Mike Walker Photography

In early December, I visited Italy for the very first time. In a word, incredible. Most of my too short week there was spent in Rome, walking the streets and seeing the sights (such as the Pantheon above). The age of this city is mind-numbing. The Roman ruins, the dozens of ancient and beautiful churches, the amazing food, all too much to absorb in just a few days. The crowds and traffic of the city can be frantic and spending a day in the small town of Orte, located a quick train ride north of Rome, was a nice contrast with homes and shops set along curving, narrow streets and unlimited photographic opportunities. If you would like to see my collection of images, click here.

While in Rome, a visit to the Vatican is a must. St. Peter’s Bascilica and the Vatican museums are breathtaking. To see my photographs from the Vatican, click here.

Italy has instantly become a favorite destination, I plan on returning soon.

The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park just held their 2011 Photography Contest and my image of a Barn Swallow above won 1st Place.  I was also fortunate to have two other images selected, the female Mallard below was the 3rd Place winner and my photograph of the two Barn Swallows below won Honorable Mention.    All of the winning photographs from the 2011 contest will be on display at the Huntley Meadows Visitor Center now through February 29th.

The color in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in late October was really spectacular. Red, yellow, orange was everywhere you looked. The tree color was also present on and along the streams and waterfalls of the Tremont and Roaring Fork sections of the park with the rhododendron along the water holding onto its green leaves.

The fall color in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was brilliant this year. Everywhere you looked, spectacular views were the norm, including this stream in the Roaring Fork area, reflecting the tree color on the water.

Early morning in Cades Cove displayed the fog along the mountains that give the Smokies its name.

Mountain vistas were full of incredible color.

This youngster caused quite a bear jam on Skyline Drive when I was there a couple of weekends ago.  Traffic was stopped with dozens of cars in each direction as this bear munched along the roadside for over an hour.

Once past this ‘roadblock’, I headed to Big Meadows which which was blazing in color.

I’ve been fortunate to visit Blackwater Falls State Park, WV in the winter, spring and fall this year, each visit bringing new opportunities to shoot the different falls in the area. The falls above are identified as Elakala Falls #2. It’s a beautiful falls on Shays Run.

Getting into the water and up close to the water flow was a requirement for the photograph below, taken at Elakala Falls #1.

Outside of the park, in the town of Davis, WV is another beautiful falls known as Douglas Falls, which held some nice fall color in the trees.

The Fall season in the Bear Rocks area of the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia shows some spectacular color as the blueberry and huckleberry bushes turn a crimson red.  A nice sunset above lights up the fields in green, red and gold.

In the morning, facing the opposite direction, the sunrise provided an awesome, sky-filling display of color with low hanging fog covering the valleys below.

Fall color covers the mountainside at Dolly Sods.

In early October I was in Blackwater Falls State Park, WV, where the fall color was just hitting peak. Starting the weekend before sunrise, there was a field near the park which was covered in early morning fog and as the sun rose, a nice golden color filtered through the fog, covering the field. The morning light made the colors in the large maple tree below really pop.

Traveling down the road to a pond, I took the photograph below of the tree color reflected in the water.