Look Arounds
I’ve started making 360 degree interactive panoramic photos of the cool Ohio places I visit and this page is going to be a gallery for them.
Click the big Play buttons below to open each panorama. Click and drag (slowly) to move the view around and middle mouse scroll to zoom in and out. Give them a few seconds to load, they’re big files. To close the pano, click the ‘X’ in the upper right or hit the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard.
Waterfall 61 – 2-24-2019
As the heading suggests, this is the 61st waterfall I’ve visited and photographed in the Hocking Hills, Ohio area. With no trail, lots of fallen trees and boulders, briar patches, and steep hill climbs this one is particularly tricky to reach. The day I visited was overcast and there had been a recent snow melt and an overnight rain so it was flowing very well.
Big Spring Hollow Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-23-2018
The falls was a thundering torrent after several days of rain and still photos just don’t capture the experience. There are dedicated 360 video cameras, but with a little extra work, I was able to create a 360 video with just my Sonya6000 and an 8mm fisheye lens. There isn’t a lot of movement in a 360 landscape and the motion of the water is fairly regular. I took six sequential 35 second videos with the 8mm Rokinon fisheye lens at 60 degree intervals. Even though the videos weren’t taken simultaneously, it wasn’t difficult to stitch them together seamlessly. Once I had a single 35 sec 360 degree video, I duplicated it, staggered the duplicates’ start times, and faded them in over the previous copy to create a seamless 4 minute video that gives viewers time to look around.
The six videos were shot in portrait orientation and on my APS-C sensor camera the 8mm fisheye lens doesn’t quite cover a full 180 degree field of view so there’s a void at the very bottom of the video. If I do this again, I may shoot six additional videos with the camera pointed slightly downward and stitch all twelve together.
Click and drag in the video below to look around. You can also open the video on youtube or in the youtube app.
Big Spring Hollow Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-23-2018
This is one of the largest waterfalls in Hocking Hills and is very easy to access. It only flows after a good rain, but when it has water it’s really impressive. Just East of Conkle’s Hollow on Big Pine Rd., there’s a large parking lot for the Hocking Hills climbing and rappelling area. To reach Big Spring Hollow, park there, cross Big Pine Road and cross the slightly crooked bridge over the creek. Next, go right and follow the trail to the falls. From the parking lot to the falls is an easy, flat walk of less than 1/2 mile (800m).
[pano file=”BigSpringFalls.html” preview=”BigSpringFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Parrish Rocks Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-19-2018
There is no trail directly to Parrish Rocks, but it’s not too hard to reach. From Whispering Cave, take the Hemlock Bridge Trail down to the point marked ‘PP’ on the park’s trail maps. Go around the wood rail fence and follow the Queer Creek Gorge Trail west. Cross the the creek wherever you can and continue west for about 1/4 mile (400m). The first large hollow you come to is Parrish Rocks. The coordinates are approximately 39.421860, -82.555725
Alternatively, you can get to it from the West at 664 and Steele Rd. Check out my March, 2017 blog post about Red Rock Hollow for directions.
This one only flows after a pretty good rain or snow melt.
[pano file=”ParrishRocksFalls.html” preview=”ParrishRocksFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
‘Oh My’ Falls, Little Rocky Nature Preserve, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-17-2018
Bryan @Bigf4ord got a permit for Little Rocky Nature Preserve this past weekend and invited me along. After a few days of rain and snow melt, all of the falls were flowing well. My favorite waterfall in the preserve is unofficially called ‘Oh My’ Falls because of the reaction most first time visitors have when they see it. Because the tall, multi-tier falls is tucked into a steep, narrow, dog-legged gorge, it can be a challenge to photograph, but when it’s flowing like this, it’s so worth the extra effort.
[pano file=”OhMyFalls.html” preview=”OhMyFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Wedgewood Hills Park Falls, Dublin, Ohio – 2-16-2018
After a couple days of warmer temperatures and lots of rain, the little hidden waterfall in Wedgewood Hills Park was really flowing. I actually prefer this falls with a little less water because then you can see the unusual rock column in the center of the falls. This one can be a little tricky to get to because the slope into the gorge is so steep. If you visit, be extra careful.
[pano file=”WedgewoodFalls.html” preview=”WedgewoodFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Lower Falls Old Man’s Cave, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-15-2018
Visited Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills this morning and there was a super dense fog in the hollow. Even though it was almost 60 degrees (15C), every trail, bridge, and stairs was covered in slick, wet ice. It made getting around a little tricky.
[pano file=”FoggyLowerFalls.html” preview=”FoggyLowerFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Subway Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 2-3-2018
Exploring off trail again with weekend with @elle_pollard, @big4ord, @paulnuzum and @happyappalachy we found this unusual double falls at the end of a medium sized side hollow. It’s tall, narrow, curving shape made Paul think of a subway station so we’re calling it Subway Falls.
[pano file=”SubwayFalls.html” preview=”SubwayFalls_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Unnamed Falls Two Bob Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 1-21-2018
Before getting to the unnamed falls below, @elle_pollard, @big4ord, @jbigford , @paulnuzum and I came across this 90′ (27m) unnamed beauty. The overhang cave behind this one is big. You can see Elle, Julie, and Paul in the pano for scale. Unofficially, I’m naming this one Bob. Bob Falls.
[pano file=”BobFallsPano.html” preview=”BobFalls_Pano_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Unnamed Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 1-21-2018
Sunday I revisited this unnamed waterfall with @elle_pollard, @big4ord, @jbigford and @paulnuzum The ice pile was much larger than it was a week ago, but was cracking and melting fast. This pano is the view inside the overhang cave behind the frozen falls.
[pano file=”HuffineFalls.html” preview=”HuffineFallsPano_TN.jpg” height=”213″ panobox=”on” button=”on”]
Really Hidden Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 1-18-2018
Close to Cedar Falls is a small, hidden slot canyon falls upstream from Hidden Falls that I call Really Hidden Falls. Normally it’s inaccessible because of a 10′ (3m) deep pool and the narrow, crooked entrance. On a recent visit I found the pool and creek frozen over enough to get in and see it. It’s a very small space and the camera was close to the left-hand wall. This made it difficult for the panorama software to stitch the photos together so you’ll see some repeating parts, “ghosting”, on that side of the pano.
[pano file=”ReallyHiddenFalls.html” preview=”ReallyHiddenFalls_Pano_TN.jpg” height=”213″ button=”on” panobox=”on”]
Ash Cave, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 1-18-2018
Yes, this was a very productive day. This is the third 360 pano I made that day. A weekday morning right after sunrise when it’s 8°F (-13°C) is a good time to have Ash Cave to yourself. After awhile, the birds who nest in the cave walls figured I wasn’t a threat and went about their food search sometimes landing just a few feet from me.
[pano file=”WinterAshCave.html” preview=”WinterAshCave_Pano_TN.jpg” height=”213″ button=”on” panobox=”on”]
Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills, Ohio – 1-18-2018
On a breathtaking Thursday morning, I had the usually very popular Cedar Falls to myself for over an hour. The ice was thick enough to let me get partway out onto the pool.
[pano file=”CedarFallsWinter.html” preview=”CedarFallsWinter_Pano_TN.jpg” height=”213″ button=”on” panobox=”on”]