Blue Ridge blog

A View to Hugh

If running five miles to the summit of Grandfather Mountain in July seems like a daunting task, try comparing that to the monumental mountain of photos Stephen Fletcher and Elizabeth Hull climb as they archive the late Hugh Morton's photo collection.
The collection, seven decades worth of one man's images estimated at over a half million slides, photographs, negatives and 60,000 feet of motion picture films, was donated last year to the North Carolina Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Morton's family.
The brave photo archivists are blogging their experience in A View to Hugh. The blog was started in November:

"It is intended to provide information about our progress, to provide glimpses into how photographic archivists work, to highlight interesting discoveries we make along the way, and to foster discussion and input from the many “Friends of Hugh”—residents of the state to which he devoted his life and any other interested parties.
Visit often, make comments, help us identify people and places depicted in the Morton photographs, and enjoy treasures from this wonderful and important collection."

If you are a North Carolinian with even a remote interest in history, or if you want to see yet another interesting way in which blogs are useful in problem solving, please visit often, especially if you have ties to Wilmington, UNC-CH or the High Country.

Catherine Morton, Hugh's daughter, wrote an insightful piece about the process of saving her father's historic images in Grandfather Mountain's newsletter.
Here is another great link to a PDF of the "Windows" article chocked full of photos and info on processing the Morton collection.
My favorite blog entry is the one titled, "Bear Wrestling". Be sure to read the comments on this grouping of photos--this is a fantastic example of photo provenance...

On an interesting side note, Elizabeth Arnold Hull is a Boone, NC native and an ASU archeology major (class of '99). She serves as proof that archeology majors indeed land cool jobs.

Death by Hummingbird

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed in the morning.
Me? I woke up just fine and am having a good day, but this poor little hummingbird in the gardens of the Mast Farm Inn is having a rough go of it. Apparently, the bird impaled a flying something with it's beak and now has the dead corpse stuck on it. I watched in amusement as it tried its best to git rid of the evidence.
And because the internet is the place of all possibilities, I post my evidence of death by hummingbird. It is unlikely you will ever see such a thing in mainstream media. Only here, my friends.
Oh I know the quality of this hummingbird photograph pales in comparison to that of Hugh Morton's, but remember, I am the twisted Blue Ridge photographer who has brought such odd shots to the world such as THIS, THIS, and THIS.

Wanna see what happens when a preying mantis meets a hummingbird?

P.S. The hummingbird turned down my offer to help.
P.S.S. I wish I had been there to see how the bird and insect met....
P.S.S.S. Any ideas for a good caption?

More photos of dumb hummingbird on the jump...

Today on top of Grandfather Mountain....

My face may be wind-burned and my legs are weary, but to quote the late James Brown, "I feel good."
Such is a winter day in the High Country.
I did go snowshoeing on Sugar Mountain this afternoon which is basically climbing up the ski slopes and using cut through trails. It was a short trip and not nearly as tough as I wanted it to be, but I learned I value a good pair of cleats on the snow/ice. Next time I have a ski/snowboarding gig I will ask for a pair of snowshoes instead of using skis. And, it is really a hoot to run down a mountain. Cleats the size of bear claws are good things.
Afterward I visited Grandfather Mountain. I had hoped to catch some rime ice photos, but the photogenic trails were closed. I'm glad they were because man, it was some kinda cold up there. This photo (above) looking southeast was not easy to take. The wind was relentless as it sliced through my body.  I used my Jeep as a windshield. I realize the horizon is off-kilter in the photo, but really, this was not ideal conditions to be shooting in (winds gusting 45-60 mph) and I was lucky to get anything. I used my 300mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter. Oh and, I was able to see the Charlotte skyline about 100 miles away. Again, it isn't a great shot and certainly is not as good as Hugh Morton's posted here but still, it was cool to know the sky was clear enough to see (not with the naked eye) the big city. I wish I had a polarizer filter to fit my 300mm lens, some extension tubes and morning light. Sigh. It is a live and learn photographer's life....

And Google this. Google comes to Lenoir. Will there be a brain-drain from Watauga County?

Give a man a camera and a mountain....

Let me first say that I Did Not take this photo. Or the one below either. Hugh Morton did. Hugh Morton passed away yesterday. Mr. Morton is a famous North Carolinian who championed the preservation of the Tarheel State's scenic beauty through his photography . It helped that he owned a mountain as grand as Grandfather.

I once heard Hugh Morton say that this photo of the hummingbird flirting with a bee balm blossom was the image of which he was most proud. We were at a Boone Chamber function and he was presenting a slide show of photography. The crowd like it, but they seemed more impressed by his blazing autumnal vistas. I believe that I was perhaps the only person in the room who understood the effort and patience that was necessary for Mr. Morton to capture this fleeting moment. I guess it is one of those 'photographer things' but sometimes it is the story behind the photo that makes an image that much sweeter to those of us who press the shutter.

My favorite Hugh Morton image is this one:

I was attending a camera clinic up at the Grandfather Mountain Nature Center and heard Hugh Morton talk about how he captured the image of the Charlotte skyline from the top of the mountain. He said that it was an unusually clear, unpolluted morning and one of his employees called him on the phone and told him that he thought he could see Charlotte. Hugh grabbed his camera gear and headed up top. I can't remember the focal length of the lens he used, but it was massive and he also had to use a tele-extender to reach the city. A print of this scene hangs in the Nature Center and I return to view it every single time I visit.
I'll always remember Hugh Morton as a photographer's photographer. He understood the needs of a working photojournalist and went out of his way to make the job easier for us. Hugh Morton was a visionary who possessed a God given talent for capturing the soul of our North Carolina mountains on film and then promoting their beauty throughout the land. Rest in peace, Hugh. Your life's portfolio shows, without a shadow of doubt, that you were proud to call North Carolina home.