"The Red Wall"

This was taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway above the Middle Falls of the West Fork Pigeon

River. The nearby overlook is aptly named "Graveyard Fields" because of a "high impact

windblow" that swept across this valley 500 to 1000 years ago, leaving tree stumps that gave

the appearance of graveyard headstones. Two violent wildfires in the early part of last century

burned the stumps to the ground and left a barren landscape. Since that time, the valley has

rebounded with luxurious growth. The color in this image is actually past peak. The fall

colors of this high elevation location of North Carolina rival that of a New England autumn.

Thanks for your comments!

Simply fantastic. A bit 'past peak' means that one can really see into the forest on the side of the hill, as well as the details of the bare trees themselves. The color palette is terrific; somehow this just feels like a painting. In May 2007, I drove into the overlook here; packed up my gear, and set off down the hill on the trail through the rhodies; crossed the creek, and spent several hours wandering around the Graveyard. I even hiked up to the falls. Unfortunately, the light was pretty harsh, and the shots I took were not particularly expressive; not that I could've ever come close to matching the beauty of your work here. Superb work, Mark! Cheers! Chris

compliments for your beautiful portfolio. Also this photo has a fantastic colour palette. For my opinion a cut of the backgound would enhance the composition and the colours. Regards Heinz

Wow. This is really beautiful, Mark! Very picturesque... Fantastic colors, nice overal composition. And I love the bright white of the stems contrasting with the black...

Nice photograph, Mark! The Fuji RVP does this scene proud. Regards.

Thanks all for the kind impressions of this. Upon arriving this day, I was disappointed that I had missed the peak. After scanning the scene, however, this area of foliage was hanging on. I would be using a telephoto today instead of my hopes for a wide angle panorama. There was enough cloud cover to diffuse the light, yet not so cloudy as to cool the ambient nature of the light. It just so happens that my Vivitar lens is the best glass in the bag, giving this a larger format appearance.

Wow! Don't know how I missed this one yesterday; but this is gorgeous! You've done the Graveyard Fields proud with this. Thanks... Mike