10/02/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Branch in the Fog on Roark Bluff

Oak 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.

09/17/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Fall morning on Richland Creek in Newton County Arkansas

Fall morning on Richland Creek, early Autumn scene–click on image for a larger v

Taken with a Canon 1ds MKII, Mamiya 35mm Lens with a Zork Adapter, F16, for approximately 1/60th of a second, iso 100. I love Richland creek and have hiked it more times than any other location in Arkansas. The scenery on Richland has to be some of the best in Arkansas. In the fall, mostly you get a low water condition like this photograph shows where the water is only holding in the pools. This offers great reflection shooting and many times the leaves will build up like they did in this photo. You have to catch Richland at just the right time as the leaves only stay in good color for about 3 days. I try to make it up there at least once during the fall. You can also catch some great color further down the creek near the campground as two of the largest pools on Richland are here. If you are very lucky, Richland will be running and the hike up the creek is one to remember. All the various rapids have excellent photographic opportunities. Make sure you allow for the entire day so that you can take it all in.

09/11/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Falling Water Falls in Searcy County

Falling Water Falls in early November–Click on image for a larger view

Taken with a Canon 1ds MKII, Canon 24-70 lens @24mm, F14 for approximately .5 seconds, iso 100. Falling water falls is one of the easier spots to get to in Arkansas. You can drive right up to it! Unfortunately this works against photography since you almost never find these falls without someone standing at the rim. I have never really understood the need to walk out and just stand there, but I guess there is some necessary fulfillment that some folks need. On the weekends, you can always expect to find a crowd here so if you are thinking about a trip, try to plan it on the weekdays and try to get there early.

Twin Falls on Big and Long Devils Creek in Newton County Arkansas

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, Canon 16-35mm Lens at 16mm, F14, approx 1 sec exposure, iso 100. One of the best spots in Arkansas to photograph waterfalls is the Richland Creek Wilderness Area. You have unlimited waterfalls to look for in a hike up Richland Creek on a good water day. You will need at least 100 cfs (cubic feet per second) of flow in Richland to get a good shot of the Twin Falls. You can best reach Twin Falls by hiking up Richland Creek from the campground on Forest Road 1205. It is about 1 mile but it’s a long mile with lots of up and arounds as there are many dead trees in the way. If you start the hike from Richland Campground, make sure you stay on the left side of Richland all the way to the big bend where Devils Creek enters into Richland. There is a pretty easy trail to follow for most of the way and now that the campground is open again, more people will be hiking up to the falls. If you are a photographer, I would recommend hiking to the falls during the week as there tends to be many more folks up there on the weekends and it’s not an area that can easily accommodate many people. WATCH OUT FOR HORSEMEN AND WOMEN as they now are coming down to Richland falls and coming over to Twin falls. It’s not an easy spot to negotiate with a horse so be careful. On a good water day say over 400 cfs you might be able to catch kayakers coming down upper Richland.

The best water conditions for hiking and photographing Richland are between 50 and 400 cfs. Anything lower and most of the creek’s features will not be formed well and if it’s higher than 400, then you have some tough crossings to make. Richland is no slouch and it’s not very forgiving to fools. Be aware that the bottom is slick and the current is strong. If you start to cross and don’t have a good grip on the bottom, then more than likely you will be swimming. I also recommend that you use a pack that is totally waterproof like the ones from Lowe Pro. The ones that have a waterproof inner back that closes with a heavy duty waterproof zipper. When I hike Richland low, I will most often use a pair of wading boots that have felt soles as these give you much better traction. The other thing to consider is when the water is high and moving, more than likely you will not be able to view the bottom so it’s best to place your feet one at a time as it’s easy to get tripped up on a rock or two.

Richland is a fascinating watershed. It’s seems to come up faster than the nearby Buffalo River and also often hold more water longer. The Buffalo has a much large watershed but still Richland more times than not will be higher after a good rain. You can easily gauge Richland and most of the large creeks in Arkansas by going to the main USGS water website and then select Arkansas and then drill down to Richland. The actual gauge on Richland is at the campground bridge. Richland is pool drop which means that is does not have a continuous flow unless it’s over around 4500 cfs (that’s a lot of water). The area around Richland is a great hike in the spring, winter and fall. Most times in the summer (like this one in 2012) Richland will dry up or be running with less that 10 cfs. In the fall if there is good water over 30 cfs, make a trip up to Richland as it has one of the best fall color displays in Arkansas.

09/02/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Cedar Creek on Petit Jean Mountain

Cedar Creek Below the falls on Petit Jean Mountain

Taken with a Phase One P45+, Mamiya 35mm F3.5 lens @ F14 for 2.5 seconds. When hiking along Cedar Creek one must always consider the views of the creek below Cedar Falls. I like to call this area the rock fall as so many large rocks have fallen down from the area bluffs. The best time to photograph here is after a good rain which will give you the best water features. When shooting water like this, I will always use a slower shutter speed, in the 1 to 5 second range. To accomplish this I use a circular polarizer and a neutral density filter. The ND filter allows me to reduce the amount of light coming into the camera to allow for the longer shutter speeds. The main issue you will tend to have here is the blur caused by wind. To compensate for that, consider taking a shorter exposure at around 1/60 of a second. This will help to stop the leaves and reduce the blur. Later in post, combine the two images. You may have to remove your ND filter to gain a fast enough shutter speed. Petit Jean is about a 45 minute drive from Little Rock and is great place to go and spend a day exploring.

The Buffalo National River turns 40 years old

The magic and wonder of the Buffalo River has always kept me going over the years. I love to hike, photograph, and float the Buffalo throughout the year. It is an wonderful area to spend some time. However 2012 is very special as it’s the 40th anniversary of the Buffalo National River.

The year was 1972 and after long drawn out court battles in both Arkansas and Federal courts, the Buffalo River region was put aside as a National River. This was the first of it’s kind in the United State. The plan as it was laid out, would take the river and 1 mile of land on each side of the river to create a natural corridor. This Corridor would keep out any dams, commercial developments, and other man made intrusions. The river would be allowed to stay in it’s own state and continue to flow as it had for thousands of years.

The initial response was pro and con. Many families that had lived along the river for hundreds of years were forced to move off their land. Businesses were closed and everything man made was moved off the land within the boundaries. I can remember hiking down the road to Big Buff back in the mid 1980’s and still seeing a few hold outs that were living on their land. The National Park Service did allow some people to stay on their lands until their death, but then the land was reverted to the national river. Now, looking back 40 years later, it’s hard to tell in many places that anyone ever lived on the land. Fields that were cultivated for years have vanished and have been replaced with stand of new timber.

The Buffalo River is approximately 160 miles long with it’s head waters located in northwestern Newton Count. The river empties into the White River at Buffalo City. Throughout it’s length are scenic wonders that still catch my breath after all these years. You can find limestone bluffs as tall as 500 feet and waterfalls over 200 feel tall. There are hundreds of small hollows each with a unique look and feel. Over the past 30 years several wilderness areas have also been added along the Buffalo. I have special places that I find that I return to time and again, to hike and photograph throughout the four seasons.

I first came to the Buffalo region near Ponca with my parents in 1973, one year after the river had been made into a national river. Since then I have made over 400 trips over the years to the Buffalo and it’s surrounding hills and valleys. I have learned a lot about the history of the area and some of the families that started to make a living there back in the 1830’s. Taking photographs of the Buffalo region has been a passion of mine since 1976. I have traveled the length of the river twice and hope to do it again some time in the near future.

With this exhibit I am sharing some of my visions of the Buffalo region from trips I have made over th past 5 years. Many of these photographs are not of the buffalo River itself but instead are special spots that were also saved by the national river act in 1972. Please take a few minutes to look over these images and enjoy looking at at a part of Arkansas that is very dear to me. These images will be on display in framed prints and canvas at Cantrell Gallery, in Little Rock Arkansas.

Fine Art Printing Considerations for your custom Print

Each print purchased from my website is a custom work. Your print is a special addition to your home or office and I want to make sure that all of the considerations of your specific viewing environment are taken into consideration. Some things to consider:

Do you want your print produce on photographic paper or canvas. I use only 100% cotton rag paper with either a matte surface or semigloss. With a canvas print, I produce all of my canvas prints on a poly-cotton blend canvas with a glossy finish. All of my canvas prints will have a coating that will prevent damage from UV light. None of the media used has any Optical Brighteners added.
If you pick a photographic print on paper, let me help you determine if you need the print on a paper with a matter or semi-gloss surface. The final printed surface can be very critical to the final look of the print.
Let me know where you will hang the print. Will it be in an area that has direct sunlight or reflected light? You may want to consider a non-glare finish to your glass. I would also consider non-glare if the print will be hung in an office environment where there are traditional fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Fluorescent lighting can be very harsh on viewing a print under glass.
With a canvas print I would not recommend hanging it in an outdoor setting or where it will take long hours of direct sunlight. Sunlight also creates heat and over a period of time the print may start to sag since the heat will allow the canvas to stretch.
I have over 30 years framing experience, so I would love to work with you on suggestions that will allow your to have the best viewing experience with your new print.

I use only Epson large format inkjet printers for my prints. These printers use the latest HDR ink set developed by Epson. The prints I produce on these printers will tested colorfastness of over 50 years and if the prints are mounted and framed with archival materials with UV protective glass their life should be well over 100 years.

For all of the prints I produce on both canvas or paper, I am using only papers that have 100% archival qualities. I do not produce my prints on Resin Coated (RC) paper because these paper are not 100% acid free and the coatings used in these papers are of a cheaper quality. I also do not like the fact that all RC papers will allow out gassing to fog the face of glass in a framed print. Out gassing is going to happen with all ink jet prints, however a 100% cotton rag paper will allow the gases to pass through the back of the paper and not fog your glass.

For matte prints I am now using 2 different papers, Optica 1 by Breathing Color and Epson Hot press (both bright white and Natural). Both of these papers are 100% cotton and are acid free. Optica 1 has slight optical brighteners added which allows for the best DMAX of any matte paper I have used. Optica 1 is a smooth paper with no texture which allows the print to show the greatest amount of detail. Epson Hot press paper has a slight texture and I use it when I feel the texture will add to the print’s look. Both of these papers are 300gm weight which is a nice heavy weight paper. You can mount these prints with either a dry mount process or use a hinge mount. A matte surfaced paper will not have the the deepest blacks, like a glossy paper but the matte surface can allow for a wonderful looking even surfaced print. Depending on the image selected, I will recommend either a matte or semi-gloss surface.

For glosy prints I like to use either Breathing Color’s Vibrance Rag, or Canon’s Platine. Both of these papers are 100% cotton rag papers with a 310gm weight. This is nice heavy weight paper that will dry mount very easily and can be mounted with a hinge mount if required. Both of these papers have a textured surface not a 100% smooth glossy look. In fact there really is not a 100% cotton paper made that has a smooth glossy look. Both of these papers will give your print a beautiful deep glossy luster look, with very deep blacks and great contrast. The surface of Vibrance rag has a bit more surface texture but is also a very hardy surface that is scratch resistant.

On canvas prints, I will print on both matte and Glossy Canvas. For matte, I use Breathing Color’s Lyve canvas. This is a poly/cotton canvas with a pure matte finish. After the print has dried, I will coat the print with a glossy protectant. This gives the print protection from both UV light and scratches, fingerprints and other issues that can beset a finished canvas print. The other canvas I use is also from Breathing Color, and is their glossy canvas, Crystalline. Crystalline has an amazing DMAX and allows me to reach color/black depth that I cannot obtain with a traditional matte canvas. I also coat the prints made on Crystalline with a UV protectant. I can ship you the canvas print stretched or in a roll for you to stretch locally. Shipping a stretched canvas print is costly so you might want to consider having a local frame shop do the final stretch. For larger pieces that will be shipped to Arkansas, I can deliver the finished piece for a small fee.

08/28/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Nighttime stars over the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock Arkansas

Cloudy Day on Richland Creek, Newton County Arkansas

Nighttime stars over the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock Arkansas

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, 14mm Lens, F4, approx 20 seconds, iso 400. I don’t spend too much time down at the big dam bridge, but it can be an interesting night shot on a clear cool night. On this night, it was pretty warm, over 85 degrees so I picked up some rose streaking in the sky. However the stars themselves stand out very well. I picked a night when they were running a bit of water through the dam so the 20 second exposure was plenty to blur out and smooth the water. The lights on the top of the dam took on a nice starlight look due to the 14mm lens. I recently sold the 14mm Canon since I am in the process of moving to Nikon, but I will miss that particular lens.

The Big Dam Bridge runs across the Terry Lock and Dam and allows cyclists, walkers and runners to cross over the Arkansas River to the North Little Rock Side of the bridge. I took the shot from the North Little Rock side, looking back towards Little Rock.

If you look closely over the middle of the bridge, you can easily spot the constellation Orion. The belt is very easy to see. I also liked the way the rose colored sky blended in near the tops of the hillsides.

08/22/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Dry Creek Falls Autumntime

Dry Creek Falls in Fall in better days

Taken with a Nikon D1x, (man that’s old!!), Nikon 28-70 lens, F14, approx 8 second expoure, iso 200. This is an old one, but a good one, a great view of what Dry Creek Falls used to look like. The falls are about 20 feet tall and are at the ground level. You walk up on the falls as a ledge drop and they are often missed by hikers. I used to make 2 trips per year to these falls, but now the area is ruined. Arkansas had a terrible ice storm in 2009 that caused a tremendous amount of damage to the trees in both Search and Newton County. Mainly what happened is that the tops of the trees were loaded up with ice and then with high winds the tops broke off. Around the Dry Creek area, it also appears that a very powerful storm also came through as there are a huge number of downed trees in the area.

The terrain around Dry Creek Falls was especially hammered by the ice storm and wind/thunder storms. This view that is featured in the photo, is no longer really that good anymore. Several large trees have dropped over the ledge and now hang down from the top and ruin the view of the falls. The area below the falls is still full of dead trees and looks like a lumber raft. Some of this will eventually wash downstream with high water, but when you hike above the falls you see a ton of fallen trees that will also wash over the edge. Many of the trees that added to the overall shot have either broken off totally or worse are broken over and now the dead, broken tops hang down into the shot. It would take a good team with a a chain saw and a team of mules to really clean out the area.

When you walk into the Dry Creek falls area, you now have to take a large numbers of detours around the fallen trees that now block the road. Just back to before 2009, you could walk to the falls in less than 30 minutes in a pretty straight forward hike, now it takes about 3 times as long and it’s very easy to loose the trail on the way. Plus when you arrive, you are totally disappointed by what has happened to the falls. On the top of the ledge where there used to be huge trees, now there are big craters where these same trees fell over pulling the root balls with them. Also on the far side of the ledge, there was a pretty big land slide that included many large trees, and this makes just getting around the ledge to the falls much harder.

I have many shots taken over the years to remember this area by, but it did make me sad to see the condition it’s in now.

08/13/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Fall Scene on the Cossatot River

Maple leaf in the sun, Cossatot River area Ouachita Mountains Arkansas

Taken with a Canon 1ds MKII, Canon 24-70 lens @ 70mm and F 14, iso 100, Shutter speed 1/160 of a sec. With the fall season just about here, actually in many places it’s already here in Arkansas as a lot of the trees have turned brown due to the excessive drought. This shot was taken during one of my many hikes along the Cossatot River in the southwestern Ouachita mountains. The Cossatot is a great stream, just takes a while to get there from Little Rock. When the levels are right, the Cossatot is one of the best kayaking spots in Arkansas. The area known as Cossatot Falls is the real mecca. Here you can find 6 distinct rapids each of which has a unique name. Along the banks of the Cossatot you can find wonderful displays of maples, oaks, and gum trees. I found this shot on my hike back out as the sun was starting to set and I was able to position the sun so that it back lit the leaf just the way I wanted. I used a polarizer to help block out unnecessary reflections and to give the sky a deeper blue hue. Fall is definitely one my favorite times to photograph Arkansas.