September has been a busy month; lots of photography opportunities and never enough time. I went with my TOPs group to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer NC. Then I attended the Western NC Foto Fest, hiked the Boone Fork Trail at Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and traveled to Durham, NC to the Museum of Life and Science Magic Wings Butterfly House. I almost forgot the night spent in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to photograph the elk that have been reintroduced there.
Cataloochee
Life is indeed an adventure! A friend and I went to Cataloochee prior to Foto Fest.
Cataloochee
Life is indeed an adventure! A friend and I went to Cataloochee prior to Foto Fest.
It is a privilege just to see the majestic elk moving in the morning clouds of fog. Can you see the herd here?
And to hear the huge males bugling their interest to the females adds an almost ethereal aura to the entire scene. See the open mouth.
Try as I might, I could not capture the ambiance. You just have to be there! Another photographer in quest of the perfect shot! Can you see him at the far left under the tree?
1st Prize
Foto Fest of Western NC brought an unexpected honor. I received first prize in the “Anything Goes” category during the annual meeting. The winning photograph, Crescent Moon over Lake,” is included in my gallery in the “Nighttime” category. My husband deserves an award for driving me to Lake Matamuskeet during the middle of the night to photograph. I didn’t get the early morning shot I wanted due to cloud cover, but the shot I took the following night was a keeper and you see it here.