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Merry Falls
I happened across Merry Falls on a back gravel road that winds up and down through the woods just outside the north edge of DuPont State Forest. It is a beautiful setting. Shot at f/22 @ 1.3 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
Merry Falls Ripple
Merry falls is deep in the woods next to a gravel road. This ripple is below the base of the falls. Shot at f/16 @ 1/15 sec @ ISO 64 @ 70mm.
Tracks at Sunset
In the tiny hamlet of Penrose, mostly boasting a traffic light with a gas station/convenience store, an old disused railroad track crosses the road. The sun was setting but I decided to take a focus stacked shot and it worked out well. This stack was composed of 12 shots. Shot at f/14 @ 1/100 @ ISO 400 with a variety of focal lengths.
Looking Glass Falls
Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest just north of Brevard. This falls can actually be seen from your car as you drive, so it is a very short walk down to the base of the falls. The very short focal length of the lens gives the water a bit of a curve and the slow shutter speed yields a cotton look to the water. Shot at f/22 @ 8 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 12mm.
Slick Rock Falls
Slick Rock Falls is blocked from full view by rhododendron bushes until you get very close to it so a photograph of the whole falls is almost impossible. I chose to concentrate on the bottom and the spray made by the water. It was early morning so the falls on the right were pretty dark and the woods in the upper left were pretty bright. Shot at f/20 @ 1.6 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
Moore Cove Falls
I got to Moore Cove Falls in the early afternoon under clear skies, the worst shooting conditions. This is a very popular falls with families and young people making the short-ish trek to the falls. Shot at f/22 @ ¼ sec @ ISO 31 @ 32mm.
Daniel Ridge Falls
Daniel Ridge Falls is another waterfall that has brush at the bottom making photography difficult. I took this shot on a sunny afternoon but it shows some of the generous spray coming off the falls on the left side. Shot at f/22 @ .8 sec @ ISO 31 @ 40mm.
Daniel Ridge Falls, Full View
By standing on the closed park road in front of Daniel Ridge Falls I was finally able to get a full photograph of the falls. Shot at f/22 @ 5 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
Bird Rock Falls
In the hamlet of Balsam Grove, west of Brevard, there are some beautiful waterfalls on the French Broad River. This one is called Bird Rock Falls. Shot at f/22 @ .4 sec @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
Bird Rock Falls in Rain
Back at Bird Rock Falls on a drizzly day, the surrounding rocks were wet and more colorful. Having come over the falls, the water swirls and runs down over rock for another 30 or more feet. Shot at f/22 @ 1/5 sec @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
Big Rock Falls
Barely a waterfall, I dubbed this Big Rock Falls and spent some time on a drizzly morning taking different shots of it. Tucked next to a gravel road way out in Pisgah National Forest, I was on my way to shoot other waterfalls when I heard this one and stopped. Shot at f/22 @ 30 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 24mm with a polarizing filter.
Big Rock Falls, Closeup
Another shot of Big Rock Falls, this time from closer to the water and still with the polarizing filter. The colors of the damp moss were excellent. Shot at f/22 @ 25 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 24mm.
French Broad Falls
French Broad Falls is where the French Broad River drops 15 feet in Balsam Grove. I was able to climb across a series of big rocks until I was nearly in the center of the river to get this shot. Shot at f/22 @ .5 sec @ ISO 31 @ 27mm.
Upper Whitewater Falls
I made a bit of a trek to Upper Whitewater Falls, 36 miles southwest of Brevard and near the South Carolina line. Walking in about ¼ mile from the generous parking area, there are 154 steps down to the viewing platform to get a view of the 811- foot falls. Note the cascade on the upper right that bounces up off the rock. Shot at f/22 @ 30 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 38mm.
Hooker Falls
Inside DuPont State Park is Hooker Falls, named for Edmund Hooker who had a mill near this location in the late 19th century. Despite the fact that it was early March there were people trying to swim in the river. Shot at f/18 @ 30 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 32mm.
Blue Ridge Sunrise
I took a drive before dawn one morning through Pisgah National Forest heading north to Waynesville. At the top of the mountain I came to the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped to take a panorama of the beautiful sunrise. Shot at f/8 @ 1/100 sec @ ISO 1000 @ 29mm.
Tuckasegee Railroad Bridge
I arrived in the hamlet of Ela on the Tuckasegee River to shoot the railroad bridge where it crosses the river. The railroad is now seldom, if ever, used. A couple of rafts with fishermen floated by while I was shooting. Shot at f/22 @ 1.3 seconds @ ISO 31 @ 48mm.
Triple Falls
Triple Falls is within DuPont State Park and, after all the falls and tumbling, cascades a total of 125 feet. In this case I shot an HDR photograph on a somewhat contrasty partially sunny afternoon. Shot at f/22 with various shutter speeds @ ISO 31 @ 42mm.
Triple Falls Closeup
The bottom of Triple Falls shows how “whitewater” gets its name. The water is very foamy at this point and continuing to bounce over rocks. Shot at f/22 @ 1/640 sec @ ISO 1600 @ 52mm.
