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Levi and Lindsey | Engagement Photography at Claytor Lake

'Awesome' and 'Death Defying' are really the only two phrases that can properly explain this photo shoot.(I did try to think of a single phrase but I feel that it deserved two.)

Lindsey's folks have a sweet lake house on Claytor Lake in Southwest Virginia.  It's only about a 50 minute drive for me and every time I come here it turns out to be the best 50 minute driving investment that anyone could spend.(For real, Claytor Lake is awesome).

This trip to Claytor was for a little bit more of a business reason than recreational, but it sure didn't feel like business.  

Below are shots of Lindsay and Levi's engagement shoot.  It went off without a hitch until the very end, when we almost died..... 

Shot from the boat.

Fielding, the boat's owner suggested this photo.

They say that 'pre-visualization' is the most important part of photography.  And while it's hard to fully pre-visualize a photo shoot where you don't really know what anything is gonna look like, the following photos two photographs were the ones that I can honestly say I 'pre-visualized' :)

We made a quick stop to a field near the lake.

 Then, as soon as we started to head home the boat decided that it only wanted to go in circles.  As soon as this happened, the rain started POURING down.  If it hadn't been for the rainfly that comes with Clik Elite photography backpacks, I would have been screwed.  To get the boat moving, Fielding had to lay down in the engine compartment and manually steer the rudder while Levi shouted out direction.  By the time we got back to the dock, we all were completely soaked and thankful that the lightning that had surrounded us decided not to strike too close.  While I am thankful to be alive, I would do it again in a heartbeat.  :)

Lindsey and Stephanie enjoying an umbrella while Levi and Fielding fix the boat.

Justin and Ashley | Virginia Engagment Photographer

 Recently I had the pleasure of hanging out with this couple, Justin and Ashley.  We almost cancelled the shoot due to weather(apparently Ashley thinks that 60° is too cold), but I told her that she just needed to 'man up' and do it!  I said this partly because I was really excited to go shooting, and partly because I rented an 85mm 1.2 L and was pumped to use it, and partly because she just needed to man up. 

Well, I can see that she did 'man up' indeed.  We were wading through a creek, hiking through brush, and spending time up at Doughton Park, which can be a bit chilly when the wind picks up.

The fun I had with his couple set the fun scale to a new maximum.  I had a great time and they are pleased with the images.  And aside from the time where I slipped on top of a waterfall and almost fell to my death, the shoot went off without a hitch.  :)





At the Brenigar Cabin



At a waterfall in Northern North Carolina



Sunset at Doughton Park



Some great color during sunset at Doughton Park



After sundown shot at the Bluffs Lodge Terrace





Justin and Ashley put in some time making props and the results were great.



Hanging Rock - North Carolina State Parks

So, when I found out that Hanging Rock State Park was less than 90 minutes away from my house I was just a little disappointed that I had not gone there earlier.  It will suffice to say that I was rewarded for waiting so long:)


Enjoy some of my favorite images below, or click here for the full gallery.

Near one of the first waterfalls I visited was a grown up bird wondering when the baby birds were gonna stop complaining.



Hidden Falls on the Indian Creek Trail.




The upper part of Window Falls




The Lower Cascades, my favorite falls of the park.




A sunset from Hanging Rock and a great finish to the day.



The Great Dismal Swamp

The Great Dismal Swamp is a pretty impressive area.  I am surprised there weren't more people there since it is in such close proximity to some really big cities.  I actually didn't see another person in the swamp or lake once I got on the kayak(there were some people milling about the boat ramp area).

The Dismal Swamp is near Chesapeake VA, and it straddles the VA/NC border.  It's about a 6hr drive from Galax if you count the time it took for me to go to Riner and pick up the kayak that a friend foolishly let me borrow.

I got a bit of a late start on the drive due to lunch with the gf and some friends.  So I didn't arrive at the boat ramp until about 7:30pm.  This made it pretty much impossible to get to the campsite before dark, as it's about a 3 mile kayak trip.

Getting dark in the Feeder Ditch

The good thing about the campsite, is that it is located near the lock that keeps the lake level high.  There are some services there including flush-able toilets, power outlets, tables, and a little house where I think a ranger can stay or something.  The REALLY good thing about the campsite was the lights!  It got dark well before I made it to camp, but as I got closer I could start to see fluorescent lights, guiding me there(the Feeder Ditch through the swamp is a straight shot, just loooooooooong)

 The lock consists of a spillway and a cable boat transporter thing.  Basically, you put your boat on it, press a button and it takes your boat up the and over the hill to the other side of the lock.

Due to peet soil or something like that, the water here is brown like tea:)

I slept in that brown building:)

Put your boat on here...

...press a button and it will take your boat over here..

I took this on the way out, since when I started it was too dark to see the sign.

Once I got to the camp, I found out that the sit-on-top kayak I borrowed uses holes in the floor of the rear compartment as ballast.  This normally wouldn't be a big deal but my sleeping bag was at the bottom and therefor soaked:)  Luckily when I picked up the kayak I stole a tarp is well.  So instead of pitching a tent I slept on the floor of one of the screened in picnic table areas(the tarp would be a bit too big of a sleeping back for a two-man tent).

Now to the good part...

I have had some pretty incredible areas all to myself in the past.  I have blazed a trail in fresh snow to Mystic Lake in Montana.  I've sat and watched the stars turn over a moonlit Devil Canyon without being disturbed. I've enjoyed hours in the Stillwater Canyon without seeing a soul.... But for some reason, waking up at 4:30am from a tarp, hopping in a kayak onto what looks like a sheet of glass, and paddling out of the swamp and into Lake Drummond where huge monoliths rise up out of the water, where the sound of the kayak's wake, frogs, and birds are all that you hear(I was up before the planes started flying overhead)... this was one of the most incredible experiences in my life, even if it only lasted for a short time.

It's hard to see in this photo, but the far tree was chock full o' birds

Vibrant green on the edge of Lake Drummond

The southern Edge of Lake Drummond has a different look.   I used a CPL, an ND filter and a Singh-Ray reverse grad to manage an 8 second exposure to capture this scene.

A warbler(I think)

Turtles were EVERYWHERE!

One thing I learned on this trip, is that it is very hard to setup compositions on a kayak.  What would normally be easy to change on dry land is more difficult when working over the side of a boat.  I used 3/4" wooden dowels rammed up into the bottom of my tripod legs to give me the height needed(the lake is about 4-6ft deep).

Click here to view more in Smugmug

The T-Rex (2008 Ford Taurus X)

When I first got this car a few weeks ago, it was freshly detailed and super shiny.  I thought about taking a photo of it looking all cool and shiny... but then I realized that it deserves more credit than that.... since being in inclement weather and muddy is more of its natural state. 

So here it is... the first car I ever purchased from a dealership. 

Its got room for 4 fullsized people + two small sized people(the far back seats are a bit cramped)
All passenger seats fold flat.
It has AWD, a 6 speed auto, and a 260hp engine that helps me get around multiple cars when the center line turns dotted:)

and... I've always wanted a station wagon.... :)



The dealership transferred my plates and everything:)



Comet Pan-STARRS

Last night I set out for Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I was looking for a good place to get an unobstructed view of the western sky(this is somewhat difficult in my area).  Just south of Doughton Park, I found an acceptable spot to sit and wait for Comet Pan-STARRS to show up. 

I arrived about 30 minutes before sunset, and once the sun actually set, my eyes were peeled looking for the comet. 

After waiting about 25 minutes after sunset, I started to get frustrated with not being able to see it.  I even googled how to see it(luckily I had data service), and space.com stated that the comet would be visible just to the left of the crescent moon(at this point I couldn't even see the moon).

...A few minutes later...  Boom, there's the moon, a tiny crescent almost perfectly following the sun.  But still no comet.... So I waited... and waited... and waited... and then I got really frustrated because the wind was howling and I was starting to feel like this whole night would be time spent in vain(even though shots with crescent moons are nice by themselves).

I looked again at where space.com said to look, and took a photo of the general vicinity using my 70-200mm lens.  Then upon viewing the image... there it was.  I tiny little streak in the sky right where it was supposed to be.  It was so small that it was very hard to spot with the naked eye even after finding out exactly where it was.

After I got home and loaded the images on the computer, I noticed that Comet Pan-STARRS was visible WELL before I noticed it on the back of my camera.  It was visible while the moon was much higher in the sky!(and I didn't have a clue)  To see a couple more images click here to go to Smugmug

Oh well.... Enjoy...



Comet Pan-STARRS near a setting crescent moon backed by a rich pre-twilight sky.