Whenever I find myself alongside the flowing stream of Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park I feel that I am in the great circle of waters that enfolds the planet, for this anything-but-little river begins existence on the flank of Clingman’s Dome and ultimately becomes one with the vastness of the mighty Atlantic Ocean by way of the Tennessee, the Ohio, and the Mississippi. For more than a dozen miles it descends through one of the most awesome gorges in the East, cutting through rocks of the Ocoee Super-group and rounding, as it goes, massive sandstone blocks into a bed of boulders from jagged to smooth. Just above the place known as the “Sinks” the river cuts through a fault line creating a tight “S” curve of beautiful lithic wonder, and it was here that I found myself recently as I considered the oneness of all waters. Kneeling down so that I could shoot more out across the water than down onto it, I carefully formed the “S” of the stream and framed it with rocks except where it exited the frame. The exit came just as the turbulence of whitewater ended. The river and its bed formed about two-thirds of the image and the forest beyond the edge formed the remaining third. A focal length of 42mm gave me the angle of view I wanted. An aperture of f/14 allowed for a shutter speed of 1/4th second at ISO 100, which gave the water just the turbidity I wanted.
I see a large animal taking a big drink on the left and on the right a bird with a very large beak pointing to the river. Love the colors. Took a workshop yesterday with Don from Dave Shoenfeld. I learned so much. He’s local and did a workshop at the zoo. Prime thing I learned was to get straight on with the creatures eyes.I captured snakes and lion’s eyes. Fun day!
This looks like a Sunday morning where everyone is sleeping in. Your settings give this image just enough movement to see the white water and hear the rhythm of the white noise. The S curve makes it feel like the water is coming from miles away on it’s tireless journey to bigger waters.
Nicely done. A very familiar spot though for some reason I have never photographed it instead being wooed by the sirens of the Sinks. I have come to believe that some of the best photos are the ones we find while looking around us when at those iconic locations. It is too easy to shoot what every one else has done and as a result we miss many scenes just as beautiful though not as familiar.
Hello Everyone; thanks for joining me for this conversation. Rosemary, I’m glad to hear you have been shooting with Don and learning such worthwhile new skills, and focusing on the eyes of wildlife – regardless of size – is always a good approach. Give Don my best. Hi Nancy T., I agree, the “S” curve really emphasizes the journey of the river and the inclusion of the rapids with the settings used allows me to really hear and feel the water as it moves past on its way down. Thanks for pointing out those additional sensory experiences. Dorsey, I think you expressed it exactly. We can so easily get caught up in icons that we overlook much of the visual world around us, and it’s so often true that the other places are every bit as beautiful as the iconic ones when we remove the blinders. Thanks for reminding us of this truth. Thank you all, again, for sharing your observations and thoughts.