02/09/10 Photograph of the Day–View from Petit Jean’s Grave Site
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
View of the Arkansas River from Petit Jean Mtn (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
You can get great photographs of the Arkansas River Valley from Petit Jean’s Grave site on Petit Jean Mountain. This is a great spot to catch a sunrise as you are facing due east. I try to frame the image with the various large rocks that surround this spot. You can climb all around the area looking for the best vantage spot to setup. You will find a lot of graffiti on the rocks but it’s just part of the scene. If you are lucky, you will find the valley full of fog as the sun rises.
02/08/2010 Report on my Lost Valley Hike from early January
Posted by paul | Filed under Arkansas Photography Journal
With all of the places in Arkansas to hike, it’s hard to pick a favorite. But one place will always be at the top of my list and that is Lost Valley in the Boxley Valley. I have been making trips up to Lost Valley since 1969 and it has changed very little since my first trip. Most of my hikes in Lost Valley are in the Spring or Fall and I rarely make trips up to the area in the winter. But it can be a great place to photograph in the winter, especially when the various waterfalls of the valley freeze. When this occurs you have a chance to catch some rare and unique ice formations. Lost Valley is a box canyon and throughout it’s 1 mile or so length Clark Creek which runs through the valley creates many waterfalls, but the most important ones are towards the back of the valley and these are the Eden Falls complex. Eden Falls is actually a 3 part waterfall, lower Eden Falls, Cave Falls, and Upper Eden Falls. Most of the year, you will find water in Lower Eden Falls and Cave Falls, but the upper which is also the highest and most dramatic only runs after a major rain event and even then it won’t run very long. In the wintertime to maximize the best ice formations, you actually don’t have or want a high flow but instead you just need enough water to bounce off the surrounding rocks. The bouncing water as it freezes is what creates the ice formations.
On this winter day, the conditions were perfect for the ice formations, as the temperature was around 12 degrees and there was no wind blowing. Starting from the visitor center, I hiked up to the Jigsaw Blocks . The ground had a nice covering of old snow that had a hard ice coating. This made for a very bright shooting condition and while working the valley, I had to constantly check to make sure I was not getting blown highlights from the snow. I have always been drawn to the Jigsaw blocks and I have photographed it many times over the years. Most often Clark Creek is dry around the Jigsaw Blocks even in the Spring, so they tend to be a static study for me. In fact in 25 years of hiking up Lost Valley, I have only seen a good flow of water at the Jigsaw blocks 3 or 4 times. The best was in August of 2008 and the entire spring of 2009. You can work the blocks in many ways, I tend to prefer a head on shot like this one.
There was a great play of light and dark on the rocks that create the jigsaw pieces. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky so the shadows are quite dramatic. You can see Clark Creek on the left of the rocks and if you follow it upstream you will see the Natural Bridge. I was pleased to see that no one had walked around the rocks and left footprints. From here I walked on up to the Natural Bridge. Read the rest of this entry »
02/08/10 Photograph of the Day–View from Flatside Pinnacle
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Westward View from Flatside Pinnacle (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
Flatside Pinnacle in the Flatside Wilderness area is a great hike, easy and quick. The reward is one of the best vistas of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. This is great spot anytime of the year. This photograph was taken in late May just as the trees were getting their full green color. There are many small pine trees around the summit ridge that allow you to frame your photograph. In the far distance is Forked Mountain, a much more taxing climb which offers a great vista also.
02/07/10 Photograph of the Day–Twin Falls in the Richland Wilderness
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Twin Falls in the Richland Wilderness (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
02/06/10 Photograph of the Day–Twin Falls near Kyles Landing
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Twin Falls near Kyles Landing (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
02/05/10 Photograph of the Day–Sunlight on Tupleo Gums
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Sunlight on Tupelo Gums at Menifee (Click on Photograph to purchase a print)
Another photograph from Menifee’s Tupelo Gum Grove. This is another fall shot, but taken as the sun was setting directly in front of me. The Tupelo Gum Tree has a leaf that turns a bright yellow and when the sun back lights the leaves it makes for a beautiful photograph. The trunks will also get a whitish color which when combined with the leaves reminds me of the Aspen trees in Colorado.
02/04/10 Photograph of the Day–Tupelo Gums near Menifee Arkansas
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Tupelo Gums at Menifee Arkansas (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
One of the best fall foliage displays in Arkansas has to be this grove of Tupelo Gums near Menifee. On this day there was no wind at all and the reflections on the water were just perfect. I shoot this grove many times during the year and it was featured as my 01/17/10 Photograph of the Day in a winter sunset.
02/03/10 Photograph of the Day–Swirls in Foam
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Swirls in Foam (Click on Photograph to purchase a print)
02/02/10 Photograph of the Day–View of the Arkansas River Valley
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Arkansas River from the Pinnacle Visitor Center (Click on photograph to purchase a print)
Sometimes the best views are close to home. The area around the Pinnacle Mountain Visitor Center offers a wide variety of views of the Arkansas River Valley. This view is looking up the River north towards Morgan. I found the lone dead tree with it’s starkness against all of the greenery a most intriguing subject to photograph. This image was one of my first attempts at an HDR composition.
02/01/10 Photograph of the Day–Sunset from Sam’s Throne
Posted by paul | Filed under Photograph of the Day
Sunset from Sam's Throne (Click on Photograph to purchase a print)
Sam’s Throne off of Hwy 123 is one of the best spots to catch a Arkansas Sunset. You can walk around the entire bluff line to find a spot that fits your needs. This particular shot is facing due west and takes in the actual hilltop that was Sam’s actual Throne.
