Looking Back – 2006

Bluebird on Split Rail Fence, Groundhog Mountain, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
Bluebird on Split Rail Fence, Groundhog Mountain, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

When I started going back through my photos from 2006, my first thought was “gee, this isn’t going to be as interesting as 2005.”  Not so, I think.  We maybe didn’t travel to Alaska, but we still managed to haul ourselves to some pretty interesting places!

Pine Tree Branch with dew, Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky
Pine Tree Branch with dew, Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky

 

Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky
Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky

 

Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky
Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky

 

Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Falls State Park, Kentucky
Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Falls State Park, Kentucky

 

Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Falls State Park, Kentucky
Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Falls State Park, Kentucky

 

It was in 2006 that I sold my Mamiya 7 film camera and bought the 5D.  A lot of these photos were taken with the 20D, and a few of them were taken with my Powershot G5!  I need to dig that camera out of the closet and play around with it.  It was a pretty nice camera and would a bit “retro” to be carrying around now!  A 12 year old digital camera is pretty Old School, just like me. 😉

Great Smoky Mountains Railway in downtown Dillsboro, NC
Great Smoky Mountains Railway in downtown Dillsboro, NC

 

One of the things that I had forgotten about with the 5D was the fact that that big old sensor tended to attract a lot of dust.  And since I was typically shooting landscapes on a tripod I tended to use pretty small apertures.  I didn’t know what a self-cleaning sensor would be like just a few years later, but these photos have and had a lot of cloning done.  Thank goodness for the dust removal tool in Lightroom!

Sunrise from Craggy Pinnacle, Blue Ridge Parkway NC
Sunrise from Craggy Pinnacle, Blue Ridge Parkway NC

 

Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC
Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC

 

Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC
Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC

 

Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC
Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland, NC

 

Fall Colors, Green Knob Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Fall Colors, Green Knob Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

 

This is another case where the newer process version in Lightroom really brings out the goodness in some of these old photos.  I’m working on a before & after post to show some examples, but between the differences in the software and my own changing personal taste (me, taste?) there is quite a difference in some of these.

Crabtree Falls, Crabtree Meadows, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Crabtree Falls, Crabtree Meadows, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

 

Crabtree Falls, Crabtree Meadows, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Crabtree Falls, Crabtree Meadows, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

 

Charlotte Skyline at Dusk, Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Skyline at Dusk, Charlotte, NC

 

Mountain Island Lake, Huntersville, NC
Mountain Island Lake, Huntersville, NC

 

Ring-billed Gull at Litchfield Beach, SC
Ring-billed Gull at Litchfield Beach, SC

 

Sunrise on the beach, Litchfield Beach, SC
Sunrise on the beach, Litchfield Beach, SC

 

Sunrise on the beach, Litchfield Beach, SC
Sunrise on the beach, Litchfield Beach, SC

 

Cantilevered Barn at the Tipton Place, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cantilevered Barn at the Tipton Place, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

On to 2007…stay tuned!

Beach chairs and umbrella, Hilton Head Island, SC
Beach chairs and umbrella, Hilton Head Island, SC

 

Fall leaves at Mountain Island Lake, Huntersville, NC
Fall leaves at Mountain Island Lake, Huntersville, NC

 

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

 

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

 

Blackbeards Castle, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Blackbeards Castle, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands

 

Sunset, Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Sunset, Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

 

Spiral Staircase, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL
Spiral Staircase, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL

 

Reflections at the Fernandina Beach Marina, Amelia Island, FL
Reflections at the Fernandina Beach Marina, Amelia Island, FL

6 thoughts on “Looking Back – 2006”

  1. Tom: That’s quite a haul of beautiful photography that you have there. Even though, as you say, you didn’t travel to Alaska, you had some lovely trips. I find that those times that I actually go back a few years and look at my photos that I’ve done quite a bit! Other times, I’m surprised that it has been “that long” since I’ve visited a certain location. Now, I suppose, I’ll have to browse some of my older photos … the power of suggestion. 🙂

    1. Glad I could have a positive influence, Paul! 😉

      A lot of what I am seeing now are things in the photographs themselves that I didn’t see when I took them. Or at least things I wasn’t conscious of seeing at the time. The benefits from the software are more technical than aesthetic, but they are definite improvements.

  2. I’ll take the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands if Alaska not on the agenda. A great set of images. Love the facial expression of the train engineer. I’ll be interested in seeing side-by-side comparisons . I know I can see a major difference in Lightroom versions when working on older images.

    1. You do tend to be more of a warm weather guy, Monte. 😉 But Alaska should be on your agenda, although living in Colorado must come close. I’m hoping to see for myself soon…plans are currently in progress.

      The comparisons are coming, I just need to get a few more good examples.

  3. What? You didn’t just delete all those photos from that obsolete camera? 🙂

    Many beautiful shots there Tom.

    1. Yeah, Mark. I could save myself from having to buy new hard drives every few years if I just deleted all that old stuff. But I’m kind of sentimental that way. Like you probably do, I also have a few square miles of film laying around, and I keep holding on to that, too!

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