The Story Behind The Image; Water And Rocks In Dappled Sunlight

Water rushing over rocks, Babcock State Park, West Virginia (click to enlarge)
Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens @  58mm; 5 sec. @ f/14; ISO 200

A group of photographer friends and I met in West Virginia a couple of summers ago, as much to just get together and enjoy our friendship as it was to photograph.  One of the places we visited was the Babcock State Park.  The obvious most photographic subject in Babcock State Park is the Glade Creek Grist Mill.  

I had been there in the autumn when the leaves were exploding with color, so seeing it in the summer surrounded by all green, wasn't nearly as attractive.  Not that it is a scene not worth photographing, but not as spectacular was could be.  I still wanted to take advantage of the "different" look from my other images.  I set up my tripod in the creek and made some images, then decided to move on.  As my friends spent the majority of their time photographing the mill, I started wandering downstream to see what else of interest I could find.

The image above is the result.  It is one of my favorite images.  Of course, the scene didn't look like this when I noticed it, but visualizing what it could be with a long exposure, caused me to stop and make some images of this little scene.

Below is the grist mill and the "obvious" image everyone makes.  There is nothing wrong with it at all.  However, after seeing it in the autumn, with blazing reds, oranges, etc., makes the summer version somewhat mundane.

Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park, West Virginia (click to enlarge)
Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens @  52 mm; 1.6 sec. @ f/11; ISO 200

I was very pleased with my image of the silky water sliding over the wet rocks in dappled sunlight as well as the one of the grist mill.  Sometimes we have to look for the less obvious to gain more photographic satisfaction.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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