Category Archives: Virginia

Photographer’s Choice – Christine McCarty

As The Mind’s Eye Saw It

The New near Fries, Va.- Christine McCarty

The New near Fries, Va.- Christine McCarty

Christine was recently bicycling in the New River Trail State Park near Fries, Va when she stopped for this wide angle shot of the New. “I am proud of this photo for two reasons. First of all, I like the photo! I am not a big fan of landscapes but I have seen some amazing black and white landscapes that I really love! Secondly, a big challenge I always face is the huge discrepancy between what I see in my mind and what actually appears in the photo! My mind is a fantastic photographer by the way! Anyway when I was taking this photo, this is exactly what I had in mind! I realized the light was not the best but I was thinking about what adjustment I could make rather than not take the photo. As I was composing I was thinking about what I wanted the end result to be and this is it! I knew I would convert to black and white and I knew that I wanted this ‘look’…. and wah la!”

If a photographer visualizes an image and then manages to faithfully reproduce that vision into reality, the day’s work has been a success. Successfully communicating that vision to the viewer is the final test. How successful was she?

Canon EOS Rebel T3
Lens:EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Focal Length: 21mm
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/8.0
ISO: 100
Date: June 23, 2013 at 1:41 pm

Photographer’s Choice – Elizabeth Wegmann

Old and Wild Fabio is Her Favorite

Elizabeth Wegmann - Wild Pony in Grayson Highlands

Elizabeth Wegmann – Wild Pony in Grayson Highlands

If there’s one photographer who has a special relationship with Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia and the ponies there that roam freely, it has to be Elizabeth. You’ll find her there in all seasons at Massie Gap, heading to Wilburn Ridge in search of her favorites to photograph once again. “Fabio is at least 16 yrs old and a fixture at Grayson Highlands Park…I Love him!”, says Elizabth. Here she captures him straight on, only one eye visible through the wild mane, with whiskers, sharply in focus against a reddish/brown background. The framing allows the soft focus of the background mountain to clearly define the location.

Nikon D7000 with an 18-105mm lens
Focal Length: 105mm
Shutter: 1/400 sec
Aperture: f/10
ISO 1000