Here You’re Very Likely to Meet a Pixie

There are images that grab at you and demand attention. Then there are those that issue an invitation to come in, sit a spell and share some hot jasmine tea. The air is cool and clear, the breeze light, the sunlight dappled, the flowing water softly sings and the rocks speak of eternity. One can taste this spot.
Over the top? Perhaps. But it’s one of the reasons we’re all photographers, hoping to capture such a mote speck of the planet in a way that excites the imagination and creates emotions that, however briefly, remove us from the politics and daily bombings shouted by the media and newspapers.
The scene is located off Hwy 221 at the foot of Grandfather, at the line dividing Caldwell and Watauga Counties. The stream is perhaps Green Mountain Creek. Jay’s camera was a Canon 7d fitted with an EFS-17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens with the focal length set to 17mm. The shutter was a very slow 30 seconds with an apeture of f/22 and an ISO of 100. He used a polarizing filter to damper the light reflections from the wet, sloped rock at the top of the falls. At such a slow shutter, obviously a tripod was necessary.