Blue Ridge blog

The rhodos on campus are bloomin' awesome...

Revisiting TTV

 

Yesterday evening, after having checked the mail, I wondered the Valle. I stopped bu Sarah's field and was compelled to take photos of her aging fodder with the green grass of hope beginning to take cover. I used a method called TTV (Through the Viewfinder) to take this image. Here is a Ttv tutorial. This is not the first time I've ventured in TTV land, but was inspired to reach into my bag of old cameras tricks to manipulate some vintage to the scene. I was encouraged partly by the images on display at the Turchin Center for the Appalachian Mountain Photography competition. I was one of three judges honored with the challenging, yet humbling experience. Dude, there are some hot shooters in the High Country! Be sure to check out the link above to see the exhibit or visit this AMPC site to vote for the "People's Choice Award." The contest supports the Appalachian State Outdoor Programs and runs in conjunction with the popular Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour which will be shown in Boone on March 28th.

Ending on a positive note....

It is cold and blustery. Again. I could not conjure a February image blue enough to go with this post but I did summon the energy to rise a bit earlier and catch the sun poke through snow studded clouds.
I'm thinking this month should move along on the coattails of the cruel winter winds which ushered it in a couple of weeks ago..
And It's not just me. One co-worker occasionally bursts out in song: "All the leaves are brown and the sky is bluish gray. February winter. I wish it'd go away."

Enough whining. Especially now that I remembered next Tuesday is Mardi Gras so there is a good reason for the month of February afterall. I called Stickboy and they're selling the traditional King Cakes for $12.99.
King Cakes and medallions for all!

Last week Diane Sawyer pretended to be one of us as she bravely donned a pair of skinny jeans, plastered her hair in a ponytail and tiptoed her Jimmy Choos into the poverty stricken hills of Appalachia. The documentary was nothing but a sorry parade of hillbilly cliches questioning why anyone would live in this region. The complete lack of balance in the footage remains stuck in my crawl. I may not have much power to counter Ms. Sawyer's irresponsible reporting but I will point you in the direction of sites which prove this region is filled with something more than toothless meth addicts.

Marie's handful of links asking  " Why would you live any where but Appalachia?" :

1.  Appalachian Today  A current glimpse of positive news, information, images and stories.
2. Merlefest
3. Hillbilly Savants. A site listing hundreds of literate hillbilly bloggers.
4. The Blue Ridge Parkway , the Appalachian Trail and Appalachian Treks. It is gorgeous here.
5. Appalachian State football. Ok, I'm throwing this one in for my own folly.

**Update**

So here ya go. Help is on it's way. I'm delighted the Kentucky football kid gets another chance.

I'm keeping my mouth closed because my momma said I needed to be more discreet. And yes, she is right.

A snowy campus; Appalachian State University

   

  

Here is but a few of the hundreds of images I have taken over the last several days. Despite ridiculous wind chills, the latest snow was picture perfect and ripe with marketing brochure possibilities.
Each morning I woke up, put on long johns then added several more layers of clothing to protect myself from the elements. When I entered the office I was greeted by student interns who were less enthusiastic than me about venturing outdoors to learn to capture such moments.

"I left my camera at home," one kid whined.

"I stayed up late last night and don't feel good," was the excuse of another.

My response to them was to ask the question:
"How badly do you desire to be a working photographer? Or are you content being a wanna be?"

Ahhh, I enjoy teachable moments. As I explained to them: Possessing a $2,000 camera and all the photo knowledge in the world, doesn't make a memorable moments alone.

Great photos rarely come knockin' on the doorstep....You must seek them.

This is a squirrelly post...

It is just hard let this one go.... While all the other grown-ups at graduation politely shunned the girl with a stuffed squirrel mounted on her mortar board, I could not ignore it. In fact, I was hypnotized. While the Lt. Gov. Elect was speaking and it was my job to capture all his wisdom in one shot, I constantly looked backward at the bobbing rodent as it's puppet master talked to her nearby friend. All I really wanted to do was to ask the girl with the rat hat why she chose to wear this varmit today. I imagined her answer to be squirrelly like: "This was my grandpa's pet squirrel 'Frisky' and I promised him when he died I would take him everywhere with me. Or perhaps, "I am a biology major and I am concerned with the recent death of the family Sciuridae. I never got the chance to ask the Graduate but I hope to god she has a good story. Otherwise, I pity her because she is going to end up just like me...

Being a sad Mountaineer is only temporary...

The sting from yesterday's loss to Richmond isn't nearly so bad this morning...especially after having gone through all of my images and finding a couple of gems such as this one of my friend leaning on his camera on the sideline yesterday. I also enjoyed posting a ton of ASU fan photos over the last couple of years on my blog and win or lose, I will continue to do so because documenting the fervent spirit of ASU fans at The Rock is a phenomenon currently unique to the NCAA Football Champions Subdivision. ASU fans do spirit way better than just throwing silly streamers around. They cheer their team even in defeat. Way to go guys. You've done us proud and I can't wait to see what you do season.

I've posted a photo album of the game here.

Somebody had to lose and today it was finally our turn...

Don't worry kid, maybe next year Santa will wear black and gold again. Until then, keep your chin up and remember that every day is indeed a great day to be a Mountaineer. Go App! App State falls to the Richmond.

I will be working on a photo album this evening, but it may be tomorrow before it is posted. I'm going to post a ton of photos because...I want to.

*Update*

It's ok kid, you weren't the only one upset. Here's a shot of Quick consoling Coco. We are all Appalachian, afterall.

As KatieBonk said, "SC State brought it to the game. Fortunately, so did we."

When Appalachian State's opening drive ends with a fumble at the 1 yard line, it becomes apparent that it is again a fight for life in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. But, even in the darkest of moments, I believe in the ability of the Mountaineers to dig deep and rally. And my Apps didn't disappoint me, overcoming the feisty Bulldogs 37-21. I'll be compiling an album and will post it on the top sidebar sometime tonight or tomorrow morning.

Appalachian State Football = Southern Conference Champs again, again, again and again.

That makes four in a row. Under wet, windy weather, the Mountaineers defeat the Elon Phoenix 24-16 at The Rock on Saturday. The photo is of Matt Cline scoring in the first half.

Them Apples...

I saw this loaded apple tree on the side of Hwy. 421 a couple of days ago while heading down the mountain. Truly, the scene was gray and wet, as in the frog soaker variety, making the apples even that much more contrasting. An industrial size 'keep Marie from trespassing' fence blocked me from getting closer. Naturally, I hoped on top of my Jeep's roof to get the only other possible angle. Soaked, yet feeling fruitful, I uploaded the image only to find a garish digital file. The photo was nothing like what I saw and had hoped to capture in pixels. Enter Gnumoon, the empress of Photoshop. After describing the scene to her, she stole the image from my Desktop and within minutes, effortlessly transformed it into the above image.

"How do you like them apples?" she asked.

very much

And yes indeed I am going to the Appalachian State vs Elon game. Forecast? Looks like snow.