LOOKING BACK

Blackwater Canyon, West Virginia, 2017

Fall is here with all its beauty. Leaves fall down by the thousands, finally some much needed rain arrived, cooler temperatures kicked in , and last not least colors unfold in the trees. I just don’t find the time this week to go out during day light and capture the beauty with the camera. However, exactly five years ago we spent some time in Blackwater Canyon State Park in West Virginia, at the peak time of fall colors. And of course, I still have some images I can share with you. Hopefully next weekend the camera comes out again here in the Upper Mississippi Valley. I can’t wait…

2017 RETROSPECT / 9

Cranberry Wilderness, Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

One of the most interesting places we have been during our vacation in West Virginia was the Cranberry Glades in the Cranberry Wilderness, all part of the Monongahela National Forest. This photo was made not far from the glades near the site of the Mill Point Federal Prison camp, a former low level prison which was in operation from 1938 till 1959. It was demolished after its closure. Some interpretive signs and photos provide information for interested hikers. Nature took over and it needs some power of imagination to envision the former prison camp.

MISPLACED TUNDRA (NOT REALLY)

Cranberry Glades, West Virginia ------   

If you walk on a trail through a bog in the fall, like the Cranberry Glades in West Virginia, the peak season for flower and plant photography is already over. The Glades resemble an arctic tundra that seems to be misplaced in the southern mountains. Many rare plants, critters, and birds can be found here that are usually common to the bogs in the far north. This is a botanical paradise but so late in the season you may have to look for other things. With open eyes for the light on the landscape pictures can still be made. This fir, standing exposed in the bog, became my subject when a shaft of light broke through the clouds. The remains of woolgrass put little white dots into the grass and the bare trees in the background tell more about how close this 3,400 feet high location was to winter already in October.

MERGING TO A PANORAMA

Click photo for a full view ------

I mentioned before the great vistas you may find if you travel through West Virginia or on the Blue Ridge in Virginia. This panorama image is from our last day in West Virginia. We visited the very interesting Droop Mountain State Park, which has seen some bloody battles during the civil war in 1863. The view to the east includes the Blue Ridge in Virginia on the horizon, which was our destination for the second half of this trip.

It is hard to catch it all in a single shot if there is an almost 180 degree view over the country. The image was made from six photos in portrait orientation, which were merged in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC to a single panorama. This sounds complicated but took less than two minutes in post process.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @1/250 s, f6.3, ISO 100, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head;

WHIRLIGIG’S DANCE FLOOR

Whirligig’s dance floor, Watoga Lake, Watoga State Park, Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia ———— 

Reading at Wikipedia website I learned that whirligig beetles got their common name from their habit of swimming in rapid circles on the water surface when alarmed. They are known for the bewildering and rapid gyrations in which they swim, and for their gregarious behavior.

I named this photo “Whirligig’s dance floor”. The crazy, dance like movements of the water bugs had shaped the open circle on the water, surrounded by pine needles and grass.

In this low light situation I shot the Nikkor 24-120, f/4 wide open at 120 mm and focused on the leaves under water to give the scene some depth. The natural light of the setting sun gave shape to all the elements that make this photo one of my favorites from our trip through West Virginia.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, @120 mm, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter, @1/100s, f/4, ISO400

NATURE CLICKS #386 - RED-SPOTTED NEWT

Two Red-spotted Newts, Watoga Lake, Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia ---- 

If you saw my photo from Watoga Lake in yesterday’s post you can imagine that Joan and I had a really good time there. Our excitement grew when we discovered a whole bunch of Red-spotted Newts in the crystal clear water at a shallow part of the lake. So, what is a newt? I found a simple answer on a website of the University of Georgia. All newts are salamanders, but not all salamanders are newts. With other words, they are a specific type of salamanders. The Red-spotted Newt is a subspecies of the Eastern Newt. This newt produces tetrodotoxin which makes the species unpalatable to predatory fish and crayfish. Key to survive! There is a lot more to tell about the biology of this very interesting critter. I trust you know where to find more detailed information in the world wide web.

Since this was not an “everyday” shooting situation I like to share my approach for this photo with you. We had an overcast day and it was already late afternoon, hence the amount of light was limited. Even if the water was crystal clear, we had to deal with some reflections of the sky on the water surface, means a polarizing filter was mandatory. The B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter did an excellent job to keep the glare on the water out of the frame. The downside is that it swallows about 1-1.5 f-stops. The photo was made handheld with the Sigma 150/f2.8 at 1/40s, f/4.5, but to get into this speed range I had to pump up the ISO to 400. I tried to keep the focus point on the eye of the adult newt on top, but obtaining focus on a small spot under water is quite a challenge. The newts moved around but often stopped for short periods of time.

There is lots of wildlife in West Virginia. It is not always easy to spot because most of the state is forested land. Our biggest hopes to see a Black Bear again were not fulfilled, but the excitement while watching the Red-spotted Newts left a lasting impression on us.

WATOGA LAKE - EASY CLICK

Watoga Lake, Watoga State Park, Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia ————

The further south we went in West Virginia the less we saw fall colors. Some trees had already lost their leaves while others still showed a lush green. However, it didn’t deduct from the beauty this part of the country has to offer. Watoga State Park was our second base camp for exploring more of the Allegheny Mountain Range and Monongahela National Forest, a vast paradise of forest land and natural wilderness areas.

Just before the sun was about to set behind the mountain ridge the clouds opened a small gap and suddenly the texture of the forest across the lake came to life. The reflections on the lake had to be included. It was an easy click!...

DOLLY SODS WILDERNESS

Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia --------

If there is one area that surprised Joan and me with its beauty much more than we expected during our trip in West Virginia, it is the Dolly Sods Wilderness, short Dolly Sods, . Let me quote from a sign that we found up on the plateau. Dolly Sods is a broad plateau atop the Allegheny Front. The area around Bear Rocks supports subalpine heathlands dominated by shrubs such as blueberries, huckleberries, mountain laurel, azalea, and rhododendron. The site is marked by groves of stunted red spruce, flagged by ice and wind, outcrops of sandstone, grassy meadows, and cranberry bogs also occur.

This beautiful plateau is actually one of the most abused pieces of land in history, logging and being a practice artillery and mortar range and maneuver area before troops were sent to Europe to fight in World War II, took their toll. Recovery came mostly by the activities of the Nature Conservancy, who played a major role in preserving the area. If you are interested in reading all the facts, please click the link to Wikipedia’s site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Sods_Wilderness

What makes the Dolly Sods so interesting is that the flora creates impressions of areas much farther north. Many plant communities are indeed similar to those of sea-level eastern Canada. Many species found here are near their southernmost range. For example, the Snowshoe Hare found in Dolly Sods is usually found in Canada and Alaska.

I know I haven’t exploited all the possibilities this area offers to a photographer. Time was simply too short. Reason to come back sometime...

AFTER THE RAIN

Blackwater Falls, Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia -------

19 meters tall Blackwater Falls in the Allegheny Mountains is named for the amber waters of the falls. The water is tinted by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. Here is another photo of the same waterfall I showed you already twice this weekend. After a night of heavy rain it was expected that things had changed down in the Canyon of the Blackwater River. Working three days in a row with the same waterfall from different vantage points, with different light, and the subject itself changing dramatically was a lot of photography fun. For shots like this I employ the polarizer for having the glare on the rocks under control. I use the multiple exposure mode in the D750, which can combine up to three shots into one image right in camera. Using a stabile tripod is an absolute must for this technique and a remote shutter release helps to keep the surroundings of the waterfall sharp.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 26 mm, 1/5s, f/6.3, ISO200, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head, VELLO wired remote switch,

COMBINING THE ELEMENTS

Blackwater Falls (partly), Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia

I showed you an image of a waterfall and another one of the fall colors in a canyon this week but how about combining the two elements? Blackwater Falls in West Virginia is the perfect subject for doing so. During this weekend I will post three photos from the same falls and they all will tell the story of the season, just in a different way. Please stay tuned…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @1/5 s, f/18, ISO 100, B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head,

 

KEEPING THE SKY OUT OF THE FRAME

Canyon of the Blackwater River, Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia

In search for fall colors we came across many different situations and they all raised the question, how to tell the story with one photo? At Pendleton Point, overlooking the Canyon of the Blackwater River, it was clear that the gray sky had to stay out of the frame. After a rainy night and a day with heavy overcast the saturation in the leaves was perfect. The polarizer helped to minimize glare on leaves and the water of the river. A light fog from low moving clouds in the canyon made for a great autumn mood. I focused on the bottom of the canyon and shot relative wide open (f/4) to keep the speed within a range I can handhold with the Sigma 150, f/2.8. Depth of field was no concern without a foreground in the frame.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @1/200 s, f/4, ISO 400,   B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter,

WV - Wild and Wonderful

Falls of Elakala, Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia -------

The tent and camping gear is unpacked, with other words we are back from our vacation trip. This year we explored the mountains and woods of West Virginia and Virginia. West Virginia welcomes you with a sign that says, WEST VIRGINIA - Wild and Wonderful, and this is almost an understatement. Our first destination was Blackwater Falls State Park, which is surrounded by Monongahela National Forest. At this time of the year most people go there for fall colors and of course the waterfalls. The photo shows not the most visited waterfall in the park, but I thought it was the prettiest with its swirling pools in the foreground and leaves scattered all over the rocks.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 35 mm, 1.6s, f/20, ISO100, triple exposure in camera,  B+W F-PRO Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC filter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head