The Roan Highlands

A preliminary edit of the predawn light along Engine Gap in the Roan Highlands. This was my first visit to this area, but I can definitely say I'll be back. The middle of June boasts the best time to visit the area when the rhododendron are blooming on the balds. For those up for the adventure, I'm told wintertime holds its own treasures here...

Rushing Water

lush moss encompasses a large river rock as water flows quickly through a series of cascades on the Oconaluftee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was first unsure how I liked this image, but its definitely going on the wall in the apartment. I'm looking forward to my return to this river during the fall of the year, I can imagine the effects of fallen leaves in the water under long exposures.

Fluid Serenity

An intimate perspective of one of the two cascades at Soco Falls near Cherokee, NC. I really love this shot, and another reason why I love carrying my 70-200L lens. The area all around this set of falls was slick and washed out, which made it tough to maneuver around for a different perspective. Although Scott Hotaling was able to work his way to a very unique perspective to showcase both tiers of the falls, I was happy with this capture.

Islands in the Sky II

as the light shifts with the rising sun, an orange hue is cast over the mountains and the rising fog. Such a classic scene from the park, but I never get tired of seeing it.

Bridgeview - Oconaluftee River

Water flows downstream on the Oconaluftee River in GSMNP after a light rain. This is a well known bridge location in the Smokemont region of the park, and I believe this is a similar capture from one of Nye Simmons' photos. He's a phenomenal nature photographer who has done extensive work up and down the Appalachian Mountains.

Springtime on the Oconaluftee

Water flows smoothly after a light spring rain on the Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I could have honestly spent days on this river, the greens were so lush and overcast conditions were playing into our favor. This is such a lush, pristine waterway untouched by the never ending progress of the world today.

Islands in the sky....

At sunrise clouds break and fog rolls through the Appalachian Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The site we originally wanted to visit was fogged in heavy, and remained so for the entire time we stopped to shoot (we could see our first choice location from the spot we ended up...)

Not too shabby, although a bit more mountain breaking through would have made a more complete image.

Waterrock Knob

an early morning capture from the Waterrock Knob overlook of the Blue Ridge Parkway on a cold spring morning. The clouds didn't build to the point of creating a truly dynamic sunrise, but I'll take it for now. Hopefully this fall there will be a return to this vicinity, and I hear the sunsets here are much more impressive!

Many more images to come from my recent trip, stay tuned!