Waterrock Knob

View from Waterrock Knob off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

View from Waterrock Knob

2011 North Carolina Mountain State Fair

I posted images from the 2010 NC Mountain State Fair and figured I’d post a few from 2011. These were taken in September 2011 on the last night of the fair at the WNC Agricultural Center.

Swing ride

Uncle Sam

Fair games

Ski lift

Fair

Concession stand

Ride

WNC Ag Center

Rides

Kid on bull ride

Fair at night

pigs

NC State Fair

Man with hat

Montreat, NC – Lake Susan

Here are some photos of Lake Susan in Montreat, North Carolina. It’s that beautiful time of year in certain parts of western NC when the fall colors are at their peak. It’s also a great time for photographers to bask in the saturated yellows, oranges, and reds of autumn!

Montreat in the fall

Lake Susan swanFall in western North Carolina

Asheville City Hall, Courthouse, and Splasheville

Autumn is about to arrive here in Asheville, NC so here is another round of photos in Pack Square Park before the weather changes. I am spotlighting Asheville City Hall, the Courthouse, and our water fountain “Splasheville” in this post. I’ve taken photos of these landmarks before, but it’s intriguing to me how the lighting and sky color is so changing from day to day. Mix that in with the mood I am in, what inspires me that day, and what lenses or filters I feel like utilizing and the end result differs each time. In general I think that’s a good recipe for what makes photographers and images stand apart from one another. Technical aspects such as composition, exposure and aperture come in to play too (not to mention post-processing and the infinite possibilities one can arrive at), but the most important part of photography for me is the passion and drive to always learn. If I didn’t have it, well, hopefully someone would slap me and tell me to stop.

I digress… on to the photos.

Downtown Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville Courthouse (left) and City Hall

Asheville's City Hall

Asheville City Hall, in the Art Deco style

Splasheville fountain

One view of Splasheville in downtown

Splasheville

180º turn around from the last shot of Splasheville

North Carolina Mountain State Fair at WNC Agricultural Center

The North Carolina Mountain State Fair kicked off its 17th year last night at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC. It runs from September 10-19 and is the perfect excuse to eat corn dogs and cotton candy and ride the Ferris wheel. Fun fact: According to Wikipedia the original Ferris wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

You will have to attend the Fair to taste the salty, sugary goodness it offers, but here is a photography sampling of the sites.

Concession stand at fairRide at fairSkylift at fairNC Mountain State FairBull ride at fair

Freak outGoatNC Mountain State FairState Fair concessionsQuilting lady

Apples

chicken at fairWNC Agricultural Center

Mount Mitchell State Park in Western North Carolina

Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina lies in the Pisgah National Forest and boasts the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. It’s elevation reaches to the sky at 6684 feet (give or take an inch, I’d imagine).

The first photo is a view from the observation deck at the summit. The road in the photo is 128, which is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

View from the observation deck on Mt. Mitchell

Beautiful view from Mt. Mitchell

This is the observation deck atop the summit of Mt. Mitchell:

Observation Deck on Mt. Mitchell

Signs don't lie. That's over a mile high!

And here is a photo I took just off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way down from Mt. Mitchell.

View of western North Carolina's mountains

Lovely view of the mountains