Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Yesterday I drove to Washington, DC to spend the holiday with my sister and her family and I was determined to find something worth shooting along the way. I was not disappointed. While driving through the Shenandoah Valley on I-81 I discovered that at the Arcadia exit there were several hikes in and around the Appalachian Trail that led to a waterfall named Apple Orchard Falls. this is located in the Jefferson National Forest. I drove in on gravel roads quite a distance in order to keep the hiking to a minimum since I was expected to arrive in the DC area at some point. There are varying lengths of hikes that can be taken but my route left me with a 3/4 mile hike in to the actual falls with many smaller cascades to photograph along the way. I think these would be nice to capture in spring, summer and during fall color so I will likely come back for another look later on. Please enjoy these in download.

Please be patient as I am going to load 9 - 11 images if the website will allow them all.

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4. I could not get a better viewpoint without the branches.

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10. Finally the actual falls. This is the lower portion of the falls.

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11. Another look at the lower falls. I did not go up to the upper portion since I was alone. The hike was much steeper to get up there.

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Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

Scenes such as this I some times prefer over larger more noted ones. There is a serenity and and a feeling of solitude that some times seems to overwhelm us we savor the moment, listening to the water, with a melody as it rushes on it's way of recycling according to nature plan. I can feel my self being there savoring the moment. The last one would make wall hanger as well as no. 9. Well done in finding a subject and capturing it.

Osbornepaint Loc: Jamestown, NC

Very nice, and awesome that you found this along your route! My favorites are numbers 3, 5, and 9.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

This is a refreshing set. The downloads are really wonderful. I can image the feelings you must have had - fresh air, soothing water sounds, probably very quiet except for a few birds chirping. All very special.

Have a great Thanksgiving with your family.

CO

Those are good pics. Photo 5 is excellent. I've heard about the falls but never been there. Have you tried a neutral density filter to allow you use slower shutter speeds to give the water a smoothed out look? The slower shutter speeds will also give the impression that there's more water flow than there actually is. The camera has to be on a tripod. I went to White Oak Canyon Falls near Syria, VA a few weeks ago and used a 4-stop neutral density filter with this photo. It allowed me to use a 1/2 second exposure at f/8 and ISO100.

Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Thank you Old Timer for taking a look and commenting. I prefer to just put my images out there for others to enjoy. This was a wonderful find and it had me smiling all the way along the trail. I did not meet another person the entire way which lent a real air of serenity to the whole experience.

Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Thank you Dean for taking a look and leaving a nice comment. I actually had something else in mind to photograph when this fell into my lap. Waterfalls are something that really call out to me to capture so I could not resist.

Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Thank you Carol for the visit and kind comments. You really hit it on the head when you imagined what I was feeling. There was not another soul around, I had the trail to myself with the exception of the birds that occasionally flew around. The only sounds were the rushing of the water and the crunch of leaves under my feet. It was definitely a stress reliever and after all I have experienced lately it was a welcome one. I love being out in nature alone with my camera. It is my therapy. You also have a great Thanksgiving and I hope you have family around you as well.

Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Thank you CO for the visit and comments. Most of the time I do set up my tripod to shoot waterfalls but yesterday I did not even though I carried it with me. Most of these shots were taken from somewhat precarious positions in which there was no place for a tripod. I do take some images with a slower shutter speed but generally prefer not to go any slower than 1/8 second. My preference is for stop action in the water or just a little bit of smoothing.

I will have to look up White Oak Canyon Falls. I would love to go there at some point for a shoot. Thank you for sharing your image.

CO

I just noticed that you're in North Carolina. I took a seminar at a photography expo on waterfalls photography by professional photographer Kevin Adams. He specializes in photographing waterfalls. He lives in North Carolina and has written a guide on North Carolina waterfalls. He also has an instructional DVD on waterfalls. You might check out the website:

https://www.kadamsphoto.com/#1

sands Loc: Jacksonville, FL

There's something about a waterfall... mesmerizing!

bob_71 Loc: Severna Park, MD

You did a nice job with your settings...maintained just enough motion blur of the flowing water. Thanks for sharing!

Bob

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

What a lovely hike. I think #5 is my favorite, but I like them all. And I'm so glad you didn't try to make whipped cream out of the water!

RonRadden Loc: Southern New Jersey initially, now in Florida

Very nice shots!

ebbote Loc: Hockley, Texas

Very good series Andrea.