About the Photographer
My name is Greg A. Kiser, and I am a semi-professional landscape photographer. I have been involved with the artistic side of photography since the early months of 2005. I am completely self taught with the aid of several books and lots of research on the web. Primarily, I am a nature photographer who enjoys the mountains of North Carolina. More specifically, I find the waterfalls of the state to be incredibly exciting and relaxing all at the same time. I invite you to join me as I explore my home state with my camera.Follow me on Facebook
About Photo Trek
Welcome to Photo Trek, a North Carolina Photographer's Journal. This is the interactive corner of my online gallery at Four Forty-Six Photography which showcases around 300 of my photographs. Here at Photo Trek, you can keep track of my photographic adventures (Treks) with entries made after each one. As you can see, all work here is copyrighted, so please do not reproduce any of my images without my permission. You may, however, link to any of my entries to share my stories and tips with others. All of my images are for sale, so let me know if you would like to purchase any of them. Pricing information can be found in my gallery store. Please enjoy your stay here at Photo Trek. Comments on my entries are always welcome. GregI recommend B&H for all your photography needs
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Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Nostalgia
End of the Road
I might have misread Carly's last EMPS assignment where I thought that it was her last week. She actually said that this is her last week doing the the Monday Photo Shoot until early 2011. I think that it's fitting that she has chosen the theme "Nostalgia" for this last one. Carly mentions the use of old appliances and the like. Well, I don't have any of those, except for a GE Hotpoint range which is slightly outdated....but works well. I digress....
I have a whole room of nostalgic and rustic scenes to choose from for this theme. I just spent a few minutes looking through it to find the one that I think fits the nostalgic theme the best. The old barns are great, but many of them are still used if for nothing else, storage. There was one picture that really jumped out at me for this week. This old tractor is located off of Hwy 158 in Forsyth County. I happened upon it while photographing an old Ford Truck which was left for dead on the side of the road...insert appropriate Ford joke here (Found On Roadside Dead). Loved looking at that old truck, but the owner sold it, and I think I had a part in that......I digress once again.
Ahh, thinking about this old tractor. Hey wait a minute, am I? Yes, I believe that I am. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about that July afternoon last year. What a successful Trek!
So there we go, my last EMPS for 2010. I'll be looking forward to 2011 when the EMPS returns.
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Photographer's Choice
New Life
This week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is bittersweet. On the one hand Carly has opened this up to the "Photographer's Choice". She says that we can either branch out and try something new, or go with something that we an "expert" at. This makes it very easy for me to choose a photograph to submit. On the other hand, this will be the last EMPS for the year as Carly is going on sabbatical for the remainder of 2010 after this theme comes to a close. I have spoken to Carly about her leave of absence briefly and kind of have an idea what she is going through.
That brings me to my submission. This is completely my choice based on something that I think I am an "expert" at. There are quite a few pictures in the gallery of Four Forty-Six Photography which would fit that bill, so why in the world did I pick this one from two years ago? Well, there are several things at play here which lead me to this selection. First and foremost, I think that waterfalls are my best subject. The clincher, and the reason I chose this one, is what it means to me.
This photograph was created in the very early spring. Tory's Falls is one of the longest waterfalls in NC, and one that is impossible to capture completely with one shot. Normally though, it is less than impressive because there is very little water flowing over the rocks. I had lucked out on this particular Trek, and benefitted from several days of rainfall which prompted a good flow of water. I had never seen this waterfall in this condition before, or since.
The combination of the water flow, along with the fresh green of the foliage prompted me to name this photograph New Life. After talking to Carly about things that are going on with her, I saw some similarities to things that I was going through earlier this year. I know what it means to be burned out on something that you are passionate about. There comes a time when you need to take a break from it, and that is usually a very had decision to make. Carly didn't come about this decision lightly, and she is looking ahead to a rejuvenated energy in her photography and blogging. Her time away will provide "New Life" for the things that she has enjoyed doing for some time now. We will miss her, and all that she does for the art of photography. January isn't that far away, and I'm looking forward to a renewed Carly and Ellipsis.
In the midst of this time away, lets not forget all that Carly has done for photographers, no matter the experience level. For those who are interested, I have done a spotlight on her some time ago. Its worth looking over again.
Good luck with your sabbatical Carly, let me know if there is anything that I can do for you.
Photo Trek: Old Salem
Photo Trek: 08-23-2010, Old Salem, Winston-Salem, NC
Moravian Meeting Place
You know...I think I'm getting tired of the heat of summer this year. I can't remember a summer that has been this hot, for this long. I have never enjoyed the heat, but it is really getting to me this year, and it is affecting my photography. Hiking is almost out of the question, and staying out more than a few hours in the morning is not a fun proposition for me these days. However, I am still watching the weather in attempts to find a few days here and there that might work for some new photographs.
This Trek was based more on wanting to do some work with the camera than absolute perfect conditions. Because of the weather forecast, I chose to stay close to home just in case the Trek was a flop...plus I had things that needed to be done at home. I started very early in the morning, long before the sun came up with the hope that I might luck up with a sunrise worth photographing. I set out for Old Salem, which is just a few miles from home. As luck would have it, the sky held no interest for the sunrise.
I spent the rest of the day milling around the 18th century Moravian community working on different compositions. The sky was really not helping matters. Not only were there no clouds to break up the negative space, there were only a few angles that I could shoot and actually get a blue sky. The sun was strong and relentless, causing the sky to blow out in most of my compositions. I didn't give up though, and continued to press on, pushing the dynamic envelope of my camera at every turn.
I have been to Old Salem several times as a photographer. Each time has netted a few good images, but I have always had a problem with compositions due to how tightly packed things are. There is also the added difficulty of modern day cars parked along the streets next to restored buildings dating back to the 1700's. It is this difficulty that keeps me coming back trying to find new and different ways of dealing with the problems.
This Trek held all of the issues that I have grown accustomed to. However, I came in with a slightly different mindset, looking to pick out interesting details as opposed to the more typical shots. This actually paid off a couple of times and yielded some interesting images. One of my favorites happens to be a walkway leading up to doorway behind arches. The building itself was quite large, but the lighting was terrible on it. However, this doorway was completely in the shade, allowing for a pretty good lighting situation.
Historic Arches
At each turn I found something new to photograph, and new ways to look at previous compositions. It was about four hours after my arrival, that I gave into the increasingly contrasty sun, and the heat that it brought. In that short time, I collected nearly 70 RAW images from all around Old Salem. When I got home, I found 14 of those that warranted a closer look. Of those, eight images caught my eye, and ultimately were added to Four Forty-Six Photography. You can find these new images in the Rustic Room, and even a couple have found their way into the Cityscapes Room.
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Its all a blur
Caressing the Beach
I was a little slow last week for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, but I'm on the ball this time around. The theme for the week is "Its all a blur", and Carly wants us to show things that are normally blurred, or lines that are blurred. What I came up with was a photograph that showed a very blurred line where the waves were pulling away from the shore. It is this blur that is the primary focus of this photograph. You can find this image in my Coastal Room.
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Horizons
300 Pelican Lane
Carly's back at it with another Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, which I am getting to very late in the week. The theme for this week is "Horizons". She alludes to the fact that she wants us to be a little creative in our interpretations of the theme. An example she mentioned was a photograph of a calendar with a future date circled. Hmmmm, an even on the horizon I suppose. Her example for the week was a sunset showing a straight horizon. Well shoot!!! pretty much everything I photograph has a horizon in it, but she isn't accepting photos from our archives for this assignment.
What to do? What to do? Well, as I have mentioned, I have just come back from a Trek to Carolina Beach where I ended up adding a total of 10 new additions. With the exception of a couple, they all had a visible horizon at some point in the frame. Should I go for the easy horizon shot, or should I think outside of the box? Well, we all know I don't like boxes, so I went with one of my favorite shots of the weekend.
What we see here is a boardwalk that allows visitors to cross the dunes without disturbing them. We all knew that, but how does that translate into horizons? Well, the dunes form the horizon in this photograph, but I'm also including a way to rise above your horizon, and surpass it. I guess it is a way of saying that no matter what you believe yourself to be capable of, there will always be a way to rise above that, and find new horizons beyond.
Photo Trek: Carolina Beach
Photo Trek: 08-05-2010 to 08-07-2010, Carolina Beach, NC
Lofty Aspirations
Living in North Carolina, I have relatively easy access to both the mountains and the beach. While the mountains are closer to me, and more fun for me to visit, I do enjoy heading out to the coast at least once a year. It was looking doubtful that I was going to make that Trek this year due to several factors. However, at the last minute the decision was made by Toni and me to take a mini vacation to Carolina Beach.
As is pretty standard fare for me on these Treks, I woke up much earlier than a sane person should. I was on the beach at about 5:30, nearly an hour before sunrise. While I had done a quick check of the area the night before, I wanted to look for different compositions that I could use to document the sunrise. There was not a lot to work with in the immediate area, however, the boardwalk leading from our hotel to the beach provided several different compositions, and vantage points for the dunes.
I had some ideas of things that I could try, it was just a matter of waiting for the sun to start making its way over the horizon. By 6am the sky was showing signs of life, but not much in the way of clouds. I was starting to get a little discouraged with my morning until I realized that there were some interesting clouds coming from the West (inland). I set up hoping that they would continue into my field of view based on the compositions that I had worked on. As luck would have it, the clouds arrived over the beach at precisely the same time that the sun was cresting the horizon and bathing the beach with its warm morning light, and turning the clouds various shades of pink and orange. It was spectacular.
Toni joined me (and brought breakfast!) while I was working on the sunrise. She learned first hand how fast the light changes in the morning. I was working two different compositions, with different filter needs. In addition to making sure I ate, she assisted me in swapping out my ND grad filters. Without her help, I very well might have missed some of these shots.
As we finished up the sunrise compositions we started working our way down the beach in search of other possible subjects. Toni once again stepped up to the plate and spotted a scene that I would have missed. It was a partially buried access point to the beach. Not only did she see this, but she also named it..."The Path Less Taken". I stopped and sized up the scene in front of me. The lighting was good, as was the cloud cover above. It was worth a few frames.
The Path Less Taken
As you can see in this photograph, there are some flipflops leading up to the walkway. This was yet another one of Toni's ideas, and one that worked out very well! The small ones are her's by the way. For a photograph that I would have easily overlooked, I was extremely pleased with the end results. In fact its such a good photograph, it works as both a color and a monochrome image.
I continued on the morning's Trek for a little while longer before deciding to head in to enjoy the beach like a regular vacationer. I cleaned the camera up and packed it all away where it stayed for the rest of the day. Fortunately Toni and I had some time to get in the ocean, and enjoy a little time in the pool before the thunderstorm hit. For all intents and purposes, the rest of the day was rained out. That was fine as we both got some much needed rest.
Heaven and Earth
This morning was our last day at the beach, and once again I started the day out early. The conditions were less than favorable for this morning which limited my creativity. I walked a good half mile down the beach until I found a suitable place to set the camera up. I wasn't near as lucky as I was the day before (could it be because Toni was still asleep?). However, about 15 minutes before the sun actually broke the horizon, I was able to snap one picture worth keeping. While this last day wasn't anything like Friday morning, it didn't matter. I knew I had a good many keepers from the first part of this Trek. In fact, out of 108 frames, 11 of them made my first cut. Of those, eight made it through processing, with two of them being converted to monochrome. A total of ten new images have been added to the Coastal, Black and White, and Edge of Light Rooms.
Photo Trek: Hanging Rock State Park
Photo Trek: 07-31-2010, The Upper Cascades, Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury, NC
Strained
I have really been wanting to get out to photograph some waterfalls for quite a while now. There are several on my list that I want to go to for the first time. The problems have been many though. The most significant problem is the lack of rain. Most waterfalls have a very small watershed which means that unless there has been recent rains, the flow is very restricted. The second issue that I have been facing is the weather. There just have been no days where the clouds have been thick enough without really bad storms accompanying them. Then there is the heat...its just been too hot lately to get out and do much of anything.
The last week or so of the month we have seen some increased rainfall amounts so I started thinking about waterfalls once again in earnest. A couple of days ago, I even headed out with intentions of doing some waterfall photography. The weather was supposed to be decent for it, with significant cloud cover. However, those clouds never did materialize, and the sky quickly turned hazy white. That Trek ended without even pulling the camera out of the bag. I had just about given up for this set of off days until last night. I happened to look at the weather and saw that I had another good chance for some clouds. The storms were supposed to get started around lunchtime...perfect.
I set out in time to make Hanging Rock by 8am when they opened the gates. I chose Hanging Rock because it was close and would allow me to see how the recent rains have affected the waterfalls. It was my gauge to see if it was worth a longer distance Trek for a new waterfall. As I was headed up to my old stomping grounds, it began to drizzle very lightly. This was not a problem, I just hoped that it didn't get any harder. By the time that I arrived in the parking lot the rain was steady, but light. I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I decided to go and see the Upper Cascades first because it was a quick hike, just in case the rain started falling heavier.
When I got to the waterfall, the rain was pretty steady now, and was getting to the point that I was going to have some problems keeping my equipment dry. Knowing that my Tamrac Expedition 7x was pretty water resistant I decided to stick it out for a little while hoping that the rain would pass over. The waterfall was flowing, but not nearly as much as the last time I visited. It was enough to try a few frames though as the lighting was nearly perfect. That is an accomplishment in and of itself. Normally, the black rock behind the actual cascades is so deep in shadows that there is no detail whatsoever. that was not the case this time, and I really wanted to take advantage of that fact.
After 10 whole frames, the rain was coming down to hard to continue. I left my shelter of an overhanging tree and got back on dry land to put my camera away. Oddly enough, the rain was too heavy to try and break things apart. I dried everything off as best I could and put my shower cap cover over it for the hike back to the truck. The rain didn't let up at all the entire way back...at least it was a short hike.
Fortunately, I had the new Xterra with me. This made for a nice place to clean and store my equipment. The rear hatch provided ample cover from the rain, while I was able to spread my equipment out in the rear storage area. I even had time and shelter enough to dry everything off before putting it back in my bag. It worked out very well.
I had three out of the ten images that I looked at closer when I arrived home. One of them turned out pretty good, however, not as good as my last visit due to the waterflow. However, this one does have a certain emotion to it that is different from the other. Just different enough to earn it a place in the gallery, at least for a little while. You can find it in the Waterfalls Room.
Photo Trek: Blue Ridge Parkway
Photo Trek: 07-22-2010, The Blue Ridge Parkway
Thunder Hill
There are times when I am on vacation for 12 or more days when I can't seem to get a single day of cooperation from the weather. Then there are times like this, when I only have two days off (I know I can get no sympathy from Mon-Fri, 8-5 folks) and go to the mountains on a whim. I was really wanting to get out for a little while and go on a Trek, but I have been in training for most of the month and my time off has been anything but normal this month. I made the decision last night that I would head to the mountains for a Trek...not really knowing what the weather was going to do. I was expecting anything from clear skies to thunderstorms, and everything inbetween.
Just in case the conditions were right, I started early in order to be in position for a sunrise, although I had no idea where I wanted to be. I woke up at 3:45am and was out the door before 4:30am. I arrived on the Blue Ridge Parkway a little before 6am which gave me a little bit of time to find a suitable location in case the sunrise was worth photographing. Years ago, I decided that the best sunrises were not captured from the overlooks, but from obscure places along the Parkway. I cruised around and tried to find one of those hidden jewels. I kept an eye on the sky which appeared to be rather bland with very little cloud cover, and not much color. I was about to give up when I saw a view in my rear view mirror that caught my eye. For some reason, there was a small patch of sky that had some color and it appeared to be getting stronger. I turned around quickly and pulled the camera out.
Appalachian Dawn
I worked quickly and carefully since I was at the edge of a bridge. The footing was not secure enough on the outside, so I managed to squeeze myself and camera onto the shoulder, partially on the rock wall of the bridge. I fought for the best composition, knowing that I wanted to get the sky as my primary subject. For about 15 minutes I made about a dozen exposures as the lighting changed rapidly. The one that I am sharing here is from roughly the middle of the frames I captured from this location.
From here, I moved on my way along the Parkway in search of other areas that I could photograph. I was starting to think that I was extremely fortunate in my weather conditions because the clouds were on the increase, and they were quite interesting as they formed. I spent a good deal of time at the Thunder Hill overlook, but not where the majority of visitors look. I have found that the best view is actually across the Parkway, and up a slight hill. There is a wonderful meadow there with lots of possibilities. There is also a fence that I found very fun to include.
It was getting close to noon at this point which is a horrible time for photography, but the sky was so nice I had to continue on. I moved along the Parkway until I found a valley that I have wanted to photograph for some time now. Usually, the lighting is all wrong and I pass it up. That was not the case today. Actually, the lighting was quite good, and there were still quite a few clouds above which helped add some drama to the sky, and interesting shadows on the terrain.
When all was said and done, I came home with 132 frames which translated into nine new additions in several rooms. You can find these images in the Macro/Details Room, Edge of Light Room, B&W Room, and of course, the Blue Ridge Parkway Room. This year is really turning out to be a good year for mountain photography. The last couple of years have yielded only a few new images due to weather, and road closures. Everything seems to be working out pretty well so far, and I hope that trend continues.
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Cemeteries
Foundation in History
Its time once again for another Monday Photo Shoot brought to us by Carly at Ellipsis. The theme this week is simply....Cemeteries. I used to have quite a few photographs from a well known Cemetery here in Winston-Salem called God's Acre, located in Old Salem. When I cut the size of the rooms a few months ago, many of them came off of the proverbial wall. This is one that still remains, and has been a favorite of mine since it was shot. In fact, it is one of the framed prints that hangs in our living room. You can view this image, and other B&W photographs in the B&W Room.
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot: Gatherings
German Colonial Church
I have to admit, this week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot took a little bit of effort when it came to picking a photograph, let alone two to get the extra credit. I've hunted and I've searched through my gallery, and even my archives but just couldn't seem to get anything that I wanted. I even thought about going out on a Trek for that very purpose, but I couldn't think of a subject that would work. Fortunately, Carly has opened up the theme of "Gatherings" to include some creativity on our parts. So, that allowed me to participate on a poetic license of sorts.
The photo you see above is of the Gemeinhaus (German church) located at Historic Bethabara. I figure that there is probably no other universally accepted place of gathering out there. This is where the poetic license comes into play since there is no gathering currently taking place. However, the gathering of storm clouds above the sunset lit church does help add a lot of drama to this photograph which is on display in the Rustic Room of Four Forty-Six Photography.
Disruption
Extra credit this week is to post two different photographs representing gatherings. While I did have a very hard time choosing one picture to display, this second one seemed to jump out at me. In its simplest form, this is just a gathering of bubbles. I have posted another photograph from this this particular studio session before where I asked if anyone knew how I did it. It took a little while but my method was guessed.
Basically, I took a clear casserole dish filled with water and elevated over the table with some books on either side. I placed a cardboard Capri Sun box underneath (for color), and added a dab of vegetable oil to the water. I stirred up the oil with a straw (oil and water don't mix), and snapped some pictures using a diffused attached flash and a ridiculously wide aperture. It was a fun technique, and one that I might do some more work with in the future. This photograph can be viewed in the Creative Room of Four Forty-Six Photography.