SOLITARY TRAVELER PHOTOGRAPHY

The never-ending winter (which seemed like a real life version of "Groundhog Day," with Yours Truly playing the role of Bill Murray) finally gave way to spring; but, just like last year, there was a real sense that I was repeating and reiterating myself again (just like "Groundhog Day"). The typical spring itinerary for Yours Truly (and virtually every other photographer in the southeast, it seems nowadays) over the past few years has roughly gone something like this, in some

My intention for this past Saturday was to head up to Boone for the private reception for all the finalists in the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition at the Turchin Center at Appalachian State University. I wasn't a finalist this year; but given that I'd shockingly won two awards at the AMPC in 2017 (including the People's Choice Award for my image "An Entrance To Winter") I was invited back to join in the fun and festivities. It would also be a chance to hang out a

The "Spring-in-Charleston-by-way-of-Winter-in-Saluda" trip was truly a successful, satisfying escape (see Part 1 for more) - with winter and spring images all squeezed into what amounted to a single day of productive shooting. The only thing that stunk about my brief but bountiful venture was that some goob ate the rest of the chocolate chip cookies in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express when I went back for seconds. Seriously. The desk clerk told me some guy came in and too

Just so you know, the original title of this travel blog was intended to be "Spring Forward," in reference to the accelerated pace of warm weather throughout this winter season. It also refers to my annual confusion about the silly "Daylight Saving Time," as I often think "Spring Back, Fall Forward" instead of "Spring Forward, Fall Back." Mainly because Captain Clumsy here has a tendency to trip over myself often, hence the mistaken "fall forward." Plus I'm just getting old a

I had great hopes for Sunday morning. The rain that had soothed me to sleep the night before (and believe me, there's nothing more soothing than falling asleep to the sound of rain here in the Smokies) was scheduled to move out at sunrise Sunday morning. So I dutifully set my alarm for 5:15 AM, with two options for an epic sunrise shot dancing in my head. As it turned out, neither option became reality, because Mr. "My-body-feels-like-it-got-hit-by-a-Greyhound-Bus" here decid

My original intent with this particular blog was to write at length about my two week foray into the state of Virginia. Now don't get me wrong, it was a refreshing, enjoyable experience. I had great fun exploring, spending some time in a somewhat unfamiliar locale; an area I hadn't visited since 2013, when I shot images for Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. In fact, my image of Mountain Laurel taken on Sharp Top still graces the top of their web page (www.visitro