A Sunrise Hello, A Harvest Moon Goodbye... (Shenandoah National Park)

 Summer can't last forever, at least not in this part of the hemisphere.  The end of summer brings a welcome change in most people's eyes.  The temps cool down to crisp mornings and only slightly warm days, and a bloom that seems to start in March finally comes to an end, but fortunately it doesn't just end. 

Before winter, we get to experience an incredible transition.   We get to see mountain after mountain painted with bright yellow, orange, and red.  Combine this with the already beautiful blue haze of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you have yourself one colorful sight to see for sure.

The peak colors are happening in different areas very soon.  During our hikes(photos to come) we saw some great forest color, both up high and carpeting the forest floor. 

I would like to encourage you to get out, take a drive(even better, walk) through nature and soak it all in.  Soon enough, it will all be gone, and we will be waiting for green again. 

Below are two images from our last morning in the park.  We got up REALLY early to catch the moonrise, only to find out that I had the iphone app set to the wrong day, giving us an hour at an overlook to sleep in the car. 

After a quick predawn nap, we headed for an overlook that was closed to cars... Ivy Creek I think. The sunrise was incredibly colorful, even for a cloudless morning.

As soon as the sun came up(this was one of the last images I took) we headed for a different overlook facing the other direction.  We drove past an opening in the road and, instead of driving to the overlook, parked the car on the shoulder and set up there.  The harvest moon only comes once a year, and I felt it was very important to capture it.  There is nothing extra spectacular about a harvest moon that isn't just as spectacular every other full moon, it's simply the first full moon after the beginning of fall:)

Enjoy... and get outside!  If you need a hiking partner... you've got one in me!

A sunrise captured by the Sigma 50mm set to f16(the smallest aperture) for the sunstar effect.

The fading harvest moon captured by a Canon 70-200 2.8 L.

Wilson Creek (Grayson Highlands State Park)

There is something about this place...  something totally awesome.   I even feel like a more awesome person when I come here.  I can leave this place and tell people 'I went to the highlands today' and they immediately know that I had a way more badass time then they did.  

Here is a quick double check on what a awesomely awesome park should have, and whether or not Grayson Highlands State Park has what it takes....

EPIC views of the Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee(yes you can see that far) mountains?  Check.

WILD animals, most notably, horses?  Check.

WELL MAINTAINED trails for horses, bikers, and hikers?  Check.

OFF THE CHAIN cascades and waterfalls?  Oh Hell Yes.(our focus for this post)

A classic Virginia view:)

Not too bad of detail for a Pentax k20d + 16-45

As soon as the sun breaks, you are racing it up the creek, trying to get your shots before the rays come in.

Endless cascades on Wilson Creek

Big cascades, watch your step here:)

I'll give you one guess as to how many aperture blades my Sears 135mm has:)  They are painfully straight, as you can see in the bokeh.

Comers Creek Falls

An hour drive and a twenty minute walk is about all it takes to get to here from Piper's Gap, VA.  I took the dog on this little trek not expecting to stay long since the sun was unobstructed as I left the house.

Once I got there, a layer of clouds slowly started to move in, allowing me to shoot the falls with a little more control.  A canopy of trees and a cloudless day can mean some nasty shadows, shadows that render photos worthless in my book.

Here are the images from yesterday's 'dog walk'.
The color in Virginia is only getting better... so stay tuned:)

The noise of this falls is best portrayed in this images(it has a bit of a roar)

If you look REALLY closely you can see little Margot the Yorkie on the bank

The clouds really started rolling in as I left

Fall is officially here(and on it's way:)



The yorkie and me went to a little waterfall near Mount Rogers Recreation Area yesterday.  While I have yet to edit those due to time constraints, I do have this shot taken from the road en route:) 

 

 

It only gets better in October too:)

The Forests of Rocky Knob

Rocky Knob is a cool recreation area on the Blue Ridge Parkway located near Meadows of Dan.  The views from Rocky Knob are quite splendid.  Once you get to 'The Saddle', you have nice views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in multiple directions.

There are a lot of miles to hike around here, even if there aren't very many trails.  I think there are 3-4 trails but they range from 1-10 miles in length(with some steep climbs if you want).  Today I went up the trail less than a mile, but it took me nearly 3 hours(macro photography will do that to ya).

I somewhat broke the rules with my shooting times today.  I know that it shouldn't matter what time you show up, but let's be honest... the earlier the better:)  I lazily rolled onto the scene around 9am(about 4 hours later than I should have).

Oh well...

Instead of an overwhelmingly blue photo(as the Blue Ridge often creates) I opted for monochrome in this scene taken with the Pentax K20d + 135mm 2.8

Rays of light as captured by the Canon 5d Mark ii and Sigma 50mm

A short hike up from 'The Saddle' parking lot.

Sometimes you have to just sit and look for a little while... not necessarily at a grand vista, but at a plant, bush, tree, or the grass... you'd be surprised at how much is actually going on all around you.  The images below, for example, are nothing overly special, just a look into the very bottom of the food pyramid. 

Virginia is always in some kind of bloom:)

The next three images I really enjoy.  I spent about 1.5 hrs shooting these little moss 'trees'.  I imagine it as a mini landscape within the landscape.  These were shot on the side of a rock that was covered in different kinds of moss and lichens.

 

I don't really know what or why about these.  It appears that tiny bits of leaves got surrounded by water... it was in a crevice of a rock.  The light was very low, so a bigger aperture high iso were used to capture it, even if it was poorly done:)

Another sure tell sign of Autumn:)

Some greens make their way out from under the bottom layer.

Thanks for looking:)  Y'all have a good rest of whatever you are in:)

Rain, Rain... stick around:)

I don't mind the rain.   The rain is beneficial to our environment and enjoyment in more ways than one.  It gives all the plants what they need to thrive, and washes away everything that needs washed away.  It also has an uncanny ability to rid the Blue Ridge Parkway of all the traffic, and allows us to experience state parks without any other people:)

Today I set off for Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina.  It borders the Parkway.  There wasn't a soul at the parking lot, which brought me great joy... I get to hang out in the forest without anyone else:)

Aside from the occasional turtle or fish, I pretty much did have the place to myself.  I really don't know why anyone would be out there, the rain was coming down HARD, hard enough that the rain caused my camera(the Pentax) to lose it's ability to control the lens' aperture.  It was at that point when I decided I should pack it out.  Fortunately I managed a handful of photographs first:)

Mist at Fox Hunter's Paradise

Flourishing Fungus near the trailhead

A windy creek near the path

Middle Falls - Stone Mountain State Park

A raging and muddy Big Pine Creek(shot from a bridge on the parkway)

Pilot Mountain Panorama

I took a little drive to Doughton Park yesterday morning via the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The first image was taken very near the park, showing how the Blue Ridge Mountains got their name.

The final two pictures are a panorama of Fox Hunter's Paradise just after sunrise.  The first image is very scaled down.  The second image was left a bit larger so you could scroll across it and see some nice detail of the mountains.  I tried to upload it in its full sized glory but blogger said the file was too big:)

Shot with Pentax K20d + 16-45

Panorama shot with Pentax K20d + Sears 135mm 2.8

Moonrise at Fox Hunter's Paradise

I love a crescent moon. 

Back home the evening crescents over the Beartooth Mountains in a rich blue sky were something to sit and be amazed by.  Watching a moon rise or set is a wonderful experience, it appears as if the moon is slowly making its way up or down... photographing the moon is a different story, you don't really get a feel for how quickly it moves until you are trying to compose it in your frame.

In my earlier days of photography and a smartphone with no apps, if I were to photograph a moonrise, it would most likely be by chance that I was out and about already shooting. 

Nowadays everything(well, almost) is planned.  I know exactly when the sun and moon are rising and setting, I have a solid idea of where they will rise during different times of the year, and I plan around this accordingly. 

This particular trip was one that the gf probably didn't like.  The moon was set to rise at about 3:30am(give or take a few minutes depending on whether there is a mountain in your way).  Which meant getting up at 2:45am.
 I only live about 10 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Parkway is my current photography focus so I went to a place called Fox Hunter's Paradise.  It's a busy place during the day with motorhomes and motorcycles, but tonight I didn't see a soul.

I tried at first to use my Pentax K20d with it's 135mm 2.8 lens, but that cameras dynamic range and limited usable ISO quickly had me using my Canon 5d ii with the Sigma 50mm.

And I think it turned out just fine:)

The planet Venus accompanies the moon on her rise into the sky...

Panorama of Fox Hunter's Paradise

What makes the Blue Ridge Parkway awesome, is that there aren't any stops. Any intersecting highways are avoided by bridges over the parkway(or the parkway over the highway)

Here is one of the bridges.  This highway connects Galax, VA with NC.

Two images used here, one to focus on the bridge, the other on the stars.

I'd better get some sleep:)  Thanks for stopping by...

Frontyard Stars...

 

After I get home on Monday and Friday nights(I have to travel to cburg on those days) I like to look up at the stars for a while.  Lately with the clear skies I have been able to enjoy the nice band of stars that make up the Milky Way. 

 

Not a bad view if I do say so myself:)

 

During the day the view is a little different, just below the treeline in the image is our neighbors property.  It is inhabited by about 15 old cars, a swan statue, and a goat tied to a chain that gets moved around(to mow the lawn presumably).

 

 

 

12k ISO @ 1.8 - Sigma 50mm

Cool Colors, Cooler Car...

It ain't easy being me...  I mean... I get to go on little photo outings in probably the coolest car ever.  It has Air Conditioning, working defrosters, freshly changed wipers blades, no cup holders(who has time?) and a sweet sexy bra that covers up a ding in the front.... you guessed it(as you have probably noticed me driving around in my sweet ride).... its a 1997(almost antique!) Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 4dr v6!  This baby has got slick new Walmart tires keeping her tied to the road as I race through sweet curves and dodge little roadside animals at high speeds(sometimes even over 40mph).

But I think the best part about it is that there is no center console.  This means two very important things.  1. If you find yourself driving to Wisconsin or Montana or Virginia or Utah, and feeling tired, you can tip the seat back, point your legs to the passenger floor board and take a super comfy nap.  2.  If you are with your girlfriend coming back from some ritzy high classed date, Applebee's, for example, you can move the armrest up and she can sit in the middle right next to you.... and with the optional tape deck/mp3 adapter cord, you can play your favorite romance Metallica tunes while you cruise....  Yep...   I'd say life is good:)



It's like the sun follows this car anywhere:)



Wide shot of Rocky Knob taken from on top of the Oldsmobile @ 24mm



A 50mm perspective of some nice rays this morning.