Chris Kayler Photography

I photographed this scene this morning at Great Falls National Park. With portions of tropical storm Gustav heading northward into the area, it seemed like a slim chance for any color on this mainly overcast morning. However, I decided to take a shot at it anyways, and was rewarded with some beautiful pink glow on bottoms of the storm clouds. Often times I come up with various excuses to stay home instead of heading out against the odds, but I’m sure glad I went out this morning.

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Two mornings ago I took a trip to Great Falls National Park, Virginia to photograph the sunrise and meet another young photographer, Alex Mody (http://www.alexmody.com/). The trip was a lot of fun, and the sunrise was quite nice for a while. The cold temperatures overnight, combined with the warm waters of the Potomac River, created banks of fog several hundred feet off the ground, as well as lots of mist rising directly from the river. These cold-night conditions are one of my favorite times to photograph Great Falls.

To order this print or purchase stock rights please contact me. To view additional photos for sale please visit my website at www.chriskaylerphotography.com

This is another photograph from my three consecutive trips to Great Falls National Park, Virginia, last week. In this image, I like the clouds picking up the last rays of pink sunlight of the day, as well as the rising moon. Which image do you prefer … this one, or the one from the previous post?

To order this print or purchase stock rights please contact me. To view additional photos for sale please visit my website at www.chriskaylerphotography.com

As temperatures lowered and haze was reduced during the past 3 days, I made the trip to Great Falls National Park to photograph the sunsets. While generally bland, I did have some luck yesterday evening with a bit of pink sky. As a nice bonus, the moon was also rising in the direction of the lit up clouds. Using two rocks as a foreground, I photographed the Potomac River as it flowed downstream away from Great Falls through Mather Gorge.

To order this print or purchase stock rights please contact me. To view additional photos for sale please visit my website at www.chriskaylerphotography.com

I’ve been trying to get out and shoot lately, but each time I have been disappointed with the (lack of) results! I’ll just have to keep trying. Today is a refreshing 75 degrees, and with the many picturesque clouds floating about, I think I will head to Great Falls for the sunset and hope for something nice.

This image is was taken 2 days ago as severe storms moved through the area. This type of cloud, known as Mammatus, form in very unstable thunderstorms, and are my absolute favorite type of cloud. I’m lucky if I get to see them once a year in my area, so this is an unexpected treat in an otherwise photographic dryspell.

To order this print or purchase stock rights please contact me. To view additional photos for sale please visit my website at www.chriskaylerphotography.com

I decided to head out to Great Falls National Park, Maryland this morning in hopes of photographing some more Great Blue Herons and landscapes. The weather forecast was for completely clear skies, and the weathermen followed through this time. The cloudless, blue sky provided no drama or color for the landscape, so I decided to turn my attention to the herons. There was only one problem … only one juvenile Great Blue Heron was hanging around in the rapids. I’ll try heading back sometime soon to see if the herons are there, but I have a feeling that they have moved on for the year. I think the reason that they congregate in such great numbers is that there is a heron rookery on a nearby island in the Potomac River. Now that the nesting season is over, all of the herons have split up to fish in their own separate, less competitive areas.

Despite the fact that there was only one heron at Great Falls this morning, I lucked out and got one image that I consider worth posting, or at least interesting. While the light was still very low, he flew by me and I was able to take an abstract pan blur image of him in flight. Mid-summer sure provides slim pickings for photography in Virginia!

To order this print or purchase stock rights please contact me. To view additional photos for sale please visit my website at www.chriskaylerphotography.com