Category Archives: Watauga County

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:

Photos of the Week – Leander & Christine

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Two Winners That Didn’t Win

We’ve all been to art exhibitions of one type or another and, viewing the work with the Blue Ribbon or Best of Show award, said, “I sure don’t understand the great appeal of that work. There are 10 others here that I think are better.” Had there been a different “expert” judge or selection committee, or even the same committee another week, there’s a good chance that the results would have changed. It’s a very subjective call as to which is “best”. With that thought in mind, the two images below were submitted for the September b&w assignment and were not voted by the members as a favorite. The first image is by Leander Hutton and the second by Christine McCarty.

Leander Hutton - Sitting Ballerina

Leander Hutton – Sitting Ballerina

Leander has taken an unusual approach, with a sitting ballerina very much in character, pensive or perhaps “tragic”. The lighting is dramatic with the pointe shoes highlighted and the warehouse or basement setting reinforcing the loneliness of the dancer. Parallel concrete columns with no vertical distortion frame the dancer. All in all, a well thought out and executed plan by Leander.

The image below by Christine is another enigmatic scene. It’s well composed and open to a viewer’s imagination of the thoughts in the minds of both the horse and the rider. Choosing to view the sitting girl from behind adds a level of mystery and the chair is a somewhat surprising addition to the otherwise bucolic, open meadow setting. The prominent tree adds a touch of solidity.

Member’s comments have often stated how difficult it is to choose just 5 favorites from each assignment. These two images only serve to reinforce that reality.

Christine McCarty - Contemplation

Christine McCarty – Contemplation