The Charlotte chapter of the Carolina Nature Photographers Association volunteers a couple of times a year to help the folks at Tiger World. We helped with painting and raking leaves. After all the work is done they treat us to a tour of Tiger World so that we can get some special photos. They brought out their new baby Snow Monkey for us to see, she was so cute!
I was up on the Blue Ridge Parkway when the colors near Grandfather Mountain were at peak color. This is a 3 exposure HDR photo of a stream near Grandfather Mountain just off the parkway.
I was up on the Blue Ridge Parkway looking for fall colors. Here is a photo I took in the Blowing Rock, NC area off the parkway on a gravel road in the area. The recent rains had caused a lot of the leaves to start falling, but there was still a lot of color to be found in the area.
I met photographers and friends for a photo outing to the Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, NC. It was a beautiful day with nice clouds in the sky. Here is a photo I took of the vineyards. I processed this as a HDR image with 3 images using Photomatix. Post processing with Photoshop and the Nik filters Define and Viveza.
I went to Tiger World in Rockwell, NC today. The goals of Tiger World are “Education – To provide a stimulating learning environment for generations to come. Conservation & Preservation – To promote awareness about the Endangered and Threatened Species of the world. Protection & Safety – To maintain a safe secure preservation area for the public and for endangered and threatened wildlife. I am helping sponsor Meka a Siberian tiger cub that was born at Tiger World. She is such a sweet cub. Here’s a photo I took of her today.
Meka
I went on a photography outing to Shelton Vineyards. This is the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina located in Yadkin Valley near Mt. Airy. A group of 35 photographers met early in the morning at the winery. The property is beautifully maintained. This was a wonderful photography opportunity, we all had a great time!
I went to Tiger World on Saturday to see the new tiger cub Malia. She’s a rare snow leopard with the recessive gene that makes her tiger stripes very faint. She is so adorable. Friends of mine Susan and Todd Stein have sponsored her. I met Susan at Tiger World to spend a few minutes with Malia. Here are a couple of images. Jess and Lea are her trainers. Malia climbed into my lap on her own while I was in her cage with her. You can’t help but fall in love with her.
I was at Grandfather Mountain for their Nature Photography Weekend event. There were 165 photograpers signed up for the event. It was fun seeing old and new friends there. The Speakers were Richard Bernabe, Kevin Adams, Don McGowan, Jerry Greer and Mark Roberts. I enjoyed all the presentations and learned a lot. In the habitat area I watched a Kodiak bear taking a bath. The flaming azaleas and Rhododendrons were in bloom. Here’s a couple of my photos.
I went to visit the Biltmore Estate during the 25th Anniversary Festival of Flowers. The flowers in the Spring are beautiful. Here are some images of the tulips in the gardens. A wonder of colors!
I attended the NANPA Regional Spring Event in Cherokee, NC. We had great outings leaders who we all leanred a lot from. Thanks to Donna Eaton, Kevin Adams, Richard Day, Bill Lea and Bill Campbell for all their help and suggestions. I had a great time. Here are a couple of images I captured during the event.
Vicki Wilson Photography 