Creeping Phlox in the Smokies

Creeping Phlox flowers found at the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail near Chimney Tops Picnic area

One of the places that I almost always visit on a spring trip to the Smokies is the Chimney Tops picnic area. I don’t visit for the food or the picnic tables, but because the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail is located nearby. In spring, the short loop trail is covered in wildflowers native to the region. The most beautiful is usually trillium. It is found here in abundance and literally carpets the floor at certain times of the spring.

This year was a bit different though. Spring came early in the South. In most places the normal bloom cycle was about three weeks ahead of normal. I pushed my trip forward a week in hopes of catching some blooms and was still late by about two weeks. However, on any trip there is always something scenic to shoot. As I walked the trail that day, I was looking for late-blooming trillium. What caught my eye was this patch of phlox. Phlox is found throughout the park and has a beautiful, purplish hue.

This particular patch was not only still intact and a vibrant shade of purple. It was backlit by the late afternoon sun as well. The trail is very steep and the sun moves behind the mountains by two hours or so before the actual sunset. The late afternoon light was filtered by the tree canopy and cast a wonderful soft light on the phlox. Capturing the inmate was relatively easy. Using a shallow depth of field, I rendered the background into a muted green palette. The sunlight displays the delicate shape and veining of the flower petals. The yellow pollen creates a nice contrast to the purple and green dominating the rest of the scene.

There really is nothing like the intensity and variety of color found in the mountains in spring. Well, that is, until you see the intensity and variety of color found in the fall. For now, let’s just focus on spring. Enjoy.

Minor Cascade and Moss Covered Rocks

Filtered late afternoon sunlight creates a film like quality on this small cascade and the moss covered rocks surrounding it

I am fascinated by images of moving water. I don’t know why, but they just catch my eye. So, when I am in the field I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for spots that hopefully will render a good image.

This shot was taken on a recent trip to the Smokies. There are lots of streams that are worth spending time around. This one is in one of my least favorite parts of the park near Gatlinburg. The stream itself is on the eastern side of the park, but the only entry to the area by vehicle is through Gatlinburg. So, when I go there, I close my eyes for about five minutes and try to forget all the glitz and the carnival like atmosphere of the town. The amazing thing about Roaring Fork is that it is so close to that circus, yet you can feel like the early settlers must have felt – alone in the wilderness. Now, it’s true that much of the area receives a ton of automobile traffic and hikers. However, there are a few spots that are still sheltered from many of the crowds.

This spot on Roaring Fork is at the convergence of two streams. I like to just sit and listen to the roar of the water as it pours down the mountainsides and forms one larger stream. On this particular day, clouds were building and the bright sunlight of morning was being filtered by those high clouds. That created a vibrant but warm light on the stream and rocks.

I must have shot a hundred frames trying to get the look that I was after. The cascade in this shot is no more than four inches high, but I still love the way the water is sheeting off of the rock and forming a silky layer where it falls. The moss is just green enough to still be interesting. As always, I wish I could have reached out and removed some small twigs that clutter up the scene. Nevertheless, I think this image captures the light and spirit of the beautiful spring day I experienced.

Ferns Along Tremont

The moist climate around the Middle Prong of the Little River supports a variety of flora including these ferns

As I was working my way up and down Tremont, I was constantly looking for a way to capture the ever-changing light and beauty of the stream. Unfortunately, the weather too beautiful and a bluebird sky day was developing. Clouds were forecast for later in the day but the morning had dawned clear. So, I found myself frantically looking for a bend in the road where the bright sun wasn’t creating such contrast as to make taking a decent image impossible.

I had seen this spot the night before while scouting locations. I had even taken a few images, but the exposures were so long at dusk that the slightest breath of wind caused the ferns to move and blur. The ancillary benefit of a clear sky was no wind, so I was able to consider some longer exposures.

You can see that the filtered sunlight is just beginning to rise over the steep mountains surrounding Tremont stream. This shot was taken about an hour and a half after sunrise and would be in bright sunlight until late in the afternoon. I set up quickly and took a few images. I don’t know that this shot does the stream justice, but I like it nonetheless. The bright sun is visible on a few of the ferns in the foreground and on the trees in the top background. I don’t love the debris caught up on the rocks in the left side of the frame, but that is the hand that nature dealt me.

I think there is more potential in this spot. I just need a cloudy, calm day to work it for a couple of hours. I’m sure I’ll be back later this summer or in the fall.

Middle Prong of the Little River

The Middle Prong of the Little River as viewed from Tremont Road

I wrote about the Tremont area of the Smokies in yesterday’s post. I mentioned that the image I posted was one of my favorite spots in the entire park. One reason that I like it is that there are multiple great locations from which to shoot the stream. This one is the easiest. You can’t see it in this shot, but I am shooting from a forest service road that runs parallel to the river from Little River Road to the end of this forest service road.

I love this view because it puts the stream into context. You can see the bend of the stream, get some feel for the falloff occurring in this section, and even glimpse some of the sky. The shelf that I described and that was in the foreground of yesterday’s image is in the mid foreground of this image. The large boulder in the bottom left of the frame is the rock that you must crawl out onto in order to put the cascade in the foreground. You also get some feeling for the steepness of the bank from here. To get to the streamed you have to step off just in front of where my tripod was for this image and climb carefully down the bank using roots and rocks for handholds and footholds. Depending on how wet the rocks are, you also have to worry about stepping on slippery moss and algae covered rocks.

Once again, I used a seven exposure set to capture all of the highlights and shadows present in this scene. The highlights in the water are still a bit clipped, but nine shot sets are just a bit too much for me to work with constantly. It is nice to know that you can still generate usable results with midday light. That’s one of my favorite aspects of doing HDR photography. I don’t want to do it all the time, but it certainly is a nice tool for a photographer to have in his bag of tricks.

Middle Prong of Little River in Spring

A flat rock in the Middle Prong of the Little River creates a lovely cascade

When I visit the Smokies, I almost always stay in Tremont, a small town on the southwest side of the park. I do so primarily because I just don’t enjoy the traffic and crowds in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The other reason is that my favorite part of the part is the southwest where Cades Cove and Tremont are found. I mentioned a little bit of the history of Cades Cove earlier. Tremont is another name for the Middle Prong of the Little River. There are three primary tributaries to the Little River. This one flows from near Clingmans Dome down the Tennessee side of the mountains and joins the Little River to flow through the town of Tremont. Since this tributary is closest to the town, it is frequently called Tremont.

I love the area because the stream is beautiful for the full six miles or so that it can be followed. There are often trout fisherman working the stream for their dinner or pleasure. There are dogwoods that blossom in the spring, rhododendron that flowers in the summer, and a variety of hardwood trees that turn vivid colors in the fall. Tremont is beautiful in any season.

One of my favorite spots on the river is this one. Near the upper reaches of the stream, this large flat rock lies midstream. To get to it, I had to climb down about twenty feet into the stream along a steep, slippery bank. Fortunately, there is a large flat rock in front of the shelf from which I could sit or lie down in order to compose the image. I positioned my tripod as low to the rock as possible in order to give the impression of being in the water looking up at this scene. Most of the water flows over this shelf and cascades off about three-fourths of the way around the shelf. The lovely layers of cascades are always fun to shoot – especially when the water flow is high.

I used exposure blending to make this image. The exposure latitude between the underlying rock in the foreground and the bright blue sky and clouds would have been too much to hold with a single image. I used seven shots separated by one stop each to create this image. I like using the exposure blending mode because it renders what I consider to be a realistic image. I’m just not a fan of HDR shots that look other-worldly. This is very close to what my eye was viewing as I composed the image.

If you ever visit the Smokies, a trip up Tremont is an absolute must. I’m sure you will see images that I’ve passed by many times before. It truly is a special place.

Dogwood Blossoms and Cades Cove Methodist Church

Backlit dogwood blossoms with Cades Cove Methodist Church in the background

One of the most frequently visited places in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Cades Cove. The Cove is a former mountain community that was somewhat isolated from the surrounding area. When you visit, the reason is apparent. The cove is surrounded by mountains and the routes out are all fairly steep climbs from the valley floor, over the mountains, and out to other communities.

Many of the historic structures have been left in place although the last permanent inhabitants moved away or passed away several decades ago. The area has been restored to look much like it did a hundred years ago. There are several churches, homesteads, and even a working grist mill. The road is a meandering, one-way road that is an eleven mile long loop. There are a couple of cross roads, but most traffic takes the loop all the way around. The big attraction for many is wildlife. There are deer, turkeys, and bears along with all of the other common fauna found in the area.

Although I’ve taken some attractive images of the animals, my primary purpose in visiting is to capture the architecture and the flora, especially as it changes from season to season. Even though church buildings are prominent architectural features in the Cove, I haven’t had great success in capturing compelling images of them.

So, as I prowled around the Methodist church, I was looking for a new angle. When I first arrived, I experimented with images of a dogwood tree and its blossoms. The sun was just rising over the surrounding mountains and creating some interesting backlight on the dogwood blossoms. I took some shots of the blossoms themselves with that soft light illuminating them. None of those were all that unique so I moved on to the church itself. Once again, the shots were good, but not great. As I walked back outside the church, the light had changed on the dogwood. Now that the sun was high enough, the part of the tree closest to the church was illuminated. I decided to try a shot that showed the back side of the blossoms in sunlight with the church as a strong but out of focus background element. This shot is the result of that effort. I shot at f/8 with the blossoms about two feet from the front of the lens. At that distance and aperture, the background is blurred but recognizable. The sun on the church and tree above it helps to make the steeple stand out and make the background building recognizable as a church.

It’s a simple image, but one that I’ve grown fond of. Enjoy.

Clingmans Dome Sunset Detail

The mountain ridges to the south of Clingmans Dome at sunset

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that one of my favorite places in the world is Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I can’t really explain my attraction to the place, but it is truly special to me. I usually drive to the park from the North Carolina side. Somewhere between Dillsboro and Cherokee, I usually get my first great look at the mountains of the Smokies. I can’t explain the feeling, but my stomach flips a bit and I just get happy.

That feeling is usually amplified as I drive into the park and up the mountain. All of my familiar haunts and favorite image locations pass by and I recall moments waiting for great light and just soaking in beautiful scenes. Occasionally, I’ll stop at one or two of these even though the light isn’t great. I just enjoy the vistas and views that much.

One of my two favorite sunset locations is at the top of the mountain, Clingmans Dome. The views from here are spectacular anytime, but especially at sunset. The only obvious manmade object in view is Fontana Lake and it blends in naturally with the landscape. This is my favorite place to shoot the ridges and valleys of the Blue Ridge. Depending on the time of day and season, they can be full of color or only silhouettes. My favorite image is late in the day when the valleys are disappearing into shadow and brilliant soft light dances above.

That is the case with this image. The sunset turned the sky a soft pinkish orange. The ridges hung below with a hint of green still left on their flanks. I’ve captured many images like this one, but I never tire of looking at them. I hope you enjoy them as well.