Blue Ridge Parkway – David Kotz

Smoky Mountain photos – finally

I’ve finally finished post-processing the rest of my photographs from October.

In late October I spent an extra weekend in the mountains of North Carolina after concluding a photography workshop in the Blue Ridge Mountains – where I took so many photos of foliage and waterfalls that it was months before I finally processed and posted my favorite photos.

A pretty scene along the Kanati Fork stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Blue Ridge photos – finally

I’ve finally finished post-processing my photographs from October.

Back in October I posted about an enjoyable week in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, with a photography instructor and a small group of other aspiring photographers, at the height of the fall-foliage season. The focus of our photo workshop, if you don’t mind the pun, was waterfalls – but we also took advantage of mountain overlooks to capture the foliage in the golden light of sunrise and sunset. I snapped a couple thousand photos in five days, and worked hard to improve my photography skills. I finally found time to select and process the photos, and I’m pleased to share the best fifteen in this photo gallery – it’s also viewable as a brief slideshow.

Little Bradley Falls, in the Blue Ridge of NC.

Smoky Mountains

Three days in Smoky Mountains National Park, and Cherokee NC.

After wrapping up a week-long photography workshop in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, I headed southwest for a solo weekend in the foothills of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Based in the town of Cherokee – in the heart of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation – I had more time to explore waterfalls, fall foliage, ridgetop overlooks, and beautiful hiking trails.

I have hundreds of photos to sift through; for now I’ll share just a few. Read on!

Blue Ridge waterfalls

A week in the Blue Ridge, photographing waterfalls at the peak of fall foliage.

I had the pleasure of spending a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, with five other aspiring photographers attending a Muench Photography Workshop led by the incomparable Talor Stone. We had gorgeous fall foliage, incredible waterfalls, and fantastic weather. It was pure joy to share a week with a group of other people thoroughly focused on photography, all happy to spend hours standing in the shallows below a waterfall exploring every angle, every exposure, refining our technique and learning new skills. Folks who are happy to rise every day before sunrise, driving up dark, windy roads and hiking to mountaintop outlooks to capture the special light at ‘blue hour’ before sunrise and ‘golden hour’ just after. My kind of people!