The Impression Series | The Headwaters Series™ | Rocky Fork State Park, TN

As the name suggests, my “Impressions Series” features abstract exposures that explore the endless play of light and water. In the spirit of the Impressionists, I strive to find my own path within this dynamic vein of artistic expression – to create a body of work that both reflects tribute humbly and yet refracts forward unapologetically. When done right, this is the series that seems the most like magic. Here, viewers discover elusive, fleeting, yet familiar and overlooked perspectives. Moments from nature hiding in plain sight in the single most abundant substance on our planet, unlocked via an obsession with nuance, light, and emotion.

This image was captured within one of the crown jewels of modern conservation lands — the greater Rocky Fork watershed. In the late 2000s the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy spearheaded a broader effort to conserve 10,000 acres of watershed just below the Appalachian trail on the TN/NC border — at the time this was one of the largest unprotected tracts of land in all of Appalachia, and was of vital conservation importance as it bordered an additional 22,000 acres of US Forest Service Designated Wilderness, the Appalachian Trail, miles of trout streams, and even encompassed rocky cliffs that are home the endangered Peregrine Falcon.

Rocky Fork is an impressionistic testament to the incredible dedication of the many people and organizations that ultimately came together to protect this vast watershed. Captured in the pristinely clear waters of the newly created Rocky Fork State Park, Rocky Fork depicts mid-morning sunlight refracting onto the sandy bottom of the stream. The simplicity and rhythmic consistency of the exposure is accented by smaller cool tones created by the prism-like effect of the light traveling through the water and only made visible by a fast shutter speed.