Clingmans Dome Trip

We had a great experience last week. A visit to Clingmans Dome in the rain. I know that this may not sound very appealing but it was fantastic.



If you don't know where Clingman's Dome is located, it is in the Smoky Mountains National Park. It is over 6,000 feet in the air, a gorgeous vantage point for some spectacular landscape photos.



On this day, rainy, it was very foggy and wet. We walked to the top of the dome in fog, not sure if we would get any pictures at the top. But after a bit of huffing and puffing we reached the top. All I can say is it was a very rewarding sight.



We stood in the fog, looking around at a 360 degree view. All we saw was fog and signs with pictures of what we were suppose to see. We were disappointed, but only for about 5 minutes. I turned to my left and all of a sudden I saw a view I couldn't comprehend. Was it real, was it clouds?



The clouds were separating and the tips of several peaks of the surrounding mountains were poking through the fog, or clouds. I started shooting and the longer we stood there the more was revealed. The clouds had parted and there was sun shinning on cloud tops and then the fog or clouds settled in the valleys. It was truly awe inspiring.



Just being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference in your photos.

Summer Absence

Well, I have had a very, very busy summer. I have not been able to attend to my blog or any other writing I enjoy. Now that fall is basically here maybe I will find time to write again. Especially now that our guests have departed and the home is much quieter and more my own.

We just took a little drive up to Cloudland Canyon yesterday and the evening was just gorgeous. Perfect temperture and a slight breeze we watched the sun set from the overlook. I will share the moment.

Beautiful Mornings

The weather this week has just been gorgeous. This week each morning has been below 60 degrees to start out and the sun is shinning in a cloudless sky. I don't think you could ask for more perfect weather.

This morning I got up and took off with my camera. The birds were just chirping and carrying on in the green trees and the flowers are just blooming everywhere. This is the time of year when it is impossible to stay indoors.

If you own a camera you just have got to get out and walk through the park or even just your neighborhood and capture some of the beauty.

Flower Portraits

I like to take flower portraits. I have found there are a few key elements to making a great flower portrait. You must have precise focus on the pistils and stamen of the flower and you must have a frame filled with the flower.

Use a tripod and a macro lens plus a plant clamp may be needed to ensure stability of your subject. The flower must be immobile.

Try to find a day with an overcast sky, this will make things much easier for the portrait.

I also found a new technique that can create a different type of look, an impressionist portrait. Take a look at this page and you will find an explanation of this technique.

Most important, have fun! http://www.squidoo.com/adviceonflowerphotography

Elusive Bluebird

We have an Eastern Bluebird that nests in our front yard every year. We have a cute birdhouse we bought at a flea market, it looks like a hollow tree trunk, and the bluebird seems to have taken out a yearly lease on it.

There are 3 babies in the nest now but the hole is so small I can not get a picture of the babies. She is very protective of the nest so it is hard to get near.

I try to get a picture of her but she is very camera shy.

Little River Canyon

We have been to DeSoto Falls numerous times but on our last trip we came upon a landscape photographers dream. We saw a sign for Little River Canyon and decided we should explore a new place instead of returning to DeSoto Falls again.

Lucky for us there had been lots of rain in the last 48 hours. The rain supplied the falls with lots of water, there were falls all around the canyon.

The road we took went along the rim of the canyon. There were a number of places to pull over and view the canyon and the falls, great spots to take beautiful photos, each stop provided an even more spectacular view than the previous. We stayed until sunset just amazed at how beautiful the canyon was and we plan to return this summer to take summer photos.

If you would like to see some of the photos please check this link http://Naturesglory.ifp3.com/site/#/gallery/landscapes/dsc02714-1/

Spring Birds

The birds are enjoying the spring flowers as much as I am. We have a young weeping cherry tree in our front yard and as you can see this little titmouse is loving the spring blooms.

I really look forward to spring and all the birds and flowers, it gives lots of color to everything. I have been spending time sitting on the front porch with my camera in my lap waiting on an Eastern Blue Bird to come and pose. She has a nest in a birdhouse we have hanging in the front yard. The problem is, she is not very camera friendly. We have to play a waiting game each evening.

I come out onto the front porch and she flies away, across the street into a big tree. She sits in the tree or on the gutter of the house next door and watches me and waits. I sit in my chair on the front porch and wait on her to return to the birdhouse or my yard. Guess who wins.

Yep, I typically give up and go inside before she gives in and returns to the yard.

About five minutes after I go into the house, I look out of the window and she has returned to the front yard again.

One of these days I know I will win.