Beauty Shot Fridays: Week 4 Submissions!

Last week’s Beauty Shot Fridays question was: Capture a favorite memory from your experiences in the outdoors. Many of the photos pertained to family, friends, and exploration. I’ve selected a few images that I found particularly striking.

Submitted by Emily Hicks, this photo depicts two friends and their dog sitting on a blanket on a beach, smiling and laughing together. I selected this photo because of how happy and relaxed the women appear. It reminded me of a lot of memories and stories I’ve heard about friends and family going on hikes and beach excursions together and really enjoying the time in the outdoors together. I thought Emily’s photo caught the joy in that very well.

Lesley Hamilton’s photo describes a similar sentimental moment in the outdoors: her engagement to her husband. The photo was taken in the Culhotta Wilderness in Northeastern Georgia during the couple’s backpacking trip. The photo’s scenic images, like the sunlit rocks and cascading waterfall, capture the joy and excitement of the couple as they hold each other on the rocks. Not only is this photo a recorded memory but it is also a lovely depiction of the Georgian wilderness.

Lesley Hamilton: Marriage Proposal in the Culhotta Wilderness

Lesley Hamilton: My husband George & I, just seconds after he proposed by Jack’s River Falls on a backpacking trip in the Culhotta Wilderness in Northeastern Georgia. August 8, 2010, the second happiest day of my life! The first happiest being our wedding day seven months later.

Interestingly enough, we received two submissions featuring Georgia wilderness. Coral Frederick’s picture depicts an upwards view of the gorge from its bottom. The gorge is roughly two miles long and 1,000 feet deep according to the Georgia State Parks’ website, and I think  Coral’s photo catches the gorge’s size and the layered feel of the water, vegetation, and gorge’s rocky formations.

Coral Frederick: View of Tallulah Gorge in Tallulah Falls, Georgia.

Coral Frederick: View from the bottom of Tallulah Gorge in Tallulah Falls, Georgia that makes the difficult hike down worth it.

This photo, taken by Dan Joslin, reminds me of how much color nature works with. Most obviously, there are many hues of green and brown and grey in mos any outdoors setting. I love the vibrancy of the leaves Dan’s photo depicts. The shocking hot pink couple with the effervescent green edging reminds me of pop art and neon lights, of how art can be inspired by natural elements such as color.

By Dan Joslin

By Dan Joslin

The final photo I selected was taken by Coco Kamikawa. It portrays the majesty of Little Tahoma and Mt. Rainier. The scale and slope of the summits, juxtaposed with clouds and blue skies, dwarf Coco and her friends in the left hand corner, and the photo is completely breathtaking. I love this photo because it reminds me of how many places I haven’t personally seen and how many places, even locally, there are to explore.

Coco Kamikawa: Climbing mountains with friends, Little Tahoma and Mt. Rainier summits in the clouds.

Coco Kamikawa: Climbing mountains with friends, Little Tahoma and Mt. Rainier summits in the clouds.

-Madeleine Dahl, Public Relations Intern