Before the Sun Sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I took this picture of a single tree on top of a hill on the Blue Ridge Parkway prior to the sun rising.  It was a soft and mild summer morning with long grass swaying in a warm breeze.

This fine art photograph of the Blue Ridge Mountains was taken in the Doughton Park area of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The photo was taken well before sunrise and the first light of a new day had just begin to appear on the horizon.  The soft grasses of summer were swaying in a breeze and the leaves of the trees rustled.  I like this photo because of its warmth and soft generic style.  Soft motion can be seen in the tree and grasses.  The Daughton Park area has always been one of my favorites.  If you know the area well, there are some hidden wild apple trees there and in the fall you can get some of the best tasting apples you have ever bitten into.



-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

A stunning colorful Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Sunrise

I took this photo of a spectacular colorful fall sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah Forest area of North Carolina.  The sunlight was shining down through a layer of fog,  illuminating the mountains decorated with fall colors.

Unfortunately, many of the beautiful trees seen here may no longer exist.  The North Carolina mountains have been hit hard with an aphid-like insect infestation.  The Wooly Adelgid feeds on hemlock and spruce trees and poses a major threat to forests in North Carolina as well as other eastern areas.

But very little can be done about the problem.  The insects can be removed from trees by vigerously washing them, or by trimming infested branches from the tree.  However, this is logistically impossible considering that entire mountain ranges full of trees would have to be individually tasked.  Insectisides are not usable because of potential pollution to streams and lakes.  Unfortunately, there is little that can be done but to watch these beautiful trees and forests die off.

Disregarding problems, I have always loved this picture.  The way the sun is sitting just underneath the low clouds, and the way it shines upon and illuminates the fall colors is beautiful.

-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

The Dangerous Side of Fine Art Photography

I have been assaulted, injured, and have had camera and equipment destroyed while taking pictures.  One time I knew, not thought, but knew I was going to die of freezing exposure.  This image, and the story behind it, is one of those times when taking risks yields dramatic results..

STORMY BODIE LIGHTHOUSE OUTER BANKS

I enjoy the challenge of shooting pictures under adverse conditions. All too often I run across photographers who run and hide their heads from the rain, thinking that their best work can only be done in fair weather. I have found that the most dramatic images are often created in and under bad conditions.

Lightning can be seen surrounding the
Bodie Lighthouse as tropical storm
Danny passed over in pre-dawn hours.

Often a photographer's personal experiences encountered while capturing an image will influence their feelings about it.  Such is the case with Stormy Bodie.
This is the Bodie Lighthouse on Bodie Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This image was shot while tropical storm Danny was rolling over the Outer Banks in August, 2009. High winds peaking at 60 miles per hour, walls of driving rain, incredible non-stop lightning... the conditions could not have been better for a photo adventure!

When I left Buxton (Outer Banks - Hatteras Island) about two hours before sunrise that morning, I did not know where to go. I had no plan other than to be shooting somewhere at first light, about an hour before sunrise. I didn't really expect to see a sunrise during a tropical storm, but I wanted to do something! That quiet, still little voice in my ear said "Bodie!" So I went.

It's normally about a 45 minute drive from Buxton to Bodie. It took longer. As I made the drive in the dark, I became disheartened because I drove thru patches of horrendous downpours and wind. The highway was flooded in areas, as Highway 12 on the Outer Banks often is. I often use an umbrella to shoot in rain primarily to protect the camera, but I knew that would not be possible this time because the wind was so heavy it would have blown the top of the umbrella apart. I truly believed that when I got to Bodie I would be forced to stay in the car and watch.

As I began to near Bodie, I literally shouted out loud! Woo Hoo! The rain was subsiding, the wind had lessened, and the lightning was still popping like firecrackers! Who could ask for more! As I pulled into Bodie, I knew I had to work fast as this respite was only temporary and soon the rain and wind and violent weather would begin again.

This image was taken with another camera.
In it you can see dozens of white trails.
These are the mosquitoes, swarming everywhere.

I jumped out of the car, set up the tripods and cameras as fast as I could, went to position a good shot, and snapped an image. And that's all she wrote. I was instantly driven back to my car by another danger you would never know about viewing the Stormy Bodie picture: the mosquitoes were horrendous! I abandoned the cameras and hightailed it back to the car to load up with Deet.  The mosquitoes can be seen in the black & white picture.

I shot some more while still being attacked. As it stands, I was forced back to the car three different times and used about half a can of Deet. And still, those darned little devil bats kept biting, right thru the Deet. I realized it was a losing battle and just allowed myself to be tortured.

The lightning was really popping - multiple times each second. And that was my goal - to capture Bodie lighthouse with lightning. I took some good photos. Unfortunately, the size restrictions of images on this blog diminish the impact. But in the Stormy Bodie image you can see multiple pops behind and illuminating the clouds to the right of the lighthouse, lightning to the left, and down at the bottom-left, a very large bolt striking the ground. It probably hit the ocean which is in that direction.

Another reason I like this picture is because of the timing. Normally, you're more likely to get thunderstorm pictures in North Carolina during the afternoon and evening. Early morning thunderstorms are less frequent. But Danny began to roll into the area in the early morning hours. The show it created was great and the timing could not have been better.

As it turned out, the rain and wind did not return as quickly as I had anticipated. I managed to take photos for quite a while and also had time to set up the infrared camera and get some really nice black & white storm pictures with it. They will be published at a future date.
That's the story, and why this image is a personal favorite. It wasn't about the picture, it was about taking the picture. It was an adventure, and a good example of how often the story behind a picture can mean more to a photographer than the picture itself.

For you photographers, the important technical info: Canon 5D Mark II, 30 sec., f5.6, ISO 1600, 24-70 L, manual, fl 35.0 mm; and the most important info: OFF! brand, Deep Woods Sportsman Deet :)

The moral of this story is that to get dramatic pictures, you need to photograph dramatic scenes.  Be safe, but don't always run and hide your head from the rain.  Sunshine, blue sky, and puffy white cloud pictures are nice.  They have their place.  But dramatic pictures are too.

-------------------------------
To purchase the image, click:


-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Sand Dune Textures - Outer Banks North Carolina

A new photo has been added to the gallery.

A fine art photograph is of a beautiful sand done on Pea Island Outer Banks North Carolina was added to the photo gallery.  The picture is available in traditional fine art photography and fine art black & white styles.

Sand dune pictures are common, but I like this one because of the nice textures in the sand and the softly sweeping curving patterns of the sand in the dune.  Also, the way the picture was captured with the far background being blurred, the viewer's eyes are brought to the foreground of the photo, to the textures and lines.  Although sand dune photos and somewhat common, they remain a very good item for interior decoration because they are generic and can fit into any room in any residential or office environment.



-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Flowers of Spring on Blue Ridge Parkway

A new picture has been added to the gallery.

This fine art photograph was taken shortly after sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  It shows a foggy spring morning with brilliant new growth green and newly budding flowers on the trees.  Prints are available in traditional fine art photography and painted photograph versions.

This picture was taken in the Doughton Park area of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina .  The photo was in early May.  In lower elevations, May is considered to be mid- or late-spring.  But at the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Spring comes later.

It was shortly after sunrise, and patches of fog were rolling up the eastern side of the mountain, floating across the roadbed of the parkway, and rolling down the western side.  The fog makes the scene soft and gentle.  I like the patches of light that poked through holes in the fog that light areas of the grass and flowering trees.  This fine art print epitomizes the softness, the brightness and the beauty of Spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Many people focus on Fall as the time to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway.  But as can be seen here, Spring provides a wonderful ride, too



-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina Foggy Tree at Sunrise

A new fine art photograph has been added to the gallery.  It is a picture of a lone tree as it sits atop a hill at sunrise on a foggy morning on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  The photo is available in traditional fine art photography and painted photograph styles.

The photo was taken in the Doughton Park area which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  I originally had hiked up the hill in complete darkness to take sunrise pictures starting before first light..  But as the sun began it's morning climb into the sky, a bank of heavy fog began to head my way.  I could see the fog might create some great pictures. I waited patiently as it moved into my area.  In this fine art photograph you can see the sunrise was hidden by the fog as it entered from the right (east), sweeping to the left.  The softness of the fog blends well with the soft summer grass.

I like the softness of this photo and the way the fog helps isolate the tree and grasses.  The picture is simple and not cluttered, unlike many landscape pictures that are too busy.  This fine art print looks great hanging matted and framed on a wall or as a canvas print.




Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Pink Sand Dunes Blue Sky - Outer Banks

I have added a new fine art photograph to the galleriy.  The picture is of a sunrise on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  You can see the vivid light from the rising sun illuminating the right side of the sand dune and bush.  The fine art print is available in surreal and painted photograph styles.

This fine art print is not a normal sunrise picture.  The photo has been painted to create a surreal picture, and the abstract colors were painted into the photo to create a surreal and abstract style that is almost pastel.

The colors are vivid and the overall scene is lively and colorful.  Sand and sky were brushed to enhance the surreal, abstract style.  The original photograph was taken on a cold morning in late winter just after sunrise.  The location was on the beach within sight of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.



This picture is surreal.  I posted it because I like surreal art.  I know other people who also like it.  But some people don't.  Fine art such as this often brings out extremes - it's love it or hate it.  I have found that pictures such as this hanging on a wall are good conversation starters.  Surreal art is like that.  That's one of the reasons I like fine art infrared black & white photography.  Infrared is surreal to begin with.  Add an artistic twists to it, like painting an infrared photograph, and you have a surreal - even abstract - work of art.  Here is an example:



Feel free to comment. Do you love surreal art or hate it?
-------------------------------
Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)

(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Foggy Lake on Blue Ridge Parkway Peaks of Otter

New fine art photography was recently added in the online gallery of fine art photographer Dan Carmichael.  The picture is of a foggy spring day on Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  Fine art giclee prints are available in traditional fine art color photography, as a painted photograph, and as black & white infrared photography.

The picture was taken at Abbott Lake which is located at Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.

It was a very foggy day, and this photo was taken in the late afternoon when the fog was very thick.  The lake has been in and out of periods of drought over the years but here the water level is high.  Spring comes later in the high altitudes of the Blue Ridge Mountains than it does in the flatlands, so this image is filled with the brilliant, bright greens of new spring growth.  The weather made the water choppy which created a nice texture in the picture.  Another photo was taken to produce a black & white version in infrared, and is available in the gallery.




-------------------------------

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:>
>
(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)>
If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium canvas, print, metal print, etc., and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Summer Trees and Flowers - Blue Ridge Mountains

This fine art photography print of sunlight as it streams through the trees was taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  The location is near the Cone Manor Price Lake areas.

The picture was taken at sunrise and I like the way the sunlight illuminates the summer flowers and long grasses.  The photo was especially hard to take because the winds were blowing at gusts up to 55 MPH at the time.  The movement of the flowers and grasses was severe and the winds were so strong, even the trunk and thick limbs of the large and sturdy tree were moving.  Fine art prints are available in traditional fine art photography and painted photograph versions.

The colors and subject of this image match any decor and would be great for interior decorating.




Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to: Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:


(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
(If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.

Silence After The Snow - Greensboro North Carolina

A new fine art photograph of a gazebo on a lake in the snow in the Greensboro, North Carolina area has been added to the gallery.  This picture is available in traditional fine art photography and painted photograph versions.

This photo was taken the day after Christmas. On Christmas day we had an unusually heavy snow storm sweep through the triad area of North Carolina.  The snow was deep by Greensboro standards and left a pristine white beautiful coat behind.

This photo is of a small lake and gazebo and trees that is located very close to the border between Greensboro and High Point North Carolina.  Recently added to my galleries were traditional fine art photography and painted photograph version of this image.  The traditional fine art photograph was painted to produce a painting style version.




Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.

To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to: Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

To contact me for more info or to see if any discount codes are available for your purchase, email me at:

(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com) (If requesting a discount code, please tell me the name of the image, the medium (canvas, print, metal print, etc.), and the size.

All work is © Copyright Dan Carmichael, 2013. All rights reserved.