This collection of gallery wraps just went up at Dr. John Alan Smith’s dental practice in Kingsport, Tennessee. Dr. Smith is my dentist. and one of the things I like best about him is his commitment to helping patients with their anxiety. He truly believes dental procedures shouldn’t be painful, and he wants everyone to achieve good oral health. I did photography of patients for his website, and that led to conversations about decor for his new practice location in Kingsport and eventually the photography that he would choose for his waiting room (see images below).
Lakeshore Marina and Resort at Watauga Lake
Sunrises and sunsets over water are spectacular. Staff at Lakeshore was kind enough to indulge me one evening when I sought out this photo, permitting me to explore the docks for an optimal composition. It’s not every time I try to do this that I get sunbeams, reflections, textures, patterns, and colors to optimally combine for a shot like this. When it does, I thank God for the serendipity of the moment and fire away with my camera.
Milky Way
What’s unusual about this Milky Way photo is my camera picked up a phenomenon called airglow. It is a faint, greenish glow emitted by oxygen atoms about 60 miles up in the atmosphere. The orange light on the horizon comes from artificial light, diffused and lofted high by water vapor from various North Carolina cities and towns to the southwest of Roan Mountain. Just that we have such astonishing sights in our night skies should remind us that indeed, “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
Rime Ice and Drifts
Round Bald in the Roan Highlands stands at 5,826 feet above sea level. Consequently, it picks up feet of snow and has a climate similar to parts of Canada. But the most stunning winter feature is rime ice—ice that freezes on trees and grasses that condenses from the low lying clouds that often cling to the highlands. The blue you see in the shadows is a reflection of the azure hues of the sky.
Highland Sunbeams
A palette of blues and oranges emerged in an early December sunset. Beams of light traversed valley fogs as evening cooled. If you haven’t figured it out yet, there is never a bad time to hike the Roan Highlands.
Cloudland Trail
Roan Mountain is famous for the largest, naturally occuring Catawba Rhododendron garden in the world. The fog that often camps on its peak earned it the nickname Cloudland. Especially in the summer months, the clouds provide shade and a delightful, damp goodness to hiking the trails that crisscross Roan Mountain. Many visitors bring their picnics to the Roan to escape the summer heat in the valleys below.
Summer on Round Bald
Another great reason to visit the Roan HIghlands is to escape the summer haze. Verdant valleys pop, clouds roar, and the fresh greens of summer pervade. If you study the center of this picture, you’ll see sunbeams penetrating that valley haze you escaped when you hiked to the top of Round Bald.
Fraser Firs and Flame Azaleas
Most visitors to the Roan Highlands seek out the Rhododendrons and their fantastic blooms. But if you hike the Appalachian Trail north from Carver’s Gap and cross over Round Bald, you will enter a world dominated by large swaths of Flame Azaleas, blooming in regalia. Azalea blossoms look like trumpets, and they hail the creative genius of Almighty God who designed these spectacular flowers.
These canvases were printed and stretched on frames by SpeedPro Tri-Cities. Whenever I see their work, I think, “Go big or go home.” These guys have mastered the craft of printing on canvas, vinyl, paper, or anything else you can imagine. Before I learned SpeedPro could do gallery wraps, it was always a crapshoot to find a good company to print them. They also, as you can see in the pictures below, precisely and professionally hung the wraps at Dr. Smith’s office. It’s so cool to have a printing company of this caliber in Blountville!
If you have a laptop or desktop, try clicking on images in the gallery below for an expanded view of each photograph. Even better, go see Dr. John Alan Smith. His office is at 444 Clinchfield Street, The Press Building, Suite 303, Kingsport, Tennessee. Check out his website at JASmithDDS.com, and if you live in east Tennessee or southwest Virginia, your search for a compassionate dentist would end with Dr. Smith. Call 423-247-7821 for an appointment.
