Capturing the Essence: A Week of Photographing the Enchanting Great Smoky Mountains
REGISTER: Maine Media Workshops
Picture this: Early spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place of tranquility and timeless beauty, a paradise for landscape photographers. The park’s intimate landscapes and historic structures offer unlimited opportunities to photograph. With fewer visitors during this season, we’ll photograph the hidden gems in the quiet of this remarkable destination.
Our journey begins by the side of the Little River, where you can enjoy the cascade of water over rocks and gentle falls. Venturing further to Cades Cove, we’ll find historic churches and cabins that glimpse the past. Once a mountainside laid bare by logging, this park has witnessed one of nature’s remarkable reclamation projects and is now revered as one of America’s most stunning sanctuaries.
In this location-specific workshop, our primary focus is on making captivating images. Each day, I’ll introduce you to new, awe-inspiring locations, including Little River Gorge, Tremont, the Middle Prong of Little River, Elkmont, and possibly the Little Greenbriar School House. After these brief introductions, you can return to any location you wish to spend more time in.
Throughout the workshop, we’ll make time for informal opportunities to share your work with the group, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment. These will likely take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and will provide further inspiration on the locations we’ve explored and their impact on your artistic exploration.
On our last afternoon, we’ll gather to showcase 10 to 15 images each. These need not be finalized works of art but rather a glimpse into your journey and experience in the Smokies, allowing the class to better understand your visual narrative.
As it’s early spring, I anticipate good weather with daytime temperatures ranging from 40°F to 60°F. This time of year, sunrise is around 7 a.m., and sunset is approximately 7:30 p.m. Mornings may gift us cool mists. While rain showers are possible, the arrival of weather fronts promises dramatic skies throughout the week. In Little River Gorge, sunrise is often delayed by about an hour, and as we progress along the river, shadows will accompany us during the mid-afternoon hours.
In terms of equipment, I wholeheartedly welcome all cameras and formats, including the remarkable capabilities of iPhones. Your gear should encompass the essentials: camera and lenses, tripod, laptop computer with file management software, memory cards, batteries, chargers, connecting cables, and thumb drives. I expect participants to be proficient in utilizing a color management system, editing their work, and exporting files to a thumb drive. Please note that processing services won’t be available during the workshop if you opt for film photography.
Join us for an extraordinary adventure where photography, nature, and history intertwine. Join me in Townsend, TN, for a fun week photographing the Great Smoky Mountains.
Tillman Crane
