Blue Ridge Layers

A couple weeks ago, we went to Boone to drop off my oldest son at college. He started at Appalachian State this year. I'm so happy for him. And maybe a tiny bit envious – I would have loved going to a place as beautiful as Boone for my college days! I already miss him, and I hope his college experience is as positive and impactful as mine was.

Since we were there, we went ahead and rented a cabin for a few days to get in a small vacation before school starts up. I regret not having brought some fishing gear! But at least I got some photography in. Boone sits on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is my favorite place in the world to drive and one of the most scenic places in North Carolina to photograph. 

I snapped this photo at one of the many amazing overlooks on the Parkway. The Blue Ridge Mountains get their name from the characteristic blue color of the mountains when viewed at a distance. The blue color is from isoprene released by the trees during photosynthesis. From a photographic standpoint, it's an ideal environment for 3D-like images that exploit the atmospheric haze for added depth. The blue haze gets stronger with distance, so you get this really lovely layering of mountains in your photo. I guess I'm lucky I didn't go to school in Boone, because exploring the area would have been one heck of a distraction for me.