Providence Canyon: Photo Essay

The bottom of the canyon with rivulets of water.

Butterfly on leaf on canyon bottom

Incredible carving and color

One of several 'cuts' in the walls

Chimney looking formation against blue sky

From above at the overlook

Providence Canyon: Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon

We never heard of this place. We told friends that we planned on camping in Marianna, FL and as part of the trip hoped to get to some of the Georgia State Parks. They told us not to miss this one, and emailed some photographs they took.

Intrigued by the photographs and the information found on the Internet, we decided to add it to our list. According to the Georgia park’s site, the massive gullies extend as far as 150 feet deep. Erosion from poor farming practices in the 1800s caused this man-made wonder. We planned our trip for a Wednesday to coincide with the visitor center opening days. Through the gift shop a door leads to a small but very well done history and interpretation of the area. From there, we left and walked down to the canyon floor. The trail can be steep and curvy in places, and the trip back up somewhat strenuous. We saw several people coming back up pausing to catch their breath as we made our way down. Wear shoes that can get wet, and be aware that the reddish Georgia earth will stain from the rivulets of water etching the ground at the bottom.

We followed the signs to the canyons and came upon the first cliff face. It was mid-morning on a hot, clear, sunny day, and all the colors in the face of the cliff showed beautifully. A jogger went by, clearly a local person who used the trail and canyon for her morning run, and we saw several people along the way walking their dogs. One woman told us she started coming there before the state created the trail, and loved it so much she still visits all the time.

 

Karl walking along trail

The park opens at 7 a.m., and during the hotter weather arriving early would make the hike more comfortable. The admission is $5. I took a lot of photographs. A polarizing filter would have been helpful, but I did not have one with me and still managed some good shots.

Here is part 1 of the photographs. The next blog will be a photo essay of more of the canyons.

Fun at Florida Caverns in Marianna Florida

Whenever we mention Florida Caverns someone always gives us a puzzled look. Florida has many caves and caverns, most of them water filled in the vast spring system. Florida Caverns State Park contains one of the only dry (air filled not water filled) caverns in Florida, and the only one that offers a tour.

Found and developed in the 1930s by workers with the Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC), work ceased in 1942 with the onset of World War II. The park opened to the public that same year. The workers cleared the cave area now used on the tour by hand, with light from lanterns. Imagine that while on your tour with the now ever present electric lights.

 

One of the first "rooms" as soon as you enter the cavern

The $8.00 per person tour starts at the Gift Shop, which also sells the tickets. The tours tend to be popular, and the number per tour limited. They leave every 30 minutes with the last one at 4:00 so if the next one is booked, a later one may be available. The tour involves walking on sometimes uneven, sometimes wet and often narrow stone paths, occasionally while simultaneously crouching down to avoid hitting your head on low rocks. The park classifies it as mildly strenuous. The tour lasts about 45 minutes. For those who worry feeling closed in, I suffer from mild claustrophobia, and I have taken this tour several times with no problem.

The guide reminds you not to touch anything, and stay with the group. Then, the guide leads the group to the door and into the cavern. I found the cavern temperature pleasant, not cool enough for a jacket as in other cave tours. The interpretation varies by guide, but each covers all the topics.

The various formations include the stalactites and stalagmites we learned about in school, and also ones I never heard such as soda straws, flows, and draperies. The “rooms” in the cave have been given interesting and fanciful names after the formations seen there, such as “Wedding Cake”, “Enchanted Forest”, and even “Donald Duck” for a formation that appears to be a duck’s head. At the end of the tour we exit back into the quiet green of the park and walk along a trail back to the parking lot.

That really is a pool of water you see

I photographed the cave with my 7D and a 24 – 105mm lens. I set the ISO at 800 to start, and did some initial test shots, increasing the ISO until I felt comfortable with the shutter speed and the results. One word of warning: others on the tour may be using cameras with automatic flash or cell phones with the same. If they flash as you press the shutter, you end up with a white screen. Wait a minute, and reshoot when they finish.

 

Last of Season Hike at Brooker Creek Preserve

Saturday we led our last of the season photography hike at Brooker Creek Preserve. The cool front that moved through Thursday and Friday left us with a pure blue sky, bright sun, and pleasant temperatures. Our group of enthusiastic photographers and nature lovers enjoyed a hike full of photo opportunities. At the bridge a juvenile hawk sat on low branches in plain sight, while several Black Vultures posed in the branches overhead. Suddenly the resident Anhinga pulled himself out of the water to a branch, and began preening and drying his wings. The side/back lighting perfectly showed off his wet feathers and cast a precise shadow on the spangle fern covered water.

Karl thought he spotted an alligator, and checking with my binoculars I saw one of the smaller gators with only his head showing. As we watched he began gliding toward us, stopping midway. Behind him, a Great Egret stood motionless waiting for prey.

We practiced manual focusing on some of the Golden Silk Orb weaver webs, played with the lighting on the scarlet and purple flowers of the blooming air plants, and tried a bit of ‘action photography’ with some bees and a butterfly enjoying the nectar from the button bush flowers. As we approached one of the areas still containing water after our very dry winter, we saw a Black-crowned Night Heron directly below the boardwalk. Used to people walking by at that point, we all took a few shots as we watched him.

As Karl always says “It isn’t Disney”. In a nature preserve there are no guarantees of what you might see, but that is part of the fun. This particular hike produced plenty of subjects, likely due to a perfect blend of weather, time of year, and avid photographers.

Our once a month nature photography hikes start once again the last Saturday of September 2017. See you then!

Leading the Last Hike of the Season at Brooker Creek Preserve

We lead the last photography hike of the season at Brooker Creek Preserve this Saturday, May 27 starting at 8:30 a.m. This will also conclude our hike series called “Seasons of Florida”. We start again on the last Saturday of September, 2017 with a new hiking series.

Our dry season either broke or came close to breaking some records this year. The lack of rain since October caused many wetlands visible from the boardwalks to completely dry up. The main channel, seen from the bridge, still contains water but appears more like a pond than a creek. Last week Karl spotted a large alligator, Great Blue Heron, and Anhinga together in that small area. Rains this past week may cause the creek to refill somewhat. We will see.

The long range forecast calls for a chance of rain on Saturday, though that will likely change between now and then. In the event of rain, we stay inside for a presentation and discussion of nature photography.

Some recent photographs from Brooker Creek Preserve, Tarpon Springs, FL:

Water Snake sunning itself

Summer Tanager and Blurred Photographs

Photography changes as all art forms change. Once “tack sharp” and only tack sharp meant an acceptable photograph. Now, blurring as an indication of motion or movement attracts a lot of attention, and acceptability.

The rules seem simple: everything except the item in motion remains sharp. This shows the viewer that you are not passing off a shaky photography or mistake as something you meant to do.

I found I need to add another rule. Shallow depth of field can throw the background out of focus in order to concentrate attention on the subject. When combined with the blur of the figure in motion, it appears jarring to me.

I photographed this Summer Tanager sitting in the tree, and kept the lens on him as he took off. I would have really had something if the pine needles had not been in the background. The tree itself is sharp, but that background has to go. Back to the drawing board!