09/25/13 Featured Arkansas Photography–A quick preview of things to come, Fall scene on the Buffalo River sunrise over Bee Bluff

Sunrise over Bee Bluff on the Buffalo River–Click on image for a larger view

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, Canon 24-70 lens @ F8 24mm, iso 200, bracketed exposures for final image. The Buffalo River has to hold some of the best photographic opportunities in Arkansas, especially in the fall. This shot was taken in 2011 but it’s a great example of what you can expect on the Buffalo. Here you will find almost every tree species that the state has and each one will have a unique fall color, along with the short leaf pines. In this shot you can see a row of sweet gums and maples along the lower part of the bluff and in the background on Bee bluff the oak and hickory trees are making their presence noted also. Fall in Arkansas can be glorious and on the Buffalo tends to peak sometime around mid October. I feel that this year since we have had such a long dry spell that the colors may not be as bold as normal and fall may come a bit earlier than normal. So far no major storms are forecast for Arkansas this fall and the northwest portion of the state is very dry. I was up in this area last week and there were already a few trees starting to turn a bit early. I am hoping that this year will not be repeat of last and the year before where each tree species seemed to turn by itself and there was never a great display of fall color. I was lucky in this shot to catch the last of the morning fog lifting off the ground and still showing up in the maples and gums. I took this shot as a bracketed exposure since I wanted to be able to catch all the light in the sky and not have too much noise in the trees along the bluff.

03/15/13 Featured Arkansas Photography–Night skies over Roark Bluff on the Buffalo River

Night skies over Roark Bluff on the Buffalo River January 2013

Taken with a Nikon D800e, Nikon 14-24 Lens @ 14mm, F4.5, iso 400, total exposure time approximately 40 minutes. This shot was taken back in January, but it was a great night to be out shooting the stars. The temperature was around 29 degrees and there was virtually no wind. We started shooting at dark and by about 1 hour into the night we were getting excellent runs. This shot is a composite of 40 minutes taken in 2 1/2 minute exposures at iso 400. I will then stack the exposures to catch the motion and create the trails. The blue sky is due to the moon. If you work with the moon at night you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. It will give a nice blue hue to the sky and also provide all the illumination to the bluff that you see in this photograph. This is not a daylight/nighttime exposure as many people think. This is all done at night with the aid of the moon. As was looking up, it makes the perspective of the trees a bit more interesting, as if they are looking into the photo. I am going to start working at night with a Canon 24mm TS-E for perspective control where it will give me a good enough FOV, which on this shot I needed all of the 14mm I could get. You are looking to feature the sky, but you still want to get as much of the foreground as possible.

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.

07/05/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Night skies over the Narrows on the Buffalo River

Night skies over the narrows on the Buffalo River in Arkansas

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, Canon 14mm lens, iso 250, F 5.3, for 35 minutes. Not the easiest place to get to now, due to the flooding that occurred in 2010. The Narrows is a unique part of geography in Arkansas. On one side you have the Buffalo River and off in the distance, Richland Creek. Richland runs into the Buffalo not far from here, but way back hundreds or thousands of years ago, Richland ran right up along the other side of the Narrows and the two streams almost met!. The ledge is only about 2 feet wide in places and it’s quite place to walk. The view downstream featured Skull bluff and then around the bend is Woolum Ford. Be careful if you try to get to the narrows or “nars” as the locals call it by crossing the Buffalo at Woolum ford. The actual ford has changed quite a bit over the past few years and is deeper and a bit tricky at most water levels. Due to the excessive drought Arkansas has going right now, it may dry. Once you cross the ford be VERY CAREFUL IN THE SAND. This is great place to get stuck!. The best way is to use 4 wheel drive and go straight up the hillside and cut across the field, don’t try to stay in the ruts as they are now full of sand and very tricky. Even with four wheel drive.

07/01/12 Featured Arkansas Photography–Moonset over the Boxley Valley on the Buffalo National River

Moonset over the Boxley Valley along the Buffalo National River

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, 45 second exposure, Iso 100, Canon 24-70 Lens @ F6.3, Single Exposure. With modern Digital Cameras, it is amazing just how long you and work with a single exposure. I was on my way to photograph Elk in the Boxley valley and as I came around the corner on Hwy21, I saw moon was setting over this field. The temperature around 10 degrees that morning, much cooler than right now! I knew I had to work fast as the once the moon starts to set, it seems to move very fast so I rushed to set up all my gear. I took this shot on a tripod at around 45 seconds. I was amazed that I didn’t get too much movement with the moon as it was setting. I used the tree in the foreground to help block out the center of the moon but it still came out pretty bright. The sky is a blue color which is normal when you work with the moon. If you look closely you can see the moonlight reflecting off of bits of ice on the ground. The amount of light that was available can be seen by the shadows along the fence row.