Pulaski County Courthouse Pictures

The first shot below is an example of a simple architectural shot that was licensed in the past week. The second shot is a wider-angle view of the same building.

The Pulaski County Courthouse in Little Rock, Arkansas is on the National Register of Historic Places. I made this picture on an early Saturday morning so that downtown traffic and parking would not be of any concern. I actually arrived so early I had to wait in my vehicle for the sun to rise high enough over the gigantic skyscrapers we have here in Little Rock in order for the building to be lit. With the exception of a single liquor-smelling street beggar who apparently didn't get drunk enough the prior night to sleep late, I was left undisturbed to wander the streets, setup my tripod wherever I wanted, and frame some pictures. Here, the crisp blue sky made things easy as pie. In fact, I drove on to Memphis after this shoot and shot several other photos on the same day which have also been licensed. When the light is great, take advantage of it!

All images are Copyright Terry Smith, 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Red Fox in the Ozarks

Last year a female fox raised her two pups in the band of woods between my parent's house and Greers Ferry Lake. I spent a lot of time photographing the fox family from behind a self-made photo blind, an old bed sheet with a hole cut in it for my lens! Over the winter they left for denser and warmer, I presume, forests. I believe my mom has seen one of the foxes only once this year. This past spring all the rain that we received caused the lake level to rise higher than it ever has before, and their old territory was completely under water for many weeks.

I'm glad to have had the chance to photograph them though, especially from the comfortable setting of home. The picture below is one of the pups after it was approximately three months old (personal guess). This image was licensed today for a children's book.

Wild red fox in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.

All images are Copyright Terry Smith, 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Fall Foliage Photography in Arkansas. Coming soon!

I'm getting excited about the fall foliage outlook for Arkansas. We've had a lot of rain this year, and if we keep falling into fall with as much rain as we've had this week then the landscape photography prospects will be GREAT!

In the past few years most of the leaves have been dead and falling off before fall even arrives. In places where there was good color, it would only last at most 2 to 3 days. More rain this year, and hopefully more to come, will keep the leaves on the trees longer and in good shape for a slow transition into peak color. The fall color in the Ozark Mountains and Ouachita Mountains could be really spectacular this year!

October is certainly one of the best months in Arkansas. If you're planning to get out with a camera in Arkansas this fall, keep in mind that the trees in the Ozark Mountains in the northern third of the state peak first. The leaves in the central part the state peak 1-2 weeks after that, and then the foliage further South, especially in Ouachita Mountains around Hot Springs, peaks after that.

All really great fall landscape photography is all about catching the PEAK. At the right time anyone can take a great picture!

Blazing orange maple tree on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

All images are Copyright Terry Smith. All Rights Reserved.

Waterfalls in the Ozark National Forest of Arkansas

Here are some waterfalls I photographed a few weeks ago. The light wasn't best for waterfall photography. Overcast days are ideal because they minimize the contrast of light shining through the trees. But... after you've driven a couple of hours to reach your destination and hiked down a very muddy trail for 20 minutes, you take what you can get.

When I arrived the trees had not budded out as much as I expected. Actually, not at all in most places, like in the shot below. This shot is actually quite horrible in color, but in black and white it works fairly well. I wouldn't call it spectacular, but it's decent.

Whenever you are doing waterfall photography it's essential to use a tripod in order to get a nice blur to the water and create that smooth, flowing effect. The shot below was a half-second exposure but the wind joined the party and created a nice abstract effect to the leaves. I doubt this image will ever be published anywhere but here (it's too wild and crazy for most publications), but I've learned over the years that you can never tell which pictures editors will pick. I think it's neat though.
This is a more traditional waterfall shot. All of these falls are unnamed as far as I know. I also took a shot like the one below where I put myself in the picture wearing a bright shirt. This makes the work I put into framing the shot (and hiking down and back up a very STEEP hill) pay off twice. Some publishers will want a person in the shot as a "get out and have an adventure pic" and some will need a straight nature/wilderness shot.

These images are Copyright Terry Smith, 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Ozarks Wildflower

Spring has sprung in the Ozarks Mountains of Arkansas.

This image is Copyright Terry Smith, 2008. All Rights Reserved.