Bonnie and I were playing along one of our favroite stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend when we found ourselves looking out over the Cradle of Forestry from Pounding Mill Overlook. One of the wonders of working in July in the Southern Appalachians is the significant potential for wonderful atmospheric conditions as afternoon showers come and go, leaving in their wake valleys filled with moving clouds of white, hugging the low ridges as they wander.
A focal length of 112mm, still fairly short telephoto-land, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, which isolated the cloud cluster within the wider valley, and also a bit of magnification. An aperture of f/16 provided depth-of-field and along with a shutter speed of 1/10th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall very slightly-lighter-than-medium exposure.
How often are we fascinated, as was Joni Mitchell, by the illusory amazement of traveling forms of water vapor, clouds which, when we see them, may never be seen in that same way again?
Really enjoy the way you used diagonals in this image and how they intersect. The clouds forming a diagonal from the lower left to upper right and the mountains from the top left to lower right. Guess I I trained to look left to right. The brightness of the clouds draws me to them as the main star of the image. Also like that little patch of sky in the upper right. Can’t tell you why, but I like it.
Don, love the compression in that image. I am pretty confident there are large valleys between those ridges (and plenty of horizontal space if we were walking them), but your image stacks them all up tightly like a layer cake (converting the horizontal into vertical), with the delightful icing of the clouds wafting here and there. Was your choice of focal length driven more by selecting the part of the scene you wanted, or compressing the layers, or something else? Neat to read about how much joy and surprise you still find along the Parkway which you’ve traveled so many times before. Ray
I live the way you have captured the details of the clouds and the trees in the valleys. The angles of both clouds and landforms adds to the quality of this photo. Thank you for your creativity and photo skills.
Your joy of finding this scene is very evident in the image. I too like the way the ridges are angled and playfully repeated in soft curves. The ridges and the clouds seem to be enjoying the day also. The sky keeps the scene grounded; without it the clouds would be out of control. Thanks for sharing and spreading the joy!
Don,
I love your intro to your image; playing along the Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful way to spend time. Images of clouds and fog wandering among the mountains and valleys are wonderful. Thanks for sharing your images and your reflections on your images.
Don, Liked the image very much. When I first saw it two things immediately struck me; the textural contrast of the mountains and the clouds, and the element of repetition, both very strong. Thanks again for a look at the Smokies through your eyes, mind, and heart.
Good afternoon Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. I am so very fortunate to live in western North Carolina in the awesome Southern Appalachians with access to such wondrous beauty wherever I turn. Truth be told, I believe, there is beauty all around us if we but stop long enough to look around and see it. If we allow ourselves that opportunity, it would seem that gratitude is the only response that makes any sense at all.
Hey Kev. Thank you, as always, for being such a steadfast part of our discussions. Your image analysis is always appreciated. As I increased the focal length for this composition, I became increasingly aware of the crossing diagonals you reference , and the challenge became how much context to include in expressing them. Too much magnification and I began to lose the visual power of the diagonals; and the same was true if I included too much context. It’s the kind of decision that I often encounter when working in telephotoland. Glad you like the conclusion I reached here. I appreciate your comment about training in regard to visualization; and I believe it’s why it is worthwhile to seek to not be bound by a single “way” of seeing, but rather to try to experience the image as a gestalt to thereby understand the emotional impact of the composition as a whole, regardless of whether looking left-to-right or right-to-left. Finally, I somehow believe that if you sit with an emotion (and saying “I like it” is an emotional statement) long enough, words will eventually fill in the feeling with understanding and description. Just a thought.
Hi Ray. It’s always a pleasure to have you with us. Your observations and questions always seem to require that I go inside to see what I am really feeling. Thanks. Your first question about focal length ties directly to my answer to Kevin’s question. Some amount of compression and magnification was a given simply in being in telephotoland. My main consideration was the question of context: more surrounding landscape, or less; I thought I would be okay with whatever amount of compression resulted in this instance. Without wishing to seem trite, I am delighted by beauty, no matter how many times – or even how regularly – I have seen it. For me it seems like the very same place is like new every time I’m there. I think it comes from seeking to carry that child-like sense of joyful awareness wherever I am. Walk in Beauty.
Hey Chuck. Thanks for your kind words and for being part of such a wonderful group of travelers on a journey of creative expression. I hope you learn from what I offer; I certainly learn from all of you and the keen observations you share.
Nancy T. you are a riot of joyful observation and a storyteller beyond metaphor. Diagonal elements are assurances that motion will be part of the visual experience. And a little grounding is surely helpful to a complete appreciation. I really enjoyed our conversation last week. Hope you are Walking in Beauty everywhere you go!
Howdy Ron. Thank you so much for joining us. It’s great to hear from you. As a resident of the other side of the mountains, I know how much you appreciate the beauty we share between us and enjoy it at every opportunity. It does, indeed, provide with unparalleled moments of joy which turn quickly into gratitude for the world that Nature provides. Be well, my friend.
Hey Chuck. Having you with us is a wonderful treat always. I hope you are beginning to explore more of the beauty of the Eastern Shore and the ancient hills of Harper’s Ferry and Shenandoah. Looking forward to our next conversation. Take good care.
Thanks, again, Everyone. As always, you have shared wonderful insights with me and with each other. Clouds and mountains are wonderful partners and have a delightful presence in our lives that lead us to beauty anywhere they go.