Produce in the Studio

For those of you who don't know, I am fond of gardening, and this year has been the best garden yet. 

I took some of our bounty and used it in the studio. The colors are just glorious!

Cucumbers, hot banana peppers, Chocolate Sprinkle cherry tomatoes, Yellow Pear cherry tomatoes

Clockwise from left: cucumber, Black Prince tomato, Cherry Bomb hot pepper, jalapeño pepper, Candy Land mini cherry tomato, hot banana pepper, Yellow Pear cherry tomato, Chocolate Sprinkles cherry tomato

After shooting several  layouts on white/light backgrounds, the colors against the dark background jumped out beautifully. 

By far one of my favorite shots of the summer

A dinner creation by my charming husband, Bill

We planted new-to-us peppers this year, and these Cherry Bombs are now a Davis favorite. I especially like them stuffed with goat cheese and grilled.

We always plant heirloom tomatoes, and we tried a kind called Old German. A medium-size, they are so sweet and delicious, and their color is gorgeous.

My first attempt at preserving was a success! Bill will be making delicious soup base out of these jars when cooler weather comes around.

If you're a gardener with a blog or looking to start one, or even if you just want some pretty shots of what you grow, don't hesitate to contact me for pricing on garden photography. 

Swimming At Whites Creek

In late August, Bill and I took a trip out to East Tennessee with some of the ladies of Tennessee Parks and Greenways. We went to the home of Steve Scarborough, which sits on a 1500 acre property at the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
Steve's land is protected by a conservation easement put in place via Tennessee Parks and Greenways.

Here is Bill at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. That's the edge of the Plateau on the left of the photo.

Whites Creek runs right through Steve's land, so we took the day to hike and snorkel.
The distance of the hike was only about 1/4 mile, but the drop was about 200 feet, so it was decently steep. The path we walked is a mining road built in the 1940s.
It rained a bit and the water was murky, but it didn't stop us from swimming, hiking, and enjoying the flora and fauna of the surrounding natural beauty.

One of the gorgeous green views.

This little lizard greeted us first thing.

As we were hiking down to the creek, Steve pointed out a bald eagle through the trees and across the creek. I whipped out my handy 70-300mm zoom and was able to get this shot.

My first bald eagle sighting. Pretty amazing.

The first swimming hole was a pool at the edge of some low falls. We swam across and sat on the rocks with the water running around us. It was beautiful and refreshing. We swam back to shore through a straight-down rain.

The second swimming hole was just a little way down the path. People waded on the shelf and swam in the surrounding pools. We saw fish and fossils and frogs.

When the creek is higher, it's perfect for kayaking and canoeing.

These frogs are little, most under an inch long. They have great camoflauge. 

A little slice of heaven.

Everything was so green, colorful details like this fallen leaf became high profile.

On the hike back to the house, I noticed this large boulder in the trees that I hadn't seen on the way down. I love the placement of this large, unyielding stone among the lacy green of the understory plants and small trees.

When we got back to Steve's house, he had hot dogs and beverages for us all, along with stunning views. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day away from the city.

Want to learn more about opportunities like this? Follow Tennessee Parks and Greenways on Facebook and subscribe to their events.