Imagine having a 40-foot-tall waterfall right in your backyard …

Lee Ann and I joined other members of her family at a large, isolated rental cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina for three nights between Christmas and New Year's. 

How isolated was it? Google Maps cannot pinpoint it. So, to get to the Havilah Falls cabin in southern Scott County, we used Google maps to get as far as a specific local road in Tuckasegee, N.C., then followed written instructions sent by the owner to complete the remaining 15-mile drive.

The instructions gave us a little challenge near the end point, but we eventually made it. I don't know how many acres around the cabin the owner owns, but aside from the cabin and a large waterfall (I'd estimate 40 to 50 feet) immediately behind the cabin, everything else in the vicinity is mountains. And they’re steep. Seriously. That's the waterfall in the photo leading off the post. 

A very short distance below where the picture ends is land on which there is a fire pit, and then a very short walkway from there to the cabin's rear deck. It's a wonderful experience to take in that waterfall (the water comes from Cold Creek) and the sound the water makes cascading down the rock formations. 

On the second day, a couple people in our group got brave enough to climb up a steep hill (no trail) on the left side of the waterfall (out of view in all the waterfall pictures) to reach and walk along the middle ledge. And on the third day, one of those intrepid souls found a sculpted bust (pictured below) wedged behind one of the boulders you see on the left at ground level. 

For many years, I’ve used high-dynamic range (HDR) processing software for the vast majority of my landscape shots partly because so many landscapes present contrast in lighting. But I also have used it because I’ve found a way to use it tastefully and get striking images without going over the top with outlandish color, an unchecked characteristic in some HDR work that many photographers find offensive. 

But in my photos from this trip, I found myself making 95 percent of my JPGs from single frames because the heavy presence of shade was forcing me to use high ISO settings, and that was introducing noise I didn’t care for in my images.

Click on any photo to view a larger and sharper version. To view a full gallery of images from the Havilah Falls trip, follow the link in this sentence. 

  

Tanasee Creek Road (above and below) off which a gravel road (first four photos below as well as the sixth photo below) gave us access to the cabin. I took so many photos of this gravel road because of the tree shadows that were intersecting it.

A slice of the tree population in this neck of the woods (above) and the access to the gravel road from the highway (below). 

Above: An HDR (high-dynamic range) rendering of the gravel road from the cabin. I use HDR here because the cars in the foreground were in almost total darkness from shade.

Below the falls, the rock formations angle downward (above and below), before water returns to a traditional creek formation. 

 

Another shot of the falls (above) and a close-up slice of rock formations below the falls (below). 

The fire pit in operation (above) on Sunday, with the falls in the background. 

Above and below: Lining the walkway to the fire pit and waterfall are a collection of small boulders in interesting shapes, designs and colors. 

Above and first two photos below: These three photos represent an effort to capture the falls at the same time of the day using different shutter speeds, using my Canon 6D. Above, the shutter was set at 1/125. Below, it's 1/60. And in the second photo below, it's 1/20. The lens I was using, my Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3, is equipped with vibration compensation, so other than the falling water, everything should be pretty sharp.  

 

In the early afternoon (1:28 p.m.) of Dec. 27, with the sun shining, I noticed interesting shadows on the waterfall when I took the above photo with my 6D. About two and a half hours later, at 3:53 p.m., I returned with my iPhone Pro 13 and took the photo below.

Constitution father James Madison's home has sweet view of mountains

In the rolling hills of central Virginia, about 30 miles from Thomas Jefferson's plantation at Monticello, is Montpelier, the home of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, father of the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights.

Montpelier, located in Montpelier Station near Orange, Va., is as well-maintained as Monticello. Although there are tours of the home, photographs inside are not allowed (which also was the case at Monticello and Mount Vernon). Special tours are offered that devote information and deserved attention to Madison's contributions to the U.S. Constitution, and I took advantage of that.

Unfortunately, I encountered two disappointments on May 16, the day I visited. For one, there was a large gathering outdoors (left) on the home's back lawn, putting a damper on the historic aesthetics for picture purposes on any kind of shot of perspective shot. On the other hand, the gathering enabled me to grab the closeup shot you see at right, which included a bottle of Brut Cuvee 1814 sparkling wine from Barboursville Vineyards, which I would visit the next day.

For another, the iconic left front-lawn temple -- a gazebo-like structure with Roman columns built over a two-story ice well in the early 1800s -- was roped off from access while it undergoes a massive renovation (below).

Aside from those annoyances, I enjoyed my tour of the grounds. Like Jefferson and George Washington, Madison made a point to provide himself, family and visitors a stunning vista of the Virginia landscape from his home. 

Washington's home overlooks the Potomac River, while the estates of Madison and Jefferson enjoyed views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From the front porch, Madison could look out over his expansive plantation and, in the distance, take in the view you see below. 

By contrast, Jefferson's home was built on a very large mound; his vistas involved many hills and dales closer to the eye.

Near the graveyard at Montpelier, I chatted with a man who saw me taking pictures and said he lives in the area and has been out to Montpelier at dusk on several occasions to photograph the sunset over the mountains. I was there in early afternoon, nowhere near having that opportunity unless I camped there all afternoon, but I could envision the colorful drama one could espy from that vantage point.

Montpelier is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Ticket prices range from $0 (for toddlers) to $36.64 for adults. There are discounts in between, depending on the date of your visit and the tour(s) you elect to take, so be sure to check the website for details. 

As usual, click on any image to bring up a larger, sharper version. This is particularly useful if you access the blog using a mobile device. Click on the link in this sentence to view a full gallery of the images I made from my visit to Montpelier.

Photo geek stuff: I shot all of my photos with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di PZD VC lens equipped with a B+W polarizing filter. I bracketed all compositions for three exposures to allow for melding in high-dynamic range (HDR) software in post-processing, and I believe all of the images in this post were treated that way.

Above and below: My favorite landscapes from the shots I took at Montpelier.

Another perspective of the front of Montpelier. Below, a view of the backside.

Above: Likenesses of Madison and his wife, Dolley, greet visitors outside the welcome center.

Above and next seven below: Like Jefferson's Monticello and Washington's Mount Vernon, Montpelier has a formidable garden that is well-maintained. These photos were taken in the garden. 

Above and next two below: Behind Madison's temple is a decent-sized hill that leads to a pond and these scenes.

Above are the obelisks for James (foreground) and Dolley Madison as you approach the graveward from the home. It was near here that I ran into the man who talked to me about taking sunset photos at Montpelier. Below, from a vantage point on the opposite side of the graveyard, Madison's obelisk looms large and center among other markers.

Above: Another landscape to close this post on Montpelier.

Next up: Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.