Hidden Treasure, a photo from Virginia, South

Photographer's Note

This shot was taken in Luray Caverns, situated in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Luray Caverns was discovered by three local men, Benton Stebbins, Billy Campbell and Andrew Campbell. They found the cave when they discovered a small draft of air. They kept the secret until the land went up for sale, where they bought it in an auction for a price of $507.75. But the purchase was nullified by the Supreme Court of Virginia, because the caverns location was kept a secret and the true value of the land was not realized until after purchase.

Covering 64 acres (26 hectares), the caverns, discovered in 1878, were formed millions of years ago by underground rivers and seepage of acid-bearing water through layers of limestone and clay. In time the clay was washed away, leaving only the limestone shell. Long after the formation of the caverns and the development of stalactites from dripping limewater, they were filled with glacial mud. The acid-charged mud eroded the dripstone and altered its shape. When the mud was later removed by flowing water, the older eroded forms remained alongside the new growth, resulting in a striking display of many-hued stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and cascades.

When I entered this cave, I truly felt that nature had hidden this treasure from Man for years until a simple curiosity led to its discovery just about a 100 years ago. I hope you'll like it.

f-stop = 10.0
shutterspeed = 30 secs
ISO 200

COSTANTINO, Wandering_Dan, stego, gracious, zeca, danasam, BWJ, Dyerco, sayanwithsenice, chpp, mvdisco, danos, avene, feather, JCG, Cretense, paura, kmarscher, jafadabret, Bluejeans, Clementi, Jardim, kiwi_explorer, noborders, bakes888, zmey, wishlist, Tue, samrat_roy1 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

COSTANTINO (115407) 2008-07-07 7:15

Hi Shaeri,
very interesting and original capture
of this hidden treasure. What can nature do..
Beautiful shot under difficult circulstances.
Best regards from Greece,
Costantino

nicholasjaved (503) 2008-07-07 7:34

nice shot

Gustaw (21670) 2008-07-07 7:59

Wow! Very interesting and beautiful nature. I like your composition with nice lights and colours. Very good and interesting.
Marek

xavis (3180) 2008-07-07 8:42

Hidden treasure...or the hidden Cathedral. A very nice shot, with nice lights and colours.
It's incredible what nature can do with time and patience...

Javier

nabarun (336) 2008-07-07 8:47

hi Shaeri!
great shot! the cave seems to be well lit.
this shot of yours again reminds me of a stalactite stalagmite cave i visited in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya during last december. however, the light was very poor and i ended up with only a few blurred shots due to long shutterspeeds and no tripod. i doubt a tripod would have helped as there was hardly any space to stand. at some places we had to crawl to go ahead!

stego (24132) 2008-07-07 9:22

Hi Shaeri,
Indeed it reminds a treasure cave and the treasure is still there even if there isn't any gold or precious stones. I am impressed by the quality you achieved, sharpness, light and color wise.
Regards, José.

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-07-07 9:25

Hi, Shaeri -

Interesting story about the land purchase. I wonder if our current Supreme Court (US) would feel the same way, given the way they uphold the better thieves.

It is a nice shot, very well composed. There are only a couple of blown out spots, which could be brushed over. I like the flow of light and shadows, and the way it goes horizontal, contrasting with the vertical limestone formations.

Best,
Dan

gracious (20025) 2008-07-07 16:28

Hello Shaeri,
Captured well with the best pov!
the exposure and focus is excellent here with the good details on the interior of the cavarn!
lovely golden light!
well done and many thanks for the wonderful sharing
best regards
Tony

zeca (19762) 2008-07-07 23:10

Wow! What a nice cavern! Its beautiful! The golden lights are amazing, and the contrast is perfect, showing nice details! Well done, Shaeri my friend!
Regards,
Zeca

danasam (1075) 2008-07-08 2:25

Hi Shaeri, i like the POV capturing the outstanding golden light reflection of these rocks.. very well seen, useful note too.
Sam.

BWJ (3094) 2008-07-08 4:21

Hello Shaeri,
The stalactites, stalagmites and columns in the cavern make a stunning composition highlighted by their various textures, shapes and warm colors. Using a circular polarizer with the bright lights placed around in the cave worked really well. Turned upside down, this landscape could just as well be the surface a distant planet. Fantastic work!
Warm wishes,
Betty

Dyerco (10185) 2008-07-08 6:41

Hi Shaeri
Great shot. These formations are always a treat to behold.
Phil

sagar (2410) 2008-07-08 7:34

Aribbas!!!eta darun!! Glorious view, and the long shutter speed has helped you create a magic..of light and shade.
PS- Yale kemon lagchhey?

sayanwithsenice (758) 2008-07-08 9:46

WOW ! Nice treasured rocks discovered.. The lustre is so brilliant even after 100 years .. Thanks for sharing !!

Regards,
] SAYAN

chpp (4283) 2008-07-08 12:04

Hi Shaeri
very nice shot, good exposure and details. I tried one in a lava cave but there was no other light than my flsh light, so it dind't come up nice.
Anyways, very nice shot and well managed.
have a nice day
chris

PS: thanks for your critique and yes I've got a new camera :)

jmdias (114150) 2008-07-08 18:20

shaeri

yes, a cave is ever a show for our eyes, a very strange landscape, natural artwork put in evidence by the light. I liked you work here, the light, colors and shapes are real interetsing. very nice work

hugs

jorge

mvdisco (17798) 2008-07-08 20:14

Hi Shaeri,
Lovely presentation and compositon of this cavern in Virginia at Shenandoha Valley, Excellent POV. and great colors , Nice note too, Amazing and impressive picture, very well done.
Michel

nirvana73 (0) 2008-07-09 0:38

Hi Shaeri,
very interesting and original capture
in difficult situation
nice light and colors
tfs
regards
Ozhan

siolaw (38294) 2008-07-09 1:13

Hi Shaeri,
I think it is quite difficult to get a proper shot in caves... and you did quite well here, with pleasant exposure giving 3D relief effect, sharp and nice gold color... i may have cropped a little bit the lower part, to avoid the lamps... but i cheated, and remoded them by cloning, in WS...
Regards
Laurent
BRB

[workshop] [compare]

Angshu (56760) 2008-07-09 1:17

Hello Shaeri
Kothai ghurchhile ei ko din? Naki bhortir chokkore? Heard & seen pictures of this place before & if I'm not mistaken have a small booklet of this place as well. Nice colour tones & sharpness/contrast. Where did you keep your camera for the long exposure? Good work!
Best Wishes
Angshumanda

danos (110407) 2008-07-09 1:34

Hello Shaeri,
impressive the interior of the Luray Caverns,with stalactites to be recorded perfect.I like the light that has not oversaturate the scene,as the superb details of them.Thanks for the informative note, as the nullify by the Supreme Court the decision for the buy of the region.Well done.

Regards,Danos

trekks (14348) 2008-07-09 2:21

hi Shaeri

Very interesting to see the inside details of the cave that is so well illuminated. I am surprised that you used CPL in such dark condition but somehow the exposure seems to work ok.

I have visited our World Heritage's Mulu cave site in Malaysia but the illumination is unable to show details when I used point-shoot camera years ago. Mulu is the biggest cave in the world.

tfs, bill
later

avene (12675) 2008-07-09 8:01

hi Shaeri,
the golden light fits very well the elaborate natural formations that remind of intricate ornaments in a cathedral, I like it a lot. good work in capturing this magic mood, the exposure is very well managed, and all details well defined. excellent photo, my compliments.

regards,
Kristine

feather (51130) 2008-07-09 8:56

I assume you used a tripod although you don't mention it. It must have been difficult to frame this to make a satisfying composition as there are no conventional elements to use as a guide. However you have produced an excellent image, well exposed and with excellent sharpness.
Kath

stelli (3009) 2008-07-09 9:05

I was at a similar excursion (Diros caves in southern Peloponnese) recently and I am going to post some pictures soon. These are amazing places and you depicted this one very weel managing the light wonderfully. Thank you for sharing! Regards Stella

JCG (35153) 2008-07-09 10:56

Hi Shaeri,

This kind of photographs is really not easy to realize taking into account the conditions of luminosity and you made a success of it very well. These caves are really interesting. Beautiful photograph and thank you for the instructive note.

With all my friendships and with soon,

Jean-Charles

Cretense (68709) 2008-07-09 11:10

Hi Shaeri!

amazing capture from this fantastic cave, excellent framing and composition perfect light managment! You faced dificult condition here, but you came out a winner! Congratulations!

Hercules

danyy (0) 2008-07-09 14:24

Bonjour Shaeri,
un sujet pas toujours facile à photographier tant les lumières peuvent être mauvaises, mais ici, apparement, tout est là pour une photo parfaite.
Jeux de lumières agréables et couleurs magnifiques, un excellent document sur les profondeurs de la terre.
Regards.
Daniel.

paura (25802) 2008-07-09 16:32

Shaeri Mukherjee,
Excellent photofrom this very interesting carvern. Amazing shapes there. Lighting and colors are really very nice.

Well done!

Paulo

kmarscher (2887) 2008-07-09 17:55

I have been to this cavern and can relate to your experience. Very well done to show the richness of the formations. Don't really see the polarizer effect in the cavern so you must have still had it on after outdoor shots. The post-processing is quite good. Colors are true and well balanced.

pcp (3396) 2008-07-09 19:11

Hi Shaeri,

Beautiful contrast shot with beautiful light :) Good note as well. well done.

TFS

Senthil

jafadabret (56501) 2008-07-10 7:04

Bonjour Shaeri.

Cette photo d'un monde souterrain est superbe. La nature a mis des milliers d'années pour arriver à une telle perfection. L'homme a mis en valeur ces sculptures en les éclairant et ta photo nous les montre de belle façon.
J'aime la beauté des formes et des couleurs.
Jacques

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-07-10 8:17

Ola Shaeri ,
Que linda foto dentro desta gruta a luz ficou magnifica , gostei muito das estalagmites e das estalactites , belos detalhes capturados , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Clementi (52514) 2008-07-10 9:16

Ciao Shaeri,
Very interesting and beautiful nature the hidden treasure Cathedral.
great management of lightand fantastic colors.
very nice job
Giorgio

Jardim (3243) 2008-07-10 14:19

Olá shaeri,

I like it you captured very well this nature beauty, with good colors and sharpness.
The nature can surprising us every day!
Júlio JArdim

polpo56 (15146) 2008-07-10 14:58

Wellcome Shaeri,
a very interesting shot of these caverns, well realized in a arduous situation of light.
In Italy there are many caverns like this one, also in Sardinia Island.
I'm waiting your next shots.
Ciao
Ludo

marietom (34611) 2008-07-12 13:50

hello Shaeri,

Wouaw, c'est beau ! Superbe graphisme.
Bonne journée
Marie

dvlazar (6662) 2008-07-13 2:31

Amazing! What a special place to visit - and it looks like they're lit it up well with these golden lights on the formations.
Good handling of light in a difficult situation.

Cheers,
Dave.

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-07-13 2:55

Hi Shaeri,
Very good capture under low lighting conditions. Quite dramatic to look at ... amazing how nature can create such beautiful sculptures. Image quality is good and so as your white balance. Well captured and composed! Tfs
Cheers,
Renier

noborders (1010) 2008-07-13 13:52

You are right, it really looks like a collection of treasures, the colours are splendid and the photo perfect, only one regret (please forgive me, I think you know my tastes !) : if you had included one (or 2...) persons, even in the far end of the photo, to get an idea of the scale and reassure us that the photo is not upside down :))), ... - but anyway : it's somptuously splendid, bravo !
Best regards dear Shaeri,
Cath.

bracasha75 (24591) 2008-07-13 14:56

Hi Shaeri
O yes this is realy hiden treasure and thank you for sharing this
All best
Cheers,Braca
Milions of year for make up a cave

leo61 (0) 2008-07-13 21:42

Hi Shaeri!
You managed the difficult light well here and i like the result.Great POV and a nice view down into this cave.Good sharpness overall and nice yellow tones.
Regards,Leo

bakes888 (18499) 2008-07-14 0:29

Hi Shaeri. I’m pleased someone uncovered this jem. Great photo. Wonderful colours and excellent sharpness and detail. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good week, Paul.

zmey (7335) 2008-07-14 9:16

wow, shaeri. now i have a reason to go to virginia :)) the place sure looks golden. really, 26 hectars of this stuff in there? definitely, i must go :) TFS

with warm regards
kristaps

wishlist (4133) 2008-07-15 13:59

Hi my friend,
you've done a stunning job setting up your camera to deliver a truly great result. Light management is excellent and every single detail is well visible of this evocative place. Quality is excellent throughout and you finished this great job with a great note. My compliments!
Regards,

Igor

p.s:are you still shooting Raw/Nef?

Tue (91450) 2008-07-16 3:04

Hi Shaeri,
A really nice capture of this impressive cave! Such beautiful shapes everywhere and the warm colours are very nice too. The light is very well handled too. Great photo work and thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

samrat_roy1 (701) 2008-07-18 3:50

hi shaeri
i certainly like it. the warmth of the picture draws my attention. this is rather an abstract beauty. good reflective sights as well....
cheers