ohiopyle state park – 2Eight Photography

A Short Outdoor Adventure

Some of you already know others may not but on March 1 of this year I had a heart attack. So I’ve been kinda taking it easy lately gaining my strength and yesterday I finally took a short hike in Ohiopyle State Park. For those of you familiar with the area I crossed the bridge above Cucumber Falls and then took a lesser used trail and made my way down to the Youghiogheny River. Not a far walk but definitely a steep hill to climb back up. After that trek I also made my way down into Cucumber Falls and out to the river. All in all it was a nice trek with my camera and backpack along for the walk as well.

Flowers in the Woods — A few purple flowers

Companion — My companion along the river. Possibly a brown water snake.

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Well I’m a little late for the post but here is a view of a snow storm from the lookout above Ohiopyle State Park.

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You encounter a bridge along your path, do you cross or turn around and go back to the familiar?

Tonight we take a short journey down a path and as with all journeys decisions have to be made. Do you go forward and see what lies ahead? Or do we turn around and go back to the familiar? Really when you think about all of our “paths” have the same questions but choosing to go forward can be rewarding. On this journey we encounter a bridge, so the question arises do we cross or turn around? Well I like to think I’m the person that crosses to see what’s on the other side. What type of person are you?

As you can see in the snow there are tracks. But how many ventured to cross the bridge ahead?

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It looks as though some ventured across but did they see the beautiful scenery from the bridge?

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Lets continue on and see whats on the other side.

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From the looks of the snow no one made the complete journey across the bridge to the train station. What a shame that they turned back before seeing how things turned out. The view was great the whole way across but this journey doesn’t end here. I have to, as all of the others, turn back around because my vehicle is parked on the other side.

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If you never cross the bridge you will never know what is on the other side.

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So today I thought we would take a quick look at the new welcome center in Ohiopyle, Pa. I really liked the shadow that was cast from the fence.

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If your ever in the Ohiopyle area I recommend you stop by Falls Market general store and restaurant. Every time I’m in the area I stop by for a drink and a great chocolate chip cookie.

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I just like this waterfall so much thought I would post another view. #2eightphotography

A Walk in the Woods

Had another great day off and got to spend some time in the woods in Ohiopyle State Park. I photographed Cucumber Falls completely frozen over, the main falls and then a little in the woods. At one point I was in the woods and noticed a set of footprints in the snow. They were filled with the last snow and a little windblown but still visible due to the late afternoon sun casting its long shadows over the area. And I wondered to myself, perhaps this is the road less traveled and the road which I should be following.

Cucumber Falls frozen over after a week of below freezing weather.

Footsteps in the woods.

The main falls in Ohiopyle State Park.

Would you like to sit and watch the water.

This is the top of the natural water slides in Ohiopyle State Park. I just don’t understand why there was nobody enjoying a ride down the slides. Could have been that the temp was just a little over 15ºF.

365 – 107 The Water Flows

For todays shot we head up Meadow Run stream in Ohiopyle State Park. I took this photo last evening while out for a walk after dinner. Which in hindsight probably wasn’t the best of ideas, but that’s another story all together.

When I photograph moving water I like to slow down the shutter speeds and really get the flowing water look. But you do have to be careful not to overdo the look as it begins to look unrealistic.

What do you think about this shot? Too much?

Project 365 | Day 64 Frozen Falls

For todays photo we go to the majestic Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park, Pa. I live about 30 minutes away from this waterfall and have photographed it for many years now. I have photographed it in every season, weather, and lighting that you can imagine and I always find something to challenge me when I’m there. Because of the location of this waterfall exposure can be, lets say difficult, so for this shot I used a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range). Which is basically putting together several different photos and using the best parts of each, this one is from 5 different exposures.

Kayaking the Yough

Where I’m from there is a local river by the name of Youghiogheny. As you can guess this has been shortened to Yough (“Yok”). And if you have spent any time in the mountains of my area you no doubt have visited Ohiopyle, Pa. The river that runs through the little town of Ohiopyle is none other than the Yough. The areas that we use the most are either the “Middle Yough” or the “Lower Yough.” The “middle” section works well for a lazy float down stream for the family. The “Lower” section has a bit more, shall we say, excitement.

Years ago I worked in Ohiopyle as a photographer taking photos on the middle Yough of those that took the rafting trips. Not to date myself but this was before digital cameras. I always enjoyed capturing the action and the expressions on the faces of the people as they made their way through a small rapid. But the fun place to be is on the lower Yough at what is referred to as the entry rapids on the “Loop”. The photo graphs below were all taken this past Saturday while I was out enjoying the weather.

Hope you enjoy!