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The Great Eclipse of 2017

8/25/2017

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity so off to SC we went, my firstborn daughter and I. She did the planning. We wanted to avoid the traffic and still be in the right location so we had an extended stay. We tent-camped 3 days and nights in sweltering heat just for the pleasure of looking at The Eclipse for 2½ minutes. And view the Eclipse we did. It was glorious!!

The viewing was easy, but it proved to be difficult to get the sun in focus to photograph. I set up two cameras. That was good since one of my filters didn’t work as planned. I used welding glass and got double images, a huge disappointment! I used a Mylar filter on my second camera. It worked well, but my focus length was only 135mm because of photographer error. Having said all that, I am pleased that I got some nice, if small, images.

The whole eclipse process lasted almost 3 hours. We had clear skies for about 1 hour, 35 minutes. Totality lasted 2 minutes and 34 seconds at our location. When totality neared, we held our breaths to see which would occur first, cloud cover overtaking the sun or totality. Totality won, but only by a minute or 2. Wow!!! It was amazing. My heart still races a bit just thinking about it.

And so it began. The moon slowly moved across the face of the sun.

The crescent became smaller. It’s hard to see, but there are sunspots visible in this photo.

The eclipse progressed until there was only a sliver of sun showing.

Here you can see the diamond ring effect. The impending clouds are visible here too.

The diamond ring effect became smaller.

During totality you can see the sun’s corona. The corona is composed of plasma much hotter than the surface of the sun.

As totality neared an end, the diamond ring reappeared. Can you see red areas near the right of the photo?

Finally the sun crescent reappeared for a couple of minutes before the clouds blocked any further views of the eclipse.

Everyone at the campground was thrilled and very grateful that the clouds moved slowly enough to allow us to fully experience the totality. The campground had campers from a variety of locations including NC, PA, FL, and England. Two men celebrated their birthdays by viewing the eclipse. What a gift!!!!!!!! Happy birthday again Michael and Swann.

Thanks again to Marnie for making all the plans, securing the campsite and spending three days with me, her mother.

Time: August 21, 2017
Location: Blount’s Campground, Eutawville, SC

I welcome your questions and comments.
Cheryl

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Illusive Fall Color

12/1/2016

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Fall color can be illusive. I took a trip to New Hampshire in October to visit some wonderful people. I decided to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive and camp along the way. I love both these scenic roads and was very excited about the photography opportunities. Unfortunately my timing was off on the trip up and back. The color was just not there. The color in NH was nice, but since the purpose of my trip was to spend time with loved ones, I only went out to photograph in the neighborhood briefly one morning.

NH Well

I saw this well in a neighbor’s yard. The color immediately grabbed my attention. Wind movement in the foreground leaves adds a dynamic element to the composition.

NH Pond

I captured this photo at a pond near an apartment complex. The reflections, water lilies and grasses were eye-catching. Even with the overcast sky, the colors speak to me.

Cemetery Wall

This old cemetery with the interesting gravestones and leaf color in the background called out to me. In the first photograph, the rock wall leads my eye into the photo.

NH Cemetery with Obelisks

The obelisks, upright headstones, in the second photo speak of a time when size and design of grave markers reflected the wealth and status of the deceased. Note the lichen on theses stones.

The lovely orange foliage of the red maple far surpasses the classic lines of the community grange building.

Red Wagon

The tree color far outshines the bins of orange pumpkin. The little red wagon grabbed my attention. Customers could choose to purchase pumpkins from the bins or pull a wagon into the pumpkin patch to pick their own.

Road Home

I made these last photographs on another morning as I meandered my way toward Vermont on my drive back home. I pulled to the side of the road, set up my tripod and made this photo. Beautiful blue skies can add ”punch” to a landscape photograph.

Fall Reflection

This photograph took a bit more effort as I actually turned the car around and went back to capture the scene. I love reflections!

Peace Before Storm

I stopped the Jeep for the last photo, but discovered this lovely setting as I pulled into the small parking area. So I got two shots for the price of one! The threatening clouds add some drama to the composition.

Double Historic Bridge

Historic Placard

Finally this lovely unique Stone arch Bridge has an interesting history. See the description in this final photo. It makes me think of the old proverb, ”Slow down and smell the roses.” Perhaps we should add a new one, “ Stop to read the historic placards.”

I greatly enjoyed visiting with loved one on my New Hampshire. I captured many precious photos of them during my visit there, but those aren't for sharing. When/if I discover any keepers from the Blue Ridge Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive part of my trip, I will share them.

If you want to see fall color, view my previous blog from the Smokies last year. *

Thanks for viewing my photos. I would greatly appreciate your input.
Cheryl

*As I write this, there are multiple of fires burning in the Smokies. I feel a great sadness for the losses happening there. The forest will recover, but it will be forever changed.

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I Love the Smokies!

11/8/2015

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I truly do love visiting The Smokies, especially during peak fall color. This year I had several commitments that prevented me from going to the Smokies at what I expected to be the idea time. And I broke my big toe! After that, my fate was settled, or was it? The call of the color became too strong! I surrendered and headed west at 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon. I arrived at Cades Cove well after dark. It rained.

I entered Cades Cove Loop when the gates opened Monday morning. After fighting traffic there for a few hours, I headed for the road that leads to Tremont Institute and beyond. In the mist and rain, I found what I was looking for, fall color. I made the following photographs along the Middle Prong of the Little River. It has always been one of my favorite areas in the Smokies and it didn’t disappoint.

Middle Prong in the Mist

Small Waterfall

Red & Gold

Photographing from the roadside was challenging, but I was able to capture some keepers.

Peaceful Stop

Listen to the sound of the water. OK, pretend. Can't you almost hear it? I can.

Green being my favorite color, I love this one.

Green

Yellow Rules Here

Favorite Cascade

With my big toe splinted to it buddy and wearing my big rubber boots rather than my hiking boots, I mostly stuck to the edge or the road, with the exception of these two photographs. The photographs above and below were taken during my excursion off the roadside.

Cascade Detail

While in the Smokies, I also traveled a bit on both Foothills Parkways. I took Roaring Fork Motor Road, the Greenbriar Road and finally drove into Cataloochee Valley. Of all the places I visited in two rushed wet days, the road to Tremont had the best color. But there were other points of interest that I will share in a later post.

Thanks for reading my posts and viewing my photographs. Please contact me if you have questions about the locations or camera settings. I love to discuss photography!

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Assateague Horses

9/8/2015

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My husband and I spent a few days in July off the coast of Virginia and Maryland at Chincoteague and Assateague. I wanted to photograph the wild horses on the beach, but this proved impossible. In Virginia, the horses are fenced in the marshes and my views of then were at a great distance. In Maryland, the horses roam free, but they seem to prefer the marshes and roads, the beaches being too crowded with people.

Challenges aside, here are a few of my non-landscape “keepers”.

The two horses in the foreground caught my interest. The stallion is the leader of about 10 horses. A harem is usually composed of mares and their young. He led the group as they move through the marsh as well as when they crossed the road. The mare facing the stallion appeared to be the lead mare in the harem. Here she nuzzles the stallion, maybe whispering sweeting nothings in his ear. Looks like a loving couple to me. DISCLAIMER: Anthropomorphism run amuck! Having little knowledge of horse behavior, my interpretation is purely subjective.

Here the same two graze together near the edge of the road. Are they on a dinner date?

Finally, the stallion chews his dinner. I think he is a vegetarian.

He is a handsome fellow!!!

The Assateague Island National Seashore site tells a realistic story about the present life and history of theses beautiful horses.

True to my nature, here a few additional photographs from our trip. Note that they are low light landscapes; my all-time favorite genre.

Assateague sunrise in VA

Even at this early hour, I shared the beach with birds and other humans who just passed through my frame.

Assateague Lighthouse in VA

I sacrificed my legs to overwhelming numbers of mosquito bites to capture this lighthouse photo. Lesson learned; never go into marshy area at dusk wearing shorts!!!!

Assateague Lighthouse at night in VA.

This is the same lighthouse later in the evening taken from the beach side of Assateague Island. It was a lovely sight, but the sweeping light wrecked my plans to capture the Milky Way from a dark beach.

Sunset over the Marsh in MD

This my favorite Assateague photograph. I was just off the road at this marshy area armed with long pants and insect repellant. I love the light on the clouds here.

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In Search of Gray’s Lily

7/6/2015

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A Real Beauty

What an absolutely beautiful site,
Gray’s lily in bloom!!

Gray’s lily (lilium grayi) is a lovey rare gift that makes its summer appearance in high elevations of NC, TN and VA. Asa Gray discovered it in 1840. It is classified as threatened in NC and endangered in TN. I first saw it five years ago near the summit in Elk Knob State Park in NC. Returning to the area consecutive years, I was unable to find it again.

Gray's Lily

At a breakfast meeting a few weeks ago, a friend told me it was in bloom at Roan Mountain. I went home, packed my camera and took off on a four-hour drive in search of the illusive bloom. Arriving at Carver’s Gap, I headed north on the Appalachian Trail. What I found at Engine Gap was amazing. Gray’s lily was in bloom.

Looking Up!

The blooms are best viewed looking up and most often that requires lying prone on the ground. (Funny how things of value require a little extra work.)

Jane Bald

After making a huge number of photographs, I hiked up to Jane Bald for a better view of the surrounding area.

View from Jane Bald at Sunset

I stayed for a sunset photograph from Jane Bald but clouds prevented a colorful capture.

I arrived home the following morning at 1:30 AM well pleased with my trip.

I made enough photographs that day to fill anyone’s desire, but two days later I found myself driving to Roan Mountain once again. I told myself that I wanted my hiking buddy, who was with me on this second trip, to see the rare beauties.

We hiked to Engine Gap and discovered that there were even more lilies in bloom that day. It was like discovering them all over again. I was so glad I made the second trip, not just for my friend!

Lovely Family

Pictures are worth so much more than words!

Promise of Things to Come

Promise

Promise Fulfilled

My pilgrimages to Roan Mountain were so fulfilling. The blooms were beyond lovely. These are my favorites. The simplicity of the images seems to me to be examples of classic beauty.

My response seeing and capturing these images is unbridled joy! Never mind that a multitude of others had already captured these beautiful blooms. This was the culmination of a personal quest. And the victory was ever so sweet!!

Your input is welcome!!!

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In Search of Fall Color

11/10/2014

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A few weeks ago, I drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina in search of clear night skies and fall color. I captured some cool nighttime shots that I shared in my previous blog.

I also captured a number of other photographs as I searched for the elusive predawn fall color magic. It is hard to find that magic, but sometimes it reveals itself to me. Mother Nature’s gift is beyond my control. On this particular morning, the gift was not fall color, but still lovely in its own way.

The fog crept up from its valley hiding places as the day began to warm.

Here is a capture with some fall color that I made later on this particular day, nice, but no magic here.

Still, the day was young and these colors caught my eye and my imagination. This is the outcome, some of my favorite colors, green and blue and strong vertical lines.

My final capture of the day clearly has some fall color, but the sun was the gift giver, not the leaves. I know, I know, another sunset; but they never cease to attract my attention.

Not to be bested by Mother Nature, a few days later I drove to Oak Hollow Lake in High Point, NC in search of the crescent moon. I found it and these dawn colors awakened my fall color quest again.

And I found it, hiding among the trees beside the lake, but revealed by the rising sun!!!!!!!!!!

The lesson I learned:

I must learn patience. Mother Nature reveals her magic gift when and if she chooses.

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Star Trails and Promises Kept

10/26/2014

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As promised, I am ready to share my star trails. Attempting to produce an image of star trails is an endeavor based on hope and faith. Frankly it involves a lot of questioning myself about all the details too. Did I set the multiple exposure controls correctly: timing of shots as well as setting processing time between shots? Did I aim at the right direction in the sky, the North Star? Will any clouds hold off long enough for me to record at least 30 clear photographs, hopefully more?

In the days of film, photographs with exposures of perhaps 30 minutes or more were the way to go. The negative produced was then edited in the dark room resulting in the final image. I wasn’t photographing stars back then so I don’t know the details. Now, using a digital camera, a long exposure isn’t possible, as it would result in a grossly overexposed unusable image. I have to make multiple photographs and then blend the photographs together in a computer program to produce my final image that reveals the movement of the stars. (OK, OK, I know that the earth’s rotation is the real movement.)

I made this image over a month ago by combining 30 photographs taken over the period of about 15 minutes. It would not pass muster if I were a working to produce an image for even an amateur astronomer, but as an artistic rendering, I like it. When I look at it, I feel like I am seeing small part of the immense universe. My place in the universe may be miniscule and transient but I am a real living part of it nonetheless.

This second star trails image is composed of 63 images, each exposed for 30 seconds. I made this photograph last week. I am pleased with both of these images. I hope you like them too. It was an exciting adventure to put myself out in the very cold night air in pursuit of an image that allows me to really appreciate the beauty and mystery in the repeating dance of the stars.

The second promise I want to keep is to share a better-processed Milky Way image. This second image is made from 4 photographs combined to produce this panorama. I made these photos last week while I was shooting the star trail photographs. It surpasses the quality of the Milky Way panorama included in my last blog entry because it lacks the visible blending lines of the former image. To view this image, imagine that you are fully reclined in a folding lounge chair. Now look as far back as possible over your head until you see the horizon behind you. Now slowly tilt you head as far forward as possible so that you can see the horizon beyond your feet. In this image, I have flattened out half the nighttime firmament beyond our planet. It is the same idea as having a flat map of our planet to show what really fits on a globe.

I would love to hear what you think about these images. I love nighttime photography, but sky photography is a new area for me. It won’t replace the landscapes that I dearly love, but maybe I will eventually try to combine the two.

When I was a child I remember my father pointing out the “Northern Lights” as well as the big and little dippers to me from our farm in NC. It is becoming more difficult to find places dark enough to allow theses views now. I just recently read an article that you might find interesting. It confirmed my difficulty in finding a location from which to see and photograph the stars.

I am really excited about this new, to me, area of photography. I welcome your comments!

Cheryl

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Chasing Stars: Seeing a Galaxy Through My Eyes

10/8/2014

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Nighttime photography has long been an interest of mine, concentrating on landscapes in moonlight or artificial light. BUT recently I decided to attempt to capture the stars, yes the STARS!!! My mission; photograph the Milky Way. I made my first attempts at Hanging Rock State Park a couple of months ago. You can see in the photos below that I captured of a middle section of the Milky Way, but I needed a location to get a wider swath of the Milky Way Galaxy.

A few weeks later, I traveled a couple of hours from my home in piedmont North Carolina to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I set up my camera on a tripod and started making photographs about two hours after sunset. I was surprised to discover that I could “see” the Milky Way with my naked eyes. (Previously at Hanging Rock, I had photographed the night sky in the direction of the invisible Milky Way. I could then see the very pale Milky Way in the photograph.)

This night I was surprised to see the Milky Way arch across the sky over my head from one horizon to the other. Having just watched Cosmos, A Spacetime Odyssey, I was mesmerized knowing that I was seeing much more than a lovey photograph. I was looking back into the history of the universe!!!!!!!

I tried to combine several photographs to show the arch I had seen, but the technology is beyond my level of expertise. The panoramic photograph you see here is flawed in many ways, but maybe you can get just a hint of what I saw and felt viewing this magnificent skyscape. To visualize this photograph properly, imagine you are lying on the ground facing the sky above you parallel with the photograph. Tilt you head backward until you can see the horizon behind you. Now, slowly tilt your head forward in a nodding motion until you see the horizon at your feet. See photo below. Stay tuned; I will share a similar, but better, photograph when I am able.

Now finally, here is the best photograph I could produce of the main section of the Milky Way. I am so pleased to share this photograph with you. I wish I had the words to share the feeling I had while capturing these photos, to allow you to truly see the photographs through my eyes and heart.

I hope to share star trails in the future. What fun: photography opens my eyes and I love sharing what I see!

I would love your input in words or photographs. Just click on “comments” below.

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"Sun"flowers Before Sunrise

9/7/2014

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It is amazing that the time of day I make a photograph has so much impact on the resulting images. We all know that nighttime and daytime photographs are different. But the time of day also has great impact. Everything else being equal, an early morning and a midday photograph of the same subject will be very different. I captured these photos in very early morning just before sunrise. The only “Sun” you will see is in the sunflower blooms.

These two photos are simply two crops of the same shot. I had difficulty deciding which one best displayed the detail in the back of the bloom. Does the closer crop, revealing only the green, best tell the backstory? Or does the crop showing a small part of the yellow petals tell the whole story better leaving no doubt about the kind of flower depicted? Whichever your choice, the lack of sun allows the fine details to be clearly revealed.

All the following blooms look like they were removed from their environment. There are no clouds or blue sky to be seen. They seem to be isolated from their surroundings. The illusion isn’t a Photoshop trick. The sky appears to be missing because the sun isn’t up yet and the sky is overcast. My friend photographed the same sunflower field later in the day. She had a lovely shot of a bloom with a blue sky and a fluffy cloud in the background. Time of day and weather conditions make a huge difference.

These blooms on one plant seem to be ready for sunrise so they can sunbathe together, each in its own phase of development. My imagination leads me to wonder if they are a bloom family of parents and children.

This photo gives a mere hint of the vast collection of blooms in the field. I like the way each of the four closest blooms stand out as if to say, I am the “star” of this photograph.

This bloom stands alone! Perhaps it neither wants nor needs another sunflower bloom to steal the show. Note that a creeper vine has managed to tower above it.

I saved my favorite shot for last. What does it say to you? I see great detail in a bud full of promise of all that it will become. The unfulfilled potential that will, in time, take its place in the sun.

My next entry will be about “stars”.
I am on a quest to capture the sun, moon and stars!

As always, I invite your comments and questions.
Cheryl Garrity

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A Day in Dupont Forest

7/10/2014

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My very young eldest daughter and I spent a day in DuPont Forest in May. It is located in southwestern North Carolina and has many lovely areas to explore. Instead of hiking to each destination, we participated in the Tour de Falls. For a small donation, we were driven to parking areas near three waterfalls and Lake Julia.

The Little River tumbles and falls over rocks as it winds its way to lower and lower elevations. Along the way it creates several waterfalls. The looks and the sounds are mesmerizing. This is a section of the river is just below Triple Falls.

Triple falls is an amazing sight as the river slides down 150 feet in threes separate sections. Take note of the man in the red shirt to the right side between the second and third sections of the falls.

High Falls is majestic. The photo reveals what words fail to convey. For fun, I created a painterly version of the falls too.

Bridal Veil Falls is formed as the Little River makes its descent over another huge area of exposed stone. There were dozens of people walking up the rock face making it very difficult to frame a shot showing the unspoiled beauty of this natural wonder.

Lake Julia was very nice, but the wildflowers in the surrounding woods grabbed my attention. Here are three of my favorites.

The muted color of the wild geranium is lovely. To my eye, the delicate beauty of its bloom outshines the over saturated color of its domesticated counterpart.

Lilly of the valley is a beautiful small wildflower. The stem with multiple small white bell-like blooms looks as if it might find a home on a wedding cake, but the plant is poisonous.

Yellow Lady Slipper always takes my breath away. Even though I have recently photographed it several times in the wild, it is relatively uncommon. I hiked many years without seeing it.

The tour is available one weekend in the spring and another in the fall. If you want to learn more about the tour go to http://www.dupontforest.com/tourdefalls.html This was my first visit to DuPont Forest and the tour provided a great introduction. I know there are many more beautiful sights within the borders of the forest just waiting for my discovery. I plan to go back and explore more of the 10000 acres at a slower pace.

Special thanks to Marnie for sharing this day trip with me.

If you have visited the falls in DuPont Forest, please share you experience in the comments section. I would to see your photos of the area.

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<<Previous

The Great Eclipse of 2017

Illusive Fall Color

I Love the Smokies!

Assateague Horses

In Search of Gray’s Lily

In Search of Fall Color

Star Trails and Promises Kept

Chasing Stars: Seeing a Galaxy Through My Eyes

"Sun"flowers Before Sunrise

A Day in Dupont Forest

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