Landscape, Great Smoky Mountains

In the Smokies this year, there is a subdued color pattern. No doubt a byproduct of the slightly dryer conditions over the past few months. Leaves are gone from higher elevations with peak colors in middle elevations in the mountains and on the roadways. Lower elevations are a variation of color pattern depending on where you are in the park with a lot of brown color mixed in. It's still evident where the wildfires impacted the mountains and the lower elevations around Gatlinburg.

Capturing images of the mountain ranges is one of my favorite things to do here. The cloud cover was heavy on this morning dampening the vivid colors. However, I managed to snap this shot just as the light was peaking through the clouds. There's still a good deal of green in this shot, as it's the lower portion of the mountain range just outside of Gatlinburg, just as you are gaining elevation in the park. This was taken with my 55 mm which I normally don't bring along. I wanted to get more of a landscape of the mountain ranges. As I went to snap this image I noticed the stone wall in the bottom left and decided it could stay. I really like it. Back soon. ENJOY!

It's Official, It's Fall

Fall arrived yesterday at 4:02 pm. In many areas of the northern United States, Fall's leaves are at peak. Here in middle Tennessee, leaves have yet to turn, although I do see the occasional yellow leaf from trees here and there.

I captured this image a few years ago in Fall, as I was making the drive from Gatlinburg to Cade's Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Meig's Falls sits back off the park road, but in full view of visitors. As usual I had my 300mm lens on my camera, so I stopped to take a few photos. The yellow leaves really frame Meig's Falls beautifully. I can't wait to share new images as I venture out this season. I hope you have fun out there photographing this beautiful season. Have a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!

Prayers for Great Smoky Mountains & Gatlinburg

As I sat and watched the wildfires descend upon Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and into Gatlinburg and Sevier County, Tennessee, my heart ached. I normally trek to the Smokies once or twice a year. I have thought about nothing else but the people and the hardship ahead. I have also wondered how the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail was impacted. Many people can't take long trail hikes and this is one drive that anyone can do in their car and be totally immersed in the forest while the Roaring Fork River rushes downstream. It's a breathtaking place. Thankfully, most of Tremont is alright and Cade's Cove was unaffected by the fires.

Lives lost, lives perished with no trace, homes destroyed, businesses devastated. All over Tennessee and neighboring states, firefighters have traveled to the Smokies to help with the wildfires. We had some rain this week, but there is heavy rain coming this weekend and hopefully it will push East. I pray it will push East. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the 'most' visited park in the entire United States and I hope it stays that way in spite of everything that has happened. And pray for the families in south central Tennessee who lost loved ones, homes and businesses, as well, due to tornadoes the day after the wildfires. And a week prior to this six small children were taken from us by a crazed school bus driver in Chattanooga. Needless to say, Tennessee has been hit especially hard by tragedy in the past two weeks. Tennessee will bounce back, but in the meantime, I ask for your prayers. Thank you. Carol

SPECIAL NOTE: Do you believe in Climate Change. It not, watch just two episodes of the 'Years of Living Dangerously' on the National Geographic Channel. It's an awakening! Sadly, Americans have the highest carbon footprint globally. Yet, the worst areas affected right now by our ever warming ocean is not the U. S., but areas like the Philippines and the Amazons where the majority of the population live well well below the poverty level and who's entire existence and livelihood depends upon the land, and especially the ocean. If we do not take action now, fifty years from now there will be floods, hurricanes and wildfires, not to mention droughts, the likes of which we could never ever imagine.

Water, Water, Waterfall

Another beautiful scene along the Roaring Fork River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you stand next to your tripod capturing this unparalleled scene, the water rushes over the rocks and boulders as it makes its way downstream. The sound soothes your mind. The sound soothes your soul. Your heart beats a little slower. A calm comes over you. It's a heavenly place to visit. Have a wonderful weekend all. ENJOY!

Slice of Heaven

Do you suppose when we die and go to heaven it might be anything like this? Oh, please God, make it so. ENJOY!

Photographer's Backstory: At the end of a two hour workshop with Judy in the Smokies in late October, we were getting ready to get back into the car and head over to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. I turned and looked at this setting and quickly snapped this image.

Fall's Leftovers

Is it a coincidence that beautiful Fall colors are followed by Winter's dull and dreary days followed by Spring's brightly colored bulbs. I think not. I think there surely is a reason why Winter was tucked in between two radiant colorful seasons with reds and oranges and yellows and blues and purples and pinks. Special Note: Set your turkey out to thaw. ENJOY!

Fall Colorscape

If I had to choose an image that I love most from my trip to the mountains of eastern Tennessee, it might be this one. I hope you will leave me a note and let me know your thoughts. Have a fabulous Sunday all. ENJOY!

Red Maple, GSMNP

As I approached the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee, North Carolina, on the eastern most side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this gorgeous red Maple Tree greeted me with stunning red leaves.

As I stopped at the visitor center, I noticed I wasn't the only one capturing images of this beautiful red Maple. Others were stopping to photograph it as well. So beautiful. ENJOY!

Fall Along Oconaluftee River

Photographing water is a challenge I love to take up at least once every trip I make to the Smokies. There are countless opportunities to photograph water at almost every bend in the road. You will find the Roaring Fork River, the Little Pigeon River and the Oconaluftee River in the park just to name a few. If you drive any distance, you will encounter waterfalls in every shape and size as well. As I drove to Cherokee on the main road from Gatlinburg, I pulled off the road at the Kephart Prong Trail head and stood on the wooden bridge that traverses the Oconaluftee River. Looking east I saw this beautiful Fall scene.

Gorgeous yellow Fall leaves in the background were in stark contrast to thick, dark green Rhododendron leaves hanging over each side of the bank along the river. I stood for a bit photographing the scene using my shutter mode with a few aperture adjustments. I knew the gray overcast day would impact the light and tried to adjust accordingly. Overall I was pleased with the image although I would have loved blue sky in the background. I have attempted in the past to photograph this type of composition, but found you have to have the right elements to really do it justice. Oftentimes, there will be logs in the river or brush along the bank that takes away from the composition. This was as near perfect as I could ever hope for. I love when that happens. ENJOY!

Hiking, Bote Mountain Trail

Every trek I make to Great Smoky Mountains National Park I try to take a hike on 'a path less traveled'. As you drive along the main road from Cade's Cove back to Gatlinburg, there are many pull offs. One pull off is the West Prong Trail which is part of the Bote Mountain Trail. I liked the looks of this trail as it was wide and flat, although after hiking a short way in you begin to feel the rise in elevation in your knees.

This visit to the Smokies brought the remnants of Hurricane Patricia so I had rain to contend with throughout my entire stay. Albeit, one minute there might be a sliver of blue sky with a few rays of sun peeking through white clouds and then a dark gray cloud moves in and drizzle in varying waves sets in.

After I parked my car at this trail head and gathered my walking stick, I set out. Not sure how far into the hike I would get before drizzle might set in and force me to turn back. I hadn't hiked more than a quarter mile when a serious drizzle started forcing me to turn back. UGH!

At this time of year black bears are foraging heartily for food to fill their fat reserves for the long Winter months so I was mindful of this before I had started on this trail. On Newfound Gap Road on Sunday I caught a few glimpses of a bear cub foraging, but that was the only bear siting I encountered. Perhaps on my next adventure to the Smokies I will get to walk further along this path as it really looked like a beautiful hike. I snapped a few images of the Fall leaves while walking along the path. This is my favorite image. I love the greens of the forest and the yellow Fall leaves. I hope everyone had a fun filled Halloween. Next stop, Thanksgiving! ENJOY!

Fall Color, Smoky Mountains

One of the many benefits of rainy weather in the Smokies is the fog in and around the mountains.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Happy Halloween Eve! ENJOY!

GSMNP, Shrouded in Fog

There is always more to photograph than there is time to do so when you spend any amount of time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a virtual wonderland of rivers, streams, forests, woods, mountains, valleys and let's not forget the history that is found here. When you take 500 images over the course of four days and slowly cull through them to see just what you have captured, you never know what will be peering back at you.

When I happened upon this image, I decided it has to be one of my favorites from my trek to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No doubt there are people who believe rain and fog won't net them much on a photography trip. I beg to differ. A foggy mountainside can be stunning to me and when you add yellow Fall leaves with the dark green Fir trees, I declare a winner. I love to capture photos that have natural lines such as the one I shot here of the ridge line. It takes your eye right up to the top left of the photo. I did photograph some Fall color and some water images while on my trek and will post those soon. Back very soon. ENJOY!

Fall Color in the Smokies

Every color I encountered on my trip this week to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park surely is present in this image. The least of which is the blue smoke.

I moved to Hendersonville Friday. I like this small bedroom community north of Nashville and I think I will enjoy living next to the lake especially in Summer. I unpacked my furniture and such Friday night and Saturday. Then I had to pack Saturday evening for my Fall sojourn to the Smokies. The remnants of Hurricane Patricia made its way across Texas and the southern states and moved up into middle and eastern Tennessee Sunday. The front was so huge it rained every day while in the Smokies. It wasn't a steady rain which made it bearable. Today the sun did make a brief appearance. I am so very happy I do not have to pack anything for quite a while. I will be back soon with more Smokies images. ENJOY!

Rushing Waters of Tremont

Few places compare to the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The grandeur of the mountains, the beauty of the moss covered boulders, the wildlife feeding alongside the road as you drive by.

It is a sweltering 95 degrees here in middle Tennessee with a heat index even higher. Yet, I can hear the sound of the water pouring over the moss covered rocks rushing down the river along Tremont Road as I look at this image. Happy Birthday to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which was officially established by Congress on this date in 1934. Back soon. ENJOY!

Elk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

At the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there were no Elk to be seen which was the norm. As I made my way back through the park, I happened upon this lone Elk munching on the grasses in a field right off the road about two miles from the visitor center.

She is a sow and I don't think she gave birth to a calf this Spring as there was no evidence of one with her. I loved that she also did 'not' have a radio collar on which made for nicer images. As the group of cars that stopped to watch her graze began to grow, the Elk would look up every now and then. This was one of the looks she gave me as I sat across from her in the car at a good distance. It was a priceless look. When it started to rain, she looked up and all around her, and then abruptly turned and hightailed in the opposite direction and crossed the road heading for the treeline next to the river. It made one wonder what was going through her head at the time. If you look closely, you can see a few rain drops in the image. At least she posed for a few pics for me. ENJOY!

Through the Woods

As I embarked upon a drive, while in the Great Smoky Mountains recently, I knew I would encounter scenes.
Scenes such as this, where the forest meets the floor, and the winding road through the woods,
gave way to the beauty of Fall. Along such a drive one finds oneself feeling small.
Small in a world filled with only the woods, the wind, the light. ENJOY!

Linking to Sunlit Sundays

Fall's Forest

A glimpse back as I peered through my lens at Fall's beautiful forest saturated in hues of yellow. 

The best part of capturing an image surely is the 'looking back'. 

For once you have captured an image, it is no longer present. It is past.

Looking back then becomes the necessity of enjoying its beauty. ENJOY!

Landscape, Cade's Cove

Beautiful and serene Cade's Cove sits tucked away in southwestern Great Smoky Mountains National Park just a few miles from Townsend, Tennessee. Within this valley nestled between two mountain ranges, lies many a cabin, as well as several churches and homesteads. Reminiscent of a tiny community standing alone in this broad valley, Tipton's Place, which I wrote about recently was one of those homesteads. As I slowly traveled this back road making my way along the valley floor, I would stop to capture scenes that caught my eye, forever to be chronicled in my archives.

Deep in the valley now I stopped to take several images. When I turned and looked out across the valley I found this scene. Immediately I sat about to capture it to show you the larger landscape as I looked out across the fields. The simplicity of it was overwhelming. The abandoned barn sitting far off in the distance was surrounded by layers of fields with brush and trees between. The mountain provided the perfect backdrop while subtle hints of Fall foliage dotted the landscape adding yet one more layer. It is life from a simpler time perhaps the best of times. ENJOY!

Fall, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Fall painted such a gorgeous landscape as I maneuvered my way around every twist and turn and bend in the road as I slowly made my way toward Newfound Gap in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in late October.

All along the road the landscape was blanketed in beautiful oranges and yellows and reds, as well as the remains of the dead trees which fell victim to the ash borer. It is sad that there are so many dead trees that dotted the landscape, but simply stunning to see the contrast of colors around them. A simple effect in my software brought more detail to the scene. ENJOY!

Fall, Meig's Falls

Meig's Falls is simply beautiful in Fall with its cascading water crashing over the cliff into Meig's Creek.

Fall leaves framed the waterfall as I stood on the pull off to capture this image in Great Smoky Mountains National Park a few weeks ago. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S TIP: My first thought was to post this image as a horizontal image, but I ended up choosing this vertical image instead. If you are not quite 'feeling it' with an image, crop it differently. Perhaps a close up, maybe even a major close up, or a vignette will get you what you are looking for. Or, as in this case, change the orientation. Sometimes when I take a photo, I pull back slightly on the image to include a tad more background. Why do I do this you may ask? Because you just might be glad you did when you drop it in your software and realize you want to crop the image and having that extra background was exactly what you needed. ENJOY!