Off to WVA Again

I hope this is my last WVA trip for a while.  This trip is 100% for stars.  Last time it rained 3" while camping which doesn't help me out when trying to shoot stars.  The weather is looking good for Friday and Saturday.

High End Security

Yep, South East D.C.'s Finest.  Everyone look out!!

GETTING TOWED IN YO

Come on, everyone's doing it!!

Who did it better, Black and White Swyers or Colored Swyers?

You choose

Bicycling Around on the Dirt

This AM Jeff and I went out and snapped some mountain biking images.  Don't freak out, we are okay!!  It was kind of a test shoot for what I want to do with some clients.

Memorial Skate Session or as some call it "bust crew Sundays"

True Love between these 2


Skate Feet

Sunset at the Key Bridge

Before I started rifling off a timelapse I snapped this photo of the Key Bridge looking from Georgetown.

A wet day

Mid-Atlantic in Motion-Behind the Scenes

Here are some behind the scenes images of my timelapse film "Mid-Atlantic in Motion".  I have a few about 10-15 more shots to complete the filming but in the meantime I've begun editing and should be wrapped up in a month.

Blackwater Falls, WVA


Verizon Center- Washington D.C.


Great Falls, MD


Lower Falls

Storms in West VA

Last week while at Blackwater Falls in West Virginia I was hiking off of the foot trail to get as close as possible to the falls.  Technically I wasn't supposed to do that but it's the only way to get the shot.  The 100 feet of rugged terrain between the foot trail and the edge of the cliffs was completely washed away.  Giant trees were snapped in half like toothpicks.  I don't know if they had some crazy storm recently or if it was flooded.  I find it hard for water to come up as high as some of these trees and snap them in half.

Missin the Rippin

Hopefully I can get up with the crew soon.  Maybe head to Philly?

This is West Virginia PT2

Day 3 after I got back from Blackwater Falls my buddy Johnathan met me at the camp site.  I told him about the Cave I shot the day before so we went there to hike / climb that part of Seneca Rocks for the remainder of the day.  After Johnathan left, my buddies Amos and Will came up to came / hike.

Day 4 was mostly rain but was able to explore Spruce Knob for future shooting locations.  After we got back there was a gap in the rain which allowed me to shoot a few more time lapses then I headed back to camp and packed up and came home a day early.  

I would've stayed the full 5 days but the weather wasn't going to improve.

This is West Virginia

For the past few years I've been wondering why West Virginia has such a bad reputation.  Something about family members hooking up with each other or just being a mega redneck.  Truth, rednecks are everywhere not just WVA and WVA has some of the most epic terrain around, maybe on the entire East Coast.  Last Wednesday I set off to explore some of the spots I'm talking about for a few reasons.  To look at them in person, to photograph them, to share my findings with my friends and family and to camp.

   

When I arrived at Seneca Rocks it was pouring rain.  A lot of low level / rolling clouds coming through the south and west valleys.  These low level clouds were not only dumping moisture on the ground but pulling it up (evaporation).  The rain ended and I was able to set up camp and start hiking the cliffs.  I've been to Seneca before but did simple exploring.  Within 2 hours of hiking / climbing I found this massive cave that has anchor points all the way around.  I would love to watch a climber climb this thing.  After dinner that night I set my slider / camera up for a night timelapse to get stars.  After shooting for 2 hours I went to check out my camera and it was completely covered in moisture.  This goes back to the rolling clouds I spoke about.  It wasn't rain but just light moister / dew.  You couldn't feel the moisture on your skin but you could see it at night through your headlight.  The clouds were a big reason why I couldn't shoot at night but also the 95% humidity and high dew points were other large factors.  Day 2 it was pouring in the morning but cleared up and I high tailed it up to the peak of Seneca Rocks.  With about 40lbs on my back and carrying my dolly, it was about a 40 minute hike.  It was still cloudy out but the clouds add great detail for timelapse photography so it worked.  I shot 5 timelapses over the course of 3 hours at the peak.  I then hiked down and around to the south side and shot 4 timelapses of the cave and surrounding area.  After dinner I headed back up to the peak, only this time it was extremely hard.  I was extremely worn down and needed a break but I needed to beat the sun.  I shot 2 timelapses of the sun going down but the sun was swallowed by the giant cloud.  That really pissed me off but what could I do, beat up the cloud?  The night was a bust with more fog and rain.  Day 3, I woke up at 4:30am to drive an hour to Blackwater Falls.  When I arrived I was hoping I didn't have to walk far and that was the case. After seeing the photos online vs. what I was looking at in person, I couldn't believe it was the same place.  That area was dumped with 8" of rain in the past week so these falls looked AMAZING.  I was able to hike own to this cliff overlooking the 60' falls to shoot 2 timelapse shots.  The sun was rising on the other side of the falls making it look ok but not great.  

I will write about the remainder of day 3 and day 4 soon.  As I stated in previous blog posts, I will not be posting any more stills from my timelapse film until I'm 100% complete with the editing.  Have to keep everyone wanting more.  

OFF TO WEST VIRGINIA

Tomorrow I'm off to West Virginia to shoot timelapse and more timelapse.  I may drink a few beers too.  My mission is to capture 15-20 timelapses, day / night, clear skies or cloudy.  The only thing I need is clear skies at night.  I'm willing to pay cash to someone to make this happen.  The weather isn't looking great but I'll do my best and wait it out.  I have 4 nights to get something.  You may be asking, WHY WEST VIRGINIA?  Well Seneca Rocks has the lowest light pollution within a 6 hour drive and it looks pretty epic through a camera and the human eye.  The next best spot is down in Cape Hatteras.  On the west coast you can drive an hour and be in Milky Way country and us east coasters are stuck with very inconsistent weather and lots of light pollution.  As of right now I have about 65% of my film "MID ATLANTIC IN MOTION"  filmed.  I most likely will start editing in a few weeks then head to OBX in early June for the New Moon and complete my final Edit in late June for a HUGE ass premier at the famous Zorger Condo!!  You'll see a lot of pics Sunday night.

The only good thing about Maryland

If you visit Great Falls on the VA or MD side you'll be stoked on the scenery.  Yesterday I was on the Maryland side and shot this long exposed photo after I shot a time-lapse that may or may not be useable.  I shot 5 timelapses this weekend and I don't like any of them.  I'm off to West Virginia starting on Wednesday and coming back Sunday.  I hope to have loads of star images since it will be a new moon.  Weather Pending of course

Board Fights

The invention of Board Fights went down in Switzerland back in February.  I'm currently in talks with no one to get this on TV.

Getting ready

That San Diego water is cold, REALLY cold.  I'm perfectly fine with shooting from the sand.