06/24/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Sunset over Pinnacle Mountain State Park

Image taken with a Canon 1ds MKII, Canon 24-70 F2.8 @ F11, ISO 100, 5 shot combination for exposure. Back in 2009, which seems to long ago to remember, we were having almost nightly thunderstorms in July. I can only hope that Arkansas gets some this type of weather soon in 2012. We are about as dry as I can remember for this time of year and soon you will start to see tree going into stress, then dropping leaves. The area around Pinnacle State Park is photographers paradise in that there are some many great vistas to work from. One of mine is the view directly to the west from the summit of the quarry ridge at the Pinnacle State Park visitors center. Here you get an unobstructed view of the summit of Pinnacle mountain and can often catch an evening storm coming in from the west. This sunset was taken as 5 separate exposures then blended together to get the final image.

06/17/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Clouds over Petit Jean Mountain

Sunset sky over Pinnacle Mountain

Taken with a Sony Nex-7, Sony 18-200mm lens @ 18mm F5.6, Iso 100. I like to work the evening skies in the early summer time as many times you are treated to a play of light as seen on these clouds. I had gone to the Petit Jean visitor center at Mather lodge and as the sun started to drop behind the hills some late evening clouds rolled in. The play of light on the clouds was a real treat. I ended up taking several versions of this scene and worked the shot up in both color and B&W. The range of color at that time reminded me of some of the sunsets I had taken out in Colorado years ago.

06/10/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–A view of Maumelle River near Petit Jean Mountain

Early Morning on the Mamuelle River near Petit Jean Mountain

Taken with a Sony Nex-7, Sony 18-200mm Lens at 18mm F5.6, 30 sec ISO 100. Finding a good location close to Little Rock can be a challenge this time of year. I was hoping to catch a good sunrise from the summit of Petit Jean, but on this particular morning, the sun and clouds were just not there. I was driving back to Little Rock and remembered this small spot along the Maumelle River. Here you can find some medium to large classic Delta trees, Sycamore Beech and of course the Bald Cypress tree. There are some classic Bald Cypress in the area. I was lucky to have a bit of sun that lit up the far right side of the grove and really helped to make the shot. The clouds by this time had a very nice pattern and I was able to catch their reflection in the foreground. There were just a few ripples that kept me from getting a perfect reflection This shot was taken about 30 minutes after sunrise.

06/05/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Twin Falls near Kyles Landing

Twin Falls on Smith Creek near Kyles Landing Buffalo RIver

Camera, Phase One DF with Phase One P45+, lens Mamiya 35mm F3.5, F11 approx 1 second. I will never know where Arkansas waterfalls get their names. Twin falls is a classic example as it’s really 3 falls. Maybe back in the day, it was only a 2 drop waterfall. I have visiting Twin Falls now for at least 10 years and it’s always been a triple drop. This waterfall in on Smith creek and runs into the Buffalo National River not very far below the waterfall. You can hike up from a easy parking spot. Be prepared for a crowd as this is an easy hike and many people tend to be here. The creek above the falls is an excellent hike and offers a few more drops, none as high or dramatic. Also if you have the time, hike down the creek to where it runs into the Buffalo river as there are some nice spots along there too and it’s not a long hike at all. If the falls are flowing as much as in this picture, you have to either bracket your shots for exposure times as you will never catch the trees not moving due to the wind generated by the falls. You may also have to bracket for the top and bottom since there is not much light below the falls as they are in a small canyon. Great spot to spend some time in the fall if there is any water running.

06/02/12 Featured Arkansas Photography Blue water and Rocks in Searcy County a Wintertime view

Golden Water and Rocks on Falling Water Creek

Taken with a Canon 1ds MKI, 11mp camera with a Canon 100mm Macro lens Shutter speed was around 1 second at F16. I wanted to remember what the cooler times can be like in Arkansas as right now we are in such a heat wave. In the wintertime, if the water levels allow, I like to work along the stream banks looking for tight shots that feature smaller water features. All of the rocks in Arkansas streams will have have great lichen coverage so the key is to find a good series that will work for you. This shot was taken during the late afternoon, as the sun was setting. The sunlight hitting on the rocks gave everything a golden color which contrasted to the deep blue hue of the water. I took this shot along Falling Water Creek near the famous waterfalls. I tend to stay away from the waterfalls and look for more interesting less common subject matter.

05/30/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Sunset over Pinnacle Mountain

Sunset and Paraglider over Pinnacle Mountain

Sunset over Pinnacle Mountain

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, 70-300 Lens, ISO 100 F8 at a shutter speed of 1/400. There are times that you just get lucky!. While I was working this great sunset, I happend to catch this lone para-glider working around the summit of Pinnacle. For the shot I had to hand hold my Canon 5D MKII with a 70-300 lens since the light was fading too fast to switch over to my tripod. The pilot made only about 2 passes and I was able to capture him on the 2nd pass. The sun lit the plane up perfectly.