Fall in North Carolina: Raleigh

It's peak fall foliage time here and photographers everywhere are out en masse, including myself.  These are some shots from around my home and in Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC.

Fall in Tennessee: Knoxville to Gatlinburg

Took a short trip to Tennessee this weekend to visit family.  I wish I'd had more time to work on photography but (excuses, excuses) all pictures except the railroad tracks were snapped hanging out the car window or sunroof as we drove.  Not too bad considering...

Fall hayrides and horses in the countryside.

I read about this blurring technique in a photography book (by Bryan Peterson) and thought I'd give it a try.  I just popped my camera out the sunroof, but at least I didn't have to lay on top the car as he describe to get the shot!

Gulfport, MS

I got my first dslr, a Canon 50d a month or so ago.  I'm still learning but I'm terribly excited and have been taking pictures like crazy every where we go.  On a recent trip to the Biloxi Gulfport area of Mississippi I spent the day practicing around the coastal parts.  This area was hit hard by Katrina a few years ago, but they are working hard to restore things. 

I saw this driving past and it compelled me to turn back.  I wish I'd pulled the staircase out from the background better on this one, but it really was time to go catch my flight home.

India

In December of 2008, we took an amazing trip to India. We went on an exciting adventure in the Jim Corbett National Park located in northwest India. This park is a tiger reserve, but you must have plenty of time to wait for them to appear.  We did see a few wild elephants, boar and tons of deer and monkeys.  It was actually my favorite part of the trip!

We spent the night in the park and woke early to search for feeding animals.  A thick fog gave a surreal quality to the paths we travels down in the early hours.

A pair of elephants grazing in the tall grasses.  We had to be very quiet as they are known to stampede when startled (we had some younger cousins adventuring with us) so this was the best shot I got of them.

Hawaii

In 2004 we had a wonderful trip to the Hawaiian islands.  The Big Island of Hawaii is not heavily populated and we were able to drive around the island in a single day.

We also visited the Volcano National Park where we hiked out just before sunset to see the lava flows from Kilauea.  Even the breeze felt hot on your skin.  Our shoes would get very warm from the lava just below the hard surface.  It was truly stunning the see the glowing lava come alive after sunset.

A year or so later, we decided to relocate to Hawaii.  We enjoyed many more beautiful sights on a daily basis.  I only had a small Sony camera and was not seriously interested in photography at the time, so I didn't get to take full advantage of the abundant beauty.

This is a shot from Waimea Beach on the North Shore of Oahu in September.  It is famous for its huge waves during the winter months, but it is fairly calm this time of year.