Walker Camp Prong, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Trillium Traveler Time!

It is trillium time to check out my www.trilliumtraveler.com blog. It is trillium time so I am concentrating on that page right now. More to come here later.

He said, If we leave right now we can get there by 6 o'clock. She said, It will be to dark to take pictures.
He said, I can take pictures after dark.

Within minutes we closed the store, it was 4:36. We were on our way to Georgia's Valley of the Giants. She had scanned some old photos of the trees from the early '80s but, the scans didn't turn out that great and we needed some fresh photos for the March issue of the Georgia Mountain Laurel. She was writing the story and now I was shooting the fresh pictures.
Using our GPS we were on our way.

We arrived right at 6 pm with a mile to hike in before the sun went down. The mountains were already hiding the sun and daylight didn't look that promising.

I went ahead carrying my camera bag and tripod. Walking a quick mile left me a bit breathless. I finally arrived at the first giant tree, set up the camera and tripod pushed the button, did the 10 second rush for a self portrait with the tree. It worked but, I wanted a bigger tree. Jean had caught up and passed me by then and was on to find a bigger tree. The trail now was less traveled and there were logs blocking the trail here and there. We hurried on to the next giant. When we arrived was just about dark.

Once again, I set up the tripod and snapped off some photos, quickly determining, I would need a 20 second exposure to capture the remaining light for the photo. I had Jean stand near the tree and, once again  I did the 10 second dash to be in the photo with her and the tree. I spread my arms to show the girth of the tree and held still, waiting the 20 seconds for the camera to take the photo. There you go. We got the shot for the Georgia Mountain Laurel and the one posted here.

Fortunately, I carry a flashlight in my camera bag and all the way back I called to Jean, log here, branch there, sticks on the trail, look out for the rock. It was dark but, it was fun and we got the shot!

The days are getting longer. Spring is coming. Warmer weather in February this year so far. Jean and I hiked the Tallulah Gorge, down from the Jane Hurt Yarn Visitors Center to the swinging bridge, back up the south side (about 800+ steps), across the bridge at the dam and back to the visitors center. Passed this Daffodil along the way. Perhaps this is a good time to remember Valentines Day is February 14! Don't forget your Valentine.

If you are enjoying these pictures and spring inspires you check out my other blog where I will be posting lots of spring flowers as the next few months of spring arrive. You will find it here: www.trilliumtraveler.com. Don't miss out on the fun follow both these blogs! On this blog you will find more of my Comfort Zone, like my paintings, photography and talk about hiking and visiting the great fun places of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As you can see, I like to take photos of mountain scenes and wild places. And don't forget we will be traveling in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway and maybe even the Natchez Trace this spring.

To the left is a photo I took the other day from Inspiration Point. The white arrow points to the swinging bridge we hiked over this morning. Down below you can see Oceana Falls, one of 5 major waterfalls in the gorge. And, there are many more large rapids along the Tallulah River that flows through the gorge.

Tallulah Lake

Early morning at Tallulah Falls. We hiked down to the bottom of Tallulah Gorge this morning, again!

Abandoned Chimney

We were up and at Tallulah Falls early this morning.

Two Trees

Just finished up a new 12"x12" painting for my Project 144 set. I call this "Two Trees". As of late I have consentrated on photography so, Project 144 has set on the side lines for a while. Yet it is not forgotten. I am guessing I have completed around 30 of the 144 at this point. Meanwhile, my photography efforts continue. I hope everyone likes this. You may purchase this painting or others in Project 144 for $100 plus shipping. Just leave me a note or email. Thanks.

Went to Black Rock Lake inside Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia, USA this morning and found this shot.  There is an upside down mountain reflected in the photo. Click on it for a larger size.

Snow With Sticks

One year ago tomorrow. Not going to happen tomorrow. Not here anyway.

Stop Internet Censorship

Textures For Sale

Interested in a texture for your photo? Call me (Richard Hyatt) at Mountain Nature, Inc. for a RAW file. 706-782-0838.

What is HDR

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. Several photos are shot at varying exposures. One at normal, another at 1 stop above normal and another 1 stop below normal. The there can be more exposures also to make it more interesting or more bazaar. These photos are all sandwiched into one photo. You may have seen something like this in whatever media you visit. Here is an example. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=309313035774132&set=a.252586238113479.59369.177656418939795&type=1&theater

Not HDR

I have been challenged on a Facebook Photography page to post some HDR Photos so, my friends can edit them and see what they come up with. I have never done HDR. I went out the other day and shot multiple photos to take up this challenge. This is one of a series I took of the old Tallulah Falls Rail Road bridge pilings. Each HDR requires 3 to 7 or more exposures. Not one I expect to post for others but, one I shall try to work myself using Photoshop CS5 Extended. This particular photo looked like the best exposure for "normal" adjustment in CS5. So, this is the beginning of a new form of photography editing for me. It will be nice to see what I am able to do in my first HDR edit. It may actually take a few days for me to complete. Come back soon and take a look.

Historic 441

Just thought I would mix it up a bit. Notice the Tallulah Falls Rail Road pilings in the background. They are in my next photo.

View From New Found Gap

I took this photo because I could not believe my eyes. I have seen photos that look like this and thought they were just poor exposure in the middle of the day. Well, here I was up at New Found Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains and shot this in the middle of the day. Pretty much like I saw it. Very little post processing in Photoshop. Almost looked like a mirage.

Fall on the Tallulah River

One more fall picture from a few weeks ago.

Sunburst

"Sunburst" by Richard Edwin Hyatt: 24"x12" unframed acrylic on canvas available for you at $200.

Another of Project 144. Summer Wildflowers

Project 144

Project 144: All 144 original, unframed, acrylic paintings by Richard Edwin Hyatt will eventually be completed and available and priced at $100 each. This painting is available now. For more information call 706-782-0838. Copyright Richard Edwin Hyatt.

This painting is a view from Clingmans Dome in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Clingmans Dome is the highest mountain in Tennessee. It is traversed by the Appalachian Trail and is just west of the North Carolina line.

Photo Challenge

One of my favorite Photographers is Gavin Hoey, who posts photography tutorials on his many web sites and blogs.  He does a 15 minute "photo challenge" at what ever place or event he chooses. It is interesting the different photos he shoots in just 15 minutes. Here I took up a challenge this morning myself. It spent more than 15 minutes when I shot this but I wasn't really challenging myself for a 15 minute shoot. I just wanted to come up with something different. This is one of the results.
Gavin Hoey posts lot of Photoshop Tutorials that are very helpful if you are trying to learn Photoshop. Check out his web site at www.gavtrain.com.