Stream in the Chattahoochee National Forest

This stream is one of many flowing out of the north Georgia mountains in the Chattahoochee National Forest

Winter is always a difficult time for me and many other photographers. Unless there is a blanket of snow, the landscape can be a bit blah. This winter has been exceedingly mild and there just haven’t been a lot of snowy days. The few days that have been snowy have been busy work days and I just couldn’t justify escaping to the mountains. Nevertheless, I decided to take a day and drive in the north Georgia mountains hoping to find some interesting scenes to photograph.

I always enjoy wandering through the forest service roads of the Chattahoochee National Forest. National forests cover much of north Georgia and offer the beauty of a natural landscape along with the practicality of roads that offer access to that landscape. Much of the Chattahoochee National Forest would be difficult to access if not for the forest service roads. The roads are rough in places, so it’s advisable to drive them with a four-wheel drive vehicle or at least one with high clearance.

I spent the day moving from waterfall to waterfall. This image was taken in route to Horse Trough Falls. At many bends in the road seasonal streams cascaded down the valleys. That was the case with this stream. I was drawn to the cascades but also to the moss-covered surfaces in the trough of the valley. I love how the moisture of the stream has allowed moss to grow on most of the horizontal surfaces within close proximity. With the leaves off the trees and shrubs, the path of the stream is apparent by looking for the verdant green of the moss.

I with there wasn’t as much clutter in the stream, but it is a national forest. When trees fall they stay down. No one is out cleaning the area up to look better for tourists. I’m looking forward to returning to this area again in the spring to see how it looks with the trees in full bloom.

Why I love Apple – Reason #67: Time Machine Backups

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted for a few weeks. There’s a good reason for that. My hard drive failed and I’ve been without a home computer or getting things back up to speed after the recovery process. However, I wouldn’t be back to where I am now without Apple’s incredible backup software and strategy. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s how things went down.

I had been noticing some strange behavior on my late 2009 27″ i7 quad-core iMac. I was consistently getting messages that hard drives were being shut down unexpectedly. iTunes was pausing frequently even when my system wasn’t terribly loaded with tasks. Overall performance was sluggish and inconsistent. I found myself rebooting often in order to avoid this weird behavior.

Strangely enough, the system kept chugging along, though. I could get tasks done even though my machine was acting strangely. Coincidentally, my son had edited some video and exceeded my Time Machine drive’s capacity to back up my files. For some reason, I decided to run Disk Utility on my primary drive. I think my motivation was to see if a disk repair would minimize some of the strange behavior I was experiencing.

Imagine my surprise when Disk Utility said that my internal hard drive was failing and no repair option was available! I didn’t panic because I had a Time Machine backup that was less than two weeks old. The videos had kept me from getting the normal every hour backup but I hadn’t performed any major tasks since then that were absolutely necessary to recover. Still, I had a lot riding on that Time Machine backup. I immediately tried every utility at my disposal to see if I could recover some or all of my data. Nothing worked.

I made plans to take the computer to our offices the next morning to see if there were any other utilities our IT department might have that could retrieve some data. I didn’t hold out much hope but it was worth a shot. I knew that a visit to the Apple Store was in my near future. I’ve replaced hard drives before with an iMac and I knew it would be pricey.

Now, here’s where the story gets interesting. For some reason, I thought I might have purchased AppleCare for this iMac. The reason it’s interesting is that I very rarely purchase protection plans for anything. They usually seem to be a colossal waste of money and pure profit for manufacturers. Nevertheless, I went back through old receipts and e-mails to see if I could see any evidence of AppleCare for this machine.

I found the original e-mail receipt from Apple from December 2009 when I purchased the machine. On the receipt was each component of the purchase; the iMac itself, Final Cut Express, keyboard, etc. There was one item that I didn’t recognize however. When I looked up that Apple part number, the first five hits in the search engine were for AppleCare related topics! I immediately went to Apple’s website, entered my serial number, and discovered that I had purchased AppleCare. To say the least, I was stunned.

At that point, my strategy changed. I called Apple. They explained the repair process. I chose to use a local Apple authorized repair center. I had hoped to upgrade to a 2 TB drive in the process, but that turned out to be difficult to do. I settled on just replacing my existing drive with one of the same size.

The machine was ready to pick up a few days later. There were a couple hiccups with the operating system, but I was quickly back to a base version of Lion. Now the moment of truth had arrived. Would my Time Machine backup get me back (almost) to the point I was when the crash occurred. Amazingly, it did. It took overnight to restore my backup, but restore it did. I was prepared to reenter gobs of information, but as it turned out much of that wasn’t necessary. My Adobe suite worked right out of the box. Microsoft Office cranked right back up. I had to reenter serial number for Final Cut Express and Aperture, but after that they worked perfectly as well. It did take Aperture a full day to restore 50,000 or so previews of images, but I let it work away in the background. The next evening, Aperture was back to normal.

All in all, it was an amazing recovery. Even more amazing was that I never thought about my backup strategy for my primary drive after I set Time Machine in motion. It just worked – seamlessly, efficiently, and reliably. If only every software product worked so well. Thank you Apple. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making such incredible products. Some people may throw rocks at Apple. After reading Steve Jobs’ biography, I can understand why. Steve was temperamental, stubborn, and a pain to work with. But, he was also a genius. He knew that tightly integrated products (like the iMac and Time Machine) led to great customer experiences. I for one applaud Steve Jobs and Apple. Their vision and execution have been amazing. Their products have been incredibly impactful on my life since 1986. Here’s hoping for another 26 years of great Apple products.

Sunset from Look Rock

A beautiful sunset as viewed from Look Rock in southeast Tennessee

For the last two months, we have had a house guest from Cape Town, South Africa staying with us.  As often as possible we have people from other parts of the world visit with us in our home or stay as guests. It’s our way of introducing our kids and ourselves to other cultures without having to travel to do so. Of course, we love to travel, too, but that’s sort of the point with this blog isn’t it?

Our guest isn’t used to seeing a lot of snow. So, during a recent cold snap, we took a drive up to the north Georgia mountains to see if the higher elevations had received at least a dusting. As it turned out, the mountains had gotten a few inches and some of the primary sights that we wanted to show him were closed. At least, the access roads to them were closed in the morning while the road crews were making their way to them.

So, we pushed on to the mountains of western North Carolina. Going over a pass at 4,000 feet or so, we finally got into the snow. That was fun, but it seemed certain that we could do better. Since we were this far north, I decided we might as well go up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and see what the snow was like there. The great thing about the Parkway is that the highest point is near its southern terminus. It’s an easy drive from Atlanta and the vistas are breathtaking. So we pushed on an made it to the beginning (or end) of the road in Cherokee. Unbelievably, it too was closed.

Now, since we were in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I decided to try our luck with the Newfound Gap Road. Surely, it wouldn’t be closed. And, it wasn’t. As we ascended we saw more and more snow on the road side. By the time we made it to 5,000 feet there was at least three or four inches on the ground. That isn’t a lot by the standards of the Rockies or the northern tier of states. Truth be told, it isn’t even a lot for the Smokies. They are high enough that it isn’t unusual to receive a foot or more of snow at the highest elevations. But, it was enough snow to have a snowball fight and enjoy the white stuff a bit.

Since we had achieved our objective, we could either go home the way we had come or we could make the loop by returning through eastern Tennessee and northwest Georgia. We decided on the latter, but agreed that we would find a proper place to view and capture the sunset. Matt was filming using his new GoPro and I had thrown my camera bag and tripod in the car.

One of my favorite spots in the Smokies is the Foothills Parkway. There are great spots to shoot sunrise and sunset with ridges of mountains as your foreground. It was obvious that a decent sunset was brewing, or at least the conditions for a decent sunset were in place. We made our way to the Look Rock viewing area and set up shop there. There were a couple of other photographers already at the viewpoint that I wanted to use. They kindly allowed me to set up my tripod behind them and gave me a clear range to shoot.

Fortunately, the sunset cooperated. As the sun sank behind the mountain in the right foreground, the clouds began to glow bright red. There was quite a bit of contrast in the scene and I used a Lee graduated neutral density filter to darken the sky a bit while holding detail in the foreground. The Lee rig looks like something that NASA would have developed. It’s a large filter holder that clamps onto a ring around the outside edge of the lens. The filters I use are either 4×4, 4×6, or a 105mm circular polarizer. It sometimes looks like I have a small pie strapped to the front of my lens.

This particular image was captured after the official sunset as are most of my favorite sunset images. At that point, there is still enough reflected light to illuminate the foreground and the clouds are often at their most colorful. I don’t recall if I was still using the graduated neutral density filter at this point, but I likely wasn’t. I did, however, stitch together five shots separated by one stop in order to capture as much shadow detail as possible while not losing any of the highlight detail in the sky and clouds. As usual, I did this with Photomatix Pro and made final tweaks in Aperture.

I have lots of shots like this one, but I never tire of shooting a Smoky Mountains sunset.

Portland Head Light on a Foggy Day

Portland Head Light and the boiling ocean beneath it in the gloom of a foggy day

One of my primary objectives on the Maine trip was to capture an iconic image of Portland Head Light. We had flown into Portland and would fly out of there as well. As it turned out, the lighthouse was only twenty minutes away from the airport. So, I would have three shots at photographing the lighthouse. I thought that would surely be enough and I certainly would get good conditions on at least one of my visits. As it turned out, I needed to learn a thing or two about the weather in coastal Maine.

On landing we headed straight to Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth hoping to catch a break in the weather and to capture a decent image of the lighthouse. Even though the conditions were gloomy while landing, we still took the trip over. We had no luck although we did capture a good image of the lighthouse then. As it turned out, this image was the best one of the lighthouse on the entire trip.

We returned the next morning only to find even worse conditions. It was neat to hear the foghorn and bell, smell the salty air, and experience the Maine-like conditions. It just wasn’t the photograph I had envisioned. I left disappointed but hopeful because I knew that I would have another shot at the image at the end of our trip. Surely conditions would change by then.

And conditions did change. After a deluge the following day and evening, the weather turned clear, crisp, and beautiful. We had wonderful conditions for photographing Acadia and on our way back down the coast toward Portland. But, on our last day, the weather turned against us once again. The rain moved back in and fog settled along much of the coast. The good news was that this weather system was supposed to be short-lived. The bad news was that it wasn’t supposed to lift until a few hours before our plane took off.

So, in order to have one more shot at the jealously sought after iconic image of Portland Head Light, we headed there as the last stop of our trip. We had an hour or so to kill before we had to be at the airport. The weather forecast showed that we should now be experiencing clearing skies. However, this image shows what we actually experienced. The ceiling wasn’t quite as low as it had been at the beginning of the trip, but it still wasn’t the brilliant sunrise or sunset I had hoped for. It wasn’t even a partly cloudy sky to make for an interesting background to the shot. So, I took this image from the trail on the opposite side of the lighthouse from where the original image was taken. I like the way the ocean is bubbling and boiling below. But, alas, it wasn’t the image I had hoped for.

Having squeezed out as much time as we could and not be in jeopardy of missing our flight, we left Cape Elizabeth. We made our way back to the airport, returned our rental car, checked in, and headed for the gate. Have you been to the Portland airport before? It’s a really neat small airport with modern architecture and neat artwork hanging from the ceilings. It also has huge floor to ceiling windows that allow you to take in the surrounding views. And what did I see? Yes, the elusive blue skies were lifting from the coast and beautiful sunshine began to flood the airport. We had only missed ideal conditions by an hour! I was totally bummed and more than a bit frustrated. I wanted to head back out right then and take my shot. But, I couldn’t.

All things considered, it was a brilliant trip. Maine was everything I had hoped it would be. The conditions had been as good as I could have hoped for. I had captured some amazing images – and I had a perfect excuse to return.

Barn Door and Flag

A weathered barn proudly displays a replica of an early American flag

The weather turned ugly the afternoon of the day we shot at Pemaquid Point Light. Our plan was to make our way back to Marshall Point Light which was sort of on our way home. The unusual thing about the Maine coast is that it takes a long time to get just about anywhere. The coast is a beautiful series of peninsulas that jut out into the Atlanta. Those peninsulas usually end in a rocky headland with a beautiful lighthouse perched somewhere on the edge.

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As you can see from the map, the distance from Pemaquid Point to Marshall Point isn’t that great. But, by the time you drive all the way up one peninsula and down the next, the distance is probably four times greater than the direct water route. Because of this anomaly, we spent a week along the Maine coast and felt like we had driven the entire time. The irony is that we could have taken I-95 and driven from Portland to Bar Harbor in four hours or so. Of course, we would have missed all the beauty. It really is a different world just a few miles east of the interstate.

This picture was taken somewhere on the coast road between Pemaquid and Waldoboro. I didn’t have the GPS gizmo attached to my camera for part of the day and didn’t get the exact fix. By the way, we had a great lunch in Waldoboro. One of the best things about traveling is the need to try different food at different places. Moody’s Diner is one of those places. It’s been in the same location since the 1920s and looks it. The place has been added onto haphazardly yet the food is still delicious. It’s simple diner fare but done well. You definitely should stop in there if you are in the neighborhood.

There really isn’t anything super special about this shot. I just love the green grass contrasting with the deep red color of the barn. The weathered shingles and boards give the image some added interest. The flag is weathered and seems made to hang from the door of this old barn.

There really are millions of images that can be taken on the Maine coast. It’s a truly beautiful part of America that many people will never visit. That’s a pity, but a relief all at the same time. I know the coast is jammed with people during Maine’s short summer. But, the rest of the year is blessedly free of the mobs. Visit there sometime – but don’t tell your friends about it. It’s just our little secret.

Boat, Barn, and Flag

This combination of boat, barn, and flag represents a typical scene that can be found in Maine

After spending a few hours at Pemaquid Point, we made our way back up the peninsula in order to head back toward our hotel. It was a rainy, overcast day and the plan was to pick a few carefully chosen spots in order to avoid the nasty weather.

As is often the case when the weather isn’t ideal, a scene jumped out at me as we drove by. Since we were still very near the coast, it shouldn’t have surprised me to see a boat on supports under repair. Nevertheless, it made for an interesting sight.

As I walked up and down the road a bit to find the best angle, I kept returning to this composition. The boat with the Maine registration tells me that this is a coastal scene. The red shingled barn is beautiful unto itself. The green shingles and white trim contrast beautiful with the barn siding. I especially like the white shingles that have been interwoven with the green ones in a repair job. The American flag adds a jolt of color and makes this a uniquely American scene. Boat, Barn, and Flag isn’t the most creative name for an image, but it certainly describes this one. Enjoy.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and Reflection

Pemaquid Point lighthouse, as reflected in a shallow tide pool, and the unique rock formation that stands between it and the ocean

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is one of a string of many lighthouses that dot the Maine coast. Most, though, are not as scenic as Pemaquid Point.

There are a number of factors that make this lighthouse unique and visually appealing. The first and most obvious is its setting. Some lighthouses are placed into narrow openings on a rocky headland or are visible only from the sea. Pemaquid Point sits majestically on a rocky point and is visible from all angles.

The red outbuilding that sits alongside the lighthouse adds to the visual impact of the scene as well. The building is a bell house that was added to provide an audible warning in addition to the visual cue of the light itself. Given the fact that the lighthouse is located less than a hundred yards from the ocean, it’s hard to believe that its powerful light beam might not be a sufficient warning to passing ships. You can see the bell hanging from a white arm on the ocean facing side of the red bell building.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this scene is the rock formation that forms the foreground of the image. The rock ledges seen here extend all the way to the ocean and form beautiful leading lines toward the lighthouse. I’m no geologist, but from what I’ve read the rock ledges are primarily metamorphic with strands of igneous rock running in veins alongside the metamorphic. The igneous rock can be seen in the extreme right mid-ground while the other ledges are metamorphic.

The final unique visual element in this image is the reflection. After heavy rains or high tides, these pools appear in depressions in the rock. On calm days they make ideal tools to create reflections of the lighthouse and outbuildings. On this day I had to wait quite a bit while wind gusts passed through in order to eliminated ripples that would form in the pools.

I had hoped to capture this scene with a brilliant sunrise or sunset as the background. At the very least, I hoped to get a partly cloudy day with a mix of blue sky and interesting cloud formations. Unfortunately, on our way up the coast and back down we had leaden gray skies. Fortunately, on this day the rain held off until well after our visit allowing us to negotiate the rocks without slip sliding away (an homage to Paul Simon).

This is by no means a unique image. I’ve seen many different versions taken from this spot or another one close by on the rock ledge. However, it is one that I’m glad to have in my collection. There’s a reason that this lighthouse is visited so much. It’s scenic and deserves to be visited and photographed repeatedly.