Good morning Everyone. The lower reaches of the crest ridge of the Smokies below Mount Kephart are seen from near Thomas Divide on a morning filled with fog from an overnight rain. As the rising mists come and go, the moving clouds reveal and then quickly cover nearly all of the mountainside across the valley in a surreal dance of motion and vaporous energy.

Even though it is a bit ahead of schedule, it is full-throated summer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and this past week Bonnie and I were treated to some amazing cloud-filled moments on our adventure there.

A focal length of 300mm, just on the short end of medium telephotoland,  gave me the angle-of-view I wanted with magnification and compression of the small spur ridge. An aperture of f/14 provided depth-of-field from the camera-to-subject distance, and a shutter speed of 1/15th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall somewhat lighter-than-medium exposure.

Passing moisture-laden systems and afternoon storms are fairly common in the Smokies of Summer. In their passing they can create wonderful atmospheric conditions which, when combined with the natural beauty of these ancient landforms, provide inspiration to fill a photographer’s life with joy.