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Category Archives: Landscape

The Red Barn

17 Jun

I “live” for finding photo opportunities such as this one. Unfortunately they usually are located in such a position that makes it next to impossible to photograph from a good angle. In this case, that angle had me stopped dead center in the middle of a lightly traveled backwoods road in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Montanans of Virginia. There was no shoulder on the road, so the pavement was all I had. So, quickly grabbing my camera, and noting that my car’s windshield was pretty clean and clear, I placed my camera close to the glass behind the steering wheel and fired away. It worked, and I got a nice image. Mind you, stopping on ANY road to make a photo is risky, but… I had to have the shot!

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Posted by on June 17, 2013 in Architecture, Landscape

 

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Times Past

16 Jun

Not too many years ago I owned a nice Mad River canoe and an even better Wilderness Systems kayak. When our grandkids were small I used to take them canoeing since I could get two easily inside with me at the stern guiding the way, with them splashing paddles and generally having a good time getting wet. I also fished from my canoe but not that much…it was the kayak that served that purpose when I was so inclined. Mostly, however, I spent hours on a nearby lake nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, inside my kayak exploring all sorts of dark coves such as that shown in the second photo. I donated my canoe to a local church group a few years back, and sold my kayak and all it’s nice fishing gear to my neighbor’s brother even more recently. My time “on the water” in such craft is now over…and I miss it. Aging and all that comes with that has caught up with me. So now, as in the first photo below I have to content myself with making photographs of others doing what I used to do…in times past.

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Posted by on June 16, 2013 in Landscape, Photo Stories

 

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Back Lit

03 Jun

Sometimes it makes an interesting photo when a portion is back lit, as are the leaves on this tree. It’s better still when you have some nice puffy clouds in the background. The only problem is correctly adjusting the exposure of just the leaves, because your camera will set the initial in-camera exposure on the bright sky, leaving the leaves too dark. But, thanks to Adobe Lightroom software I am able to develop my images with great flexibility. If you are really interested in making your photos look their best, Lightroom is what you need. Not simple to learn, but well worth the effort. You can download a free trial version at Adobe’s website.

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Posted by on June 3, 2013 in Artistic and Creative, Landscape

 

Simple Beauty

27 May

Few places are as scenic at this time of year than the Blue Ridge Mountain region of Virginia and North Carolina. Even in the foothills of the high elevation ridge-lines and valleys of the Blue Ridge is this true. An example is this photo I made recently. It’s simple in composition and to me the thing I like best besides the bright green vegetation and the hazy blue sky is the lone tree sitting at dead center. I know not why that single tree remains in an area that probably once was home to many others, but I’m glad it’s still there because it certainly made for a more beautiful photograph. Sometimes “simple” is best in photography.

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Posted by on May 27, 2013 in Landscape

 

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Reflect on That

17 May

Positioning yourself with camera in hand, such that objects are reflected off water surfaces makes for an interesting photograph…even when simple subjects are concerned. These two photos were made along a canal path near an old cotton mill in North Carolina. The canal once brought water for use in the factory. Today, it serves as the central aspect along a nice walking path. I like the one with the bridge in the background best.

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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in America's Past, Landscape

 

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Simple Beauty and Good Light

29 Apr

My eye was drawn to this beautiful flowering tree backed by an old brick factory wall in Eden NC. The manner in which the sun was shining made the colors sparkle. I wanted to show the tree and flowers from afar, then a bit closer, then really close. Had the sunlight not been as it was, I’d never have been able to make this series of photos look as good as they do.

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Posted by on April 29, 2013 in Flowers, Landscape

 

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Inspirational Dogwoods

21 Apr

The Dogwood trees in our yard and neighborhood this year are spectacular…whites and pinks…in full bloom. After the week we’ve had in the United States with terrible events in Boston and Texas, it’s God’s work like the beauty you see here that inspires us to overcome adversity, no matter its form.

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Posted by on April 21, 2013 in Flowers, Landscape

 

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In Transition

05 Apr

With temperatures thankfully warming up, we’re seeing a transition take place in wooded areas. So much simple beauty just waiting to be seen, a bit at a time. Here are two examples.

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Posted by on April 5, 2013 in Landscape

 

Foggy Sunrise

12 Oct

I wanted to post this image not so much for its uniqueness photographically, but for the the colorful look I saw as the sun was rising. It’s just an image I like.

 
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Posted by on October 12, 2012 in Landscape

 

Two Views

26 Sep

Two views of the same object often work better photographically. In this case my objective was to show an angled view of an old reservoir dam, as well as how “silky and clear” the water looked coming over one of the dam’s spillways. Had the second photo been shown by itself, you perhaps would not have known what it was a part of; e.g the reservoir dam. Photos should be able to tell a story, as a record of what you saw around you at any given moment in time. No one else but you saw that scene when you did, and it’s important to convey that vision to others. In this case, it took both photos to do that.

 
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Posted by on September 26, 2012 in Landscape

 
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