Chattanooga- Market Street Bridge

I got a great photo opportunity recently. In
Chattanooga there are several bridges that cross the Tennessee River, one of those bridges is the Market Street Bridge.

The Market Street Bridge was built as a counter weight style draw bridge and once in awhile they open this bridge. I was lucky enough to find out when it was scheduled to open and I didn't miss the opportunity to get some great pictures.

The weather was not what we had hoped for, it was rainy and overcast. But we got a few nice shots and kept the camera dry.

Fort Mountain State Park

We took a short trip last week to a new place we have never visited before. We had hoped for some spring flowers but the elevation was a bit too high and spring was not really in show.

We visited Fort Mountain State Park near Chatsworth, GA. The park is at an elevation of about 2,832 feet and spring has not quite made it to the top of this mountain yet. But we did find an interesting place.

At the top of this ridge stands an old fire tower, as seen in this photo, and a stone wall. The wall was built around 500AD, and the builders are not known with any certainty. There are many theories regarding who the original builders were but no one has made a concrete determination. It is thought either Native Americans built the wall or Price Madoc, a traveler from Wales may have built the wall on this mountain.

The photo of the firetower shown here, was taken in the afternoon and shows you how the trees have still not started to have any leaves or buds. We took the photo with the sun highlighting the front and at our backs. A good way to take advantage of natural light, the light at this time of day always makes for a decent photo.

Birds In the Snow Again

Well, here it is the 1st of March and it is snowing again! It is hard to believe in Chattanooga that the snow is falling once again. We rarely get snow of any real amount in Soddy Daisy but this year has been exceptional.

Here are the birds wondering what in the world is going on "Snow in March"

Sure is good for a few nice pictures.

Cades Cove Excursion

We just took a day trip over to Cades Cove, this is a part of the Smoky Mountains. Cades Cove is a gorgeous cove tucked away in the Smokies, where wildlife abounds and old cabins and barns are preserved.

We planned a little photo trip as we knew there was snow. We were not disappointed when we arrived, there was snow and it began to snow more while we were there. The day turned out perfect as the weather was not terribly cold, it was right around 25-31 degrees F.

Here is one of the pictures we took while on the loop around the cove. This is Carter Shields cabin, one of the most picturesque of all the cabins in the cove.

Winter Waterfall

We took a great winter photo trip a couple of weeks ago. I am just now getting around to checking out my pictures. We took a great picture of a frozen waterfall and I just wanted to share the winter beauty with everyone.

This is Bald River Falls, it is located in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico, TN. This falls is beautiful in winter, spring, summer or fall. It had been very cold for several days and then we got a blanket of snow.

Fall Photo Trips

Fall is here and it is time to get out and enjoy the last few weeks before the cold sets in. Now is the time of year to get those great autumn color shots.

We usually head out to the North Carolina mountains to take some great fall pics but this year I think we are just going to stay here in the Chattanooga area and see if we can get some great fall color.

The color seems to be peaking now and if the rain holds off for a day or two we just might have some luck. If I get some good pics I will share a few of them here.

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.