Early fall morning along Richland Creek–05/29/15 Featured Arkansas Landscape Photography
- At May 29, 2015
- By paul
- In Featured Arkansas Photography
- 0
Taken with a Phase One IQ160 and Arca rm3di camera and Rodenstock 28mm lens @ iso 50 for 1/2 second exposure.
I am a huge fan of Richland Creek, having spent at least the last 20 years or so exploring it’s vast reaches. I was lucky enough to Kayak this creek for over 10 years as that one of the best ways to get to know a creek. Richland (the name comes from the fact that the mouth of Richland near Woolum Ford on the Buffalo was excellent farming land) has some beautiful features throughout it’s length as it moves towards the Buffalo, but by far the best scenery is found in the 5 miles of the creek above Richland campground. This shot was taken on a fall morning and the sun was popping back and forth between the clouds. I was setup and waited on the best light for at least 20 minutes and only got about 2 minutes before the next bank of clouds rolled in. The level of water in the creek on this day was low but in many respects this is an excellent level for photography as you can safely stand in the middle of the creek for the best vantage points. One aspect of creek photography, if you don’t plan on getting wet, don’t bother.
This spot is directly below one of the larger rapids on Richland called, Shaw’s Folly. In this shot, look for the large rock on the upper right which is about the size of a small house. This marks the end of the rapid and all of the creek in the picture is just the run out. But in this shot you can see why I love Richland as it’s just full of huge rocks and each one has it’s own unique shape and color. The water was gin clear this day so I was able to feature some of the bottom of the creek by using a polarizer to cut the glare.
01/08/14 Make a trip to Sam’s Throne and enjoy the new Campground
- At January 09, 2014
- By paul
- In Scenic Spots in Arkansas
- 0
This actually happened in Mid 2013, but I never got around to writing about it. They finally finished the improvements and created a formal campground status for Sam’s Throne. This spot is a climbers paradise and for me a photographic wonder. I work this area year round and love to work the bluffs of Sam’s after dark. If you have not ever been here, it’s worth the trip up Hwy 7 to the Hwy 123 Junction. Take Hwy 123 for about 10 miles north and then start looking for this sign. You won’t find a bunch of RV steps here, and it’s a very informal campground, but it now has facilities and that’s a big improvement. Sam’s Throne is one of the most famous climbing spots in Arkansas and is featured by a over 1 mile long bluff line made from primarily sandstone. You can also look off the bluff to to the rock prominence that is the actual throne. The road down to the bluffs has been dramatically improved since the early day’s when it was just a logging road. Sam’s throne campground is pretty much on top of the bluff and you can get a great nighttime sky from there. Once you get down to the bluff line looking northward you get a great shot of Red Rock and the valley of Big Creek. Looking south towards the throne gives you a great view of the rolling hills moving off into the distance.
I have photographed Sam’s in pretty much all types of weather and as I mentioned above love to work it at night. It’s not a bad compromise as you won’t be too far out from your car. This area does get some rough folks driving by at times during the week, and I would not consider leaving a car alone at the trail head after dark unless there are some folks camping near by. During the summer months and peak climbing season you can expect to have people there. At the Bluff line you can walk along the top of the bluff in either direction and find great subject matter for your photography.
This shot is one taken during the night after the moon had set at the campground. There was a group that had started a huge bonfire and the way it was lighting up the trees really caught my eye. This shot was taken as single long exposure for about 30 minutes and during the time I had the shutter open a group of people walked by with head lamps on, and I really liked the effect they created.
Sam’s is a great spot to take the family and spend the entire day, be aware that there are sharp drop offs everywhere so if you are taking young children be careful.
10/02/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Branch in the Fog on Roark Bluff
Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, Canon 24-70 lens, F 7.1 at 1/40th, iso 400. When I am out working in the early morning, I often try to find shots where the fog can act as a major effect in the shot. On a morning like this, the fog did not lift for almost 3 hours but as it started, the sun briefly highlighted this lone branch which was just starting to leaf out in spring. Many people have looked at this shot and felt that it was taken in the fall, however if you look closely you can see that the oak leaves are just starting to open. This lone tree has taken a beating over the years but each time I come back to this spot it still there and and survived for another season of snow and ice during a typical Ozark winter. During the time I took this shot you could hear trucks and cars moving around in the valley below and people’s voices, but as the fog was so thick you couldn’t see anything. This is a great time to work the Ozark Bluffs and not just on the Buffalo River, but the Buffalo tends to allow for more fog.