Buck Fork begins its descent not far below the Appalachian Trail near the towering of Mount Guyot, where the great path has taken a sudden and short-lived turn to almost due north-south at Tri -corner Knob. Running east-west below the crests of Mount Chapman and Chapman Lead, it turns northwest to find itself absorbed in Ramsay Prong near where Ramsay Cascades Trail changes from the old auto roadbed to a true wilderness path. Here, also, the merging streams become something different, and Middle Prong of Little Pigeon River is born. From here it will drain the middle and lower reaches of Greenbrieer Cove, a truly amazing section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On its way, it passes as a boulder-choked watercourse under the bridge at the Ramsay Cascades Trailhead. And, as we all know, in fall, boulders collect leaves, especially fallen ones.
A focal length of 20mm, wide-angleland to be sure, gave me the bank-to-bank field-of-view I wanted with boulders leading upstream and out of sight beyond the bend. An aperture of f/18 provided depth-of-field and a shutter speed of 0.6 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall slightly lighter-than-medium exposure.
What we seem to be learning somewhat sadly is that as the current pandemic wends its way through our world, we are loving our public lands to the point of sheer exhaustion. The numbers of visitors and the lack of maintenance/upkeep funding from a gridlocked Congress become prime arguments for the privatization of our Common Wealth. It is only through vigilance and action that we will keep this result from accruing. Please join in these efforts. Preserving public lands is not a spectator sport.
The boulders with their bright sprinkles of leaves remind me of a plate of homemade fried-dough pastries with sugar sprinkles. Beautifully delicious!
Once again an awesome pictures
Hi Mike, it’s good to hear from you. Somehow your response was posted as a reply to Don Newsom’s comments, so the order will appear a bit jumbled. No worries. Thank you very much for your kind words. We did not make it to the back of Greenbrier with your Road Scholar group, but had we done so, this scene would have greeted you. Perhaps some other time. Take good care and Walk in Beauty.
Hi Donald. It’s always good to hear from you. I’ve just been looking at some images from Utah and thinking about how you may be preparing to spend the winter. I hope all is well. I don’t recall that you have ever previously used a food analogy in your comments; both interesting and appreciated: fried-dough pastries and sugar sprinkles. Indeed, the leaves can easily remind one of icing of several varieties. The metaphors we use to describe the visual world add so richly to our experience of that world Thanks for your thoughtful words. Eat in Beauty.
Howdy Don, you are living in heaven so close to so many great sights. I love seeing all the hidden gems you find. Your approach to this image is exactly what I would have chosen, super wide, low, foreground anchor, rocks as “stepping stones” for depth, and strong diagonal. Your bit of over exposure give a light and breathy effect that I may not of thought of. Fantastic!
Howdy Michael. I really appreciate that your primary visual response to this scene would have been as you describe. Of course, from that beginning there are infinite directions in which to go, but the wide-angle sweep would definitely have remained a prominent choice. You should consider coming to the Smokies in spring or fall; I’d be glad to share some of my hidden places with you. The higher key approach was primarily chosen in order to ensure good detail in the area of rhododendron in the lower right, but it did work out well as an overall result. There is still a little left of the foliage season, but it’s disappearing rapidly. Take good care, my Friend, and stay safe.
Don, strong image! Love the breadth of the foreground, the change of light to dark from L to R, all the leading lines, and the leaf-speckled boulders. I always enjoy your technical notes, too, that can become part of the guideposts for my own exploration and experimentation. I was in the Geo Wash National Forest two weeks ago straddling a small stream with tripod and camera. Great fun. Have a good week.
Ray
Hi Ray. I’m glad to hear that your travels have included a stream-straddling tripod and camera. May it always be so. Your description of my thought process in building this Image is right on the mark; and I truly appreciate that it has the capacity to serve your journey as a photographer. I hope you remain safe and well. You, also, have an excellent week and Walk in Beauty.
It’s as if this scene has been constructed by a superb crafts person. Of course, it has; her name is Mother Nature, with an amazing supporting cast of one Don McGowan!
Hey Win. It’s good to hear from you. I’ve missed having contact with you during the flight of the pandemic; and I hope all is well with you. Thank you for placing the credit for this where it is absolutely due: directly in the lap of that beautiful woman named Mother Nature. I hope that she will forever allow me to learn at her feet, and I appreciate your kind and thoughtful words in that regard. Be well, my Friend.
Beautiful–looks like Hope personified.
Hi Lynne. I do love your metaphor. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has always seemed to embody “hope” for me; and this area of Greenbrier is that hope made manifest. Stay safe, be well, and we look forward to seeing you and John soon.
Thank you All very much for all of the thoughtful comments and ideas you have shared with me and with each other. This journey through life that we call “photography” is such a marvelous trek. I’d like to share with you a link to the latest blog posting of my friend Chuck Summers, http://www.seeingcreation.com/. It came from his recent trip to the Smokies to photograph fall color. I’ve known Chuck and his wonderful work for nearly a quarter century. Have a wonderful week, Everyone; and Walk in Beauty.