Arabia Mountain field trip 3/30
Our second club field trip of the year, to Arabia Mountain on March 30th, greeted APS photographers with beautiful sunny cool weather, an amazing really big rock - Arabia Mountain itself, lots of rare plants and blooming wildflowers, and a superb expansive area to explore for nature photographs.
Several groups of APS shooters scoured different parts of the park in search of images. Recent rains insured that the bright red Diamorpha was in spectacular full bloom, and that the many other flowering plants that call the Arabia Mountain home, all showed off their incredible beauty. The amazing patterns of water flow on the hard granite were evident, with frequent pools and even some flowing water on the lower reaches of the mountain.
Evidence of historical quarrying was prominent in some areas. But much of the mountain, which receives much less foot traffic than its sisters Panola Mountain and Stone Mountain, appeared nearly pristine with little sign of disturbance. Delicate lichens were prevalent, and the striking red Diamorpha (a rare threatened species) seemed to be nearly everywhere, needing only the slightest depression in the rock and a bit of sandy "soil" to produce a crimson carpet.
Since this was an official "Assignment Zone" shoot, I'm sure we'll get to see a wide array of stunning images from Arabia Mt. come October (and maybe some even sooner). Arabia Mountain is truly a close by Georgia treasure!
Jim Harrison
New for 2013 – Expanded Shoots and Field Trips
As the 2012 Holiday season passed, fortunately the world did not end with the conclusion of the Mayan calendar. I’m sure that would have provided many exciting photo opportunities, but it might have put a crimp in our plans for 2013.
The New Year has been here for a while, and APS has begun another year of outstanding competitions and camaraderie. The quality of competition entries thus far during 2013 has been extremely high as evidenced by the January, February and March (soon to be posted) ribbon winners, and by the many other outstanding images entered that didn’t receive ribbons!
New for this year, we’ve planned an expanded array of shoots and field trips for our members. Five field trips have been planned so far with more in the works. Click on the Field Trips listed under the “Special Competitions/Field Trips” tab on the club web page for details on all these outings.
One of these, to Minihaha Falls in Rabun County, GA, has already taken place (back on February 2). The next club shoot, scheduled for March 30 at Arabia Mountain, will be eligible for the Assignment Zone (A-Z) competition. (One additional shoot will be announced and designated for A-Z at a later date.)
The other shoots planned so far for 2013 and the contact person for each includes:
a. Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, March 30 (A-Z): Jim Harrison
b. Georgia State Boy’s High School Track Meet, May 2-4: Al McLeod
c. Blue Ridge Mountains/Folkmoot International Dance Festival, July 19-21:
Jim Harrison
d. Little Five Points Halloween Parade, October 26: Chris Handley
More field trips and shoots will be announced as details are finalized. As always, a big thank you to the APS volunteers for planning these excellent chances to get out and shoot together.
From the President
Jim Harrison
