Canaan Valley Sunrise

December 21, 2007 in West Virginia

If you think of photographers as people who just sit around all day and take some pictures when they feel like it… well, I wish you were right! The best light and the best time to take pictures is often before the sunrise, and at sunset, and sometimes (okay, most time) its real hard to get out of bed at 5am to go outside and get your fingers moving in the cold just to get that golden light that you want.

I leave my curtains open purposefully so that I am woken up by the rising sun every morning. In that moment where I silently curse the bright light in my sleepy i-hate-mornings-eyes, when I realize that the light I am cursing is really a beautiful sunrise full of color, my mood changes, and if its a good day, I get out of bed and snap a few pictures… if its gray and raining, I close the curtains and go back to sleep. Sometimes, its the simple motivations that can just be enough to get you going and oh so worth it in the end.

This picture was the same way, taken a few steps out the door in Canaan Valley, West Virginia.

Share on TwitterShare on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponDigg ThisSubmit to redditShare via email

Blackwater Falls

December 20, 2007 in West Virginia

Blackwater Falls, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

Blackwater Falls is located in Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia. Later that day, I was led into the park at about 11pm to experience the darkest state in the nation. So far removed from light pollution, i was completely blown away when i looked up into the sky.

“Its not dark enough to see the Milky Way, you’ll be looking down your telescopic barrel at entire galaxies and planetary nebula–remnants of dead and dying stars.” If you don’t have a telescope (like myself) you can still see the Milky Way in all its glory. I had no clue that the sky could look like that until visiting and till this day am still jaw dropped at what i saw.

To all those who don’t like the outdoors all the much, If you visit West Virginia at night (lead by some ranger or naturalist from a park, of course) then I will get off your case about railing you on getting out more often, and even better, you will probably want to get out more on your own after realizing what has been above your head every night hiding.

Check out this picture taken from East Lynn, WV by Jeff Ball if you need convincing.

Share on TwitterShare on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponDigg ThisSubmit to redditShare via email