Magnum Opus

Magnum Opus means “Great Work” and derives from the legendary alchemist search for the Philosopher’s Stone. The Philosopher’s Stone was said to be the key element needed to turn lead into gold or attain great wisdom and longevity.

The way the light strikes this stone reminded me of that fable.

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Blue Ridge Sunset

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Boulders

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Skylines

A digital painting, created from an HDR image, of the Shenandoah Valley as the Sun streaks through building storm clouds. Seven exposures, with a 1 ev. spacing, produced the HDR image which was tonemapped with Photomatix Pro 4 and then fed through Pixel Bender.

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Stony Heights

At an elevation of 4011 ft., Stony Man offers spectacular views of the Shenandoah Valley beneath and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. This hike was really easy compared to some others in the park. Three miles hike, round-trip, along a modest slope for some of the best scenery is well worth the effort. The HDR was produced from five exposures with a 2 ev. spacing. The images were merged and tonemapped using Photomatix Pro4. Final adjustments in Photoshop 5 and Lightroom 3.

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Mountain Drive

Skyline Drive snakes through the mountains on a late fall day as a storm approaches from the West.

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Blue Ridge Panorama

Early fall colors along Skyline Drive, Virginia, 2012. This panorama was comprised of five sets with five exposures each at 2ev. spacing. Each set was merged to HDR and toned with Photomatix Pro 4. The resulting Tiffs were stitched together inside Photoshop's Photomerge. Final touches added using Lightroom 3.

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Ledge Over Luray

The hike to Little Stony Man is a breeze compared to some other trails. At just under a mile there and back, along relatively gentle slopes, this trek features some of the most spectacular views in the entire park. This image was created from seven exposures at 1ev. spacing, processed with Photomatix and Photoshop.

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Rolling Hills

Rolling Hills of the Shenandoah Mountains as viewed from Stony Man in Skyland, Virginia.

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Hawksbill

A view along Skyline Drive, Virginia.

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White Oak Canyon- Cedar Run Trail

Along a very challenging 8 mile hike through the beautiful White Oak Canyon and Cedar Run, I passed great granite boulders which seemed to hang precariously over the well worn trail.

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Thorofare Mountain Sunrise

Just past the 40 mile marker along Skyline Drive, Virginia, at an elevation of around 3600 feet, the Sun rises over Thorofare Mountain Overlook after a night of heavy storms.

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Stony Man Sunset

Viewed from the cliffs of Stony Man, the setting Sun bursts through storm clouds over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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