As much as August might be associated with those doldrums we know as the “Dog Days,” in our part of the Southern Appalachians I think of August as the month of wonderful atmospherics which combine with the golden hours to create great opportunities for sunrise and sunset imagery. Morning fogs and late afternoon, low-lying clouds are, for me, what August is all about, Dog Days, or not.
Earlier this week Bonnie and I decided to make an adventure to the Craggies – Pinnacle and Dome – along the Blue Ridge Parkway to see what sunset might offer looking over Madison County from a vista between the two peaks. In addition to a worthwhile view of the sun as it disappeared, the valleys west of Mount Mitchell were filled with clouds all the way to Tennessee.
A focal length of 44mm, quite normal as focal lengths go, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted encompassing the entire valley below the look-off. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1.0 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall slightly-darker-than-medium exposure.
Much of the viewshed from this perspective is part of the Pisgah National Forest and the remainder is that wonderful agrarian land known as Madison County, North Carolina. In my mind, I’m always going to Carolina.
Magnificent. Looks like something delicious– – to dip into with a spoon.
Robin, it’s great to hear from you! Is it possible that you are responding to some of your recent culinary adjustments? Just kidding; actually it does look somewhat like some of Bonnie’s breakfast concoctions. Thanks for your kind comments. Stay safe
Love it!
Hey Ron. I hope you are safe and well. Thanks for being with us and for your very kind comment. I know you and the Pioneer Valley folks will take excellent care of Judy (and Bill) over the next several months. It’s wonderful to have such a caring community to turn to when life goes a bit sideways. Take care of yourself, as well, my friend.
Beautiful
Terry,
It’s great to hear from you! I hope you and Emily are safe and well. I have thought of you often as I have wound my way through the world of PT in the aftermath of the foot/ankle surgery. I’d love to catch up sometime. Call when you have a chance and take very good care.
I really appreciate your kind comment.
Wow! This is probably the best picture I have seen you post, and that is saying a lot. The layers, texture, and light are all amazing. I love the bluish low lying clouds that form an ocean in the mountains. The second layer of clouds begins to take away some of the darkness in the lower section. Next, the top layer gives us brightness (hope).
A final thought on your comment about the valleys being filled with clouds all the way to Tennessee. Maybe that was so the good people in North Carolina didn’t have to look at Tennessee. 🙂
Hey Kev,
It’s been a whirlwind week, and I really appreciate your help with all of it. Considering that there have been 600+ Images, that’s saying a lot. I’m glad it resonated with you that much; thanks. You know, I lived in East Tennessee for eight years, and I have come to think of that area as quite unique, as well as very beautiful. You and Elizabeth stay safe and well. Talk soon.
My spirit soars to be above the clouds! Thank you, Don.
Howdy Donald,
I trust this finds you safe and well. Thanks for joining us and for your very kind words. Paraphrasing Chief Dan George is as good as it gets. I’m going to try to catch up with you this coming week. Take good care of yourself and Walk in Beauty. Next time you are in North Carolina, we’ll plan to do a sunset from this location.
I always love cloud photos, and especially the ones that show many different layers in a single image. This is a wonderful example of that.
Hey Mike,
Thanks very much for joining us and for those thoughtful words. I’ve seen many of your recent images from Cherokee and Clay Counties. Y’all have had a wonderful spring and summer of atmospherics in the far west of the Old North State, and I’ve enjoyed seeing your work. The Hiawassee River Valley seems to draw cloudforms much like Madison County. Stay safe and be well.
When I saw this image I just smiled.
Hey Hinda,
It’s great to hear from you! I hope you are staying safe and well. When I read your kind comment, I just smiled back. I’m thinking of doing a barn workshop in Madison County next spring, if the pandemic settles down. Hope you will consider joining us. Take good care.
Don, what an inspired image. The energy, lines, collisions, and dynamism are palpable. You have touched on one of the (few) redeeming features of this season! Have a great week.
Hi Ray,
It’s great to have you join me! Thanks for your thoughtful words. You have touched on so many of the feelings of inspiration I experienced while watching this scene unfold before us. The Black Mountains are a small, but awesome, range with Pisgah NF on either side of the BRP footprint. They include the Craggies (Pinnacle and Dome) as well as Mount Mitchell. Fortunately, I can leave the house and be among them in 35-40 minutes, which I once could do with regard to the Smokies. You are quite right, the Dog Days around here don’t have much to recommend them, but great atmospherics are a notable exception. Have an excellent week being safe and well.
Beautiful, quite inspiring and brings to mind a piece i recently read.
“Graciousness dignifies human presence and when it is present, it brings out the best in people. It opens a perspective which enables us to see the gifts that we have. It creates an atmosphere which awakens nobility of mind and heart. A gracious mind has compassion and sensitive understanding. It is without greed; rather than concentrating on what is absent or missing, it is able to celebrate and give thanks for what is present.”
John O’Donohue
Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace
Hi Kate,
It’s excellent to hear from you. Thanks for joining us. I hope you have been safe and well, and I very much appreciate your kind words. To compare my work to the words of John O’Donohue means more than you can imagine. I have used part of the quote you cite to accompany a recent Image announcement and I am never very far from my copy of the book that contains it. O’Donohue was very special and his work remains beyond inspirational to me. Take good care. One of these days I’m going to see about teaching one more class at the Folk School.
I enjoy seeing all of your images, but this one made me gasp. The layers, the colors, the softness, and the textures are remarkable. You are privileged to live near such a place and also to have the skills to make beautiful imagery from it.
Hey Barbara,
I hope your spring and summer in the Lone Star State have been pleasant and safe, and you are well. There is, I believe, great beauty in this country wherever one chooses to travel; but you are right, I am blessed to live in such a place as the Southern Appalachians of Western North Carolina. And I am grateful. Thank you for those very kind comments. They words you have chosen are very much the words that went through my awareness as I stood before this scene. The elements of composition and our identity with them does not change, and we move from expression to expression joyfully.
Wow what an image! Just beautiful. Love the image of the clouds and the sunrise.
Hi Sandy,
It’s great to hear from you. I am honored that this Image would resonate with you in such a way. As we watched the scene unfold below us and looking away toward Tennessee, the feeling of humility is what I became most aware of; the sheer awesomeness of standing in that place watching the world go about being itself was profound beyond description. Thank you. Stay safe, be well and Walk in Beauty.
This is beautiful and very trendy with the colors embracing the color-of-the-year, galaxy blue! I hear the crescendo of an angelic choir as the music describes the amazing colors. Thanks for seeing this and sharing.
Nancy T.,
Who else would think about “trendy” as a way of bringing together art and nature? Galaxy blue, indeed. There can be do doubt that sound/music and light/color exist on the same continuum. You always find a way into both that deepens our understanding and brings up joy for us to feel. We will talk this weekend. Take good care and stay safe.
Thank you, Everyone. I have found it extremely interesting that, so often, the nature of comments seems to arrive in clusters: sometimes more emotional and sometimes more analytical. Those of this conversation seem to fit more in the emotional category: all deeply appreciated and enjoyed for the “feelings” they convey in a time when feelings seem to be much in demand. I am surely uplifted by all of them and am grateful for your expressions. All be safe and stay well. Walk in Beauty.