Watermark Imaging

I have wanted to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains during autumn for many years, unfortunately it just never seemed to work out. That is, until this year.

Had a great Trip to Bodie Island Lighthouse to photograph the Milky Way. Made a video of the trip as well, come join me on our adventure.

Thanks!

Every year I find something different in the Mountains of NC. Sometimes it is fun, or friends, excitement or exhaustion. This year I came back with more though.

What I found this year was family. Not direct family, this is not a blood vs water situation; I mean family within the greatest sense of the word. We are all connected, You and I, and everyone around us. We all follow common lines back to a single origin.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love summer, but I hate heat. I spend all year planning the things I am going to do but then will immediately change my mind when the temp breaks 90.

The last few years I have been retreating to the mountains as it starts to get hot in the flatlands of NC. This year however, I started early. For my birthday (April 3rd) I rounded up everyone who I could get to go with me to the mountains. Now this was not a photo trip at all, it was in fact a fishing trip.

I love to fish, it's calming and peaceful, you can spend 10 minutes and feel fully rested. Now being from NC most of my fishing is Bass, Bream, and Surf. That said I have always wanted to catch a Trout...        

State Fairs; they are a crowded, loud, tiring string of live action pop up ads for things you don't want or need. Except for turkey legs of course, we all need those; and candied apples, and sweet corn, and..... you know what? The state fair is one of my guilty pleasures. And what's more, I don't care, I can be honest with myself.

The Highland Games, yes, I know we were just here last year. However, the Highland Games on Grandfather Mountain are special; it's not just the games, it's not just the mountain, it's not just the people. It really is a cumulative effect of all these things coming together into what can only be described as the single can't miss event of the summer in North Carolina.

Additionally, if you live anywhere between the coast and the foothills you have absolutely no excuse not to go. When we're dealing with temperatures very nearly reaching a hundred degrees, and knowing full well that Grandfather Mountain is around 30 degrees cooler I can't think of a place that you'd rather go for a vacation.

Alright; so the State Fair. I've been to the state fair number of times in the past but I keep finding myself going back every year.

It seems like everything is always slightly different but I can't really tell how; everything is always in the same places and same food vendors are usually there, but nevertheless it draws me back.

This year Ralph wanted to go on Friday, mostly because they were having a monster truck demolition derby on Friday. I was very apprehensive to be honest, I assumed that it would be extremely busy because of the event. However... 

Five years ago I would have never thought about visiting a Civil War Reenactment; to be frank I never actually thought about a Civil War Reenactment. 

But here I was, walking through the encampments, excited to see the upcoming battle. In fairness this was actually not my first time here. You see in 2014 a card game sent me to Middletown Virginia. The game was Apples to Apples.

I don't even know how to play the game, but at the time I was in a photographic rut. I figured Ralph and I could use the cards for inspiration and each week pull a new card and try to capture a photograph that represents the card best.So as it happened on the 12th of October 2014 I pulled this card...

There's nothing like a warm summer evening. Everything is in full swing, people are out and about enjoying life and looking for adventure. There is always somewhere to go and something to do.

One of my favorite past-times during summer is to take in a local baseball game. It feels wholesome and uniquely American. With the Forth of July on the way, it feels like everyone is gearing up in late June....

A total solar Eclipse is a very special event. The ancients believed it was a sign from god, even today, people stop and stare in awe and will travel hundreds of miles to view it from within the path of totality.

The path of totality is the thin section of the Earth in which the sun is entire blocked from view by the moon. For the viewers of this phenomenon this offers a rare opportunity to view the corona of the sun with the naked eye. 

It is worth pointing out that however that only the total phase can safely be viewed without eye protection...

DAY 1- We hit the road at 8Am; 2-day old ribs in one hand, XXL Sheetz French Roast in the other; one knee firmly on the wheel; safety first after all. The trip from Raleigh to Linville is only a scant 3 and a half hours. Along the way we picked up a half bushel of peaches and with no clear plan for the day aside from setting up camp in the Julian campground before dark, we picked up some food for the cooler and we headed up the mountain around 2pm.

The first day we spent most of our time on top of the mountain, we knew that around 7:45pm the competitors from "The Bear" ( a footrace up the mountain, Yes the whole mountain) would be finishing; that gave us roughly 4 hours to explore....

"Time camping isn't spent, its invested"

There are very few things in life as relaxing as primitive camping. A crackling fire, a great conversation, and even better friends. If you haven't been camping in a while (or ever...) you owe it to yourself to pack up and pack out.

The thing I love most about camping is unplugging from life; funny, I know. I carry a great whacking d750 with me everywhere I go, but still, my camera can't receive texts and that's good enough for me.

You see its not about what you do, what you eat, what you say, how you sleep, or even who you are...

Aren't airplanes great? I love them, new ones and old. I love WW2 Era fighter planes especially. there's something awe inspiring about a single-prop fighter tearing by you wide open screaming out in pain under full throttle.

Luckily for me, Wings over Wayne is an excellent airshow held at Seymore Johnson (he-he) Airforce base. I live only about an hour away so I try to make it out whenever possible. Usually Ralph and I make a big day of it and go out with his family. We stake out a good spot in full sun and try to take in the whole event before we broil...

On August 16th 2016, Ralph and I set off for what is probably my most favorite lighthouse in NC. Knowing we had a full moon and just a few scattered clouds we hoped to capture some photographs of the lighthouse with a rich starry night in the background. There were scattered rain clouds in the forecast, so we had a 4.5 hour drive ahead of us with no idea if the trip would turn out to be fruitful. We arrived at Bodie Island Light around 10pm, and got to work...