As if to offer an encouraging wave to the passing waters, an old sycamore, whose roots long ago reached into the flow of Big Creek, extends an autumn colored branch to the rippling stream. Perhaps the golden throng will join an already-fallen sibling, poised on a rock below and ready to be swept away by the on-rushing foam.
Perhaps this single leaf will dash its way into the Pigeon hardly half-a-mile downstream, and if not otherwise impeded, perhaps it will find itself in the great French Broad, and avoiding the depths of Douglas Lake, reach the merging with the Holston just short of Knoxville, becoming the mighty Tennessee. Perhaps…
A focal length of 210mm gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, isolating the branch and a small section of the rock-laced streambed. An aperture of f/18 provided depth-of-field, and an ISO of 200 allowed for a shutter speed of 2.0 seconds, slow enough to show whitewater, but fast enough to allow for braiding in some places.
Autumn color is about more than stands of hardwoods. There are as many ways to express the wonder of the season as there are trees with which to express what we see.
Just love the image! I would hang it on my wall.
Hey Ron! It’s great to hear from you. We talked to Bill and Judy last night and asked how you are doing. I hope you are safe and well. The two ultimate compliments an image can receive are “I feel like I was standing there with you,” and “I would hang that on my wall.” I am honored by your kind words. Walk in Beauty.
Lovely scene…so peace and exposed so pleasingly.
Hey John. Somehow I overlooked this comment from you. I do apologize and very much appreciate you joining us. Hope all is well with you and that you are staying safe. The Big Creek area of the Park is often overlooked except by local folks, and thus it is, indeed, a place of serenity, which, interestingly, belies its history as the site of a major logging operation in the pre-Park days. I try to spend time in this wonderful place whenever I can. Take good care and thanks for your kind words.
Howdy Don, I love these type of images with the soft flowing water behind the sharp branch and leaves, but I have always had a problem with the long shutter speed for soft water softening the leaves because of breezes caused by the rushing water. Did you happen upon a magic place or moment or was patience the main influence?
I love this composition, Don! As with you, Eliot Porter’s photos captured Thoreau’s words in “In Wildness is the Preservation of the World”.
Hey Joani. It’s always good to hear from you. Indeed, what a great reminder of that most excellent book of Porter’s on his intimate landscapes of New England. I am honored that you would make a comparison between my work and Porter’s, since he is one of those whose work I have greatly esteemed for many years. Hope you and Mark had an excellent Thanksgiving.
Howdy Michael. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Like you, I am very attracted to this kind of image, but they nearly always present a challenge of one kind or another. On this occasion I was doubly blessed: there was absolutely no wind and the branch was far enough above the water that it was not impacted by the moving flow. The biggest challenge here was in being able to focus using a relatively long focal length so that the branch and the stream both appeared acceptably sharp. So I found an object a little further away than the branch, focused on that object and then recomposed the image I wanted. With a fairly small aperture and given the camera to subject distance, I managed to make it work out. Stay safe, my Friend.
You are a wizard……sure this isn’t superimposed? Mesmerizing.
What a beautiful juxtaposition and contrast, both of color and texture! I can just reach out and feel those leaves!
Howdy Donald. I hope you are staying safe and well. Juxtaposition and contrast are excellent words with which to describe what’s happening here. I was able to position the camera so that the branch appeared to overlay the run of darker (calmer) water in between the two small rapids with their white flow. Accomplishing that task and focusing as I explained above were the biggest challenges to the success of this image. Take good care and Walk in Beauty.
Hi Robin. It’s always good to have you join us. What an interesting proposition. Bonnie is good at superimposing, but I think I’m too lazy; I try to arrange to capture everything I want in a single image. One of these days I’ll try a hand at superimposition. Thanks for your kind words. Looking forward to seeing you and the Boss tomorrow.
Beautiful! Love “going back” to Big Creek!
Hey Fred. Somehow your comment has just shown up in the in-box. Yes and we were very glad to be able to share Big Creek with you. You’ll have to come back and re-visit. Stay safe and be well. Hope you had a Thanksgiving of peace and love.
It is so wonderful to received these amazing photos every week!!!! Thank you!
Hi Nancy. I really appreciate your kind comment. I am honored and grateful that my creations speak to you in such a positive way. Be well, stay safe.
Just gorgeous! And I love your words and imagination almost as much as your photography. This brought back memories of a class I took with you at the Campbell School. I was photographing a stream, and you stepped in to splash a rock with water so it would look prettier in the image. Great times!
Hey Jeanne. Thanks for being with us and taking time to share your delightful memories. I seem to recall splashing water for you at Fires Creek. Those classes always were a lot of fun. I am very grateful that you consider my writings in such a wonderful way. John Shaw always said that if one could write well, then the combination of images and words would be a powerful pair of abilities; and I offer my own students the same advice. And besides, moving water carries so much more interest and drama than still. Hope you and Tom had an excellent Thanksgiving. Be well and take good care.
This is one of my favorite photos. I especially like the tree branch and the red leaves on the rocks to create interest. The picture represents serenity with the mini falls. I enjoy your pictures keep sending them for us to enjoy. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Hi Sandy. Thanks very much for being with us. I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments; and I especially like your use of metaphor in describing your reaction to the elements of this composition. The leaves were surely a gift; and for the first time in all the times I have photographed Big Creek the conditions for combining the branch and the water were perfectly aligned. I am honored that you respond so positively to the images I create. Take good care and stay safe.
Don, this is a masterful image and a lovely gift for this upcoming week of appreciation. The blur just enhances further what would already be a powerful composition. I liked the dark line along the bottom edge which not only adds framing, but also joins in chorus with the golden branch and the water’s flow to establish strong horizontality. And, the little grace notes in bottom R and along the top edge are wonderful discoveries. My walk this morning was nothing but a monochrome display, not unpleasant, but lacking in impact. But I had a happy dog with me and no deadlines, so no complaints. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving despite all the suffering going on around us.
Hi Ray. Thanks as always, for taking the time to join us and for sharing your thoughts and observations on the mechanics of what I create. When I was thinking about the use of this Image as the weekly offering, the idea of gratitude occurred more than once as I thought about what this scene had represented to me. And it’s so true that sometimes you come away from an experience not having received what you anticipated or thought you wanted, but having received something even more profound – the simple joy and gratitude of a happy dog. I was delighted to have the “grace notes,” as you describe them, of the leaves newly fallen to the rocks below, and I could not deny their part in the story to be told. Hope you’ve had a great week! Stay well; be safe, my Friend.
Wonderful, Don, thank you.
Hey Lynne. Thanks for your kind comment and for being part of our community of artists. I muchly appreciate your taking the time to share with us. We look forward to seeing you and John very soon.
This is picture-perfect and an example of Mother Nature at her best. It is such a tranquil scene as it offers a hug and washes away the anxiety of our world. Thanks for sharing your art and your heart. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Nancy T. Where would we be without your stories, lifted from the elements on my compositions and shared for all to appreciate. You always allow us to see beyond what is obvious and into that realm of mystery. Indeed, your words are a hug to take us away from the cares of the world and into a land of peace and tranquility. Take good care, Dear One.
I hope Everyone enjoyed a Thanksgiving filled with love and peace. Even in these turbulent times there is much for which we can be grateful. I am grateful for all of you, my Family of Beauty and creativity; for all of the good thoughts you share with me and each other; and for your wonderful queries into the creative process in photography. It is such a delightful journey of discovery and I am honored you choose to share part of yours with me. Have an excellent week!