Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.
is that buffalo mountain in the very back?
Yes, that’s Buffalo Mountain, jutting up above the waves of ridges like a shark fin in the distance I’ve often thought in moments of fancy from that perspective
Fred, I think that is the most stunning photo I have seen here. It is glorious!
Would you share how you process your pics?
They always have such a nice quality to them!
Thanks, Laura…
I use Photoshop as my brushes (as a wannabe painter, I suppose) and use different “expressions” depending on the subject matter.
Nothing fancy: curves and levels on most every image; unsharp mask as needed; dodge or burn for emphasis; filters in combination to bring to the image, as far as possible, not only what I SAW at the point of the photograph, but also what I FELT–or want those who view the image to feel.
I sometimes use HDR (high dynamic range) measures on single RAW images (like BEING THERE) or multiple low density exposures of the same scene.
I feel as if I’m just starting up the learning curve for getting the results I want–and that, mostly on the for-the-web images. Getting to the print-ready enlargments for framing or for magazines–or for my dreamed-of future book–is yet another level of knowledge, skill and experience. Miles to go…
Thanks for sharing that. They do often look like paintings.
I think its a great shot. gives one the feeling of walking out of the forest on to a mountian top. from the darkness into the light. even the sky is full of motion.
clee