Category Archives: Nature

Photographer’s Choice – Betty Rembert

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Why Is This Native Wildflower Neglected?

Dwarf Larkspur - Betty Rembert

Dwarf Larkspur – Betty Rembert


Images of the trout lily, trillium or ladyslipper and others are common spring subjects for local photographers but the dwarf larkspur seems strangely neglected. It is difficult to capture without background clutter and the color is a challenge to reproduce on film or digitally, or on a monitor or print (the deep blue is often “out-of-gamut”). But a challenge is often the impetus that gets the juices flowing and more attempts. Is it not widespread in the County?
Betty did an excellent job here, with a pleasing background and sharp focus, with most of the stem and blossom in the plane of focus. She used a gray card to help set the color balance on a cloudy day.
Below is a cropped version of the above showing more of the delicate detail.
Cropped Dwarf Larkspur - Betty Rembert

Cropped Dwarf Larkspur – Betty Rembert


Canon EOS 5d w/100mm macro lens
1/50 sec @ f8.0
ISO – 400
Tripod used

Best From the Profile Trail? – Jay Wild

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A Quintessential Mountain Stream

Green Ridge Branch - Jay Wild

Green Ridge Branch – Jay Wild

On April 21, a few members braved the chilly weather and overcast skies to visit The Profile Trail on the western side of Grandfather Mountain. The focus was to be wildflowers but Jay captured a winner with this lovely image of the rocks and flowing waters of Green Ridge Branch. Each year thousands visit the more majestic, named waterfalls but these mini-falls when viewed up close may be even more rewarding with their gentle sounds and tranquil meanderings from spring head to the rivers below. They may even be described as soul healing.
The soft light is perfect for the scene, sun filtered through high clouds with a natural color balance and no harsh shadows or washed out highlights. Jay made all the right decisions, including:
– The use of a tripod to allow careful composition, sharp focus and a slow shutter speed
– An aperture of f/22 to allow sharpness from the foreground to the background
– A slow shutter of 6.0 sec to blend the water’s flow
– No attempt to include the sky which would have been featurless and overblown
– A low ISO of 100 for minimum noise
– Bracketed exposure to assure the best for the scene would be obtained
– Choosing to include only the elements essential to the scene without clutter to confuse the viewer

All Profile Trail photos submitted may be view here: