Pleasure and Pain

I watched a television program recently that theorized that we enjoy eating hot spicy food because pleasure and pain centers of the brain are stimulated simulataneously. My walk along the Gulf at Mashes Sands was like that yesterday morning. The tide was extremely low ... colors were beyond vivid ... the ripple patterns in the sand were amazing ... and it was freeezing cold!

Optionally, click on an image for a larger view. Then click your browser back arrow to return to this blog.

Bald Point on Christmas Eve

Optionally click on an image for a larger view, then click the back arrow key.

Lanark Shoreline

Click on an image for a larger view

Aucilla Sinks

These photos were taken last week along the Florida Trail south of the road to Goose Pasture on the Wacissa River. The trail follows the most extreme example that I have seen of a series of river "rises" and "sinks" through rugged karst limestone. The trail is well marked and is an easy hike. Aucilla Sinks is a natural high ... a premiere hiking destination in the region!

Optionally, click on an image for a larger view

November Vacation in the Mountains Post 4 of 4

This is the last post of photos taken during our vacation to the mountains of northern Georgia and southern North Carolina.





Chatooga River at Woodall Shoals

Tallulah River Gorge from suspension bridge

Optionally, click on an image for a larger view.

November Vacation Post 4 of ?

Early one morning, I spent an hour rock hopping up Becky Creek in back of our log cabin. The rocky stream bed transforms the laminar flow of water into a series of sensuous curves and airy white foam.

Optionally, click a photo for a larger view

November Vacation in the Mountains Post 3 of ?

The black and white photo below is my favorite of the Coleman River, located west of Dillard, Georgia. This is my second hike along marvelous river, a small clear stream with huge boulders and green rhododendrum.

Optionally, click on the photo for a larger view.

FYI: I used Nik HDR Efex Pro a software to combine a series of seven photos, bracketed over-and-under exposed. The result has a wider dynamic range to capture more detail in the shadows and highlights. The photo below is the optimal single exposure of the series.

This is the output High Dynamic Range (HDR) combination of the series of seven images. I converted it to black and white for my favorite above.

November Vacation in the Mountains - Post 2 of ?

These images were taken along the Raven Cliff Trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest, west of Dillard, GA. All were taken bracketed using a Canon 40D on tripod and post processed with Nik HDR Efex Pro software.

Optionally, click on a picture for a larger view

November Vacation in the Mountains - Post 1 of ?

This post begins a series of photos taken earlier this month while on vacation with Trudy in northeastern Georgia and southwestern North Carolina. Our base was a small cabin (Turnstone Log Cabin Rentals) on Betty Creek near Dillard, GA.

Although the peak of the fall color probably occurred last month, isolated trees like the one below were glorious. I took this photo early one morning before we headed out for the Raven Cliff Falls Trail (to be featured in a post tomorrow).

(Optionally, click on the photo for a larger view.)

The tree is adjacent to the Smith House in Dahlonega, GA where we spent the first night.

Gulf Sunrise

I haven't updated this blog in over a month for a variety of reasons, including home repairs, work intruding into play and a week-long vacation in the mountains of northern Georgia. Fortunately, I haven't given up on my day job. So ... after a renewal/recharge period away from the camera, my interest and enthusiasm is flowing again.

A Mashes Sands sunrise like the one below in early October makes me smile and mmmmm.

Optionally, click on the image for a larger view.

Waccissa River Paddle

I paddled up the Waccissa River yesterday a short distance from Highway 98 during an extremely low tide, and got out of the canoe to wade in the river for these photos.

I hand-held a Canon G11 camera at shutterspeeds ranging from 1 to 1/500 second. Most were taken with the camera's internal neutral density filter to achieve a long exposure for blurring the moving water. I steadied the camera on a paddle held vertically in front of me, with the paddle blade resting on the bottom of the river for a steady support. One-of-these-days-I'll-get-around-to a way to safely transport a tripod in the canoe.














Optionally, click on a photo for a larger view.

Sinkhole Sublime

These two images were taken earlier this week at a sinkhole called Gobetween, southeast of the Leon Sinks Geological Area. This is a flowing sink, with the water rising in the foreground of the photo and sinking again in the background, probably to rise and sink again at Riversink.

Optionally, click on an image for a larger view.

Between Summer Showers

This photo was taken yesterdau in the late morning, from the shoreline of a small freshwater lake on Mashes Sands island. The 'cloudy bright' lighting provided for rich saturated color.

Click the photo for a larger view.