Through The Lens 151 – Abrams Falls Autumn

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Michael Summers

Fall color at Abrams Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I took this one on a trip a couple years ago. I hope to get back there in the next couple of years.

Happy Friday!

Through The Lens 52 – Great Smoky Mountains

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Michael Summers

Given the recent fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding area, I thought I’d share a favorite from my last trip. I know the fire has caused significant damage, but the sun will rise again, the damage will be repaired and the forest will regrow.

Trip Report – Great Smoky Mountains National Park 2015 – Part 3 – Cades Cove

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Michael Summers

For the final part of my Great Smoky Mountains 2015 Trip Report, we’ll visit my favorite place in the park – Cades Cove.

Cades Cove is home to several homesites, churches, and lots of wildlife, making it a great place for photography. Here’s a few of my favorites from last fall:
Cable Mill

Cades Cove Methodist Church

Hyatt Lane Sunrise

Becky Cable Home

Primitive Baptist Church Road

Tipton Barn

Sparks Lane Sunrise

Thanks for following along. If you missed the the first two parts you can find them here: Part 1 Part 2

Trip Report – Great Smoky Mountains National Park 2015 – Part 1 – Waterfalls & Cascades

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Michael Summers

Following the Cass Fall Photography Workshop, I made the trip down to Pigeon Forge to see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time. My two priorities for the trip were spending time in Cades Cove and shooting as many waterfalls as possible. While I was successful on the first goal, sunny weather all week made waterfall photography a challenge. But the sunny weather brought great sunsets and clear night skies on Clingman’s Dome so like all photography adventures, it was just a matter of chasing the light.

To keep the length reasonable, I’m going to split the trip report into three sections: Waterfalls & Cascades, Sunsets & Night Photography and Cades Cove.

First up is Waterfalls. As I mentioned earlier, many of the waterfalls are difficult to shoot on bright sunny days. Dappled light and harsh shadows make for a difficult exposure, so instead of hiking the waterfalls back to back as I planned, getting decent waterfall shots became a game of shooting in the shadows. After some quick research on the topography surrounding the waterfalls, I was able to guess when the surrounding hills would leave them in shadow, making for an easier exposure.