10.29.2011

Luray Caverns

Part Two of my vacation takes us to Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.

Luray Caverns is a system of caves within Limestone.


Towards the entrance.....
(ISO 3200, 10mm, F11, 3 Exposures)


Saracen's Tent....
(ISO 400, 10mm, F3.5, 3 Exposures)



The Double Column.....
(ISO 400, 10mm, F3.5, 3 Exposures)


The two photos below are of Dream Lake.  Dream lake is a natural spring that exists within the caverns.  It forms a pretty shallow pool.  Since it is largely undisturbed, it acts like a mirror.  It also looks very very deep or even never-ending, even though it's only about 20" at it's deepest.
In both photos below, there are no stalagmites.  Only stalactites.  The "stalagmites" that you see towards the bottom of each photo is actually a reflection of the stalactites.  Notice the symmetry?

(ISO 400, 22mm, F4.5, 3 Exposures)


(ISO 400, 22mm, F4.5, 3 Exposures)
I don't remember what this formation was called, but I found it interesting, as it looks like an old man with a beard.
(ISO 400, 10mm, F3.5, 3 Exposures)

If you are even in this area of Virginia, I highly recommend stopping at Luray.  
If you are a photographer, a tripod is a must.  It's very dark even though they have the caves lit.  Some of these HDR exposures in the caves were 15-20 secs to get the overexposed version.  I really recommend hanging towards the back of the tour group.  My group had 40 people, and the only way to get good shots was to shoot after everyone had started to move to the next location.  Otherwise, I would have either had people in my shots, or I would have bugged everyone to get out of my shot, which is not a good idea.  After everyone clears out, shoot fast!  The lights are on a timer, and after the group leaves, the lights will shut off.  This only happened once to me.  Not only did it ruin my shot, but it's also a little dangerous.  Obviously, you can't see anything when those lights go off, so tripping would be pretty easy!
Thanks!
Brian

2 comments:

  1. I wish I had gone when I lived in D.C. I had never seen photos like this or I would have made the trip.

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