Tag: Kentucky Page 1 of 2
After booking our campsite for Cumberland Falls, I discovered an Only in Your State article describing Eagle Falls as the best waterfall in Kentucky. So, after our first night in our new camper, we put on our hiking clothes and hit the trail.
The trail to the falls is a mile and a half round trip moderate hike. The trail from the parking area to where you cross Eagle Creek basically has you climb up and down a substantial hill. Once you get to the highest elevation on the trail, there’s a marker for an overlook in .1 miles to the top of the hill. Don’t be tricked by this, there is nothing up there except some old playground equipment. There is no view to be seen from there. Save yourselves the steps when you get a stunning view of Cumberland Falls from the main trail.
Once you cross the river, there is some rock scrambling following paint on boulders. It can be tricky to get your footing, but by the time you get to the falls, it is totally worth it. We got there early and it was after labor day so we were able to sit on the rocks and just watch the falls for a bit with the place completely to ourselves. It was nice way to relax before climbing back to the parking area. Somehow, the trail felt easier on the way back to the car. Maybe Eagle Falls refreshed me.
This is a very popular trail so going early or during the week would allow you to beat the crowds. Going off-season doesn’t hurt either. In the heat of the summer, people flock here to cool off in the pool under the waterfall. It was not warm enough for that when we visited but I can imagine it gets busy in Kentucky heat.
Overall, if you are in the area and have the time and ability for this hike I definitely recommend it. Sitting by the base of a waterfall without another soul around is a very special experience!
Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.
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Way back in May we ordered a mini camper. Because of supply chain issues and high demand thanks to COVID, it took about twelve weeks for it to be ready. Both our summer road trip and our Labor Day Weekend getaway were planned with the camper in mind. Good thing we’re seasoned tent campers since our camper wasn’t ready until mid-September. I will post more about our toy in a few weeks!
There are no dealers in Michigan that sell this camper so we decided to take a road trip down to a dealer in Tennessee to pick it up. On the way back, we camped at Cumberland Falls State Park near Corbin, Kentucky. The campground at Cumberland Falls is very small. The campground only has 50 sites all together. The sites with electricity are very small and very close together. The maximum length for a rig on the site we were on is only 23 feet so that rules out most campers. The site was the perfect size for our tiny camper for one night on our way home, but I don’t know that it’s a place I would be able to camp at for longer than a weekend. What is great about this campground is how convenient it is to the falls. It is less than a mile from the campground to the parking area. If you are not the camping type, the park is also home to a modern lodge with a restaurant.
The 69 foot tall Cumberland Falls is known as the Niagara of the South. The falls can be viewed from many platforms accessible from the parking. The platforms each give you a different perspective to see the rushing water. Cumberland Falls is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where a moonbow is regularly visible. Similar to a rainbow, a moonbow forms around the time of a full moon over the mist of the rushing water from the falls. Visit the Cumberland Falls website for dates where the moonbow is visible at the park. Overall, I highly recommend a stop at this beautiful natural gem in southern Kentucky!
Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.
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A few months ago, I saw this video on color grading in cinema. I thought it was remarkable that this type of color editing is so common in video, but is not really taught to hobbyist photographers, nor is it often discussed in any of the online photography communities of which I am a part.
This began my deep dive on YouTube and anywhere else into the world of color grading, and it has become an indispensable part of my style. The idea of individual photographic style is one that really appeals to me, and I have been seeking to find mine. I think that for me, there are two things that I’d like to be known for. Those things are not being afraid to go abstract/impressionistic, and not being afraid to manipulate hues and tone curves in tasteful, and cinematic ways.
To the untrained eye, I actually don’t want to be known for the second one. I think the real art here is not knowing the work done to the original image, which can be seen on the right.
I hope you’ll continue to join me on Fridays as I share my art with you. Also, please comment on this post or on social media so that we can discuss this and other works together.
How to see my work:
I am focusing on Instagram right now, you can see my work here, and please follow me!
I’m back on the blog!
In most of my previous posts, I would write a bit about the photo- where I took it, or how I took it or processed it. I would then follow with the technical details of the shot.
I’m going to change this format up and now simply talk about the photo- why I took it, or why I like it, or what it is supposed to say. I will bring up technical details if they are relevant, but I’ve spent the past few months trying to think less technically and more artistically, so my posts will reflect that.
The image above was taken at a park in Lexington, Kentucky called McConnell Springs. It’s in kind of an industrial area but once you walk back into the park you wouldn’t know it. This is the start of the Town Branch, a small river that runs through Lexington. It actually goes underground a few times between here and the main part of the river.
I really like the shape of this image. If you look from bottom to top, you see a series of ascending triangles, or maybe chevrons (^) going up to the top. The light lifts your eyes down the creek and up to the sky. The shapes in the creek help with this as well. You can also see one V shape from the top corners coming down to about the middle of the frame. This causes an X shape in light that draws your eyes to the middle of the frame. Finally, we have this filtering of red light on the left side of the frame that hits green in the middle and right of the frame. Red and green are a highly satisfying combination of colors.
I hope you’ll continue to join me on Fridays as I share my art with you. Also, please comment on this post or on social media so that we can discuss this and other works together.
How to see my work:
I am focusing on Instagram right now, you can see my work here, and please follow me!
Last week, I mentioned visiting Kentucky and touring Bourbon Distilleries. Well, our trip didn’t end there. After visiting Wild Turkey on Saturday, our car started making a clunking sound when the steering wheel was turned. We planned on visiting Natural Bridge State Park, but with our car in this state, we decided we would have to skip it. Luckily, our friends drove us around Lexington on Sunday when the Kia Dealer was closed. First thing Monday, we headed to Car City Kia. We waited for awhile, when finally the service manager came out and told us that our car was not drive-able and they wouldn’t have the parts to fix it until Tuesday. We were supposed to go back to work on Tuesday, so this put a bit of a wrench in our plans. Luckily, she explained, this was related to a recall that we had repaired this summer, so through Kia’s trip interruption coverage, they would cover our rental car, our hotel, and food for the night. So, we got an extra day in Lexington on Kia’s dime, they fixed the car, and we were able to make it to Natural Bridge after all!
About this Photo:
The hike to the Natural Bridge involves climbing an elevation of 420 feet. This photo was taken about a quarter of the way up on the Balanced Rock Trail (which is the steepest trail in the park and a reminder that research is important before any photography adventure) looking back over where we had come from. Even though it was the beginning of November, fall colors seemed to be at their peak this past week in Kentucky.
Camera Gear
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 Kit Lens, handheld
Date Taken
October 31, 2016
Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. To plan your visit to The Natural Bridge, visit Kentucky State Parks.
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