Great Landscape Photos Aren’t Only Found in Famous Places
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Hello Reader! My spring workshop season is winding down with my West Virginia workshop coming up early next week! From there, it is a quick transition to art fair season for me, my first real art fair season! I will certainly have more to share on that experience in future newsletters. But if you are semi-local, you can find me at Summerfair in Cincinnati from May 29th to the 31st! Lesser-Known Landscape Photography LocationsAs landscape photographers, we are all familiar with the “big name” locations many of us dream of visiting: Yosemite, the Grand Tetons, Great Smoky Mountains, Death Valley, Acadia, and more. And all of those locations are amazing. I certainly don’t turn down a chance to visit them when the opportunity arises, and I even lead workshops in a few of those places. Those locations become iconic and often photographed for a reason. Those national parks are home to unique sights and environments that many of us want to experience. But reaching those places often takes a larger investment of time and money. There are also so many great places to photograph that aren’t the iconic national parks. Places that are closer to home, places that still offer amazing views and scenery, and places that are often less crowded. West VirginiaWhen I was looking to start traveling beyond my local area for photography, it was easy to get distracted by the Smoky Mountains. They are only 6-ish hours away from me and are obviously well known and often photographed. But I was looking for a place that was closer to that 3 to 4 hour range, somewhere I could easily visit for a weekend without spending most of the time on the road. After some searching, I found several places in Kentucky that were promising, and then West Virginia. West Virginia had the obvious New River Gorge National Park, but it is also home to an expansive national forest and a nice state park system. I had visited West Virginia many years ago and was semi-familiar with Blackwater Falls State Park, which is what really drew me in. I quickly learned there was a myriad of landscape photography opportunities in the Blackwater Falls area of West Virginia. And after many, many visits to the area for photography, I have learned just how much opportunity there is. From numerous waterfalls, overlooks, mountain valleys, and even unique wilderness areas, there is so much to photograph. It is one of those areas that doesn’t always make the top destination list for landscape photographers, but in reality offers lots of opportunities for diverse landscape photography. The LessonI bring this up as a reminder that you likely have lesser-known, but still very photographic areas within driving range of you. The best photography opportunities aren’t only found in national parks. They are also all around us in state parks, forests, nature preserves, scenic byways, and other places that may not have the same name recognition. I highly recommend researching what you have within a four to six hour drive and seeing what you can find. Sometimes that little green area on a map holds days and days of photographic exploration! Upcoming WorkshopsI still have several workshop opportunities coming up this fall! If you want to explore West Virginia, I have spots open for my Fall West Virginia workshop, and you can come see some of the sights I referenced earlier. Or, if you’ve decided now is the time to explore a national park that has been on your list, we have openings in the fall Great Smoky Mountains workshop and our Death Valley workshop in December! Spots are starting to book, so if you are interested, check out the Upcoming Workshops page linked below and let me know if you have any questions!
Until the next newsletter! Know someone who might enjoy this? Please feel free to share this email with them. Thanks! |