Harpers Ferry, WV

I’m not sure what function this building served, although it clearly had direct access to the river. Whatever it was it’s now just another abandoned building being slowly reclaimed by nature.

Harpers Ferry, WV

I’ve actually done very little post work on this one. A slight vibrance tweak and some sharpness is about it.

It’s such a dramatic sky it didn’t really need much help. The scene looks warming, but it was actually just a little above freezing. I was using a “cloudy” setting for white balance which tends to warm up images. In this case I rather like the effect.

Since I only signed up for this project yesterday I didn’t really have time to think of anything very clever for the first photo. So I fell back on a favorite spot of mine.

This hill in Harpers Ferry, WV overlooks the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. It’s a particularly scenic location at any time of day or year. To keep it relevant though I got up early this morning (1/1/12) aiming to capture the first rays of the new year.

Dawn is a funny thing in this spot. Officially it was at 7:30am, however because of the mountains the sun didn’t crest the horizon until just before 8am.

The White Hall tavern in Harpers Ferry is set up to show visitors how a typical pub might have looked in the mid 1800s.

Outside is a sign noting that Merriweather Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) stopped here to gather provisions before heading off to join William Clark for their historic expedition.

Harpers Ferry’s unique geographical location makes it a touch point for a lot of US history.

Harpers Ferry is basically built on the corner of a hill. So where ever you stand things are either going up or down in at least two directions. It does make for some very distinctive views.

Harpers Ferry, WV

There are two railway lines that run through Harpers Ferry and both cross the Potomac to meet on the far side creating this photographically satisfying V shape.

Harpers Ferry, WV

Another dramatic cloudy sky for this shot. I decided to keep the color for this one though. It’s a shot along the rail way line from the station at Harpers Ferry. On the far side of the bridge across the Potomac is a tunnel through the mountain.

Looking at this shot now I do regret that I hadn’t moved myself a few steps to the right. I think I could have lined up a better angle from the No Trespassing sign along the tracks.

Sometimes what you get out of the camera is not the true picture you were taking. This shot of the winter sun is a case in point. It was not this dark or this blue. 

The darkness comes from exposing the photo to get the full effect of the sun trying to shine through the clouds. I could have gone the HDR route but the darkness fit the mood of the morning. The sun was the only source of light and it was struggling so hard to be seen.

Similarly the color of this shot should be a very slight orange tinge. That’s what it actually looks like. But that would actually be misleading because it was 26 degrees when I took that photo. Cold, grey and miserable. So I converted the image to black and white and give it a light bluish tinge instead so you can feel the cold.

People get a little too hung up on capturing reality in camera I think. Go for the truth not the reality.

In case you’re wondering that’s Scottish Gaelic (which is different to Irish Gaelic) and translates to Merry Christmas To You.

There seems to be some dispute whether Huibh or Dhuibh is in fact the correct word to use here. But I think Dhuibh is Irish Gaelic.

The pronunciation is approximately:
nollik chree-hel ghuh-eev

I’m a little disappointed with this shot. It’s a small pond opposite the Jefferson County Visitors Bureau and it’s always very still so I see good reflections every time I drive past it.

I’m certainly very happy with the reflections, but there’s a little too much in the foreground and it’s distracting. It looked better on the little LCD screen. I’ll have to try again some time from a slightly different angle.