CHALLENGES

ISO 100, f/20, 1/4 second, 19mm

  I've taken numerous images of Bald River Falls in the Cherokee National Forest. Today I had the day off and wandered into the Forest and found myself right back at Bald River Falls. The water levels were low, which is normal for this time of year, and the green moss on the rocks was showing through bright and beautiful.
  Then I ran into a challenge. I wanted to photograph the falls without getting one of the same shots that I have captured before. I could have framed a shot up very easily from a previous location or from up on the bridge that passes in front of the falls. I didn't want a shot that someone else has taken though.
  It is an enormous challenge to find something unique at Bald River Falls. Hundreds of people visit this waterfall in a day's time and take their normal photograph from any of a dozen easily accessible vantage points.
  I chose to wade out into shallow part of the river and find this composition.  The lower water levels allow for easier mobility in the river and also create new smaller cascades downstream that would normally be underneath the flowing water 75% of the year. This small cascade was flowing over this beautiful red rock and between two moss-covered rocks and it was new angle at the falls that I have not shot at lower water flow.
  I am glad that I challenged myself this afternoon and I am very happy with the new composition.

THE OTHER SIDE

ISO 100, f/20, 1/5 Second, 19mm

  It's amazing what happens when you just change your point of view while shooting a subject. My last post was of the Huntingdon Beach Pier with the sun at my back and bathing the pier in golden sunlight.
  Today's post is of the same pier only I have walked to the opposite side of the pier and shooting slightly into the sun. The bright sunlight that was casting the golden glow on the pier is now shining as a back light or technically a side light. The pier is completely in shade on the side I am shooting from.
  So now I have posted 3 separate shots from Huntingdon Beach Pier and they each are different as far as light and color. It really pays off to explore each subject and shoot from as many angles as possible.

HUNTINGDON BEACH PIER

ISO 100, f/20, 1 second, 19mm

  Huntingdon Beach Pier just before sunset last Tuesday. Even though it was cloudy (it was cloudy the entire week on the beaches last week) the sun broke through and provided some gorgeous light.
Huntingdon Beach, CA

ABALONE COVE

ISO 100, f/20, 4 Seconds, 26mm

  Spent the last week in Cypress, CA doing some training for work. I always love going to the west coast. The beaches are very different from the ones on the east coast (not that I don't love the beaches on the east coast, I do). Rocky beaches, tall ocean cliffs, dark sand, there's just something different about the California Coast.
  When I found out I was traveling to the Los Angeles area I contacted one of my new friends on Google+ by the name of Mark Esguerra. He helps curate a weekly photography theme on Google+ called Thirsty Thursdays. Anything with water in the shot. My kinda theme.
  I asked Mark if he would be interested in getting together and shooting one evening while I was there. We met at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Palos Verdes, CA. Mark and another photographer friend, Rob Lopes, met me and my colleague, Devin Hensley, at the park with hopes that we were going to get some long exposures of the sunset with the rocky surf and possibly some tide pools.
  Abalone Cove did not disappoint us. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn't cooperate. Instead of an epic sunset we were treated to complete grey cloud cover. Zero color. We waited patiently for some light but nothing ever happened.
  All was not lost, though. Even though we didn't get the epic sunset, the beach, rocks, and surf were there for us to photograph. I placed the variable Neutral Density Filter on the lens and combined with the overcast conditions, made for some great long exposure effects.
  After shooting the large rocks & surf, I found these two lonely guys off to the side. I positioned my tripod and camera low to get the rocks large in the foreground and took a few shots. What I found is that the effect of the water going back away from the shore was a more pleasing effect than when it came crashing onto it. With this particular shot, a 4 second exposure caught a little of both but the recession of the water back into the ocean was the dominate effect.
  The lighter color of the rocks against the dark brown sand contrast well against the white water surf and the sand formed two curves that conveniently led from each of the foreground corners to the rocks.
  Really appreciate Mark and Rob taking the time out to shoot with us. They were great fellas and a lot of fun to hang around. Maybe next time Mother Nature will cooperate.

BLUE CRASH

ISO 100, f/20, 1.3 Seconds, 19mm

  Long exposures with water make for some very neat effects. In this photograph, the 1.3 second exposure makes the water look misty and foggy as it crashes over the rocks at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Palos Verdes, CA.
  It was completely cloud covered which cast a blue hue to the clouds with a long exposure.

UNDERWORLD

ISO 100, f/20, 1 second, 19mm

  From underneath the Huntingdon Beach Pier in Huntingdon Beach, CA. Gotta love the tall legs under the pier at HB. The sun was setting to the right of the shot and cast a wonderful yellow glow to the pier.
  A 1 second exposure allowed for some blurring of the water and a nice reflection of the pier in the sand.

KILLING TIME

ISO 400, f/14, 1/5 Second, 19mm

  This is courtesy of mine and Tim Owen's  jaunt along the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River along Newfound Gap Rd a few weeks ago. Lots of climbing involved in reaching this point. So much so that we didn't even bother working our way back. We just climbed up the wall to the left up to the road and then back to the Chimney Tops parking area.
  I processed this shot while waiting in McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, TN for 6:45 due to plain delays out of Chicago and Washington, D.C.