Through My Lens

This is a photo a small waterfall on the Rocky Fork stream in Unicoi County, Tennessee.  The recent purchase of the surrounding land (also known as “Rocky Fork”) made it a fully protected and preserved area.  Before this purchase occurred, it was the largest unprotected area in the Appalachian Mountains.  This purchase is a great achievement for land, wildlife, and stream preservation in the Appalachian Mountains.  If you get a chance, go check out this beautful area known as Rocky Fork.

A close-up shot of Red Fork Falls in Unicoi County, TN.

I took this image on the beautiful Nolichucky River only a few minutes before the sky went completely dark.  The trees and rocks in the foreground were painted with light by a nearby campfire, while the blue color of the river was brought out by leaving the shutter open for 30 seconds.

This is Big Creek Falls located near the Tennessee/North Carolina Border. For directions to this easily accessible waterfall click here.

My friends overlooking the Elk River near the Tennessee/North Carolina border on a very rainy day.

It seems a mountain stream can do wonders to set my mind at peace. This scenic stream is Higgins Creek, located in the beautiful Rocky Fork Tract.

This beautiful, 100′ waterfall is located in the lower sections of the Rocky Fork Tract in Unicoi County, Tennessee. For more information and directions, please see my hiking report.

Photo details: Nikon D80, Nikon 18-200mmVR lens @ 22mm, f/25.0, 1.3 sec. shutter, 100 ISO

I made a steep climb down into the gorge to get a shot of this small waterfall on the Doe River. I didn’t have my tripod but I closed the aperture down to f/22, leaned back on a big rock, and rested the camera on my knee to get a longer exposure. One fifth of a second was enough to yield a slight blurred effect, while also giving a frothy look to the water below the falls.

I was out doing a little Appalachian Trail maintenance last weekend, and decided to hike on up to Laurel Falls. With the wet, rainy weather lately, it has been good conditions to photograph waterfalls. This one is always a treat, and one of my favorites in the area.

I was there mid-day, but was fortunate to get some cloud cover allowing me a longer shutter speed. I also used a circular polarizer, and closed the aperture down to f/25. Shutter speed was 1/3 of a second. Here’s another a little closer up:

Here’s some more from the beautiful Rocky Fork stream that I shot this past weekend…

This waterfall is normally a series of three small falls, but depending on water levels it can be one large cascade, or at low levels it can be five very small falls. It’s a pretty little spot with easy access, making it (I would guess) the most photographed area in the entire Rocky Fork Tract. On my recent visit, it was almost frozen over.

Photo details: Nikon D80, Nikon 18-200mmVR lens @ 18mm, f/11.0, 1/5 sec. shutter, 100 ISO, in shutter priority mode. I also used a circular polarizer to reduce glare and to allow a slightly longer shutter speed.