Murrays Mill fix

I think we all get in those creative ruts,  mine wasn't so much just not wanting to shoot but more so just uninspired.  Its March so the trees are still at that winter dormant time of year. I just don't find much beauty in bare landscapers. I started to get frustrated, I would go out to shoot something and just find myself questioning what I was even doing out there?  Why would anyone want to see these pictures.  So by mid March I hadn't really taken any shots that I liked or wanted to share.

 I was on my way home March 26th and the clouds had moved in,  the chances of a sunset seemed dim.  I got home walked my dog and went inside my house to watch tv or something, a couple hours later I just happened to look outside and noticed there was actually sunlight.  So I threw on some clothes and took off driving, where to go though. 🤔 It popped in my head I hadn't been to one of  my favorite spots in way too long!  Murrays Mill! I got to the mill about 20 minutes before sunset.  I was the only one there, the winds were calm the temperature was mid 70s, it was the perfect.

Grassy Ridge, The view that doesn't stop

 If you've ever wanted to find that place around North Carolina that you could see for miles and miles. The hike from Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge Bald is the hike  you need to check out. Not only is it part of the most iconic trails in the country but it gives you views of Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia as well as being  known as one of the most beautiful sections of the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail Looking at Jane and Grassy Ridge Balds

The trail Starts at Carvers Gap right on the state line of North Carolina and Tennessee. There is a spacious parking area along State Route TN-143 and NC-261. From the parking area you will see a wooden split rail fence toward the East, there are steps that will lead you through the Fence and from there you will be on the Appalachian Trail hiking up through a beautiful forest of trees. Twisting and turning as you ascend up Round Bald, which is roughly .7 tenths of a mile to the summit. You may be tempted to just stop there and can, the views here are incredible, you can see Mt Mitchell and Black Mountain to the south but I promise you need to keep going your views to the west are still obstructed by Jane and Grassy Ridge.

Jane Bald

As you descend down you will see Jane Bald straight in front of you, the hike up Jane is a decent ascent, I did this in snow and ice, making it more treacherous. Overall, considering the conditions, it wasn't bad. The elevation of Jane Bald is 5807ft and now you'll see Grassy Ridge staring you in the face with its elevation of 6189ft.

Tunnel of  Rhododendron

Once you leave the top of Jane you'll lose 100 feet before climbing up 500 feet before reaching the summit of Grassy Ridge. You will go through a cool tunnel of rhododendrons, I can only imagine this stretch in June is simply breathtaking. This stretch of the hike is pretty strenuous but in no way would I rate it as hard so rest if you need to but keep going and you will come to the summit that will leave you speechless.

Charlotte from Grassy Ridge Bald

Keep walking through the meadow along the trail and you will reach a cliff that will show you a panoramic view that will leave you speechless, to the east you will see Grandfather Mountain, to the right of there you will see Hawksbill and Table Rock mountains along the Linville Gorge. As you look at these two mountains if you happen to have a 500mm lens on your camera its this direction on a clear day you can see the skyline of Charlotte, which is around 135 miles away. As you look to the right you'll see the BlueRidge Mountains as far as you can see before you come up to the 6685ft giant, Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. If you are like me you will be in awe of just how beautiful this spot is.

So if you find yourself yearning for some unobstructed views of the Appalachian Mountains, then this Jaw Dropping 5 mile roundtrip hike is made for you. Sunrises here are what postcards are made of and I can only imagine sunsets are just as awe inspiring!!

Mt. Mitchell

Looking north to Tennessee

Grandfather Mountain

Meadow on Grassy Ridge

Falling in Love with Waterfalls...

Falling in love with Waterfalls

In the past year I have found a love, one that I have always been intrigued by but growing up in Wine country the thought of Waterfalls wasn't really on the Wine list. I know there are waterfalls in Cali, last year I went to some in Yosemite, they were epic, but Northern California I could not tell you where the closest one was to me as a kid.  North Carolina on the other hand has over 300 waterfalls.  From the 30+ I have visited so far they are all stunning in their own right.

  I moved to North Carolina when I was 21,  For the first 10 years that I lived here I did a few hikes here and there but nothing to crazy.  I never saw a waterfall although looking back I was close to a few but not realizing what beauty was so close but hidden within the forests of Carolina.  I didn't visit my first waterfall here till a couple years ago when I visited South Mountain state park with the 80' High Shoals Falls.  Sad I know, but people don't really bring them up while eating their doritos around the lunch table. Once I went to the first though it made me start to wonder what other waterfalls were close by?  I later googled "waterfalls near me"  and to my amazement, there was a ton of them. I Was shocked!  How could I live here for so long and never once hear about all these majestic falls?  Each one different and flowing with the personality that has transformed the rocks into something so breathtaking that you just want to sit there and stare at their allure.

Looking Glass Falls

The ones I have visited so far have varied in every aspect possible,  some you have to repel down a 15 cliff (there is a rope there for you) others are a short but nice hike from the road and then there are even some that are right next to the road for those that want it to be easy.

English Falls

 There is  even one called Sliding Rock.  Sliding Rock is a 60' granite slab where the water flows down the rock and  plunges  into a refreshing natural pool waiting for you at the bottom.  On Summer days the lines at are long but full  of kids waiting for their turn to slide down.

  Sliding Rock

Once I started going to one after another it turned into almost an obsession to see how many I could see in one day. Six is the most so far. Dupont State Park is full of them some of the biggest you'll see as well, High Falls and Triple Falls are both 125' tall.

Triple Falls

I spent most of fall this year chasing waterfalls hoping to find that perfect shot where the leaves were that perfect shade of red orange and pink that you can only find in those couple weeks in late October, or if its this year November but what I found was a love for waterfalls that has always been there but never realized.  What I found was I have lived in a state that is full of  beautiful falls and I hope to one day be able to say that I have seen them all in every season possible.

Catawba Falls 

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where this path started to take shape...

It was June 2015, I was looking to take a trip, but I had this desire inside of me that wanted to take a trip and devoted to photography. I bought a Canon SL1 for this trip, and set out to Montana to visit my sister and go explore Yellowstone. Man I wish i could take this trip over again. I took so many pictures, and was the first trip where I really started to devote my time to taking pictures. At the time I didn't have a clue what any functions were on the camera, in fact I don't think I took it off auto the entire time. As I went look back through them, it makes me proud that even then I didn't take the same pictures along every tourist stop. I remember thinking I want to take pictures differently then everyone else so I made it a point to go off the beaten path.

For me Yellowstone is what set in stone and made me realize the passion that is inside of me. Yellowstone is beyond amazing to me. Its incredible that something like it exists in this day and age. I almost feel like I should thank Yellowstone for changing my life or at least making me see whats been there since I was a little kid.

Its funny these pictures are 3.1 MP compared to my current Canon 5DM4 shoots at 30.1 MP

So Yellowstone we have a date and I can't wait to see you again...

The NASCAR All Star Race...

So I've been working in NASCAR as a Fabricator for about 12 years now.  Hard to believe really.  Since Ive been working in the series I have started to travel more and more.  The one thing that has been constant is I have loved to take pictures at the tracks.   I started out using my phone like everyone does but, last year I started taking a camera i had bought a few years ago.  Then I bought a better camera and took it to Phoenix and Homestead Miami.  Thats where the wheels really started to turn. I found that while I was doing my real job I found myself seeing these shots that I wasn't able to take.  It drove me crazy and still does.  But I have started to get more and more open about taking these pictures to the point that where people ask me constantly about the shots I had taken in weeks past.
 
  So here comes the NASCAR All Star race, a race in our backyard really.  About 27 minutes from my house,  so I didn't sign up to work that weekend and planned on going just to take pictures.  Thats exactly what I did and it was awesome.  One thing though, when you work in NASCAR you wear certain clothing that even without showing your pass they know you're there to work and usually leave you alone even if you have a camera in your hand.  So heres me last saturday night, in street clothes, with the same pass that gets me wherever i want usually, well let me tell you it does not work the same without that clothing. I had every security guard kicking me out of areas here there wherever.  I think they even started radioing down to the next guy to keep an eye on me.  I did manage to get to some areas and take some pictures I had hoped to but, it made me think, next time I need to work on getting the right media shirt that they wear.
 
  So thats my next goal is to figure out how to get some credentials here and there.  I want to start submitting some pictures to certain media folks and get them to know my name....

Infrared....

I listened to a Podcast that talked about Ansel Adams and at one point it talked about how he would use red filters which would change the way his images would turn out.  A few days later I read about Infrared Filters and what they would do, so i ordered one  (what I didn't read at the time was new cameras won't pick up Infrared) to play around with.  I had to use my old Canon SL1 to get the Infrared light picked up but I wanted to be able to compare it at the same time vs just changing an image into B&W in post processing.  The top is taken with a 15mm Zeiss lens on my Canon 5DM4 the bottom is with a 24mm lens with the Infrared filter.  

I love how it changes the sky and trees and I can't wait to play around with this more. If anyone has any recommendations on good cameras that will pick up the Infrared light without having to be converted to Infrared only let me know!  :)

This past weekend, I finally came home feeling like I was able to take the pictures I had in mind.  I grew up being drug to drag races, my Mom was in love with them and actually got her start in photography with help from John Force.  So to say they are special to me would be an understatement.  Ive gone year after yeR since they have been in Charlotte, but every year I've taken pictures and never really loved how they turned out, its amazing what the difference can be once you have a good camera and learn how to get the most out of it.  Ive really only been doing photography for about 5 months.  I have put a lot of effort into just learning everything I can about it everything involved.  Ive read article after article, blog after blog and just error after error but, I'm proud of the progress.