A Brief Geography: New River Gorge National Park
Some of you may not know that I am a trained geographer. I have a Master’s degree in geography, and I worked in the field of retail geography and spatial analysis for 20 years. Although I left the corporate world for full time photography almost 4 years ago, my training and my experience applying it remain a critically important part of my process as a nature photographer. I've always been fascinated by how geological processes shape the scenes we capture through our lenses, so I'm starting a new series here called "A Brief Geography" to explore the intersection of geography and landscape photography, beginning with one of North America's most intriguing waterways: the New River.
Ancient Waters, Rising Mountains
Despite its misleading name, the New River is anything but new. In fact, it's recognized as the second oldest river in the world, with estimates placing its age between 10 and 360 million years old. What makes this river particularly fascinating from a geographical perspective is its unusual north-flowing course through the Appalachian Mountains, creating a 320-mile journey from North Carolina through Virginia and into West Virginia.
The river's most compelling feature lies in its morphology – the way it has shaped and been shaped by the landscape. Unlike typical meandering rivers that wind through flat alluvial plains, the New River presents us with what geographers call "entrenched meanders." These dramatic horseshoe bends were carved when the landscape was still a flat plain, before the mountains even existed. As the Appalachian Mountains formed and rose around it, the river maintained its course, cutting into the rising landscape. This process has created some of the most dramatic compositions a landscape photographer could hope to capture, with the river now sitting up to 1,600 feet below the rim of the gorge in some locations.
Entrenched meandering, New River, West Virginia
Entrenched meandering, Colorado River, Arizona
For photographers, this geological history presents unique opportunities. The "stretcher necks" – local terminology for the narrow tongues of land created by these dramatic meanders – offer compelling middle ground elements when shooting from overlooks like Concho Rim or Grandview. If you're familiar with photographing Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, you'll recognize similar compositional opportunities here, as both rivers share this fascinating entrenched meander morphology.
The gorge itself presents another photographic element through the Endless Wall, an exposed seam of Nuttall sandstone unique to this area. This geological feature not only provides striking compositional lines but also creates interesting opportunities for capturing the interplay of light and shadow throughout the day.
From a cultural geography perspective, the landscape bears the imprint of both ancient and recent human activity. While the remnants of coal mining add what I call a "ghostly layer of intrigue" to our compositions, the area's indigenous history – including the Moneton, Tutelo, Yuchi, Shawnee, and Cherokee peoples – reminds us that every landscape we photograph carries deeper cultural significance than what meets the eye through our viewfinders.
For landscape photographers visiting the area, I recommend approaching the New River Gorge with an understanding of its geographical complexity. The most compelling images often come from understanding not just the visual elements before us, but the processes that created them. The New River offers us a rare opportunity to capture the interaction between ancient waters and relatively young mountains, creating a visual story that spans millions of years.
In future installments of this series, we'll explore other landscapes through the lens of geography, helping us better understand and photograph the natural world around us. After all, as landscape photographers, we're not just capturing scenes – we're telling the stories of the ongoing dialogue between water, rock, and time.
What geographical features influence your landscape photography? I'd love to hear about the landscapes that captivate you and the stories they tell through your lens.
Explore more about photographing the New River Gorge in my eBook RIVERSONG: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing New River Gorge.
