15 minutes is all the difference in great colors during sunrise and sunset. However, if you miss that magical time, all is not lost. I missed some amazing pinks and purples by about 15 minutes and almost did not stop for this shot. The low angle of the sun really made the clouds stand out. I just wish it had been about a week and a half earlier so I could have gotten the fall leaf colors.
Shooting during midday sun can be a real pain in most situations. However, it was just right shooting on Goforth Creek. The gorge that the creek runs through is narrow and deep. This causes almost not sun until it is high in the sky. Just before noon though, it added just the right amount of light coming through the trees for a little light into the clear waters of the creek.
The first several hundred yards of Goforth Creek above where it joins the Ocoee River are packed full of waterfalls and cascades. It is like a big jumble of rocks and water. This was one of those small areas where water just seeped through many cracks and was dripping all over the place.
I grew up kayaking in the Appalachian mountains, so water is like a second home to me. Whenever I get the chance to go wading or paddling, I take it. This rapid is on a little creek in the middle of nowhere in the North Georgia mountains. A wonderful place to sit on a rock and dangle your legs in the flowing water.
Today, Saturday, I was shown a very beautiful small river in the North Georgia mountains. I could not pass up taking a few shots while I was up there. This large boulder was just sitting lonely near the edge of the river with the sun just right. This is definitely a place to return to.
Another shot from my trip to the creek. As much fun as this was, I am going to have to find another place similar to this. In fact, I have several ideas from places that I have been growing up. That’s one of the benefits from living in the mountains and having a Jeep. I got to explore many of the forest service roads.
One of my favorite things about Chattanooga are the bridges over the Tennessee River. This is the Market Street bridge which runs right by Ross Landing. I caught this just before sunset one evening. The colors were not spectacular, but it made for a decent “old” photo look.
Another shot from my trip to the river / creek this past weekend. There were so many compositions that I left some to go back and take at another time. I was intrigued though by this set of tree trunks partially in the water and partially on a rock. The water was so clear, I would have had trouble telling where it was if it had not been for the air bubbles and reflections.
The ruins at Sope Creek are pretty neat. When I initially made it to Sope Creek, I was about 300 yards down stream from Paper Mill Road. From this point, I thought the only ruins were on the other side of the creek and downstream. That would have not been a problem, but it had been raining for several days and had just cleared up. The creek was several feet above its normal level and there was no way I was going to cross. I decided to try the bridge at Paper Mill Road. When I got to the bridge, I found another part of the ruins that I did not know about. Since I was running short of time, I just shot these and plan to go back for the ones on the other side of the creek. This was a small creek that was beside the ruins and there was a small rock wall making a waterfall.
On the south shore of the Tennessee River and at the edge of Ross Landing is a pier that juts into the River. It is the dock for the Southern Belle Riverboat. I wanted to get some good shots of the pier, but found that the shots of the Market Street Bridge and Ross Landing were much better with the lighting.
