Albemarle at Sunset

Panoramic photograph of a rural landscape at sunsetI took this panoramic shot just east of the Appalachian mountains in Albemarle County,Virginia.  I happened to be passing by at sunset.  Despite the lack of clouds to provide a colorful sky, the valley itself seemed to almost glow in the late evening sun.  Like all of the photos on my blog, you can click on the image above to see a larger, more detailed version of it.

Quiet Place Among the Boulders

photograph of a cascade between boulders in Shenandoah National ParkA friend and I hiked a 6.6 mile loop in Shenandoah National Park, specifically to get photos of waterfalls.  Our hike passed three significant falls but this little cascade at the top of one of them yielded my favorite photo of the day.   It isn’t very dramatic and I think that’s what I like about it.  The image makes me think of a quiet, little, almost secret spot, you could visit to get away from the world for a little while.

Autumn Morning Fog on the James

photograph of the James River in early morning fogThis photo was taken about 30 minutes after sunrise on an early December day.  Our neighborhood was shrouded in fog and I hoped to capture it hanging over the river.  Normally fog clings heavily to the river but this day was different. I was a little disappointed but enjoyed this view from one of Richmond’s many bridges over the James River.

Doyles River Upper Falls

Photograph of the Doyles River Upper Falls in Shenandoah National ParkWhen I reached the upper falls on the Doyles River in Shenandoah National Park, the lighting was horrible.  The foreground and most of the photo above and to the left of the falls were bathed in bright, direct sunlight.  The falls and most of the photo to the right of them were in dark shadow.  So I bracketed like crazy and combined two of the resulting photos to produce this HDR image of the scene.

Sycamore on the James

photograph of a tree reflected in the water of a riverThis tree, which I now know is a sycamore, is one my favorites.  I see it often when I walk along the river.  It’s stark, white branches majestically loom over the river and stand out from the green foliage.

I merged two separate exposures of this tree to create an HDR image.  I under exposed one shot to keep the sky darker and used a “properly” exposed image for the reflections in the river.

Jones Run Falls Panorama

panoramic photograph of the Jones Run Falls in Shenandoah National ParkI stitched together 6 separate photos to create this panoramic view of the rock wall at Jones Run Falls in Shenandoah National Park.  The water seeping over the stone edifice makes it appear very dark, nearly black.  As with all of the photos on my blog, you can click on it to see a larger, more detailed image.

Fall Morning in Deep Run Park

photograph of trees reflected in the water at Deep Run ParkEarly Saturday morning I walked through Deep Run Park in Henrico County, Virginia.  I wanted to be there while that magical, early morning light blanketed the trees and whatever I might find beneath them.  I nearly passed this scene but fortunately stopped long enough to notice it.