Or perhaps it’s more important to look back when you’re not where you want to be. To remember where you were in your creative pursuit and what you’re capable of. And to celebrate some successes under the circumstances.
Unfortunately, other pursuits commandeered most of my attention in 2019. Between the effort to launch Sierra Mountain Passes and deciding to blow up my life by becoming a full-time RV-er, there really wasn’t a lot of room for anything else.
The flip side of not making photography a top priority is that I was at least deliberate about it. The decision (or acceptance) that photography simply had to be largely back-burnered was a thoughtful one. In doing that, I gained some space to not beat myself up about it.
Having that mental space was a sort of freedom that resulted in some unexpected successes, though. Because when I did have the camera in my hand I branched out more in exploring different styles. More studio still life, action shots (ok, mainly motorcycles), abstracts, and more people. I’d taken the pressure off of myself and was able to take advantage of the opportunities without forcing the issue.
In the end, I grew my photography mojo in 2019 as I expanded my skills to different subjects. I still have a lot to refine, of course, but I enjoyed the process of becoming more than a nature photographer. So with that context, here are my favorites from last year.
Top five
From Cuba to Nevada—food, people, and nature. These are the images I keep coming back to in reviewing my work from last year.
Runners up
Indulging in more review, I gave myself some runners up to fill out the field of 19 images from 2019.
Subjectivity
Creativity is subjective, as we all know. Even my personal choices shifted through the review process. And you will see them differently from me. My experience is intimately connected to the memories of making them. There’s no way for me to separate that. So without me revealing why I chose these particular images, give me your thoughts as impartial observers!
And if you like any of these shots, they are available in a variety of prints and products in my stores at RedBubble and Society6.
I’m late, as usual. My Tremont photography buddies picked their five best photos of 2018 ages ago and I’m just now getting to it. I marveled at their creations in awe before I selected mine. That was a mistake. It’s hard not to feel intimidated by their talent and expertise. I found myself saying “Wow!” at nearly every click through the gallery.
Even so, I’m a good bit happier with my overall body of work in 2018 than 2017. I still don’t feel like my work measures up to their standards but I did better. I simply have to use their inspiration to help push myself to grow further in 2019.
Before we get to the big reveal, though, remember your favorite independent motorcycling artist has two places you can support her.
I made some solid progress in regaining my mojo in 2018.
I carried my camera with me more often. No agenda other than being ready for unexpected opportunities. There were still times I was caught without it and cursed myself for the oversight but I definitely improved on that front.
I pushed myself to get out there when conditions were challenging. Even early on my birthday morning when fresh, fluffy snow blanketed the landscape serenely. All I wanted to do was be a lazy photographer lounging in bed with my coffee.
I worked more diligently at home. I took more time with my food photography and it has paid off in some decent stock photo sales. It also had the more nebulous effect of helping me stay in tune with my equipment so I can work more quickly when I need to shoot fast and furious on the fly.
I spent time trying photography that was out of my comfort zone and well-worn tried-and-true style. Let’s file it under expanding my photographic horizons to include action (ok, motorycycling), abstract, and food still lifes.
Anticipating more progess
Looking into 2019, I have some exciting opportunities that I damn well need to capitalize on.
I have a new Panasonic Lumix G9 camera to work with. Yeehaw!
I’m in the process of setting up a permanent home studio instead of flailing about as inspiration strikes, only to become frustrated and deflated as I struggle to set up my shots.
I’m going to Cuba in a couple of weeks. Talk about a photogenic location! If I can’t produce some unique and compelling images there, it’s time to hang it up, right?
Here are my five best photos of 2018
With that preface, here are my five favorite images of the year.
Light through a cabin window
Trio of bluets
Portrait of redtail hawk
Two lights in a dark pub
Old car and cabins at Bodie.
And my runners up.
Here are the shots that get an honorable mention.
Ships under the Golden Gate Bridge in fog
Harvesting a Christmas tree in Nevada.
The adventure dog playing in the snow.
Leaf art in the Smokies
Historic cabin at Bodie
Historic steel door in Virginia City
Old boardwalk screws
Single cherry in sguar
Cottonwood glowing in afternoon light.
Foothills Parkway sunrise in infrared.
Tell me what you think
I’m supremely curious what y’all think. My own assessment of “best” and “favorite” will never be what others think. I’m too close to the images. They are steeped in the experience and emotion of creating them. So tell me what you think.
Head over to my Facebook page and vote for your favorite. No fair voting for more than one. 😉
Get yours!
As always, prints and products of these are available in my storefronts on Zenfolio and Society6. I’ve set up special Best of 2018 collections for you. Happy shopping!
One of the best groups we’ve had at the workshop to date! Fabulous folks who know how to go with the flow. (Photo courtesy of the supremely talented Steve Zigler.)
Challenges
Returning to Atlanta at the moment means dealing with the insanity that is I-85 being closed in the heart of the city. Along with other catastrophic transportation issues that seemed to have come in a relentless onslaught on the heels of that event, Atlanta is not a great place to be right now—if you actually want to get anywhere.
On top of that, my arrival at Tremont coincided with massive storms—one of the reasons I opted to drive instead of ride. While a nice soft rain makes for excellent photography, flooding and torrential downpours don’t exactly make for ideal shooting conditions.
My main goal heading to the workshop this time was to stretch my boundaries by bonding with my telephoto lens, a piece of equipment I’ve always struggled to use effectively. I made some attempts while I was there but the weather simply made it the wrong tool for the job. That’s a challenge that will have to wait for another time.
I’ve been to this workshop a dozen times and this session presented a unique and unprecedented challenge with the flooding rains. We managed one decent day of shooting but only after rearranging the entire workshop schedule to accommodate the incoming storms. To have a day that we didn’t go out to shoot at all is unheard of at this workshop but it happened this time. The storms meant no early morning trip to Cades Cove which is one of the major perks of this workshop. Our Foothills Parkway morning was completely socked in. And the uncertainty of the storms meant no trip to Elkmont as a group. I pulled off a quick time lapse from Foothills Parkway on the first morning of the workshop, though.
Rewards
In spite of this year’s challenges, I still call the workshop a resounding success. We immersed ourselves in shooting along Tremont Road and the Lynn Camp Prong. For me, the conditions meant embracing my wheelhouse—macro photography. That normally means a metric ton of flower shots but this time I made a little snail friend which is about as close as I get to wildlife photography. Even keeping up with Speed Racer as I affectionately call him (her?) was quite challenging.
And we were still able to shoot the birds of prey brought in by Smoky Mountain Raptor Center. They are extraordinary to work with and are doing excellent work with these birds.
In the end, the Tremont workshop is my reunion with my photog family. While that has historically been a small core group of instructors and repeat participants, the Tremont photography family is growing as participants connect and find peace here. Of the 36 participants this time, 21 were repeat attendees. It was such a comfort to see familiar faces and share our love of Tremont. More heartening still was seeing the newcomers embrace it and want to return as well, even with the challenges thrown at them for their first experience at the workshop.
It’s a testament to the workshop and its leaders that these challenges can be absorbed and still run a successful workshop. It’s also a testament to the caliber of the participants. Everyone rolled with it. They understood weather can’t be helped and appreciated the efforts of the instructors to still deliver a valuable experience.
“Speed Racer” refused to stay in the frame. Little trickster!
The big picture
Of course, there’s a lesson, or reminder if you will, in this experience. Flexibility! Remaining flexible in travel, and life in general, means you can adjust for the unexpected without angst. That ability to dance with the circumstances means you’re likely to have better experiences because you aren’t focused on what didn’t come to pass. It means you look at the changes as new or different opportunities, not losses to be lamented.
With that in mind, here are few shots I’m pleased with from a very soggy weekend.
Snails get a bad rap for being “slimy” but the super-chill elegance with which they move is worthy of appreciation.
The textures and lines on this little guy are entrancing.
So the funny thing about the snail is that I only discovered him when I almost stepped on him in my quest to shoot this Solomon’s Seal. It was a close call.
When in doubt, or when the weather is challenging, I dive back into my safe place… macro world!
This aster was way more ready for its closeup than Speed Racer was.
My Tremont family: Sue, Steve, and Tom, my late macro lens, and maybe an extra-large beer for commiseration purposes.
At the Tremont workshops (both spring and autumn), I’m notorious for my love of macro work and penchant for wallowing in the dirt for shots of the micro-worlds of the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s my photographic wheelhouse, so-to-speak. To a fault.
So imagine my panic when I got into the field at this year’s workshop and I realized my macro lens wouldn’t focus! I was a figurative deer-in-the-headlights to say the least and there may have been some minor hyperventilating. As my initial bewilderment subsided, it dawned on me—I’d dropped it off my kitchen bar a few weeks earlier in a rush to get out the door to the airport. I hadn’t ended up needing the lens for my work in that time so I completely forgot the mishap.
Sitting behind my camera in a bed of moss, I finally mustered the gumption to hold the lens to my ear and gave it a little shake. There was a heart-sinking rattle. Lenses aren’t supposed to rattle. I got up and walked in a daze towards my buddies to tell them the news. They were quite sympathetic, of course. And understood the implications for me in particular.
That night, my friends Tom and Steve tried to find a way to get a new macro lens to me so I could have something for the workshop. I was drawn into the idea at first, partly because I couldn’t imagine life without my beloved macro lens.
After some processing time though, I opted to embrace the challenge to my photography rather than scramble for a new lens. It would force me to look at my workshop experience from a new perspective and expand how I see and shoot. I convinced myself to look at my lack of macro lens as a new opportunity rather than a missed one, even though I’ll admit it took some time to fully accept.
That’s not to say I didn’t manage to use my 14-140mm zoom lens in a macro capacity in some cases. But here’s what I came away with after deciding to accept my situation and not waste a bunch of time and energy fast-tracking a new macro lens.
Soft light as the sun rises over Foothills Parkway.At Elkmont, I’m even more inclined to go macro but I pushed myself to pull back to capture bigger details of the abandoned cabins.An iconic view of Lynn Camp Prong that includes the bridge. I’ve spent most of my time in the past trying to keep it out of the shot.A different style of macro than I would shoot with my “actual” macro lens. More of an intimate landscape macro. Bluets are an iconic flower of the Smokies and the slightly larger view than I would normally shoot gives perspective to their presence.My lack of macro lens forced me to recall the joy of shooting reflections. Capturing the lush intimacy of the Smokies was quite a joy. Rounded river rocks, moss, blue sky, tall trees…Working with reflections in the abandoned cabins at Elkmont.I can’t help but dive into the beautiful micro worlds… I love the detail.Ok, so I couldn’t resist this macro situation on a morning when the landscape vista was completely obscured by fog. Can you blame me? I did take some good- natured teasing for professing I wasn’t going to be shooting macro during the workshop but ended up on the ground wallowing in the dewy grass anyway…
I did manage to spend a good bit of time in my other guilty “wheelhouse” pleasure: infrared photography. Sometimes baby steps toward change are ok, right?
Foothills Parkway after sunriseAn intimate landscape of a small cascade on Sam’s Creek… to me, this is very “Smokies”The famous Cades Cove tree bathed in fog.Seeking a new perspective sent me down a path I’d never gone before even though I walked past it countless times.Giving Sam’s Creek the infrared treatmentCades Cove fence intimate landscapeInfrared portrait of the Cades Cove tree.
And now for your moment of green…
My new perspective inspired me to shoot a panorama, a rare technique for me. Here’s to stretching your horizons.
As you know, I’ve become a bit of a Great Smoky Institute at Tremont junkie. It’s becoming a second home to me this year as I’m working toward my Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification. I simply love my time there and it’s time to catch you up a bit on why.
Discovering a “floating” sycamore leaf in a spider web is all sorts of granola groovy.
A little background…
On my first visit to Tremont last October for the Fall Photography workshop with Will Clay, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’d taken a couple of day-long seminars but never a workshop. I’ve always been a do-it-yourselfer in that respect (i.e. stubborn), protesting that I could pick up what I needed without having to break away for workshops and seminars.
After watching my progress stagnate, I finally attended a couple of seminars quickly that convinced me how wrong I was, or rather, that I was doing it the hard way. After hearing Will talk in Atlanta, I was rabid to soak up more of his awesome at the Tremont workshop. And it was a real eye-opener!
Exploring the textures of Elkmont’s past.
Musings on workshops…
So why am I a convert to workshops? Well for one, it greatly speeds up the learning process. To have the opportunity to listen to knowledgable instructors, go out and put that knowledge into practice, then return to get constructive feedback – all in a focused setting – is invaluable.
Essentially it’s the same experiential learning I promote as a roadschooler with Fred and George. So why in the world did I not allow myself the same rich experience before now?
It was partly not knowing how to pick a good workshop and be certain it would be worth the time and money. There are plenty of horror stories out there about bad workshops. Vetting them can be real chore and, since not all great photographers are great teachers, having an instructor that takes nice shots isn’t enough to guarantee you’ll come away with greater photographic skills and understanding.
Bill Lea is the wildlife photography guru…clearly I still have a lot to learn.
So why Tremont?
Will came to speak through our local nature photography club, the Georgia Nature Photographers Association, which is where I discovered he was doing the workshop through Tremont. Having loved his seminar, I knew I had a lot more to learn from him and that I liked his style. The unknown for me was the location, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, which I ended up loving instantly. So that’s how I discovered Tremont and the workshop but…
What makes this workshop all that?
Well, there’s the adage…location, location, location but it’s much more than that. Certainly being nestled in the Smoky Mountains is an advantage, but the atmosphere of the Institute itself, in combination with the assemblage of talent of both staff and instructors, is what elevates this workshop.
In the workshop setting at Tremont, you get down to the meat of the creative process. You get to see others’ techniques from initial vision to finished image and it is very enlightening. It helps you re-evaluate your processes, techniques, and dedication, opening the path to being a better photographer.
Many folks love the colors of Autumn in the Smokies, but Spring can be just as eye-catching.
Going back for more…
In spite of having an epic time at the Fall Photography Workshop, I was still uncertain about attending the Spring session because I wasn’t familiar with the lead instructor, Bill Lea. At this point you’d think I would know better than to doubt anything about Tremont’s programs yet I waffled about attending.
I can’t tell you how happy I am that I went. I didn’t imagine that anyone could match the entertainment value of Will Clay but Bill Lea is just a much fun and just as talented a photographer and instructor. The beauty of attending both workshops is that Will and Bill have such different styles and experience to offer.
Cades Cove is a main event at the Spring workshop.
What you can expect…
If you’re considering attending a Tremont photography workshop, here’s what you can expect:
Lots of field work, rain or shine, and very early in the morning,
Educational sessions in between field sessions,
Inspiration from instructors and fellow students,
Instructors who accommodate all levels of skill, from total newbies on up,
Constructive and supportive feedback on your work,
and fun! The atmosphere at Tremont is light-hearted and and the instructors are a hoot.
Oh, and you can expect a lot of good-natured ribbing if you oversleep for a morning field session. Not that I know about that from personal experience or anything…
Final thanks…
So a big thank you to Will and Bill for just being awesome and genuine. And a big thank you to the other instructors who are all equally fabulous: Todd Moore for holding my hand through post-processing and not laughing too hard at my ineptitude, Ken Thompson for his macro inspiration, and Jeff Miller for asking me the questions I should have been asking myself in the field.
A final special thanks to instructor and fellow GNPA-er Tom Vadnais. Mad photography skills aside, he’s the one who started all this for me by bringing Will to Atlanta for that fateful seminar…
And sorry fellas, you’re not done with me yet…I’m a junkie after all. See you this October!
And now for your moment of green…
My favorite shot of the Spring workshop, a macro shot of a yellow trillium bloom in the rain.
So what seems like an eternity ago but what was really only a few months, I got a little uber-mommy time. That’s right, I got to spend a glorious long weekend at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont for the Autumn Brilliance Photography workshop. With the boys shipped off to Gma for safe keeping, I got four days away sans all demands of homeschooling and domestic duties to soak up the awesome that is Will Clay and the Smoky Mountains.
Will’s first test for us…sunrise on Foothills Parkway
First, The Workshop…
As you know, I was already a fan of Will and his work. He’s a rare combination of great talent, teaching ability, personality, and passion. After meeting him in Atlanta for a seminar, I knew it would be worth the time and energy to venture off to Tremont for his workshop. And while Will was the reason I ventured to Tremont for the first time, it turns out he had way more up his considerable sleeve than I imagined, and that was his assemblage of additional instructors.
Watching the sun rise over mountains and through trees is all kinds of granola goodness.
Not only is Will all sorts of groovy, he handed to floor over to some other wonderful photographers to help us photographer wannabes become more “be” than “wanna.” So I have to give a shout out to his other instructors…Tom Vadnais, Steve Zigler, Ken Thompson, and Todd Moore. It’s safe to say I learned a lot from each of them and they were the chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, and cherry on top of the Will Clay sundae. And while I realize that’s probably a really odd metaphor for photographers, you get the idea.
At any rate, I won’t go photo-geek on you with all the minutia of the workshop, but I will say that it was very worthwhile. With visits to Foothills Parkway, Elkmont, and the Middle Prong River there was plenty of opportunity to put into practice all of the expertise they shared with us. They deftly handled all ability levels and we, as students, got to benefit from their extensive knowledge of the area. I thoroughly appreciated that Will kept maximizing our shooting opportunities as the top priority even if it meant breakfast in the field. As Will said…”We’re not here to eat.”
Aside from the opportunity to expand my photographic abilities, just having time to hang out in the Smokies with my camera and a bunch of cool, talented people was enough to leave a silly grin on my face for days. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for a great workshop in a stunning location…
With countless cascades, there’s plenty to keep you busy in the Smokies.
…which brings us to the location.
Tremont is a cozy little retreat that hosts all sorts of events…family weekends, courses, school groups, etc. Of course, I was so wrapped up in shooting the natural landscapes that I didn’t get any shots of the facilities themselves for you. Never fear, I’ll be sure to grab some when I’m there next month, but more on that later.
At any rate, the accommodations are simple and in keeping with the natural setting nestled on the Tennessee side of the Smokies. Obviously this isn’t a luxury resort but that’s ok. It’s what it needs to be and you know I’m not one for frills anyway so this is right up my alley. Having said that, as much as I like the simple life, I will say the that dorm rooms are not for the light sleeper…ahem, that would be me. (And I now know why many of the participants hoteled it in town!) In spite of the limited sleep, I still had a great time exploring Tremont and will be a repeat visitor.
The Middle Prong River has infinite details to capture.
Oh so full calendar…
…but in a good way. So yes, I will be returning for the Spring Photography Workshop…and probably the autumn workshop again in October. And because I can’t seem to get enough, I’ll be pursuing the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification in addition to honing my photography skills. So I’ll certainly be posting lots of Tremont fodder this year and next time I’ll be sure to take a few more shots of the place itself.
In the meantime, here are some of the shots I managed during the workshop, plus a few more over on my Flickr page for Tremont. Hopefully you’ll get a feel for the beauty of the Smokies if you’ve never had the opportunity to visit. Trust me, there’s a reason it’s the most visited park in the U.S.
The Smokies are an idyllic place to get lost along dreamy streambanks.
Foothills Parkway is a popular destination…and for good reason..
A study of reflection and shade.
And now for your moment of green…
One of Will’s assignments…our zen word. This is my contribution to Intimacy.
