508 - Benton Falls
Ah, yes the tale of the reincarnated moth. Today’s adventure was a bit strange.
It all started near Benton, Tennessee. Yes, I’m back in Tennessee now. Had a solid streak of four adventures in Kentucky, then I realized I needed to get the fuck out of there before I started liking horses.
So here I am in Chattanooga. I decided to shoot at a place called Benton Falls, which is neatly tucked away in the Chilhowee Mountains. It was a three mile round trip hike, and nearly empty when I arrived, which was a hot bonus.
I had a bit of a breakthrough thought today. It was about capturing “symbols” in the landscape. I know this is a topic I’ve covered before, but bear with me here. Today’s different.
Check out this image of the waterfall, with the leading rocks:
“Greased Lightning”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 50 ~ 17mm ~ f/18 ~ 0.5s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
The first thing I thought of with this image is the word “greased lightning,” particularly because the waterfall, when connected with the rocks, creates a lighting-like shape. The new thought I had was that I can create shapes out of two objects that aren’t even remotely alike- i.e. water and rocks.
Prior to this, I’d think of the water or the rocks as a singular shape to capture. But putting them together to create one subject creates a cohesive flow… Even if it’s not entirely noticeable by the conscious mind.
I also had the realization that I don’t have to be just looking for “traditional shapes” in the landscape… (i.e. squares, triangles, circles.) You can look for almost any type of symbol.
This next shot plays on this idea. What do you see?
“Waterballs”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 50 ~ 17mm ~ f/18 ~ 0.5s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
To me, those two front rocks look like the waterfall has giant balls. I know. Goofy as fuck. But I’ve been shooting waterfalls for too damn long so give me a break.
One other element in this scene I’d like to point out here is the trees framing it on either side. Two sets of double trees, aligned perfectly symmetrically. Boo-yah.
Alright, this is where things got weird- as if today wasn’t weird enough yet already.
I was scouting for another shot when I noticed this one moth that had been obsessively circling around my camera. Then… it landed on it. Crawling all over the body, it eventually settled on the shutter button and controls. It even looked through the viewfinder at one point.
I swear this moth was a photographer reincarnated. It ended up hanging out on my camera with me for the next 20 minutes- even when I moved the tripod, it stuck along for the ride.
Weird, man. I feel like this was nature’s way of telling me something, but I have no idea what.
(Alright I did a quick Google of what moths symbolize in Native American culture. Apparently it’s rebirth, transformation, and resurrection. Which makes sense if you’ve read my last couple blog posts.)
The next photo I got ended up being of some roots. Shocker there. Perhaps I’ll have an entire gallery of roots one day:
“Dark Moss”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 1000 ~ 17mm ~ f/10 ~ 1/80s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
Finally, for my last image, I wanted to change it up. I always get far away shots of waterfalls, but what about something up close? An abstract, if you will. One easy way to get a shot like this is to simply take a photo of the entire waterfall, facing straight on. Then in post-production, crop out a shape or scene you enjoy:
“Web of Water”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 50 ~ 17mm ~ f/18 ~ 0.4s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
In this instance, I noticed this portion of the waterfall looked like some kind of hybrid of the Batman and Spiderman logo. I’ve also been binge watching the tv show “The Boys,” so the superhero vibes are probably rubbing off on me. They should make a photography superhero. Maybe he’s like a giant camera or something.
Anyway, that’s how my shoot went. I feel like I’m in therapy looking at all these landscapes like they’re goddamn inkblots. And I have a fucking moth as my shaman.
Maybe photography really is meditative after all.
In my next adventure I meet a friend on a mountain that teaches me about life. Stay tuned. BYE EVERYBODY.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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