WHEN LIGHT BECOMES THE SUBJECT

At Lewis Mountain campsite, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Ok, I’m jumping back and forth between actual photos, like the Tundra Swans from yesterday, and little stories and images from our tour through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia in October.

Photography is all about light and how we use it to bring out the subject in our pictures. During an early morning walk around Lewis Mountain campsite in Shenandoah National Park I tried to work with backlit subjects, like ferns and grasses. With every minute more warm light from the low sun was pouring in and putting out some real magic. All the backlit plants are still in the frame but they play only a small role in the story. Suddenly the light itself, hitting the forest floor, became the subject. Not a bad way to start a day…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 35 mm, 1/25s, f/8, ISO400,

SHENANDOAH

At The Point Overlook, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia ------

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and its Skyline Drive are liked by many people for the  views they can have from the top of the Blue Ridge. Other than in West Virginia the week before we were a little bit too early for the peak of the fall colors in Shenandoah, but the views, especially at the end of the day, were just magnificent. The price for having sunny and warm days was paid with the absence of dramatic clouds, another reason to look for photo opportunities around sunset.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, @ 35 mm, 1/50s, f/10, ISO100, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head, VELLO wired remote switch,

 

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!...

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2017 #10 - NOISE AFTER SUNSET

Deere Marsh after sunset, Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa

I interrupt my series of blog posts about our trip to West Virginia and Virginia for a more actual photo from right here at the Mississippi River. After a number of gray days it looked like the sun would come out this evening and so I took the dog, grabbed the photo bag, and drove down to the dyke behind the big John Deere works at the river. I got rewarded with a nice sunset but the clouds and light right after it were even more appealing.

What you don’t see, and so it is not really a part of my visual story telling, is ten thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds resting in the reeds and cattails right in front of my lens. The noise was incredible but I love to see their big gatherings during migration.

FALLEN BIRCHES

Fallen birches, Cranberry Wilderness, West Virginia ---------------

It’s easy to get lost and post , write, or reflect only on the great vistas and “standard views” the travel and photography websites suggest for a particular area. Sure, story telling is always important, but sometimes it is the subtle view of a detail that extracts the essence of a landscape and makes it finally a fine art print. This photo of fallen birches merges into these thoughts…

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,

RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

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

The evening at our arrival in Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia the left hand part of Blackwater Falls made for a nice appearance. When the setting sun over the canyon sent a shaft of light into the rocks next to the waterfall I knew we were at the right place at the right time… How a change in weather can make a big difference and create a totally different challenge for the photographer you will see in tomorrow’s blog post.

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

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

Prairie near Whitewater Canyon, Iowa -------    

I think photographers know better than a lot of other people how to take the song of the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want!”. Sunday afternoon I hiked down to the bottom of Whitewater Canyon, one of only three true canyons in Iowa, and highly interesting for people interested in geology, wildlife watching, and nature in general. (for location and more detailed description please feel free to use this link: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Dubuque/Park/Whitewater-Canyon-Wildlife-Area.aspx ) It is surrounded by prairie land, rolling hills, and fields. 

So why don’t I show pictures from the canyon? As said, you can’t always get what you want! The truth is, the light really sucked. A big field of gray clouds started covering the sky while me and our dog Cooper were on our way down to the canyon. With the dull light of an overcast, well photography in a canyon can suck too! Back on the way to the parking lot and up on the prairie I saw the edge of the clouds moving east and towards me. And here is the point I’m trying to make. The next opportunity for a decent photo is just around the corner.

I sat down on a big boulder that marks the border of the parking lot, let our dog Cooper do what he wanted to do, and watched the development of the weather for about 45 minutes. As soon the edge of the gray clouds passed the sun, the camera was out of the bag and the shutter was clicking. All the blossoms of the wildflowers in the prairie are gone, but the prairie grass in the fore- and middle ground adds texture to the image, and the “crying” clouds are just lovely in my books. Well, no canyon pictures today, but next time I may get what I want… 😊

THUNDERHEADS

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa  ------- 

With thunderheads still towering over the east side of the Mississippi River I could not finish my short trip through the countryside without finally driving down to Mud Lake yesterday evening. The sun had disappeared already behind the ridge of the valley but threw still gorgeous light at the puffy clouds on the Wisconsin side of the river. This place is never the same twice and one of the reasons why I keep coming back over and over again.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, Schneider Graduated ND filter 0.9, @52 mm, 1/50s, f/8, ISO100

DOES SUMMER HAVE AN END?

To my friends and family in Germany I always describe September as a month that has in general still the character of summer here in Iowa, This is in particular true for this year. During the last few days unusual high temperatures made life a little uncomfortable for people like me, who love a more moderate climate. This all had to come to an end and this evening thunderstorms crossed the country and will continue to cool down the air in the next 24 hours. With thunderstorms come big, puffy clouds. If you follow my blog since a while you know already that I like to make clouds the subject of photos in my landscape photography quite often. I just love how clouds, and the ever changing light that comes with them, can create drama in a landscape. If in addition a string of Canada Geese crosses the sky, the shutter of my Nikon D750 is rattling… Oh, I love fall, even if it still feels like summer…😉