The Blue Ridge Parkways Scenic Journal

Well I am honored that the Blue Ridge Parkway decided to put another one of my photos on the cover of their latest "The Scenic" journal. This is a shot that I took last fall on the BRP right before you get to Graveyard fields. 

Here is a link to the pdf version if you would like to check it out:

Blue Ridge Parkways "The Scenic" Journal

Never Forget to Look Behind You

Back in June I entered a contest for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The winning photo got to be featured on the front cover of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundations 2011 Annual Report magazine. My photo "Tunnel to Fall"  won first place. Every year, at different times, I take a week long trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. I always start at MP 1 and work my way back down to the end. Over the years I have found a lot of places along the way, I like to think of as some of my favorite places to stop and rephotograph. But the day I shot this photograph, I was driving along just looking for compositions that would accent the fall color. And as I was passing through this tunnel I happened to look back in my rear view mirror and this was what I saw. I knew right then this was the shot I had been looking for, so I pulled off the road just outside the tunnel, grabbed my camera and tripod and walked back through the tunnel and took this shot. Let this be a lesson to you that no matter where you are or what you are photographing, don't forget to look back... You never know the shot you have REALLY been looking for may just be right behind you. 

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

When I went to the CNPA Boone Photo Weekend back in May of this year, during my "On your own time" I decided to go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and see if I could find any photo ops.  As I was driving along I happen to look over in the field along the side of the road and I saw this tree, standing alone in a sea of yellow wild flowers with this beautiful blue sky and clouds behind it and to top it off the sun was just starting to set to my left and shining directly on the face of the tree. It was like it was asking me to stop and take it's picture. So what do you think I did?....I hit the breaks, pulled off the road, jumped out, grabbed my wide angle lens, put it on my camera, threw it on my tripod and headed out into the field......Sometimes you just get lucky.