Another installment in the series, taken this past October in the Bear Rocks area of Dolly Sods, WV.
Through the years I’ve taken enough photographs that I would consider myself reasonably competent in terms of technique, but alas mistakes still do occur! In this case I made the cardinal error of using a polarizer in a wide angle shot, which is evident in the color gradient across the sky.
Tucker County, WV
Although we can probably all agree that it’s a grand idea to harness a pollution-free, renewable source of power such as wind, it’s unfortunate that the wind turbines themselves so often end up spoiling views in mountain areas where there’s enough wind to actually harness.
This seemingly endless line of wind turbines is situated just north of the Bear Rocks Preserve in Dolly Sods and stretches northeast into the distance along the Allegheny Front. Evidence of the abundance of wind resources in this area can be seen in the one-sided pines situated in the foreground, made this way by the incessant wind from the west forcing all the branches to grow in an easterly direction.
Tucker County, WV
A wind-sculpted boulder at Bear Rocks Preserve, Dolly Sods, WV.
I’ve got a series of photos to share over the next few days from Dolly Sods, a high plateau region in northeastern West Virginia known for it’s spectacular views, bizarrely misshapen trees/rocks, and horrendous weather.
This photo was taken in early October looking east from one of the overlooks along the Allegheny front. Odds are that right now you could measure the snow at this location with a yardstick, as hurricane Sandy administered its own unusual punishment to the Mountain State in the form of an epic blizzard.
Tucker County, WV
A garbage strewn yard alongside a dwelling in rural West Virginia. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns out there.
As regular readers of this blog know by now, I love to photograph old abandoned buildings. The problem is that sometimes it’s not easy to tell the abandoned ones from the occupied. On more than one occasion I’ve stopped the car to investigate what appeared to be an abandoned structure only to see a light on inside or smoke rising from a chimney. Hopefully I’ll never accidentally walk into someone’s living room.
In this case the house was definitely occupied. I think.
Calhoun County, WV
A boat inexplicably beached at the edge of a forest and far from water in Calhoun County, WV.
Calhoun County, WV
Country church with cemetery, photographed way back in the hills of West Virginia.
Calhoun County, WV
View of the Little Kanawha River in Gilmer County, WV. I’m not devoted enough to get in the water for the purposes of photography, this was actually taken from a low water crossing.
Gilmer County, WV
A perilous looking set of stairs leading to the rear exit of an auto repair business. It would appear that these guys gave up on the one parked at the bottom of the steps. 🙂
Gilmer County, WV
Roadside scene, Braxton County, WV.
From a technical standpoint I struggled trying to balance the lighting in this image. Hopefully nothing looks too out of whack.
When I was shooting this I did not notice the way the background mountain echoes the shape of the rooftop (so much for the all-seeing photographer theory!). Upon reviewing the image on my computer that echoing shape leaped out at me and made me want to return sometime to explore the possibilities further. Unfortunately it is some distance from my home though, so we’ll see.
Braxton County, WV
Lilly Photography 