24 Day Project Film Reveal...Days Seven Through Twelve

 September 7th - Hummingbird on a Branch

 I sat on a rock wall, watching bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds dance around from flower to flower in a pasture adjoining my property. This female ruby-throated hummingbird stopped for a rest on a buckeye branch a few feet in front of me. 

September 8th - High Brown Fritillary

 While weaving my way through the tall grasses of the same meadow as the previous day, I came across this butterfly. It was only inches from my face when I spotted it. I shot up close with a wide-angle lens.

September 9th - Hummingbird in the Jewel Weed

 On day nine, I found myself in the pasture again looking for hummingbirds. I really wanted to push it and go for an in flight shot. At this time I was still sticking to the one shot rule. I nervously waited for the right moment. Click!

September 10th - Small Waterfall near Glen Burney Falls

I knew I would come to this spot, but with the intention of shooting the 20 foot high, water spewing  monolith that is Glen Burney Falls. Instead, I went for an offshoot, only a couple feet high.

September 11th - Doe in the Woods

Now we have come to the subject that caused me to break my one exposure a day rule. I was hiking up Elk Knob when I spotted this doe and her fawn tiptoeing through the misty hardwood forest. I quickly changed lenses, from a wide to a telephoto. I made this exposure hand-holding the camera. The shutter speed was slow even with a wide-open aperture. I was pretty sure I'd just made a blurry shot. So, I decided to forget the project. I had a good opportunity to photograph a doe and her fawn. They didn't even seem nervous at my presence. I shot 4 or 5 more frames on a tripod, but never got the doe and fawn together in the same shot. Ironically (life is full of them), that very first frame ended up being my favorite, as well as the sharpest! From then on in the project, I shot multiple frames of only one subject each day.

September 12th - Autumn Maple Impression

It was a windy day. These bright orange leaves were the first to change color for the fall season in my woods. I situated the camera on a tripod and selected a slow shutter speed. When a strong enough gust of wind came, I tripped the shutter.

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

One Exposure A Day, 24 Days, Cheap Drugstore Film Project Update...

I took my final exposure for the film project today! It's over...heck of a ride. I started it by taking one single exposure each day for the first 10 days, then on day 11, I shot several frames (shame on me) of the same subject. Then I changed the rules for the remaining 13 days. I allowed myself to shoot multiple frames of one subject and one subject only. That in itself was pretty challenging, as most days presented me with lots of temping opportunities. 

For my last exposure, I wanted to capture star trails over my home here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Milky Way is clearly visible here this time of year...usually that is. I set up my tripod and dialed in my exposure settings while there was still daylight yesterday evening. The plan was to wait until midnight (beginning of the 24th and final day of this project) and make my final exposure. Mother Nature had other plans. My clear night turned into a solid overcast one as the clock approached midnight. I had to abandon my big finale. This morning, I found myself under the full autumn-yellow canopy of sugar maples at Bass Lake, where I made my final exposure. I'll save the subject and story for the film reveal. I'm going to ship the film tomorrow. When I receive the scans, I'll post six images and the stories behind them to this blog in four separate posts. Thanks to all who view this blog and follow my facebook page!

First Signs of Autumn, Glen Burney Falls, North Carolina (c) Jon Reaves Photography

Wilson's Creek Bridge...

I have lived in the North Carolina High Country for a total of 7 years and have just today visited Wilson's Creek on the Tanawha Trail for the first time. Shame on me! I can't wait to revisit this location during peak fall color. Despite the droves of tourists at the trail head parking area, I had this spot all to my self for almost an hour this morning.

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

Cool Mountain Waters...

In case you guys didn't know...I'm obsessed with mountain creeks...so here's a couple shots from yesterday! These were made in Roaring Creek, North Carolina near the Appalachian Trail. 

 

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

Roaring Creek and New Neighbors...

I had to give my Dad and Grandfather a hand removing a fallen tree from the path that leads from our "summer house" down to Roaring Creek yesterday. Before the work began, I took a few minutes to make some photographs of the creek. I never get tired of it there. I've shot thousands of frames of the creek over the years, yet every time I go back I find a new feature that catches my attention.

The day before, while loading some old bathroom tiles onto a trailer to haul away, I discovered a fist-sized toad hiding under the pile. I followed Mr. Toad around the yard and took a few portraits until he disappeared under a log. There were also two other surprises under the pile of broken tiles, a small water snake and a northern ring-necked snake. Both slithered away before I could get a shot.

Roaring Creek I

Roaring Creek II

Roaring Creek III

Mr. Toad

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

Shooting Waterfalls and a Rant About Littering...

This morning I took a little hike on the Glen Burney Trail near Blowing Rock. It's one of my favorite short hikes in the Appalachians because it provides lots of opportunities for image making year 'round and there are several good waterfalls along the trail (and typically few people). I revisit this spot often because every time I do I see something different or find new perspectives from which to photograph subjects that I've shot before. I think it's important for every photographer to revisit subjects/places over and over again in order to see them differently and under various conditions. Today I shot digital (I know, I know. I'm supposed to be this hardcore film shooter and all) for the sake of convenience and to conserve film...if I shot all the film that I wanted to, I would have to take out a second mortgage to pay for the film and the processing. That said, I save film for special projects and when I really want the best quality and that good old film look that I prefer for my personal fine art work. I shoot digital for the day to day stuff.

And now for something completely different ...I am getting sick and tired of having to edit out garbage from my photos. It seemed that for every shot I set up today there was a plastic bottle, food wrapper, beach towel, or dirty sock hiding somewhere in the margins of the scene. This makes me irate. Please clean up after yourselves. Be respectful to nature and to others and make sure you leave no trace of your presence other than light footprints. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were hiking at Elk Knob State Park. We were very much annoyed to see that folks were picking up their dog's poops in plastic bags and then leaving the bags on the trail...what's the point of even using the bags!?!? It would be better to just let your dog poop in the trail rather than leaving non degradable plastic! I counted around one dozen steaming hot poop pouches littering the trail that day...come on people! LEAVE NO TRACE.

Small Waterfall near Glen Burney Falls

Ferns Growing Between Stone and Wood

Small Waterfall near Glen Burney Falls, Black and White

Upper Falls on the Glen Burney Trail

Glen Burney Falls

 All images (c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

The Land of Fire and Ice II, The Film Shots...

Iceland is a magical place, a geologist's paradise, a photographer's dream. The landscape is dramatic, changing every few miles on any stretch of the country's few main roads. There are waterfalls (massive waterfalls), geothermal hot springs, active volcanoes, grassy plains, rugged peaks, and everything in between. The people are quite pleasant and the pace of life, even in Reykjavik, is very relaxed. Needless to say, I enjoyed the experience. I hope to travel there again soon.

In my last post I included images from my point and shoot. Many of my favorite shots in that series were actually taken by my wife, Alison. I shot 35mm film (Ilford HP5+ and Kodak Ektar 100) on my Canon EOS 3, mostly with a 17-40mm f4L (if you must know). It was completely necessary to have this weather sealed equipment for Iceland...both me and the camera were soaked from rain, sleet, and waterfall mist the entire time. I've been anxiously awaiting the return of my film from the lab and I finally have my scans! Due to the high dynamic range and contrast of the film stocks that I use, very little post processing was done to these photos (and none at all for some) and no sharpening was needed. I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I enjoyed making them.

Rock Formations in Vik, Iceland

Horseback Riders in Vik, Iceland

Skógafoss, Iceland

Glacier, Iceland

Skógafoss, Iceland

Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland

Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

Original Parliament Building, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

The Sun Voyager, Reykjavik, Iceland

Hello World!

It has been a long time since I've had a blog or website to show my personal work, aside from Wild Angle Media. I plan to post mainly still photographs here, many of which are going to be from 35mm film format (although there will still be digital stills and some video work, of course). I've found my passion for still photography has been renewed in part by my 35 year old Canon A-1 manual focus. Also, by taking a sort break from photography and trekking through the forests of Appalachia without a camera, I've been able to do more observing and "taking in" of the natural world's wonders. My images since picking up a camera again have become more patient, more calculated. It's not about just getting good shots for me anymore, it's about experiencing nature, even being a part of it, rather than a bystander, peering through the narrow lens and clicking away while being oblivious to the point. 

We, photographers I mean, get wrapped up in the image and the equipment and the potential for recognition and funding (or at least I did). We then forget the point, that it's all about the subject, and showing others how beautiful and complex and fragile the world around us can be. The latter is what I intend to do more of...more taking in through me rather than through a lens.

On a different note, I have an online store now where prints of my work can be purchased in various sizes. Please take a moment to browse (the link is below), I'll add more to the catalog as I get time to do so. Thanks for viewing the blog and I hope you enjoy my photographs. - Jon

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PeakMountainProducts

 Duggers Creek Falls, Linville, North Carolina. (c) 2015 Jon Reaves Photography.