New River Gorge Photography: Narrow Passage and the Poetry of Place
Birds soar above a winter gorge, with snow-dusted Gauley Mountain visible in the background…
I am recently home from a cold, beautiful, snowy month spent living in Fayetteville, West Virginia and photographing in and around New River Gorge National Park… and I’ve been resting and recovering and slowly processing the entirety of this experience…
Last year I applied to be New River Gorge Creative-In-Residence, an opportunity offered by Amy McLaughlin and Shawn Means of Charleston, WV. Amy & Shawn own a beautiful vacation rental property in Fayetteville, WV, which sits on the very rim of this fantastic gorge. The property is Lafayette Flats, a collection of apartments in a historic building conveniently located in the very friendly downtown Fayetteville. They have done amazing things with the property, not the least of which is they’ve FILLED it with incredible, diverse art. You see, Amy & Shawn are art lovers, Shawn is an artist himself, and they have made it their mission to support the arts in West Virginia. Every year they offer a number of artist residency opportunities in the winter, and I feel very fortunate to have been one of the selected artists for 2022. So in mid-January, I packed up my bags my camera gear and moved to the lovely little town of Fayetteville, just ahead of a major snowstorm. Things got interesting from the start…
Me, hiking into a hemlock grove in the snow…
Narrow Passage: The Geography of the New River Gorge
As a trained geographer, I was fascinated by the natural and cultural history of the New River Gorge, and I engaged fully with my inner nerd by mounting a huge map of this place on an easel in my flat, inspecting it nightly and making notes on it about places I’d been and places I needed to go. There’s a certain magic and mystery surrounding the place. This storied river, one of the oldest in the world despite it’s name, flows north through 3 states, eventually cutting down, down, down, creating the narrow passage of the gorge itself as it rushes in a white frenzy towards it’s confluence with the Gauley River, and ultimately to the Mississippi River and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The lower (northernmost) 53 mile stretch of the New River is the location of our newest National Park, formally known as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This river flowed through these lands even before the Appalachians were uplifted, making it much older than the mountains themselves. Think of it as the Methuselah of rivers. It meanders in great horseshoe bends through the base of the gorge, continuing its’ erosion through the land and providing up to Class IV rapids for the vibrant rafting community here. In certain places, you can stand on the rim of the gorge and stare down at the reflective river sitting more than 1,000 feet below. Towards the top edge of the gorge is an exposed seam of very hard rock known as The Endless Wall and comprised of Nuttall sandstone - unique to this area and a magnet for rock-climbers due to its’ stability and sheer number of climbing routes it offers. Also endless are the hiking trails here, criss crossing the gorge everywhere, each offering its own special feature for those willing to invest some energy and time to explore them. This is truly an outdoor mecca.
A 3,000 foot long steel arch bridge spans the gorge near Fayetteville. Many superlatives are used in reference to the bridge, longest, tallest, and as such it often typifies the media coverage of this region. The bridge is indeed an engineering wonder with gorgeous sight-lines and a scale that is hard to imagine until you see it, and it is hugely economically significant. But since so many of the images from the gorge include the bridge, true to my contrarian nature, I specifically wanted to show that this area is so much more than just the bridge, so I focused my work accordingly. I think I found many equally iconic natural scenes, or scenes that deserved to be considered iconic, anyway!
An important element of the place that I really didn’t explore visually is the historical coal mining industry here. It’s been very impactful and the remnants of the industry are evident everywhere and certainly add a ghostly layer of intrigue. I thought I might visit and photograph these places during my residency, but ultimately I did not to any great degree - mostly because there was so much intact nature I got very distracted and mesmerized by that. But it is clear that the railways and the mines and the abandoned towns are important in their own right and they have their own stories to tell. Others have certainly done this, and in the end I decided my story focused on the natural elements of this special place.
Pinus virginiana aka rimrock pine clinging to the edge of the gorge, the ancient New River visible below…
The Poetry of Place: Photography of New River Gorge
Although I had only visited this area a couple of times prior to moving here, it was clear to me that there was ample opportunity for beautiful photography of New River Gorge National Park. I found a quiet, poetic beauty at all levels of the gorge and in all conditions. I think some wondered why I would seek to photograph the often overwhelmingly brown and drab Appalachian landscape in the depths of winter… But my mind’s eye saw so much potential, from the faded taupe and denim blue color palette, to a rainbow of reflected colors on the surface of the flowing water, and low-angle winter light playing in fog or grazing the tops of the “hairy hills…” I knew there would be no shortage of moments to be inspired by. And I was right, as I felt that I left an immeasurable number of subjects untouched and unseen by me when I departed which only inspires me to return in warmer seasons. But winter offered its own unique scenes. The serendipity of birds soaring above a taupe-draped gorge, with gentle, late light reflecting off the Endless Wall and the rimrock pine forest growing upon it, a snow-dusted Gauley Mountain in the background… A gnarly, determined little pine tree dusted with snow and clinging to the edge of the gorge, looking down at the aqua-colored river 1,000 feet below, reminding me to hang in there, that persisting is how we overcome adversity… The stark white sycamore trees that I came to love, and fondly referred to as the Ghosts of the Gorge, whose true beauty is only fully revealed in the winter… Or the incredible subtlety and variety of patterns and colors created by the flowing waters, reminding me of the power of going with the flow of life rather than resisting it… All of these moments paint a picture of a unique landscape and remind me of the lessons that nature holds for those of us willing to slow down and observe the smallest of things. Importantly, though, the people of Fayetteville offered their own poetry in the form of warmth and an openness that struck me. There is a sense of community and support there that I just haven’t found in many other places.
Last sunrise in the park, February 10, 2022
A few of my favorite moments spent photographing in New River Gorge National Park:
Standing on the edge of the river on a foggy day, watching the aquamarine waters flow past me with the “ghosts of the gorge” standing guard along the opposite bank. I was completely alone, banks of fog rolling towards me from both sides, with just the sound of the water flowing energetically over the ancient rocks…
Discovering the gnarly little pine tree for the first time, clinging to the very edge of the Endless Wall, at a time of significant personal challenge. The scene perfectly reminded me to hang on, to “be the pine tree…”
Walking v-e-r-y-c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y along a trestle bridge above a raging river below, because I found the '“Charlie Brown sycamore tree” of my dreams and I needed to capture it with my camera…
Watching the sun rise at Grandview, and seeing the light begin its dance with the fog floating above the river beneath. The fog slowly dissipated, revealing the river and the ghosts of the gorge in all their winter glory…
Hiking through magical hemlock groves in the snow, breathing in the blue-green energy of these giants as I listened to the sound of Fern Creek gently trickling through the forest…
Looking down and discovering a group of sycamores reaching directly out over the river below me, dressed in fresh snow and rendered stark white against the aquamarine water, a beautiful and mesmerizing illusion of trees against the sky…
“Ghosts of the Gorge” - sycamore trees lined up along the edge of a foggy New River…
I left New River Gorge exhausted but filled with inspiration. The physical exertion of daily hiking with all of my camera gear, often in snowy or icy conditions, pushed me to my physical limits but I was determined to make the absolute most of the opportunity. Being so close to the park for an extended period of time was both an exciting opportunity but also a challenge in terms of overcoming the lower motivation inherent in having ample opportunity to ‘catch it some other time…’ But the ability to focus on getting outside, exploring, and creating new work was energizing - you’d be surprised by how much time photographers generally have to spend desk-bound - and I treasured this forced focus on creativity and all the actual things I love about being a landscape photographer!
I remain excited to learn and understand more about this place in the coming warmer seasons and about returning to New River Gorge for more photography. I am certain this will happen. I hope to reconnect with the friends I made there, and discover many more poetic moments.
For inquiries about prints or licensing, use the “contact” link in the menu at the top of the page or email me directly at hello@michelesons.com
To say I am grateful to Amy & Shawn for this opportunity would be a huge understatement. In even the most privileged of lives, the opportunity to live and create somewhere in this way would be rare. But they are making this a reality for multiple artists every year, bringing diversity and creativity into this small community. These are good people doing good things, and I would highly recommend their rental property for anyone interested in visiting this area. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a perfect destination for photography and more. If you’d like to learn more about Lafayette Flats, please see the link below. To learn more about this park, visit the official NPS website linked below.
2024 Note: I now offer private workshops in this national park. See link below for more information.
Message me to let me know what you think about it all - you can use the contact button in the menu above. I’m happy to answer questions, too!