Grayson Highlands State Park Pastels
Dec 27, 2022 16:04:19 #
Grayson Highlands State Park is located in Grayson County, Virginia a little over an hours drive from our house. It is adjacent to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and lies within the Jefferson National Forest. The park was established in 1965 and contains a total of 4,502 acres. The park hosts a number of outdoor activities including hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, and backpacking. A 2.8 mile portion of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park in addition to a number of other hiking and horseback riding trails
The park hosts forests like those on nearby Mount Rogers, as well as a number of mountain meadows or balds. These meadows provide excellent views of the surrounding area and present a striking change in scenery from the surrounding forests. The balds are dominated by large rocky outcroppings clear of vegetation excepting the occasional windswept tree and low grasses.
The balds are also inhabited by a herd of introduced ponies allowed to run wild within the confines of the park. The ponies are very accustomed to humans and rarely halt their grazing as hikers pass close by. Many locals touch and feed the ponies, though this practice is frowned upon and against park policy. Each year, park officials round up the herd and check for health problems in addition to reducing the herd size if necessary; the excess colts are sold at auction.
When Annette and I visit we usually have a picnic lunch near the visitors center and then hike to Wilburn Ridge which starts from the Massie Gap parking lot. You can take a few trails to get up to Wilburn Ridge however we usually take the recommended path per the park brochure which is the aptly named Rhododendron trail as it seems to pack the most punch when it comes to beautiful vistas and a trail lined with blooming Mountain Laurel and Flaming Rhododendrons.
The hike is a moderate one and only about 1 mile until you get to the grassy bald that is Wilburn Ridge. Once on Wilburn Ridge, we might run into a herd right away, or we may have to do a little more hiking.
These photos with pastel effect were taken in September. I shot in RAW with my Nikon D750 camera and used Corel AfterShot Pro to convert the files. Then I used Topaz Denoise, Corel PaintShop Pro, Luminar AI, and Exposure 6 to further adjust and enhance the files in post processing. Finally, I used two Topaz legacy plugins, Simplify and Detail to add the pastel effect and soften the final results. I hope you enjoy!
The park hosts forests like those on nearby Mount Rogers, as well as a number of mountain meadows or balds. These meadows provide excellent views of the surrounding area and present a striking change in scenery from the surrounding forests. The balds are dominated by large rocky outcroppings clear of vegetation excepting the occasional windswept tree and low grasses.
The balds are also inhabited by a herd of introduced ponies allowed to run wild within the confines of the park. The ponies are very accustomed to humans and rarely halt their grazing as hikers pass close by. Many locals touch and feed the ponies, though this practice is frowned upon and against park policy. Each year, park officials round up the herd and check for health problems in addition to reducing the herd size if necessary; the excess colts are sold at auction.
When Annette and I visit we usually have a picnic lunch near the visitors center and then hike to Wilburn Ridge which starts from the Massie Gap parking lot. You can take a few trails to get up to Wilburn Ridge however we usually take the recommended path per the park brochure which is the aptly named Rhododendron trail as it seems to pack the most punch when it comes to beautiful vistas and a trail lined with blooming Mountain Laurel and Flaming Rhododendrons.
The hike is a moderate one and only about 1 mile until you get to the grassy bald that is Wilburn Ridge. Once on Wilburn Ridge, we might run into a herd right away, or we may have to do a little more hiking.
These photos with pastel effect were taken in September. I shot in RAW with my Nikon D750 camera and used Corel AfterShot Pro to convert the files. Then I used Topaz Denoise, Corel PaintShop Pro, Luminar AI, and Exposure 6 to further adjust and enhance the files in post processing. Finally, I used two Topaz legacy plugins, Simplify and Detail to add the pastel effect and soften the final results. I hope you enjoy!
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Dec 27, 2022 16:45:30 #
Dec 27, 2022 17:30:58 #
Dec 28, 2022 08:26:06 #
Dec 28, 2022 09:54:04 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
Really nice scenes, Stavros. Your post processing does yield a convincing emulation of pastel work.
Stan
Stan
Dec 28, 2022 11:48:10 #
Dec 28, 2022 13:16:05 #
ChaplainPlato
Loc: Florida
Wonderfully artsy! They'd be awesome at 5' x by however that would work out! Like wall mural size. Exterior wall!!! Garage Door! Converted to polymer and applied like a car wrap. Just great BIG, BIG, BIG!!
Happy New Year
Happy New Year
Dec 28, 2022 19:13:17 #
Dec 28, 2022 19:30:20 #
Dec 28, 2022 19:33:32 #
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