From May 6th thru the 12th I enjoyed a six night stay at the Skyland Lodge in Shenandoah National Park that I used as home base to photograph.
I highly recommend staying there if you have any plans of visiting this beautiful national park. Feel free to click here to find out more about it: goshenandoah.com/lodging/skyland
This was my first visit there, and going in, I was not that sure if I was up to the challenging hikes that were required to get the waterfalls located in the Central District of the park.
While there, I had no choice but to deal with too many clouds, not enough clouds, rainy weather and weak water flow at the waterfalls I laboriously hiked to with minor reward for the effort.
That being said, I did my best to capture what the park had to offer and what Mother Nature presented while there
Hands down, the best part of this holiday was finally getting together with my cousin after years of planning!
It was so wonderful to catch up on each others lives.
In between the old man grunts while hiking the trails to reach the various waterfalls (1,047 elevation gain/six miles as an example); we ate like kings and laughed our asses off reminiscing. Needless to write, a splendid time was had by all!
The only morning where I had the opportunity to capture a proper sunrise was spent at the Hemlock Springs Overlook, and as I just mentioned, there were absolutely no clouds to be found. They started to roll in about an hour after sunrise…
Not wanting to leave empty handed, I “settled” for a sunrise that offered beautiful striated color that gently lit up the rolling mountain tops of Shenandoah.
Although lacking in “cloud drama”, the depth of this capture added a great deal of visual interest, making it worthy of offering here.
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Hemlock Springs Overlook Overture
This three image panorama stitch was composed right after sunrise when some clouds began to form above me at the “Hemlock Springs Overlook”. There wasn’t a cloud to be had at sunrise….
By turning my camera @ 90 degrees from the sun, I was able to share the soft light as it kissed the various peaks of the rolling hills and mountain tops of the Blue Ridge Mountain range.
My favorite overlooks found along Skyline Drive where the ones where I felt I could reach out and touch the lush mountainous landscapes with my fingers.
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Shenandoah Sinfonia
Where do I begin about my Shenandoah National Park hikes to the various waterfalls?
Pull up a chair as I share the adventure with you here….
As I was preparing (both mentally and physically) for my excursion to this park, I was quite apprehensive about the effort required for these hikes.
The reason for my hesitancy was due to my history of injuring my BIG toes and the limitations of my partial knee replacement, both of these concerns are related to the descending component of hiking.
Ascending, I knew that, although not out-of-shape, I wasn’t in top hiking shape either. So, returning back to the various trailheads was going to require me being up for the aerobic challenge that awaited me.
To offset my “limitations”, I inquired about and purchased new top rated hiking boots, met with a podiatrist, and purchased gel coverings for my ensemble of toes.
Anyways, the first full day I deliberately planned on tackling the “White Oak Canyon” trail that was rated “Moderate” by the National Park Service.
My prior research revealed some treacherous areas with the abundance of uneven rocks, or should I say boulders, tree roots, and slippery sections along the way.
So, on a cloudy morning (perfect for water feature captures), my cousin and I headed down to the “Upper Falls”.
NOTE: I was perplexed on why one would need to go down to view the Upper Falls, and go up to view the Lower Falls along this trail??? This was due to where one accessed the trail, or whomever named them was dyslexic or had a “wonderful” sense of humour. 😉
As advertised, the hike down was very steep in various areas of the trail, but by taking our sweet time by taking breaks, drinking water, etc we eventually made it to our destination.
Again, research revealed that the vantage points were not the most advantageous for waterfall photography. Also, I would describe them more like cascades, not waterfalls.
With rubbery legs, I scooted to as close to the edge as possible to get as clear a shot as the overlook would allow.
The area was in a bit of a drought situation, and even though it had be rainy for a few days, the water flow was still weak.
So, I worked with what was in front of me. I recall feeling that the effort was not being rewarded with a “WoW” composition. Alas, sigh, that’s the way it goes sometimes….
Looking back at my time spent in Shenandoah, it was more of an outdoor enthusiast’s (which I am) paradise with so many trails to the mountaintops, waterfalls, I mean cascades than it was for photography.
Don’t get me wrong, I did come away with many noteworthy photographs while there, it simple did not blow me away like other National Parks I have photographed over the years.
That said, Shenandoah was an absolutely wonderful experience, and it was time well spent!
Especially the part of doing a hang with one of my favorite cousins.
To wrap this up, the hike covered six miles + with an elevation gain of 1, 047 feet. The hike back up was strenuous as anticipated.
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White Oak Canyon Upper Falls Gemachlich
Although many of my photographs highlight broad, sweeping landscapes, I do however, like to capture discreetly intimate images of detail, like the one seen here.
On the way back from “Lower Falls” which was located on the “White Oak Canyon” trail in Shenandoah National Park, I noticed this beautiful quiet scene.
I learned early on from my mentor, that it’s always a smart idea to walk slowly while looking down around my feet. Many times there are images like this one waiting to be photographed. All you have to do, is to notice them.
To create the silky water, I had on my 6-stop neutral density filter that allowed for a longer exposure time. It created a lovely contrast with the textured rocks that it flowed through.
The orange spots of sunlight, the hidden moss covered rocks and the small tree trunk adorned with effervescent green spring foliage completed the composition.
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White Oak Canyon Woodnote
“Shenandoah Finale” as the title implies was the very last photograph I took while I was at that beautiful national park in Virginia for a week.
This was taken at the overlook known as “The Point”.
As was the case for most of my stay, the clouds did not stick around long enough to help create a “WoW” sunset image, but for this comp, there were ample amounts of clouds to assist in producing this serene sunset photograph.
As you can tell, I utilized the silhouetted trees as a framing element around the setting sun, as well as using the smallest aperture setting on my camera to produce the sun flare.
The light was still strong enough to quietly light the rolling hill and mountain tops in shades of magenta, purple and cyan, while the quickly evaporating clouds above absorbed the last rays of the setting sun.
A perfect way to say goodbye to Shenandoah National Park.
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Shenandoah Finale
Please click here to read more about this national treasure:
https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htmÂ
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