic rendering, Jimi. Very nice!
Mark Neal recently posted..HDR – Adaptive Wide Angle – Short and Simple HTDS
Nice image, Jimi1 I think the color version is the winner this time, basically because the weathered paintwork is much more prominent.
I use GE as well as a support to the internet and the old guidebooks I collect to find my subjects. GE is great to find places but I like to understand more about the place I am visiting which is where the internet and the printed word help greatly.
Mark Summerfield recently posted..Old St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County, Maryland