Submitted by: Cary Sponaugle
Thomas, WV – This article is the third installment in a multi-week segment highlighting winning photographers from Cortland’s annual photography contest. This week, winners hail from Dry Fork and Beckley, West Virginia.
David Johnston; Dry Fork, West Virginia
With decades of photography experience under his belt, Johnston is a veteran of Cortland’s photography contest and a four-time winner. He uses a Canon camera and various lenses to capture landscapes, night scenes, and macro images.
“I enjoy taking pictures of broad landscapes while showing the details which define it,” explains Johnston. “I especially like using a panoramic format, shooting a lot of waterfalls, but again enjoy showing the context with which they occur. Scenes including the night sky are another interest, especially how the Milky Way looms over the landscape. In the spring, I enjoy taking pictures of emerging flowers and insects.”
For Johnston’s winning entry, The Milky Way Ascends Over The Blackwater River Headwaters, the picture required balancing the foreground’s brightness levels at dusk and the night sky. “In the summer, the Milky Way rises to the south over Bald Knob and Weiss Knob,” states Johnston. “I think Mill Run and its associated wetlands in Canaan Valley Resort State Park are scenic in any season.”
“My words of wisdom on photography are that nature photography provides an opportunity not only to record a scene, but convey unlimited interpretation and expression,” explains Johnston. “A photo can evoke emotional responses and highlight the places, details, and nuances that most people don’t have the opportunity to see or experience. It can focus attention on something that would otherwise escape notice, or it can project the immensity and grandeur of a commonplace scene in a way the prompts a new look. Perhaps most importantly, photography can promote an appreciation for our remaining spaces and motivate cooperation to preserve and protect them.”
Ed Rehbein; Beckley, West Virginia
This self-described “waterfall hunter” has had his work selected for Cortland’s walls before and has been taking photographs for over twenty years. Using both a Nikon D90 and Sony A6000 with various wide-angle and telephoto lenses, waterfalls are his prey of choice. He co-authored an award-winning book of waterfall photographs with 2020 Cortland Photography judge and curator Randall Sanger, entitled “West Virginia Waterfalls: The New River Gorge,” published by Headline Books.
“I enjoy being around waterfalls,” explains Rehbein. “It’s a paradox, really, but I find them both exhilarating and peaceful at the same time. I like to photograph them at slow shutter speeds to get that ‘cotton candy’ effect.”
Ironically, Rehbein’s winning entry this year did not include a waterfall but a glorious vista south of Bear Rocks in Dolly Sods. “My wife Phyllis and I enjoy exploring places off the beaten path”, explains Rehbein. “It took some off-trail bushwhacking and determination, but the difficulties were rewarded. We discovered some unique rock formation and timed our trek to perfection to hit the seasonal fall change of the blueberry bushes to scarlet red.”
Rehbein recounts a funny story. “Sometimes the term ‘waterfall hunter’ is so appropriate. In my quest to photograph a particular waterfall, I felt, in my somewhat over-active imagination, that I was hunting ‘big game’. This behemoth was located on private property – The Confluence Resort. As reported in the resort’s literature to be 70 feet high, I had to see these falls for myself. After getting permission and directions from the resort owner, I set on a safari for the falls. It was not easy. The path from the top was a typical rough and tumble New River Gorge descent through rhododendron thickets. Nevertheless, I found my prey and shot my target. And it was indeed Big Game.”
When asked what makes a good nature photograph, Rehbein responds, “through the window of the eyes, a good photograph evokes emotion, provokes thought, and invites the observer to enter into the moment of the image.”
Without a doubt, West Virginia contains many beautiful vistas, breath-taking landscapes, and of course, fabulous waterfalls. It is apparent that the state also nurtures many gifted and talented photographers.
While COVID may have changed how Cortland presents their 2020 photography winners, the prints continue to be spectacular. As with previous years, both large- and small- scale prints from 2019 are available for purchase. The prints previewed in this article will be available for purchase in the fall of 2021. Please visit the Cortland Acres website at www. https://www.cortlandacres.org/2019-prints-for-sale or contact Dan Bucher at (304) 463-4181 for more information.
The Foundation’s mission is “To secure the resources necessary to enhance the health and well-being of the Cortland community.” A 501(c)3 organization, The Foundation is dedicated to helping Cortland Acres continue to provide and expand quality care and services to the local and surrounding communities. Cortland Acres is a nonprofit corporation offering state-of-the-art nursing care, skilled rehabilitation, and retirement living on a spacious 35-acre campus in scenic Tucker County, West Virginia. For more information, call 304-463-4181 or visit www.cortlandacres.org.
