My family and I just have just returned from an extra long weekend at Babcock State Park in West Virginia. The park is beautiful and home to the often photographed Cedar Creek Grist Mill. Trying to get an original image of the mill is nigh impossible at this point, but I took a few that I like, and for me, that is all that matters.
Cedar Creek Grist Mill
Cedar Creek Grist Mill
Sunset in Babcock State Park
Cathedral Falls near Gauley Bridge
Upper part of Cathedral Falls
Overlook at Hawk’s Nest State Park
Grandparents watching their kids play
A swinging bridge in Babcock
Other places we ventured too included Hawk’s Nest State Park, the New River Gorge Bridge, Cathedral Falls near Gauley Bridge and Plum Orchard Lake. West Virginia is a fantastic state for sight seeing and exploring. It seemed like everywhere we went, the landscaped was so impressive. I easily could have spent so much more time hiking around, but alas, I have to get back to my real job.
My family and I spent a great weekend at Laurelville for the bi-annual Association Weekend in our camper. It was a wonderful few days of time to spend with together in fellowship and volunteer for the camp.
The weather was cloudy with chances of rain, but that didn’t dissuade me from loading up my mountain bike and a backpack full of camera kit and heading out into the woods. Wanting to spend as much time pedaling as photographing, I opted to drive to the Jonathan Run trailhead in Ohiopyle. This trail is about a mile and a half long and runs to the main biking trail. Almost to the main trail, another trail branches off called Sugar Run. Both of these trails are mostly nice singletrack with some sprinkling of technical rocky sections, some nice flowy up and downs along with a few climbing sections. The scenery is top notch and there was no one around. I saw a single group of hikers all 3 hours I was on the trail.
Ohiopyle main falls
Cucumber Falls
Sugar Run Trail
Sugar Run Trail
Fechter Run Falls
Upper Jonathan Run Falls
Upper Jonathan Run Falls
Lower Jonathan Run Falls
Sugar Run Falls
Since we’ve had some rain the past few days and I was in the woods, the camera and tripod came along for the ride. I brought only a prime lens kit which consisted of a 12mm, 23mm, 35mm and my 56mm. The most used was my 12mm and 56mm. Having only primes was a nice change of pace and made me think more about the shots I wanted and the angles. I brought a variable neutral density filter and a circular polarizer as well to help with the colors and exposure times. All in all, it was a great morning of riding and picture taking.
Anyone that views my posts will notice that I’m a sucker for smooth waterfall photos. Anytime I see flowing water, I want to break out a tripod, screw an ND filter on my lens and slow that shutter speed way down. It may be cliche, it may be done to death, but a well composed waterfall shot with creamy water is just so tranquil and pleasing to look at. Below are my favorites that I’ve taken (no promises on the ‘well composed’ part) broken down by location.
This has to start of course with my favorite local hiking place, Ohiopyle State Park. I go there often since it’s a short distance away and offers so much variety. Between the colors in Autumn, the freeze in Winter, the flooding in Spring and the complete foliage in Summer, it always a bit different every time I go. First we have Ohiopyle in the Winter, since that is what we are experiencing now.
